Review: Super Monkey Ball (iPhone)

Super Monkey Ball was one of the many cool games that Apple chose to show off many months ago when they announced the new iPhone firmware. The developers talked about how they were able to upgrade the graphics even more from what they were showing, which was already impressive for a cell phone game. The problem is that they should have spent that time working on the controls. There are a bunch of other games on the App store that use the motions sensors in a similar fashion and they feel tight and responsive. Unfortunetly SMB’s one major flaw is that the oversensitive controls ruin most of the fun you can have with this game.  I have played plenty of SMB in my day and they get everything else right, but the controls just aren’t good enough to handle some of the more difficult levels. Heck even easy levels can be frustrating!

I gave this game plenty of opportunity to grow on me and I tried over and over to get used to the controls, but it just didn’t work. If you want to play a similar game with simple and responsive controls then download Labyrinth, which has a free trial version so your not stuck with buying a game you will never play.

If this games controls were retooled then Super Monkey Ball would be one of the best games on the App store. As it stands now it’s a pretty game that can show people what the iPhone is capable of, but just don’t let them play it.

The Good

+Great Graphics
+Cute Music
+Well Polished

The Bad

- Oversensitive Controls
- It Costs $10!

Review: Tetris for the iPhone

If anyone is going to review Tetris it should be me. Ever since I laid my first block back many years ago I have been hooked on the game. The only game that I bought for my DS is Tetris, and when I got my new iPhone it was the first game that I downloaded. So as you can see my Tetris cred is high. That being said I still had worries when downloading a touch version of the game that I love. Anyone who is quite good at Tetris knows that at the high levels you barely have time to think and without the feedback of a controller things could get hairy. Surprisingly though the touch and drag controls for this game does a damn good job and is sensitive enough to get you through some high levels, They allow you to rotate the pieces different directions based in what side of the screen you tap, and you can drag anywhere on the screen to move the piece. When you are ready to do a hard drop just swipe downwards with a quick flip and the piece slams into position. It does take one or two games to get used to the controls, but once you do you will find them to work quite well, but once you get up to level 12 or 13 things move so fast that the touch interface cannot hold up. Luckily most people can’t get past those levels even with a controller.

The game comes with two game styles, Marathon and Magic, both of which should be familiar to any Tetris fan. I was a bit disappointed that some other game types were not included, especially since this game will set you back $10. For that kind of money I would expect more then two gametypes. Luckily they can upgrade the game in the future via the app store, which I hope that they do. I would spend a whole paragraph about graphics, but this is Tetris and that’s not what the game is about. That being said the game does have very nice visuals and looks ten times better then any other mobile phone version of Tetris.

The Good

+Solid Controls
+Simple Clean Graphics
+It’s Tetris

The Bad

- Costs $10 (Would have happier with $5)
- Occasionally Crashes
- Music is a bit limited

Overall Tetris for the iPhone is a well executed game that uses the iPhone’s touchscreen quite well. If they can bring the price down to around $5 it would be a must buy for any fan of the game, but since the price is a bit high only the hardcore Tetris fans will most likely get this one.

Etch A Sketch iPhone

I laughed when I saw the news that there’s an Etch A Sketch iPhone game. I grew up with the Etch A Sketch so I’m all too familiar with its quirks and fascination. Did you know that 150 million Etch A Sketch toys have been sold since 1960 – that’s insane my friend. Where are they now? Because I barely see any around. This latest Etch A Sketch iteration has a twist, and I don’t mean with the knobs. Instead of simply sketching your favorite picture, you must play this game with challenges:

From the App Store:

Grizelda the witch has shaken things up inside the Etch A Sketch, and Knobby must restore “draw and order” to his world. Help Knobby save his kidnapped friend and stop Grizelda’s evil plan to turn everything in the Land of Aha! to Dullsville! Full of creative art tools, four unique game modes, tons of unlockable hidden items and a cast of hilarious characters, Etch A Sketch is innovative fun for the whole family! Check out this digital upgrade to the World’s Favorite Toy today!

Craig Holland, CEO of Freeze Tag:

“Etch A Sketch on iPhone is a doodler’s dream,” “With the innovative Multi-Touch user interface you can actually create artwork by touching both ‘digital’ knobs at the same time, something you can’t do on any other wireless device, or you can just use your fingers to draw directly on the gray canvas.”

Buy it on the App Store
You can also pick up the Mac & PC versions of the game on most Casual game sites.
via Mobile Gamezone

Mobile Multiplayer Championship Poker

Real Dice, the developer of multiplayer games for next-generation mobile devices, today officially announced the launch of Multiplayer Championship Poker for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Featuring live multiplayer capability, ring games, “sit-n-go” tournaments and multi-table events every 15 minutes, Multiplayer Championship Poker gives mobile Apple users the ability to connect with thousands of players from around the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The game is now available in the iTunes store for download at a price of $9.99.

“The expansion of Multiplayer Championship Poker to the iTunes store now allows iPhone and iPod Touch customers to pull up a virtual chair and play Texas Hold’em with the 300,000 users who are already online on a variety of other devices,” said Russ McMahon, Director of Mobile Development at Real Dice. “We’ve developed the game so players from every supported system can play live games together no matter which handset they have. This means that you can log in with your iPhone while you’re sitting at the airport and play with your Blackberry-loving best friend or take on a complete stranger who’s logged in through Facebook on the web.”

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Black White & Blood Needs Help

R3Y GUTI3RR3Z of Black White & Blood has let us know that they are in the process of building up their portfolio for their iPhone game development studio. Unfortunately robots can’t design games yet, so they need to fill those plush seats with humans to help them out. With that said, BW&B need coders, artists, animators, and sound designers.

If you have what it takes, visit their site to submit a resume or portfolio.

Bomberman Touch Video

We’ve got video of the new Bomberman Touch: The Legend of Mystic Bomb title we just previewed earlier. Check it out on your iPhone and iPod Touch.

Bomberman Touch: The Legend of Mystic Bomb, New Screens

We have some new screens of Hudson Soft’s Bomberman Touch: The Legend of Mystic Bomb which is now out on the Apple Store for $7.99. This classic 1983 arcade title is utilized by flicking, tilting and tapping the iPhone or iPod Touch to control Bomberman. Each stage stays true to the original game like powering up and special items. Check out the video after the jump.

de Blob: iPhone

We have some new screens of de Blob pocket version on for the iPhone which is available now for $9.99 on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

For those who have never played this classic title, de Blob is basically a ball that you must roll through ink, and paint the city with multiple colors - except this version will use the iPhone’s tilt to control the blob.