Final Fantasy I & II are out!

Final Fantasy I & II brings the series closer to its roots.  The original Final Fantasy debuted in Japan on December 18, 1987.  It featured a side view battle perspective with a group of monsters on the left and player controlled characters to the right.  It also introduced transportation elements such as canoe, ships, and the famed airships.  The game allows players to explore the game world with four characters, each with a specific character class.  Players can choose from Fighter, Thief, Blackbelt, Red Mage, White Mage, and Black Mage.

Final Fantasy II tells another saga in the Final Fantasy series.  It introduced Chocobos and the recurring character Cid.  This game also drops experience points based leveling.  Instead, fighting enemies will allow characters to increase attributes such as hit points, magic points, magic power, stamina, and strength.

The iPhone version of Final Fantasy I and II features a virtual D-Pad for movements.  The menus are touch sensitive so navigating the menus work well.  The menu system in battles have been replaced by battle icons.  This row of icons on the bottom of the screen allows player to attack, cast magic, use items, and other battle functions.  This change actually make the battles easier to play as you just have to tap the battle icon and then the monster you wish to attack.

Final Fantasy series has introduced the world to Japanese styled role playing games.  With its introduction of full motion videos and photo realistic backgrounds and character models starting in Final Fantasy 7, it brought RPG to a new level. Now, after 85 million copies sold, iPhone version brings Final Fantasy beginnings back to the world’s most popular smart phone!

Final Fantasy I $8.99 (App Store)

Final Fantasy II $8.99 (App Store)

Square has also slashed the price for their other games on the iPhone and iTouch in celebration of Final Fantasy’s release.  But act quickly, sale ends March 3rd.

Crystal Defenders $7.99 -> $5.99  (App Store)

Vanguard Storm $4.99 -> $3.99 (App Store)

Sliding Heroes $2.99 -> $.99 (App Store)

Hills and Rivers Remain $6.99 -> $4.99 (App Store)

Song Summoner $9.99 -> $7.99 (App Store)

BATTLE BEARS 1.5

Battle Bears $0.99->FREE Offer expired.  Now $1.99.  Follow us on Twitter so you won’t miss it next time! (App Store) stars Oliver, a macho teddy bear, who must fight off legions of enemy teddy bears to avoid being HUGGED TO DEATH.  Oliver will pick up lots of interesting weapons, including bazookas, flame throwers, and laser guns.  These weapons will be useful against incoming enemy teddy bears as well as bosses.

Battle Bears has hilarious, yet challenging bosses that will make you laugh.  Come on, flying unicorns taking off on top of a huge, giant unicorn serving as an “aircraft carrier”?  It may seem ridiculous, but get ready for a tough fight. It will not be easy to beat.  But even if you lose to a boss, you will be treated to a special, hilarious cut scene showing how Oliver died.  So it’s not that bad.

Battle Bears is wacky and hilarious.  Its ridiculous story is accompanied by hilarious cut scenes that will make you want to see what happens next.

Why is it Great?  Together, Battle Bear’s wacky story and excellent survival shooting game play make it one of the top games in the App Store.

Titanic Rescue

Titanic Rescue $0.99->FREE (App Store) is a boat rescue game by Donut Games in which the player must rescue people jumping out from the cruise ship.  The player can flick a person on the boat to make them jump out.  He/she can also move the life boats with the finger to catch the jumping passengers.

It is not that easy as more and more people that need to be rescued appear all at once.  It is so overwhelming that players usually don’t have time anymore to make the  shipwrecked victim jump out of the boat themselves.  Players should probably focus on catching them instead.  However, each life boat cannot hold more than 3 people.  There are also band boats that will not allow players to pickup the victims.  Thus, catching all those people jumping out of the boat at once may not be an easy task.  Luckily, Titanic Rescue allows five misses before declaring, “game over.”

But it is the challenge that makes Titanic Rescue so fun.  Play it and see how many people you can rescue.  Compare your score on the leaderboard.

Why is it Great?  Saving shipwrecked passengers  has never been so fun!

Please check the price of app before downloading. Prices can change at any time. Sometimes apps are even just free for a few hours before they get a new price.

The is a get free paid iPhone apps article on the App Machine.

It looks like classic games including the original Final Fantasy are in fashion.  SquareEnix has just announced Final Fantasy 1 and 2 for the iDevices on their Facebook page.

Final Fantasy 1

Final Fantasy 2

Final Fantasy started over 20 years ago in 1987.  After Dragon Quest, it was the biggest role playing game (RPG) in Japan at the time.  Final Fantasy series continued to redefine the role playing games genre with new releases and to date selling over 85 million copies world wide.

SquareEnix did not reveal a release date though.  But for those of you eager to get into some Final Fantasy action, you can try the excellent Crystal Defenders (App Store) Final Fantasy tower defense game.  There is also the interesting Vanguard Storm (App Store) that features  strategic battlefield  gameplay with Final Fantasy characters.

This is an Final Fantasy article by The Apps Machine.

Following Rockstar Games’ August 31st announcement last year…Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars arrived at The App Store last evening (App Store Link). For such an epic occasion we figured the heralding of trumpets, skywriting, and a town crier would be employed but no, it just arrived and took it’s seat in the back of the room like a mild-mannered school boy.

This is, however, no school boy but rather a rowdy, mayhem infused, profanity filled fun st0rm.

Sure the controls take some working out, but this game is mental and has set the bar quite high for all games to follow. At 188 MB it takes awhile but once on your iPhone it proves it is well worth the wait and its ten dollar price tag.

It is available now for $9.99 here. Expect a full review of the game here in the near future but for now a few of the highlights:

—An absolutely genius soundtrack or the ability to integrate your music collection into the game

—Sensible controls given the platform

—Graphics not done justice by the screen shots shown here.

–Hours of game play

–Wonderfully profane storyline and narration, featuring plenty of violence, sex, drugs and Rock and Roll (Well no sex, this is the App Store).

If we can put this game down, expect a full review shortly.

This is a cool iPhone/iTouch Game article by The Apps Machine.

Rarely have I played a well polished iPhone/iTouch platform game as good as Plushed (App Store).  Plushed is a 2D platforming game by Black Smith Games that takes place in a fantasy setting.  A fairy mouse appeared when a girl and her bunny plushie put a cheese in front of a mouse hole.  After consuming all the cheese, the fairy mouse offered grant the girl a wish to become a princess in her fairy tales.  However, the fairy mouse’s evil twin interfered with the spell, and the girl and her bunny are magically transported to a realm inside the fairy tales.  There, the bunny starts its quest to search for her human friend and ultimately escape from this fantasy land.

Plushed features 9 magical realms to explore.  Each level is beautifully rendered, each with a unique theme.  Explore ancient ruins, wild plains, mountain trails, forests, swamps, and enjoy the fantastic scenery while dodging monsters and avoiding traps.  In most of the levels, players has to run and jump toward the goal to complete them.  Some levels require players to collect items before that level can be beaten.  There are even boss fights.  Even without a weapon, bunny plushie is able to use items or rocks in the surrounding area deal damage to the bosses.

Plushed also has some unlockable secrets.  Players can unlock mini-games as they collect the golden beetles present throughout the game.  Collect gems and control a jetpack after you unlock these interesting mini-games.

Plushed makes use of the accelerator to do a shaking effect in the game.  When players shake their iDevice, it may make pizzas drop from trees, clear the haystack, or make rocks fall from the ceiling.  The accelerator can even be used to move bunny plushie around in one control scheme.  However this control scheme may work better in some of the mini-games as it is hard to imagine moving your character left or right for hours just by tilting your device.  Most people would probably prefer to use the left and right buttons on the screen to control the bunny.

Plushed’s greatest feature is its graphics.  Its hand drawn environments and characters make you really feel like you are in a fairy tale.  Bunny plushie’s  animation is smooth and enjoyable to watch. It is a great feeling to watch it turns as you complete each level. But Plushed’s vibrant graphics aren’t the only pleasing feature in this great adventure.  Plushed is a challenging game.  You can’t just breeze through a level without dying a few times. The level design will force even a veteran 2D plaformer player to die constantly as spikes and traps appear in the most unexpected places.  In later level, only with lots of tries will players get to the next checkpoint safely.

Plushed also packs some nice surprises in its level design.  Get ready to run for your life as you jump into a field with a giant harvester chasing after you.  Some items such as pizza can be amusing to use as it will open the mouth of snakes, attract rats to help you attack bosses, and even make a plant with a big mouth to grow sprouts that you can step on to continue your adventure forward.

Plushed does have some drawbacks.  There are only a few checkpoints in each level that make this already challenging game even more challenging. Having to play the same levels over and over is also frustrating.  There may also be some players that will have problems continuing the game due to its high difficulty level.

The controls could also be a bit better.  Tapping any area above the virtual control pad will make your bunny jump.  Players can sometimes miss the virtual left and right buttons and accidentally hit jump.  During intense levels, that will probably cause the player to die and restart from the check point.  Also, jump is not activated when tapping near the bottom right of the screen, that should also be fixed.

Seeing the bunny plushed in an armor with a talking sword makes you wonder why can’t your main character attack enemies directly.  Perhaps the developers feel that most of the enemies should be avoided and not defeated to make this game more challenging.  Still, it would be nice to have your bunny attack enemies instead of evading them all the time.

Overall, Plushed is a wonderful platforming adventure game that will entertain and amuse you for hours.  With 9 vibrant and challenging levels along with unlockable mini-games, it is a well designed game that could have easily costs 20 dollars on another portable gaming platform such as the PSP or the DS.  Gamers should be satisfied with the game after several hours into it.  Despite its difficulty and minor control issues, the fantastic visuals and game play will have you coming back for more until you have defeated the final boss.

Review Score:  4.5/5

Plushed is currently available in the App Store for $0.99 at the time of this writing.  Its usual price is $1.99.  (App Store Link)

This is an iPhone and iTouch game review of Plushed by The Apps Machine.

Mark Hickey of Gameloft at the Apple Keynote Sept 2009

When Mark Hickey from Gameloft was invited on the stage at the Apple Keynote last September we knew it was for a reason.  Steve and Phil don’t let just anyone up there.  And sure enough he announced the now released iPhone game N.O.V.A. -Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance (App Store), which has proven to be a huge hit with it’s amazing graphics and interesting gameplay.  This Halo-like first person shooter has only enhanced Gameloft’s reputation as a superior app developer for the iPhone, iPod, Android and Windows mobile.  Then they snag the rights to develop a game based on the crazy popular movie Avatar.  So it comes as no surprise to hear that Gameloft has now sold over 10 million iPhone/iPod games since the App store launched in June of 2007.

Gameloft has a rich gaming heritage based in Paris, France.  Their sister/founder company Ubisoft is a well-known video game developer from way back starting in 1986.    Gameloft was set up in 1999 as an offshoot mainly to work on downloadable mobile games.  Business has been going well apparently, with staff ramp-ups, and huge increases in income. Their games have won all kinds of best of class awards from IGN and Spike TV, not to mention 5/5 ratings from the vast majority of their satisfied customers.

Their momentum seems to be exponential, with 4 million of their sales coming since September, indicating that the one two punch of the Avatar game’s release on December 15 and then N.O.V.A being released on December 17 really hit the big time.  What else were bored teens going to do over Christmas break?  Play games on their iPhones while they were travelling to see family for the holidays!  Over the holidays, N.O.V.A. was the #1 best selling game in the U.S and Japan; #2 in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Canada and #4 in the U.K. and Italy. James Cameron’s Avatar secured the #1 spot in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland; #3 in the U.K.; #4 in the U.S.; #5 in Canada and #6 in Italy.

Even Gameloft seems surprised by their success, with the CEO Michael Guillemot stating “We have had a remarkable year on the App Store.”  He goes on to say that Gameloft “is defined not only by great production values, but a vested interest in bringing to market games that are commercially friendly and appeal to a mass consumer base”.

The sky is the limit for Gameloft.  They are poised to become the app developer to beat in a new market with a huge app-etite,  just starting to feast on tasty apps.  Might be time to invest in some Gameloft stock!

This is an gameloft article by The Apps Machine.

This is great new for iPhone app and game fanatics.  Get the games and apps you’ve always wanted for a lot less.

2XL ATV Offroad $7.99 -> $0.99  (App Store) is one of the best racing game in the App Store.  It looks gorgeous and plays great with lots of customization available.  At 87% off, this belongs in your game collection.

Namco has also joined the Christmas Sale Frenzy with their new games PacMan Championship Edition and Ace Combat Xi Skies of Incursion.

PacMan Championship Edition $2.99 -> $.99 (App Store)

Ace Combat Xi Skies of Incursion $7.99 -> $4.99 (App Store)

iD Software’s Doom series classics are also on sale.

Doom Classic ($6.99 -> $2.99) (App Store)
Doom Resurrection ($6.99 -> $1.99) (App Store)
Wolfenstein 3D Classic Platinum ($1.99 -> $.99) (App Store)

EA, the game industry’s big dog, is also holding a Christmas sale on many of its popular apps

Madden NFL 10 ($6.99 -> $5.99) (App Store)
Wolfenstein RPG ($1.99 -> $.99) (App Store)
Rock Band ($6.99 -> $4.99) (App Store)
NBA Live ($6.99 -> $4.99) (App Store)
Scrabble ($4.99 -> $2.99)

Although it is not a game. It is worth mentioning that one of my favorite all-in-one instant messenger and twitter app, IM+ (App Store) is on sale for $1.99. Its price usually fluctuates between $4.99 and $9.99. But push notifications is where this app really shines.  Get all of your instant messages from Gtalk, Facebook, MSN, Yahoo, and even Twitter delivered to you via push. It even pushes friend’s timelines so you will know the minute they tweet something.  It is really a useful tool.  At $1.99 it is really a steal!

Early Simpsons from The Tracy Ullman Show ca. 1987

It was not too long ago that you could not get away from the Simpsons.  I bet Matt Groening woke up most mornings pinching himself, wondering how his little cartoon from the Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 had turned into an overarching franchise.  Much to the delight of kids, and to the chagrin of parents, Bart and Homer and their crazy defiant behaviour went far beyond a cult following and became mainstream.  All manner of ventures followed, topped off by a theme park ride.  But just like the feeling you get when the ride is over, the Simpsons seem to have run their course.   Electronic Arts releasing a Simpsons game on the iPhone now feels a bit like looking into an empty donut box.  Fans of the Simpsons have waited (too) long for this game.

As games go, this can be fun for fans and those few unitiated souls.  While you can only play as Homer that does not seem to limit the possibilities for hijinks to ensue. He is on a quest to chase down a mysterious doughnut which also happens to be host to a USB flash drive that holds some kind of secret information that nearly the entire population of Springfield seems to be in on. Using an on-screen joystick and two buttons Homer can perform a variety of simple moves and combos on the seemingly never-ending supply of henchmen that are dead-set on keeping you away from the doughnut in question.  There are 20 or more levels and mini games.  All your favourites from the show make an appearance at some time or another.

The downside of this game is apparent right from the start in the App store.  4.99 for a game is pretty steep, especially for a franchise so far past its pinnacle.  Some other complaints include its inablity to save except at the end of a level, as well as the nauseating midi music which really detracts from the gameplay.  Fortunately the music can be turned off, but for that kind of money you really expect a total package.

Rabid Simpsons fans will love this, however they are few and far between these days.  For the rest of us it is just another last ditch attempt to squeeze money out of a dying empire.

The Simpsons Arcade (iTunes Link) is now available in the App Store for $4.99

Which game can generate the buzz and hype like the hit console game Halo?  The answer is Halo’s iPhone little brother, N.O.V.A. (iTunes Link).  N.O.V.A. stands for Near Orbital Vanguard Alliance.   Rarely has an iPhone game so anticipated as N.O.V.A.   Millions of Halo fans just can’t wait to play more Halo-like action on their favorite iDevice.   Gameloft, known for making great iPhone clones of hit console games, is the perfect game company to deliver it.

In many ways N.O.V.A. is very similar to Halo.  N.O.V.A.’s setting takes place in space. Players control an ex-marine name Karl Wardin living in a space colony. During a reconnaissance mission to a space ship, Karl will encounter events that lead to battles with aliens. Your space marine will battle aliens with assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, handguns, rocket launchers, plasma gun and more.   If that doesn’t remind you of Halo, the damage system will. The damage system in NOVA is almost exactly like Halo.   An energy shield will absorb damage and then recharge over time.   The graphics also look very similar to Halo.    The characters and landscape will definitely make you think that you are playing Halo on the iPhone/iPod Touch.    For example the opening scene in N.O.V.A. featured combat aboard a space ship, mirroring the opening scenes of Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Combat Evolved.

N.O.V.A also borrow elements from Metroid Prime. Players can pick up special abilities along the way. Freezing enemies, speed boost, and Shooting charged energy beam seem to be abilities taken straight out of Metroid.

Branding N.O.V.A. as a Halo clone may have negative connotations for some people, but it is actually a good thing. According to early impressions in the App Store, this game is great.  The graphics look awesome with great frame rates to go with the gameplay. The multi-player also works great to extend the game’s longevity.

N.O.V.A. features 13 levels set in jungle, snow, spaceship, bunker, and an alien city. 2 to 4 players can play over Wi-Fi connections (2 players via bluetooth connections) with a total of 5 maps to choose from.

For Halo fans, getting N.O.V.A. on you iDevice is a no brainer.  For those that have not played Halo on consoles before, N.O.V.A will allow you to join the hype on the cheap.  N.O.V.A.  (iTunes Link) is currently $6.99 in the App Store.

Watch the Trailer below to experience this great game.

This is a N.O.V.A release post by The Apps Machine

Mikamobile, the developer of the hit game Zombieville has done it again. Their newest hack and slash game featuring katana wielding ninjas and foul mouthed pirates is a masterpiece. The unique cartoony graphics and smooth animations, along with a tough but enjoyable ninja styled hack and slash gameplay make OMG! Pirates! one of the best games in the App Store.

The game starts when pirates attack a ninja village. Our ninja must fight its way against the pirates, ultimately defeating the pirates in their home turf.   The game features 9 missions and 3 bosses. During each mission, the player must fight tens of pirates arming themselves with swords, bombs, and guns. These pirates aren’t all that easy to defeat. They can even defend against your attacks. Only by perfecting your fighting style through jump attacks, special combos and techniques can you complete a mission without being seriously injured.Each level has a player rating after it is completed. If you lose too much lives trying to complete a level, you just might be rank “terribad.”

This game also feature boss fights. Bosses are big and bad with special abilities. Usually, players have to deal with the lesser pirates as they are fighting the bosses. Bosses can take plenty of hits so be prepared to conserve your energy to outlast them in the fight.

Once the player completes the regular campaign mode, the hard mode and survival mode appears. By then, you should be more skilled to fight the pirates. The survival mode is definitely challenging and fun. Fight through tons of pirates with just one life. Lets see how far you can go.

OMG! Pirates! has graphics that will catch your eyes. They are like well-drawn cartoons fighting fluidly on your iPhone or iPod Touch. The animations are smooth as you slash your sword and launch combo attacks against those pesky pirates.

Gameplay is where OMG! Pirates! really shines. The game includes a leveling system for your ninja. As the player level up, new attacks, combos, and techniques may be learned. Ninja’s speed, life, and attack power may also be increased. Thus you will start the game with little more than the standard attack button. But as you progress through the game, you will learn to use the various jump attacks and combo attacks to evade and finish your enemies.The game is tough. Your ninja may face enemies in front and at the back of you at the same time. Getting out of those situation with timely ninja jumps and shielding moves is imperative to completing the mission alive.

Attacked from both sides!

OMG! Pirates! is nearly a perfect side scrolling ninja fighting game.  But it could be improved by including even more missions and bosses.  Addition of multiplayer modes would be welcome too.  But with survival mode, a harder difficult level, and mission rankings, OMG! Pirates still has what it takes to keep gamers entertained for a while.

Overall OMG! Pirates! is one of the best games on the iPhone. The graphics and animation alone will just make you want to get the game. Along with the excellent gameplay, there is really no reason any gamer should pass up on this masterpiece. Just watch the video to see why it is so good.

Overall rating: 5/5

OMG! Pirates! (iTunes Link) is currently available in the App Store for $1.99.

This OMG! Pirates! review is a post by the Apps Machine

Fans of line drawing games and Geo Defense rejoice!  Imangi Studios, the creators of Harbor Master, and Critical Thought Games, the creators of geoDefense Swarm, have just released their new game, GeoSpark (iTunes Link) to the App Store.  Geospark features the awesome graphics of GeoDefense and line-drawing action unlike any other iPhone game.

Geospark’s gameplay is simple but difficult to master.  Sparks come in different geometric shapes reminiscent of  creeps in GeoDefense .  Players match and clear “sparks” by tapping and dragging them.  More than 2 sparks can be dragged into each other.  In fact, the game rewards players with higher score bonuses as they drag multiple sparks to form long combo chains.  But be careful, many sparks can drift across the game screen.  If they collide before you zap them away with a matching chain, it’s game over.  This aspect of averting collisions isn’t too different from other line drawing games such as Flight Control or Harbor Master. But the game can be over in another way.  If the player accidentally drag two different sparks into each other, that’s a game over too.

There’s more to Geospark ’s gameplay.  As players try to create large chains by linking multiple sparks, the drifting sparks becomes unstable and accelerates.  This makes building a large combo a balancing act as the bigger chains can result in instant death as the sparks fly across the game screen.

Geospark (iTunes Link) is now available in the App Store for $0.99.  Fans of geoDefense and Harbor Master should definitely give it a try!  Check out the game trailer below!

Looking for a fun, quality puzzle game free of charge?  Today is you lucky day as Blacksmith Game’s Appvent Calender brings you Totemo free for today only!

Totemo (iTunes Link) is an amazing puzzle game with a spiritual theme.  Your goal is to send all spirits to heaven by tapping those round spirits in the correct order in a linear fashion.  2, 3, and more spirits needs to form a straight line before they can be cleared.  Which spirits you tap and the order you tap them are extremely important because the you will fail a level if you are unable to clear all of the spirits, leaving the remainder spirits aligned non-linearly. 

This is where your puzzle solving abilities come in use.  Players need to plan ahead to formulate a strategy to clear a level.  The first 10 levels are relatively easy.  But the difficulty will start to ramp up after that.  Be prepared to do these levels over and over again until you clear a level. 

Totemo is an incredibly fun and challenging game.  The graphics are excellent.  The sound is refreshing too, aside from that mumbling chief that likes talk to you in every level.  It is that rare quality game in the App Store.  Now, you can get it for free today, and today only.  So what are you waiting for?  Download it right now before it turns into a paid app tomorrow.

Just a reminder if you don’t already know.  The “Get 1 Paid App for Free Everyday Till Christmas” event at Appvent Calender is still in effect.  Check there everyday for a new paid app turned free.  We, at The Apps Machine here, will report on their featured free apps through December when an excellent app that is worth your time has been released. 

This is a post by The Apps Machine

OMG! Pirates have just landed in the App Store.  OMG! Pirates (itunes link) is a great cartoony looking 2D action beat-em up game that will test your ninja blade against tons of angry pirates.  From early impressions, this great looking hack and slash game should be a hit in the App Store as the graphics and animations are spectacular and smooth while still carrying a lot of depth in its gameplay. 

This side scrolling iPhone/iPod Touch game utilizes a two button attack system with the ability to unlock new moves as players gain experience during the game.  There are various tough looking bosses for players to hack and slash as they progress through different levels.  OMG! Pirates is not a game you can breath through unscathed.  Be prepared for some tough fights. 

We will be posting a full review of the game as soon as we completed the game.  But for now, enjoy the trailer. 

OMG! Pirates is currently available in the App Store for $1.99.  You can download it here.

Last year, Super Monkey Ball for the iPhone and iPod Touch was a major launch title for the App Store.  Millions of copies were sold! Now, the new and improved Super Monkey Ball 2 has finally arrived.  Like what we’ve told you before, Super Monkey Ball 2 will feature new levels, greatly enhanced and tweaked control for accuracy, local Wi-Fi multi-player, and new mini-games!

Super Monkey Ball 2 should bring back fond memories of our favorite tilt-based, accelerator-controlled  monkey rolling action.  As expected, it is priced at $9.99.  So what are you waiting for?  Download it today!

Rarely have I played a 2D shooter as refreshing as MiniSquadron (iTunes Link).  MiniSquadron isn’t just like any other 2D shooter.  This unique game is actually a dog fighting aerial combat game that pits player’s aircraft against computer controlled jets in a limited 2D air space.  Players will have to fight against waves of enemy planes.  Some waves have only a few enemy planes, but other waves can bring tens of highly advanced aircrafts that will be difficult to defeat.

MiniSquadron has arcade-like game play.  Flip 360 degrees, twist, dive, and shoot your way to victory, collecting 1ups and special stars to gain advantage over the enemies.  There are also some physics based elements in MiniSquadron as well. Your plane can stall and fall if the plane is flown too high or hit by the enemy.  But if you keep your plane’s head down and dive as you fall, you can still regain control and fly upwards to prevent a crash.

There are 8 stages  for the single player game.  Each stage has 12 waves of enemy aircrafts to defeat.  Enemies can range from propeller planes, bombers, jet fighters, to UFO’s.  They can equip cannons, homing missiles, spray bombs, and even lasers.  As players progress through the various stages, up to 56 aircrafts can be unlocked.  These unlockable aircrafts give players more powerful weapons and faster aircrafts.  Each unlockable aircraft has to meet certain requirements to be accessible by the player.  They can be unlocked when they have achieved a certain score during a wave at a certain stage.  Tapping a locked aircraft will display its unlocking requirements.

Mini Squadron’s graphics and music are well done.  Although nothing amazing, it brings the classic cartoon-styled 2D shooter to life.  The aircrafts have an unique look to them and their animations are fluid.  The symphony classical music in the background also seem to fit perfectly to the aerial action in an odd way.

Mini Squadron uses a virtual control pad.  The controls are fairly simple and responsive.  By default, the plane will fly straight.  But by drawing a circle on the virtual control pad, the plane will flip 360 degrees, making it easier to maneuver to the tail of enemy aircrafts.

The aerial combat action can be intense, especially when going against more than 10 enemy aircrafts during a wave.  Dodging bullets and missiles and maneuvering to finish those pesky enemy jets can be really fun.  And since the game rewards you extra score for defeating enemies without taking a hit, achieving the highest score should be the goal of any seasoned MiniSquadron player.

One of the weakness of MiniSquadron is lack of online high scores and achievements that are present in many other iPhone games.  It would be great to see how your top score rank in the world. There is also a multiplayer mode in  MiniSquadron, but MiniSquadron only supports local network connection. If MiniSquadron allows global online multi-player, that would make this game perfect.  It would be really fun to challenge 10 other players to a fight to the finish.

MiniSquadron is a great 2D shooter.  Its intense gameplay will give players a fun aerial combat experience.  With over 50 aircrafts to unlock and master, the game has a high replay value.  It is a must-own game for any fans of classic 2D shooters.

Review Score: 4.5/5

Available now in the App Store (iTunes Link).

This is a post by the Apps Machine

For those who were wondering why there isn’t a classic Monopoly game for the iPhone and iPod Touch, your wait is over.  EA finally brings the classic board game to the App Store.

True to its original game, classic Monopoly brings you the familiar game pieces and streets.  The dog and Broadway Ave is back to challenge players to buy land, build houses, and collect rent to become the only monopoly in town.

Classic Monopoly allows you to play with up to 3 other computer controlled game pieces.  Up to 4 human players can play at the same time via local wi-fi.  Bluetooth multi-player is also enabled.  4 players can also play on the same device, each waiting for their turn to roll the dice.

Classic Monopoly instantly brings back the memories of  classic board game experience with its great presentation.  The 3D and interactive game board, along with silky smooth animation, will have players feel that they are actually playing a board game instead of a computerized game.   Trading properties with other players, mortgaging your properties to raise cash, are all actions available to make this app as realistic as the real game.

Perhaps the only downside to the app is its limitation to play with other players via local Wi-Fi.  It would be great to play with other players around the world, finding human opponents at anytime.

Until then, Classic Monopoly is a great game true to its roots.  Its presentation brings all elements of the classic board game to the iPhone/iPod Touch. It is a perfect game for friends and families during this holiday season.

This Monopoly story is a post by the App Machine.

Sega has announced that Super Monkey Ball 2 (iTunes Link) will be available for this holiday season.  It is currently in the app submission process and could hit the App Store any day.

Super Monkey Ball for the iPhone was one of the first launch titles for the App Store.  Since the launch, its sales have extremely well, far exceeding Sega’s expectation.  “It sold really, really well. I wish I could give you the official numbers, but I’m not at liberty to do that. But it has gone past our wildest expectations,” says SEGA’s Ethan Einhorn. “We know that even though the game has continued to sell really well through the course of its lifespan, there’s definitely an audience just waiting for the game to get bigger and better, which is what we’re doing with Super Monkey Ball 2.”

Super Monkey Ball 2 will feature 115 stages, local Wi-Fi multi-player, better graphics and tighter controls.  Sega has paid extra attention to improve its accelerator controls.  Poor control system was one of the main complaints of many gamers toward the original Super Monkey Ball.  SEGA’s Einhorn comments on its effort to improve controls.

“That took precedence over everything else. We looked very, very closely at what was working on the Wii game in terms of motion controls and what we could extrapolate from that. Part of what we were able to pull from that was much better control over the left and right movement of the character.  So we have something now where it is just so much easier to control the character and to make the precision movements that you have to.”

Super Monkey Ball 2 will feature five worlds from the Wii game Super Monkey Ball:  Banana Blitz.  The 3D world will look and feel better than the original iPhone game.  Local Wi-Fi multi-player will allow 4 players to race in any of the 115 stages.  Super Monkey Ball 2 will also feature mini-games.  Super Monkey Ball 2 will launch with Monkey Bowling.  After that SEGA will periodically release other mini-games.  Monkey Golf and Monkey Target is scheduled to be released via free download next February.  With Monkey Bowling, player simply  flick their finger to get your Monkey Bowling Ball to move towards the pins.  Players can also tilt their devices to control the Monkey Balls during a roll.

There is no price yet for Super Monkey Ball 2.  But $9.99 could be your best bet for the initial launch.

Via IGN

This is a post by the App Machine.

Chillingo has just released their highly anticipated 3D action role playing game, Ravensword:  The Fallen King.  Ravensword is an open world roleplaying game similar to Morrowind and Oblivion.  Although not as detailed as these major console RPG games, Ravensword will have gamers explore its land, take on quests, and fight through dungeons in a three dimensional world of its own.

It is impressive that such a game can fit in your iPhone or iPod Touch.   Based on the Unity engine, Ravensword delivers  great graphics unlike any other role playing games on the iPhone.   Exploring the woods and ruins makes you wonder if you are playing a PC game instead of an iPhone game.

The gameplay itself is not too shabby.  The developers have stated that it will take gamers between 6 to 8 hours to complete the main quest.  There are also lots of side quests to complete while players roam the world of Ravensword. Players can ride horses, hunt animals and monsters with arrows, swords, and magical runes.  There are also NPC to interact and weapons to collect.  Ravensword is a classic RPG.

For those who love role playing games, Ravensword is a surprising addition on the iPhone.  So what are you waiting for? Download it today!

Without warning, Call Of Duty: World at War: Zombies has been unleashed at the App Store.

This Call of Duty iPhone/iPod Touch game is based on the unlockable zombie-themed multiplayer mode found in the console version that challenges players to endless waves of zombie soldiers.  Players start the game in a house with windows boarded up with wood.  Zombies will slowly begin their invasion into the house.  However, zombies will gradually ramp up their attacks and it is up to the player to defend the entrances and windows.  It is important to point out that windows can be repaired to slow down the zombies and prevent the zombie hordes from becoming overwhelming.  Defeating the zombies will earn players coins, which can then be used to buy more powerful weapons.

Call of Duty: Zombies features multiplayer cooperative play.  Play with up to 4 players via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and defend against the zombie swarm. Sorry, multiplayer games over 3G connection are not allowed currently.

Although multiplayer is a great feature to include, unfortunately activation failed to include a way to communicate to your fellow teammates.  So just do your best to repair the base and kill those swarms of incoming zombies with your teammates.  And if you are good at killing those nasty zombies, you just may become one of the top vets on the leader board.

Call of Duty: Zombies currently only includes one map and costs $9.99.  That price may seem high for many people, especially for just one map. But Activision promised more downloadable maps and contents to come.  Hopefully these future additions will make this game worth the high price tag.

This is an article at The Apps Machine

Very rarely do you get a well polished game as good as Touch Pets Dogs.  Touch Pet Dogs allows players to interact with their dogs in so many ways that you’ll feel the dogs on your iPhone or iPod Touch are actually alive!

Touch Pet Dogs features 7 breeds of puppies you can adopt and interact.  Start your game with a cute Labrador, Portuguese water dog, west highland terrier, German shepherd, Jack Russell, dachshund, or even a robot dog.  Within each breed, players can select puppies based on their look, gender, and personality.  These puppy traits can affect how your dogs will interact with you as well as other dogs.

In Touch Pets Dogs players care for their puppies’ everyday needs including petting, feeding, bathing, grooming, and even scooping their poop.  These needs are displayed in the dog’s status menu as a percentage.  With time, these needs gradually fall to 0% unless players take care of these needs.  By taking care of your dog’s everyday needs, puppies will become happier. And when its happiness level reaches a certain point, the player will earn puppy points.  These puppy points can be used to buy virtual items such as new toys, clothes, and gears.  Puppy points can even be used to adopt additional puppies.

Players can also play with their puppies.  Teach your dog to do some tricks such as sit, stand, roll over.  Get your dogs to play with Frisbees, balls, and sticks to increase their abilities.  Don’t like your pup’s look?  Players can dress up their dogs with various clothes and accessories.  Your dog can even have careers. With the proper career item and ability, your dog can catch thieves, rescue victims from fire, and win beauty pageants.

Touch Pets Dogs also allows players to interact with their friends’ dogs.  Invite your friend’s dog for a playdate, and watch as they develop friendships, romances, and rivalries. Your friend doesn’t even have to be online for the playdate to occur.  In the playdate, you can care and play for the other dog the same way you can interact with your own dog.

Players advance in Touch Pets Dogs through leveling up.  Players level up as they complete daily and career tasks for experience points.  Certain items and accessories cannot be obtained unless the player reached a certain level.  Leveling up is another motivation for players to come back for their virtual puppies daily.

The most enjoyable part of Touch Pets Dogs is the interaction with the pups.  Playing fetch, petting your dogs, and engaging in various activities with them make the game really fun. The puppies look adorable, and their animation is smooth.  Most people will fall in love with their pups the moment they started to play the game.

One major concern for most players is the pay system.  Even though players start with many bowls of food.  As the food bowls dwindle down to zero, players have to either wait for the food to slowly regenerate, or buy food with real money.  The problem with waiting for new food to regenerate is that it only gets you a maximum of 1 bowl of food.  Thus if you have multiple puppies to feed, this can cause a rather short game session.   Ngmoco has recently  lengthened the time it takes for energy to deplete.  That is probably due to complaints that you cannot even finish caring for your dogs with a full bowl of food.  Even with the increase in energy depletion time, there’s an outcry to make foods payable with in-game puppy points. But game companies are out to make money, thus that will probably not occur anytime soon.  In the mean time, here’s a tip to make the game more enjoyable for those who don’t want to buy virtual pet food for real money.  First, get your dog to 100% energy.  Then wait until the food regenerates to 1.0 bowl of food.  With more time to play with your dog, this will make a play session much more enjoyable.

The game can also become repetitive.  Once you are familiar with the activities you can engage with your dog, daily tasks of cleaning, petting, feeding, and playing with them can become a chore for some people.

Overall, Touch Pets Dogs is still the best virtual pet game in the App Store with its great graphics and features.  Since it is free to play, everyone, whether they like dogs or not, should at least try this game.  The game is sure to captivate your attention for at least a few hours.  Who knows, it may even motivate you to get a real pet!