Freebie Friday! (For 3/5/2010)

Alrighty, it’s Freebie Friday, and for the first one, I’d like to give you a few links to my favorite free iPhone apps and music downloads for this week. Also, I’m thinking about starting an iPhone Apps mailing list. Would you be interested in joining it if I do? The content will be somewhat similar to this post! Enjoy all the freebies and happy un-birthday! I threw in some Alice in Wonderland apps since Tim Burton’s movie is out today!

Coolibah is a very fun digital scrapbooking app! It was $12.99, but is now free! (with some limitations). There’s are a lot of beautiful scrapbook kits to choose from, made by professional designers. I personally love this app, especially when I’m on vacation. I can instantly create scrapbook pages and share them with my friends on social networks. My Review | iTunes

Wordcrasher Lite – play 4 levels for free! Make words out of the falling letters in the game. I like how the game pieces are like candies in a box. There’s great use of physics in this game. Full version is only 99 cents and well worth it. The developer has already started working on an iPad version with very beautiful graphics. My Review | iTunes

Angry Birds Lite – It’s a nice casual game where these angry birds get back at the pigs who stole their eggs. Catapult the birds and knock over all the pigs to advance to the next level. It’s a very simple concept, and very addicting as well. Lite version has 6 levels, and the full version has a ton of levels and is well worth the 99 cents!
My Review | iTunes | Full .99 cents

2Do Lite: A Stunning To Do List is an amazingly lovely task/to do list app. The user interface is simply beautiful. The lite version has a lot of capabilities. The full version is a bit expensive, but comes with more themes, calendars, colors, and backup.
iTunes

Alien Glyphs – A great puzzle-arcade game that tests how well your hand and eye coordination are. Match fast moving hieroglyphs to your given puzzle pieces. Great training for your eyes and shape recognition. (Free for limited time)
iTunes

Scoops – In honor of their release of a new game called Dizzypad, Scoops is free! Who doesn’t want to catch ice cream scoops in their cone? Catch as many as you can, but watch out for onions. You don’t want that on your ice cream! Also many other themes you can purchase in-app. Free for a limited time! iTunes

Touch Pets Dogs Go – is the best virtual pet app out there. Create, train, and feed your puppy! If you’ve played it before, this version will give you give you free puppy bucks, free 10 bowls of food, and also a White Rabbit Watch from the Alice in Wonderland collection!
My Review | iTunes

Alice in Wonderland Storybook — Enjoy the story of Alice in Wonderland in full color! The font is a bit small, but I love the classic illustrations in the app. The app is normally 99 cents, but is free until March 8, 2010.
iTunes

Alice Free Fall Lite – fall down, down the rabbit hole and catch some roses and powerups. But be aware of the falling cards and other obstacles! Try out the lite version for free. The full version is $2.99.
iTunes | Full $2.99

Alice in Wonderland – An Adventure Beyond The Mirror – is absolutely a fun adventure game, especially if you’re a big Alice! Journey with Alice and meet all your favorite characters from the story! Each one has their own special power that can help you finish the level. I’d recommend trying the lite version first before buying the full version for $4.99.
iTunes | iTunes ($4.99)

Alice in Wonderland Theme Song

Get the theme song from Alice in Wonderland by Danny Elfman for free! Available on Amazon, but US only.

Kina Grannis – Valentine — Kina’s Stairwells album released this week has already hit the billboard charts! She’s also making her hit single, Valentine, available for download on her website for free! Download now.

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: WordCrasher

Written By: Kevin Ng
Category: Games
Price: $0.99 | Free:

Size: 9.1 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.2
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

WordCrasher is one of the most addictive word games in the iTunes App store. Whether you love word games or not, you’ll fall in love with this one instantly.

The gameplay is quite simple. Colorful button-like game pieces with letters on them will fall into view. Simply tap on the game pieces to make words. If you make a mistake, tap on the orange X to clear the word or swipe to the left to clear one letter. If you make a word, tap on the green checkmark. You can also swipe downward to make letters fall faster. There are also two types of powerup — Time Freeze and Bomb. The “time freeze” powerup is helpful when you need a little more time to think about the words you’re creating and the “Bomb” is helpful when you need to clear the screen. You can create words using UK, International and US English spellings. Score big by making longer words or words with rare letters like “z” and “q.” Make as many words as you can before the screen fills up!

What’s magical about this game are the beautiful and colorful graphics as well as the realistic way the pieces fall and move in the game. Tilt the iPhone / iPod Touch and game pieces will fall and move around.

Two game modes are available in the full version — marathon and flood panic. In marathon mode, you make words with the game pieces falling down. When the screen fills up, the game is over. In flood panic, water and buoyancy are added to the equation. Game pieces are still falling down, but will float in water. The objective is to make longer words to lower the water level. Once the game pieces reach the top of the screen, the game is over.

WordCrasher uses the OpenFeint social gaming network to keep track of your scores and the leaderboard. Earn achievements and compete with your friends as well as gamers worldwide! Scoring categories include Flood Panic, Vocabulary, Marathon, and Word Score. You can even brag about your scores on Twitter and Facebook.

Overall, WordCrasher is very easy to play, fun, and can be quite addictive. The well-polished graphics and physics in the game also makes it really stand out. The best part is, Kevin Ng, the game developer, has already started working on an iPad version of his game. With the faster processor and higher resolution of the iPad, he can use more realistic and detailed graphics without cluttering the game. Read his blog for more details.

For more information about WordCrasher, see their official website. The full version is on sale for only 99 cents. A lite version is also available which allows you to play four levels of marathon mode. Happy word-crashing!

This article was originally published in Beatweek Magazine.

Screenshots

Video Trailer

GameSalad – Create Games without Coding!

I attended MacWorld Expo 2010 recently and one of my favorite booths was GameSalad. They promised that I could make a game without any coding or programming at all. So yes, I was interested! I sat in for the beginner session to see how GameSalad works.

Photo by Albertech.net/@dragonal; Taken at MacWorld Expo 2010; I’m in the lower right!

GameSalad is the world’s most advanced game creation tool for non-programmers. With GameSalad, game makers of all levels can bring their ideas to life without programming a single line of code. Build games visually using a drag-and-drop interface along with a robust behavior system. Publish your games quickly and easy to the iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac Desktop, and the Web.

If you want to learn how to make games for the iPhone (or Mac), try out GameSalad. They had training sessions on the expo floor, which I thought was a lot of fun. Sessions ranged from beginner to advanced, and didn’t require any programming knowledge at all.. just a bit of creativity.

Basically, you can import your graphics (let’s called these actors) into the GameSalad software. Then you can place your actors onto the canvas (like the background) and add in other pieces in layers. Add behaviors to these ‘actors’ and you got yourself a game!

For the beginner session, we made a pinball game. We added the game’s background, along with the flippers, pegs, and pinballs. The flippers behaviors were control by the Left and Right Arrows. When clicked, the flippers would move up in an angle. If the ball touched a peg, points would be added up in a scoreboard.

The creation you create with GameSalad is all yours. This also means if you are creating an iPhone version of the game, an Apple Developer’s license is also require since you are publishing it under your account.

If you’re a graphic designer with an eye for games, definitely consider GameSalad. The software starts at $99 a year. I was able to create a simple pinball game in under 30 minutes… just imagine what you can do with just a little more time.

For more information, see GameSalad.com and follow them on Twitter.

Popularity: 1% [?]

TouchPetsDogs – 3 Pups!

I’ve been playing Touch Pets Dogs for the iPhone for a long time now — every since it was released in the iTunes App store. But this is the first time I ran into this bug. I actually LIKE this bug though! Usually you can only play with at most two dogs at the same time. I somehow got three on the screen. :)

I was finishing up one of the careers that needed a Crimefighting Dog. So I clicked on partner dog and selected a crimefighting one. Then I found out I didn’t have enough money to buy the career tool, so I hit cancel. And somehow, all three dogs — two are mine, and one was a friend’s (crimefighting dog) — appeared on my screen. I was able to move and play with each one of them!

Anyhow, here’s my pet Gizmo’s career status. He’s almost done with Crime Fighting school… I’m waiting for the Alien career to be added next.

And here’s my Plus+ status for TouchPetDogs. I’m an Advanced Mega Superstar Owner… I already maxed out on the achievements. heh

Popularity: 1% [?]

Fun Holiday iPhone Apps

Get into the holiday spirit with all these fun winter iPhone / iPod Touch apps! These are just a handful I tried out. Feel free to let me know what holiday apps are your favorite so I can try them too! :)

Snow Brawlin. Risoo the squirrel needs your help! A group of rogue rodents have taken over his area. And with the season’s nut shortage, there’s only one way to settle this. Snowball fight! It’s a fun game that will get your quick fingers tapping and heart laughing. The game is free but you can purchase in-app extra three lives for 99 cents. The pro version comes with the extra lives. (iTunes: Pro Version | Free)

Arctic Shuffle 2 is a cute and cuddly penguin puzzler that’s perfect if you enjoy short casual games. Object is to aim penguins to land on a target by bouncing off ice and other things. Earn loads of points and post them on the leaderboard. It’s available for only 99 cents in the iTunes App store. (iTunes: Full | Lite | Full Review)

Touch Pets Dogs 10 Food Grr is another version of Touch Pets Dogs, but it gives you 10 free bowls of food for your virtual puppy! Dress your little pup in the cutest winter clothes as you run around a winter wonderland! Lots a wonderful suprises int he game, as well as daily offers for free stuff. The game has amazing graphics and is fun for the whole family. Best of all, it’s free! (iTunes | Full Review)

Prep & Landing. Disney’s Prep & Landing takes you through the Kringle Academy to earn your place in the elite unit of elves that prepare homes for Santa on Christmas eve! There are three mini games — Deployment, Sparkle Ball Practice, and Ski Jump. Fun and worth the 99 cents! (iTunes | Full Review)

Grinchmas let’s you play the part of Mr. Grinch on Christmas Day. If you’re feeling like a mean grinch, you can throw snowballs at the houses in Who-ville. If you’re feeling like Mr. Nice Grinch, you can shower the houses with gifts! Great fun for the whole family. App is on sale now for just 99 cents! (iTunes | Full Review)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! – Dr. Seuss is the first official Dr. Seuss ebook and it’s tons of fun! You have the option of the book reading to you, or reading it yourself. The pages are filled with the original book artwork and the animation is just spectacular. It’s perfect for young children learning how to read, and big kids who loved this book as a child. Definitely a must-buy for any Grinch fan! Currently $3.99 but well-worth it. (iTunes | Full Review)

Dr. Seuss Camera – The Grinch Edition is a fun way to add some whimsical Grinch-graphics to your photos. Just select a Grinch card and snap a photo! It’s really fun on unsuspecting people when you snap their photo and it turns out green! There are 23 different frames in all. The app is currently $1.99 in the app store, was $2.99. (iTunes | Full Review)

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy the movie! Help Scrat collect acorns while avoiding dangerous obstacles and enemies along the way! Game features characters like Prehistoric pals Manny, Ellie, Diego, Sid and Scratte join Scrat throughout game play. Usually $4.99, this game is on sale for Christmas for only 99 cents! (iTunes)

Elf Jumpers. Help guide the elves to land on chimneys! Avoid dangerous obstacles and get all those presents to the good boys and girls. The audio sounds are just hilarious. The app is currently Free in the app store. (iTunes)
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Coca-Cola Virtual Christmas Lights is a nice way to add some sparkle to your holiday photos! Add lights, holiday symbols and more with this app. You can also post it and share with the world your photo. It’s currently in the iTunes app store for free. (iTunes)
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Holiday Smash. If you enjoy bouncing ping pong balls off of a launch pad, you’ll love this! Smash the lights as fast as you can. For this holiday edition, the lights are in the shape of Santa, Snowman, Christmas Tree, Snowflake, Fireplace, Candy Canes, and more! Currently Free in the iTunes app store! (iTunes)

Triazzle Holiday. A great little puzzler to tickle your brain cells during the holiday season. Move triangle puzzle pieces around to match up the ornaments, dradles, light bulbs, nut crackers, and more! Great sounds and animation to brighten your day. Triazzle Holiday is available in the iTunes App store for just 99 cents. (iTunes)

Santa Rush. Digital Chocolate makes a lot of fun rollercoaster games, and this one is just as fun as the others. Your rollercoaster-ride is Santa and he’s taking a few elves with him in the other carts. Guide the rollercoaster carts to safety without losing anyone to advance to the next level! Fun and free! (iTunes)

Crazy Penguin Christmas is the holiday version of Crazy Penguin Catapult 1 and 2. Help save Santa and the elves from mean polar bears by catapulting penguins to the rescue. The app is currently 99 cents, but I suggest trying the Lite version first to see if you like it.
(iTunes: Full | Lite)

Naughty or Nice? Christmas Detective is a simple app that scans a person’s photo and determines if they’re naughty or nice! Once the photo is analyzed, a “naughty” or “nice” banner is placed on the photo. There is also the option of posting the photo on Facebook and/or Twitter! This app may be a handy tool during the holidays. It’s currently on sale for 99 cents. (iTunes)

Scrooge’s Tip Calculator. Of course you should tip generously to your server(s), but this app makes it a lot of fun. What would Scrooge tip if he was eating with you? There are four levels of tipping – from a generous Christmas Spirit to a Scroogey mood. This app is currently in the iTunes app store for Free! (iTunes)

Santa’s Sack. Angry animals have stolen all of Santa’s presents! Help Santa get them all back by tiling the iPhone / iPod Touch and catching all the present in his big red sack! It’s a silly game with fun music. Available in the app store for free! (iTunes)
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Popularity: 1% [?]

Wii Game Review: Wii Fit Plus

If you’re a computer-chair potato like me, you know it’s hard to fit in any exercise (or movement for that matter) into your daily schedule. But Wii Fit Plus is a fantastic game to help motivate you to exercise. This is a nice upgrade from the previous version. If you already own Wii Fit and the balancing board, you only need the $20 game upgrade. If you don’t own it at all, you can buy the complete package for only $89.99 (on sale on Amazon – save $10).

Wii Fit Plus still uses the previous User Interface — which is good because it’s easy to use and it’s very familiar to Wii Fit owners. Additional features include a calorie count — so you can keep track of how many calories your burn after each exercise and throughout the entire workout. There are 15 new training games (which are my favorites) that will have you flapping your arms, running, and even do karate moves! It’s not only fun to play, it’s also hilarious to watch!

Wii Fit Plus also comes with new yoga and strength training moves. Any position yoga or strength training you didn’t unlock in the previous game will be unlocked in Wii Fit Plus. Wii Fit Plus routines can be set up so you would do exercises designed to improve specific ares. This is done by combining activities.

Changing players during the game has also become is much easier! In the original game, you would have to close your session, and then select the new player. In Wii Fit Plus, you can simply click on “Change Player” and the next player can start playing the same game. Best of all, all of your data transfers nicely over into the new game.

With the new improvements and additional games, I highly recommend this game for parties and individuals who need a fun way to be more active. I give it a 9 out 10 stars. Below is a more detailed review of each individual new mini game in Wii Fit Plus.

Reviews of each new Wii Fit Plus Training Game

The new Wii Fit Plus Training games are a lot of fun! They combine aspects of the original Aerobics and Balance games in the previous version. The wide range of mini games are quite impressive. Here are my reviews of each of the 15 new mini games.

Perfect 10 – In this game, you want to add up the numbers to 10 (in easy mode) by wiggling your tush to hit bouncing balls that add up to 10. This is a great mental and booty exercise game. Finish it to unlock the advanced level — adding numbers up to 15.

Obstacle Course – This one is definitely my favorite because it’s not a short game, and you do feel like you’re running an obstacle course on American Gladiators, or something similar to that. Run by walking quickly on the balance board. When you need to jump bend your knees and stand up. The balance board will pick up the weight shift. Be sure not to JUMP or remove your feet from the balance board. This will cause you to start the course over. This took me a while to get use to, but after the 3rd time, I finally got the hang of not jumping off the board. It’s a great workout that requires quick thinking and a steady pace.

Bird’s-Eye Bulls-Eye – If there’s one game you have to sit out and watch someone play, this is it! You become a bird and the object is to land on various targets to earn more time on your clock. The more time you earn, the more time you have to reach other targets on the land (and water). Flying to these targets will require you to flap your wings and stand still when you hover over a target. Little flaps will help guide you slightly upward when near a target, and big flaps will guide you farther. You really feel like a bird playing this! Unlock the advance level to fly over water and even to the top of mountains and blimps! Warning – be sure to stretch a lot, else your shoulders will be hurting afterward. Humans don’t normally work these wing muscles much. ;)

Driving Range – allows you to work on your golf moves. Turn the Wii Balance board to the side, and use the Wii Remote to swing. The game will show you how balance you are and correct your position. There’s no time limit, so relax and keep golfing. You can also take practice shots before each ball.

Skateboard Arena – is very fun once you get the hang of it! You turn the Wii board around and stand on it like a skateboard. Skate over lights to earn points and even go up ramps! The more points you earn, the more levels you can skate in. If you skate board starts slowing down, step off with one foot and push (just like a real skateboad) to gain momentum.

Snowball Fight – is definitely one of my favorites. You are snowball fighting against a whole army of Mii’s. Well, not really, but when you’re by yourself, it seems like an army! Hide behind a shield, but peek out to throw snowballs at your opponents. Step to the left to peek out on the left side, and step to the right to peek to the right. But be careful not to get hit with snowballs! Use your Wii Remote and aim at your opponents. Press down to throw snowballs at them!

Rhythm Kung Fu – is really cute. I’m a bit off rhythm for the faster moves, but I love how you can use the Wii Nunchuk and Wii Remote to mimic the moves. It’s a big improvement over Rhythm Boxing. I like how you can watch the Mii’s and just follow their moves right after instead of waiting for them to complete full moves.

Island Cycling – this is another one of my favorites. Although I’m not really on a bike, the moves you have to mimic does feel like I was riding on one. Just take fast steps on the balance board to move your bike faster, and use the Wii remote to maneuver the bike to the left or right. The object of this game is to capture all the flags on the island. There is no time limit, so you can go as quickly or slowly as you like. This game also gives you the chance to go and explore all parts of the Wii Fit Island. It’s incredibly scenic and fun indeed. Once you captured all 12 flags, head toward the finish line and then unlock the advance mode — 22 flags. Boy does this game work out those leg muscles!

Segway Circuit – this game is awesome and so much fun! You can zone out and feel like you’re really on a Segway! There’s a giant gopher on the loose, stealing all of the beach balls. The object of the game is ride around quickly and pop all of the beach balls. At the very end, chase the gopher around and pop the last beach ball. Be careful because he’s quick! Jump on ramps on your Segway to gain speed. Use the Wii Remote to steer to the left or right. And balance yourself on the board as you would on a Seqway. Very fun if you enjoy quick games.

Tilt City – the object of the game is to make the falling balls land in their matching colored-canister. Sounds easy right? There are two levels of boards that you control. The top one is controlled by holding the Wii remote on it’s side. The second level are controlled by your feet using the balance board. It gets pretty tricky with multiple balls dropping down. Quick hand-eye-feet coordination is needed to score high! Quite fun and challenging!

Rhythm Parade – you use the Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk as your batons and you march down the streets in a marching band. Raise your ‘baton’ as you see lights coming down either side of the screen. This is not my favorite mini games because my feet and hand coordination is quite off. Once I get the hand motions down, my feet are off rhythm. Try it! Maybe you’ll have better luck than me.

Big Top Juggling – tests your balance skills. Balance yourself on a big ball as you use the Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk to juggle balls tossed at you. It’s not one of my favorite — probably because I keep falling off the ball. But I’ll give it another try soon.

Table Tilt Plus – I simply adored the original Table Tilt games. This game tests your balance and speed. The new version is much more difficult because balls now have the ability to land on poppers that launch them onto a higher pedestal. It’s very challenging as you have to control where the ball lands as well.

Balance Bubble Plus – I got really good at the original game, and this version just took me by surprised! It’s quite difficult once you enter the dark cave and try to balance and maneuver around monsters in there. This works your eye and feet coordination and is quite challenging.

Basic Run Plus – is very similar to the basic run in the original Wii Fit aerobics games. However, you’re running with a cat at the beginning of the game instead of a dog, and the path is different. At the end of the run, there’s a short quiz to test how observant you are. So be sure to check out your surroundings as your run. Do well, and unlock the long run mode.

For videos of each of these games, see the official Wii Fit Plus website.

Fun for the Whole Family

Another thing that I really love about this game is how all of mini games tie together into one big Wii Fit Island! If you played the previous version of Wii Fit, you’ll notice that they used the same landscape — the land you see when you run around on the track. In Wii Fit Plus, when you’re running or biking, you’ll see the same course but with the addition of a much more land. The Wii Fit island is very nice and peaceful and you can roam all around it in the Island Cycling game.

Read more about Wii Fit on their official website. You can also purchase the game with or without the balance board on Amazon. The one with the balance board is currently on sale — save $10!

One more thing, since my family and friends are always over and playing games, I highly suggest getting a Wii Fit Balance Board Silicone Sleeve for your balance board. It makes cleaning the board much easier and comes in an array of colors! And if you don’t have a Wii Gaming System yet, go get one!

Feel free to leave a comment or questions below. I’m reviewing this game because it is one of my favorite games. The views expressed in this blog post are my own and do not necessarily represent Nintendo.

Related Posts and Links

• Purchase Wii Fit Plus Upgrade for $19.96
• Purchase Wii Fit Plus and Balance Board for $89.99 (Save $10)
• Purchase Wii Gaming System for $199.99 (was $250.00)
• Got my Wii Fit!
• Wii Fit Hula Hoops
• My Wii Fit Profile

Popularity: 2% [?]

iPhone App Review: Arctic Shuffle 2

Name: Arctic Shuffle 2 (iTunes: Full Version | Free Lite Version)
Written By: Zinc Roe Design
Category: Games
Price: 99 cents, with option for in-app purchases for 99 cents each. (two are available)

Size: 10.2 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.2
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

Arctic Shuffle 2 is a cute and exciting puzzle game that will have you playing for hours! Chill out with the cuddly penguins as you aim and slide them across the ice to land on the target! Be sure to watch out for obstacles that can hurt your precious penguin.

The game has 10 stages in each level of difficulty – beginner, easy, medium, hard, expert — that’s 50 different puzzles to solve! In addition, there are also two optional add-on packs for 99 cents, which include 24 extra stage each.

The scoring system for each stage is based on three parts — difficulty, penguins survived, and time bonus. Your total score are tallied up and added into the online leaderboard using AGON Online service. Compare scores with all players, people near you, and your friends. There’s even an option to post your scores on Twitter and Facebook.

The challenges and adorable graphics in Arctic Shuffle 2 keeps you coming back for more! Try it Arctic Shuffle 2 Lite for free. It comes with 10 levels. If you enjoy it purchase Arctic Shuffle 2 in the iTunes app store for only 99 cents.

This article was originally published and featured in iProng Magazine.

Disclaimer: I’ve received a promo code for “Arctic Shuffle 2″ iPhone app from Zinc Roe Design in exchange for a review.

Screenshots

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Flipside

Name: Flipside (iTunes)
Written By: Igloo Games
Category: Games
Price: $2.99

Size: 8.9 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1.1
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

Looking for some super puzzle fun? Try FlipSide! FlipSide is a challenging and fast-moving puzzle game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Imagine if Tetris was crossed with match 3, with better colors, sounds, and graphics and you got FlipSide.

Matching pieces fall with a symbol on each side — near side (your side) and far side (you opponent’s side). The object of the game is to create at least 3 matches on your side. You have the option of flipping the pieces over by tapping on them. You can also drag falling pieces over to different columns. Match pieces horizontally or vertically to get points!

The best part about this puzzle game is the various modes you can play in. Modes include Tutorial, Survival, Puzzle, Vs. com, and peer-to-peer (bluetooth).

There is a small learning curve for this game, but the tutorial mode gets you started quickly. It’s simple to follow and explains the game quite easily. I personally would play the tutorial mode a few times before jumping into the other modes.

In Survival Mode, you can play until the screen is filled up with pieces. There are over 20 stages in both Normal and Expert mode.

In Puzzle Mode, the object is to flip or move the pieces so they all disappear (without the addition of new pieces). This mode requires the most amount of thinking and isn’t timed. There are 20 stages in both Easy and Medium modes.

In Verses mode, you play against other players (the computer) and both sides is able to flip pieces to match what’s on their side. There are 5 other players — each one with their own characteristics and strategies. Each player also has 5 different levels to complete. The higher the level, the faster the pieces fall and the more competitive the player gets! Win two games at each level to move onto the next challenge.

You can also Play with a friend using bluetooth! This is similar to the Verses Mode, except it’s against a friend. You’ll see pieces they flip over and move around, and they see your moves as well.

The graphics are beautifully done and the sounds are just hilarious. I also enjoy how Igloo Software incorporates graphics from their previous games into the next.

This game is great for your brain muscles. You have to think fast and plan a strategy. And best of all, it’s highly addictive.

So how big of a match can you get? The bigger the match, the more points you’ll get! Flipside is available in the iTunes app store for just $2.99.

Note: This app review was recently published in iProng Magazine and Flipside has won iProng’s Best Puzzle App of 2009 Award!

FlipSide Video Trailer

iProng Best Puzzle App of 2009 Award

Popularity: 1% [?]

iPhone App Review: Disney’s Prep & Landing

Get into the holiday spirit and help Santa on the most important night ever! ABC brings to you Disney’s Prep & Landing, a new television special airing Tuesday, December 8th at 8:30/7:30c. Along with that comes a cute iPhone / iPod Touch app to spread holiday cheer!

You get to play Lanny, the Christmas elf, as he joins the Kringle Training Academy to become part of the elite unit of elves that prepare homes for Santa on Christmas Eve! Practice in these great mini games: Deployment, Sparkle Ball Practice, and Ski Jump.

In Deployment, you hop off of Santa’s sleigh and parachute down. But be careful! Avoid the toy airplanes, balloons and birds that may be i your way. catch the candy canes and presents to earn rewards!

You never know who’s awake and creeping downstairs anticipating Santa’s arrival! In Sparkle Ball Practice, toss sparkle balls to put eagre children and puppies to sleep.

There are lots of houses for Santa to visit on Christmas Eve, so in Ski Jump, you get to jump from rooftop to rooftop to catch special ornaments that increase your time to prepare for homes for Santa! Watch out for chimneys and snow pits!

This app also comes with some extra holiday fun. Santa has a special scanner to know if you’re naughty or nice, a compass, and a world map!

All in all, if you like fun little mini games, this is a great app to have. Play it while you watch Disney’s “Prep & Landing” tonight!

The app is available in the itunes store for just 99 cents.

If you’re in the US, you can view the video on hulu.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Bargain iPhone Apps

The holidays are fast approaching and sales are all around us! I’ve been watching the “App” Market and seeing a lot of prices drop. So where can you spend your iTunes gift card and get the best bang for your buck? Here is a list of some iphone / iPod Touch apps that I thought were noteworthy and worth your time and money:

General Games

Ramp Champ, originally $1.99, is now Free for a limited time! Overall, it’s a skee-ball app with a lot of personality! Play with various ramps and discover hidden Easter eggs. Win tickets and redeem them for virtual prizes. Beautiful graphics and the music reminds me of the good old carnival days. (iTunes | Full review)

TouchPetsDogs is an adorable virtual pet game that’s perfect for the whole family. Adopt a puppy or two and teach them tricks, dress them up, and even take them on playdates with your friends’ dogs. It’s a great social game every animal lover will enjoy. TouchPetsDogs 10 was 99 cents, but is currently free. This version comes with 10 (plus an extra 8) bowls of food for the dog and is the best bargain out of all the TouchPetsDogs versions. (iTunes | Full review)

Nut Chuckin’ is an adorable game starring squirrels. This game features original artwork, unique gameplay and custom music. Help Risoo the squirrel hop up the ladder of branches as he dodge nuts chucked at him from a few trouble-making squirrels! New Lite version is available. Full version is only 99 cents. (iTunes)

South Park Mega Millionaire Originally $2.99, this little treat is now only 99 cents. It’s a great game for any South Park fan. The South Park boys are on a Japanese game show where they have to rollerskate their way to win millions. Filled with bleeped out profanity, this game may be offensive to some and hilarious to others. (iTunes)

Cro-Mag Rally Featured in Apple TV ads and in the Apple store, this app and all of Pangea Software apps have been dropped in price to only $1.99 cents (originally $2.99). If you like Mario Kart and other racing apps, try this pre-historic version of the game! It reminds me of the Flintstones. (iTunes)

Eliminate Pro allows you to play head-to-head combat with friends! It’s a first person shooter game that has the feel of Doom. You can play can play against anyone with the iPhone app installed. It’s real-time and a Plus+ Network account is needed (free). There are also in-app purchases, but they’re not necessary to have fun! The game is free. (iTunes)

Crazy Penguin Christmas is the holiday version of Crazy Penguin Catapult 1 and 2. Help save Santa and the elves from mean polar bears by catapulting penguins to the rescue. The app is currently 99 cents, but I suggest trying the Lite version first to see if you like it. (iTunes: Full | Lite)

Puzzle Games

Arctic Shuffle 2 is a cute little puzzler featuring cuddly penguins. Slide them across the ice, bump them off of glaciers, and make one land safely on the target to collect points. Great quick and casual game. In-App purchases include plenty of levels to keep you busy. It’s currently $1.99 in the App store, but a Lite version is also available for free. (iTunes: Full | Lite)

Finger Physics is really cute! There’s a bunch of physics-related mini games with adorable graphics. Games include creating a stable contraption with various shapes, eliminating pieces to make an egg roll to a specific destination, and many more. It’s worth a lot more than it’s 99 cent price tag. A lite version is also available for free to try out. (iTunes: Full | Lite)

Zombie Pizza combines my two favorite types of games into one — puzzle and time management game. It gets your brains racking.. and on pizzas! Add hearts, brains, and other disgusting body parts onto pizzas to feed zombies before they eat you! It’s currently $1.99 in the iTunes App store. (iTunes: Full | Lite)

Frogger is great if you like the classic arcade games. Toggle between classic and new graphics. Hop your frogs to safety to the other side of the pond and get rewarded. This game requires good timing skills and just fast thinking! This game was $7.99 when it was first in the app store. Now it’s only for 99 cents! (iTunes)

Flipside is a fast-action puzzle game with various modes to play with. This game is a combination of Tetris and Match 3 games. Beautiful graphics and hilarious sounds. There’s also a ton of levels that makes the price of $2.99 well-worth it. Just a warning, this game can be quite addictive. I’ll see you on the Flipside! (iTunes)

Collapse Chaos is one of my old favorites! I use to play this all the time. Tap matching gems and combine them to earn big points. Usually $1.99, now only 99 cents. It’s a very good game if you’re standing in line or something. (iTunes)
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Educational

Little Cook. Got a little one who loves working in the kitchen? Let them try out Little Cook and cook up their own tasty treats (without the mess!) They can select one of 7 dishes to make and a put their cooking to the test with the young critic. Create a tasty treat, and the critic will be happy and give lots of compliments. Create a disastrous meal and the critic will ask you if this was your first time cooking. I find the comments hilarious, and it’s such a great educational game for your little one. This game is aimed at ages 4-7 and is available in the iTunes App store for just 99 cents. (iTunes)

Brain Quest Blast Off! comes in various levels and are educational games in fields of math, science, and more. Originally $14.99, each grade level app is now only 99 cents. Learning has never been so much fun!
(iTunes: Grade 2 – Grade 3 – Grade 4 – Grade 5 – Grade 6 – Grade 7)

Graphics

Photoshop.com Mobile is one of my favorite image editing apps on the iPhone. There are not as many options like the desktop version of Photoshop, but it’s just enough to make editing your photos on the go, easy. Brightening and cropping photos is a cinch. I also like the effects available. My favorite is the Vignette Blur effect. Best of all, it’s free! (iTunes)

SketchBookX is a great professional on-the-go artist tool. If you ever want to doodle while you’re out, this is the app to have. All of your artist tools are available; just use your finger or a special stylist to start drawing. This is the free version of SketchBook Mobile. (iTunes)

I hope you were able to discover some great new apps for your iPhone/iPod touch. I spend a lot of time testing out apps, so you don’t have to! :) Let me know if you like these kinds of mini-review posts.

So, what are your favorite iPhone / iPod Touch Apps?

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iPhone App Review: Zombie Pizza

Name: Zombie Pizza (iTunes Link)
Written By: Appy
Category: Games
Price: $0.99

Size: 20.1 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1
Rate: 4 out of 5 Stars

Zombies love to eat brains.. and pizza! Who knew? Zombie Pizza is a light-hearted horror puzzle game that is such a treat for this Halloween!

In the game, zombies have taken over the world! Unfortunately for Chef Zomboni, the pizzeria owner, he has also been infected, and has about 4 weeks before becoming one of the walking dead. In that time, he’ll be training you, his apprentice, in every aspect of the dark art of making Zombie Pizzas.

Under Chef Zomboni’s watchful eye, you will be creating pizzas to feed the hungry zombies by combining some of the most disgusting ingredients never tasted before on pizzas! Toss on some eyeballs, hearts, bones, guts, and brains onto the strange Zombie Pizzas to create combos like The Roadkill, The Split Dog, The Gut Buster, and the Stink Eye! Be sure to check out the cookbook for the pizza recipes! Some combination pizzas are worth more than others. The ones you can create are:

• The Gut buster – Four of a kind of any Topping
• The Road Kill – One of each kind of any Topping
• The Split Dog – Two of any one topping and two of any other topping.
• The Stink Eye – Pizzas that don’t fall into any of the above. These are worth $0 and make the zombies upset!

As you advance in the levels and weeks, zombies may also request special pizzas in their order. Create those for extra bonus points. Some zombies prefer broccoli. Some will get mad at you if you even dare to put vegetables on their pizzas! Some ingredients will be packaged in jars that require you to smash them open.

The ingredients are set on the fast-moving conveyor-belt. Drag ingredients onto your pizza. When your pizza creation is done, flick it into hole in the door to feed those pesky zombies! Make a bad pizza, and you’ll hear those zombies scream in disgust. Earn gold and silver medals and rack up dollars by creating pizzas with high-value recipes. But be sure to watch the Zombie Rage meter. If it reaches the top, the game is over, and you become their dinner!

Playing Zombie Pizza requires mastery of two basic movies — drag and flick. I love the puzzle aspect where you try to create only the pizzas in the recipe book or special orders. Anything else will be a Stink Eye and give your $0, not to mention, make the zombies very upset. The extra challenges in each level keep the game fresh and exciting. The creepy, yet hilarious sound effects and artwork is what gives the game its charm!

If you enjoy fast-moving puzzle games, I think you’ll like this one. It’s quite a deal for only 99 cents in the iTunes App store. The game is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Be sure to feed your zombies pizza today… if you want to live to see another day…

This article was published in iProng Magazine 53rd issue.

Game Trailer

Related Links

• Zombie Pizza by Appy Entertainment
• Lite Version of Zombie Pizza (iTunes Link)
• Zombie Pizza iTunes Link

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AppShopper: Find Apps for your iPhone/iPod Touch

AppShopper.com is my favorite website for finding new and interesting apps. It’s updated frequently as new apps are added/update in the iTunes App Store. And now they just made it really easy for me to share my list of favorite iPhone apps! I’ll be updating this list as I find some cool apps to play with. You can sign up for an account and make your own list as well. I also have a wishlist of iPhone apps that I may purchase in the future once their price drops a bit. Yes.. all I want for Christmas are iTunes gift certificates. :)

Here are some tips on how to use the website:

• There are many ways to sort apps on the website. Use them all! :)
• If you’re looking for free bargains, select “Free” and “Price Changes”. This way, you will get see all the free apps that recently reduced their prices.
• See an app you like but don’t want to pay full price for it yet? Add it to your wishlist and select “Notify me of price drops by e-mail.
• There are a ton of apps in the iTunes App store. Create a list and share the apps you think are worth using. This will help you and others discover new apps as you contribute to the community.

If you have an AppShopper iPhone apps list, please share them in the comment box below!

Popularity: 2% [?]

iPhone App Review: Pac-Man Remix

Name: Pac-Man Remix (iTunes Link)
Written By: Namco Networks America
Category: Games
Price: $5.99 $4.99
Size: 11.3 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0.0
Rate: 4 out of 5 Stars

Pac-Man fans will greatly enjoy the newly released Pac-Man Remix game for the iPhone and iPod touch! The object of the game hasn’t changed much. Pac-Man still eats dots, power pellets, and ghosts when they turn blue. He still also gets chased by the ghosts when they’re not blue and loses a life if they catch him. The addition of the 3D graphics and fun animations adds a whole new dimension to the game. As an added twist, the Remix version has exclusive features like boss battles, stage-specific gadgets, and power-up items!

Pac-Man is stranded on an island full of ghostly enemies — big and small. The island is divided into 6 different sections. Within each section are 5 different levels, which means there are 30 different levels altogether. The last level of each island section is the big boss battle. Before playing each level, a short colorful clip shows you the challenges you will face in the next stage. Although, with only 30 levels, gameplay seems a bit short.
Read more

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Do You Wanna Date my Avatar Video

If you’re a gamer, know of a gamer, play World of Warcraft, or a big Felicia Day fan, then you probably have already seen this amazing The Guild music video! The song was written by Felicia Day and Jed Whedon and I can’t seem to stop watching it!

I got my first glimpse of the video at Comic-Con 2009, and believe me, the crowd there went wild! The song and video were recently released to the public on Aug. 17th, 2009. And yes, I purchased them the minute they hit the iTune store. You can too!

• (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar Single (iTunes)
• (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar Music Video (iTunes)
• (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar Single (Amazon)

If you’re interested in Felica Day’s work, check out WatchTheGuild.com, Dr. Horrible, Dollhouse, and her blog.

Related Posts

• Comic-Con 2009 On-site Review
• I’m a new “The Guild” fan

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iPhone App Review: Rolando 2

Name: Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid (iTunes Link)
Written By: ngmoco, Inc.
Category: Games
Price: $9.99
Size: 56.1 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch / (iPhone OS 2.2.1 and later)
Version: 1.1
Rate: 5 Stars

The sequel to one of the best iPhone games has arrived, jammed packed with even more fun than ever before! “Rolando 2: The Quest for the Golden Orchid” takes us back to the days of pirates and their quest leads us through tropical beaches, ancient ruins, volcanic caverns, and jungles. The new cast of characters in this adventure/puzzle game will surely make you smile!

As the story goes, Sir Richard Buttons-Smthe, a brave young Rolando, returns home to the Kingdom of Rolando to report of his adventures to the King and Queen. As he tells the Sages of his adventures, they suddenly fall ill, showing symptoms of the Kilgorean Flu. Sir Richard mentions that the only cure for it is the “fabled Golden Orchid, atop the great Mount on the Isle of Fontanis.” So the King sends him back to the boat, along with a new team of Rolandos and that’s how their adventure begin.
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iPhone Games Page

I have to say, it’s a totally new gaming experience on the iPhone. With my iPod Touch (1st generation), I had to wear headphones to hear the sounds. But having the sound just play freely on the iPhone is pretty awesome. It makes making video reviews much more interesting as well!

The iPod Touch and iPhone have replaced my Nintendo DS Lite for some time now. You can’t blame me since iPhone games costs so much less than DS Lite ones! And after much finger flexing and icon dragging and dropping, my gaming page is organized on my iPhone. This is only the first page out of a few, but it’s the one I use the most! The only bad part about moving over to the iPhone is having to start over on all my games. At least this time, there’s sound. :) I hope there’s a way to save games in between devices in the future.

So, what are your favorite iPhone/iPod Touch games?

• Rolando / iTunes $5.99 / Lite Available
• Rolando 2 / iTunes / $9.99 / Lite Available
• Sally’s Spa / iTunes / $0.99 / Lite Available
• Sally’s Salon / iTunes / $0.99
• Dizzy Bee / iTunes / $2.99 / Lite Available
• Dizzy Bee 2 / iTunes / $2.99 / Lite Available
• Cooking Mama / iTunes / $6.99 / Lite Available
• Bed Bugs / iTunes / $1.99
• Chop Sushi / iTunes / $2.99 / Lite Available
• Topple 2 / iTunes / $0.99 / Topple 1 is Free
• SEGA Columns Deluxe / iTunes / $1.99
• Super Monkey Ball Lite / iTunes / Full Version $5.99 / (Lite version not available anymore)
• Mega Man II Lite / iTunes / Full Version $4.99
• Must.Eat.Birds / iTunes / $0.99
• I Love Katamari / iTunes / $7.99 / Lite Available
• Critter Crunch Lite / iTunes / Full Version $1.99

Tip: Always try out the LITE versions (if available) before buying games. You want to know that you’ll enjoy it before making a big purchase. Enjoy!

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iPhone App Review: Cooking Mama

Name: Cooking Mama (iTunes Link)
Written By: Taito Corporation
Category: Games
Price: $6.99
Size: 8.8 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0
Rate: 4 Stars

Learning to cook on the go is now even simpler with the “Cooking Mama” iPhone/iPod Touch game! It made it’s first appearance on the Nintendo DS, and then the Wii, capturing audiences of all ages.

“Cooking Mama” is a quirky culinary game where you follow a series of recipes to make a nice meal as the end result. Dishes are prepared by manipulating the utensils with your finger. This includes chopping, flipping, kneading, slicing, dicing, stirring, peeling, and more. Mama rates you on your performance at each step of the way. The better you do each task, the happier Mama gets. However, if you don’t finish the task within a certain amount of time, she gets mad! The better you prepare the dishes, the more recipes you can unlock.

Read more

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Favorite Free iPhone Games

iPhone game apps are so much fun! I love playing a quick game while standing in line at the store or waiting for my food at a restaurant. I’ve stopped playing with my Nintendo DS ever since I got my iPod touch. Oops.

I really love the lite versions of games because of the “try and buy” factor. Here are a few iPhone games available in the iTunes store for free. Remember, if you enjoy it, consider purchasing the full versions!

Note: Clicking on the links below will take you to the iTunes store.

Puzzle Games

• Rolando Lite – adorable puzzle role-playing game. Lots of levels for a free version.
• Dizzy Bee Free – very adorable and one of my favorites.
• Block Classic – always a classic!
• Flood-It! – turn pixel boxes into one color in under 22 moves.

Match 3 Games

• Chop Sushi Lite – highly recommended. Cute graphics, fun, and challenging match 3 game. Full game is worth every penny.
• ChocChoc Pop Lite – for the chocolate lovers!
• Fruit Juice Tycoon Lite – nice graphics, match fruits to make drinks
• Colordrops – match color or ball number to earn points

Role-Playing Games

• Mini Golf 99 Holes Theme Park Free – try out your golfing skills.
• I Love Katamari Lite – roll around the game, collecting objects into a ball. Full version is on the expensive side.
• Chocolate Shop Frenzy (Free Version) – perform a series of tasks to create and sell chocolate
• Supermarket Mania – perform a series of tasks to keep a supermarket running
• Diner Dash Lite – perform a series of tasks to keep a diner running and its customers happy
• Rhinoball – Bolt’s friend rolls around in a ball, collecting stars. Makes good use of the accelerometer
• de Blob Lite – color a city by splashing paint on buildings and walls
• Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D – stack apartment floors on top of each other to build the highest building.
• Spore origins LE – a cellular creature that swims around the deep ocean, constantly evolving.
• Diamond Island Free – collect diamonds

Other:

• Topple – stack block on top of one another to pass a specific goal line.
• Pacman Lite – a classic game
• Crazy Penguin Catapult – catapult penguins, saving creatures at each level.
• Gold Miner – mine for gold
• Tap Tap Revenge 2 – similar to guitar hero, but for your fingers
• Tiki Towers Lite – build paths for the monkeys to reach the bananas
• Paper Football – play football with a triangle piece of paper

These are some of my favorite free iPhone game apps. What are yours?

Popularity: 10% [?]

iPhone App Review: Spore Origins

Name: Spore^TM Origins (iTunes Link)
Written By: Electronic Arts
Category: Games
Price: $4.99
Size: 68.4 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch

Eat, or be eaten! That’s the motto of “Spore Origins.” You start off as a tiny cellular blob, swimming around in search of food. You munch on the smaller creatures and stay away from the larger ones.

Evolution takes time. And as your creature develops new skills of swimming and dodging large creatures, you earn evolutionary points at the end of each level. Your creature has the same goal at each level: eat the smaller creatures by swimming towards them, avoid the larger creatures and their attacks, and fill up your “DNA Bar” to finish the level.

Tilting the iPhone in different directions moves your creature around the water or swamp. The graphics of the game is really great and colorful. The music of the game suits it very well too. Very relaxing and captures the mood of each level.

Getting your food becomes more of a challenge at each level. Stranger creatures with spikes and attacks become obstacles in your way. But you also have power-ups called “symbiotes” to your advantage. They’re scattered all throughout the level and come in three colors — red allows you to move faster, blue is a shield, and purple is poison that you can use to attack bigger creatures.

The Creature Creator is another fun part of the game. Click on “Edit Creature” after you complete each level. As you gain evolution points, you are able to edit how your creature looks and add new features to it. You can change the pattern and color, add eyes and feelers, spikes, teeth, and shields. The more evolution points you gain, the more items you can unlock.

Overall, it’s a fun game to play! With 30 levels to explore, it may be a little addictive. If you’d like to try it for free, test out the Spore Origins Lite version. You can play one level as well have full features to the Creature Creator.

This article was originally published on page 27 of iProng Magazine’s 34th issue.

Popularity: 11% [?]

iPhone App Review: Slotz Racer

Name: Slotz Racer (iTunes Link)
Written By: Freeverse, Inc.
Category: Games
Price: 2.99
Size: 7.9 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch

If you enjoy car racing games, then this one is definitely the one for you! SlotZ Racer will bring back your childhood memories of building tracks and car racing with your friends and family.

You can play against the computer or up to four players on a single iPhone/iPod touch! Click on “Race” and you are prompted with three options — Quick Race, Single Player, and Multiplayer.

Quick Race will put you in single player mode on a random track! Single player will allow you to race against the computer. And multiplayer lets you play with up to 3 more friends.

There are many racing tracks to choose from. I suggest starting with the “Basic Oval” track to get the hang of controls. To control your car, press the corner to accelerate and gently lift up when turning. Sharp turns can throw you off the tracks if you’re going too fast!

There’s a big variety of tracks to race on, but you can also “Edit Tracks” to make things more interesting!

The video graphics and music are fantastic. You can also race for trophies and to unlock new circuits, cars, track locations, and championship challenges. This game is full of action to keep it exciting and fresh! It’s well worth the money!

This article was recently published in iProng Magazine, Issue 32. You can also read the full 5th Anniversary issue here. (See page 38)

Popularity: 13% [?]

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