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TUAW's Daily App: Backbreaker 2: Vengeance
Most football video games nowadays go all out on features -- you can play any position, just coach fantasy-style, or even design plays in some games. But NaturalMotion's Backbreaker series for iOS goes the other way. It's just good old tackling and running, boiled down into an arcade mode designed to show off the dynamic tackling and motion built into the engine. Backbreaker 2: Vengeance is really impressive. If you're a hardcore football fan you'll want a more full-featured game, but if you just love dodging and diving into players on the football field, you'll really enjoy the wave after wave of points-based attacks here. Especially on iPhone 4, the presentation is great, with smooth and beautiful graphics and very responsive controls. This is the second in the series, and it shows -- NaturalMotion is really learning how to do cool stuff with their engine. There are also tweaks to moves from the first game, and a few new moves as well. And Backbreaker 2's got Game Center integration, so you can chase after achievements and leaderboards, too. It's an excellent game for US$2.99 -- check it out (at least when you're not playing Infinity Blade today).
TUAW's Daily App: Scrambleface
Scrambleface is a simple app that does one thing pretty darn well. All it does is take live feed from an iPhone or latest-gen iPod touch's camera (and it does require iOS 4.0 or higher), then it turns that into a sliding puzzle for you to unscramble. It's not flashy or crazy, but it is kind of fun, and the fact that it uses the live camera feed gives it a nice twist that will appeal to kids or anyone you happen to be demonstrating the iPhone to. There are 21 randomly generated levels that can be done as time challenges if you so choose, and there's an update coming soon with Game Center integration and leaderboards. As part of the Appvent promotion going on right now, Scrambleface is completely free today, December 8th. At that price, it's definitely worth playing with. Think of it as an early holiday bonus!
TUAW's Daily App: Trucks and Skulls
I'll be honest, at the expense of disagreeing with some of you: I don't really like Angry Birds. Sure, I'll admit it's a quality app, and I obviously can't deny all of those sales. But personally, it's just not my game -- I don't find it nearly as fun as some of the other games on the App Store. That said, I know plenty of people enjoy Angry Birds, and for those people, Trucks and Skulls will probably scratch the same itch. Gameplay is almost exactly the same, except instead of birds, you're throwing trucks, and instead of pigs, you're attacking ... well, you can probably guess. There are a few new mechanics, a full level maker and screenshot sharing service, and the stages are obviously different, but otherwise, it's more of the physics puzzle goodness that Angry Birds has, only done with a heavy metal, death trucker aesthetic. Heck, maybe that appeals to some of you even more than Rovio's title. Trucks and Skulls just recently released a free version, and the full game is just US 99 cents on the iPhone and $1.99 on the iPad, with Game Center integration included. If you've already blown through Angry Birds and the recent holiday edition, give Trucks and Skulls a try.
TUAW's Daily App: HEXETERA
Here's the deal: based on that screenshot at right, you already want to play this one or you don't. You can probably guess what it is just from that. It's a falling block game, except you match triangular tiles rather than blocks. There are goals you need to meet in order to progress through the levels (or there's an unlimited mode for constant play, as long as you can manage). And there are various power-ups to pick up and carry out as you go through the game. It's pretty straightforward. Of course, you don't see the great music in that screenshot over there. And you don't see Game Center integration, which ... err, sadly, the game doesn't actually have (though you can keep and share high scores over both Facebook and Twitter). But honestly, you probably knew right away whether this was one you wanted to play or not. If the idea of another falling block game doesn't appeal to you, HEXETERA probably isn't your thing -- go ahead and wait until tomorrow when we'll have another great app in the spotlight. But if that screenshot intrigues you (as it did me), you can pick up HEXETERA on the App Store right now for US 99 cents.
TUAW's Daily App: Rise of Atlantis HD
I really enjoyed (and still occasionally play) Russian developer Playrix's Call of Atlantis on the iPhone. It's a pretty straightforward match-3 game that nevertheless has a lot of appeal. Somehow, the pieces (including some weird-shaped boards), certain items that you need to release from the grid to match up and some special power-ups are tuned just right so that I find it more fun than most games of the type -- it's almost as great as PopCap's own Bejeweled. And now, the company has released the next game in the series, Rise of Atlantis as an HD version on the iPad. It's worth checking out, especially if you're in the mood for an iPad-specific match-3 experience. The graphics and colors are vibrant, and like Call of Atlantis, there's a very loosely connected "story" mode to go through with 77 different levels to beat. And you can even go back and beat them for a high score if you're into that. There's no multiplayer or achievements or anything, unfortunately, but then again, a solid match-3 game is just a game where you sit on the couch and flip little icons to match them up by yourself -- and is there any better device for a game like that than the iPad? I think not. The Mac version of the game was spotlighted by Apple, and this one should be popular as well. You can try out the lite version for free, or pick up the full iPad game for a launch sale price of US $4.99.
TUAW's Daily App: Flickr HD
Flickr HD (or flickr hd, as it's styled in the App Store) just got a nice update recently to version 6.0, and it's quite an excellent way to browse and view the popular photo-sharing site Flickr on an iOS device. The latest version brings a feature called "Instaswitch," which will automatically change the picture shown on the app every single minute, right on the minute (I guess it loads up in the background). The app can also display a clock and the photo information on the screen, so you can use your iOS device as a digital photo frame and bring shots in directly from your Flickr account, public photos from someone you know or even Flickr's own favorites feed. An update early next month is set to bring even more options into the app, including being able to adjust the time that each picture changes. If you spend a lot of time looking at your iPhone or iPad's battery charging screen and would rather give it a little something better to do while sitting in a dock or a stand, Flickr HD is a nice app, and it's on sale right now for just US$1.99.
TUAW's Daily App: Cookie Rush
Cookie Rush is an interesting title. The goal is to keep some villagers away from a giant rolling cookie, but instead of guiding them directly, you control them by placing jump arrows in their way -- it's kind of like a group Canabalt where you're controlling the environment rather than the character. Things get frantic quickly. As you go along, you have to dodge gaps and try to get your villagers up to rescue vehicles, there are dogs to dodge, and there are bad guys that you don't want jumping up with the rest of your folks. I like Cookie Rush. It's pretty original (given that the main villain is a gigantic rolling cookie, it pretty much has to be), and it's worth a shot if you like arcade-style platformers. It's too bad there's no free version to try, and if you're on the fence, you might want to wait for a lite version to come along. But OpenFeint achievements and leaderboards add some fun functionality for just US$0.99. If the idea of the gameplay appeals, it's worth a look.
TUAW's Daily App: Chow Thanksgiving Dinner Coach
It's the day before Thanksgiving, and you've agreed to have the family over for dinner tomorrow, complete with a turkey and fixings and everything. But you just realized that you don't actually have any idea how to cook a turkey (and it probably won't fit in the microwave). Not to worry. CBS Interactive's Chow Thanksgiving Dinner Coach has you covered. This free iPhone app will run you through groceries and recipes for a few of Thanksgiving's most famous dishes, including that turkey, the stuffing, potatoes, and cranberries, all the way down to pumpkin pie. Not only does it have recipes and shopping lists, there's even a multi-day timeline to walk you through exactly how everything should be done. If you're old hand at serving Thanksgiving, you'll probably find this a little too simple; it really walks you through step by step. But if this is your first year hosting the party, and you're a little unsure of what to do without some constant guidance from your iPhone, the Chow app is a great (and free) place to start.
TUAW's Daily App: Astronut
You may have already heard about the Iconfactory's new game Astronut, but just in case you haven't, we'll happily be the ones to tell you. From the makers of Ramp Champ and Twitterrific comes a game that's sort of a mashup between Dizzypad, Captain Ludwig and Doodle Jump. You play a little astronaut bouncing from planet to planet and trying to make his way up the screen, all while avoiding aliens and other traps and troubles along the way. Astronut's a little more forgiving than most of the other "jump"-style games. Not only are there three sections of your heart to go through, you can pick up more hearts, shields and other items along the way. You also get a "boost" that allows you to invincibly fly past any number of bad guys or enemies (as long as you're pointed in the right direction). As a result, the game is a whole lot of fun to play. Rather than trying to time out each jump perfectly, you constantly bounce around the map, ascending and sometimes even landing huge jumps for bonus points. There's Game Center integration in the form of leaderboards and achievements as well, so there's quite a bit of game here to play. There are 24 levels total, and the first four are included in a free download that comes more than recommended -- it's a lot of fun. If you like it, you can buy the rest of the game for US$1.99 via an in-app purchase. The Iconfactory never disappoints when it comes to well-executed, solid designs, and Astronut is another great app in their growing library of quality App Store titles.
TUAW's Daily App: mGifts
It's Thanksgiving week, Black Friday is coming up quick, and that means that we're knee deep in gift-shopping season. If you don't quite know what you're getting or where to get it yet, mGifts can probably help. It can't actually recommend gifts for you (we here at TUAW can take care of that part), but it can help you track all of the gifts you need to buy, keeping separate listings by person, stores to shop at, and even prices of what you've purchased already. If you've got a lot of gifts to pick up, this could be just the thing to help you organize. Other features include the ability to share a list via email or attach photos for each gift or person. And while we're posting about the app for holiday gift giving, it actually works for any event, even customized birthdays or anniversaries. The app is a universal release and is only US 99 cents right now, on sale for the season.
TUAW's Daily App: Bee Patrol
So you like Flight Control a lot, but you've conquered every map and every leaderboard on there already? Then Bee Patrol is exactly what you need. It's a fun line-drawing title that has you controlling bees back and forth between honeycombs and flowers. Unfortunately, it's not quite as polished as Flight Control, but heck, what is? Bee Patrol is still a solid line-drawing game, with nine different levels over three worlds, and two modes to play through. Worker mode is like Flight Control's survival mode, and Queen mode has you collecting as much honey as possible from the flowers available in a certain time period. The game's got both Game Center and OpenFeint integration, and the developers are promising more updates in the future as well. The iPhone version is US$0.99, and the iPad version with upsized graphics is a dollar more. There's a lite version as well, if you want to give the game a try without plunking down a buck. I enjoyed Bee Patrol a lot -- I admit that Flight Control has the flight path subgenre locked down, but if you're looking for a different spin, this one's worth a shot.
TUAW's Daily App: Train Conductor
Train Conductor is a sort of line-drawing game, although it's not quite as open as most games of that ilk. The idea is that you've got four rails of trains running at each other, and as the conductor, it's your job to make sure nobody hits anybody else. You can stop and start trains when you want, and you can just draw tracks across from one set of rails to the other. It sounds simple, and of course, it is when you start. But as with most puzzlers like this, things get crazy quick, and eventually you're shooting trains back and forth, desperately trying to keep them coming without any crashes. The game's a lot of fun, and it's free on the App Store right now. In fact, there's even a sequel out with more locations, train types, and tons of additional features (including some coming down the update pike soon). The sequel's just 99 cents, and man, a buck is a small price to pay for all the game that's squeezed into these two apps.
TUAW's Daily App: SteamBirds
There are a lot of good strategy games from World War I, and there are some good combat games out there as well. But SteamBirds is an interesting combination of both. It's an air combat game that plays out in a 2D field turn-by-turn, so while you're simulating high-flying air combat, you're actually controlling your planes in a turn-based fashion. If that sounds hard to figure out, there's an easy solution: just go play the Flash version online, and see for yourself what it's like. It actually works quite well. The UI is great, and it's usually very easy to see what kinds of options you're presented with when coming up with a strategy. Each plane also has some power-up moves that you can use, so if you see that you need to speed up or shield your plane for a turn, you can plan that out ahead of time. The music is worth a mention by itself -- it's awesome. SteamBirds is a terrific game, and even if you've played through it on Flash, it's worth picking up for 99 cents so that you can play it on your iPhone as well. The HD version for iPad is a little more at US$1.99, but it also boasts smoothed-out animations and more special effects.
TUAW's Daily App: Time Geeks
Time Geeks is a charmer. It's basically an image finder -- you're presented with a picture full of various things and goings-on and tasked with seeking out a certain item or image in that picture. There are a few of these on the App Store, and some of them are pretty lousy, but Time Geeks is anything but. You're still just pointing and clicking, but the images in Time Geeks are just incredible. They're gorgeous pixelated art, packed with not only great looking colors and shapes, but also nerd and geek references aplenty. I saw references to Lost, The Legend of Zelda, Star Trek, Dragon Ball Z, Lemmings, and a few other really obscure geeky properties -- and that's just the first few goals in the first level. The game also has six different game modes to play with and seven mini-games -- it's very much packed with content. There's even a very intuitive editor where you can create your own pictures using all of the little sprites and art that the actual game uses. The full version is just 99 cents, which is a bargain as-is, and the team has promised updates in the future. Just in case all of my gushing hasn't yet sold you, there's a lite version to try out as well. I was really impressed with Time Geeks. Image search and find apps tend to be a little underpowered and are usually just attempts by the developer to build a simple game and grab a few bucks. But Time Geeks is a lot of fun, and it's definitely a full-featured title that's worth a look no matter what kind of games you like.
TUAW's Daily App: Ash
Ash is a game that hearkens back to a simpler time, when strong RPG stories could be told in just two dimensions, and enemies randomly jumped on you in dungeons only to kindly wait their turn to attack during the actual battles. Yes, it's a Dragon Warrior-style RPG, and while the graphics actually place the game squarely in the 16-bit era, the gameplay is reminiscent of very old-school games, with an evil empire attacking the populace and a hero and his party caught in the middle of it all. Combat is turn-based, with each character choosing to attack, use skills, or heal, and townspeople not only provide you with something to do, they also offer up their shops and homes to your service as you roam the Empire of Aghaus. If you've never played those old 16-bit RPGs, you might still enjoy this one. You might get lost in a few of the stranger conventions of the genre, though (and the difficulty -- you definitely need to be careful and do some leveling before wandering too far into the first few areas). But if you grew up with this kind of game, Ash will probably hit you right in the nostalgia bone. For those players, it's very well-worth US$4.99 on the App Store. Not only will you get a fun story and a solid experience to play through, but Ash will also help you remember all of those old worlds you visited before.
TUAW's Daily App: Gun Bros
Freemium has earned kind of a bad name on the iPhone -- a lot of people see it as a nickle-and-dime kind of thing, where if you don't pay out a buck or two to the game every once in a while, you don't get to have a full-featured experience. But there is a way to do it right: have a full game before the microtransactions, and then use those transactions to make the experience better, in an optional way. That's exactly what Gun Bros does. The free game that you get on the App Store is a more than excellent dual-stick shooter with some really nice RPG and social elements added into the mix. And even without spending any money, you can have a fun and full experience playing the game.
TUAW's Daily App: Stenches
We talked to Thunder Game Works way back at this year's WWDC, and they mentioned that they were working on a zombie version of their popular Trenches war strategy game for the iPhone. And it's now out on the App Store. Stenches is much like Trenches in that you guide a group of World War I soldiers through the trenches, but it's unlike Trenches in that it's fully focused on killing zombies. There are over 200 different levels to fight through, special zombie bosses made just for the game, an unlimited mode to fight on through, and everything else you may have played in Trenches. If you didn't play Trenches, you might want to give it a try anyway -- it's a unique little twist on real-time strategy that features some real depth in the action gameplay as well as a grim sense of humor and style. Stenches is only US$1.99, and for that price, you get both the game and future updates, which will include more game modes, co-op and competitive play, and some more zombie bosses to tangle with. The current game also has Game Center integration, so your friends can check your progress on achievements as well. Great game -- definitely check it out.
TUAW's Daily App: Silverfish
Silverfish is an arcade shooter with an interesting twist: you don't actually shoot at all. You control a little bug-like ship (kind of gross, actually, if you've ever been plagued by the real thing) that you can move around the screen by swiping up, down, left, or right. You're chased by enemies just like more traditional shooters, such as Geometry Wars, but instead of shooting them yourself, you need to hunt down little proton pellets. Touching those explodes them and kills enemies, so you've got to time it just right -- trigger an explosion too far away from the bad guys, and you won't hit them, or if you get too close, you'll get hurt. Of course, various enemies show up over time, and the game is an interesting experiment in a new arcade variant. It's pretty tough, actually. I had to play around with it for a bit before I really started picking it up, and even then I didn't come anywhere near the Game Center leaderboards. There are also achievements, and three modes as well. Reaper mode lets you build up a POW meter to destroy enemies with your ship, Onslaught mode pits you against waves of enemies on your own, and Scavenger is a sort of survival mode that tasks you with collecting protons in order to keep your life up. They all play pretty much the same (move away from enemies and towards protons), but the twists are good enough to put a new spin on gameplay. Silverfish is a great twist on arcade action, and it's a steal at US$1.99 if you're into non-traditional shooters. That's an introductory price, so if you're going to pick it up, do so soon.
TUAW's Daily App: Word Warrior
Word Warrior is a good one. It's a mashup of spelling games and an RPG, and while it's a very simple affair, there's some fun gameplay to be had here. The RPG elements are extremely streamlined (almost too much so -- the gear editor is basically just a toggle between various items that you've collected, and the choices while leveling up are slim), but the spelling challenges actually fit right up next to the monster battling. You're given a row of letters and a time limit to spell something out with them, and if you succeed, you smash the monster facing you and do some damage. If you can't spell something in time, you get damage done to you; whoever stays alive wins the loot and the XP. There are also special letters that pop up, and using those grants you a special attack. The game is actually quite hard -- I feel like I have a pretty extensive vocabulary, but I was being challenged pretty well within just a few fights. The art style is simple, but it's a lot of fun. In general, while I would like some parts of the game to be fleshed out a little more (and there are a few slow loads and weird quirks with the programming), Word Warrior is a great idea that plays well. But you don't have to take my word for it -- through today, the game is free on the App Store (and then it will go back up to the usual price of US$1.99). Go now, download away, and enjoy!
TUAW's Daily App: Stoneship: The Curse of a Thousand Islands
Stoneship was released earlier this year exclusively on the App Store, and it's got quite a pedigree. It was created by Cyan Worlds, the creators behind the classic game Myst, one of the most-loved PC games of all time. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your gaming tastes), Stoneship is a completely different game. While there are some elements of exploration and puzzles to solve, Stoneship is much more of an arcade title than straight adventure. In Stoneship, you are the captain of a British frigate, and it's your job to not only explore a series of Caribbean Islands but also set up and defend them against the invading pirate hordes. When you start a map, you get a set number of turns to split among exploration, creating and transferring defenses around, and fighting various findings on the map. After those turns end, you have to defend against a set of pirates; if you haven't moved your troops to the right places and cleaned up the map enough, you might lose all of the great towns you've built up. It's an interesting game, but it's kind of lame that things are mostly out of your hands (you do press some buttons to actually run the battles, but mostly you'll make or break them early on). It's also a little frustrating to always have that turn limit knocking at the door, but the game is well-produced and good fun. It just recently got a clean-up update, and the next update is supposed to bring Game Center integration and a few more goodies. If you're willing to put a little thought into the way you play, check out Stoneship on the App Store right now for US$2.99.
