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All the best app reviews last week on TUAW
Last week was a busy one for apps in the iOS App Store, giving your favorite TUAW writers a chance to post some great reviews of the apps that grace their home screens. Here's a quick roundup of our recent reviews -- and a few app roundups -- you may have missed: Use slow-motion video to improve your game with Ubersense Coach Mind the Buzz is fun trivia game with emphasis on education Get ahead of the curve with Cheating Tom Track your bicycle trips with BikeTool Dead Giveaway finishes dead last Keep on trucking with RGB Express Log anxiety attacks, take control of them with Worry Watch WeatherPro adds widgets and more for iOS Biggest first: Tap big or go home Bestie simplifies shopping with a Pinterest-esque approach Don't Panic: Transmit for iOS is here for your FTP client needs Predict and win with Champions League Predictor RoboRun Space: Run robot run! Adobe updates Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements with great results Fuel Burner hovers and lands Tocomail for Gmail puts parents in control of teens' email Amazing Brick is amusing, but not amazing Perfectly Clear migrates from iOS to Mac Marty Farty Punch and Jump Game needs explanation The official Ryder Cup 2014 app delivers live video coverage Poorly designed, MemoPics memory game is still fun, unique Scanbot for iOS gets an update and improves your scans Shape up your golf game with Putting Bootcamp The tech in MyScript Smart Note is perfect for stylus users Stay organized and creative with the free version of NoteLedge TUAW will be back next week with another round of app reviews, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's cool.
All the best hardware and app reviews last week on TUAW
Last week was a busy one with new hardware and apps making their way into TUAW's virtual office. Here's a quick roundup of our recent reviews you may have missed. App Reviews Stay organized and creative with the free version of NoteLedge Start the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season with the Golf Channel app TunnelBear VPN lets you surf, securely Rocketeer! flies, but not exactly out of this world Track the Ryder Cup with Sportfusion Unofficial News Edition Logoist 2 puts you in the logo creation business Ascend to bird heaven in Frinkle Tremor aims to literally shake up your artistic abilities MigmO is fun, but doesn't stand out in a crowd Amazingly fast and file transfer with Send Anywhere All-Star Basketball fails to make it off the bench Corner the fantasy football market with Stadium Stock Exchange iOS 8 brings new 3rd party keyboards and Swype is one of the coolest Hands-on with the $1000 Vizzywig 4K app Runico lets you create personal amulets for good fortune TravelbyArt lets you discover the Paris of famous artists Light in the Dark is a bright addition to puzzle games Perfect Flick is perfectly frustrating Elegently manage your ideas with ClipUp Embrace a lack of productivity by scoring big in Nerf Hoops Never forget important events with Birthday Board Premium Stay adorably in tempo with Petronome Gunspell: Gunning for your device with magic Wheelio is a brilliant, must-have companion to Instagram Kinetics: pretty puzzler without much grit Chronulator: how to make world time both ugly and confusing Hardware Reviews Belkin WeMo Smart LED Bulbs take on Philips hue lux in smart lightbulb market Fujitsu ScanSnap iX100 Delivers Best In Class Mobile Scanning Blue Microphones breaks the headphone mold with Mo-Fi TUAW will be back next week with another round of reviews, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's cool.
Notezilla for iPad syncs sheet music to high-quality audio
Notezilla for iPad is a library of beautifully laid out, classical sheet music which syncs to accompanying, high-quality audio recordings. From Beethoven's Fur Elise to Handel's Messiah, Notezilla comes preloaded with the well-known classical favorites as well as an ever-expanding library of Roman-era, Baroque, classical era and contemporary classical pieces, available for a one-off US$4.99 in-app purchase. The app is perfect for those wanting to develop their sight reading while practicing their instrument. Notezilla's clear and detailed sheet music allows users to create and repeat sections of the score, change the speed of audio playback as well as revealing letter notes in the actual note heads of the music. App developer Christopher Dickson has promised to add at least one new piece of music to the app per week, and encourages users to suggest pieces to be added. If you're a classical enthusiast, this free app is certainly worth checking out. With a great selection of free pieces to sample -- and numerous more for a one-off purchase -- Notezilla provides an exciting and encouraging environment to learn and hone your classical music-playing skills.
Daily App: Brainbean is great way to exercise both sides of your brain
If you are looking for some brain games for yourself or your children, consider Brainbean from Tanner Christensen. The colorful app offers a variety of creative and cognitive games that provide a stimulating round of mental calisthenics. What strikes you first about Brainbean is it colorful and descriptive UI. The app features eight mini-games along with a "Surprise Me" option arranged in a simple tile grid. The game icons are snazzy enough to attract the attention of a child, yet adult enough to allow grown-ups to play without feeling like they are playing a child's game. Each game tile is eye-catching and informative with a brief description and preview of the gameplay. These previews are helpful so you don't waste precious time trying to figure what you need to do when you fire up a new game for the first time. The mini-games can be broken down into three basic categories -- word games, logic games and creative games -- and include: Letter list (Free): You are given a letter. Spell as many words as you can that begin with that letter. Incomplete Figure (Free): You are given a doodle. Use the colored brushes to complete the drawing. Remote Association (Paid): You are given three words, type in another word that can be added to the end of all three. Pattern Tiles (Paid): Look at pattern and find the correct piece to complete it. Word Scramble (Free): Use the letters to spell as many four-letter words as possible. Mosaic Drawing (Paid): Tap the tiles to shrink their size and create an image. Broken Connections (Free): Move the tiles to connect all the wires together. Block Builder (Paid): Use the slate and existing blocks to build something creative. Each mini-game has a timer of 60 seconds of less, making it a challenge for you to think quickly and solve the problems. There is no distracting music, just a few sound effects in response to taps. The app also keeps track of your statistics so you work to improve your score in each game. With its diversity of games, Brainbean provides both cognitive and creative challenges that will appeal to children and adults alike. My only complaint was device related -- I played on the iPad Air and found it hard to type quickly on the big screen. I split the keyboard as shown above to ease the typing, but I believe the experience would have been better on an iPad mini. Brainbean is an iPad-only ap. It is available for free with in-app purchases to open the locked mini-games as noted above.
All the best new apps and app reviews last week on TUAW
Last week was a busy one for app news and announcements, giving your favorite TUAW writers a chance to post some great reviews of the apps that grace their home screens. Here's a quick roundup of our recent reviews -- and the best new apps -- you may have missed. App Reviews Just in time for his film return, Godzilla has an iOS game Daily App: FilePane is a versatile multi-tool utility for OS X file management Symmetrain challenges your one-handed reflexes CARROT fit 2.0 wants to you exercise, meat bag Daily App: Lapse It Pro is a robust time-lapse tool that's easy for everyone to use 5 fantastic iOS games you aren't playing, but should be iParked is the best way to find your car Daily App: Stack the States is a must-have educational game that quizzes you on US Geography Sonos 5.0 software hits the app store with many new features Klyme: A colorful way to look at your local weather Daily App: Piano Tiles adds music to popular Don't Step the White Tile game Wthr is a well thought out and innovative weather app for iOS Wthr is a well thought out and innovative weather app for iOS Fotos for iOS does some things Apple left out Oh look, a developer is making Nintendo's money without them The creepiest app on the App Store is now free New and Notable Apps Bricks – Arcade Game [iOS Universal; $0.99] Test your reaction skills! Rotate your iPhone or iPad 360 degrees to knock out all bricks and reach the top of the leaderboards in this totally new arcade experience. Haunted House [iOS Universal; Free] Run for your life! Based on the classic Atari hit of the same name, Haunted House® is the re-imagined update filled with non-stop thrills and chills. HexMiner [OS X; Free] HexMiner is a hex editor with features such as work with large files, multiple character encodings and more. ClickPhoto [iOS Universal; $0.99] ClickPhoto is a simple and easy to use application that allows the user to take an image by clicking their fingers. Last Inua - An Arctic Adventure [iOS Universal; $3.99] LAST INUA is an award winning platform adventure game featuring an Inuit father and his son on their epic quest for survival against the elements. Atom Run [iOS Universal; 42.99] Atom Run is an action-packed retro-futuristic platform game, in a superb mechanical-dynamic world. Jump, push, run and avoid the many dangers you'll encounter. 9/11 Museum Audio Guide [iPhone; Free] Enhance your experience of the 9/11 Memorial Museum by using the official audio guide. The Museum honors the 2,983 people killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. Swarm by Foursquare [iPhone; Free] Swarm, the new app from Foursquare, is the fastest way to keep up and meet up with your friends. With Swarm, you can easily see who's out nearby and who wants to hang out later. Thomas Was Alone [iPad; $8.99] Meet Thomas, a curious rectangle, and help him unravel the mysteries of his existence in a wonderfully strange world. Sago Mini Space Explorer [iOS Universal; $2.99] Blast into space with Harvey the dog. Invite Harvey out to play among the stars and planets. Hitman: Absolution - Elite Edition [OS X; $28.99] Become Agent 47, a genetically-engineered killer, and use your skill and ingenuity to turn assassination into an art. List One [OS X; Free] All your lists on one view. Customize, Share, Sync with iPad, iPhone and iPod using your iCloud account. Teleprompt+ 3 [iOS Universal; $14.99] Teleprompt+ 3 offers many advanced options and features that will enable you to custom tailor your prompting setup according to your needs. MovieLaLa [iPad; Free] MovieLaLa is a social network that helps anyone share and discover coming attractions through a personalized upcoming feed, share their favorites with friends, and find friends to go to movies with. FusionVOX [iOS Universal; Free] Use FusionVOX to assist & organise your daily life. Manage your daily tasks & increase productivity for study, music, business, home & much more with this new amazing memo & projects App! Twistam [iPhone; Free] Make two film clips: one with the front camera and one with back and blend them into one video clip! Pantomime 3D [iOS Universal; Free] Mind-bending Pantomime 3D™ turns any iPad, iPhone or iPod touch into an advanced 3D game paddle. Play in realistic 3D worlds on your table by swinging your mobile device - while you apparently look right through its screen. MagicSketch 2 [OS X; $4.99] With MagicSketch have fun and create professional quality sketch software. Publisher Plus [OS X; $19.99] Publisher Plus is a powerful desktop publishing and page layout app for both business and home use. Elephant Drop [iOS Universal; Free] Press and hold on either side of the screen to avoid thunderclouds and hit other objects to slow down. RecordRun [iOS Universal; Free] Record Run puts you in the middle of your music, chasing records and dodging obstacles to the beat in a crazy musical world. AFilter [iPhone; $1.99] Over 245 free effects are shown to you in this application. KeroBlaster [iPhone; $4.99] A classically-styled 2D side scrolling action game packed with adventure, for iPhone & iPod touch. Heroes : A Grail Quest [iOS Universal; $0.99] Heroes : A Grail Quest is a turn-based strategy game in a fantasy world. Kiwanuka [iOS Universal; $1.99] Kiwanuka! Only you can save us all! Guide the lost citizens to freedom. Discover forgotten dreams. Use the magical staff to tower and climb. Good luck on your journey! TWiT.tv [OS X; $1.99] Enjoy TWiT Live streaming, interact with Leo's Chat room live, and view the previously recorded shows! TUAW will be back next week with another round of app reviews, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's cool.
A roundup of last week's app reviews on TUAW
Last week was a busy one for app news and announcements, giving your favorite TUAW writers a chance to post some great reviews of the apps that grace their home screens. Here's a quick roundup of our recent reviews -- and a few app roundups -- you may have missed: Weekend App: Keepy is a private Facebook-style platform for your children's memorable moments I've fed this Human-Faced Fish 17 frogs and he's still hungry Daily App: Cubits! mixes Tetris with Rubik's Cube in a new tile-sliding game Bridge Constructor Medieval doesn't fix what isn't broken Take pictures in very low light with NightCap Pro Alfred 2.3 adds external triggers and more Fantastic Library lets you easily catalog books, movies, music and games Adobe Voice for iPad creates audio, video presentations quickly and easily I was having a lot of fun with this iOS game, and then it rained Would Apocalypse Survival Guide help keep you alive? Disney is hiding an excellent Podracing game inside this Star Wars storybook app AlienTube lets you replace YouTube comments with Reddit threads Daily App: Fjuul is a unique activity tracker for your iPhone FaceSnap has Galileo support for hands-free selfies Daily App: Watch Over Me protects you from harm even when you can't help yourself Sumotori Dreams is how my wife and I will now settle disagreements Picplace is a free app that helps you store your photo memories by location TUAW will be back next week with another round of app reviews, so be sure to drop by to see what's new and what's cool.
Daily App: Vango brings an art gallery to your iPhone and iPad
If you are looking for original artwork created by artists and not some off the shelf prints, then you should check out Vango, formerly ARTtwo50. The iPhone and iPad app allows you to browse and purchase artwork from independent artists who post their work for sale on the art network. Vango is more than just a database of paintings, its offers personalizations that are tailor-made to your tastes. The app has a recommendation engine that learns from the art that you favorite. The more paintings you like, the better the app will become at selecting pieces to match your taste. The recommendation engine also takes into account the colors of the room you are looking to decorate, eliminating outlying art work that may be beautiful, but just doesn't suit your current needs. Vango also offers a visualization feature that'll take a piece of art you are viewing and allow you to use your camera to virtually picture how it would look in your home or office. It's a very useful feature for getting a rough approximation of how the piece will match your decor. If you enjoy supporting local artists, Vango also has a localization feature that grabs your location information and shows you artwork from nearby artists. You can use this feature to find artists in your hometown as well as find local talent when you traveling away from home. For artists, Vango allows you to list your artwork starting at $100 and $250 price points, with higher amounts available as you begin to sell your work and build a satisfied customer base. A "following" feature allows your customers to follow you and receive notifications when you upload new pieces of art, sell your work, or move up to a new price level. Vango is available for free from the iOS App Store. The latest version of the app adds support for the iPhone, making it a universal app that supports both the iPhone and iPad. It requires iOS 7.
Daily App: Tipcognito is a tip calculator masquerading as an email client
Let's face it, many people are horrible at calculating a tip. Not only is the math sometimes challenging, there also is the added pressure of trying to quickly calculate 18 percent of $17.23 while your dinner party stare you down because everyone but you is ready to pay the check. Don't sweat it the next time you go out to dinner, come prepared with Tipcognito, a handy tip calculator that is disguised as an email app. Tipcognito has the visual appearance of an iPhone app but cleverly uses the search field, navigation buttons and fake email entries to display the tip and the total amount you should pay. To use Tipcognito, just enter in the bill amount in the search field and use the "+" and "-" buttons to adjust the tip percentage. The tip amount and your total payment (bill + tip) will replace the date and time stamp in a normal email. Tipcognito is a wonderful app for those times when you want to calculate a tip quickly and discretely. It is available in the iOS App Store as a free app with advertisements or a paid app without ads (US$0.99). It is compatible with the iPhone and requires iOS 6 or later.
Hitman GO is really killing it
If you've ever played a Hitman game, your eyebrow probably immediately raised at the prospect of a new Hitman game for iOS. The stealth action titles for PC and consoles focus on picking off guards and taking out assassination targets, and in that way Hitman GO stays true to the franchise. Everything else about the game, however, is completely different. Hitman GO is a board game of sorts, with turn-based puzzles taking the place of actual sneaking and hiding. You control your character piece, the titular assassin Agent 47, on a board where your movements are restricted to pre-determined grids. Each level has its own layout, with guards who either stand still or patrol, and either an assassination target or an exit slot you must travel to in order to proceed to the next level. You can trick guards with noise generating items like cans and rocks, and either make your way around them or take them out in order to clear your path. The puzzles range from very simply early on to mind-bendingly challenging, forcing you to memorize guard patterns and use the rare pieces of cover to your advantage. Besting a level is very satisfying, especially when you take out your primary assassination target -- who are always dressed in red -- with Ave Maria playing in the background, and GO manages to feel like a real Hitman title despite a complete change in format. The most striking thing about the presentation of GO is how gorgeous the faux board game looks on a Retina display. You feel like you're actually moving pieces around the board, and the ability to tweak your viewing angle adds to this greatly. Hitman GO is available for US$4.99, and the only in-app purchases on offer are in the form of hint packs, walkthroughs, and early level unlocks, but each board is so much fun to play and beat that you'll have little reason to consider it.
Daily App: Cinefy brings Hollywood-style FX to your iPhone or iPad at a cost
Cinefy - Special FX Studio promises to deliver over 100 Hollywood caliber special effects and animations to your iPhone. The app is easy to use, but it is crippled by in-app purchases that take the fun out of movie-making. Cinefy is very easy use, allowing you to pull a video from your camera roll, add an audio track from your iTunes library to the project and then select an overlay effect to add some action to your clip. Once these elements are combined, you can export the clip to your camera roll and share it with others via the standard social networking tools. Editing the clips within the app is minimal. You can set start and end points in a video and move the overly effect so it appears at the right point in the clip. You cannot change the details of the effect, for example a helicopter missile will land in the middle of the screen and you can change its landing point to hit an object on the side of the screen. Adding audio was hit or miss with app crashing on a few occasions when I selected an audio clip to import. Other times, the app would no import the track, which may be related to the track being stored in iCloud and not locally on my phone. Cinefy is free and works for creating quick videos with Hollywood-style effects, but there are limitations which sour the experience. Though the app promises over a hundred effects, most of them are available as an in-app purchase. Of the hundred, only 17 are free. The rest will cost you 99-cents per pack, and there are over 20 packs in the app.
Monument Valley is proof that games can be art
If you have a dog in the never-ending "Are games art?" debate, you know that there are good arguments to be made on both sides. I firmly believe that games can be art, and to anyone who disagrees, I would eagerly point you in the direction of Monument Valley, a new puzzler from developer Ustwo. In Monument Valley you are tasked with guiding a faceless princess named Ida through various structures. But these buildings are not like anything you'd encounter in the real world; They're all impossible, relying on 2D visual trickery and MC Escher-like illusions to add a confusing but enjoyable layer of complexity to even the most trivial tasks. Finding your way to the end of each level often means manually spinning platforms to connect paths in a way that defies logic, but in the end makes perfect sense. This mechanic is made even more challenging once path-blocking "Crow People" are added a few levels into the adventure, adding an aspect of timing to each puzzle solution. There's no real timer to speak of, and the game actively encourages you to think out each move rather than rushing blindly along any paths that might be available. And while some levels might seem hideously daunting at first become manageable through a little bit of trial and error. Monument Valley is gorgeous in is design, with colorful shades and hard lines that emphasize the geometry while at the same time giving you the impression that you're interacting with a priceless painting. There's even a camera feature built-in so you can take snapshots of any level you choose, and every one of them would make for a gorgeous wallpaper on your iPad or iPhone. To top it all off, the relaxing music reacts to every move you make, and even the troublesome crows, that squawk in your face while blocking the way, come off as more charming than annoying. Monument Valley is a game that will suck you in with its gorgeous aesthetics, and then bend your brain while you search for each puzzle solution, but you'll have a smile on your face the entire time. If you're even remotely interested in puzzle games, this US$3.99 gem is money well spent.
Daily App: Faster Than Light brings real-time, rogue-like spaceship combat to your iPad
Released in 2012 for the desktop, Faster Than Light from Subset games is considered to be one of the top indie real-time strategy games. In the game, you control a spaceship from Galactic Federation that contains critical information. You must escape the pursuing rebel fleet and make it across sectors to the Federation HQ to deliver your vital data. This spaceship simulation game challenges you at every turn with rogue-like combat situations that sometimes require you to fire away with your weapons and other times practice diplomacy. Ship emergencies, often in the middle of combat, add a whole new level of complexity as you struggle to keep to vital systems like your weapons array on key sensors online. Though you start with a basic Kestrel-class cruiser, you can unlock upgrades, weapons and new ships. Gameplay can be hectic at times, but FTL does include a pause function, allowing you to stop the action so you can plan your strategy. The pause function gives you some breathing room, but it doesn't make the game any easier. Always on your mind is the game's permadeath feature that doesn't allow you to start in mid-game when you die. If you are destroyed, you must start over at the beginning. Of course, starting over means you get to try to new strategies, unlock different ships and discover new tricks the next time around. The iPad version of Faster Than Light ships with the new FTL:Advanced Edition expansion pack, which adds new ships, enemies, events, and weapons to the game. This pack can be disabled if you prefer to play the classic game. The touch interface translates nicely over to the game, making it easier and more intuitive to use than the mouse clicks of the desktop version. Faster Than Light is available for the iPad for US$9.99. If you have any interest at all in this genre of game, then you won't be disappointed in Faster Than Light. The depth of the game in incredible and the gameplay has just the right mix of slow-paced waypoint jumping and resupplying mixed with hectic combat situations that require fast thinking on your part.
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Surgeon Simulator retains its grotesque hilarity in iPad debut
Surgeon Simulator was one of my favorite PC games of 2013 thanks in large part to its ridiculous premise and intentionally horrible control scheme. The game just debuted on iPad, throwing out the overly complex keyboard commands for overly complex touch controls, and amazingly the formula still works. Surgeon Simulator is a bit of a parody of the hundreds of "simulator" games that flood the PC, and it's anything but realistic. You're given the freedom to perform complicated medical procedures with little in the way of hand-holding or direction. The patient's body is presented before you with organs exposed, and it's up to you to use the tools on your table to complete the operation. On PC, the game assigned a key to each finger on your hand, which resulted in hilarious fumbling of surgical instruments, random objects, and even human organs. On the iPad, things are somewhat streamlined, and grabbing items -- which was a challenge on its own in the original iteration -- is much easier this time around. That being said, actually using medical tools is just as difficult as it's ever been. You can tap on an area you want to direct your instrument, but angling your hammer, saw, or scalpel is still a crapshoot. The patient's death results in a "game over," but just about everything else is totally fine -- including yanking and discarding entire organs. If you find your patient losing blood you can calm the flow by administering a syringe of mysterious green fluid, but as with all the tools, using it isn't as easy as it sounds. There are a few definite drawbacks to the iPad version, including a tendency for your equipment to get stuck inside the patient's body or on your tablet or other equipment. This wasn't as big of a problem in the PC version, but it's extremely common on the tablet. It doesn't ruin the experience, and it's oftentimes hilarious when you see your hammer somehow stuck behind a patient's ribcage, but it's occasionally frustrating as well. Despite that minor complaint, the game is still a fantastic, one-of-a-kind experience. I'm really glad the developer, Bossa Studios, decided to bring the game to iOS, and at US$5.99 it's still a bargain. Pick it up and saw some bones.
Daily App: Mactracker is a handy pocket guide to all things Mac
It's hard to believe that the Macintosh is 30 years old. To learn more about the venerable line of computers, you must make room on your iPhone, iPad or Mac for the Mactracker app from Ian Page. Mactracker is THE reference guide for the Mac, providing specifications and support details for every Apple Macintosh computer ever made. We've covered Mactracker over the past decade as it evolved from a Mac to an iPhone and then an iPad app, but on the anniversary of the Macintosh, it's worth taking another look. The tracker continues to be updated with new model information and updated support statuses for now obsolete models. It also tracks OS X and iOS versions as well as peripherals like Apple mice, keyboards and more. If it has an Apple label on it, it's likely in the Mactracker database. While the iOS version is a handy pocket reference, the OS X version of Mactracker has a few extra goodies like a "My Models" list that stores the models you own and tracks their warranty status. There's also a compare feature that allows you to compare the specifications or the differences between several Mac models at the same time. Mactracker is available for free from the iOS App Store and the Mac App Store.
Daily App Review: The Room Two is a physical puzzler that'll send shivers up your spine
If you enjoy puzzle games and don't mind a slightly ominous theme, then you must download and spend some time playing The Room Two from Fireproof Games. The iPad-only game is a follow-up title to the wildly popular physical puzzler The Room, which debuted in 2012 and quickly climbed to the top of the iOS gaming charts. The Room Two keeps the same ominous and mysterious theme as its predecessor, but adds even more challenging puzzles to the mix. Just like the original, The Room Two drops you off in a dimly lit chamber where you must solve increasingly complex puzzles to advance. If you are alone at night, the eerie music and somber design will send chills up your spine. The most compelling feature of The Room Two is its tactile gameplay. Most puzzles require you to open letters, remove items from drawers and solve mechanical puzzles with dials, locks and latches. You even get to gather pieces and build items like a crossbow that you must shoot to solve one puzzle in the game. I loved the mind-bending puzzles of The Room, and The Room Two builds upon this seriously challenging gameplay. When you first start playing The Room Two, don't be intimidated by the difficulty of the game. Keep looking through every nook and cranny to find what you need and use the hints to keep you going when you are stuck. The Room Two is available for the iPad. It costs $4.99 and is worth every penny. If you haven't play the first version, The Room, that title is available for $0.99 from the iOS App Store.
Daily iPad App: The Wolf Among Us turns the comic into a "choice and consequence" game thriller
If you enjoyed Telltale Game's masterpiece (and 2012 Game of the Year) The Walking Dead, you're going to want to check out its latest "choice and consequence" game thriller, The Wolf Among Us. Like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us is not an original property. It's also based off of a comic book by DC/Vertigo called Fables. And like The Walking Dead, the game's brilliance lies not so much in its action or gameplay, but in the choices one is forced to make and the consequences that result. In The Wolf Among Us you play Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown, a fictional city much like New York except that characters from classic fairly tales live among normal human beings in a disguised form. In a game where the story matters leagues more than the game mechanics -- not to mention the story changes based on the choices you make -- it's hard to talk about the plot without ruining it for those that haven't played it. Given that, let me just tell you that the game starts with Sheriff Bigby being called to a run-down apartment by Mr. Toad because something is going on in the upstairs apartment of the Woodsman of Little Red Riding Hood fame. Then things get weird... The game eschews 3D graphics for cell-shaded animation that works perfectly in this creepy world where things just aren't quite right. But it's the voice narration on the writing that make this game a serious contender for Game of the Year. The Wolf Among Us, again, just like The Walking Dead, is not a one-off. The entire game will consist of five episodes, the first of which is called "Faith" and is available now. The remaining four episodes: Smoke and Mirrors, A Crooked Mile, In Sheep's Clothing and Cry Wolf will be made available on a sequential basis throughout 2014. The Wolf Among Us is a universal app and costs US$4.99 for the first episode. Each following episode will cost another $4.99 via in-app purchase, or you can buy the Multi-Pack purchase which includes Episodes 2-5 for a total of $14.99, or 25 percent off the individual price.
Daily iPad App: Deer Hunter 2014 allows you to hunt even when hunting season is over
Deer Hunting season may be drawing to a close, but Dear Hunter 2014 aims (pun intended) to keep you hunting game even in the off-season. You'll get a chance to own firearms you could only dream about and can travel to locations around the world. This hunting simulator has impressive graphics that look great on the iPad Air. The scenery and animals are very well rendered and their movement is fluid and fast, especially at the more difficult levels. I even played it on the iPad 2 and performance was still very good. You play the game as a stationary hunter who is aiming for animals as they run or fly by you. You can move left or right to get a better angle, but you can't track an animal like you can in some simulations. You have controls to zoom in on an animal, reload your weapon or swap between weapons. Deer Hunter 2014 not only has you hunting deer as its name implies, there are a wide assortment of animals from varying locales. Currently featuring six different locations, the game requires you to hunt trophy animals for each locale before moving on to the next one. There are about 10 trophy hunts per level. Each trophy hunt will earn you the most money in the form of hunter's bucks, which can be used to buy new firearms, energy drinks and other items. There are also regular hunts, contract hunts and club hunts that come with a smaller bounty. During the holidays, there are holiday hunt campaigns that bring new weapons and animals to the game. There are a wide variety of firearms from which to choose including rifles, assault rifles, shotguns, and pistols. As you progress through the game you will need to purchase various upgrades to your weapons including sights, barrels, stocks, and ammunition. The more you hunt, the more money you earn and the better weapons you can buy. Having the right weapon makes all the difference in some of the upper level hunts, so it behooves you to buy the best gun you can afford. Those interested in a quicker way to get through the game than "hunt all the time" can buy additional hunter bucks and gold via in-app purchases. Gold is a commodity in the app, used to purchase high-end weapons, add upgrades to your weapons and replenish your energy supply. You earn gold when you level up, or by watching promotional videos. There's also a promotional page that'll give you gold when you sign up for a new service. If you have some real-life cash, you can buy gold via an in-app purchase, but it is expensive. This brings me to one of the biggest detractors for the game. Playing time is limited. You cannot just hunt for as long as you want. Deer Hunter has an energy meter that decreases every time you begin a hunt. Once the meter is depleted you must wait a certain amount of time before your energy meter fills up again and you can continue playing. It takes about 15 minutes to drain your energy and an hour to fill it up. You can instantly replenish your energy meter with gold, but that gets expensive fast. Another aspect I did not like about Deer Hunter 2014 is that some weapons can only be purchased with gold forcing you to make an in-app purchase or spend a huge amount of time watching video ads or filling out online surveys. As much as I would like the Grantham Model 2200x, I'm not going to pay 350 gold via a US$19.99 in-app purchase to buy it. Also, there are ads for other games that pop up intermittently when you play. Even with the above complaints, Deer Hunter 2014 manages to draw me in for short periods of time each day. The stand-out graphics and sound are some of the app's best assets. I only wish the game was not so deeply integrated with the "pay to play" revenue model. I would have preferred to pay a reasonable price for the game and progress though it without the ads and the temptation to buy gold. Deer Hunter 2014 is available from the iOS App Store for free and is provided as a universal app for both the iPhone and iPad.
Daily iPad App: Infuse brings your video library to your iPad and supercharges it
Infuse takes your iPad and turns it into the ultimate video player. It plays almost anything you throw at it and even streams the content to an Apple TV via AirPlay. After using it, you'll never want to go back to the old video app in iOS. The app has familiar roots, as it is developed by FireCore, the same group that makes the popular aTV Flash for the Apple TV. Infuse's strong point is its support of a wide variety of video file formats including MP4, M4V, MKV, AVI, WMV, FLV, OGM, OGV, ASF, 3GP, DVR-MS, WebM and WTV. This is huge as it means you can play back almost every file in your library without wasting time and processor power doing conversions. AirPlay is also supported, allowing you to stream these files to your Apple TV. Infuse was updated this week to version 2.0 and it's a major overhaul of the app. The UI has been refreshed for iOS 7 and now includes network streaming. The network-streaming option appears along with the other file-retrieval methods like browser transfer, iTunes Sync, FTP and more. These other methods are used to transfer media to your iPad for playback. Only the network-share option supports streaming. To access a network share, just select the drive or device in the app, add your username and password and hit save. The NAS will show up in Infuse's video library and will automatically connect when you tap on it again. I tested the network streaming with my ReadyNas, and it works wonderfully. It took just a few minutes to setup the app and stream over WiFi. I was able to access my entire video library and play any file without worrying about its format. I have a diverse library spanning almost 10 years with a lot of content from a SageTV-powered HomeTheatre PC. It was exciting to be able access this content with such ease. Infuse also has a handful of smaller features like support for subtitles, automatic import of video artwork and metadata from TMDb and TheTVDB and integration with Trakt.tv. There's also a handy Dropbox feature that'll allow you to access videos uploaded to your Dropbox account. As part of its 2.0 update, Infuse also changed its pricing structure. The basic app is now free and allows you to watch videos that are transferred to your device. Premium features like subtitles, AirPlay and network streaming cost US$4.99. As with most freemium apps like this, plan on paying the upgrade fee to get the most out of the app. You can download and check out Infuse for free from the iOS App Store.
Daily iPad App: The Elements in Action brings the periodic table to life
The Elements in Action takes a visual look at the periodic table, bringing the metals and gasses to life with engaging videos. It's an interesting look at the elements from BAFTA award winner Max Whitby and Theodore Gray, author of the popular book and app The Elements. The content is top-notch, taken from footage originally available only at museums. The first thing that strikes you when you open the Elements in Action app is its strong visual UI. Every element in the periodic table is literally bursting with activity, displaying a teaser video that illustrates each element's unique properties or uses. When you click on an element, you can watch a short video that showcases a unique property of the element. An accompanying description provides you with some interesting facts on that element and how it is used in the real world. Did you know that rhenium melts at 3,000°C and is used along with nickel to make turbine blades for jets? The array of information runs the gamut from details on passenger aircraft to the composition of body piercings. There are also a handful of not-so-everyday explosions. The only complaint I have about the app is its promotion of the developer's other app, The Elements for iPad. When you click on a 3D model in each element's description, you are not shown the 3D model; instead you are prompted to buy The Elements app for the iPad. The Elements in Action is available from the iOS App Store for US$3.99.
Daily iPad App: Stretch your legs with The Hunger Games: Panem Run
First thing's first: Panem Run doesn't have a lot to do with The Hunger Games at all. As an "endless runner" game, it has about as little connection to the franchise as you could imagine. You play as a non-movie character and run through various environments modeled after the different districts in the Hunger Games movies and books. But while the game is thin on lore, it remains an enjoyable entry into an increasingly crowded genre. As in other similar titles (most notably Temple Run), your character sprints forward with reckless abandon, and it's up to you to provide timed input to bypass obstacles while collecting money and loot. Swiping upward prompts a jump, swiping downward leads to a slide, and swiping left or right controls your position on the track. The challenge comes with trying to combine these commands in close succession, and if you're tasked with jumping, moving sideways and sliding within a second or two, there's a good chance you're going to mess something up. When this inevitably happens, your run stops, and you are offered the option to pay a bit of your winnings for the ability to restart in the same area, or simply end the run and start fresh. The fee for getting back on your feet grows with each failure, so sooner or later you're going to need to throw in the towel and start a fresh run. There's a relatively deep skill system that lets you level up certain abilities by collecting various supplies found on the track, but this can also be bypassed by simply paying for the upgrades using the in-game currency. None of the upgrades provide a drastic change to the overall gameplay, so if you choose to ignore this part of the game menu entirely you'll likely not notice too much. It's a free-to-play game, which means there are also in-app purchases. Thankfully the store options at this point are simply coin packs, and since the game rewards you handsomely for even the most modest of runs, you probably won't find a huge need to crack open your real-world bank account. As I mentioned above, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: Panem Run (yes, that's its actual full title) doesn't do a whole lot to provide an extra thread to the Hunger Games story, but the mechanics of the game itself are solid enough that you'll likely get a good bit of playtime out of it. It's a fine time-waster while you're waiting in line for tickets to the new Hunger Games flick, just don't expect it to catch fire.
