TouchArcade.ru

When it comes to game genres that have been done to death, the word game is king. You can’t blame developers for trying to come up with a unique twist for them, because if it does well, it does SO well — look at that Words With Friends phenomenon. How do we make the next Words With Friends? And then there’s a flood of games that all make you use your spelling skills. Great. Maybe if I get really fancy I can spell “ubiquitous”. Or something.

Maybe it is possible to find a few that try the new twist and come out successful, though. Bubble in Paradise [$0.99] didn’t sound too promising to me from the name itself, but once I got a look at the bubble mechanic I could tell the possibility of getting hooked was there. Basically, the premise is simple: your screen fills with bubbles, each of which have a letter on them. To form a word, you have to tap the letters and submit, and if you’ve got a word, the bubbles all pop, clearing more space for the ones to come. The twist is that if you don’t use them, the bubbles grow, and if you let them get too big, your game is over. Hope you have a good way to use that Z in a sentence.

There are little powerups to help you on your way, such as Freeze, Deflate and Plus. The first two are self-explanatory (and something you will certainly need as the levels progress in speed and challenge), but Plus is a special one you can unlock that will increase the score given by all nearby bubbles when you pop it. The only way you can unlock this is to collect stars as you play, which will randomly appear on the boards. The further you get, the more powerful goodies you can get your hands on. You’ll also need to learn to avoid ones like Faster (makes bubbles appear more quickly) and Inflate (makes nearby bubbles grow). Things get tricky once these appear and you’re already rushing to make combos.

Another option the game offers is hints, so if you are really stuck, you can use one to have the game show you a word. There are a limited number of free hints, however, and after you use them all you have to earn them in play or dish up your dollars. This is where in-game purchases come in. You can grab 20 hints for $0.99, which is pretty cheap actually, or if you have trouble assembling words in general and grew up in a small cave being raised by forest animals and making clicking noises to communicate, the 1,000 hints package might be good for you at a whopping $9.99.

Like every solid word game, Bubble in Paradise offers multiple modes to play in, so if you get burned on one you can try out another. Normal, Endless and Battle are available right off the bat, but you’ll have to earn stars to play Blitz (a timed mode). If you don’t want to wait to unlock Blitz, you can dish up a buck and unlock everything. The tone of in-game purchase options means a lot to me as a user, and I found that these were never intrusive. They were there if I wanted them, but without them the game was still perfectly fun. One other cool thing about these was that you can send them as a gift to a friend playing the game, which I thought was a cool touch.

One of the only issues I had with Bubble in Paradise is that I couldn’t always find someone to play in Battle mode. On the other hand, it’s just as easy to invite friends to play as the game is Crystal and Game Center enabled and can quickly hook you up with a network of people who may or may not outspell you. Bubbles in Paradise is a simple title, but well-executed and very enjoyable. I’m probably biased since I like to spell and learn new words. I also admit I gloated a little over the fact that my best word in the last round was “puked.” Not because it’s a long word, mind you, but because I have the sense of humor of a fourteen year old boy.

TouchArcade Rating:

[source]

This week on The TouchArcade Show, the crew powers through mini-discussions about KoRn and mysterious sodas with pumas emblazoned on the can to bring you the latest, hottest, and best in iOS news and commentary. At the top, we dig into Pizza vs. Skeletons for the final time, discuss Hero Academy’s sign-up system, and crack into games like Ragdoll Blaster 3 and Dodonpachi Blissful Death.

Later, in our news section, we sound off on several juicy topics including the release and subsequent broken-ness of Battlefield 3: Aftershock and Double Fine’s Kickstarter.

If you’d like to listen in, go ahead and do so via the links below. Additionally, you could subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune and get our episodes the second they hit the Internet for your consumption. All the cool kids do it.

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-038.mp3, 39MB

Here’s your show notes:

GAMES

• Pizza vs. Skeletons
• Ragdoll Blaster 3 [$.99 / HD]
• Hero Academy [Free]
• Dondonpachi Blissful Death [$4.99]
• Dariusburst SP [$10.99]

JARED’S KITTY KORNER

• Pussy Malone And the Cow Snatchers From Space [Free]

NEWS

• Ngmoco Hit With Layoffs
• Epic Issues Indie Game Dev Challenge to Remake ‘Fighting Fantasy’ Books in the Unreal Engine
• Double Fine Asks For Kickstarter Support On New Game, Totally Gets It
• ‘Battlefield 3: Aftershock’ Hits the US App Store for Free
• ‘Mass Effect Infiltrator’ and iPad Companion App Announced

[source]

We didn’t have a lot of arcades in my hometown while I was growing up. Even worse, the few that did exist specialized in video games and air hockey, with nary a pinball machine in sight. Still, whenever I managed to get my hands on a one, it was always such a dazzling experience of light, sound and skill. Perhaps that’s why I can’t stop playing Pinball Arcade [$0.99 / Free], the inaugural iOS title from FarSight Studios. FarSight’s ability to create near-perfect replications of actual pinball machines leads to a game that is not only full of incredibly deep pinball machines, but also captures that feeling of fun and excitement in an iOS game.

As its name implies, Pinball Arcade features classic arcade machines from various eras with the simple goal of mastering each one to get the highest scores possible. Each table also includes ‘Goals’ (read: achievements) that can be solved which lead to more complicated objectives. The entry price includes one machine (‘Tales of the Arabian Nights’) with three more available for purchase within the game via IAP. Tables range from somewhat simple layouts with interesting twists (‘Black Hole’) to lengthy epics chock full of interactive items and objectives (‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not’). Unlike most games with IAP, you can actually try each table before you buy, providing an opportunity for actual research before you even consider purchasing another table.

I’m impressed with how much effort Pinball Arcade seems to puts into recreating each machine. The visuals, sounds, and effects all feel authentic and add to the presentation, although there is some minor blurriness while playing on an iPad 2. The physics, while occasionally unforgiving, seem to offer a good balance between realism and challenge. What I admire the most, however, is how much Pinball Arcade offers in terms of knowledge for each table.

When you select a table, you’re given a brief history, the option to view an actual flyer (some are pretty low-res) and a comprehensive instruction manual detailing every single objective you can do in a table. The game really wants you to learn, live, and master each table –a concept that I can get behind. Of course, the game works well for the casual player that just wants to play a quick game, but I feel some of the charm is lost experiencing this game in that fashion.

Most importantly, Pinball Arcade simply hits the mark on gameplay and the feeling of actually playing a pinball machine. Whether you’re balancing a multi-ball run, trying to execute a combo or objective, or finally unlocking the ‘end game’ big score objects, all the experiences just feel real, something that doesn’t happen very often to me while playing an iOS game. Even better, since each table has its own personality and can take a long time to master, there’s tons of depth for replayability. I was also impressed with the variety of table selection, although I wasn’t the biggest fan of ‘Black Hole’ (too simple and gimmicky for my tastes).

While Pinball Arcade nails nearly every facet of a great pinball game, I did have some issues with its leaderboard integration. The game exclusively uses Facebook to track high scores, which seems rather cumbersome in my experience. This is further evidenced by the fact that even simple acts like checking the leaderboards seem clunky and slow to update (that and I haven’t yet seen one of my scores upload). I understand that lots of folks use Facebook (and it appears that route was pursued for cross-platform leaderboard support), but simple Game Center support feels like a prerequisite in this day and age. IAP is another aspect that just seems confusing; why the game asks me for both my Facebook login and .mac account when trying to download purchases on another device is beyond me. The whole structure feels mismanaged, which is surprising consider the quality of the rest of the game.

There’s also a potential minor problem in regards to approachability. The large amount of information and instructions for each table is certainly wondrous for enthusiasts, but it may be a bit intimidating for the casual pinball player.  While I thought the IAP price points were fair, I imagine some would balk at having to pay ten dollars to fully unlock all four tables. There’s also the fact that these tables are complicated and actually require some effort to learn and truly enjoy.  I’m sure casual players could simply pick up the base game and play free versions of the other tables, but as mentioned before I feel like a lot of the magic would be lost on them.

However, I feel that some of the concerns above are nitpicky at best. In addition, folks on our forums have stated that the developers plan on integrating Game Center soon, alleviating my most pressing worry. Regardless, Pinball Arcade is simply one of the best pinball games I’ve ever played, and should be put at the top of the class with other iOS pinball elites. Each table is digital masterpiece onto itself and should make pinball enthusiasts very happy. Furthermore, with the promise of many more tables in the queue (most likely as IAP), this game should keep you entertained for many balls to come.

TouchArcade Rating:

[source]

The weekend is finally almost here, and before you settle in to listen to our podcast later today (you DO all listen to our podcast, right?) I thought it might be nice to roundup some of the significant sales that are currently going on so you can spend your couple of days of leisure time buried in some iOS games. Unless you work on the weekends, in which case it’s even more important to load up on some games to survive your laborious obligations.

Crescent Moon

• Aralon: Sword and Shadow – $6.99 → $2.99
• Gears – $2.99 → 99¢
• Pocket RPG iPhone Edition - $2.99 → 99¢
• Evertales – $2.99 → 99¢
• Siegecraft – $2.99 → 99¢
• Ravensword: The Fallen King – $2.99 → 99¢

Godzilab

• iBlast Moki – $2.99 → FREE
• iBlast Moki HD – $4.99 → 99¢
• iBlast Moki 2 – $2.99 → 99¢
• iBlast Moki 2 HD – $4.99 → $2.99
• Stardunk Gold – $1.99 → FREE

Telltale Games

• Back to the Future Ep 1 HD – $6.99 → FREE
• Back to the Future Ep 2 HD – $6.99 → $2.99
• Back to the Future Ep 3 HD – $6.99 → $2.99
• Back to the Future Ep 4 HD – $6.99 → $2.99
• Back to the Future Ep 5 HD – $6.99 → $2.99
• Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space Ep 1 – $6.99 → $4.99

Konami

• Ash II: Shadows (Silver Edition) – $2.99 → 99¢
• Ash II: Shadows (Gold Edition) – $4.99 → $2.99

Sega

• Sonic CD – $4.99 → $2.99
• Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I – $3.99 → $1.99
• Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I HD – $4.99 → $2.99
• Super Monkey Ball – $2.99 → 99¢
• Super Monkey Ball 2 – $2.99 → 99¢
• Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition – $2.99 → 99¢

Miscellaneous

• Mad Chef - 99¢ → FREE
• Ticket to Ride Pocket – $1.99 → FREE
• Anthill – $1.99 → FREE
• Time of Heroes – $2.99 → 99¢
• Rebuild – $2.99 → 99¢
• Order & Chaos Online – $6.99 → 99¢
• Dodonpachi Resurrection – $7.99 → $5.99
• Containment: The Zombie Puzzler – $4.99 → $2.99
• AWESOME Land – $1.99 → 99¢
• Cut the Buttons – 99¢ → FREE
• Cut the Buttons HD – $1.99 → 99¢

These are the ones that stuck out to me, but of course there’s always more sales and freebies to check out at AppShopper.com or on the free AppShopper app. For instance, EA is having one of their frequent sales on a bunch of games in their library. As always, sales can end just as quickly as they begin, so it’s usually best to move quickly and make sure the prices are still in effect if you choose to buy.

[source]

Last month Namco Bandai treated us to an excellent iOS port of the original SoulCalibur [$14.99]. It was based off of the superior Dreamcast version (or more accurately, the high resolution XBLA remake) rather than the arcade version, and came equipped with just about everything that made it a classic back then, barring a couple of significant things.

First was the baffling lack of any sort of multiplayer, as well as a few missing modes that had been in previous versions. The second big thing was the frame rate. See, one of the things that was so memorable about SoulCalibur on the Dreamcast was just how crazy smooth everything moved. The frame rate rocked a solid 60fps, and it elevated the visuals way beyond anything that was on current consoles, and rivaled much of what was popular in arcades at the time.

In our review of SoulCalibur, I definitely found the game quite attractive. The high resolution art assets popped on Retina and iPad displays, but the frame rate wasn’t quite there. Don’t get me wrong, it still ran really smooth, but it was probably only halfway to the coveted 60fps mark. But that changes today, as Namco has released an update that will lock the game at 60fps on iPhone 4S and iPad 2 devices. And let me tell you, the difference is dramatic.

When I saw this update, I played through the game a couple of times real quick before updating so it would be fresh in my mind for comparison. After quickly syncing the update I jumped right back into the game and was blown away by what a difference the increased frame rate makes. It was totally the thing that was missing from SoulCalibur on iOS that really completes the nostalgia trip for owners of the Dreamcast version like myself.

It may sound like a minor thing, but the 60fps was a key element of SoulCalibur and I’m happy Namco Bandai took the time to add it in to the iOS version. Now I can focus all my attention on bugging them for some sort of multiplayer mode, but if you have an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 make sure to check out the ultra smooth new update to SoulCalibur.

[source]

Bacon. Cat videos. Zombies. There are some things in popular culture that just don’t get enough attention. Luckily for us, however, the undead are getting a second life thanks to Zxh Games’ Shoot Many Zombies [Free].

Shoot Many Zombies is pretty much exactly like it sounds. In this side-scrolling shooter, you shoot zombies. A lot of zombies. It’s mindless, attractive zombie-killing mayhem, at a perfect pace: not too fast a pace to be frustrating, not so slow that you’ll try to strategize your way through it.

You have your choice of three characters to play as, which mainly depends on your playstyle. You can go damage-heavy but slow, damage-light but quick, or a balance between the two. Once you begin, you have your basic weapon which can be upgraded as you work your way through the game. You can also buy new weapons altogether, so you can customize your zombie-killin’ experience.

For a pretty straightforward concept, some things are needlessly complicated. Upgrading weapons is a necessity, but the menu doesn’t make it easy. For example, you don’t know the price of a particular upgrade unless you tap “buy,” so if you don’t have enough cash to tap “buy” in the first place to receive the confirmation, you’re not going to know approximately how much money to save up in order to get the upgrade later.

Things are repetitive and sometimes annoying. For example, there are various objects and safe rooms you tap in order to get items. It’s pretty dull popping into safe rooms in order to grab stuff, whatever it is – on an iPhone or iPod touch, the screen is too small to easily read what you’re picking up – and you have to do it a lot. There are other things that feel off too, like annoying sound effects (just wait for the shopkeep/gangster dude when you first start a new game and the “eeeeeee” noise upon reading a new diary entry) and sometimes piecemeal-feeling graphics.

Fighting specialty zombies feels a bit cheap in the sense that you need to have upgraded your weapons several times in order to have a chance. Of course, you can easily upgrade your weapons via in-app purchase (was there any doubt?), but you can also go back and replay levels to pick up more money and items.

Normally, the idea of repeating levels in order to progress would make me pretty miffed, but since every level is basically the same mindless zombie-shooting anyway, it pretty much just extends the gameplay. Additionally, I found that the in-app purchases were pretty much unnecessary because the random loot from killing zombies and exploring was often pretty good, and I never seemed to run out of cash too easily. If you feel like purchasing, however, the options aren’t bad, ranging from unlimited ammo to special (though not necessary) weapons.

There are lots of little added touches that are a nice surprise. When you upgrade a weapon, it actually changes the appearance of the weapon in-game. There are diary entries to pick up (though if you’re looking for Shakespeare, you’re going to be disappointed) that add to the overall story of the game, and it’s nice being able to choose which character best fits your style.

If you want to mindlessly mow down wave after wave of the undead, Shoot Many Zombies is a great option with enough good points to outweigh the bad. If future updates were to include Game Center, cat videos, and/or bacon, my friends, we might even have a bona-fide hit on our hands.

TouchArcade Rating:

[source]

Halfbrick Studios has announced that their sublime endless flying adventure, Jetpack Joyride [Free], which stars the toughest food-named protagonist that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, has passed the 13 million download mark since going free-to-play this past December. Combined with the downloads from the time it launched as a paid app in late August, this pushes the total downloads to well past the 14 million mark.

We were quite taken with Jetpack Joyride in our review, so it’s not hard to see why multiple millions of people are downloading the title, especially since it’s been expanded on and improved so much following its release. And that reminds me, Halfbrick also mentions that they’re scheduled to release the biggest content update that the game has ever seen sometime next month. Sadly there are no details on this update just yet, but we’ll keep our eye out for anything new in the coming weeks.

[source]

Last month Taito announced that they were bringing a port of Dariusburst – a recent entry in the classic Darius series of shooters that was released in arcades and on PSP in Japan – to iOS. While it’s a bit of a straggler behind the normal round of new weekly releases, Dariusburst SP [$10.99] is now available on the App Store.

Originally Dariusburst was a PSP game, and featured the familiar horizontal shooting and brutal difficulty that the Darius series was famous for, but with beautiful 3D visuals. It was then released in arcades about a year later as Dariusburst Another Chronicle, and came with additional features not found in the PSP game as well as a crazy double wide screen.

Dariusburst SP on iOS is mostly based on the PSP version, but with some nice iOS-specific enhancements. It features the entire PSP campaign, an additional playable ship named Assault as well as two boss battles from the arcade version, an SP Mode with remixed enemy patterns and boss encounters, and some brand new music. Plus, it’s crazy customizable, with several options for screen position and size, the ability to reposition the virtual buttons, options to adjust the amount of lives and continues, and 3 difficulty modes.

I’ve spent a good amount of time with Dariusburst SP already and I’m totally digging it. The controls are tight, and there’s a cool upgrade system as well as a burst special weapon which can be used to counteract enemy fire and boost up your scores. There’s four different ships (two unlockable) and a branching level progression that lets you choose which path to take à la OutRun or Taito’s own Bust-a-Move games.

But really, it’s all about the graphics. The graphics in Dariusburst SP are bananas. The frame rate is silky smooth, and the 3D backgrounds are whizzing by while moving in all sorts of directions. It makes you feel like you’re moving really fast, and enemies often appear from the foreground or background, adding a feeling of depth to the levels. Boss characters fill the screen with their size, and are intricately designed and equipped with heavy firepower. Everything is crisp and high resolution, and along with the buttery frame rate it makes for an especially attractive game.

We’re gonna spend some quality time learning the intricacies of Dariusburst SP, and will report back soon with a full review. My gut instinct so far though is that if you’re into shooters you won’t want to miss this. I know Taito has you nervous because they released RayForce for $11.99 last month. Personally, I totally love that game and didn’t mind dropping the coin, but I could see how a fairly straight port of a nearly 20 year old game with very little enhancements might not be something everybody wants to pay at the higher end of App Store pricing for.

However, this isn’t that. This is a full blown PSP game that was previously only available in Japan, with enhanced visuals and additional features for iOS. This is the sort of release that we shouldn’t mind paying the extra money for. You can find more player impressions in our forums as we get back to diving into the nitty gritty of Dariusburst SP.

[source]

There’s a reason MMORPG players use the term “trash” to describe the stuff that leads up to raid bosses: it’s missing all the great rewards, and it’s almost always lame. It’s junk, in other words, junk that pads the time between the good parts. Red Zebra Games clearly knows the score, because Raid Leader skips right past the trash to bring us nothing but the good stuff—intense, white-knuckled battles.

As we pointed out in our preview, the big picture will look familiar to Battleheart [$2.99] fans. But it’s the little details that get this recovering World of Warcraft addict’s heart a-fluttering. There was a time when damage number spam, health bars and massively telegraphed attacks were my bread and butter, and boy do they come out in force here.

Before I get your hopes up, though, let me be clear. This isn’t the next Battleheart, and it’s not raiding in World of Warcraft. It’s far, far simpler than either. If you’re looking for a deeply strategic RTS-RPG, this might be a bit casual for your tastes, but it’s a potent combo for those of us nursing fond memories of raiding.

Raid Leader lacks Battleheart’s big list of classes, levels and loot. Instead it has bosses, and the three things any proper team needs to defeat them: a tank, a DPS class, and a healer (in the forms of the Knight, Hunter and Priest). Each of them has a bevy of skills to unlock and choose from, and choose you must, because each character can only bring two skills into battle. You might want to deal damage, snare and buff with one character, but you have to pare that down to the skills you really need. That’s half the game’s strategy right there.

The other half is the battles themselves. There are fifteen levels in total, with 2 arenas, 8 original bosses and a powered-up heroic version of all but the last. These have minions, lasers, death zones and many other familiar tricks, requiring priority targeting, clever positioning and quick reflexes. Lest you think I’m being irresponsible with my WoW comparisons, by the way, one of those bosses is nearly a one-to-one clone of Karsh Steelbender from the most recent expansion. Not that I mind. It just feels a little too much like coming home, if you know what I mean.

Your survival depends on two things: how well you’ve chosen and upgraded your skills, and how well you can pay attention and perform. It also helps to have a basic understanding of MMORPG-style battles. You’ll have an easier time if you already know that the tank should keep the enemies’ backs to his team, or when to toss a heal-over-time and switch targets. Admittedly, though, knowing too many tricks takes a little fun out of figuring out the right strategies for each fight, especially when kiting works so effectively.

Because of this, the game sometimes fails to straddle the line between too easy and too hard. Executing a strategy is often fairly simple, because the bosses never have more than three or four plainly timed and well-telegraphed abilities. You’ll never have serious trouble figuring out how to handle an encounter when anything tricky is explained on screen.

You’ll still run into plenty of difficulty, though. Two things will conspire to stop you no matter how well you can plan. The first is the somewhat-awkward touch controls. Like in Battleheart, you drag one hero to another to heal or attack, and drag your heroes around the screen to move them. Because those two actions are so similar, you may occasionally find the game mixing up your intent. Worse, though, is the way the controls sometimes lead to deaths-by-Notification-Center. Those probably can’t be helped, but that doesn’t keep them from being frustrating.

The second big roadblock is the enrage timer most bosses sport. This isn’t a problem, it’s a classic MMORPG mechanic. Three or four minutes into a fight, the boss becomes immensely more powerful. This isn’t designed to kill you instantly, but it does keep you from flinging yourself at a boss for ages if you’re not powerful enough to defeat it. In Raid Leader, you’re not going to run down the clock because you haven’t leveled enough or hit the right gear level. Instead, it’s your skills that can fall behind.

The three classes each get eight or nine skills to play with. These include a healthy mix of class-appropriate heals, attacks, buffs, debuffs and so on. You can pay out the coins you earn from defeating bosses to upgrade them up to four times each. If you’re a better player than I am you might be able to get by with nothing more than the coins you earn from each boss. I rather doubt it, though. It gets seriously tough to pump out enough damage to beat the enrage even when you’re doing well. If you hit a wall and decide you need more coins, you have two options: grind or pay.

It’s kind of a lame choice. Grinding is actually fun in Raid Leader, but it’s hard to turn down the comparatively massive number of coins you can get by putting down an extra dollar or two. If you do, you can earn a decent rate in two arenas fighting waves of minions, or you can replay completed boss fights. You can earn Game Center achievements and leaderboard rank for beating bosses quickly, so this isn’t a bad way to go.

I just wish there was more of everything. I want a reason to pull out more skills and level them higher. I’d dread putting hours into WoW at this point, but the few brief hours I put into Raid Leader left me craving a lot more. That’s not a bad thing, assuming there’s more to come. While we’re talking updates, Red Zebra, could you work out the spelling errors and put some clothes on the poor Hunter? She’s literally fighting in a bikini. Not even a chainmail bikini, just a few flimsy scraps of nothing.

Raid Leader isn’t perfect, and it’s not perfectly original. That said, it sure is fun. Any recovering raider will find plenty of great nods and familiar concepts, and anyone who’s wondered why folks make such a fuss about raiding will get a low-impact introduction. Drop by our discussion thread to let us know what you think, and point out how much you want more levels while you’re there. For me. Because even though I can quit any time, I really don’t want to quite yet.

TouchArcade Rating:

[source]

Rebuild [$2.99] for iPhone and iPod Touch is actually happening — and soon. Tomorrow will see the debut of the post-apocalyptic strategy title on smaller devices, courtesy a big-time Universal update for the iPad versions of the game. Developer Northway tells that the update will also roll in retina support, too.

This is easily one of our favorite strategy games on the App Store this side of Civ Rev [$6.99 / HD], and we’re stoked that a “maybe” porting scenario as of a couple of months ago has become a reality. If you haven’t read anything about Rebuild check out our review. Or just pick it up on the App Store at its sale price of $.99 starting tomorrow through this Sunday.

[source]