The roundup for March 2010 starts with a non game, and ends with a Konami special in part 2. There are a couple of real gems to be found in the roundup this month. In part 1 there are two titles shining brighter than the rest: Last Front: Europe and Monster RPG 2. Before we get there we start by going through the alphabet.
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz – weird title, entertaining app.
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz is not a game but rather a quite entertaining way to spend your time just playing around with sound. It doesn’t want to be a game either, and is found in the Entertainment section of the App Store. We got a code from the developer, and as I found it quite fun to play around with I wanted to mention it to our dear readers. Basically abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz is what you make of it. You tap to send letters into the play area, and they go around making the sound of the letter they represent. It is quite easy to build strange rhythms, and the game can be set to self oscillation to keep going by itself. Sadly thought the screen dims after a while unless you set it not to in the iPhone settings. A variety of different behaviours can be set such as vehicles where the letter go around like cars p, p, p, v, v, ,v. Or gravity where they follow the angle of the iPhone. You can clear the screen with a button, drag a bomb into the middle of the screen to clear up letters and set a strange arrow on them. A camera icon lets you take a picture of your current creation of flying letters. The minimal look, crazy sounds created and wackiness of the idea appeals to me. Then again it is not a game, and there is no goal other than momentary entertainment.
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz $1.99
Version: 1.0
Seller: joerg piringer
Alien Antigens – ugly ball launching clone.
Some games aren’t pretty, and if there was a convention for ugly games Alien Antigens would definitely deserve an invitation. I don’t want to play any more, and I have only spent half an hour with this game. Apparently there aren’t too many people out there interested in playing it either as I got ranked 175 globally after a couple of minutes. Alien Antigens is a clone of Bust a Move and Snood. You shoot balls at other balls to remove them. The controls are strange because you have a lot of icons to select from in the same area as you aim and shoot at. I don’t really know if there is any level progression or just a high score game. The music annoyed me after a couple of minutes, and thankfully you can play your own. Multiplayer through WiFi and Bluetooth if you want others to suffer as well. The game has currently got nine five star reviews out of a total of 12 ratings, I don’t think so. If you think that I am harsh against the game please download the lite version, and give it a go. If you are one of the nine giving it five stars at the App Store please update the graphics and user interface because you have to be connected to the developer. Alien Antigens makes me want to mentally hurl.
Alien Antigens $0.99
Version: 1.4
Seller: devin rosen
Alien Antigens Lite
Bella Boo – Dead chick in peril.
Bella Boo is not feeling too well, and that is quite easy to understand since she is utterly dead. Sadly though she has not been able to get any piece. Instead flaming skulls, zombies and other pesky enemy entities, constantly haunt her. Limbo is not a nice place, and thankfully Bella is capable of taking care of herself. She has got a fire tail following her as she fly around. By completing a circle every enemy contained within the circle will perish. Bella Boo is all about nailing high scores, and Bella will die eventually. The presentation is quite unpolished, and both Bella and the enemies feel like cutouts against the background. Still you won’t have much time looking at the graphics as you fly around avoiding enemy fire, shaking the phone to get out of the clutches of a zombie and making circles. The music is decent, and suits the game well. 45 Openfeint achievements, and online leaderboards cater for gamelife. The game comes with three good controls schemes: touch, tilt and joypad. I had no problem using any of them, but found the joypad to be easiest to navigate the harder enemies with. At a buck Bella Boo is definitely worth considering if you want a high score game for the quick break with a darker theme. As the game saves your last game state it is easy to get right back into the action.
Bella Boo $0.99
Version: 1.1
Seller: Half Fast Games
Caper – Unfocused Canabalt in 3d.
When I found out about Caper I got excited as it looked like a colorful 3d version of Canabalt. When I started to play it I soon realized that this is as far from Canabalt as you can get. Playing Caper is more akin of playing Super Monkey Ball as it has the same level of frustration built in. You know what you want the avatar to do, but he doesn’t really perform the action you want. Ok, now I went ahead of myself. The game Caper comes with three different games in one, and lets you control the game using three different control methods. There are too many options available to make this a viable high score game like Doodle Jump or Canabalt. It also takes a lot more time to get into. The level mode is a 3d jumper with 20 levels. God mode lets you drag around the level pieces, and you have to make sure that the dude doesn’t fall to his death. Finally there is the side race mode that is the most accessible mode. Actually the game should focus on this mode, and throw out the other 3d modes. Openfeint integration gives you global leaderboards. Graphics are colorful but the levels are quite barren. The music is ok, and adds a bit of nerve to the game. Still the lack of focus destroys the game for me with 3 game modes, 3 controls methods and 5 different camera angles. If you want a game to become a huge casual high score game it has to be kept simple. In the current shape I can’t recommend Caper.
Caper $2.99
Version: 1.0
Seller: V S
CarMaze – Get them cars parked.
In CarMaze you have to make sure the cars get to their destination. Cars and destinations are color coded, and so are the arrows you place to direct them. An arrow can be set to go in any direction by tapping the square you want it place upon. I found the game quite underwhelming due to the bland presentation. Grey tiles, and low details to the cars fail to make any impression. The gameplay is quite slow and deliberate. The challenge comes from getting the cars to their destinations in as few moves as possible. There are 50 levels available, and Openfeint integration lets you know how well you are doing. You can also download solutions to help you improve your puzzle solving. To me this game is too unpolished to recommend, and from what I have heard the game runs slowly on 3G and slower devices. This is a serious lack of optimization, as the game certainly doesn’t even push the first iPhone’s hardware.
CarMaze $0.99
Version: 1.03
Seller: Hitesh Patel
CarMaze Lite
Color Storm! – Evil drops of water are attacking
Water is a real hassle to any homeowner no matter how it invades your home. In Color Storm! the water has been transformed by microwave radiation into an invasion force. Actually the water isn’t too menacing in either look or behavior. Color Storm! is a tap em’ up where you have to tap the water to remove it. It is not allowed to reach key areas such as the sink in level one. There are seven levels of increasing difficulty demanding some intense tapping. The odd powerup can be used, and upgraded between levels. The graphics are simple, and reminds me of a scaled down Rolando. The gameplay gets old quite quickly in my opinion, and perhaps it is the fact that the enemy water drops are more cute than menacing. Somehow I can’t bring myself to play beyond the first quarter or so. No online functionality, no achievements and no unlockables beyond the levels. At a buck I can only recommend it to those looking for some intense tapping to ease their nerves.
Color Storm! $0.99
Version: 1.0
Seller:Daniel Oliphant
Crystal Cave: Lost Treasures – Casual puzzle solving bonanza.
I have already reviewed the big brother Crystal Cave Classic here, and Lost Treasures is basically the same game but with a focus on the more casual levels. There are some hard levels to be found as well to challenge even the hardcore puzzle solver. A tutorial helps the newbie to get into the diamond hunting antics. I still think that the heroine is a bit too plump in the game when compared to stills and intro movie. The boulder dash puzzle gameplay still feels fresh, and just like the original it comes with several different control schemes. 100 levels will probably be enough for most users, and I recommend getting the Lost Treasures one first before venturing out into the land of Crystal Cave Classic. If you have never heard of any of these games I urge you to give the lite version of Crystal Cave Classic a go.
Crystal Cave: Lost Treasures $0.99
Version: 1.0
Seller: Pavel Tovarys
Crystal Cave Classic Lite
Cross Shot – Ball buster extraordinaire.
Chain reaction games are quite common for the iPhone with titles such as Chain Reaction, Sneezies and Bugs. In Cross Shot you simply tap a ball to break it, and it turns into four splinters flying diagonally. The aim is to break all the balls in huge chain reactions. Cross Shot is the one demanding most planning, as it is quite hard getting all of them by just randomly tapping. In the end failure is an option, and Openfeint caters for high scores. Cross Shot is a simple game with simple presentation. If you are a huge fan of chain reaction games it might be worth taking into consideration. It comes with three different game modes, and the lite version lets you sample the challenge mode.
Cross Shot $0.99
Version: 1.02
Seller: Kazuaki Honma
Cross Shot Lite
Doodle Blitz – Who knew war could be so boring?
The doodle graphical style is a huge phenomenon on the iPhone, and Doodle Blitz is yet another game following the fad. But instead of focusing on interesting gameplay when the graphics have been simplified Doodle Blitz feels like a total afterthought. Your doodle plane flies above a city that needs to be leveled to the ground. Tapping the screen drops a bomb, and you have to make sure all houses are crushed before your plane crashes into them. Every level adds more houses, and in the end your plane will probably crash. I say probably because I got bored after the second level. As the game didn’t save where I left off I had to restart again the next time I booted the game. There are some extra modes added but I still find the basic gameplay to be a total bore. Openfeint integration gives you both online leaderboards, and achievements. Let this one fly you by.
Doodle Blitz $0.99
Version: 1.5
Seller: Ivan Mackintosh
Last Front: Europe – wait a minute, war can be fun!
I both love and hate tower defense games, and the best tower defense games are those that don’t feel like tower defense. Recently I raved over BioDefense: Zombie Outbreak, and now we get Last Front: Europe. Initially I thought that the gameplay of Last Front was kind of slow, but once you get past the first couple of levels the game gets going. It is a combination of open, and path tower defense. The maps are varied, and come with natural obstacles such as rivers, bridges and bunkers. You have to stop the enemies from marching to your headquarters in true tower defense style. You place bunkers, AA turrets and machine guns to stop the invaders. There are also different obstacles to place in front of the advancing army. The touch controls work really well, and most things can be 
easily upgraded. A double speed button, and send next wave button helps speed up the gameplay considerably. The content available is humongous because of downloadable maps from other users. You can also create your own to play by yourself. Without downloads the game comes with 16 maps that feature different battles from the Second World War. There are three modes: a campaign mode, a battle mode and an online high score mode. The presentation is quite all right with stylized units. A bit of polish would not hurt to get the maps look more realistic. The sound effects are great with heavy weapon fire erupting across the battlefield, and the music suits the game quite well. I have not spent enough time with the title to give it a proper review, but the time spent with it has been pleasant. Last Front: Europe is definitely a title worthy of some consideration if you are a tower defense fan or World War 2 buff. The price is a bit high, but to be able to have servers for user created content I understand the developer’s price point.
Last Front: Europe $3.99
Version: 1.03
Seller: Plow Digital
Mephisto – Mesmerizing Japanese pachislo simulation.
Some developers have no fear, and the creator of Mephisto is one of those. I reviewed their earlier simulation Slot Japan! for TouchGen, and gave it a 0.5 star rating. The low score was a result of lack of gameplay to be found. I won’t rate Mephisto from a game point of view, and perhaps I should have been more hesitant to giving Slot Japan! a rating as well. Anyway Mephisto is a simulation of a pachislo machine. I am not versed in pachislo, but thankfully the game comes with a properly translated manual and an assist mode. Earning medals, scoring the big points and being mesmerized by the rotating slots is what Mephisto is all about. It is actually quite entertaining, and even though there is little I can do to affect the outcome I keep coming back. Perhaps it is the dark eerie art style, the voiceovers or the flashing lights. At any rate I enjoy Mephisto, and I can recommend it to anyone looking for a game of pachislo or slots in general. Agon online in integrated giving online high scores. The game has setting for landscape or portrait mode, auto play and assist. I have to conclude that the game is extremely polished for a simulation of an old Japanese pachislo machine. Kudos to the developer for sending a code after getting a harsh 0.5 for his previous effort.
Mephisto $1.99
Version: 1.0.0
Seller: Ichikaku Co,. Ltd.
Method Geo – Deductive puzzles frying brains.
Some games look deceptively simple at first, and Method Geo is definitely one of those. I was not impressed at all the first time I gave it a go. The second time I started to warm up to it, and the third I was hooked. The rules of Method Geo are really simple. You have a grid of blocks, and you get a clue at the top of the screen showing the pattern you need to find. By tapping the boxes you guess are correct, and tapping scan you get a number indicating how many squares you guessed correctly. By deducing the possible patterns you have to get the correct solution within the available tries. Otherwise the game over screen will show it’s ugly face. Early on it is quite easy to get the solution within a couple of attempts, but as the grid expands so does the challenge. The presentation is really basic with a red and green color palette. The music is kind of boring techno stuff. Sound effects consist of a couple of voiceovers, and the odd sound when you scan and complete a level. 50 levels are available, and it will take quite some time to master them all. I am pleased when I pass level 10 myself. With Openfeint integration you get online scores to contend with. I found Method Geo to be a really nice deductive puzzler worthy of my time.
Method Geo $1.99
Version: 1.0
Seller: planning NYARO
Monster RPG 2 – Great Japanese style RPG.
This is the second entry (next to Last Front: Europe) in the roundup that I know would score well in a full review, but I simply have no time to dive deep enough to make that call. Monster RPG 2 is a Japanese style RPG with retro graphics, and a hefty story. I have only managed to dip my pinky into the vast world presented in Monster RPG 2. The story is interesting in the kind of RPG way we have learnt to love. Betrayal, backstabbing, jealousy and anger are present to give you motivation to complete the game. You move around using touch controls, and most of the time they work well. As random encounters are common it is annoying at those occasions when the input fails to register correctly. At times it is also hard to get precision when a chest needs to be opened. Battle is turn based, and a mixture of touch and gesture is used. The gestures are quite basic but give a satisfying feeling that I am actually slashing the enemy. The 1.2 update added a virtual dialogue pad, and visible touch buttons. To me these controls work much better when moving about on the map. 
Much like the Final Fantasy games Monster RPG 2 is about leveling up, expanding your party and buy new gear. The music is quite good retro adventure stuff, and the sound effects are as annoying as they have always been in this genre. To me Monster RPG 2 is a great addition to the role-playing family for the iPhone. At a third of the price of Final Fantasy I or II I definitely think that Monster RPG 2 is a worthy investment, especially to those not tied to the Final Fantasy series by nostalgia. The developer of Monster RPG 2, Nooskewl, seems dedicated to the game. New updates keep coming making the gaming experience better and better. Definitely try the lite version to get a feel for the game.
Monster RPG 2 $2.99
Version: 1.2
Seller: Nooskewl
Monster RPG Lite
Road To Mudness – As crappy as the mud it runs through.
We end the first part on a definite low point with Road To Mudness. It is a top down racer with a broken control system. You get a large sport steering wheel in the middle of the screen. Instead of turning it as you otherwise might have guessed it comes with buttons. A left, and right turn button lets you turn. To drive straight both have to be pressed simultaneously. This is hard to get the game to understand though, and swerving is the best way to describe the controls in Road To Mudness. Nitro and brake buttons are also available but that means that you have to take your fingers from the throttle. A mighty strange control method that I am not clever enough to even remotely master. Even if I did there isn’t much to the game. There are 3 different vehicles to race over 4 races. Sure you can upgrade the car, but as there is no career or championship mode there is really no point to it. As the biggest challenge comes from the impossible controls, and not the AI I don’t want my dune buggy to be any quicker. Graphics are poor, UI is poor and there is really no reason to pick this up. Road To Crapiness is a better name for this game.
Road To Mudness $0.99
Version: 1.0
Seller: David Hernandez Vara
