Tower defense games are
quite common in the app store, but this reversal of the game model in Anomaly Warzone Earth HD, which puts you in the role of the troops walking into the kill zone, is a wonderfully creative and entertaining twist. The game has tons of variety in troops you can deploy (as well as upgrades you can choose) and giving you plenty of options as you choose your route. The production values are high and there’s even a story that doesn’t feel tacked on. It’s an incredibly sleek, fluid game that might appear simple at first glance, but gets deeper and deeper the more you play it. And it’s an absolute must for strategy fans. It was also the winner of the Apple Design Award.
Tag Archives: app review
App Review: Save Yammi
There’s no denying that 
if it weren’t for Cut the Rope, Save Yammi would never have been created. The similarities in the games are glaringly obvious and sometimes distracting. Yammi’s lead character, color scheme, music, sounds, and more all seem to be taken directly from the hit app. But the gameplay is just different enough to warrant a look. Rather than cutting ropes, you string them out to help guide a cookie to the hungry cute amorphous creature. And the introduction of things like warp gates, racing wheels, shields, moving platforms, and destructible bricks breaks the game into new territory.
It’s fun, if a bit too familiar. And the physics (which are crucial in a game like this) work wonderfully — making Save Yammi well worth its affordable $1 price tag.
App Review: Zombie Gunship
Zombie games are a bit 
played out in the App Store. Generally, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all — shoot the shuffling (or sometimes speedy) undead as they try to devour your cranium. Zombie Gunship turns the genre on its ear, though, taking you off the ground and reinvigorating things in the process. Using a grainy infrared camera, you’ll shoot the zombies from an attack airplane, while trying to save civilians running for cover. The game’s pacing is also slower than most zombie games as well, which works to its benefit.
Using a word like “realism” with a zombie game seems wrong, but the game does feel more like a simulation than a gory fantasy game — ditching background music and colorful graphics for a stark feel that works wonderfully with the formula. The result? One of the smartest zombie games to come out on any platform.
App Review: Cordy
Cordy is one of the better 
platformers we’ve seen, which makes the game’s sneaky way of getting you to pay so maddening. Certainly, we have no problem with the price — $4.99 is fair for the quality the developers have put into the game — but it’s much too easy to download the game and not realize you’re merely getting a trial, as that’s not made glaringly clear in the app store. And the customization options (ranging from 99 cents to $2.99) are a greedy swipe at people’s wallet.
As for the game itself, it’s simply terrific: A good throwback to the glory days of Sonic with wonderful graphics, terrific pacing, and a difficulty level that’s top notch. (Beating a level is easy — but getting all the extras on each one isn’t.) It’s not revolutionary, but it’s a lot of fun.
App Review: Trainz Simulator
Trainz Simulator is clearly 
aimed at true enthusiasts. For a general audience, the app can be described in a single word: Intimidating. Even in its easy mode, this app is complicated — certainly too complicated for young kids. For those who want to learn more about the locomotive world, though, there’s plenty to discover here. The app has a ton of options, including letting players create their own routes and environments. And the thorough collection of train types (and accompanying information about each) is a primer for newcomers.
App Review: Roboto
While Roboto has some control 
issues that might have you pulling out your hair from time to time, there’s no denying this is a very well done platform game. Graphically gorgeous, this app offers some truly fun twists (like areas where gravity is reversed). The game’s late ramp up in difficulty is a bit unexpected, though, and actually detracts from the pleasure of playing — especially when coupled with less than responsive controls. Still, there’s plenty to do in each level and the game certainly doesn’t rush you through it, boasting 30 levels. It’s not perfect, but it’s darned good.
App Review: Stickman BMX
Physics-based games — even platformers 
like Stickman BMX — are incredibly dependent on the controls. If they’re done well, the games can be tons of fun. If they’re not, frustration often sets in. Unfortunately, they’re not spectacular with this app. The game takes a page from Sega’s Sonic series, in that it constantly moves you forward in a difficult series of courses, but to conquer them, you’re required to constantly press a pedal button, which is a quick way to get a sore wrist. It’s also directly responsible for many lost games if you’re not pressing fast enough. The game isn’t terrible, though. There are plenty of levels to explore and loads of replayability to gather all the medals. But ultimately, the control issues are likely to convince you to stop playing long before you get to that point.
App Review: Trenches: Generals
Trenches: Generals — a 
remake and upgrade of the iPhone Trenches game — certainly makes good use of the iPad’s screen size, but it comes with control issues that detract from the fun. And the complicated nature of the game further hurts it. Moving troops around is fairly easy at the beginning of a battle, but once they’re assembled in a trench, they huddle together, making it hard to select an individual soldier. And when you’re trying to upgrade that trench to a bunker, that can be critical. Also, the game has a decent tutorial, but ramps up the difficulty quickly, which will alienate newcomers to the strategy genre.
App Review: Hungry Chicks
If you’ve grown wary of any 
game that hints at “birds” in the title, you’re hardly to blame, but Hungry Chicks isn’t a knock-off of Angry Birds. It’s actually a fun, though ultimately forgettable, bite-sized gaming diversion. The game, tailored for the iPhone and iPod Touch, is more complex and challenging than it seems at first glance, adding a second bird to the mix after a few levels, which forces players to collect the right number of worms for their specific nests. The controls are a bit odd and take some getting used to, but work well enough. And avoiding the obstacles can be a fun brain-teaser. It’s not a game you’ll find yourself raving about, but it’s one you may find yourself playing to pass the time — and since it’s cheap, it’s a safe investment.
App Review: Britannica Kids: Ancient Rome
History can be boring — and the encyclopedia is 
seen by many as the product of a bygone era — but Britannica Kids: Ancient Rome is a wonderfully educational and entertaining way for kids to learn more about the Roman culture. There are the usual (and expected) walls of print, but they’re not the chief focus — and they’re extra helpful, highlighting difficult words and offering definitions so kids don’t get frustrated. But it’s games like the timed quiz, magic square, and puzzles that users are more likely to spend time with. While they’ll learn less with these than they will by reading, they will be engaged and spend more time with the app. It’s not cheap, but Britannica packs a lot of value in this one.
Chris Morris: Journalist 