Android – Iphone – Applications

It’s the Christmas season, so there are inevitably going to be a number of Christmas themed games and updates that will hit over the next few weeks, but very few will match the bizarreness of Big Bad Brush’s new app, Kung Fu Santa.

Like any good Santa based action game (what?), Kung Fu Santa starts with a simple note, telling you (Santa) that ninjas have stolen all the Christmas presents. The game then starts with you in an endless high score game trying to recover your missing presents while killing the evil ninjas that are trying to ruin Christmas.

The gameplay in Kung Fu Santa feels like strange play on Ninjump, except that there are three poles to jump between instead of the sides of two buildings. As the game progresses, presents fall down the poles while evil ninjas, gaps in the poles, and poison goop all try to stop your quest. In the end, there’s no way for Santa to ‘win”, as gaining a new high score is the only satisfaction you’ll get.

What really sets Kung Fu Santa apart from Ninjump are the controls, but not in a good way. Instead of simply tapping the screen to jump across, you have to watch for your position on the polls. For example, if you are hanging from the right side of the center pole, you have to tap the screen twice to get to the left pole, once to hang off the left side and another to jump over. With things falling from the sky at random intervals, the inclusion of body placement does add some difficulty, but it comes off as slightly annoying. Killing the enemies is also a bit of a struggle. To kill an enemy in Kung Fu Santa, you either have to jump into him of slide down on his head. On paper this sounds fine, but at times you’ll jump across to kick a ninja off, only to unexpectedly die for no reason. All I can come up with is that the ninja was hanging off the far side of the pole and was unhittable at the time, but there really isn’t a good way of telling which side of the pole the ninjas are on. As a rule, I just did my best to avoid the ninjas, which destroyed my plans of defeating the evil ninja thieves.

In fact, after a few minutes of play the whole game seems fairly pointless. Unlike Ninjump, the closest competition to Kung Fu Santa, the controls are frustrating, the concept of jumping on to and from poles is a bit boring, and there’s really nothing to keep you playing time and time again. Sure, the graphics and the sound are alright, but the game is definitely lacking in the likability department. In a game with a great set up plot, more should’ve been done to cultivate the ninjas vs. Santa story.

[ Kung Fu Santa Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by nhiepphong \\ tags: price, time

The original Tiki Totems has been a huge hit on the App Store, and at 2.5 million downloads and counting it stands as one of those games that practically everyone has played or at least knows about. Now developer Spokko has seen fit to provide us with a sequel, and not only does Tiki Totems 2 continue to perfect the formula set out in the first game, but the addition of a level editor and two new modes make this an absolute must-have app.

At it’s heart, Tiki Totems 2 is a physics-based puzzler which challenges players to remove all the wood blocks from a stage without letting their totem touch the ground. It’s a bit like Boom Blox spiced with a Japanese Daruma feel all set to an island rhythm. Classic mode sees players trying to balance both rectangular and round tikis, finding a safe landing place for their idols while getting rid of the oddly-shaped wood blocks. It’s a fairly traditional game type, but it’s still a ton of fun.

Altar mode puts a bit of a different spin on Classic by requiring players not to get rid of a certain number of blocks but rather demanding they land their tiki in a specific spot on the map. This greatly changes the approach to many of the puzzles and creates a refreshingly new way to play. Love mode is an even more substantial departure, as each level features two tikis which player must make touch each other before they hit the ground. Suddenly the chain-reaction of the blocks becomes the most important aspect of all and very careful thought is required in order to succeed.

Those with a creative streak will also get a kick out of the game’s included WYSIWYG editor, which can be used to create whole levels from scratch. When you think you’ve crafted a true work of art you can submit your creations to the developers, who will be choosing the most impressive levels to include in future updates of the game. While you can’t share directly with other players, at least with the devs acting as intermediaries there will be fewer penis-shaped levels. We’re not naive enough to believe there won’t be any such levels, just less of them.

Tiki Totems 2 expands on an already solid formula to offer an incredibly fun and thorough experience. I can’t think of any reason to not wholeheartedly recommend this app, so make sure to go pick it up ASAP and enjoy the hours upon hours of entertainment it will provide.

[ Tiki Totems 2 Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by margs \\ tags: enjoy-the-hours, Game, ground, iphone apps and games, price, rating, replay-value

Mushihimesama Bug Panic, much like CAVE’s previous titles Dodonpachi Resurrection and Espgaluda II, is not a title that I have any hope of being able to pronounce correctly. Also much like CAVE’s previous titles, Mushihimesama Bug Panic is fantastically frantic fun.

It’s a twin-stick shooter with more than a healthy dose of bullet hell again. The difference lies in the hint of strategy and tactical thinking that’s required in order to succeed. Predictably the left hand virtual d-pad controls movements, while the right hand stick controls shooting. It’s the way in which the shooting mechanics work that makes for a more careful shooter.

Flicking your finger across the right hand pad makes your character hurl a single seed in the appropriate direction. Holding down your finger however provides a crosshair which can then lock onto enemies. You can lock onto up to three enemies at once. Holding your finger down for longer charges up the attack, unleashing a ‘Cluster’ attack which causes a large explosion taking out all the enemies around it. This can then be used to hit a row of enemies in one go thus gaining a huge combo score. Chain reactions are very possible through this making for some very satisfyin attacks.

This concept makes for a much more involved combat system than other twin-stick shooters. You can’t just spray and pray like usual. Instead you have to take into account the downtime that occurs between attacks and ensure that you can evade retaliation in time. There’s no checkpoints in the levels and you only have so many lives at your disposal making for a fraught experience. While the first world eases you in relatively gently, later worlds are intense to say the least with the screen regularly flooded with enemies and impressive boss battles aplenty.

Mushihimesama Bug Panic is an immensely enjoyable twin-stick shooter. Offering a nice twist on the usual bullet hell formula. Besides the main adventure mode, there’s also a time attack mode and an endless mode to ensure you’ve well and truly got your money’s worth. It’s fast, it’s frantic, it’s gorgeous to look at and it’s unmissable for shooter fans.

[ Mushihimesama Bug Panic Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by mjmeser \\ tags: $4.99, Application, bullet hell, device-reviewed, finger, Games, Iphone, money, overall-rating, price, strategy, twin-stick shooter

At this point in its life-cycle it’s hard to pin down exactly how relevant Rock Band is to the gaming world. Though Rock Band 3 came out to stellar reviews and strong sales, it hasn’t been the powerhouse in living rooms and at parties that it was a few years ago. Now EA is taking another stab at the mobile market with Rock Band Reloaded, and it feels very much like the same situation. While the new game is well-made and fun, it’s also hard to know if it’s even still necessary.

Reloaded takes the traditional rhythm game formula and keeps it going, tasking players to play along with guitar, bass or drums by tapping out the pattern of falling gems. If you’ve ever played a Rock Band or Guitar Hero title before then you know the drill, and nothing’s really changed. The game’s major new addition for this addition is the inclusion of vocal tracks, which can be played in the same manner as the other instruments or actually sung, using the built-in microphone or plugging in a headset. The ability to sing along with the game is kind of cool, but there are a few caveats. First off, the pitch detection isn’t all that great and lyric recognition is nonexistent, so if you’re making sounds even remotely similar to those of the song then you get credit. Also, how many people are going to sing into their iPhone? If you’re in a place where belting out rock tunes at the top of your lungs is appropriate then you’re likely at home, so why not play the console version instead?

Those who own both an iPhone and iPad may be torn on which version of the game to get, but the differences are so slight as to be inconsequential. The iPad edition features a different way to deploy Overdrive (tapping the screen rather than tilting the device), and some simple animation of the band while playing the song. Beyond that the set list, career progression and general gameplay are all identical, and this is really one of those games that could have worked as a universal app rather than creating two separate entities. The HD tag and extra cost really aren’t worth the added benefit.

Reloaded also tries to impress with its set list, and though it’s expansive for a mobile game with 29 songs, they’re mostly retreads of old console tracks. If you’re a Rock Band fan do you really want to play Beastie Boys “So What’cha Want” or “White Wedding” by Billy Idol again? If so then have at it, but anyone hoping for some exclusive tracks or a unique set of songs will be disappointed.

From a purely technical standpoint there’s very little to complain about with Rock Band Reloaded and if you’re such a big fan of the franchise you need a new mobile version then you’ll be quite pleased. Still, in a world already flooded with music games there seems to be little reason for this game to exist, as it doesn’t try very hard to stand out. While our rating may seem high for a game that we see as fairly tired, we also need to account for the fact that it IS a quality game, with good controls and a fairly deep setlist. For those folks new to the franchise on an iOS device, this is a solid pick.

[ Rock Band Reloaded Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by mjmeser \\ tags: Application, device-reviewed, Games, gaming, guitar-hero, Iphone, price, rating, reloaded, rock band reloaded

Some of you might remember when we reported on the Louis Vuitton iPad case, and it is pretty expensive, but not as expensive as the alligator skin one.

This particular luxury case is the Orbino Padova, and it has a customized flip case with an integrated kick-stand cover. Due to the choice of leathers, the texturing, the price can range from $209 to $700.

Source

written by janyton \\ tags: alligator-skin, ipad, mobile, mobile edge, price, sony, texturing, under-the-sumo