Developer: Smule
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Device Reviewed On: iPad
iPad Integration Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Re-use Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.83 out of 5 stars
Smule have become renowned on iOS for their variety of apps that turn your device into a musical instrument. However, their latest app, Magic Fiddle may be one of their most ambitious yet. Magic Fiddle takes the typical virtual music instrument concept and applies rhythm game mechanic of playing via cascading notes. To play your “Magic Fiddle,” you hold your iPad on your left shoulder, chin on the lower left corner of the iPad, playing the strings with your left hand and using your right thumb to hold down on the circle in the lower right corner as your bow to play notes. There’s a Storybook mode that teaches you the basics of how to play the instrument in the game, and teaches you a few songs to play. Notes come at the fiddle in colored lines across the screen representing which string and which fret you have to play.
Magic Fiddle is one of the most unique apps on the iPad, being something that really takes advantage of the device’s size to let you play it like an instrument. And unlike other rhythm games, this is an instrument that you can actually play, and can apply rhythm game skills to, so this is very easy to pick up and learn how to play with some competency in a short amount of time. The game comes with 8 lessons, and 20 songs, with more content available as an in-app purchase. The song list not only includes classical works and traditional pieces, but also the Super Mario Bros. theme by Koji Kondo, amazingly enough, although it’s only credited in the game as “Video Game Theme.” If you want to play your own music, you can easily play in the Solo mode, and can set a different key to play in from the Settings menu.
The problem with Magic Fiddle is that it provides terrible feedback as to how you are performing. You could be doing things entirely wrong in the storybook tutorial mode, and yet the feedback never changes. I still haven’t figured out how to properly play the pizzicato notes because the game never gave me feedback on whether I was doing it right or not. And based on my performance when playing songs with those notes in them, I still haven’t learned how to play them properly. Also, the app doesn’t come with the entire complement of lessons, as more lessons are available with in-app purchase, which just seems like profiteering. As well, you’re only scored on notes you hit, without any penalty for mis-playing notes.
Magic Fiddle is a great way to show off your iPad and to use it in a way that you never would have imagined being able to use it as. It’s more rewarding than most rhythm games are, but could take a lot of lessons from them to improve the game’s feedback. Otherwise, this is another unique and fun to play with musical app from Smule.
Developer: id Software
Price: $1.99
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.38 out of 5 stars
Rage HD is an ambitious iOS title. Not only is it a look at where iOS games are going, but it is released on this mobile platform long before it lands on consoles and on PC. id Software brings a lot of respect to this game and to this platform, and many promises to what these devices are capable of doing for the player on the go. The big question here is if this game is just smoke and mirrors, or if id has truly delivered the next big innovation in gaming for iOS.
If you are a fan of on-rail shooters, this game will fill your need for something new. You are essentially in what can only be described as one horrible television show of death and murder. You are guided down a set path with the objective being to survive until the end. Mutants will be the foe wanting to stop you from attaining this simple goal. Along the way, you will try to shoot targets, collect money and ammo, and blow everything that comes in your way back into the ninth level of hell from which it came.
Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Star Wars is one of those bulletproof franchises that no mater how much it chooses to abuse gamers, for some odd reason, it can really do no wrong. In another interesting test of that theory, THQ has decided to plunk players directly into the gunner seat of everyone’s favorite smuggling spacecraft, the Millennium Falcon. So is this a chance to finally shoot the lights out, or are we looking at another experimental failure with an awesome John Williams soundtrack?
“Augmented Reality” is a term that has been kicked around quite a bit as of late, especially in the iOS space. As should come as no shock, when you attach a successful brand like Star Wars to the concept, our interest is piqued. The childhood days of fantasizing about being Luke Skywalker and gunning down TIE Fighters out of the sky has already arrived, so imagine how awesome it will be to have it set in your own living room! Giving players the feeling of a full three hundred and sixty degrees of navigation, all through rotating the perspective of the camera is amazing, but may require having a fully swivelable office chair at your disposal to play comfortably.
Yes, that's my gigantic TV!
As neat as the “augmented reality” technology is, the bulk of the game does not reside here. Unfortunately, abandoning this mode also results in the innovative control scheme going the way of the Dodo as well. While playing through a series of classic Star Wars dogfights, engaging in combat with Boba Fett’s Slave 1, an Imperial Class Star Destroyer, or even Darth Vader’s special Tie Advanced, players will flying their way through a Lucas inspired nerdgasm.
The more structured story based missions only involve having to protect against a roughly forty five degree angle of attack that can only be moved slightly by tilting the iOS device. On the bright side, this does seem to make the action much more manageable, as opposed to than having to worry about getting flanked from behind almost constantly.
Broken up into three separate chapters, consisting of a series of shorter missions, the game is structured to be a quick, pick-up-and-play experience. Sadly, this also means that the game can be beaten in one sitting if a player is fairly proficient. Though fully implemented Game Center achievements and leaderboards help to add legs to the replayability, the base content just seems too short.
On paper, Star Wars: Falcon Gunner seems like one of the neatest ideas to come along in quite some time. It may deliver on some of the potential, but it seems to be far more Phantom Menace than A New Hope. Give it a look if you are interested in getting a glimpse at the future, otherwise it may be best to wait for a price to drop.
Developer: Warner Bros
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
When I saw Lego Harry Potter was available for the iPhone and iPad, I was suspicious of it. Not suspicious because of my dislike of the Lego games – I love them – but because of the scale required for such games. I genuinely didn’t think that transferring such a massive title to an iOS device would really work. I prepared myself for the worst. Boy, was I wrong.
Lego Harry Potter is terrific. It’s the perfect game to encourage naysayers to try, you know the ones, the people who don’t believe you when you say that the app store has some absolutely brilliant games on it.
The game follows the plot of the first four Harry Potter films, much like the console iteration. It packs in a lot too. While each story level is a bit shorter than the console version, this fits in with the portable element perfectly. Other than that though, there are still spells to learn through the various spell lessons, free-play is still there and there’s over 100 unlockable characters on offer. True Wizard status is still there to achieve whereby you must collect enough studs to 100% the level and there are secret red bricks to collect along the way too.
The control system is quite a departure from the usual iOS way. There’s no sign of a virtual d-pad. Instead you control characters by either tapping your finger on the waypoint you want to go to, or by dragging your finger around the screen. You switch characters by tapping on the character and a similar process occurs with most interactions. It feels a little odd at first but I actually preferred it to the more predictable control methods that are available. It doesn’t even interfere too much with being able to see the gorgeously charming graphics that are on offer here. Even the cut scenes are just as impressive as on the big screen versions.
Besides wandering around the various levels on offer, there are also numerous simplistic mini games to complete which make for an entertaining distraction. Casting spells is similarly fun as you have to trace shapes such as circles or flames with your finger in order to fling the spell in the right direction. It’s fun and an innovative manner of dealing with controls.
Lego Harry Potter is simply stunning. For $4.99 you get a good 15 hours or so of gameplay and it’s all excellent fun. While at times it might feel a little easy for experienced gamers (a common issue with the console games), it’s still consistently enjoyable. It’s worth noting that there are reported compatibility issues for iPhone 3g users and iPad owners have to wait until OS 4.2 comes out, which is a shame as those players will miss out on one of the best games this year.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has launched a streaming-only plan for unlimited movies and TV shows for $7.99 per month. This price matches Hulu Plus. However Netflix bumped up the cost of its…
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Smule have become renowned on iOS for their variety of apps that turn your device into a musical instrument. However, their latest app, Magic Fiddle may be one of their most ambitious yet. Magic Fiddle takes the typical virtual music instrument concept and applies rhythm game mechanic of playing via cascading notes. To play your “Magic Fiddle,” you hold your iPad on your left shoulder, chin on the lower left corner of the iPad, playing the strings with your left hand and using your right thumb to hold down on the circle in the lower right corner as your bow to play notes. There’s a Storybook mode that teaches you the basics of how to play the instrument in the game, and teaches you a few songs to play. Notes come at the fiddle in colored lines across the screen representing which string and which fret you have to play. 
The problem with Magic Fiddle is that it provides terrible feedback as to how you are performing. You could be doing things entirely wrong in the storybook tutorial mode, and yet the feedback never changes. I still haven’t figured out how to properly play the pizzicato notes because the game never gave me feedback on whether I was doing it right or not. And based on my performance when playing songs with those notes in them, I still haven’t learned how to play them properly. Also, the app doesn’t come with the entire complement of lessons, as more lessons are available with in-app purchase, which just seems like profiteering. As well, you’re only scored on notes you hit, without any penalty for mis-playing notes.
Lego Harry Potter is terrific. It’s the perfect game to encourage naysayers to try, you know the ones, the people who don’t believe you when you say that the app store has some absolutely brilliant games on it. 
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