James Noir’s 
Hollywood Crimes isn’t a great game, per se, but it’s one that has that magical quality of wanting to play just one more round. The puzzles are intriguing and the game show motif it uses (along with lots of audio and Max Headroom-like animations) is oddly captivating. The story itself isn’t especially interesting, though — and even with the threats you’ll face, there’s not a real sense of urgency to the game. The juxtaposition of leisurely puzzle-solving and catching a serial killer is an awkward concept that never quite gels.
Tag Archives: puzzle games
App Review: Civiballs HD
While Civiballs HD 
is certainly a derivative title, that doesn’t stop it from being a fun one. Beyond cutting chains to make colored balls drop into their matching jars, the game regularly introduces new elements to the puzzles, such as cannons, catapults, and arrows to help you launch balls across the screen. It’s a game of trial and error, but one that’s not brutally difficult. Strategic thinking is rewarded, while random slashing of chains will end the level quickly.
Charging to skip levels is a bit opportunistic, given how many other games allow players to do this for free, but it’s something most players won’t need — and given the game’s low price, it’s not a particular burden to those who do choose to buy the shortcut.
App Review: Polar Puzzles HD
Polar Puzzles HD is the latest in a 
growing string of strategy/puzzle games that are hitting Apple’s iDevices in the wake of Angry Birds’ success. It’s not great, but it’s also not bad by any means. The game gives new users a chance to learn the mechanics and offers a wide variety of levels to enjoy (over 75 in the full version — along with unlockable bonus levels). There are also a few fun twists, like using ice holes to navigate and a seal that helps flip your penguin. But even with those there’s a sense of sameness to the game — and the $2.99 price tag feels a bit high.
App Review: The Heist
It takes a unique game to unseat Angry Birds from its 
roost at the top of the sales chart — and The Heist certainly qualifies in that regard. While most games — especially puzzle games — gently ease players into the game and take a long time to ramp up difficulty, this app offers no instructions and hits you with some hard puzzles pretty quickly. After you start the app, a “call” (actually a pre-recorded element of the game) on your idevice explains that you’re there to assist breaking into the imposing vault on the screen. From there, you’ll have to figure out what the goal of each puzzle is and how to achieve it. It’s not a game for the light-hearted, but it is a lot of fun and will test your puzzle-solving skills.
App Review: Stupidness 2 PRO
It would be easy to accuse Stupidness 2 PRO of 
living up to its name, but that would be lazy and misleading. The app does include some good brain-teasers — and it smartly includes hints for people who can’t figure out a solution (at the cost of IQ points). However, many of the puzzle solutions are random and seem meant only to showcase the iDevice’s abilities (like the gyroscope or multitouch). Additionally, it’s a very short app. Some users can breeze through it in 10-15 minutes, which makes the price tag — even at 99 cents — questionable. Unless you’re hopelessly addicted to these sorts of puzzles, the free version should suffice just fine.
App Review: Collision Effect
Collision Effect is downright mesmerizing. 
Armed with both a puzzle mode for strategic thinkers and an arcade mode for people who like their action a little faster paced, the game takes a basic mechanic — don’t let two comet-like orbs of different colors collide, but match up the ones of the same color — and with a little polish turns it into a game that’s hard to put down without taking just one … more … turn. Bonus points for not going with the obvious explosion sound when two incompatible orbs collide and for the colorful “tails” the orbs leave behind them as they move. They’re particularly helpful when you’re trying to figure out what you did wrong — and they add to the difficulty in later levels as you’ll need to brush them away with your finger to get a better view of what’s happening on screen. This is a rare game that can both calm and excite you — sometimes simultaneously.
App review: Word Solitaire: Aurora
Word Solitaire: Aurora will quickly become a 
favorite title of word-game fans. The game takes the familiar concept of solitaire and transforms it into something new and unique. The campaign mode will keep you occupied for hours, and the global mode (updated daily) is a wonderful (and child-safe) way to test your skills against a diverse group of players. Word Solitaire: Aurora probably isn’t suited for young ones who are just learning to spell, but for those who can, it proves to be a delightfully entertaining diversion that just might teach them something without them realizing it.
Read more at Common Sense Media
Chris Morris: Journalist 