Apps of the Day for the Week of February 26th
March 10, 2018 by RSS Feed
Here are 5 “App of the Day” apps selected by Apple for the week of February 26th, 2018. We are listing these apps as a service to our readers. While we have not independently reviewed them, we hope you find this list useful and interesting.
Scholly – Scholly, Inc – Free – IAPs, subscription – This app helps high school students apply for, and presumably win, college scholarships. The developer claims “with a free Scholly account, gain immediate access to Scholly’s scholarship-winning essays, tips and advice. Create a paid account and unlock access to Scholly’s award-winning, personalized scholarship matching and application tracking platform. It’s only $2.99/month.”
“Designed to ease the scholarship searching and application process, our patented scholarship-matching engine delivers a smarter, targeted list of scholarships that are uniquely suited to you. The Scholly mobile and web platform turns the long months of searching for free money for college into minutes. To help you win scholarships, Scholly also gives you free access to winning scholarship essays and advice. This app connects you to the Scholly web platform, allowing you to access your account wherever and whenever is most convenient for you.”
Tone – Perfect Pitch Training – Crescendo Technologies – Free – If you’re a singer, musician, or anyone who’s always dreamed of having “pitch perfect” hearing, this app is a must. The developer states:
“Tone is a fun and simple game to help you improve your ears and sing with perfect pitch. Simple, intuitive interface. Choose your pitches and octaves. Difficulties ranging from easy to expert. Practice mode. Share your score and compete with friends!”
Surfline – Surfline/Wavetrak – Free – IAPs – As you might expect, Surfline is for surfers. It’s a weather app specifically designed to help surfers find the best surfing conditions. According to the developers “Surfline gives you access to the best real-time surf reports, long-range swell analysis, and weather forecasts for all your favorite surf spots. Access more than 300 live surf and beach cameras in hi-definition, 24/7/365.”
A Color Story – A Color Story LLC – Free – IAPs – The more visually astute among us will love this app. Actually, everyone who likes robust vibrant images and photos will love it. As stated by the developer “A Color Story focuses on fresh photos and video, bright whites, and colors that pop. Rather than forcing you into a single look, the app has: over 100 carefully crafted filters, incl. purchases; over 40 movable effects, incl. purchases; over 20 FREE tools, including curves; custom filters saved from your editing steps; NEW! Instagram grid preview and planning; NEW! batch editing.
Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen – NutritionFacts.org – Free – If you’re like us you’d like to be on this planet as long as possible. While we can’t do anything about some everyday risks, we can definitely choose a more healthy lifestyle. This app can be a part of that effort. Here’s what the developer says “Keep track of the foods that Dr. Greger recommends in his new book How Not to Die.
In the years of research required to create the more than a thousand evidence-based videos on NutritionFacts.org, Michael Greger, MD, FACLM, has arrived at a list of what he considers the most important foods to include in a healthy daily diet. Yes, greens are good for you, but how much should we try to eat each day? Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen details the healthiest foods and how many servings of each we should try to check off every day.”
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Apps of the Day for the Week of February 26th – TheiPhoneAppReview.com
Source link:http://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2018/03/apps-of-the-day-for-the-week-of-february-26th/
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App Store Games of the Day for the Week of March 5th
March 10, 2018 by RSS Feed
Here are the 5 “Game of the Day” apps selected by Apple for the week of March 5th, 2018. We are listing these apps as a service to our readers. While we have not independently reviewed them, we hope you find this list useful and interesting.
Snakebird – Noumenon Games – Free – IAPs – If you enjoy different kinds of puzzles you should definitely download this one. According to the developer “Snakebird is a very simple but deceptively challenging puzzle game about assuming the right shapes for the task at hand, be it pushing, lifting, teleporting or just defying the laws of physics.”
“What is the longest possible length a bird can be? Obviously a question only all the fruit in the world can answer! But where could all this fruit be hiding? Follow Redbird, Greenbird and Bluebird on a quest for an amount of fruit beyond any birds wildest dreams.”
The Executive – Riverman Media LLC – $2.99 – This is a fun action game with an interesting twist. A suit-wearing executive is the martial arts expert trying to defeat the bad guys. Plus the developer guarantees no ads and all updates are included in the download fee. We like that.
“The Executive combines a high-speed combat system, timing-based running and platforming, 120 hand-crafted levels, a full inventory of moves and upgrades, and a simple mining company simulation for earning money, all into one cohesive experience. The fighting engine evokes a cross between Street Fighter II and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, with controls designed from scratch to be ideal for touch screens.”
The Sims™ Mobile – Electronic Arts – Free – IAPs – You know the Sims franchise so you either love it or you don’t. If you do, this is an excellent addition that you’re sure to enjoy. “Express your creativity as you customize your Sims’ distinct appearances and unique personalities, giving them traits and having fun with fashion and hairstyles.”
“Effortlessly build your Sims the perfect home, choosing favorite designs and décor, with more detail than ever before on mobile. Experience the rich and entertaining moments of your Sims’ lives as they accomplish career goals, pursue hobbies, develop relationships, and improve their Lifestyle. Party with friends, fall in love, and establish a legacy.”
The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands – Xigma Games – $3.99 – Role playing games are one the most exciting genres of gaming. When done right they offer not just great entertainment but also interesting and complex problem solving challenges. This one is done right. “Build, discover, craft and survive.”
“Build your settlement in a snowy encampment and manage workers and resource to survive monster attacks during nights. Slowly you will gain access to advanced buildings and crafting options, discover and trade with new civilizations and discover the secrets of the ancients.”
Dawn of the Titans – NaturalMotion – Free – IAPs – This is billed as an epic war strategy game and we completely agree. Some of us have put quite a bit of time (too much?) into it and have become quite addicted to it. The real-time battle gameplay is just one the very cool features that sets this one apart from the hoard of boring copies. “Dawn of Titans begins a new era for Action Strategy, with console-quality graphics and ultra-addictive gameplay.”
“Battle COLOSSAL TITANS and THOUSANDS OF WARRIORS in monumental wars, all under your CONTROL. CAPTURE enemy lands, grow your ARMY, and come to FIGHT, because in Dawn of Titans you either GO BIG or you GO HOME! Join your friends and PLAY FOR FREE! In the most massive ACTION-STRATEGY game on mobile!”
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Games of the Day for the Week of March 5th – TheiPhoneAppReview.com
Source link:http://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2018/03/app-store-games-of-the-day-for-the-week-of-march-5th/
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Fix the Glitches and Save the World in Reed
March 08, 2018 by RSS Feed
Reed ($1.99) by PXLink and published by Crescent Moon Games is the iOS version of the previously Android-only quick reflexes platformer. If you enjoy other games that require you to be on your feet at all times, such as Temple of Spikes and Thumper: Pocket Edition, then Reed is another game made for you.
Platformers have been a passion of mine ever since childhood. That's because when you grow up with an NES and Sega Genesis as your forms of entertainment when you're a bored child, you end up playing a lot of different platformer games. While I'll always prefer physical controls for the genre, I still check out the latest platformer offerings on mobile, even though I think the Mikey Shorts games perfected the platformer touch controls. Reed is one of those games that happen to have slipped past my radar in the past, because it's only been on Android. But now that it's on iOS, I had to give a try myself. It's definitely one that doesn't disappoint if you appreciate challenges.
Temple of Spikes: The Legend
TIGRIDO, INC.
Thumper: Pocket Edition
Drool LLC
Visually, Reed is a cute, pixelated gem. The game is rendered fully in 2D with a 16-bit aesthetic, so it serves up that nostalgia nicely. Despite the chunky pixel art, the environments are pretty detailed and nicely textured with some dynamic lighting effects. The color palette in Reed consists mostly of muted, earthy tones with some nice contrasting brights, so it's nothing too crazy but easy on the eyes. The character sprites are adorable and charming, though the game's typeface is like trying to read a foreign language (but that's the point). Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The ambient soundtrack is rather atmospheric, creating a soothing and immersive experience.
In typical platformer fashion, Reed is level-based, and players must clear each stage before moving on to the next. It's fairly linear, with no option to skip ahead. And with the challenging twitch-like reflexes that are needed, sometimes it may take a while before you clear that roadblock. Believe me — you're going to fail and die in this game quite a bit. But it's easy to get back up and try again, since it's literally just a tap away.
The story of Reed is pretty interesting. Players control Reed, who is a tiny cat-like creature and last creation of an old supercomputer. But the supercomputer is experiencing glitches and slowly dying, as the cubes have escaped. Without the supercomputer, the world will end. It's up to Reed to collect the cubes, fix the glitch, and save the world.
The goal in each stage is straightforward enough: collect the cube and reach the exit portal that opens up upon collection. But there's plenty of traps, obstacles, and other dangerous critters (like chickens) that stand in your way, so it's all easier said than done. For completionists, there are even secret levels to find, which add to the replay value.
Controls in Reed are fairly easy and intuitive. The two buttons in the bottom left allow for horizontal movement. A button in the bottom right lets you jump, and you can double tap it to jump again in midair.
But since the game revolves heavily around being fast and having good reflexes, the controls sometimes work against you. Timing is everything, and sometimes the game doesn't register my touch in time to avoid being shot by an arrow. Or you move too fast and take an extra step and fall off a ledge and into a pit of spikes. The sensitivity on the controls is either too low or too high, at least for me, so I would like to see optimization made in the future, or at least give players some customization. This would also be a great game to play with MFi controllers, so hopefully support gets added for that.
A hardcore retro inspired platformer.
The Good
Reed is a challenging platformer that is not for the faint-of-heart. You need to be fast and skilled to survive in this tough-as-nails gam. It feels so rewarding once you get past that tough level you've been stuck on. The graphics are charming, pleasant, and the sound is excellent. There are plenty of levels to keep one busy for a while too, which is nice.
The Bad
While Reed is a great option for those who like challenging games, it's not for those who get frustrated easily. The controls also do feel wonky at times, and for a game that requires skillful reflexes, that's a little disappointing. Hopefully the controls can be further optimized and streamlined for flawless play.
The verdict
As someone who likes a challenge, Reed is an excellent addition to the iOS platformer game collection. I find Reed's cat-like creature to be endearing and rather fitting, seeing as how the internet loves cats. The graphics are a nice tribute to the old classic games, and the tranquil music helps you focus on the game.
While the controls work for the most part, they do feel a bit off at times. However, I'm sure that it just requires more patience and practice as well, but still, customization for button placements and sensitivity would be nice.
Reed is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $1.99. There are no in-app purchases.
8.5
OVERALL
Sound/Music 9
Replayability 8.5
Game Controls 8
Graphics 8.5
Gameplay 8.5
Reed ^_^
Crescent Moon Games
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
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Create a Pixel Perfect Masterpiece With This New Coloring App
March 07, 2018 by RSS Feed
Masterpiece Coloring (Free) by Simple Simple is a pixel perfect adult coloring book. If you've been wanting a creative new way to find your zen, and you appreciate pixel art, then this may be your perfect match.
The trend of adult coloring books seems to have died down a bit, at least from what I've noticed. They're still pretty popular among those who use them to relax, but I definitely don't see them mentioned as much anymore. Still, they're fun and tranquil ways to take your mind off of things for a bit. I fell in love with Pigment a few years ago, but I've always wondered — when can I just color in some pixel art? And now I got my wish with Masterpiece Coloring.
Pigment - Adult Coloring Book
Pixite LLC
Masterpiece has a simple and clean interface that makes it easy to pick up, get some coloring in, and then get out. There's a brief intro that shows up on the first launch of the app, which explains the basics, but then it's out of the way and gone forever. Masterpiece has three sections in the app that are laid out in the bottom toolbar: Library, My Artwork, and Settings. No frills, no fuss to deal with. Just scroll through your selection of pixel drawings, find one you like, and just color. It's simple, fast, and incredibly responsive with no lag. The developers have done an excellent job making this one incredibly accessible for everyone.
The first step with Masterpiece is to find something to color in. The free download gets you some drawings for free, but you can also opt for the full collection of art with Masterpiece Premium, an in-app purchase subscription. It costs $2.99 per week, $7.99 per month, or $39.99 a year, and grants you access to all art for the duration of your subscription.
Once you find a drawing that piques your interest, just tap it to select it, and then you're in the Painting screen. Each drawing has a predetermined color palette, and you'll see all of the colors appropriately numbered at the bottom.
The colors are numbered because they go in certain places for the best result. To see what I mean, perform a multitouch pinching gesture to zoom in on the pixel art, and you'll find numbered boxes, which represent an individual pixel. The colors are labeled as such to show you where they go on the drawing.
You can tap each block to color the pixel individually, or touch-and-drag to paint in the color as you normally would. If you color out of the boundary, there's haptic feedback to let you know. At the bottom is an undo button, and you can also use the eraser to erase unwanted color. I love the haptic feedback, because otherwise I would not know that I strayed past the lines.
There's a nice variety of drawings in Masterpiece that range from simple ones with a few colors to more complex and intricate ones with many more hues to paint with. This means you can pick something up to keep yourself busy while waiting around in line or spend a few hours with, nitpicking over every last pixel. It's a good selection and offers something for all skill levels.
When you finish coloring a drawing, Masterpiece shows you a time lapse video of you painting it. It's fun and entertaining to watch, and you can save the video clip to your Camera Roll. You can also send it to Instagram or share it via the Share Sheet. If you choose to Edit again, you'll erase all the colors and start over. Any finished or in-progress drawings end up in the "My Artwork" section.
Masterpiece Coloring combines retro pixel art and adult coloring techniques into a true zen experience.
The Good
Masterpiece Coloring is a charming and unique adult coloring book that I find simple and intuitive. The app is simple, fast, and incredibly easy to use. The drawings are a nice variety of objects, and there's a nice range for colors to paint with. The celebratory animation when you're finished painting is cute, and the time lapse clips are entertaining.
The Bad
While Masterpiece Coloring is a great coloring app, it feels a bit restrictive with the predetermined color palettes for each drawing. I think there should be an option to have your own color palette if you want to truly get creative with things. Hopefully this can be considered in the future.
I'm also not a big fan of subscriptions for coloring apps, honestly, but the price seems fair if you get a lot of value from the app. Fortunately, Masterpiece comes with over 100 drawings for free, which should keep you busy for a while before you need to consider subbing.
Another note is the fact that the app is iPhone only, so you can't paint pixel perfect drawings on your iPad for now.
The verdict
I tend to get stressed out easily, so I'm always looking for new ways to help me relax. Masterpiece is helpful in doing that, and it's going in my repertoire of things to help me calm down. I love pixel art to begin with, so this coloring app is perfect for my needs. There's a lot of variety too, from simple drawings that only take minutes to more complex ones that require more time. The celebration animation and time lapse videos are also a nice touch, bringing a smile to my face each time. A stylus is recommended.
I just hope to see the option for custom color palettes in the future. An iPad version would also be perfect.
Masterpiece Coloring is available on the iPhone App Store for free. There are in-app purchases.
9.3
OVERALL
User Interface 10
Lasting appeal 9.5
iPhone Integration 9
Is engaging 9
Does it well 9
Masterpiece Coloring
Simple Simple
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
Don't Get Greedy as You Hunt for Treasure in Temple of Spikes
March 06, 2018 by RSS Feed
Temple of Spikes: The Legend ($5.99) by Tigrido is a tough-as-nails platformer that puts your reflexes to the test. If you enjoyed other challenging games recently, such as Thumper: Pocket Edition and Lichtspeer, then Temple of Spikes is another worthy addition to your collection.
As a person who grew up in the '90s, I can definitely say that platformers always have a special place in my heart. I had the NES and Sega Genesis consoles when I was a kid, so I have fond memories of playing whatever games my parents got me at the time, which were usually platformers. To this day, I love platformers, and I don't think that's ever going to change. While I prefer physical buttons for the genre, I still like to check out what platformers are on the App Store, so Temple of Spikes piqued my interest over the weekend. It's a solid game with just a few quirks.
Thumper: Pocket Edition
Drool LLC
Lichtspeer
Noodlecake Studios Inc
Visually speaking, Temple of Spikes is beautiful with a unique 2D pixelated art style that serves as a nice homage to classic platformer games. It's a nice mix of 8 and 16-bit graphics, and the environments presented in the game are lush and wonderfully detailed. The colors in Temple of Spikes are a great mix of bright and vibrant with muted, earthy tones. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The game's soundtrack is pretty fitting with an adventurous overtone that is reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the like. Overall, the developer did a great job with the visual and audio design of Temple of Spikes: The Legend.
Like many other platformer games, Temple of Spikes is level-based. At the moment, there are 30 levels, which you can easily see on the world map. However, even though it's only 30 stages, the game supposedly holds at least 50 hours of gameplay, so if you want a lengthy game, then this is a good contender. The goal in each level is to help an archaeologist explore the labyrinth of an ancient temple, find all of the riches that await you, and then make it out alive.
Of course, this is all easier said than done. The temple is full of spikes (obviously), lasers, dark critters, and many other dangers and traps. There are even challenging boss battles that await you. Your only guidance is the ghost of the treasure hunter that came across the temple before you. Each level is split up into several parts, but there are save points that serve as checkpoints, so if you die, you can just pick up from the last save point.
The controls in the game are simple enough, but the buttons do feel a bit clunky at times and not as responsive as I'd like. In the bottom left area are two directional buttons for moving left and right. In the bottom right are buttons for jumping, accessing time control powers from artifacts (slowdown, rewind), and other actions, like attacking and placing bombs once you unlock it.
My problem with the controls is the fact that the default placement of the buttons floats slightly above the bottom of the screen. Because of this, your fingers will actually cover up where your character is, so it's hard to see where you're going and what's coming up.
You can customize the touch controls in the settings by dragging where you want the buttons to be, or scaling them so the touch area is larger. However, even when I customized the controls, it still didn't feel quite right, and sometimes the buttons didn't seem to register my input properly, so I ended up dying due to unresponsive controls.
The default character in Temple of Spikes is the archaeologist. However, as you play, you'll collect coins, which you can spend on new playable characters. Some characters will have unique abilities, like collecting faraway items or keeping more blue hearts (time control power), so they'll have their own play style you'll need to adapt to. The better the character, the more it will cost to unlock. There are no in-app purchases in the game either, so you'll have to save up those pennies.
A speedrun hardcore platformer with cute retro graphics juxtaposed to extremely difficult level layouts.
The Good
Temple of Spikes is true to the developer's description of a "hardcore" platformer. The game has moments that require fast thinking, reflexes, and skill to get through, and it's definitely not for the faint-of-heart. The graphics look stunning on Retina screens, and the music is quirky and delightful to hear. The humor in the dialogue is a nice touch as well, all things considered.
The Bad
As challenging as Temple of Spikes is, the controls need to be better for it to be great. The default layout doesn't work too well with me, and even with the option to customize, it takes a lot of tinkering around to get it right, which seems to be more trouble than it's worth, at least for me. I think it just needs better optimization overall to match the hardcore skill level that the game requires. Hopefully this is addressed in future updates.
The verdict
Despite the flaws in the controls, I'm still finding Temple of Spikes to be a fun and challenging game. The visuals are cute and detailed, the music is excellent, and the difficulty is just right for what's considered to be "hardcore." It's not incredibly easy, but it's also not overwhelmingly hard. It's a good balance, in my opinion. The wide roster of characters also adds a lot of replay value to the game, especially since each one has their own unique traits. I just hope to see the controls better optimized in the future.
Temple of Spikes is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $5.99. There are no in-app purchases.
8.4
OVERALL
Graphics 9
Gameplay 9
Replayability 8.5
Sound/Music 8.5
Game Controls 7
Temple of Spikes: The Legend
Tigrido
Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews
credit : appadvice
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