ConiMob » IPhone stuff

Numba

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:29:09 +0000

You’d be surprised how much a touchscreen can improve a regular puzzle game. Well, you might not surprised if you’ve been playing some of the mobile games that have been ported to iPhone.

Any game on mobile that involves laboriously moving around a grid benefits from it – and of course, it’s not just on iPhone, but on any touchscreen handset. Swiping your finger or thumb along a row of gems or jabbing at a button is so much more satisfying.

Numba certainly benefits. On mobile, it was a good number-based puzzler, but its format lends itself perfectly to the touchscreen treatment. The actual game is largely unchanged, but its graphics have been boosted to suit the larger screen too.

Assuming you’re new to the game though, here’s how it works: you’re presented with a grid of numbers between 1 and 9, and your job is to create sequences by dragging your digit through adjacent tiles. A sequence has to be at least three numbers long, but its makeup is flexible. It might be three 1s for example, or a 1-2-3-4 sequence, or an incremental series (1-5-9).

]]>

Get a sequence, and the tiles disappear, with more dropping down from above. Strategy, then, is a case of finding these sequences, but also lining up longer ones by keeping an eye on the whole screen.

There are three ways to play Numba on iPhone. Classic mode sees you competing against the clock on each level, while Timeless mode removes the time limit to present a more relaxed puzzling experience. There’s also a Puzzle mode consisting of a slate of tricky stages.

If it was just creating sequences of numbers, the game would soon get boring. Happily, there are special tiles to deal with. Some change number every turn, some are frozen, some have time limits, and others have score bonuses. Learning to deal with these is how you boost your score and where the real challenge lies.

You can also collect Jumble bonuses, which allow you to shake the iPhone to jumble up the screen and (hopefully) reveal new sequences. It’s another example of how the iPhone accelerometer can be used in subtle but impressive ways in this kind of puzzle game.

Meanwhile, Puzzle mode sees you trying to solve 78 specific puzzle layouts, again without a time limit. The three modes offer a decent amount of variety, although we found we preferred the less-stressful experience of Timeless mode as a time-killer.

Numba doesn’t really tax the iPhone’s hardware, given that it’s a screenful of numbers. However, it does look bright and colourful, with the numbers the right size to ensure sausage-fingered gamers don’t jab the wrong ones on a regular basis. The sound doesn’t stand out, but it complements the gameplay well. But given its GBP 3.99 price point, and the improvements over the mobile version, it’s a good deal.

All in all, it’s a pretty addictive package, and one of the dark horses of the App Store. It might not be as high-profile as the likes of Super Monkey Ball and Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart, but make no mistake, this is one of the more impressive iPhone puzzlers available.

Download Numba Free

MR. Bumblebee

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:57:40 +0000

MISTER BUMBLEBEE RACING CHAMPION

NOW FOR iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH

Mister Bumblebee and his friends are having a race today!

Because they are flying,
this is not just like driving a car – it is a truly
three dimensional experience.
Fly over hills, under tree trunks and through caves.
Avoid collisions, collect items and
establish new lap records!

Features:
- Completely in 3D
- Four cartoon style hand-drawn tracks
- Choose Mister Bumblebee or three other funny characters
- Smoke bombs and other special items
- Three levels of difficulty
- Compare your lap times in the hall of fame

Download

Billy Frontier

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:47:21 +0000

Billy Frontier is an arcade style action game with a “cowboys in space” theme. You get to fight in duels, shootouts, stampedes, etc. It’s the kind of game you’ll want to pick up and play whenever you get that twitch to just shoot something and blow stuff up!

The best way to see what Billy Frontier is all about is to just download the game and try it out!

Billy Frontier is a little bloodier than most of our games, but it’s still all done as comedy so enjoy!

Download Billy Frontier for iphone

Nanosaur 2

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:48:10 +0000

Nanosaur 2 is a continuation of the original Nanosaur storyline, only this time you get to fly a pteradactyl who’s loaded with hi-tech weaponry, and the game is much larger than the original 1998 Nanosaur game. In addition to the three level adventure mode where you blast enemy dinos and save eggs, there are also

six two-player levels including racing, capture-the-flag, and battle.

Download Nanosaur 2

Big Bang Board Games

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:03:07 +0000

An iPhone/iPod touch version of Big Bang Board Games is also available.

It’s Sun vs. Moon in these innovative takes on seven classic games. Play Checkers, Chess, Reversi, Mancala, Backgammon, 4-in-a-Row and Tic-Tac-Toe against animated computer opponents, via email with friends, or online with opponents from around the world!

Download for Iphone/Ipod

Scifly Dogfight

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:02:55 +0000

Science fiction teases the impossible. Alien invasions, utopian states, polished use of the accelerometer – some things require a greater suspension of belief than others. SciFly: Dogfight demonstrates the latter is barred from the realm of fiction, masterfully utilising the feature for spot-on flight action. Like many works of science fiction, sadly, this is a game with an intriguing hook, but little substantive content.

Flying is as simple as tilting your handset. Phenomenal use of the accelerometer ensures responsive handling. A sensitivity setting in the options menu allows you to tweak it, if desired, but the default value works wonderfully. Along with basic movement, you can roll your ship by tapping left and right arrows in the respective bottom corners of the touchscreen.

Firing weapons in SciFly: Dogfight is done with a press of the attack key in the upper right corner. An action gauge restricts how often you can fire, however, refilling when your weapon is not in use. Each ship comes with a single unique weapon starting with the Avenger’s heat-seeking missiles. Accessing the other three ships and corresponding weapon loadout – Phoenix’s heat laser, Viper’s machine gun, and Gladiator’s flak cannon – requires spending credits earned from battle.

Each battle tasks you with earning point for downing enemy aircraft toward a goal of eight points. Two point are awarded per kill. Crashing or being shot down, however, costs you a point. Bonuses are doled out for quick completion and multiplied by the level of difficulty. Take out four fliers in quick succession on Ace difficulty and expect to rake in the credits.

Of course, it’s easier said than done. SciFly does well in clearly distinguishing among its three levels of difficulty. Hit up a battle in Recruit and you’re able to easily wipe a bunch of foes from the map. Bump it up to Experienced and things get noticeable harder. On Ace, enemies zero in on you the moment you take off; it’s tough, yet still manageable. You always feel challenged because enemies are persistent, but never does the game grow aggravating thanks to mindful combat balancing.

The graduated difficulty curve represents just one part of a balanced and finely-tuned whole. What SciFly: Dogfight lacks in content it more than makes up for in sheer quality. Four fighters and three levels limit the game’s long-term value, even though what little time you spend with it is nothing short of fun. Clearly, much time was spent primping and pruning mechanics to ensure they perform smoothly. Effortless controls, balanced combat, and solid visuals ensure the game flies the user-friendly skies.

Download IPhone Game

Virtual Villagers

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:26:29 +0000

Virtual Villagers is a downloadable real-time simulation game for IPhone developed by Last Day of Work, the creators of Fish Tycoon and a number of other casual sim games. Take charge of a village of crash survivors and help them carve out a living on a jungle island. Teach them to farm, help them research scientific advancements and expand their population. It’s a remarkably addictive game that’s easy to play but impossible to stay away from!

You begin with a small handful of untrained villagers. Teach them to perform various tasks such as farming, building, researching, breeding and healing. An extremely helpful tutorial guides you through the game’s basics, but everything operates on a simple drag-and-drop mechanic. Want to train a scientist? Drop a villager on the research table. Need to pick berries for food? Drag someone over the berry bush. Villagers may not take to a task immediately, so sometimes you’ll have to be persistent.

Download Virtual Villagers

RhinoBall(Bolt)

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:19:32 +0000

The game is an accelerometer based game in which you control the character of Rhino (a hamster in a ball) to find Bolt (a dog). Naturally, you tilt your iPhone to collect the lightning bolts as you race to the end of the level. The game is somewhat simple, but does serve as a good tie in to the movie.

It’s a fun diversion with some amusing clip scenes, though be warned that the clip scenes + trailers bring this app up to a chunky 94.4MB size.

Download

iFishing

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:23:56 +0000

iFishing is a first-person perspective fishing simulator. The game plays through a tournament scenario where trophies and cash are awarded based on how savvy a fisherman the player is. There are fifteen lakes in which to fish which are unlocked based on award success.

Once a lake is chosen, the player is presented with a top-down view of the lake and can steer his/her boat to the desired spot using an on-screen steering wheel and throttle. There’s even a fish-finder–a nice touch. Once the desired spot is reached, a first-person view of the lake and the player’s fishing rod is presented, and with a jerk of the iPhone the line is cast. Tilting the iPhone left and right controls the angle of the rod and once a fish is hooked, touching the bottom of the screen starts reeling him in.

Download Free Iphone Game iFishing

Midnight Pool

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:17:28 +0000

Who hasn’t played a game of pool? It’s one of the most popular forms of casual entertainment in the world today. Midnight Pool for your iPhone is perhaps the best gaming application for fans of this popular sport thus far, but it does have some problems.

Story mode is the main meat of the game. You play as Alison on a quest to prove that you’re the best pool player in the world. The ultimate goal is to beat all of your opponents and earn as much money as you can. (You can also go trough a series of trick shot challenges but these aren’t necessary for completion.) The problem with story mode is once you beat it, you can’t seem to play it again with other characters you’ve unlocked during your journey; this is something I don’t quite understand. Why shut down this promising game mode?

What’s left are arcade and two-player mode. Here, you can choose between one of seven characters you’ve unlocked in story mode. You have a choice of playing 8-Ball US, 8-Ball UK or 9-Ball — a nice selection for those tired of just one pool playing option. Rules and a tutorial are available for those uninitiated in any of these variations. You can perform jump and masse shots, but the instructions don’t walk you through the techniques; you have to figure it out for yourselves. This should be added in a future upgrade. Two-player mode is the highlight of this game and playing against human opposition is your best challenge.

Midnight Pool has solid controls. Different camera, angle and ball shot options are at your disposal. Touch controls allow quick access to various angles, and if you find the game is too easy, just turn off the aiming lines option for a better challenge. Pull and release is the best option for shooting. You can flick your finger forward after pulling the cue stick back, but I didn’t see the point in using it. Ball physics are a bit heavy, though. I noticed the balls would slow down a bit quicker than they should.

The graphics are pretty good. You can choose different outfits for your characters and they animate nicely when you miss or make a shot. Speech and sound effects were really good, but the music goes from classic ballads like Sweet Home Alabama to cheesy garbage rock.

Midnight Pool was reviewed playing Version 1.0.0.