There are far too many games coming out on the App Store every day for us to review all of them fully. So, we have to pick and choose which games we're going to cover. These five games made the cut because there's something special about them-- they're independently developed, have a high level of polish, and feature a promising character or concept. Read on for this week's Under The Radar indie picks. In Nano Titans' last game, Foodies, you had to create a platform so that you could bounce a goo-ball to collect bits of food. This spiritual successor has you collecting food, and then slinging it over to your hungry critters using a spiderweb mechanic. You can combine snacks for more points and to move them to clearer vantage points, and when everyone's fed, you're rewarded with fireworks and up to three stars. The visuals alone are outstanding, and some of the puzzles are very challenging. Price: $.99 Cuboid was originally a Playstation Network game, but it looks right at home on your iPhone or iPad. You have to push a block that is twice as tall as it is wide, and move it to a place on the board where it can fall straight down. You can topple this piece end-over-end, like a bulky piece of furniture, but navigating around corners or narrow pathways can be tricky. The backgrounds in Cuboid look wonderfully realistic, and it's available as a free download with optional in-app purchases. Price: Free Do you consider yourself a multitasking master? Can you surf the web, check email, watch videos, and play games all at the same time? If so, you might be cut out for Mini Mix Mayhem, a series of concurrently-running microgames that will split your attention in several different ways. For example, Read More
We receive a ridiculous number of new apps to review every week, and many of them probably aren't worth your time. But we like to pick out five solid examples of creative new indie games that worth your time, and feature them in our weekly Under The Radar column. Take a chance on one or more of these unique games, and we don't think you'll be disappointed. With The Bluecoats: North Vs South, you no longer have to wake up at dawn and put on a faded gray uniform to reenact the Civil War. In this strategy game, you play as either the Confederate or Union armies as they march across the United States. Connecting forts by rail will generate money, which you can use to recruit more troops. You can then invade other states, defend forts in a shooting gallery minigame, and help shape American history. Price: $3.99 The only thing scarier than a wild tiger is a tiger with an internal combustion engine. The vehicles in Carnimalz are part animal, which means they'll roar and purr as you step on the gas. This casual racing game is simple to control-- you just have to slide your finger up and down to avoid obstacles, and press a button for a special move. But what we really like about this game is the graphical presentation, with its excellent cel-shaded animation. Price: $.99 In Self Aware, your iPhone has been hacked, which really seems like more of an Android thing. This hacker is an evil computer that taunts your puny human abilities with a series of challenges based on your iPhone's pre-loaded apps. For example, you'll have to spell out passwords in the calculator, or solve riddles based on your calendar and contacts. The creepy red overlay makes your iPhone look diseased, Read More
Once a week, we take a look at new game releases on the App Store that are starved for attention. We'll play through a bunch of them, find five that we can safely recommend, and present them to you along with buy links and extra info. Support your App Store indies by picking up some of these fun new games! Super Mario World won't ever appear on an iOS device (unless you jailbreak it and install an emulator), so we'll just have to make do with lookalikes like Wawa Land. Wawa is a friendly, cat-like creature who can stomp on enemies, punch coins out of boxes, and wear different suits to acquire new abilities. The game is fairly challenging due to the slippery physics, but we loved the SNES-style graphics and old-school level design. Price: $.99 Hareep is a mama bird who finds her babies trapped behind laser beams, bombs, and other obstacles. To get to their nest, you have to pick up objects that affect your environment. For example, the wrench pickup will let you rotate lasers, while the mirrors will let you reflect them in a different direction. This puzzle game starts off difficult and doesn't let up, so give it a try if you're looking for a mental challenge. Price: $1.99 The best part of any dungeon-based game is collecting loot, and that's what Treasure Swipe is all about. Each room of the castle has bags and chests full of gold, and you have to swipe on them repeatedly to open them (swipe side to side for bags, up and down for chests). At the same time, creatures like rats and slimes will creep in from the right. This is a great game to play with a friend-- one of you can collect the loot, while the other Read More
This weekend, The Avengers walloped every other opening weekend box office record by earning over $200 million in the US. With Marvel's superhero team at the height of their popularity, this seems like a good time to remind everyone that most of the Avengers have already starred in their own iPhone games. In addition to licensed movie games featuring Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, we've also included one game starring the Avengers' web-slinging friend, Spider-Man, and a classic fighting game with a host of other Marvel heroes. Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty This Captain America game launched around the time of last summer's movie, but as a Mirror's Edge knock-off, it's hard to get too psyched for the Captain. In Sentinel of Liberty, you simply run to the right, knocking out Red Skull's henchmen with a few well-timed kicks or shield throws. This isn't the best use of Cap's image, so maybe skip this licensed game and check out Mirror's Edge instead. Our Score: 2 out of 4 Our Bottom Line: Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty makes a better comic than a game. Iron Man 2 Two years ago, when Iron Man 2 dominated the box office, Gameloft released their licensed movie game. You'd think having rocket boots and laser hands would make for some exciting gameplay, but this game felt too clunky and incomplete. Except for the boss fights, there aren't a lot of reasons to pay a full $4.99 for Iron Man 2. Our Score: 2 out of 4 Our Bottom Line: Iron Man 2 is an ambitious movie tie-in that feels like it spent more time in planning than production. Thor: Son of Asgard Thor: Son of Asgard is a game so embarrassingly bad, we wouldn't be surprised if Asgard disowned Thor after playing it. It's a Read More
iOS gaming costs can add up, if you buy every major new game right when it comes out. But if you're patient and look for deals like these, you can fill your iOS device with many outstanding, full-length games for free. Check out this week's discounts and get your iOS gaming fix the smart way. Smash Cops One of our favorite games of the year so far, Smash Cops is a fast-paced action game inspired by live police chases. From a helicopter's perspective, you have to control a cop car using one-finger controls. You can ram the perps and flip them over without fear of losing your badge, as long as you don't let them get away. This is a Must Have game, and today it's completely free. Our Score: 4 out of 4 Our Bottom Line: If you've ever wanted to be a TV cop who acts with reckless disregard for civil society, all for the sake of catching the bad guys, this is your game. Ion Racer SGN's futuristic, F-Zero style racer is now free! When we reviewed Ion Racer earlier this month, we thought this game had great neon-lit sci-fi tracks and fun bonus objectives. Like in most racing games, you can tune up your ride with points, but Real Racing never let you take regenerative energy shields onto the track. Our Score: 3 out of 4 Our Bottom Line: Ion Racer is a fun, very well done, thrill ride of a game that leaves us wishing there was more to it. Deadlock: Online There's never quite been a shooter quite like Counter-Strike on mobile, but Deadlock makes a strong run at it. In this terrorists vs counter-terrorists team deathmatch, you have to wipe out the other side using twin-stick shooting controls. You'll earn new weapons, armor, and Read More
For over a year now, we've been bringing you weekly dispatches from an often unexplored side of the App Store-- independent games that don't have the budget or brands to stand out from the crowd. But these games are still worth your attention, and they're a lot better than a lot of App Store shovelware. Here are 20 top picks from over 200 indie games we've featured in the last year of Under The Radar articles, along with links to our full reviews. 20. Space Frontier "In this sci-fi sim game, you have to terraform small asteroids by building structures and managing your resources. You can also sell space real estate, hire an army of robot workers, and meet new alien species." -December 8, 2011 Our score: 2 out of 4 Our bottom line: Space Frontier lacks the polish to be an impressive game, and this style of building sim is definitely not for everyone. 19. Flapcraft "As a 'Flapcrafter', you have to pilot your unwieldy log as far as possible and earn enough points to add some wings and a jet engine. You're given a series of challenges, like swooping down to graze the treetops three times, and by the end of the game you'll have a primitive, but effective, log-based flying machine." -September 1, 2011 Our score: 2 out of 4 Our bottom line: Flapcraft isn’t a total flop, but it’s a bit too simple. 18. CurveBot Evolved "You start with a large shape, and you have to remove slices of it to get down to the last 20%. CurveBot is different, because it's played from a 3D perspective, with really sharp, Retina-enabled graphics." -July 14, 2011 Our score: 3 out of 4 Our bottom line: CurveBot is a neat take on the mechanics of Qix. 17. Pickpawcket "As Read More
The App Store can be overwhelming for consumers-- new games are available every single day, and a flood of high-profile games arrive every Wednesday night. In Under The Radar, we look for the quality indie games that might otherwise evade your detection. Here are this week's picks-- purchase a few to support your indie App Store developers! In this adorable and beautiful 3D Match-3 puzzler based on the PC series Cubis, you have to wake up slumbering woodland creatures by matching blocks on them. You fire blocks from one of two sides of the grid, and special moves like wedges will let you stack blocks vertically. As much fun as the main game is, there's a tournament mode that lets you compete globally in a different puzzle each day. Price: $.99 The 2012 US election is a marathon, and you can help your favorite candidate keep up the pace with this free auto-running game. You start by picking a candidate, then take them out to run, jump, and collect votes. The running gameplay is very basic, but we liked the unlockable extras, like goofy hats. You can also see which candidate is used most widely in the game: Currently Obama's in the lead over Mitt Romney, with Zombie George Washington in third place. Price: Free When your sheepdog falls asleep on the job, it's time to herd your flock back where it belongs. You do this by placing your finger on the screen and moving it around, causing all of your sheep to move at the same time. You'll then have to shift them around the screen, grouping them together or pulling them apart, to fit them on platforms. From what we've played, Flockwork is a charming, family-friendly puzzler with very intuitive controls. Price: $.99 Little Labyrinth is the fast-paced, high-score Read More
The App Store offers much more than just top-of-the-line, triple-A studio releases like Max Payne Mobile and Burnout: Crash. Every day, amateur and independent developers release new games, but most of them are widely ignored. We found five indie iOS games that we think are worth playing this week, so check out our picks below and support your App Store indies! Warning Label Games want you to come away from playing this game with one idea planted firmly in your head: If you use portable electronics while driving, you're far more likely to get into an accident. In this cartoon-like driving simulation, you have to navigate through traffic while your friends text you distractingly. You'll quickly learn that you can't pick up your phone, keep your eyes on the road, and avoid running over jogging squirrels at the same time. Don't Kill The Squirrel seems at times like a lighthearted game, but it carries a serious message. Price: $.99 Propel Man is a flinging, flying game where you launch a parachute-packing hero as far as he'll go. First, you draw back the catapult. Then, you set the release point. From there, physics takes over. The more successful landings you complete, the more cash you'll earn to improve your catapult, suit, and parachute. Later, you'll be able to pick up rocket boosters and zap pesky birds with lasers. Propel Man himself doesn't have a lot of personality, but we enjoyed the simple gameplay. Price: $.99 The Quest stars knight Sir Steve as he tries to locate the Holy Grail. Unfortunately for him, that means solving a series of perplexing, Rubik's Cube-inspired puzzles. Each cube is made up of land and water tiles, which Sir Steve can cross between with the help of a boat. But the terrain can change instantly when you Read More
Tired of your car's dashboard? Then why not take advantage of modern technology and your iPad with Speed 2? This nifty app serves as a speedometer, odometer, and compass. It features Google Maps to visualize your location. It allows you to toggle the compass between true north and magnetic north. Speed 2 is compatible with iPads that have a GPS unit. Check out some videos of the app below. Speed 2 for iPad. Speed 2 for iPad. Keep in mind that this isn't an endorsement for the app. If you use it, spend too much time fidgeting with it, take your eyes off of traffic, and smash your care into a lamppost, that's entirely on you. More seriously, is this something you'd use? Would you use Speed 2 for iPad in place of your car's dashboard? Read More
...mobile take on MMO boss battles benefits greatly from going free-- when we originally reviewed it, we found we were spending a lot of time grinding to level up our characters. This kind of repetitive gameplay is better suited for a freemium game, where you would expect that leveling up would tak... Read More
