TuawsDailyApp
Latest
TUAW's Daily App: Geo Walk
Geo Walk is an interesting title from Vito Technology, the folks behind the popular Star Walk and Solar Walk apps. They originally released Geo Walk a little less than a year ago, but the app wasn't quite as developed as their other titles (and presumably didn't do as well as those either). So Vito went back to the drawing board, revamped the app completely, and the new version is now available on the App Store, at 99 cents for the iPhone, or $2.99 for the iPad. The new app is still an educational title focusing on giving information about various places, people, and plants and animals from different areas all over the world, and rather than just a 3D globe, there are now a few different views, including a new card view to check out. There's also a new quiz mode, which asks questions based on the information on the cards, letting you quiz yourself or others about the various facts. It's an interesting app, and if nothing else, it's a good example of just how flexible the App Store can be -- if an app doesn't work the first time around, a developer can go back and try again. If you've already downloaded Geo Walk, the big update is free, and well worth checking out.
TUAW's Daily App: Cogs
Cogs is a 3D puzzle game that was originally released on iOS over a year ago, but it has just arrived on the Mac App Store. It's a good one, featuring a completely "mechanical" interface and sliding tile puzzles that build various contraptions of varying difficulty. The app is US$4.99 on the Mac App Store, but it's even cheaper on iOS; it's completely free on the iPhone right now, and it's $2.99 on the iPad as Cogs HD. Unfortunately, even at those prices, the Mac App Store version is probably your best bet, as it comes with all 50+ levels unlocked and ready for play, while the iOS versions require separate level pack in-app purchases to get access to everything. Still, the free version comes with 10 levels anyway, so if you just want to test out the gameplay, you can. Unfortunately, there's no Game Center integration at all (the app was originally released before that), but maybe now that the Mac version is live, we'll see an update in the future. Whatever happens, if you haven't played this one before, it's definitely worth a look today.
TUAW's Daily App: ZombieSmash
Our own Michael Grothaus really enjoyed ZombieSmash when it came out around this time last year. Last week at GDC, I had a chance to speak with Matthias Hoechsman, creator of the game and CEO of gamedoctors, about the title. An upcoming update, which is due out in just over a month, will essentially double the size of the game, bringing 31 new days of stages to play through. Since it's at a prison called "Camp Nowhere," there will be new zombie types to take down and new weapons to kill them with. The update is adding a few new social features as well, including the ability to tweet and share killshots, showing friends how you take out the last zombie in each wave. ZombieSmash will finally get a long-awaited Retina Display update and Game Center integration as well. The update isn't out yet, but the game's available right now for US$1.99 on the App Store. There are already 31 days of waves to defend against, plus an Endless Siege mode and a Sandbox mode to just play around with. If you pick up the game right now and play through a level a day, you'll be ready for the big update right around the time it hits. Seems like a good deal to us.
TUAW's Daily App: Shadow Era
For the right player, Shadow Era is a really impressive game. I say "for the right player," because it's not exactly newbie friendly -- this is a full-fledged collectible card game, implemented right there on the iPhone and the iPad. For some players, that's probably music to your ears -- if you're a big fan of Magic: The Gathering, you'll feel right at home here as you summon allies, cast spells and build resources to take down opponents and build up your decks. But if you've never touched a competitive card game, you'll probably be lost right out of the gate. While Shadow Era does offer a few tips in a short tutorial, it's really meant for players who pretty much know what they're doing already. That said, it's awfully impressive. It combines great-looking cards in a very touch-friendly interface. Especially on the iPad, I could lose quite a few hours in this, battling away and reading out all of the cards, their special features, and checking out the great, well-designed art. The controls are easy-to-learn and surprisingly intuitive, and once you figure out the game's rhythm, it's fast and simple to navigate. The game comes with a deck to play with, of course, and you can buy more via in-app purchase -- they're not super cheap, but compared to other collectible card games, the prices are more than competitive. Plus, the game offers nice touches like Retina Display support and Game Center integration as well. For a free app, Shadow Era is a must-download for fans of CCGs, and even players who want to get started with the genre can head over to the website to both play online and read through the rules.
TUAW's Daily App: Sky Combat
I can't say that I'd call a top-down arcade shooter the best fit for the iPhone's touchscreen, but in the case of Chillingo's Sky Combat, it works. You drag a finger around the screen, guiding an auto-firing chopper through quite a few different maps of various forces, attacking and defending from rockets and constantly grabbing upgrades and score. The graphics are 2D, but it looks great, with plenty of fiery explosions to go along with the realistic vehicles. With a full campaign of ten missions, a single mission mode, an endless mode, three difficulty levels to play with and full Crystal and OpenFeint integration, Sky Combat is packed to the gills with extra features. There's a 1.1 update on the way, and there are a total of four different control schemes, so however you want to play it, you can. It's an excellent game, a more than respectable scrolling shooter for the iPhone and a bargain at just US$0.99. Chillingo has made a reputation for providing great games like this, and I got to see a few more of their upcoming titles at GDC this week. Stay tuned for a preview of those, as well as an interview with the company's executives.
TUAW's Daily App: Infinity Blade
Odds are that you already know what Infinity Blade is, and you might already have it on your iOS devices, too. But just in case you don't, we're spotlighting one of the best iOS games of last year, which happens to be available on the App Store right now for the sale price of US$2.99 -- for this game, that's a steal. If you haven't picked up this big-budget example of how experienced developers can do iOS games right, today's your chance. The game's already received one content update, and another big update is coming soon. Even if you already have Infinity Blade, you can check out Joystiq's fine writeup of how the game was made, straight from the floor of GDC 2011. Chair Entertainment talks about how they had tons of game ideas (from a physics puzzler to a card game -- I'd like to play either of those), but eventually boiled down what worked on a platform like the iPhone to what they came up with in Infinity Blade. It's a great game at a great price, so definitely grab it as quickly as you can.
TUAW's Daily App: Hot Springs Story
Game Dev Story was one of my favorite iOS games of last year. It offered a full simulation, lots of polish and some well-done game industry satire all in one tidy package. Unfortunately, a few bigger high profile titles eventually overshadowed Game Dev Story by the end of 2010. But developer Kairosoft is back on the App Store with a new app in North America called Hot Springs Story, and if you missed the fun simulation the first time around, here's your chance to take another look. As you've probably already guessed, the games angle is gone, so you won't be crafting the latest megahit title for the hottest console; instead, you'll be building up a Japanese hot springs-style spa and resort. But the cute graphics and addictive game curve are still there in Hot Springs Story. You build one small thing to make some money, then you re-invest that money as wisely as you can in order to move on to the next big thing. Before you know it, you're running a full-fledged business. The game's been out in Japan for a little while, and Kairosoft has only just released it on the US App Store with a new English translation. The game's currently on sale at $3.99; if you like the simulation-style gameplay in Game Dev Story (which itself has a free version) and can deal with building a spa instead of a game studio, give Hot Springs Story a look.
TUAW's Daily App: Sticky
I'll say this: Sticky is an original one. It's sort of a platforming game, though there are no real platforms involved. You play as a little orange blob named Sticky, tasked with saving the world from invading black blobs that slowly move from one side of your iPhone's screen to the other. Sticky can defeat these enemy blobs by bouncing on their heads, so it's your job as a player to catapult him back and forth around the little levels in order to hit the bad guys exactly right. The game is fun, cute and intuitive, and while it's pretty easy to beat the individual stages (at least until power-ups and more obstacles get added into the mix), each stage also rates you out of three stars, so you need to race against time to try and grab a perfect rating as well. Hardcore gamers will want to clear out all of the levels, while younger (or just more casual gamers) can bounce Sticky around and still enjoy playing. Full Game Center (and Crystal -- Chillingo is publishing) integration extends the experience, and the fact that it's only US$0.99 means it's probably worth a try if you're interested. It probably won't pull me away from Tiny Wings completely, but it's another fun casual experience.
TUAW's Daily App: Tiny Wings
Some games and apps picked for our Daily App become hits after they get selected, but others sort of pop out of the App Store as fully-formed hits already, and we just follow along. Tiny Wings is one of the latter. It's already a huge hit, having beat out Angry Birds for the top paid spot on the App Store. If you haven't played it yet, it's definitely worth a try. In Tiny Wings, you're a little bird with (surprise) tiny wings. By touching the screen, you can speed the cute little guy up and down hills that he can ramp off of, trying to travel as far as possible while collecting speed boosts. Like some of the best games on the App Store, it's hard to explain, but it's very easy to play. Just a moment with Tiny Wings is all it takes to figure it out. The gorgeous art and music make the experience casually excellent; it's very simple to jump into, but kind of tough to master. I can't recommend Tiny Wings enough. If you haven't picked it up on the App Store for US$0.99 yet, odds are you will soon anyway. This is developer Andreas Illiger's first app, but it looks like he struck gold on his first try.
TUAW's Daily App: RoboSockets
RoboSockets by Tatem Games is pretty impressive -- it takes one of the oldest game genres out there, the falling blocks puzzle, and puts an interesting new spin on it. The idea is that you're in charge of a far-away planet full of robots with only a little energy left in each, and you've got to chain them up together to power up and eventually save the planet. The robots (all square, of course) drop from the top of the screen, and you can drop them wherever you want. But they each have sockets that have to be connected, and once you connect five in a row, they'll explode, providing you with power to finish the level. It's fun and well done -- the sockets provide a nice bit of complexity, and special items and power-ups that come down as you go along mix up the gameplay well. The robots are cute and well-designed, and the music and art do a fine job of filling in the background. The tutorial is clear and simple (though some of the English is a little off -- forgivable, as Tatem's based in the Ukraine), and full Game Center integration is a nice bonus for sure. RoboSockets is only US$0.99, too, so if you're at all interested in the gameplay, it's worth checking out. We'll be talking with Tatem next week at GDC, I believe, so stay tuned for more on what we can expect from them in the future.
TUAW's Daily App: MarketDash
Yahoo! sent us word that its new finance app, called MarketDash, is in the store now. While I'm not personally a big stocks guy, I think it looks good, and the iTunes reviews so far agree. The app is designed to tap into Yahoo! Finance, so if you have an account running over there, you can just pull it up in the app and get right to work. The app provides real-time data on whatever stocks you have set up, and you can even control watch lists and check your portfolio options from the iPad (and those will be linked back to your account on the Web). MarketDash also includes content from Yahoo! Financial news feeds, and the iPad's touchscreen serves up a pretty good interface to the complicated charts and graphs you can see in the app. One of the iTunes reviews does say that some very specific features available on the Web aren't accessible in the app, but considering the app is just out of the gate, you can probably expect any really popular features to be brought over eventually. Seems like a groovy stock tool, especially if you're already using Yahoo! Finance. The app, like the service, is completely free to use.
TUAW's Daily App: What Cocktail
What Cocktail is a stylish app with a simple concept: what kind of cocktail do you want to drink, right now? By inputting your mood and location, then shaking (not stirring, of course) the app, you get a drink suggestion with a well designed logo and the recipe to go with it in case you're making your own. Sure, there's not a lot to it, but the design of the app is a great example of form meeting function. If you're at a bar and in a state where you can't choose your own drink, What Cocktail seems like a perfect solution. As of this writing, the app is on sale for US$0.99, so you can go grab it for just a buck. If there's a downside, it's that the drink choices are somewhat limited. Not only will you probably know the drink that comes up, but it might not quite fit the mood you're in. That's to be expected, though; you definitely want something simple to make and order, and if you're ordering drinks selected by an app, you have to know that they won't always be the right thing no matter what. I have one thing to say to that: Cheers! Drink up anyway.* *Of course, always drink responsibly and safely. And stay away from tequila -- that stuff is trouble.
TUAW's Daily App: Full Deck Solitaire
A solitaire game? That's what you're probably asking out loud right now, since a) there are a ton of solitaire games on the App Store, and b) I haven't had a lot of luck picking your favorites in the past. But there's a reason Full Deck Solitaire is here, and his name is Graeme Devine. Devine is a highly experienced game developer who designed the classic 7th Guest game, worked on Quake 3 Arena, and also worked as Ensemble Studios on Halo Wars, Microsoft's console RTS title. Devine knows how to make great games, yet he's released this, Full Deck Solitaire, under his own personal GRL Games studio. The story behind Full Deck Solitaire is a pretty personal one for Devine, who wanted to make a casual title that his own family could enjoy. Full Deck Solitaire offers 22 versions of solitaire to play, smart hints when you get stuck and lots of customization, including the ability to put your own photos in the background or on the cards. Stats track all of your scores, and full Game Center integration lets you watch friends over the leaderboards. The game's available on the iPad right now for the low price of absolutely free, or you can check out the Mac App Store version. Not only is this an excellent solitaire app by a developer who's been around the block before, but it's a nice personal story for him as well.
TUAW's Daily App: TurboGrafx-16 GameBox
When the App Store first opened, Apple wasn't very keen on running emulators. Not only can they easily fall into a gray legal area, but allowing extra layers of code to run didn't seem safe to Apple at the time. Since then, however, Apple has loosened its policy, and now emulators of old consoles and hardware with official clearance are good to go. The TurboGrafx-16 Gamebox is one of those. It's an emulator of the old TurboGrafx-16 console, and since HudsonSoft designed it and most of the games, they're fully within their rights to sell the code on iOS. The app is free, and old school TG16 titles like Bonk's Adventure, Gradius and Bomberman '94 are available right there in the app for an in-app purchase of US$2.99 each. You also get World Sports Competition for free, so if you just want to download it and see how it works, you can do that. A recent update to the game added five new titles, including Bonk's Revenge, Double Dungeons and Benkei Gaiden, and the controls have been tweaked a few times recently as well. Unfortunately, because it's an emulator, there aren't any iOS extras like Game Center integration, but that's not the point. You really just want to play the old TG16 titles, mostly as they were intended. Kudos to HudsonSoft for putting this all together. Someday, maybe, when the iPhone and iPod touch have finally conquered Nintendo's handhelds like Nintendo beat Sega (no, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon, either), we can finally see a SNES or even a Nintendo 64 emulator running officially on iOS. But until then, the TurboGrafx-16 is worth a look.
TUAW's Daily App: Volcano Escape
Here's another day-and-date release for you -- Volcano Escape is brand new on the App Store today, and it's an interesting take on the Canabalt-style genre. It asks you to run up a series of platforms inside a volcano rather than across rooftops like usual. The controls are a little floaty, unfortunately, but I think it's designed that way, as you can basically double and wall jump your way up the various stages. There's a button for shooting, and shooting various enemies will turn them into stone that you can then jump off of on your way up. Aiming is pretty tough, though, so sometimes it's easier to just dodge the baddies and move on. You can also get access to power-ups as you run, and your progress is constantly marked in the game, so you're often just trying to beat your last record. There's Game Center integration for leaderboards and achievements, and you can submit scores to Facebook and Twitter to brag about a particularly good run if you can pull one off. Things aren't quite as polished as they could be (I still love Monster Dash for this type of gameplay), but the idea of adding vertical platforming to the mix is a good one, and hopefully, it will spawn a little more innovation in titles like this. Volcano Escape, as I said, is brand new and available on the App Store for US$1.99.
TUAW's Daily App: Cows vs. Aliens
By the time you read this post (or 12 PM EST, whichever comes first), Cows vs. Aliens should be live on the App Store and ready for purchase. I first got to see the game back at Macworld (where we also talked about XMG Studios' comments on EA's big holiday sale), and as you can see from that video, the game is a pretty simple affair. It's completely touch-controlled, and the idea is that you push cows into the barn to keep them away from aliens, who you try to push off the precariously situated cliffs on either side. The gameplay comes in waves, and I believe there's only the one mode, but there is Game Center integration for leaderboards. Cows vs. Aliens seems like good fun, especially for younger players. If you want something more complicated, there's plenty of that on the App Store, but if you want something for the kids to play (or something you can play with them -- the iPhone version works great on the iPad, and the game supports all 11 points of touch, so multiple people can play at the same time), Cows vs. Aliens seems like a good deal. It's US$0.99 on the App Store now
TUAW's Daily App: Crystal Soul
Crystal Soul is another puzzle/RPG mashup that features yet another take on mixing up the two genres. At its heart, the game is a new kind of puzzler, where you play as a character wandering a board of hexes. Every time you step into a hex with a monster (or a mana stone in it), you clear all of the monsters of the same color that are touching it. So, the basic goal is to wander the game board and clear out monsters as quickly as you can. There are RPG elements, though -- you can play as a Swordsman, Ranger or Mage, and each class has its own spells that will help you clear the board by attacking in certain patterns or in special ways. The graphics, as you can see above, are cute and colorful, and there's a real hack-and-slash feel to the action, even though you're really only playing a tile puzzle game. In each of 20 stages, you need to accomplish a certain goal, or you can just play Survival mode and stay alive for as long as possible. The game features full Game Center and OpenFeint integration, which is really nice, and the developers are actively updating it. As this post goes live, the game should still be US$0.99 as the result of a sale for Valentine's Day. Crystal Soul is an excellent title that's worth full price, but if you can pick it up for just a buck, you definitely should.
TUAW's Daily App: Rayman 2: The Great Escape
For a few different reasons (the recent Verizon iPhone release probably being the primary one), Valentine's Day has become another holiday for big sales on the App Store. We covered quite a few titles on sale last week, and of those, Rayman 2 is the one I'll recommend today. It's a port of an old Ubisoft title, so the controls aren't quite perfect, but it's an excellent platformer, and if you've never played through this game but like the genre, you should definitely give it a shot. There's no Game Center integration or any extra features, but if you just want to explore your way solo through the 45 different levels, the game is great. Plus, for Valentine's Day, it's only US 99 cents on the App Store, along with a bunch of other EA, Gameloft, Capcom, Sega and other developers' titles. Even if you don't have a big date planned tonight, odds are you'll find something on the App Store that you'll love.
TUAW's Daily App: UNO
Everybody knows UNO, the classic card game where you have to match cards going around a table and try to clear out your hand before someone else clears out theirs. Gameloft produced the iPhone version, and it's a respectable recreation of the card game that's available in single or multiplayer. The game even has some extra rule sets, so if you're tired of the core game, you can try some others. Unfortunately, there's no Game Center integration, but the app was updated for Retina Display recently. In celebration of the game's 40th anniversary, it's on sale at 99 cents for a limited time, so head to the App Store and grab it while it's cheap. There's also a free version to try if a dollar is somehow too much, and there's an iPad HD version as well, though it's still at its normal US$4.99 price.
TUAW's Daily App: Devil May Cry 4 refrain
This is part of Capcom's holiday sale for Valentine's Day (which is probably also intended to target some new Verizon customers), but Devil May Cry 4 refrain is a pretty good port of the console action game anyway. It features a character named Nero fighting with both guns and a big sword through all kinds of demonic baddies, with the standard Devil May Cry action combos building up as you play along. Unfortunately, like most of these games, buttons are merely overlays on the touchscreen, so really dedicated action gamers may not enjoy the lack of tactile controls. But if you like this action genre at all, DMC4 refrain is a pretty solid version, albeit obviously scaled down for Apple's platform. The fact that it's on sale for US$0.99 will probably help seal the deal. Devil May Cry 4 refrain also has Retina Display graphics and full Game Center integration, so it's a full-fledged title to play through. If this doesn't float your boat, don't forget about all of the other sales going on. There are lots of high-end titles out there that you can buy for just a buck right now.
