iPhone App Review: Grinchmas

Name: Grinchmas (iTunes Link)
Written By: Oceanhouse Media
Category: Games
Price: $1.99
Size: 5.7 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.0
Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

If you’re looking for a casual holiday game, this one will surely hit the spot! “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!

The game is pretty simple. There are two gaming modes — Mean Grinch or Merry Grinch.

In “Mean Grinch” mode, the houses in Who-ville are making too much noise for the Grinch. Splat each noisy Who house with a snowball to quiet them down. Do this by simply swiping the phone / iPod Touch. Keep throwing snowballs and see how long you can last!

In “Merry Grinch” mode, the object is to deliver matching colored presents to the Who houses within 2 minutes. Swipe the iPhone / iPod Touch to toss the presents. As each present gets delivered, the Grinch’s heart grows bigger and bigger. The Grinch’s heart grows smaller if the present and house colors are mismatched. How big can you make his heart grow?

The two modes are both simple and fun. I find that aiming at the houses can be a tough though. It may just be because I need a lot of practice. The speed and accuracy of the swipe will determine if the snowball/present hit the right house.

Grinchmas It’s fun for the whole family, even big kids like you! Grinchmas is available in the iTunes App store for just $1.99!

This review was originally published in iProng Magazine issue #56.

Disclaimer: I’ve received a promo code for “Grinchmas” iPhone app from Oceanhouse Media in exchange for a review.

Screenshots

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

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?

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!

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

iPhone App Review: Target

Name: Target (iTunes Link)
Written By: Target.com
Category: Lifestyle
Price: Free
Size: 8.7 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch

Not sure what to get that special someone for the holidays? Not to worry, Target can help you out with that!

This Target iPhone app gives you plenty of gift ideas! The first screen asks you to denote if the person is female/male, and the age range. Once that’s set, shake your iPhone/iPod Touch and watch it go! A gift idea will appear along with the price from Target. Not affordable? Shake it up again! And keep shaking it until you the find perfect gift.

Tap on the gift to save it to your Favorites (Shopping list), or you can buy it directly from Target.com. It also helps you find the nearest Target store.

It’s a beautifully written iPhone app, that gives you lots of great gift-giving ideas. The only thing I’d like to see is the mobile version of the Target site being linked when you want to purchase the gift.

• Purchase a Target Gift Card

ChocoPod

@hotmilkgt (Tony Wang from Twit.TV & 3rdGearTV) was in Japan recently and got me this is awesome gift. When I opened the mailing package, I kept wondering how he brought this chocolate to the U.S. without it melting.

haha.. when I finally opened up the box, I found an even more pleasant surprise. I love it, thanks Tony! Watch the video to find out what it is. ;)

iPhone App Review: Dizzy Bee

Name: Dizzy Bee
Written By: Igloo Games
Category: Games
Price: $2.99
Size: 8.4 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch

My absolute favorite iphone app game is Dizzy Bee. I first downloaded the free version (iTunes link) and loved it. After beating all of the levels, I had to get the full version (iTunes link).

The concept of the game is very simple. You’re a bee who wants to rescue his fruit friends from the terrible monsters. To do so, you must help your friends and yourself escape through a portal hole on each level.

You can move your bee-self around by tilting your iPhone or iPod Touch. Be sure to strategize, so you don’t get eaten by a monster!

Challenges are quick, so you can play a game with you have a spare minute or two. It’s also great for people who have short attention spans like me!

Some Screenshots

Dizzy Bee Video Trailer

iPhone App: Crazy Eyes

I bought the Crazy Eye app! Just a silly app to display different eyes!

Crazy Mouth Daynah!

I had so much fun playing with the Crazy Mouth (Lite) iPhone app that I bought the full version for only 99 cents! It’s very simple to use and has great entertainment value!

The requirements say it’s only compatible with the iPhone, but it also works on the iPod Touch. However, you can only hear the sounds when you have the headphones plugged in.

Sample photo of what you can do is above.. video to come. ;)

Do you have the app? Post a photo of you using it in the comments!!

More photos..
Read more

iPhone 2.0.1 Update

I updated my ipod Touch to the iPhone firmware 2.0.1! It only took.. forever. iTunes was backing up my data — all 8 gigs, which took a very long time. I should have deleted podcasts before the update. But anyhow, the actual install took about a minute or two.

Instantly, I noticed that the buttons (apps) responding a lot quicker, as well as the page scrolling. None of my data was overwritten, which is good. Oh wait, my wallpaper was gone, but that was an easy fix. Twitterific still crashes on me though. I’ll go through and test out my other apps this week and will post updates! Til then, happy updating!