Category Archives: pirates

iCasual: Plunderland

Posted on by

iCasual: Plunderland is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Johnny Two Shoes LLP
Version: 1.0.1

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.19 out of 5 stars

Written and Recorded by: Michelle Lopez

iCasual is a free audio podcast that we deliver to you!
Click HERE; to subscribe in iTunes | Click HERE; for the RSS Feed.

Hello everyone this is Michelle from The Portable Gamer with your iCasual Report for Plunderland from Johnny Two Shoes LLP for all devices running current iOS software.

A’hoy Matey and welcome to Plunderland, where you control a ship of Pirates bent on plundering all the worlds treasures. To set sail, just tilt your device in the direction you want to travel. The more you tilt the faster you go and of course to stop just straighten up. Your ship comes equipped with cannons to destroy your enemy. When you touch the screen you get a helpful dotted line which shows if your aim is true, simply let go to shoot. Sink the ships to unlock the treasure and tap to collect. Each level has a goal to be reached in order to unlock the next, but you should try and collect as much as you can because you use the money for more powerful upgrades.

Listen to the full iCasual Podcast on The Portable Gamer

[ iCasual: Plunderland is a post from 148Apps ]


Plunderland Review

Posted on by

Plunderland Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: JohnnyTwoShoes
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.55 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.05 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.95 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.29 out of 5 stars

Here it is, the grand description of Plunderland, the new game by JohnnyTwoShoes. It is what Pocket God would be if everyone were Pirates.

Rather than set out to be a great game, Plunderland, like Pocket God before it, set out to give you a great experience. The premise is painfully simple, you get a boat with some pirates that you must guide (via accelerometer) to the next port, looting and pillaging everything that you find along the way. The only real difference that you have with this and Pocket God is that you can die and your ship can be sunk.

Along your path to new ports, you will encounter the British navy, tribals, and other “things” that all can sink you and your ship. You have to defend yourself using a combination of fast tilt movements and slinging canon balls at the enemy. Fortunately, once the enemy is sunk, or the villagers are dealt with (and picked up and shaken around a bit, Pocket God style), you can take their gold.

With your gold, you can buy advancements to your ship, such as new canons, front of the ship mermaids that auto-collect the gold, and even completely new ships to hold more stuff. Don’t worry about not collecting enough for upgrades though, because you have to collect a certain amount per level though to move on to the next one, so be sure to shake all the villagers that you can.

Beyond the gameplay, the real reason to buy Plunderland is for the striking simplicity. Like Pocket God, everything is made simply from the graphics to the sound. Everything is bright and cheerful, and except for the fact that you are plundering villagers and killing enemy pirates, but even that is done in a fun way. The best part of the game though is the music that starts when you get near a tribal village. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there.

If Plunderland is updated as often as Pocket God, there is really no reason that it couldn’t become as popular. It’s just as fun and has more to do, but it certainly will need constant updates to keep things fresh.

[ Plunderland Review is a post from 148Apps ]


The Battle of Pirate Bay HD

Posted on by

The Battle of Pirate Bay HD is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: MUTEKI CORPORATION
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: VERSION
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.84 out of 5 stars

Remember Missile Command? For those out there too young to remember (and there are probably far too many of you than I’d like to admit), Missile Command was a classic arcade game where players attempted to intercept incoming enemy missiles as they threatened cities. The graphics were extremely simple, the controls (consisting of a trackball and one button) were pared down to the bare essentials, and the theme tapped into the prevailing nuclear zeitgeist of the 80s.

After just a few plays it becomes quite clear that The Battle of Pirate Bay HD is the latest in a long string of games inspired by Missile Command. This time, however, the play mechanics of that classic arcade game have been paired with the line drawing strategies of games like Flight Control, and the apocalyptic political theme of the original has been replaced with something everyone can enjoy – pirates! The result is a game that, while not original by a long shot, is still enjoyable as a quick break from the daily grind.

Much of The Battle of Pirate Bay HD is the same as the iPhone version of the game, so I recommend your reading our review of the original for a detailed description of gameplay before making your final purchasing decision. The iPad version doesn’t add a huge amount to the core game, just Plus integration, enhanced graphics (larger and more colorful, but still very simplistic and untextured), another difficulty level and a beginner’s tutorial. Is it worth the extra $2.00? If you already own the game on the iPhone, you’re probably best off just sticking with that. Unless you’re just a hardcore devotee of the game, there’s really not enough to make it worth upgrading to the iPad platform. I find that I’m saying this far too often, but I wish the developers had made this a universal app, raising the price to $1.99 or so rather than charging for two different apps.

However, if you don’t own The Battle of Pirate Bay already, $2.99 is a small price to pay for a fun, nicely designed game with good music/ambient sounds, responsive controls and clever gameplay. I realize this may be heresy among line drawing purists, but I think it’s a far more engaging game than Flight Control, and far less politically frightening than Missile Command.

[ The Battle of Pirate Bay HD is a post from 148Apps ]


Sudoku Island HD Review

Posted on by

Sudoku Island HD Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Przemyslaw Zych
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.1
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 1.75 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 2.25 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 2.13 out of 5 stars

A few weeks ago, I wrote a review for Uni Sudoku and lamented that no one is adding anything new to the cerebral solitaire game of sudoku.  I was wrong.  Sudoku Island tries valiantly to shift the sudoku paradigm, if that’s even possible, but while the concept is interesting, the execution still falls flat.

First impressions of Sudoku Island are good, as players are presented with an island map that they can travel once they win rounds of sudoku. After selecting a location on the map (initially, players only have one choice) the actual game begins with a traditional sudoku grid printed on an old piece of parchment, like a pirate’s treasure map.  Interspersed throughout the grid, along with the requisite numbers needed to start the game, are coins.  Fill in the correct number where the coin is, and you will earn the coin.  Coins can be collected as you continue to play game after game, and can eventually be cashed in for additional wallpapers, etc.  Each coin is on a timer, so the goal of the game is to solve the puzzle as quickly as possible, thus maxing out the total number of coins collected.

It bears repeating that there is nothing unsound in this concept. It takes the relatively sedate game of sudoku and energizes it with more of a time element, and the addition of bonuses that can be purchased with in-game coins is a good one.  Where the game truly disappoints, however, is in how it delivers this gameplay design.  

Strangely, there is no sound present in the game. From the moment it starts until you click the home button to escape the app, you hear absolutely nothing. I can forgive that in a straightforward sudoku game like Uni Sudoku (which, notwithstanding, DOES have subtle sound effects when entering numbers), but for a game with a purported pirate/island theme it seems like shoddy design.  Some ambient island/jungle sounds might be nice, as well as basic sounds when entering new numbers.  Hopefully the developers will address this issue quickly in future updates, as I don’t see how a game like this can be immersive in the slightest without sound.

The method used for inputting new numbers in a sudoku puzzle is also less than elegant.  In Uni Sudoku (a game I am beginning to admire more and more for its sheer ease of use), users simply draw the number in the proper box and the computer translates your scrawl into a typed number.  In Sudoku Island, touching a box brings up all 9 numbers, and you then have to select which number you want.  There is no way to use pencil marks in the game (a key strategy for anyone tackling more difficult sudoku puzzles) so that also creates more frustration than necessary.  An iPhone/iPad sudoku game should be as easy, if not easier, to use than a paper sudoku puzzle.  That is not the case with Sudoku Island.

There is definitely potential in Sudoku Island. Right now, however, you’d be best off waiting for an updated, more graphically and aurally enhanced version of the game.  Unfortunately, there’s no buried treasure to be found here.

[ Sudoku Island HD Review is a post from 148Apps ]