Category Archives: $0.99

‘Buck and the Coin of Destiny’ Review – GameStop Bunny Gets His Own Game

Posted on by

‘Buck and the Coin of Destiny’ Review – GameStop Bunny Gets His Own Game is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Some of you gamers out there may remember a GameStop ad campaign from a couple of years ago featuring a foul-mouthed little bunny named Buck who would find himself in funny situations as he made his way through fake versions of Mario-like 2D platforming games. For reference, there is a nice montage video on YouTube showing some of Buck's commercials. The ads were a hit, and there was even a short-lived game available on GameStop's website that let you play through a level featured in one of the commercials. Now, GameStop has given Buck another chance at video game stardom in a new iPhone game just released on the App Store called Buck and the Coin of Destiny [99¢].

Buck and the Coin of Destiny is an auto-running platforming game that have become quite popular with the success of games like Canabalt [$2.99] and Monster Dash [99¢]. There's a Story mode that has Buck running through five different video game-themed levels in an effort to get from the start to the finish of each level as the story of the Coin of Destiny unfolds. For example, one level is reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda games, one is very Castlevania-esque, and before and after each level are some funny animated Buck the Bunny cutscenes. Buck automatically runs to the right and tapping the screen allows you to jump or double-jump as you collect coins and powerups while avoiding spikes, pits, and enemies.

The five levels of the Story mode are fairly short, and it won't take too long to complete the whole campaign. However, there is an Arcade mode that lets you play through any of the five level themes in randomly generated endless fashion. This mode has the potential for unlimited replayability, but I do have one small gripe about it. You start the endless portion with only one heart, meaning if you hit any hazard it's instantly game over. Like the Story mode, you can pick up additional hearts along the way, up to a total of eight. That's fine for the Story levels that have a definitive ending, but in endless mode the ability to pick up additional hearts can cause a game to drag on for a pretty long time. I'd much prefer to see how far I can make it with the threat of instant death looming, or even just a cap of 3 or 4 hearts instead.

The gameplay in Buck and the Coin of Destiny isn't the best available in the running platform genre, but it's really not bad at all. The jumping controls are responsive, the level designs are interesting, and it's simple and fun to play. I'm really surprised by how much I continue to come back to Coin of Destiny. The Story portion is pretty short, but a fun ride while it lasts. The end of the game offers a “to be continued…” so the brevity may be rectified in the future with updates. The endless Arcade mode is a great addition to lengthen out the game, even if it does tend to drag on a bit. There's also a number of achievements to earn in the game, and local scores are kept for the Story mode and each individual Arcade level. Sadly there's no Game Center integration or online functionality other than the ability to share your scores over Facebook.

If you were familiar with the GameStop Buck commercials, like many of the players in our forums, then you'll likely get your dollar's worth of enjoyment on the cutscenes alone. If you don't really care about the Buck character but are looking for a new running platform game, then Buck and the Coin of Destiny really isn't a bad choice at all. I'd really like to see the game evolve with updates to add more content to the Story mode, some tweaks to the endless Arcade mode, and some sort of online functionality for achievements and high scores. There's a really nice foundation in place here, and even in its current state Buck and the Coin of Destiny is a solid running platformer for the price.


‘Axe in Face’ Review – Stay Off the Daffodils if You Value Your Head

Posted on by

‘Axe in Face’ Review – Stay Off the Daffodils if You Value Your Head is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Vikings are widely considered a gruff and fearsome group, but what many people may not know is that they have a softer side as well. This has never been more readily apparent than it is in the game Axe in Face [99¢] from Blue Carrot Games. The Norse gardener Red Beard, when he's not looting and pillaging, likes to tend to his beautiful plot of yellow daffodils. His fellow Viking peers apparently don't share this appreciation of fine horticulture and will brazenly trample through Red Beard's garden, crushing the delicate flowers beneath their feet. This enrages Red Beard, and he deals with it in typical Viking fashion – by throwing an axe at the offenders and lopping off their heads.

Okay, so that part doesn't exactly qualify as the “softer” side of Red Beard, but it is an effective way to keep people out of your garden. Axe in Face can best be described as a line drawing defense game. Your daffodils occupy the left edge of the screen while waves of impolite Vikings approach from the right. Drawing a line from Red Beard creates a path for the axe to travel on before returning to him like a boomerang, and the goal is to behead as many Vikings as possible with each throw while not allowing any of them to get by you and into the garden. You can only throw one axe at a time and must wait for it to return to Red Beard before throwing again, and if even one Viking gets into the daffodils it's game over.

There's also some strategic elements to Axe in Face that add challenge and variety to the gameplay. Since the waves of Vikings are constantly moving forward, you'll need to lead each axe throw in order to ensure it crosses their path. There are different types of Vikings moving at different speeds, and it can be really satisfying to time your throw just right as to hit a group of them in one throw. One type of Viking is holding a tree as he walks, and your axe must first pass through a fire at the bottom of the screen before it will do damage to these enemies. Also, orbs can be collected from beheaded Vikings which contribute to a special meter which can allow you to either zap three Vikings with lightning or freeze the playfield and slow down their movement.

All of these elements come together really well in Axe in Face providing a simple concept with just enough depth and strategy to keep things interesting. It can be an incredibly challenging game too, but not overly frustrating. Rather than get mad at failing a level I can't help but smile as Red Beard bursts into tears when his flowers are trampled. The graphics and sound effects are really well done too, and Axe in Face contains 32 increasingly difficult levels and a number of achievements which should keep you busy for quite a while. Players in our forums are really enjoying the game, and the developer is there as well to answer questions and take suggestions for future updates. If you're looking for a game that blends elements from different genres in a fun way and provides a hearty challenge, Axe in Face is definitely a solid choice.

App Store Link: Axe in Face, $0.99


Air Attack HD for iPad: 1942 Never Felt So Cool

Posted on by

Air Attack HD for iPad: 1942 Never Felt So Cool is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

There is a great joy in finding quality $0.99 games for the iPad, and Air Attack HD definitely fits the bill.

The game is very familiar and not terribly original, but the controls are fun, the music is great, and the features are exactly what you’d want out of this kind of game. In short, it’s an old concept done well, and it’s most definitely worth a download.

You can buy it HERE



‘Karate Champ’ Sale, Update from Revolutionary Concepts

Posted on by

‘Karate Champ’ Sale, Update from Revolutionary Concepts is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Wayne Whatford over at Revolutionary Concepts dropped us a line to let us know that '80s arcade classic Karate Champ – both the iPhone [link] and iPad [link] versions — is on sale this weekend for $0.99, down from $1.99 and $2.99, respectively. This marks a great chance for iPad users who grabbed the iPhone version early on to checkout the version tailored for Apple's tablet, featuring split-screen, head-to-head, two-player action.

In other news from the studio, forum readers may have noted the thread recently started by Revolutionary Concepts, challenging readers to guess what the initials of an upcoming game stand for. Those initials are "U. o. T." and some of the suggestions readers have been making are … well … amusing. The studio indicates the game is being created with just two criterion:

  1. It should have ZERO Buttons or onscreen controls of any kind, making it immediately accessible to anyone.
  2. Deliver it to you guys in just 2 weeks from start to finish!

Free copies of the game go to users with the closest (or funniest) guesses, at launch.

Whatford also indicated that his studio's iPhone adaptation of the Data East laserdisc classic Road Blaster is progressing nicely. The only time this game has been seen outside of Japan is in the Sega CD port which not only suffered from the same horrid video compression of all Sega CD games, but also got renamed to Road Avenger. Revolutionary Concepts have completely remastered the game, and when it is finally released, it will play at 60FPS at full iPhone 4 or iPad resolutions. They've also completely redesigned the dashboard of the car, added in tilt controls, and made a whole list of other tweaks. The studio is hoping for an end-of-month release for Road Blaster, we're told.

Whatford tells us that various, unspecified titles will follow shortly behind Road Blaster. Stay tuned.

App Store Link: Karate Champ, $0.99
App Store Link: Karate Champ XL, $0.99 (iPad Only)


‘Fruit Ninja’ Version 1.4 Update Brings Online Multiplayer Through Game Center

Posted on by

‘Fruit Ninja’ Version 1.4 Update Brings Online Multiplayer Through Game Center is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Today developer Halfbrick Studios unleashed the newest update to its wildly popular fruit slicing game Fruit Ninja [99¢]. In version 1.4 a brand new multiplayer mode allows you to square off against players online using Apple's Game Center. Upon starting a game, a new option for multiplayer can be chosen which takes you to the Game Center online lobby. From here you can choose to start a new game which will match you up with a random player or you can pick a friend from your Game Center friend list to send them out a request to join a game. As with other Game Center online multiplayer games, matching up is simple, quick, and basically lag-free.

The Fruit Ninja multiplayer mode is also really simple to understand. A series of fruits are tossed up just like they are in a normal game. All of the fruit either have a red, white, or blue border. The blue fruit are your own, and you will gain points including bonuses for combos by slicing them. The red fruit are your opponent's, and if you accidentally slice them it will deduct points from your score. The white fruit are fair game for either party and if you can slice them before your opponent does you'll earn some bonus points for your score. Multiplayer rounds last for one minute, and whoever has the highest score at the end wins. When the round is over you're taken to a post-game lobby where you can choose to rematch against the same opponent or quit back to the menu. It really is very simple but also a tremendous amount of fun. Things get hectic with so much fruit flying around and trying to slice your own while avoiding your opponents.

The Game Center online multiplayer is pretty much all that is in the Fruit Ninja version 1.4 update, but Halfbrick is planning on bringing even more new features soon. Leaderboards and achievements will be added for Game Center, and according to one of the devs in our forums so will post-game lobby voice chat. Halfbrick also hints that the long-awaited "banana mode" is nearing completion and should be made available in the near future. Another interesting point is that the new Game Center functionality runs in tandem with the existing OpenFeint integration. So upon starting the game you'll get a welcome pop-up from each service, and all of the OpenFeint options are still available from the menu just as they were before. Conceivably, you could disable one or the other and just use a single social service, but the online multiplayer only works with Game Center enabled.

At any rate, this new update to Fruit Ninja is a ton of fun, and I've been pleasantly surprised with how well Game Center multiplayer works and how much it can add to a game. If you own a copy of Fruit Ninja for your iPhone, make sure and grab this latest update and head over to the Game Center username trading thread in our forums to add some friends to your list and partake in some competitive online fruit slicing.

App Store Link: Fruit Ninja, $0.99


Flick Kick Field Goal Review

Posted on by

Flick Kick Field Goal Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: PikPok
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.4

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.74 out of 5 stars

After watching Dave Buehler miss his first career NFL field goal attempt for the Dallas Cowboys, I figured that I would see if I could do any better. Digitally, of course. I played soccer back in the day, but alas, that was back in the day.

Flick Kick Field Goal, by PikPok, actually came out before their other fantastic app, Flick Kick Football (soccer). Doing the reviews in backwards order is a strange way to go, but it’s football season, and the masses want to kick field goals!

Like Flick Kick Football, the game is designed to be easy enough to pick up and put down at a moments notice, but hard enough to remain a challenge. Also like the soccer variety, the goal here is to kick as many field goals as you can in various modes. The modes include a “Sudden Death” mode, an “Arcade Mode,” and a “Time Attack.”

To kick the ball, all you have to do is slide your finger up the screen, simulating a kicking motion. The straighter your flick, the better the kick. If you curve your flick at the end, a little english will be put on the ball. Instead of just straight on kicks though, the game positions you all over the field and throws in a bit of wind, just to make things tough.

Flick Kick Field Goal does present a fair challenge and rates high on the “addict” scale, but compared to PikPok’s other offerings, it’s not quite up to par. The graphics area little muddy, the sound is just a background crowd loop and might as well not be there, and the wind isn’t nearly as menacing as the great soccer free kick wall. Even with the negatives though, FKFG is a worthwhile play if you are so inclined to play a high score field goal kicking game. If you like soccer, though, I definitely would recommend Flick Kick Football.

[ Flick Kick Field Goal Review is a post from 148Apps ]