We reviewed this game, and it passed through our process with a respectable 4.5/5 stars. Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword is a clever mashup of endless running, boss fights, humorous cartoons as well as with RPG elements mixed, and it’s currently free as part of a unique promotion from which you can prizes out. Everyone loves free things! The game was received extremely well by the media and fans of the genre alike, and it’s bound to stay free for atleast one full week. On top of that, 100,000 downloads will secure the current price tag for another whole month. Similarly, 150,000 downloads and 200,000 downloads will bring on a new game mode and then another new game mode, respectively. Users are recommended to visit the developer’s website in order to vote for their favorite game modes. The top two choices will be developed, if their respective goals are reached. Also as part of the promotion, a video tutorial of the game was developed and posted on YouTube. It shows you what you shouldn’t do with a plasma sword and gives viewers a taste of the humor that is included in the main meat of the actual game. You can view it below: The above video will be incorporated into a new series, if you will. Via the website, which was linked to above, you can send in your suggestions of what not to do with a plasma sword to potentially have your line make it into a future video or into the actual game. Incentive to do so: users will win iTunes giftcards if their lines are used. We liked Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword. From our review: “What makes DRWAPS simply stand out from others of the same breed, is the inclusion of leveling up making it Read More
With the introduction of iOS 5, we saw the inclusion of another application that comes standard with the software, which was Apple’s Reminders application. While it was certainly a much needed addition to iOS, there are multiple other solutions that boast what Apple failed to include, one of which is HQ: To Do, an application similar to Reminders wrapped in a much nicer looking package and sporting additional content over its likely competitor. As you open the application, you’ll notice it’s appealing interface, which is one of application’s strongest fortes, hence the “HQ” part of the name. The plus is that it goes uphill from this bright point on. The aim of the application is to keep you on track. In essence, it’s another to-do application among the existing many that the App Store has to offer. You input a task, a date by which it must be finished, a priority, some other things and it’s guaranteed that you won’t forget to do that task so long as you’ve got notifications turned on. One plus is that the application is pretty much completely customizeable. Each of your tasks will show up in the large list that shows up each time, formatted neatly with the inputted name and the task due date. It also comes accompanied by a slick rounded rectangle layering as the acting background for that task, which can be changed for each other task. From the blues, to the greens to the yellows in between (I’m a poet, and I didn’t even know it!) the options provided add life to the interface giving you the opportunity to augment the application with the desired vivid colors. Highly navigable, the user interface is one to compliment. Everything that you can do in the application is directly accessible with a few clicks, Read More
The game that everyone is crazy about made its way into our hands in abundance, thanks to the generosity of the developers, so we’re offering our readers the chance of winning one of six promo codes for Super Crate Box, the iOS port of the desktop gaming craze of the web! We loved Super Crate Box in our review, evident by the five stars that we so willingly gave it, and we’d like to share the love with you all. Rules: In order to enter this giveaway, all you must do is hit that tweet button near the bottom of this post and tell us why you think you deserve a code for Super Crate Box. The top six tweets that manage to catch our attention will win. It is essential that you mention us with @iPhoneAlley and #giveaway in your tweet. Otherwise, your tweet will not be regarded. If you don’t own a Twitter account, you can just comment below with why you think you should win. Only one entry per person is allowed, and the giveaway will end this Wednesday at 12 AM EST. Make sure that you are following us on Twitter or provide a valid email when commenting below for us to contact you if you have won. An example of a possible tweet: “Super Crate Box is awesome! @iPhoneAlley #giveaway” To enter a promo code: 1) Navigate to the App Store on your iOS device 2) Click on the “Featured” tab at the bottom 3) Scroll all the way down 4) Click on “Redeem” 5) Enter your code exactly how you see it 6) You will be prompted to enter your iTunes credentials – do so 7) Enjoy! Read More
No one would ever run with a plasma sword, let alone even find where to purchase one except for comic store geek, Cornelius when the time of need arrives. Monsters, aliens and other science fictional hazards have invaded the planet and inevitably due to the sake of the game, it’s your job to stop them in a series of levels and endless running missions. Say hello to Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword, the latest in the endless runner genre. Although the game is very inviting kudos to initial screens and any gameplay video that you see, which it is undoubtedly, there are a few caveats that accompany XperimentalZ Games’ first title in their App Store lineup. As stated previously, you play as Cornelius who has found his life boring in that he’s worked for various comic stands, shops, etc. and he wants to spice it up a bit – fortunate for him, the aliens invaded, and he takes matters into his own hands. You’ll run through a total of four different outfitted environments, each boasting seven levels a piece with the last of every environment being an alien boss fight. An epic amount to whet your appetite for the endless mode that the afore-described story mode is incorporated with. Running to the right, enemies in various forms will attempt in killing you; that’s where your weapon comes in. Using the unique (pun not intended) control scheme, you can slash your way easily through the enemies. There are also obstacles which you must slide under or hop over – elements that are essential in the making of an endless runner. Thanks to the three-button control scheme, you can do so. One button allows you to jump; one button allows you to slide; and one button, of course, lets you slash your Read More
A successful business model for some developers these days on the App Store has been that of Freemium: let someone download your game for free, allow them to play competitively for some time and then hammer them with in-app purchases that usually must be bought for players to better compete against the rest of the world. My opinion on the market may be a bit biased because of my hate for it, but it was nice to see Breaking Eggz give me an option when I first downloaded it and really got into it. A freemium title, Breaking Eggz does just the opposite of what’s explained above. Though it doesn’t really have any competitive aspects to its gameplay mechanics, it doesn’t force in-app purchases on you but rather simply leaves them there for you to decide whether or not you want them. That said, it doesn’t constantly remind you to check out the additional content or buy expansion packs like other games so annoyingly do. When I say that Breaking Eggz is casual, I definitely mean it. You’re just posed with breaking a bunch of eggs and hoping to discover things inside of them. When you start, a screen of five eggs will pop up. You can break three of the five by only tapping on them. Each tap will use one of your initial 100 hammers and when you’re out of hammers, you can purchase more or can wait the 4 hour period in which your hammers will regenerate. While the hammers would run out quickly on their own, you have the chance of discovering more within broken eggs. You’ll also have the chance of discovering multipliers, which can be attributed to certain eggs before broken to give you the hop of immensely multiplying the amount of hammers you receive, Read More
The cable network History released an app for history buffs that transports iPad owners back to the Civil War. The Civil War Today marks the 150th anniversary of one of the most important events in U.S. history with games, photos, and daily reports about the war. The updates start with the April 12, 1861 attack on Fort Sumter and continue for four years mirroring the events of 150 years ago as if it were happening today. App owners can further follow the carnage in real-time with diary entries, newspaper clips, and running tallies of the North and South casualty counts. “This is an extraordinary app that lets users touch and feel history in a way never before possible,” said Dan Suratt, EVP, Digital Media and Business Development, A&E Television Networks. “Experiencing the American Civil War in a serialized, ‘real-time’ manner, with direct access to original historical documents, provides a new and very powerful way to understand one of our country’s landmark events.” Utilizing the iPad multi-touch interface users not only have unprecedented access to thousands of documents and maps, the app also allows owners to decipher Morse code and send telegrams via Twitter. When paired with an Apple iPad 2 the app can be streamed to an HDTV or HD projector, allowing for interactive Civil War demonstrations. Perfect for teachers or Civil War clubs. The Civil War Today has been named the the iPad App of the Week and is available for $7.99 in the iTunes App Store. Written by Alex Gardner Categories: News Tags: app, iPad 2 Read More
If you’re an old gamer, you may remember owning an Amiga or even an Atari ST. You may also remember playing a fictional sports game titled, Speedball 2 by the Bitmap Brothers. It turns out that that very exact game, apart from the few tweaks was released on the app store as a universal app in the form of, Speedball 2: Evolution. Though the title is an old one, it carries over some of the best in gaming to this remade, modern predecessor. Having played this title now for a couple of days, I can truly say that it’s a winner. Speedball 2: Evolution is a futuristic image of a non-existent sport which seemingly, by the artwork, takes place in a somewhat technocratic world; I may be wrong but solely based off of the uniforms, a space-like environment is probably present. Through a series of rules, controls, powerups and more, the sport is a spin-off combination of soccer and ice-hockey as you use the members of your team to score points and win over other teams. After an interactive tutorial, you’ll be able to start playing. There are two goals on either side of a large playing field. The objective? Score points by not only trying to get the ball into the goal, but also using the numerous other ways possible to achieve the highest score by the end of the match. You can deplete an opposing member’s health bar throughout to span of the game to receive points, use the bumper in the middle of the field to gain points and even hit another team’s wall-aligning stars: evidently, there are many ways to gain points. The main meat of the game lies within the career mode where you’ll play tons with gameplay split into 10 seasons full of leagues. You Read More
An update to the Skype iPhone/iPod Touch app [App Store, free] has hit the app store, and now supports calling over 3G. With Skype, users can call or text anyone else using Skype for free. However, Skype has announced that they plan to start charging a monthly fee. Their app description simply states, “Call using your 3G connection. Skype-to-Skype calls on 3G are free until at least end of August 2010, after which there will be a small monthly fee (operator charges for data will still apply).” The app may still be handy for iPod Touch users, but I don’t see why iPhone users will pay Skype to make calls if they’re already paying their phone provider. Categories: News Tags: retro Read More
If you are a fan of the iPhone app, 2Do [App Store, $6.99], we have some good news for you: The developer announced via Facebook that 2Do is coming to the iPad as a universal app. That’s right, no fee to upgrade. If you haven’t checked out this fully featured todo app for your iPhone or iPod Touch, we encourage you to do so. A “Lite” version is available for free [App Store], which offers many of the functionalities of the paid version. Categories: News Tags: Read More
Further legitimizing the iPad as a book reader, Barnes & Noble introduced its reader app [App Store, Free] for the iPad today. While not as flashy as Apple’s iBooks, the BN eReader appears to be a step ahead of the Kindle app and offers features not available on either competing apps. The Barnes & Noble app offers the ability to loan out your eBooks to a friend for up to two weeks, and lets you see the books as they were intended, using the publishers formatting suggestion. It also allows you to save formatting themes. The expected features are included as well, such as highlighting, adding notes, and bookmarks (tap the bottom right corner to dog-ear the page). BN eReader also supports syncing between other devices such as the Nook or BN eReader for iPhone. The new eReader has a few downsides, however. When you launch the app, it requires you to sign in or create an account. This is handled via their website, not in-app. After completing the sign up process, you have to reopen the app and sign in. As with the Kindle app, you can’t buy books from within the app either. And then even when trying to download a free book, B&N requires you to enter your credit card information. Being forced to go to their website to purchase books might be more acceptable if they formatted the site to fit the iPad. The app buttons and widgets don’t feel like an iPad app. They use on/off toggles like the iPhone OS, but they don’t look or function like native iPad widgets. Action buttons are unattractive and look more like website buttons than application buttons. I noticed that the load time for even their small 4-page introduction eBook seemed rather long. At the bottom of the page Read More
