"If there is an app for that"

Embrace the Chaos of Space in Steredenn, Now on iOS

May 12, 2017 by RSS Feed

Steredenn ($3.99) by Pixelnest Studio is a bullet hell shoot-em-up game (shmup) that also throws in elements of roguelikes into the mix. If you enjoyed games like Shooting Stars, Soul Knight, and even classics like Dodonpachi Resurrection, then you will love what Steredenn has to offer. Steredenn is also available on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

When I’m feeling a bit stressed out, I like to take out my frustrations in the form of video games, and I know I’m not the only one. Usually I’m in the mood for a stimulating puzzle game, but sometimes that just doesn’t cut it. I have the urge to shoot things with lasers and even watch things get blown up in fiery explosions of awesomeness. For these moments, I like to fire up some kind of arcade game, and one that usually involves shooting baddies with an arsenal of different weapons. That’s why I like bullet hell shooters, even though they’re rather difficult, but still challenging and I get my fix of laser beams and various blasts. So when I heard Steredenn was going to hit mobile, I was instantly excited to get my hands on the game. Now that it’s here, I can say that it does not disappoint.

In terms of graphics, Steredenn is a visual feast of gorgeous pixel art. If you grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s with consoles like the NES, SNES, and SEGA Genesis, then you will feel right at home with the style of Steredenn. While it features a pixelated aesthetic, it’s still incredibly modern and smooth, as everything just blends and meshes together seamlessly. The various spaceships (your crew as well as enemy ships) are packed with plenty of fine details and textures, and the colors range from dark earthy tones to bright and vibrant neon lasers, lights, and explosions. All animations are polished and fluid, with no lag on my iPhone 7. To top things off, Steredenn has a rather awesome blood-pumping metal soundtrack going on, so if you’re a fan of headbanging tunes, then Steredenn has you covered. Overall, Pixelnest did an excellent job with Steredenn in terms of visual and audio design.

Steredenn has three game modes that are sure to appease everyone: Normal, Daily Run, and Arena. In the normal mode, since the game is roguelike, levels are randomly generated (for the most part) and infinite, so each run features different enemy ships, obstacles, and boss fights. However, the goal is simple enough: fly, shoot, and survive for as long as you can while racking up those precious points for a high score. The Daily Run gives players all over the world the same run for the day, with everyone having the same gun and bosses, and you’re competing for the top spot on the leaderboards daily. But be warned — you only get a single chance per day to show off your skill. Arena mode is where you can go face off one-on-one with bosses that you’ve previously defeated in the normal mode. This is great for training and honing your skills. And even though three game modes does not seem like too much, the randomness of the normal mode means infinite possibilities for each attempt, so there is still plenty of replay value.

The controls in Steredenn for mobile are pretty simple and intuitive for what it’s worth. To move your ship around, just drag your thumb anywhere on the left half of the screen. To shoot, just long-press on the right half. When you have power-ups available on the screen (new guns or weapons or even ship upgrades once you defeat a boss), just hover over the one that you want to pick up, and then double tap anywhere on the screen. When you have two weapons available, you can swap between them at any time by just swiping upwards on the screen. By default, the control sensitivity is on high, but you can change it in the game’s settings to low or normal. Personally, I found the default to work rather well compared to the other ones, so I just stuck with that. If you have a MFi controller, Steredenn has full support for that and the developers say that it is the optimal experience for the game, so make sure to use it if you have one laying around.

One thing I’ve noticed in my time playing Steredenn is the variety of weapons that you can use to decimate your foes. Unlike other shmups, Steredenn has a large myriad of different ones, including up-close-and-personal melee options. While you can find the standard fare like shotgun, laser beams, and spread shots, I found huge saw blades and even the hard-to-master Jaw. These melee weapons do have a bit of risk involved since enemy bullets will be flying towards you and emanating from enemy ships, but watching foes get chomped on is oh so satisfying.

I’ve only started playing Steredenn since last night, but so far I’m in love with the game. It’s fairly difficult, which is to be expected from a bullet hell shooter, but because of the roguelike elements, such as randomly generated runs, it’s refreshing and even more challenging since you can’t predict what comes next. Even though the boss battles wreck me, I still can’t help but keep coming back to it. The Daily Run also gives you something to look forward to each day, and the arena is a nice way to just practice and get better. And as a fan of pixel art games, the graphics are top-notch and some of the best I’ve seen lately for a bullet hell space shooter. And who can resist a great metal soundtrack?

The only downside to Steredenn is the fact that you can’t play your own music while you’re in the game, even if you turn the music and sounds down completely. Hopefully the developers can change this in a future update, because while the metal soundtrack is great and all, sometimes I just want to listen to my own tunes.

I highly recommend checking out Steredenn if you are looking for an action-packed bullet hell shmup to check out. You can find Steredenn on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $3.99. There is also an iMessage sticker pack included. Steredenn is also available on Steam (PC and Mac), Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 for $12.99.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

credit : appadvice

from : Mid Atlantic Consulting, Inc.

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 05/12/2017

May 12, 2017 by RSS Feed

Gluddle , Math Flashcard Match Games for Kids in Elementary School Studying Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division , CALC Swift and more

Universal:

Gluddle ( $0.99 → Free ) Creative Heroes All the Gluddle want is some privacy. You must help them remove the evil eyes in the sky known as The Supervision by colliding with them. Gluddle can be launched through the air with a tap and frozen in place with another tap. You must utilize their unique freezing abilities in order to bounce them right into The Supervision hovering about. The Supervision won’t stand idly by and just take the punishment, however, so be ready for a fight. The game includes 116 colorful levels.

Math Flashcard Match Games for Kids in Elementary School Studying Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division ( $8.99 → Free ) Eggroll Games LLC Math Flashcard Match Games creates a fun environment for your child to work on their math skills with its eye-popping visuals and positive encouragement. Your child can work on matching problems to their answers or matching problems to other problems. The difficulty can be adjusted by changing the number range and by showing the cards or keeping them face down. The game also includes a bubble popping reward after each round.

CALC Swift ( $1.99 → Free ) QApps LLC CALC Swift is a multi-functional scientific calculator that’ll make your daily calculations a breeze. It features both standard basic and scientific calculation functions, which can be accessed with a horizontal swipe. It includes more than 50 advanced functions in all. A history log allows you to pull up numbers at any time and copy them for use in other apps. CALC Swift also includes a widget, Spotlight search, Apple Watch support, and colorful themes to choose from.

Widget Calendar ( $0.99 → Free ) yoon sik kang Widget Calendar does one thing and it does it very well. It’s able to grab all of the events from your calendar and neatly display them on your lock screen. Just make sure to add the widget by scrolling to the very bottom of the view and tapping on the Edit button. The calendar is completely interactive, allowing you to tap on days to reveal more information. You’re also able to open your calendar with a tap.

Ellen's Emoji Exploji ( $1.99 → Free ) Warner Bros. Ellen’s Emoji Exploji has more stickers and emojis than you could ever ask for. You’re able to peel and stick them into your messages right from your keyboard and lighten the mood. You can also craft messages right within the app itself, and then copy and paste them into other apps.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/apps-gone-free

Be the Best Blackjack Player in Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo Edition

May 11, 2017 by RSS Feed

Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo Edition ($2.99) by Headup Games GmbH & Co KG is what you get when you combine the classic card game Blackjack with Street Fighter. If you like both fighters and card games, then this game is a perfect match-up.

When I was growing up, I remember spending much of my time playing solitaire on the computer, and I know that it was the first card game that I’ve played. Since then, I’ve expanded into other forms of solitaire games, such as Spider Solitaire, but they were never enough for me. I learned to play other classic card games in person as well, like Blackjack, though I’m not the type of person who goes to Las Vegas to gamble this way. And another thing that was extremely popular as I was growing up was Street Fighter, and while I gave the game a shot whenever I could, I was never great at it and always ended up getting my butt handed to me in the game by more skilled players. Still, I find it fun to play whenever I have the chance to, though it’s far from my favorite fighting game. When I first heard of Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo Edition (SBB2TE for short), I was instantly drawn in — it’s a combination of Blackjack (one of my favorite classic card games) and Street Fighter — how can anyone say no? Needless to say, this is one interesting mashup and it does not disappoint.

Visually, SBB2TE is a fantastic homage to the classic 16-bit Street Fighter 2 because it features the same retro pixel art style, and the tagline is “The Card Warriors,” which references SF2’s “The World Warrior” name. Despite the pixelated graphics, SBB2TE has highly detailed environments that range from private blackjack tables to ritzy casinos, and each of the 12 characters that you can play as have their own unique appearance and personalities that make them stand out from each other. Even the cards and betting text are pixelated, though easy to read, and after each round, the characters always have a slogan (one of several) they like to share that is similar to what you’d find in Street Fighter games. Colors in SBB2TE are bold and vibrant, which is fitting considering the gambling nature of the game (casinos are always flashy). Animations are smooth and fluid, and there’s an upbeat and quirky soundtrack to go along with each location, which is nice. The sound effects also add a nice finishing touch to the game.

There are four ways to play SBB2TE: Single Player Combat or Simply Blackjack, Unranked Versus, and World Championship. The real meat of the game lies in the Combat mode, because it features the 12 characters all competing against each other to become the greatest Blackjack player of all time. It is also where the story of the game is, as players are invited by the owner of the largest casino in Vegas for a game of cards. However, the real reason for the tournament is so that the owner can defeat the competing clan’s family. There’s 10 different storylines to uncover as well, with all of them having their own distinctive endings and character dialogues. SBB2TE features characters that come from all over the globe, so there is some decent diversity in the game: Kamiko from Japan, an undercover FBI agent named Mark, Danny from China, Gregor a South African warlord, and more. In Combat, you travel the world to face off against your opponents, and go through 10 rounds of Blackjack — whoever wins the most rounds, or doesn’t run out of money first, wins.

If you aren’t in the mood for Combat, the Simply Blackjack mode lets you choose your favorite character and location, and just play an infinite amount of rounds against the dealer. If you are out of money, you’ll get an opportunity to spin a wheel and possibly get some more cash to bet. This can continue for as long as you want, so think of it as the game’s zen mode.

For those who prefer to gamble against other real life players, there is the Online Unranked Versus and World Championship modes. Unranked is more of a PvP for fun, whereas the World Championship is ranked and you must viciously make your way to the top of the leaderboards. These online matches can have up to four players at once, and you’re able to freely drop in or out of a game at your leisure. However, getting into a match is dependent on how many openings there are at the moment, and so far I haven’t had much luck joining a room. On the plus side, SBB2TE has cross platform support with Android for the multiplayer matches, so you can play together with your Android buddies as well.

So how does the game work? Regardless of the mode you choose to play, it’s rather simple in terms of what you need to do. For those who are unfamiliar with Blackjack, the goal is to get a total number of 21 with the cards you’re dealt, or at least as close to 21 as possible without going over. If no one in the round gets a “Blackjack,” then the person who’s closest wins. The first thing you do on each round is place your bets — you start out with $1000, and the default bet is $50. To increase it, just tap on the number of chips you want to throw into the betting pool, or start over by tapping on the “X” button. To finalize your bet, tap on the checkmark. Then you are dealt cards by the dealer. From here, you can choose to stand with what you have or get another hit and see if you can get closer to 21, but if you go over then you lost that round. Once all players are done with their hand, the player who has Blackjack or is the closest will win the betting pool.

Occasionally, you will get the chance to do a double, split, or insurance. Double lets you double your bet but you only get one additional card. If you are initially dealt a pair of identically ranked initial cards (a pair), you can split it into new separate hands and get a second card for each. Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has blackjack and is treated independently of the main wager.

Even if you’ve never played Blackjack before, I think SBB2TE is pretty newbie friendly. The controls are simple as they only utilize basic taps on buttons, but the gameplay is interesting and fun, especially when you’re going against another NPC or person. The graphics are stunning, the music and sound is amazing, and there is a lot of replay value to be found here. It’s also great for quick play sessions, or if you prefer to spend an hour or two just playing Blackjack — it’s all up to you. Plus, there are two additional characters that can be unlocked after you meet certain criteria, so there’s also a reason to keep playing aside from getting your Blackjack fix. I just wish that the online matchmaking process was a bit faster.

I highly recommend giving SBB2TE a try if you’re into classic card games, Street Fighter, or just like hybrid games. Super Blackjack Battle 2 Turbo Edition is available on the App Store as a universal download on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews

credit : appadvice

from : Mid Atlantic Consulting, Inc.

Apple’s free app of the week: Little Kitten

May 11, 2017 by RSS Feed

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with Little Kitten. For the next 7 days, you’ll be able to pick up the app for free on both iPhone and iPad—a solid savings of $2.

From App Store Editors’ Notes:

The moment we met wee kitty Crumbs in Little Kitten, we let out an audible “Awww.” This adorable digital feline encourages children to play and explore, interacting with the lively toys and simple games in Crumbs’ room. We’re amazed by the cinematic animation, and appreciate the sleep timer that sends Crumbs to bed when our kids’ screen time is over.

And here’s a clip of Crumbs in action:

Again, Little Kitten is available in the App Store for free.

Source link: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2017/05/11/free-app-little-kitten/

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 05/11/2017

May 11, 2017 by RSS Feed

Dino-Store , Write for iPad - A Note Taking and Markdown Writing App , Orderly - To-do Lists, Location Based Reminders and more

iPhone:

Tahrir App - Typography. Text on image. ( $2.99 → Free ) Maysam Shahsavari Tahrir is all about typography. You’re able to import any photo from your library or simply use one of the 40 built-in backgrounds. Then double-tap to add text and choose one of the more than 100 stylized fonts. Your text can be resized, rotated, and textured. The app also includes alignment tools, photo filters, and photo editing tools.

Write for iPhone - A Note Taking and Markdown Writing App ( $1.99 → Free ) Tanmay Sonawane Write helps you focus on what’s on your mind. It opens to a new blank note, allowing you to quickly get to work and type distraction-free. A special Markdown toolbar provides access to common actions and characters, and allows you to quickly preview your work. Write also includes two themes, iCloud and Dropbox support, custom fonts, folder support, and so much more.

iPad:

Write for iPad - A Note Taking and Markdown Writing App ( $1.99 → Free ) Tanmay Sonawane Write helps you focus on what’s on your mind. It opens to a new blank note, allowing you to quickly get to work and type distraction-free. A special Markdown toolbar provides access to common actions and characters, and allows you to quickly preview your work. Write also includes two themes, iCloud and Dropbox support, custom fonts, folder support, and so much more.

Universal:

Dino-Store ( $0.99 → Free ) Bluemarker Leo and his father headed to the grocery store to pick up some items for breakfast. During their impromptu trip they came across a very large carton of eggs and just had to buy them, but what was inside was more than they bargained for. The app includes 23 pages full of interactive surprises, and the ability to follow along with a professional narrator.

Orderly - To-do Lists, Location Based Reminders ( $0.99 → Free ) Tekton Technologies (P) Ltd. Orderly is all about prioritizing tasks to ensure you complete the most important ones on time. When creating a task list you’re able to title the group and add as many items as necessary. The menu bar icons at the top allow you to quickly change the background color, text, and font to make the list stand out. A priority level, reminder, and proximity reminder can be attached as well. All of your task lists will appear as little notes on the app’s home screen presented in order of importance.

Miss Hollywood: Pugs & Kisses ( $0.99 → Free ) Budge Studios Miss Hollywood and her friends are here to help you spice up your conversations. You’ll find animated stickers, props and accessories, and classic stickers. With more than 30 to choose from, there’s one for every moment.

Source link: http://appadvice.com/apps-gone-free