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Daily iPhone App: Rayman Fiesta Run offers break-neck fun
The Rayman series has always been about easy, enjoyable fun, and last year's release of Rayman Jungle Run was a great example of that. Now its successor, Rayman Fiesta Run, has entered the race, and whether you're a newcomer to Rayman or a seasoned vet, there's plenty to enjoy in this installment. While most Rayman games are platforming adventures, both Jungle Run and the new Fiesta Run are much more straightforward. Rayman runs automatically and you tap the screen to jump. That's it. Though as simple as this sounds, the inventive level design introduces a number of different ways the game's basic controls can be used. As the stages shift, twist and transform, well-timed jumps -- or refusing to jump at all -- can lead to new areas. Your overall goal is to finish each level with as many shiny Lums as possible. These cheery creatures are scattered throughout the game world and are collected simply by running into them. The vast majority of the levels feature multiple branching paths, and if you hope to collect the full complement of Lums in each stage, you'll undoubtedly need to take on many of the stages more than once to find the optimal route. As you collect Lums, additional stages are unlocked, as well as more difficult versions of levels you already conquered. All told, there are well over 70 levels to take on as well as a trio of bosses, which means you'll be playing Fiesta Run for quite some time. A word has to be said about the game's visuals: They're downright gorgeous. The hand-drawn aesthetic from Jungle Run returns with even more detail and plenty of subtle touches. The game runs buttery smooth and flows flawlessly even as multiple levels of each stage flash into view and then disappear into the background or foreground. It's a treat to watch. For US$2.99, Fiesta Run offers a whole lot of content as well as a great deal of replayability. If you haven't yet given Jungle Run a try, I'd recommend taking that one for a spin first, if only so you can fully appreciate how Ubisoft made an already great game concept even greater.
Apple announces the App Store's Best of 2012
Apple has posted its top picks for the entire year of 2012 in the App Store, and you can browse through all of the choices right now. On the iPhone, Action Movie FX has picked up the App of the Year award, and Ubisoft's Rayman Jungle Run has earned game of the year, with music app Figure and social word game Letterpress picking up the runner up slots. Over on the iPad, FiftyThree's Paper has won app of the year, and the spooky The Room has earned game of the year, with Action Movie FX's iPad version and Tiger Style's great Waking Mars as runner-ups there. There are also a ton of great apps listed in other various categories, and Apple has also listed the top downloaded (Angry Birds Space has nailed both top spots in paid) and top grossing apps in each category. Obviously, with any list like this, there are some favorites missing (and if you want to see TUAW's choices, follow along with our own Best of 2012 coverage). But it's definitely been a great and busy year on the App Store, and Apple's collection is chock full of very well-done apps and games for sure.
Daily iPhone App: Rayman Jungle Run
Rayman Jungle Run is the kind of iOS game that should be terrible. It looks from the outset like a blatant cash grab by Ubisoft, re-using the various sounds, graphics and gameplay from its popular Rayman Origins console platformer on iOS. But here's the thing: Rayman Origins is such a gorgeous and well-designed game that even this small-screen re-imagining is oozing with magic and fun. Yes, these graphics are being re-used, but they are still completely beautiful, and there's been so much new craft put into creating these levels and settings that Rayman Jungle Run feels just as fresh and enjoyable as the original console title. The controls are a big part of it -- rather than using a more traditional virtual D-pad and jump button, Ubisoft's developers have completely taken movement out of the equation, so Rayman simply runs forward without stopping. Instead, you just tap the screen to jump at certain moments, so the whole proceeding is all about timing (which, technically, great platformer games always have been about anyway). Later on in the game, further levels allow you to hover while jumping or punch as you go, but the controls are so simple and clean that you instead get to focus on the game's pitch-perfect gameplay. And there's plenty of that: Four different worlds with about 10 levels each, extra levels to unlock as you play and multiple goals per level, including time runs and extra Lums to collect. Rayman Jungle Run is an absolute pleasure to play -- don't be turned off by the fact that you've seen this art on the console before. It's available as a universal version now for $2.99.
