Category Archives: Common Sense Media

App Review: Shadowgun

Posted on by

While Shadowgun has been accused of borrowing a bit too much from the Gears of War franchise, there’s enough in this app that differentiates itself from the console hit. The shooting elements that dominate the game certainly follow the same pattern — enter a room, then fight your way through it, using cover to protect yourself. But the inclusion of puzzles and pattern recognition games are nice breaks to the fighting. The controls handle well, which is a relief. And the graphics are incredibly well done. This is certainly one of the best looking iOS games to date.

It’s an expensive title, though, and one that gets repetitive after a while — but that won’t be enough to turn away core fans of the shooter genre.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story – Collector’s Edition HD

Posted on by

While the story in Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story might not be the strongest in the app store, it does a masterful job of creating a spooky atmosphere that makes the story come alive. It’s well-paced and scales well to both experienced puzzle/adventure gamers and newcomers to the genre. The heroine is a bit disappointing, though, in that she sometimes comes across as someone who is entirely dependent on her husband. (For instance, she notes at one point that she had never driven before her husband taught her how.)

All in all, though, the game is a clever blend of puzzle games with a story that twists nicely. It’s certainly too intense for young players, but tweens and adults will have lots of fun with it.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Monster Island

Posted on by

Borrowing heavily from Angry Birds and Fragger, Monster Island adds an extra layer of cartoon absurdity as characters try to blow up other monsters. There’s no story to the game, per se, but it’s very well animated. And despite taking some trial and error to master, it’s not overly complicated and very welcoming. The problem with the game is it’s derivative and doesn’t really advance the genre. And the coins you work so hard to collect don’t have a lot of use, except for buying unlocks for levels or cheats — something you likely don’t need if you’re able to amass coins. (You can also unlock other monsters to play as, but that’s nothing that affects gameplay.)

It’s a fun diversion and will keep you busy for quite a while, but won’t prove to be an all-time great.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Panda Picnic

Posted on by

The match-three genre is a tired one, but you have to give the developers of Panda Picnic credit for finding a way to make it fun once again. By blending the random elements of a slot machine with the “match three of the same fruits” objective, and making it into a multiplayer experience, they’ve created something unique enough to turn heads.

The demand to log into Facebook, though, is very intrusive and for an app that simulates gambling, the app is very curiously (and obviously) tailored to children. From the music, to the graphics, to the name of the panda who sits at the top of the screen (Petey the Panda), it’s a page out of the “how to appeal to children” handbook. Adults will have fun with it, but there are a lot of lurking bad lessons and habits for kids.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Game Review: Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion

Posted on by

The Super Smash Bros. series is a cornerstone of Nintendo’s gaming lineup, so cloning it with the popular stars of several Caroon Network shows seems like a can’t miss idea. Unfortunately, Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion not only misses, it misses by a wide margin. The levels come across as generic. The controls aren’t as responsive as they should be. And the multiplayer is underwhelming, to put it kindly. The use of 3D is similarly bland. Avid fans of the Cartoon Network may enjoy the chance to interact with their favorite characters, but others should steer clear.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Race illegal: High Speed 3D

Posted on by

Race illegal isn’t a bad racing game, per se, but there’s nothing notable enough about it that it will excite fans of the genre. It is, in many ways, a paint-by-numbers title, with a forgettable story, lots of lens flare, winding tracks, “edgy” collision models, and slow motion head-on impacts. The graphics aren’t overly impressive, though, and the game often feels slow compared to other entries in the category. Whether you’re a core racing fan or someone who just dabbles in the games, you can probably find something better.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: N.O.V.A. 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance

Posted on by

While the original N.O.V.A. set the bar for action games on the iPad, several other titles have since bested it. This sequel to that game is good, but doesn’t redefine the category. Like the original, the story and many of the game’s elements are obvious Halo rip-offs, but that’s not overly important as the game is more action focused. It features a robust online multiplayer element, which is what will attract most players. But its biggest flaw is its control structure. There are so many onscreen buttons to be mindful of that it’s hard to access what you need in the middle of a fight without looking away from the action. And especially later in the game, that can be fatal.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Cowboy Guns HD

Posted on by

The wild west hasn’t been tamed on iDevices yet and, unfortunately, Cowboy Guns HD isn’t quite up to the task. The story is generic western, with a nameless gunslinger (called “The Kid”) dispatched to help take down The Crimson Jackets, a band of ruffians terrorizing an area. The game has plenty of guns, outfits, and armor, but to get them, you’ll need to collect stars on various missions. Problem is: Those missions are pretty much the same. Walk in, kill all the bandits, hunt for stars, then repeat. It gets monotonous, and buggy controls don’t help matters. The game’s top-down view is also limiting. In the end, it’s a game whose aim is just a little too far off the mark.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Naught

Posted on by

Naught is a game that is utterly dependent on its controls, and that sometimes proves to be its Achilles’ heel. It’s certainly a beautiful, minimalist title to look at, but controlling a game simply by tilting your iDevice (or using onscreen controls to do the same thing) is a risky proposition. It inevitably results in your character dying again and again as you get used to the unusual controls, which takes a while (and some players may not get). That said, the game uses the accelerometer better than perhaps any other app, and the challenges give it a longer life than you’d expect. The six free levels aren’t something you’ll finish in 20 minutes and (assuming you enjoy them) makes you less wary about paying the one dollar in-app fee for additional ones.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Photo 365

Posted on by

The concept of taking a photo a day as a visual scrapbook of sorts is a wonderful way to build memories, and Photo 365 is a good tool to store and relive those memories. It’s also an app that will nudge you to take that daily shot should you get too caught up in the details of life to remember to do so, and it lets you add a caption to photos to prompt memories. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about the app, but its minimalist interface gets the job done well.

Read more at Common Sense Media