Category Archives: strategy

‘iShoot 2′ Now Shelling the App Store

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‘iShoot 2′ Now Shelling the App Store is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Ethan Nicholas grabbed headlines when his Scorched Earth-alike, iShoot [App Store] shot up the charts to grab the #1 spot in the top 100 paid apps category, dethroning the mighty iFart Mobile. What's particularly interesting about his success is that the game had been languishing in the App Store for several months until he released the free iShoot Lite [App Store], which instantly started to climb the charts, bringing the paid app with it and thereby defining a strategy that many would follow with varied success. For Nicholas, his success with iShoot was such that he was able to leave the day job behind and focus entirely on iPhone development.

In January, after his follow-up title Kim Rhodes' Outdoor Shooting [App Store] was out the door, Nichols began work on iShoot 2, sharing details of the development process in a few developer blog posts. And, after eight months' work, the game has just gone live in the App Store [link].

iShoot 2 is basically a reworked take on the Scorched Earth formula, but with some nice enhancements over the original iShoot. First of all, iShoot 2 is a universal application that takes full advantage of the screen resolution of the iPhone 4 and iPad. But, aside from the benefit gained by the physically higher resolution screens of Apple's latest devices, the graphical detail of the game itself is notably enhanced as compared to the original, lending a more polished feel to the game.

Like iShoot before it, iShoot 2 is a turn-based artillery game that delivers a kill-or-be-killed battlefield scenario to the player. You control a tank set on a hilly / craggy landscape, flanked by one or more enemy tanks. Your goal is to calculate the proper angle and velocity to deliver your projectile(s) to your enemy in as few attempts as possible. And then pound him until dead. In this go-round, you have more intricate control of your weapons, as the velocity setting is handled via on-screen slider, as opposed to the length of time the fire button is held down, as handled in the original.

The game offers both Skirmish and Campaign single-player modes, as well as local Bluetooth multiplayer, with four players total in each mode. An entirely new weapons system has been put in place, with not only single-projectile weapons, but particle-based weapons, flame weapons, and the like. Tanks can be upgraded to use more advanced ordnance as the game progresses. The battlefields of iShoot 2 are larger than those of the original, with scrolling and pinch / spread zooming used to keep enemies in view. A dramatic, original soundtrack backdrops the action. Basically, every area of the game has been in some way improved over the original.

I've personally long been a fan of these sorts of games, there being a sort of fulfillment gained from calculating a trajectory and watching your volley of fiery death rain down upon your enemy. If you can identify with that emotion, or simply enjoyed Scorched Earth and its ilk, you'll likely find iShoot 2 rather to your liking.

App Store Link: iShoot 2, $2.99 (Universal)


The Incident brings back 8-bit graphics, ppi made redundant

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The Incident brings back 8-bit graphics, ppi made redundant is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Whether you own an iPhone or iPod Touch (163ppi), iPhone 4 (326ppi) or iPad (132ppi), The Incident will look as good as the screenshots suggest it will. The 8-bit game, developed by Matt Comi and with artwork by Neven Mrgan, brings back all the retro fun you might have experienced on the Atari 2600 or Intellivision.

You play Frank Solway, “a regular guy who finds himself having to avoid the sudden, unstopping rain of everything in the world.” Survive by avoiding falling items, collecting power-ups like health and helmets and by climbing higher until you reach the source of the aptly named “kitchen-sink shower.” Each level is vertical, with comical objects like Smart cars, Deloreans, propellers and even the Easter Island Statue falling on you from above.

The application was submitted to Apple for approval recently, so you can expect it to be live within a week or so. As a universal application, it will work on both the iPhone and iPad natively. The price of The Incident is not yet known.

Check out the YouTube video below for the official preview, as well as a number of screenshots. And if you’re really interested, you can watch the development videos produced by Matt Comi himself.

[ The Incident brings back 8-bit graphics, ppi made redundant is a post from 148Apps ]


Turn-Based Strategy Game ‘Highborn’ Free for a Day, iPad Version Now Available

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Turn-Based Strategy Game ‘Highborn’ Free for a Day, iPad Version Now Available is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

One of our favorite turn-based strategy games, Highborn, has just received a new update and has gone free for today only. Released in early June of this year, Highborn has a wonderful art style, clever writing, single player campaign, and an asynchronous multiplayer mode. Using the typical top-down grid view of most strategic games like this, once you engage in battle with an enemy the game switches to a 3D animation of the ensuing fight between your troops and the enemy. It's a really neat effect, and the overall presentation of Highborn really impresses. As you can see from this excerpt, we really loved the game in our full review:

Highborn comfortably sits as one of the best turn-based strategy games we have played on the iPhone. Beyond its dialogue and characters, which raise the bar entirely for humour, creativity and personality (and ability to plough right through that fourth wall); Highborn looks and plays fantastically, with a depth and attention to detail in its presentation that constantly surprises (just take a look at the character descriptions to see what I mean). If you look past the Facebook integration (which we understand some of you won't, though we strongly urge you to), Highborn also has a lasting and engrossing multiplayer mode that is excellently paced and perfect for portable devices. With additional campaigns promised beyond the 8 lengthy missions currently available (they'll take you hours to complete), Highborn is a robust and content-heavy turn-based strategy game that will surely leave you impressed.

What you can also see from that snippet is that while we loved the way the multiplayer mode worked, we absolutely hated that it forced you to use Facebook to take part in it. I'm sure many other players felt the same, and likely shied away from the multiplayer aspect because of this. Developer Jet Set Games recognized this, and in an update released a couple days ago Facebook was taken out in favor of the OpenFeint social network. While not everyone is a fan of OpenFeint either, it at least affords a way to enjoy the multiplayer in the game without having to add strangers to your own personal Facebook friend list, and doesn't even require an email or any personal info to sign up for. There's even the inclusion of player chat thanks to OpenFeint, not to mention the 30 million strong user base.

Besides Highborn for iPhone being free today, there's also an iPad version that has just been released. The iPad version adds the usual benefits of sharper graphics and a larger play area due to the bigger screen, but essentially the two versions are identical. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, as the iPhone version is of such high quality and the introductory price for the iPad version is only $2.99. And while Highborn has a fairly decent single player campaign already, what I'm really waiting for is the addition of the second chapter that is hinted at in the game. Still, for one of the best strategy games available on the App Store there's no reason not to at least grab the iPhone version of Highborn while it's free for today only.

App Store Links: Highborn, Free – Highborn HD, $2.99 (iPad Only)


Blokus HD for iPad Review

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Blokus HD for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: GAMELOFT
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.81 out of 5 stars

Don’t let the shapes fool you. This is not Tetris. In fact, it’s the latest iteration in the Blokus franchise of games, this one designed exclusively for the iPad. Well, actually, that’s a little misleading. Yes, this is a game designed only for the iPad, but with the exception of one feature it’s EXACTLY the same game as the iPhone version.

If you haven’t already, peruse over to our review of the original, iPhone version of Blokus. Everything from that article applies to Blokus HD, except that this newest version does include a pass and play variant of the game so that up to four players can gather around one iPad and play. I’m not sure why this feature wasn’t included in the iPhone version, but then again I really don’t understand why this isn’t a universal app. Asking customers to pay $4.99 twice for what is basically the same game just seems wrong.

There’s no doubt that Blokus and Blokus HD are a lot of fun to play. The local and online multiplayer functions work like a charm, and even the computer opponents provide a sizable challenge. However, the criticisms of the original Blokus still remain in this newer version. To say that the control are a little fidgety is a gross understatement. Picking up and manipulating a game piece should be the first and foremost attribute of a game like this. Instead, there’s a discernible delay when choosing a game piece, and the piece itself is almost always out of alignment with your finger. In addition, turning a piece uses a mechanic that is plain unwieldy. Half of the time when i would try to rotate a piece it would spin in an incorrect direction. This is merely annoying when playing a local game, but when playing online (where turns can be a little as 30 seconds each) this badly designed scheme can cost you the game.

If you really like playing Blokus and already own it on your iPhone, I see no reason to pay the additional $4.99 to migrate it to your iPad. If you’ve never played the game at all, try out the iPhone free lite version to see how you feel about the control mechanics. This is one game where it pays to play first.

[ Blokus HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]