Category Archives: $4.99

‘C64′ v2.0 with BASIC Now Available, What’s Next Details

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‘C64′ v2.0 with BASIC Now Available, What’s Next Details is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Last week we reported that, thanks to Apple recently relaxing its iOS SDK agreement, Manomio submitted a major 2.0 update of Commodore 64, their C64 emulator / game system, to the App Store with BASIC reenabled (and fingers crossed). We're happy to report that the app has been approved and is now available for download [link].

I had a chat with developer Stuart Carnie yesterday, shortly after he received word from Apple that Commodore 64 v2.0 was approved, during which he shared further details concerning this notable update.

With BASIC back, so too is the full C64 keyboard. Carnie is excited about the prospect of users having full and complete access to every game presented, which, in some games, can only happen when a full keyboard is available. And, while it's here in v2.0, the keyboard hasn't gotten any attention since it was removed back in November and, as such, a near-term update will address the absence of a few missing keys (semi-colon, colon) as well as a lock mode for the RUNSTOP, C=, and SHIFT keys, to use in conjunction with others.

A bit further out will come cycle-exact emulation on newer hardware (ARMv7), to resolve digital sound issues with Space Taxi and enable a few free games from Beam Software, such as Exploding Fist.

We've seen a lot of anticipation from readers for an iPad version of C64, and Carnie tells us that it's big on the roadmap. Thanks to Apple allowing BASIC, he really wants to create a great experience for iPad users wanting to experiment with the language, including a finely tuned keyboard and even Bluetooth support. "Think 'full' C64 experience," says Carnie. Due to Manomio's work on the upcoming Amiga classic titles, these more significant upgrades are slated for release next year — and we can't wait.

As for additional games on the horizon, Carnie was able to reveal that they're in the progress of bringing several more Thalamus titles on-board: Creatures I and II and Retrograde. Also on the way is MYTH: History in the Making from System 3, which requires emulated 1541 floppy drive support and a disk-swapping user interface (which is already in the system).

Thanks to Apple for their relaxed stance on the SDK agreement and thanks to the folks at Manomio for giving retro fans like myself so much sweet candy to enjoy.

App Store Link: Commodore 64, $4.99


‘Sims 3 Ambitions’ Arrives in App Store

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‘Sims 3 Ambitions’ Arrives in App Store is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

If the Sims is your thing, EA has just launched the latest Sims sequel onto the App Store. Sims 3 Ambitions offers a number of long requested new Sim-capabilities to the App Store game. The latest version actually lets you build your own house or business as well as have babies.

The new features, as listed by EA, include:

  • Career mode – For the first time ever on iPhone & iPod touch, turn your Sims’ hobbies into fulfilling jobs. Will your Sim become a Firefighter? Rock Star? Artist? Teacher? Chef? Sports Star? Get down to business with new career-oriented goals, mini-games, outfits, and locations. Follow your Sims to work and see them get happier as they make their dreams come true.
  • Build Mode – Think big with the improved and expanded Build Mode feature. Resize, add, or delete rooms, floors, walls, doors, and windows as you make a new home for your success-driven Sim. Buy and sell furniture and objects. And now you can also build workplaces like a Bistro, a Preschool, or a Night Club for your musical Sim to rock.

  • Babies – Your most requested feature is here! For the first time on iPhone & iPod touch, your Sims can have babies! Feed them, play with them, and put them to bed! Watch Sims babies become Sims toddlers. Take them to the park, play hide-and-seek, or give them a little cuddle. Having Sims children changes everything!
  • Import and Export – Bring in your favorite Sims from The Sims™ 3 and The Sims™ 3 World Adventures for iPhone & iPod touch. Give them the chance to pursue their dreams, too!

Here's an early gameplay video:

Meanwhile, impressions are beginning to be collected in the forums.


The Pedlar Lady for iPad Review

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The Pedlar Lady for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: MOVING TALES
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.01
Device Reviewed On: iPad

iPad Integration Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
Re-use Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.42 out of 5 stars

I’ve never heard of the old folk tale(s) that The Pedlar Lady originated from, but the notion of reading this story in an enhanced ebook format was an opportunity I could not resist. Since the iPad appeared, the device has been hailed as the harbinger of a new age in publishing, but most of that has been in the form of periodicals and traditional print ebooks like those available for the Kindle and for Apple’s iBook store. A few experimental books have appeared, like Elements or Alice, and these push the boundaries of what books can and should do. The Pedlar Lady is another example of this sort of book app.

I won’t say much about the story of The Pedlar Lady except to say that it has a rustic charm that is fairly irresistible. The story is plainly and simply told, but it carries with it the aura of ancient legend. Credit goes to developer Moving Tales for not trying to make the story more than what it is, and instead focusing on accompanying the story with visuals that are deceptively complex.

The graphics are sophisticated 3D, but the color pallette is kept so limited it allows even these high-tech images to seem old and worn in a way. Color in general is limited to only a few objects (except for two gorgeously rendered traveling scenes that look like moving paintings), so the words take precedence over everything else.

Those selfsame words are wonderfully read by a narrator who affects a convincing and gentle Irish dialect (one version of The Pedlar Lady story originated in Ireland). You can turn off the narration if you wish, but I was charmed by it. Still, it might be interesting to read it aloud yourself, particularly to a young child.

If there’s a weakness to be found with The Pedlar Lady, it’s that it is not as interactive as I had expected. It is very much a moving book – nothing less and nothing more. Touching objects on the screen yields nothing (except occasional mistaken page turns) and the most interactive the app gets is when you turn the iPad from portrait to landscape mode – the narration stops and the letters tumble convincingly across the page.

This is a minor quibble, however, as a book is not the same thing as a game, and interactivity can also interfere with the flow of the story. Accept The Pedlar Lady for what it is – a beautifully conceived and designed childrens book that is bound to charm anyone of any age.


[ The Pedlar Lady for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Hybrid 2: Saga of Nostalgia Review

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Hybrid 2: Saga of Nostalgia Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Gamevil
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.63 out of 5 stars

Hybrid 2: Saga of Nostalgia reminds me of Streets of Rage with some basic RPG elements. This is in no way a bad thing as I adored Streets of Rage back in the day, but it is a shame that Hybrid 2 doesn’t have as much depth as I was hoping for.

Pitched as a hack n slash RPG game, Hybrid 2: Saga of Nostalgia has a ridiculously convoluted storyline about time travel and parallel dimensions. It’s so bizarre, in fact, that you’ll probably never bother remembering more than the above summation. It’s a similar case with the dialogue, except that all characters go on and on and on and…well you get the picture. I’m all for long story explanations; heck, I’m a big advocate of Final Fantasy XIII, and you know how endless those cutscenes are. Hybrid 2’s story, on the other hand, just isn’t interesting enough to keep me entertained.

Fortunately, everything else about it is rather more exciting even if it can get a tad repetive after a while. You spend the vast majority of your time running round glorious looking 2d scenes while attacking anything that moves. Combos are fairly easy to build up, making it all the more satisfying. The anime style to the game suits it to a tee and animation on the whole is fast and furious. The only true annoyance is that while the virtual d-pad controls are mostly very responsive, every once in a while I found my attacks not registering. It’s not a huge problem but it was quite irritating at times, especially when up against a large number of foes at once.

A basic levelling up system and plenty of new weaponry and armour to collect on your quest gives Hybrid 2 the kind of satisfaction you expect from the likes of Diablo and Torchlight. It can get repetitive, as you find yourself doing the same thing over and over again – picking up quests from villages, running outside, killing lots of foes to acquire an item for the quest, ad infinitum. I can forgive that for the most part, as Hybrid 2 is good fun in short doses. It’s like any hack n slasher: too much will get dull but keep it to just the right level, and it’s good, attractive fun.

[ Hybrid 2: Saga of Nostalgia Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Manomio Submits ‘C64′ Update with BASIC (re)Enabled

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Manomio Submits ‘C64′ Update with BASIC (re)Enabled is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

An App Store favorite of our readers who relish the retro is surely Manomio's Commodore 64 [link], the C64 emulation system / game store that does a great job of putting an expanding list of 8-bit classics right in our pockets. We first got wind of Manomio's emulation effort in June of last year, when it was submitted to Apple and rejected, as it was determined to be in violation of the iPhone SDK agreement.

Then said Apple,

Thank you for submitting C64 1.0 to the App Store. We've reviewed C64 1.0 and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it violates the iPhone SDK Agreement; "3.3.2 An Application may not itself install or launch other executable code by any means, including without limitation through the use of a plug-in architecture, calling other frameworks, other APIs or otherwise. No interpreted code may be downloaded and used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple's Published APIs and built-in interpreter(s)."

It was the system's included BASIC interpreter that was the sticking point for Apple, it turned out. Manomio disabled (and then removed, as it was deemed necessary) the BASIC interpreter and the app finally found its place in the store, and in Apple's good graces.

Last Thursday, Apple made significant changes to the iOS SDK agreement, relaxing restrictions on development tools used to create iOS applications. One of the areas of the SDK agreement affected was section 3.3.2, the specific part of the agreement that Apple determined Manomio had violated with the initial releases of C64. Upon hearing this news, Manomio CTO Stuart Carnie was quick to read over the new Apple document and found the following, updated section 3.3.2.

3.3.2 An Application may not download or install executable code. Interpreted code may only be used in an Application if all scripts, code and interpreters are packaged in the Application and not downloaded. The only exception to the foregoing is scripts and code downloaded and run by Apple’s built-in WebKit framework.

As can be seen in the new language, interpreted code is now acceptable under certain circumstances. In light of this fortunate turn of events, the developer has put together an updated version of C64 (v2.0) with BASIC enabled. Wanting Apple to be fully aware of his re-inclusion of the BASIC interpreter, Carnie extensively underscored his changes in the Reviewer Notes section of the submission form and additionally sent a courtesy e-mail to Apple on the issue. Since then, the developer and Apple have had further correspondence regarding the update and the response so far is positive. Apple will, understandably, spend additional time reviewing the application, but Carnie says he remains cautiously optimistic.

If Apple does end up rejecting the update, Manomio's plans are to remove the BASIC interpreter, but leave in place the other enhancement that this update brings, Carnie tells us. Those other enhancements include:

  • FIX – fix crash when attempting to use the "Download All" feature and many games are queue
  • FIX – Add additional controls to Hunter's Moon
  • FIX – iPad landscape view is no longer partially off the screen
  • NEW – Upgraded to OpenFeint 2.6.1 (includes time-scoped leader boards)
  • NEW – iOS 4.1 tested
  • NEW – New "Always use keyboard" option to access additional in-game features

Apple's recent update to the SDK agreement gives developers of all manner of apps more flexibility, but is a particular boon to developers of retro system emulators and games. We've got our fingers crossed that C64 with BASIC enabled is given the nod by Apple and that other developers are inspired to bring others classic systems and games to our favorite mobile device family.

App Store Link: Commodore 64, $4.99


Rimelands: Hammer of Thor Review

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Rimelands: Hammer of Thor Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Crescent Moon Games
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

When I play Rimelands: Hammer of Thor, I think to myself, “I would’ve been happy playing this on my PC back in the good ol’ days of PC gaming. I’ve read some reviews of Rimelands on iTunes, and I think that some people miss the point of the genre. There should be some kind of label on the iTunes page stating that this is not a dungeon crawler. If you go in expecting Diablo, you will be disappointed. The combat system is turn based, dice are the backbone of the combat, and you have to stick to your character class. If you go in thinking you’ll be a brawler and then decide you want to be an assassin, you’re out of luck.

Think of Rimelands as less Diablo, and more of Fallout 1+2. In fact, much of the storyline reminds me of Fallout, even though this steampunk game is based more upon D&D than Mad Max. The story goes like this: the humans in the 19th century pollute the Earth and cause an ice age. To survive, they go into caves (vaults?) to survive. Years later they come out to a world that is inhabited by magical creatures, faeries and the like. They end up fighting over whose world it is, and then there is you stuck somewhere in the middle. Like the poor vault dweller from Fallout, it becomes up to you to save the world. Along the way there are tons of NPC’s to talk to, enemy unit types to fight, and weapons to collect… all things that you would expect from a good RPG.

The real winner in Rimelands is the combat system combined with the excellent upgrade tree. At the beginning of the game, right around when you first level up, you decide what type of player you will be. Will you be a brawler, an assassin, or a mage? I always like plucking off people with ranged weapons, so I chose the assassin. As the assassin, each of my level ups enhance my long range/assassin abilities. Some levels will give me extra damage for ranged attacks, while others will let me add to my ability tree, which is full of skills that you can use during combat.

The combat system is probably the most unique thing about the game — after a long search, I think I’ve found a game with a D-Pad that works well. Regular movement works with the D-Pad, letting you only move four directions. Once you reach a combat point, you’ll see a red halo go around your image in the top left. Instead of shooting you to a silly combat scene, the game instantly has you in combat. Once in combat, you can do anything you want in your turn (there are no combat points), and it is over once you attack or move a space. Special moves take magic points, of which you have a set amount, and that’s it.

Once you attack, you get a certain amount of dice rolls depending on how powerful you are and the computer gets a certain amount of defensive rolls, and vise-versa when you are being attacked. The dice aren’t typical 6-sided die, they are a combination of skulls (damage), shields (defense), and X’s. It all makes sense once you get into the game, trust me.

All in all, Rimelands is the first turn based RPG that I didn’t feel constrained by the controls or game speed. On top of that, there is a good story, there are good characters, good combat, good level designs, and good graphics. If you are at all interested in turn based RPG’s, pick up Rimelands, you won’t regret it.

[ Rimelands: Hammer of Thor Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Miriel the Magical Merchant HD Review

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Miriel the Magical Merchant HD Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: 10 Tons
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0

iPad Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.33 out of 5 stars

A sign of a good Game App is one that prevents you from writing a review about it, as you’re too busy playing it to get around to write it up. Miriel the Magical Merchant HD is just such an App. For fans of Time Management Games (like Diner Dash or Cake Mania), this is a goldmine. While obviously people who are not a fan of this style of gameplay will automatically steer clear, finding a decent Time Management game can be difficult sometimes. Developers really need to know the balance of the game, and lucky for us, 10 Tons does a great job with Miriel.

The game starts out with a sort of Story Mode, about how Miriel’s father mysteriously left, and she’s working at the store to save up to go to Magic School (or something along those lines). The object of the game is to serve your customers in a timely manner. This begins quite simply as you only have a few items for sale that can be requested. The games difficultly level slowly increases with ‘baked items’ (where you have to combine two or more ingredients in the oven) that take 2x or even 3x the amount of time to prepare. Your goal is to serve as many customers as you can, as quickly as you can, to reach your daily (or Master) goal for money each day.

Nearly every new day offers a unique challenge or reward. Sometimes you’ll get a new item for sale, or sometimes you’ll get a new customer type. At the end of each week you move on to another town and get the chance to upgrade your equipment by playing a matching mini-game. A nice feature of this App is that you can go and play the mini-game on your own at any point if you want to from the main menu. There are fun little features like The Haste Machine (which speeds up your cooking, and movements) which you can use by collecting gold wings, by serving customers quickly.

As you progress, the items get more and more difficult, and you get more and more items. While you frantically run around stocking, baking and serving, you’ll have a blast. The only feature I would add is the ability to quit or restart mid-level (as sometimes you simply get too far behind) and the ability to re-play a level of your choice.

As addicted as I was to Cake Mania, I think that Miriel has taken the cake (no pun intended) as my new favorite game of this style. The art work is stunning, and playing on my iPad is a breeze compared to PC or DS gameplay. This game is a bargain at this price point, and I highly, highly recommend it.

[ Miriel the Magical Merchant HD Review is a post from 148Apps ]


All-In Yoga HD for iPad Review

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All-In Yoga HD for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: ARAWELLA CORPORATION
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

iPad Integration Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Re-use Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.33 out of 5 stars

The iPad is quickly establishing itself as more than a simple media consumption device — more than just a viewing/listening device for movies, books and music. Some developers are beginning to see the potential for the iPad as an actual teaching device, one that can interact and grow with students as they develop skills. All-In Yoga HD is part of this new vanguard of apps. It is not without a few minor issues, but it does show how the iPad can improve on the standard book or even video approach for teaching a skill.

Opening the All-In Yoga app presents users with a small, simple number of options. You can look at the pose base, a composite encyclopedia of all available yoga poses in the app, or the “My Programs” section, which allows you to choose from several ready-made yoga routines (ranging from beginners to advance/guru) or design your own based upon your own needs. Once you have selected or created a program, you can save it and run it at any time.

When you start a yoga program, you have the option of having pose instructions spoken, playing background music (currently limited to in-app music – no integration with your iTunes library at this point) and even having pose videos play in some cases. Each pose is timed and will automatically proceed to the next after the assigned time passes.

Once you have completed a yoga routine/program, the calendar on the home screen marks the date of your yoga, the time you spent in the routine, and which routine you worked through. This is a handy feature for anyone wishing to track their development as a yoga student and a great inclusion in the app.

If there is one nit to pick with All-In Yoga HD (and, thankfully, there seems to be only this one), it’s that it is severely gender-biased towards women. Everything, from the app icon to the background screens in-app, is pink with flowers everywhere. The poses are all performed by women, though, strangely, the audio instructions are spoken by a man. I’m not proposing that the developer have a male version and a female version – just a more gender neutral app. I’m sure there are many men (myself included) who practice yoga and would like to feel included in an app as strong and useful as this.

All-In Yoga HD is an impressive app for anyone interested in beginning a yoga routine or growing further as a yoga student. Gender bias aside, it is a fantastic app, and one that shows the potential of the iPad as a teaching/learning device.

[ All-In Yoga HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]