AppCraver » Shawn Leonard

It’s Raining Droplitz

Shawn Leonard — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:00:52 +0000

The best puzzle games are both strategic and mindless at the same time in my view. Tetris — the best puzzle game of all time — had that something special that enabled you to play it on autopilot while staying mindful of the various techniques required to be successful.

The team from Atlus USA has sprinkled some Droplitz (pronounced “droplets”) in aims of quenching our thirst for something new. While Droplitz will not change the game in the way Tetris did, there are some good things here that should appeal to many.

Like the title of the game would suggest, Droplitz is a puzzle game based around moving and routing a dwindling number of water drops. The drops start at the top of the screen and come from “droppers.” There are a series of spinning dials that have different funnel paths.

By manipulating the orbs and creating linked chains from the various funnel paths, the drops reach the “collectors.” Once you have a fully connected path, bonus droplets are dispensed, and the path is destroyed bringing in a series of new dials. The game is over once that dwindling number of drops I referred to earlier is completely depleted. I know it seems like it’s an intricate system, in no time, you’ll be working it like a 9 to 5.

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Shift Is a Fine Puzzler

Shawn Leonard — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:47 +0000

Echochrome was one of my favorite games of 2008. It was a PSP downloadable puzzle game that was all about changing perspectives and using physics to solve puzzles to complete levels. So when a game brings back memories of spending hours playing through Echochrome, it’s a very good thing in my world. Shift isn’t a clone of Echochrome in any sense, but Armor Games has created a puzzle game that puts the emphasis on creating a way out of no way to move through the game. An interesting premise for sure, but as always, folks want to know if the execution is on point and if this is a fun game.

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Real Racing: The Review and 3G vs 3GS

Shawn Leonard — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:00:34 +0000

Firemint’s follow up iPhone offering goes a different route than the causally inclined Flight Control that has been a consistent occupant on the Top 25. For me, Real Racing is a surprise coming from Firemint as they’ve rolled out a powerhouse racing title that is determined to shock and awe gamers of all stripes.

This game also launches at an interesting time — right as the new iPhone 3GS was released by Apple. I was lucky enough to have the privilege to check out Real Racing on both the 3G and 3GS, so I’ve be able to provide some comments on the differences between the hardware and what it’ll mean to you.

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Parachute Panic Tragically Trips Over Itself

Shawn Leonard — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:00:31 +0000

In the arms race to supplant the reigning kings (e.g Flight Control, Pocket God, etc.) of one dollar casual gaming, development teams have to bring it hard. FDG Entertainment’s Parachute Panic is one the latest games looking to make some noise in that space. There isn’t an exact science to creating the right kind of game that is quick and to grasp and substantial enough to encourage repeat play, but as gamers, we know it when we see and play it.

Parachute Panic gets it right from laying out a simple premise that easily communicates the point of the game. This is a level based game where you have to direct free falling skydivers to safety on top of sailboats wading in the water. You launch the skydivers’ parachutes by tapping on them, and it works as advertised. Along with launching parachutes, you can also manipulate wind conditions to influence the direction your skydivers.

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lilt line Will Open Your Ears and Eyes to the Future of Musical Games

Shawn Leonard — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:30:13 +0000

lilt line - As the music genre continues to gain mainstream traction with the Guitar Heros and Rock Bands of the world, it’s inevitable that we’ll see efforts that aim to imitate instead of innovate.

This point has already been proven with six versions of the critically and casually acclaimed “Tap Tap Revenge” titles on the iPhone. To my delight, the group at different cloth (btw, doesn’t that name kick ass?) has dropped an inspired musical confection to obliterate all the clones.

Lilt line will not change the world, but I can confidently say that it’ll make you hopeful about the future of musical games on the iPhone.

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Need For Speed Arrives on the iPhone in Style!

Shawn Leonard — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:30:15 +0000

Need for Speed: Undercover – For nearly 15 years and several generations of gaming hardware, the Need for Speed franchise has endured as a beloved arcade racing franchise for all gamers.

Granted it has come in several different themes over the years (e.g. exotic cars, rally racing, street racing, police pursuits, etc.), the quality of the games has consistently been good to fantastic. Electronic Arts(EA) has brought over the popular franchise to the iPhone through it’s most recent entry in the series, Need For Speed: Undercover.

While this title was released last holiday on all major consoles and handheld devices, I was nervous this version would suffer from a quick and dirty port. It turns out my fears were unsubstantiated as EA has unquestionably delivered one hell of a racing game.

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Sparta Isn’t Ready For War

Shawn Leonard — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:30:26 +0000

Pocket Monkey Games hopes you’re totally digging the recent influx of dramatizations based on Greek mythology. Whether it’s serious dramatic films, satirical movies and television, or the variety of AAA gaming franchises; it’s virtually impossible to avoid the Spartan universe. Sparta is a 2D side scrolling action game that doesn’t take itself too seriously while hoping to attract the same folks that enjoyed the well-received Zombieville.

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Mover: Share Photos Over Wi-Fi for Free

Shawn Leonard — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:30:44 +0000

Mover – Someone infinitely more wise and insightful than myself once said that “the best things in life are free.” That maxim didn’t resonate with me until I became an adult as I realized I found the most pleasure in simple joys and pleasures.

Infinite Labs has tapped into that territory with the release of Mover, their social sharing application that provides a medium to openly share content and information.

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Control Issues Prevent Car Jack Streets from Achieving Elite Status

Shawn Leonard — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:00:04 +0000

Car Jack Streets – Here we welcome a new game that enters the sandbox genre popularized by the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series. Like the excellent torchbearer Payback proves, the iPhone is very capable of delivering free-roaming fun.

Car Jack Streets, developed by the original GTA team, puts you in the shoes of a character by the name of Randal Meyers. As you’ll see in a funny introductory sequence, Randal owes some mobsters a ridiculous amount of money. To save his life, you’ll have to complete a variety of jobs (legal and nefarious alike!) to pay down his gambling debt and get past the persistent drama once and for all. I’d consider this storyline from Tag Games Limited to be one of the more unique setups I’ve seen in a GTA clone.

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Toss This Polly a Cracker!

Shawn Leonard — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:00:58 +0000

Pollys Popping Parrots is quite possibly the cutest violent game I’ve played in quite some time. Granted there’s a slight touch of hyperbole in that aforementioned claim, it’s not a bad thing from my perspective. p13development has created a simple little game that’s all about blowing up a bunch of cute and unassuming parrots for points. As you can see, it’s an easy premise to grasp. Polly’s big claim to fame is it’s multi-player over WiFi feature, but we’ll get to that later.

At it’s heart, Pollys Popping Parrots is a derivative of the overly-crowded match-three genre on the iPhone. You have a screen full of adorable parrots (replacing squares) that are all colors of the rainbow. The twist here is that you can start to remove parrots with only having two parrots instead of the standard three. Like most games in this genre, you receive big points through triggering large combo chains.

“Simple yet satisfying” would be my lasting impression after spending a few hours popping away.

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