When the makers of Cartoon Wars set out to make a sequel, 
they decided not to simply copy the formula that was successful the first time around — and that bet has paid off with Cartoon Wars – Gunner. The game is feature-rich and blends action and adventure with role-playing elements, as you decide which weapons to upgrade and which to buy. The inclusion of magic items helps shake up the nonstop shooting, but only a little bit. Ultimately, the gameplay does tend to wear thin as you do the same thing again and again — only with different weapons. Also, while the controls are acceptable, they tend to get stuck occasionally, which is frustrating. The game is a fun diversion and good for short play periods, but not something you’ll want to play for hours at a time.
Tag Archives: app store
App review: Chicken Math
Chicken Math is based around a pretty simple concept, but 
that simplicity is a big part of what makes the game work well — and on so many levels. Children who are just learning to count can learn to do so in a fun, non-stressful way, but parents who want to put their own math skills to the test can ramp up the difficulty enough to keep them on their toes. The onscreen animation is very rudimentary, but the gameplay makes it easy to look beyond that. And the fact that this is an educational game that doesn’t feel like it’s forcing you to learn makes it a good tool for parents looking to help their kids grasp the concept of complex addition.
WB rolls out ‘Inception,’ ‘Dark Knight’ apps
Warner Bros. is looking to use 
Apple’s app store to boost legit movie downloads.
The studio announced plans Wednesday to roll out “App editions” of “Inception” and “The Dark Knight” for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The free app gives fans of the film an extended preview of the films and film extras in an effort to persuade them to buy the electronic version, which can be downloaded or streamed via an in-app purchase.
Warner unveils ‘app editions,’ an alternative to iTunes
Warner Bros. is doubling down 
when it comes to digital distribution on Apple products.
The company has unveiled “app editions” of both “Inception” and “The Dark Knight” for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad – an alternate way for people to buy their films and an opportunity for consumers in 23 countries not served by iTunes to get a copy as well.
App review: Traveler’s Quest
Traveler’s Quest is an oddity in the iOS world — a massively multiplayer 
single-player game. You compete mainly against yourself (although there is Game Center ranking) to find buried “treasure” (and bury it yourself) in your neighborhood and wherever you might roam. The game makes finding hidden items easy, but if you’re the one burying the treasure, you’ll get gold the longer it remains hidden. While the goods are virtual, the locations are real — and tie in with Google maps in a very innovative fashion. It’s a wonderfully addictive game, but suffers greatly if there aren’t many people in your area playing, since you rely on them to bury items in the first place. (Bots bury treasure occasionally, but it’s much more fun when real people do so.) If you’re fortunate enough to live somewhere that the playing population is thick, though, you can lose hours searching for the virtual goods.
App review: WordUs2
WordUs2 (which, as far as we can tell, has a 
superfluous number at the end) is a love it or hate it game. It’s full of puzzles that can confound, stump, and aggravate you one minute, and fill you with a sense of euphoria the next. With a spartan, efficient design, it’s an easy game to learn to play — and if you’re the type of person who lives for word puzzles, it will delight you. But be warned that if you’re just a casual fan of the word games genre, the in-game dictionary can be full of baffling omissions (despite its claim of containing thousands of words) that can turn fun into frustration. In either case, it’s a great time-killer, potential vocabulary builder, and certainly has the potential to chew up several hours.
App review: Sheeple Chase
Sheeple Chase could be a really fun game for kids and 
parents — if it weren’t so mind-bogglingly difficult. With bright graphics and very basic controls, you might expect a slightly challenging, but fun, racer. Instead, though, this app quickly veers into something that will confound even core gamers. The only way to win is to lose time and again until you’ve memorized the course and perfect your timing on when to turn and accelerate. The game’s many puns are hit and miss the first time — but after you’ve seen them several times, they quickly lose their appeal. Ultimately, this is an app that shows promise, but is hampered by its lack of focus on how to please its targeted audience.
Read more at Common Sense Media
App review: Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time
Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time should 
have a lot going for it — well-known characters, familiar enemies, a dynamic universe. This app, though, stumbles by making the characters mere shadows of their onscreen selves, especially in making Amy Pond a helpless stereotype. It’s disheartnening when, faced with moving an obstacle, she says things such as “I can’t push a block. And even if I could, it would be unladylike.” The game’s puzzles are challenging enough without being overly difficult. And the music, taken from the TV show, adds to the ambiance — though reading the text instead of hearing the actor’s voices does detract from the experience. Diehard fans of the show might be happy to have a Doctor Who game on their iDevice, but casual fans and newcomers will wonder what all the fuss is about.
App review: Tap Tap Revenge 4
Judged solely on the gameplay elements, Tap Tap 
Revenge 4 is a wonderful app. The familiar tap-the-screen-in-time-with-the-music style of play doesn’t get old, and the developers have picked a good selection of songs as a starter pack. Unfortunately, other elements, such as out of control commercialism and a chat room that resembles the wild west make it entirely inappropriate for young players. Ads are plastered everywhere, and the game regularly tries to convince players to buy additional songs. Chat rooms, meanwhile, are self-moderated — and offensive actions generally aren’t reported, since so many people are doing the same thing. That’s sad, because online gameplay is actually a lot of fun, letting you compare your skills to others.
Read more at Common Sense Media
App review: TRON: Legacy
TRON: Legacy focuses on the right things — Light 
Cycles and Recognizers — but suffers from poor controls and apparent game bugs that cripple the title. Driving and racing Light Cycles can be a breathtaking experience, but because the controls are slow to respond to your actions, it’s akin to a drunk driver hopping onto a motorcycle. You’ll wobble across the road and bump into walls regularly. The game’s shooting sections — using those Recognizers — are fun, but again stumble, since you’re not able to control the vehicles as precisely as you would like to. The game’s multiplayer option is one of its stronger elements, as playing against a live opponent is more fun than challenging the app. And visually, the game is quite impressive. With more polishing, this is a title that could have life long after the movie is gathering dust in your DVD collection.
Chris Morris: Journalist 