"If there is an app for that"

Use Your Skill to Land the Perfect Shot in SteamWorld Heist

November 16, 2016 by macjeff

SteamWorld Heist ($6.99) by Image & Form International AB is a turn-based strategy RPG that involves a gorgeous steampunk world filled with Western robot pirates. If you love a good old Western shootout, but love futuristic elements thrown into the mix as well, then you will love what SteamWorld Heist has to offer. For those who are unaware, this is the iOS port of SteamWorld Heist, which first came out on Nintendo 3DS in December 2015, then on Steam for Windows, OS X, and Linux as well as the PlayStation Vita in June 2016.

When I grew up with video games on my old-school Nintendo systems and Sega Genesis, I mostly played the platformers that we are all familiar with as well as some puzzle games, like Tetris. I never got into the RPG world until I was in high school, but it soon became one of my favorite genres of games, due to the storylines (albeit as cheesy as some of them are) and customization of play styles. Another bonus of being a teenager at the time was I had a lot of free time, so level grinding was not an issue. But time is a scarce resource for me these days, so RPGs are not a genre that I play as often anymore. Still, I was intrigued when I saw SteamWorld Heist featured on the App Store, mostly due to the beautiful artwork, so I had to check it out for myself.

Visually, SteamWorld Heist features spectacular aesthetics that immerse you into the game world without much effort. If you’re a fan of steampunk themes, the game won’t disappoint. The robot characters, including your own space pirate crew, all have their own unique outfits and appearances that will charm you, and the environments of the spaceships that you’ll be exploring are incredibly detailed with realistic textures and quite vast. The colors in the game range from darker tones to bright and vibrant lights and lasers. All animations in the game are smooth and fluid, so I had no lag on my iPhone 7. To top things off, the game has an amazing atmospheric soundtrack that is composed by Steam Powered Giraffe, and the sound effects are downright delightful to listen to, especially as you hear your bullets ricochet off of the walls and hit your target. As a newbie to the world of SteamWorld, I’m rather impressed with all of the visuals and audio that the game series offers.

In SteamWorld Heist, you take control of Captain Piper Faraday and her crew of steam-powered robot pirates in space. As the Captain, you will help guide her and the crew through enemy spaceships to loot and plunder whatever you can find on them to help your own. The story will lead you through various procedurally generated levels that all have their own distinctive mission objectives that you will be briefed on before starting, and once the goal is completed, just make sure to hightail it to the escape pod of the enemy ship to make your way back home. Another thing you can do before starting a mission is to customize your loadout, meaning you can choose the crew members you want to bring along as well as change their equipped gear.

The game currently provides players with about 15 to 20 hours of gameplay, and there is even a New Game+ mode for even more epic loot and awesomeness once you’ve completed the game the first time around. As you play, you’ll be able to recruit new members to your crew if your reputation is high enough, and each unit you acquire has their own strengths and weaknesses. You can also purchase weapons and upgrades for your team with the resources that you collect from successful missions, as well as stylish hats because why not? Everyone loves hats.

The controls in SteamWorld Heist for iOS are simple, intuitive, and feel natural for the touch screen. To pan the camera around to view more of the ship you’re in at the moment, just use a one-finger swipe around on the screen. To move your characters, select the member you want to direct from the bottom left (otherwise it just goes in order) and then point-and-click where you want them to go. Each character can only move so far, and if the line is orange, that means you can move and still attack in the same turn. If you want them to move into a spot that is highlighted blue, that means you must sprint and cannot take another action during that turn. To attack enemies, tap on your target and then tap again to shoot.

The key to attacking is to take cover often and then use the environment to perform trick shots, meaning you ricochet off of walls and other obstacles in order to land your shots on your target if they’re taking cover. Each of your team members will also have a special ability that can be used when the gauge is full, and to activate it, just tap on their ability icon in the bottom right corner. These have a cooldown period, of course, so you have to use them wisely.

While players can choose their difficulty level (Casual, Regular, Experienced, Veteran, and Elite) at the start of the game, you can change it at any time before starting a mission if you want to tone down the challenge a bit or increase it for better rewards. In this regard, the game is a bit flexible if you find things to be too hard for you in the beginning. Another nice thing about the game is the fact that you have three game save slots available from the get-go.

Even though I’m a newbie to the SteamWorld games, I’m loving what I’ve experienced so far. The visuals are stunning, the music is delightful, and the characters are rather endearing, despite being metal robots powered by steam. The touch screen controls work well, and having procedurally generated levels means that you can go back and replay levels and never have the same experience twice, which is amazing. Also, the customization of each crew member is almost infinite, so there are a lot of possibilities that you can end up going with to fit your play style. I’m coming to SteamWorld Heist as a new player, but this is definitely a game that I will be keeping around for a long time to come, and I will even check out the other two games ( SteamWorld Tower Defense and SteamWorld Dig) when I am done with Heist.

I highly recommend SteamWorld Heist if you are a fan of turn-based strategy RPGs and love some humorous steampunk robots and space pirates. You can find SteamWorld Heist on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $6.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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credit : appadvice

from : Mid Atlantic Consulting, Inc.

Texas Jack Poker Combines Two Card Games into One

November 16, 2016 by macjeff

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qozjZcrkxio]

Reviewed by Sarah Hanlon

Card games are certainly plentiful on the App Store, and the nice thing is that each one usually offers something different for players to enjoy.

Texas Jack Poker is an entertaining and unique card game that combines Texas hold ’em and blackjack.

It’s a little tricky to get used to, but it’s definitely fun to play once you have the basics down.

Concept and Gameplay:

I play card games relatively infrequently, so I tend to forget basic rules fairly quickly. This is especially true when it comes to various types of poker games.

Luckily Texas Jack Poker, created by Sheldon Martin, teaches new players the basics of the game through a helpful video that can be accessed from the main menu. It covers all of the fundamentals needed to play, so I definitely recommend checking it out when you first download the game.

I won’t go in-depth on how to play Texas Jack Poker, but I will say that it can be very confusing for new players. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to move the game along. The nice thing about this is that it is single player, so you don’t have to worry about holding up others while learning how to play.

In terms of graphics navigation, I really like the fact that Texas Jack Poker is low-key on both. You won’t see flashy animations or a bunch of fanfare; this is obviously designed to be a simple and straightforward card game.

Features:

Texas Jack Poker iPhone Game

Just because Texas Jack Poker is single player doesn’t mean you can’t compete with others around the world.

The game features a built-in leaderboard (separate from Game Center), but you have to create an account in order to be ranked.

Texas Jack Poker also includes an impressive statistics section that gives you a detailed breakdown of your performance on a daily, weekly, monthly, and all time basis.

Value:

Texas Jack Poker is available to download from the App Store for free and is universally compatible with iPhone and iPad. There is a heavy presence of ads, they can optionally be disabled for $0.99. One thing I couldn’t figure out is whether or not you have to buy additional chips via in-app purchase if you happen to run out.

I couldn’t find a way to earn additional chips by watching ads, but hopefully this isn’t the case.

Overall, Texas Jack Poker is a great card game that’s definitely worth a try if you enjoy poker and blackjack. It’s easy to get the hang of it and is a great option for anyone who would rather play solo.

Texas Jack Poker requires iOS 6.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

TheiPhoneAppReview’s rating:

Every Second Counts in RunGunJumpGun, a Twitchy Platformer

November 15, 2016 by macjeff

RunGunJumpGun ($2.99) by Gambitious Digital Entertainment is a frantic, fast-paced twitchy reflex platformer that is as flashy as it is fun. If you enjoyed games like Blitz Breaker, then chances are high that you’ll get a kick out of RunGunJumpGun.

Since I grew up in the early ‘90s, platformers are one of my favorite genres when it comes to games, as that was mostly what I played back then. But of course, in this day and age, sometimes just having a classic, traditional platformer isn’t interesting enough if you’re looking for something different. In recent years, there’s been a rise in the twitch reflex games as well, at least ever since Super Hexagon hit the App Store. I was a big fan of the twitch reflex games, even though I am not as skilled as many other players, so naturally, when you combine twitch reflex with platformer, I can’t resist. When I saw RunGunJumpGun on the App Store, I knew I had to check it out for myself because it seemed to be right up my alley from the screenshots and game description.

Visually, RunGunJumpGun is a flamboyant display of retro pixel art graphics and vibrant colors (think Super Metroid), and I love it. The visuals just take me back to my childhood in front of my Sega Genesis, where I spent a lot of time on whatever platformers and other games my parents got me. Despite the pixelated art style, RunGunJumpGun is packed with incredible amounts of detail, from the textures of the environments to the highlights and shadows of objects and hazards that are scattered about. It’s clear that the developers put a lot of care into the aesthetics of the game, from the merciless level layouts and the character sprites. As I mentioned, the colors in the game are bold and vivid, which makes them give great contrast to the black background in the game. For all of the flashiness of the light and particle effects, the animations in RunGunJumpGun are incredibly smooth and fluid, so I had no lag on my iPhone 7. Plus, the animation for when you die and have to restart at the last checkpoint you reached is seamless, so sometimes you don’t even realize that you restarted. The soundtrack for the game is also top-notch, as it is a quirky and upbeat mix of hip-hop, electronic, and movie score vibes, so there is definitely something in here for everyone.

RunGunJumpGun is a level-based game, and at the moment there are three different worlds that each have their own unique challenges scattered all throughout the levels, and there are about 40 stages in each world (over 120 levels total). The goal is simple: get from the starting point to the end goal by jumping and using your jetpack and shooting whatever happens to be in your way while collecting the “Atomiks” along the way, which you need a certain amount of in order to unlock the next worlds. While the objective sounds simple enough, you’ll need to muster up all of your skills and reflexes to get there, as the game is like a mixture of VVVVVV, Hotline Miami, and Super Meat Boy in one. If you want a real challenge, there is also a Marathon Mode that you can unlock to compete for a global high score.

The controls in RunGunJumpGun are simple, intuitive, and incredibly responsive, which is a must for a game that depends on your fast reflexes. Since your character runs automatically, you’re in charge of everything else. Just tap on the left side of the screen to activate your jetpack and fly, and make sure to tap on the right side of the screen to shoot your gun and get rid of obstacles that are in your path. Since the game is a sidescrolling autorunner, you’ll also need to make sure that you’re fast enough to keep up, because if you fall behind too much, you die and have to restart from your last checkpoint (raggedy flag markers). On top of that, you have to make sure that you avoid things like spikes and spinning saw blades when you fly, and make sure you blast away obstacles that prevent you from moving forward when you come up to that point. There are a lot of things that you need to watch out for at the same time, so the game is rather challenging, but crazy addictive because you just get determined to get past that point where you keep dying. With all of this in mind, it’s great that RunGunJumpGun has such responsive controls, because you have to be quick on your toes to succeed here.

I’ve just started playing RunGunJumpGun, but I’m loving it so far, but be warned — this game is not easy. In fact, it will take a bit of practice before you can fully get the hang of it, but the end result is rather rewarding. Even though I find myself getting a tad frustrated at some parts in the levels, I can’t help but keep trying, because the graphics are beautiful and the music is awesome. And with such simple controls, there is not much of a steep learning curve when it comes to mastering the game, aside from getting your timing and precision right, of course.

I highly recommend checking out RunGunJumpGun if you are a fan of twitch reflex platformers that are reminiscent of old-school classics. You can find RunGunJumpGun on the App Store as a universal download for the iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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

credit : appadvice

from : Mid Atlantic Consulting, Inc.

It’s Time to Crash the Party in Party Hard Go, Now on Mobile

November 11, 2016 by macjeff

Party Hard Go ($6.99) by tinyBuild LLC and Pinokl is a stealth strategy game where you take on the role of a guy who is downright tired of the neighbors having loud parties all the time, so he decides to go and do something about it himself. If you enjoy stealth games that have a dark twist, then you’ll enjoy Party Hard Go. It’s the mobile port of the cult classic Steam game that came out in August 2015.

As I grew up, I never really found myself as the kind of person who enjoyed partying all the time — I prefer to stay in and watch movies or television with family or friends. When I first heard of Party Hard, I was intrigued because the concept of the game was interesting, if a bit dark, to say the least. I had the chance to try a demo of the game when I was at E3 2015, and it was definitely a fun little game that’s packed with humor to offset the gloom. I bought the game on Steam a while ago, but when I had always wondered when it was going to arrive on mobile, since tinyBuild is no stranger to the iOS field, with great little games like Divide By Sheep and Dungelot: Shattered Lands. But now it’s finally here, and appropriately named with the “Go” addition, as in you can party hard on-the-go. And if you love challenging stealth games, then you won’t be disappointed with this one.

Visually, Party Hard Go is beautiful and plays a nice homage to the retro games of yesteryear with the pixelated art style. Each scenario contains a different party environment, and while it’s all pixelated, the developers paid a lot of attention to all of the finer details, which is evident as you play. How each room is laid out, the doors and connecting paths, traps, and even the zany characters that you may come across — you’ll be able to spot a lot of pop culture references scattered throughout, and everyone is bubbling with their own kind of personality, including you, as the killer. The settings are also rather flashy and dazzling with the everchanging lights and crazy props (like UFOs), and everything is dynamic and interactive, so you can use it to your advantage. The animations are smooth and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 7, the game’s quirky soundtrack goes along with the party setting, and the sound effects are fun to hear.

Party Hard Go features a total of 19 different levels that players can make their way through, and each stage has its own unique environment, along with random variations and events that can occur. And while you only have one character to start with, there are four additional ones you can unlock as you progress in the game, and they have their own distinctive traits. You’ll have to be successful in each party to gain access to the next area, and it’s a lot harder than you’d think. The goal in each level is simple: infiltrate the party as the killer, and kill everyone that’s there without getting caught, while racking up points depending on your kill style. It’s a dark and twisted game, but provides a challenge even for the most seasoned gamers. And Party Hard Go is not just about senseless killing — players will follow along with Detective John West as he searches for the truth behind a series of stabbings that seem to have been occuring at parties throughout the United States.

There are two control schemes in Party Hard Go: Virtual and Touch. The Virtual option includes a virtual directional pad in the bottom left corner and a handful of action buttons in the bottom right: kill, use trap, dance, sprint, and pick up body. If you opt for Touch controls, you will tap to move, double tap to sprint, swipe left or right to kill, swipe up or down to pick up or put down a body, and hold anywhere on the screen to dance. I personally think the virtual controls do the job fine, but if you prefer point-and-click style controls better, then it’s nice to have the Touch option.

If you’ve never played Party Hard before, yes, the concept is a bit shocking. But the game is challenging, fun, and has a bit of depth to everything because you have to plan out your murder spree in a way to not get caught by the police, so it’s not like you just rush in there and start offing everyone. Players will have to calculate their every move, observe all of the other partygoers, and strike quickly and silently. Another key element to not getting caught is to blend in during suspicious situations, which is why you have the “Dance” action. And if the only way to kill everyone was to stab them, then it would take a long time — that’s why the game encourages you to observe and interact with the environment to use it to your advantage and get a group of people at once, saving you time and netting more points.

If any of the partygoers notice you and see what you’ve done or there’s a dead body near you, they will panic and call the cops. When this happens, you’ll have to be quick on your feet and either get rid of them before the panic spreads, or escape and blend in quickly. When you see the handcuffs icon appear over your character, the police are looking for you and will stop at nothing to get you.

To make things even more interesting to the varied levels, the game has special random events that can occur, such as a bear coming in and killing a bunch of people for you. Another option is to trigger something at the party that will cause the DEA, SWAT cars, paramedics, and firefighters to come and crash everyone’s fun. Everything can be a bit unpredictable on each attempt, and some of the things that the pixelated party people say can be rather hilarious. I know I got a few solid laughs when I first checked the game out at E3.

While Party Hard Go seems like a game where you just go around thoughtlessly kill people, it’s much harder than you’d originally think. I have the original Steam version and I don’t think I made it very far, probably just to the second or third area so far. On iOS, I’m still on the first party because you have to plan out every single move to not get caught. Still, I’m finding it a lot of fun with the random crazy things and the humor is spot-on. Plus I’m a sucker for pixel art and great music, and the controls work well for a computer game ported over to touch screens.

I recommend giving Party Hard Go a try if you like stealth games that are dipped in grim humor and have never played the game before. Party Hard Go is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $6.99. There are no in-app purchases. You can also grab Party Hard for Windows, Mac, and Linux on Steam here.

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

credit : appadvice

from : Mid Atlantic Consulting, Inc.

Apple releases kid-friendly StoryTime app for Apple TV

November 11, 2016 by macjeff

Source link: http://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/ibooks-storytime-app/