Get Outta My Galaxy! 
is a game that certainly earns points for style. It’s beautiful and, once you progress past the early overly simplistic levels, it’s laid out extremely well. Ultimately, though, it’s a game that tends to be a bit repetitive. (Occasionally sluggish controls work against it as well.) Still, there’s an undeniable fun factor that comes with being a grumpy protagonist who wallops perky aliens, and the short levels make it a great choice for when you only have a few minutes to play.
Tag Archives: app review
App Review: MADDEN NFL 12 by EA SPORTS For iPad
Electronic Arts is still 
struggling to perfect Madden on iDevices — and this year’s installment of the game shows the company has a way to go before it does so. Madden NFL 12 By EA Sports for iPad is sluggish and choppy and the constant stuttering completely removes players from the sense of realism the rest of the game tries to create. The graphics are certainly good enough (though still pale to the console version) and the controls are fine. And the plenitude of in-depth options will keep the most die-hard fan busy, but it’s not the most welcoming of apps to beginners and the lack of a multiplayer mode continues to be a baffling omission.
App Review: iBlast Moki 2
iBlast Moki 2 picks up 
right where its predecessor left off, but rather than being just a continuation of an older game, it offers new twists and improves upon the past. It’s familiar to veteran players, but newcomers are likely to struggle somewhat at first, since the in-game tutorials don’t really offer easy-to-understand instructions on how to work the game. Once you figure it out, though, you’ll have fun. We could do without the in-app purchases, especially those that show how others have solved the puzzles. Offering user-generated content like that is helpful for people who are stuck, but charging to show videos of other people’s gameplay seems cheap. It’s not an easy game, but by the time the difficulty ramps up, you’ll have a good grasp of the controls and how to play. From there, your success all depends on how strong your puzzle-solving skills are.
App Review: Zwilrz
Zwirlz tries hard to 
bring Wii sensibilities to iDevices, but it ultimately falls a little short of that lofty goal. It’s laudable for encouraging kids to get off the couch and move — and tweens may have a blast with it — but it doesn’t do a great job of easing people into the performance. The app features over 20 simple dance moves that players have to memorize, but instead of introducing those at a steady pace, it asks players to learn them all before playing the meat of the game, which requires more memorization — this time of a song. That’s asking a lot of an iDevice user. The message of the app (girl power) is a good one, though, and the dance moves are fun. It’s a good app for sleepovers or when you’ve got a house full of young kids and it’s raining. Just be sure to make sure no one steps on the iPhone!
App Review: Snuggle Truck
The dubious history of 
Snuggle Truck aside (it was originally create as Smuggle Truck and players carried illegal aliens from Mexico in the back of their vehicle), this is actually a fairly well-done game. It’s quick to reward players and the physics is very responsive. The problem is, the app store is fairly flooded with side-scrolling racer arcade games, and there’s not enough here to really stand out from the crowd. It’s fun and perfect for snack gaming (3- to 5-minute bursts), but won’t be something you find yourself going back to again and again. The most redeeming feature is the Level Portal, an online community where people can share the levels they create, giving the game enhanced replayability, should it capture your fancy.
App Review: Groove Coaster
Just when the music 
game genre was going stale, Groove Coaster comes along and not only turns it on its ear, but delivers a wonderful breath of fresh air. Rather than staying put and waiting on the notes to come to you, you’ll hop onto a winding track, touching the screen as your icon crosses flashing beats. That not only gives the game a sense of motion, it keeps you on your toes as your perception is challenged. (Is the next beat far away or just over the next hill?) That winding sense also helps to visualize the music. The firework-like explosion of light that accompanies successfully hitting each beat makes things even more challenging — but also much more fun.
How enjoyable is this game? It’s one of the very few you’ll sit through the credits for multiple times — since even those are playable.
App Review: Emberwind
Emberwind shows lots 
of potential, with plenty of areas to explore and sidescrolling mainstays like items to collect and enemies to vanquish. Unfortunately, a terrible control scheme makes the game an absolute chore to enjoy. The onscreen joystick is non-responsive, which can cause you to miss crucial jumps and makes it hard to retreat in a hurry. Other buttons seem randomly placed on the screen and are less than intuitive. The screen can become overly busy, which is especially frustrating when playing on an iPhone or iPod Touch. It’s particularly maddening because the game has plenty of depth. But because of its other issues, players may simply give up before they discover that.
App Review: Early Bird
There’s not a lot 
that’s especially original about Early Bird, but the game still manages to charm your socks off. Swiping the screen to make your onscreen bird fly, after all, is one of the most common mechanics in the app world, but the attention to detail in the game is worthy of note. The artwork is wonderful and appropriate, the sense of satisfaction you get when your bird lands a perfect bullseye is real and the atmosphere is endearing. It’s also priced at an easily digestible 99 cents, making Early Bird worth a peep … er, peek.
App Review: Contre Jour
Plenty of apps are fun, 
but few are truly beautiful. Contre Jour is one of those. From its lush, yet stark, black and white art style to its soothing musical soundtrack, it’s a game you will never get tired of looking at. Fortunately, it’s also an app whose gameplay will keep you hooked. Borrowing from many familiar titles, Contre Jour is another take on physics-based puzzles. But rather than being just another knock-off like so many others, it instead tips its hat to those iPhone legends and extends on their legacy.
Your blob/hero explores a perilous series of worlds, filled with spikes, carnivorous plants, and some endless falls. Some levels are easy, but some are nail-biters (any one can be skipped, though, if it proves too challenging). It’s a game best played on the iPad, if you have that option, given the occasional need to use multitouch, but that’s nitpicking. This is an app that could quickly become another must-have for all iDevice owners.
App Review: Taco Master
There are plenty of 
restaurant simulator games on the market — forcing you to quickly prepare orders with an ever-widening batch of ingredients. Taco Master, unfortunately, does nothing to move the genre forward. The game, in fact, is a treadmill of making orders (using ingredients that don’t look too appetizing and sound even less so when you slop them onto a tortilla), with short breaks between levels. The fun is supposed to be in the tension that comes with getting orders right and completed before customers leave, but it’s ultimately kind of boring. There are worse games in the App Store for a dollar, but there are much, much better ones, too.
Chris Morris: Journalist 