"If there is an app for that"

Best app deals of the day! 8 paid iPhone apps on sale for a limited time

April 01, 2016 by macjeff

Everyone likes free apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up fast. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

The post Best app deals of the day! 8 paid iPhone apps on sale for a limited time appeared first on Digital Trends.

Flipped Out – The Powerpuff Girls Match 3 Puzzle / Fighting Action Game

March 31, 2016 by macjeff

Flipped Out – The Powerpuff Girls Match 3 Puzzle / Fighting Action Game ($2.99) by Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is a new hybrid title that has launched in anticipation of the Powerpuff Girls reboot next week. If you were a fan of the Powerpuff Girls, or just enjoy match-three strategy puzzle games or good old-fashioned brawlers, then Flipped Out is worth checking out.

Around the time I was in middle school, I liked to stay up late watching cartoons on Cartoon Network. One of those cartoons that I ended up watching often was Powerpuff Girls, and I grew to become a big fan of the series. I watched most of the episodes that aired on the channel, and I even saw the movie at some point. Needless to say, Powerpuff Girls was definitely a cartoon that set some standards in terms of storytelling and art style, at least for me (and I’m sure many others agree). When I first heard about the reboot of the Powerpuff Girls, I groaned with displeasure, because it seems that everything that ended well is getting a reboot. However, I am willing to give it a chance after I saw the extended introduction of the new series, because I appreciate the modernized theme song and art style. With the reboot launch just a week away now, it seems the hype is building up more than ever before, and that’s why we have Flipped Out. After spending some time with the game, I must say that it is definitely an interesting mashup that is worth checking out, as there is nothing quite like it on the App Store.

Visually, Flipped Out is stunningly beautiful, especially if you’re a fan of the franchise. It retains the cartoonish art style that the Powerpuff Girls are known for, though it seems that this game goes with the more streamlined and modern art style, rather than the classic version, which makes sense given the reboot next week. The colors in the game are bright and vivid, which you’d expect from anything Powerpuff Girls releated. While the typeface for text is rather cartoony, it’s not hard to read at all and just adds extra charm to the title. Animations are smooth and fluid, and the soundtrack pulls you in to the Powerpuff Girls world and Townsville. Sound effects are a fun final touch to the overall visual and audio package.

There are four different chapters in Flipped Out at the moment, with each of them having nine main levels, a boss battle, and three additional bonus stages that can be unlocked when you get a certain number of A+ grades once you complete a level. The chapters are spread out across different sectors of Townsville, so you’ll be visiting some familiar places. The main objective is to clear the stage of as many enemy monsters as you can, or defeat the boss, before the Powerpuff Girls are defeated. Your score depends on how many foes you’ve managed to get rid of, and collecting the pickles for the mayor is beneficial, as you’ll earn sticker upgrades for the girls, which grant you some awesome super powers to make battle easier.

In Flipped Out, there are two “modes” that you can seamlessly switch to while on a level: Sugar (strategic puzzle) and Spice (action-packed brawler). While it does sound confusing at first, the tutorial in the beginning stages will walk you through the two modes, and it’s also good to flip strategically (portrait for Sugar, landscape for Spice) to defeat certain enemies and bosses.

For Sugar Mode, monsters will pop up on the screen after each turn, which constitutes a move you make. The monsters are also able to attack or move after you make a move, so you have to plan out your attack carefully. The girls will appear scattered on the grid in Sugar Mode, and you must have the girls make matches of like-colored monsters to clear them out. To do this, select one of the girls that you want to move, then swipe them in the direction you want them to go. When they bump into a monster, you can then have the girl throw them to another girl, or at a cluster of like-colored monsters to make a match of at least three or more. If you match at least four, there will be a bonus laser explosion once that group clears out, in which case it will trigger other groups that are caught in the blast. Depending on where you have positioned the girls, you can get creative and set off some epic chain reactions.

In Spice Mode, the girls will appear on the streets of Townsville, and you tap to select the girl you want and then swipe them to where you want to go. When they run into an enemy, attacking happens automatically, and you can also send in at least two girls on one target to beat them quicker. All of the action of this mode happens in real-time, so you don’t have the time to plan out your attacks — you have to be fast with your reflexes here.

In both modes, though, enemies will drop pickle chips after they’re defeated. In Sugar mode, all you have to do to collect them is have a girl move over them and the chips are yours. In Spice mode, you just tap on them to pick them up. The pickle chips are important, since you get a gift box with a sticker prize inside each time the gauge is full.

The stickers serve as powerful upgrades for our young heroines. You can equip stickers on each girl for a different loadout, and the sticker effects can vary depending on whether you’re in Sugar or Spice mode. When you want to use an ability, just select the girl you want, and then tap on the ability button in the top right corner. But be careful — each ability can only be used a certain number of times in a stage, so make sure to use them wisely.

While the goal of each stage is pretty simple with just racking up points with matches or defeating your foes in battle, watch out for the hits that may sneak in if you aren’t careful. You lose a heart on each girl if they take damage, and if they are down for the count, you may have to flip to the other mode to wake them up. But if all of them go down, then you’ve failed and must try again.

Personally, Flipped Out was a pleasant surprise for me this week, and it’s rather enjoyable, which is nice since I also liked the other Powerpuff Girls game, Defenders of Townsville. The graphics in Flipped Out are wonderful, the music and sounds are fun, and the controls are simple enough, though I think they could be better optimized for accuracy (sometimes I messed up a move because I was slightly off). The strategic match-three and action brawler modes work well for what it’s worth, and it’s definitely an interesting combination that you just don’t see anywhere else on the App Store.

I recommend giving Powerpuff Girls: Flipped Out a try if you’re a fan of the franchise, enjoy innovative new games, or just like a challenging match-three or brawler game. You can find Flipped Out as a universal download on the App Store for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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

Creative video app CHOMP goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

March 31, 2016 by macjeff

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with CHOMP, by Christoph Niemann. This means that from now through next Thursday, you can pick up the popular interactive storybook app for free for both iPhone and iPad—a solid $3 savings.

CHOMP combines playful, humorous, hand-drawn animations with live video, enabling children and adults alike to slip into a variety of comical roles. From a virtuous pianist, to a spaghetti-slurping dog, or a living cuckoo-clock, almost anything is possible!

From the App Store Editors’ Notes:

Ready to unleash your cartoon alter ego? CHOMP takes your face and sticks it on dozens of interactive animations, letting you instantly record the bizarre and hilarious results. Scenarios can turn you into a wacky superhero, a concert pianist, a panda–even water dripping from a tap. The beautiful, simple, feel-good illustrations make for the type of silly fun that guarantees laughter from all ages.

And here’s a clip of the app in action:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpljEmugKDU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

You can download CHOMP in the App Store for free.

Drop Flip

March 31, 2016 by macjeff

Drop Flip ($2.99) by BorderLeap, LLC is a physics-based puzzle game that is simple yet full of charm. If you enjoyed other games of this nature, such as Trick Shot, then you will love what Drop Flip has to bring to the table.

Even though I love console and computer games, I have to admit that most of my gaming these days is done on my iPhone 6s Plus. I mean yes, I bought a 3DS for on-the-go gaming, but it is also another handheld that I have to carry around with me, and lately, I just don’t feel like carrying more than I have to. That’s why I prefer enjoying mobile gaming on my iPhone — it’s always with me and I don’t have to think about it. However, the iPhone is not my preferred platform of choice when it comes to lengthier games, so that’s why I get a kick out of small puzzle games and other bite-size titles. As a fan of physics-based puzzle games, I was excited when news of Drop Flip hit my inbox, since I’m a fan of BorderLeap’s other games, which includes Alpha Omega, the har•mo•ny series, and more. Needless to say, BorderLeap does not disappoint yet again.

The graphics in Drop Flip are incredibly simple and clean, which will appeal to any fans of minimalistic art styles out there. The game features bright, solid colors in the background, which is also sports a subtle texture to it, like a canvas of sorts. The puzzles themselves consist of white objects that are essentially just basic geometric shapes like circles, triangles, squares, lines, and more. Due to the white objects being on top of a vividly colored backdrop, the contrast is nice and makes it easy to tell everything apart. The added shadow effect is a nice hint that lets you know how far an object can be moved around. Animations in Drop Flip are smooth and fluid, with no lag on my iPhone 6s Plus. And to top things off, the soundtrack is rather soothing, and the sound effects are whimsical.

At the moment, Drop Flip has 100 levels that you will have to go through in a linear fashion. The game does not split them up into chapters or worlds or any of that nonsense, so it’s just one long chapter, so to speak. There are also no stars to earn or points to rack up — it’s just about solving the puzzle and moving on to the next one. The main goal is as simple as they come: get the ball into the bucket. Of course, since the game is physics-based, it’s not as easy as it sounds, but everything can be solved through experimentation and trial-and-error. As you get further along, though, the puzzles do get more complex and tricky, so you’ll need to muster up all the power in your thinking cap to solve them.

The controls in Drop Flip are straightforward and intuitive. In each stage, the ball is sitting on top of a small gate. The bucket is somewhere on the screen, and there will be obstacles that stand between your ball and the bucket. To open the gate, just quickly tap on the ball and watch it fall. However, you can do some things with the obstacle objects as well, such as move them out of the way (or in a better position to help you out) and flip them. To flip an object, just firmly press it and it will magically flip around for you. To move objects (indicated by the shadowed area around it), just drag it with your finger in the allotted space. As I mentioned, the controls in the game are simple enough for everyone, but the puzzles themselves are still rather challenging.

While the game does not have stars or points, there is still Game Center support (if you can get it to work) for leaderboards and achievements. I think the replay value is a bit lacking, though, as there is not much reason to go back and replay levels, unless you want to try out crazier solutions. Still, it’s a challenging puzzle game that is great for everyone, and there is full iCloud support so your progress goes wherever you go.

As a big fan of physics-based puzzle games, I’m loving Drop Flip so far. I’m still in the early stages of the game, but I’m enjoying every second of it. The simplistic visuals are gorgeous to look at on crisp Retina screens, and the tranquil and whimsical sounds are fun to listen to (best experienced with headphones). Controls are simple enough for everyone to understand, so there is no learning curve, and the puzzles themselves are fun and challenging at a gradual pace that is not frustrating. I think adding something like stars would increase the replay value in the future, but it’s not a big deal.

I highly recommend checking out Drop Flip if you’re a fan of minimalistic physics-based puzzle games. You can find Drop Flip 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

Free Apps to Download TODAY ONLY 03/31/2016

March 31, 2016 by macjeff

"HOOK" , DrawOnMp , Random Facts - 3500+ Interesting, Unusual, and Random Facts! and more

iPhone:

DrawOnMap is pretty straightforward. It will automatically detect your location or you can enter a street address. To annotate, simply tap the pencil icon in the toolbar at the bottom and the map will flip over. You’re able to adjust the size and color of the pencil, and undo and redo any strokes that are made. When you’re finished, tap the back button to return to the live map view and see all of your annotations. You can then change the location on the map and continue to draw, or you can complete the process by saving or sharing it.

Universal:

Hook is void of menus, tutorials, timers, and achievements. Just launch the game and enjoy the calming experience. The basic idea is to tap on circles to reel in their lines and create new pathways for the other lines to go. If a line gets hooked on another, you’ll have to start the level over.

Did you know that only five percent of the body of a jellyfish is solid matter? It’s true. And so are the more than 3,500 other weird, gross, and utterly surprising facts included in Random Facts. You’re able to go through the random facts with a swipe and mark your favorites with a tap. Random facts can also be shared via a variety of methods including Twitter or Facebook.

Pick a spot on the map or have Planimeter determine your location. Then choose from one of the four measurement types: path, polygon, star, or circle. Planimeter will display all of your measurements in your chosen units, which can be saved or shared. The app also includes support for both Apple Maps and Google Maps.

Take It Easy provides you with random tile pieces that feature different colored stripes. Your job is to place the tiles so that they form continuous rows of the same color from edge to edge. Tiles with stripes that don't match will break the entire row, so be careful. The game includes three modes, local and online multiplayer, and achievements and leaderboards via Game Center.

Hack Run is about as old school as you can get. You’re required to use command prompts to dig deeper into the system, and you’ll be rewarded for discovering new information. The game includes more than 50 levels, a list of your achievements, and tips and tricks in case you get stuck.

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