Ridiculous and physically impossible musical instruments, with equally ridiculous and physically impossible names, can only mean one thing: Dr. Seuss. Or in this case, a Dr. Seuss Band.
Players can choose from a set of five different horns, then decide whether they’d like to mess around making their own music or try to go for the high score while recreating tunes from one of ten original songs from Hop on Pop to The Cat in the Hat. The sounds each horn makes can be tweaked by adding bizarre attechments such as fishbowls and train whistles, which fits right in, honestly. It’s even possible to exchange various horn parts to create some truly weird… things that make noise.
This suitable-for-all-ages piece of musically interactive childhood has just recently seen a price drop, so now anyone can compose their own Seussian melodies on their iOS device for free. Sounds awfully tempting…
Junk mail. Yuck. Not only is it annoying, it’s also a terrible waste. All those circulars about sales no one cares about involving products nobody wants… At least those unsolicited emails from Nigerian princes don’t waste any paper. Well now there’s this neat little app that will theoretically put a stop to most of these unwanted advertisements.
PaperKarma is so simple in its execution it almost sounds like magic. All a user has to do is snap a photo with their iOS device’s camera and the app will (read: should) find the company responsible and take care of the rest. The rest referring to getting users off of the mailing list. It’s a mind-bogglingly simple concept, really.
Anyone with an iOS device and a thinning patience for junk mail should definitely check out PaperKarma. It’s on the App Store right now, and it’s on sale for free for a “limited time.” What’s the harm in giving it a try, right?
Posted February 20th, 2012 by Rob Rich Our Rating: :: DEVOURS FREE TIME
The gritty, almost awkward presentation in this zombie apocalypse strategy game might cause some hesitation. Make no mistake, however, it's one heck of a Must-Own for genre fans.
Posted February 20th, 2012 by Rob Rich Our Rating: :: AMBITIOUS AUTOMATONS
The "open world" and "mega battles" aren't quite as open and mega as expected, but RobotGladi8tor is still a nifty sci-fi brawler. With a few caveats, of course.
Now I’ll admit that I don’t do much driving nowadays because I use mass transit (i.e. the subway), but I did drive a lot once upon a time. And it was quite the pain to deal with all of the extraneous annoyances like traffic, insurance, and gas. Guess which of those problems Gas Logs addresses?
The latest app from JAS Appications allows users to track their mileage, their spending, etc… All manner of values can be adjusted to fit a user’s region, including gallons/liters, and a number of different currencies. Of course, it just wouldn’t be a JAS Applications app if it didn’t also include a super-useful GPS feature. Which it does. Yup, as expected Gas Logs can do all this in addition to finding nearby gas stations by using the iOS device’s built-in GPS.
Again, someone like myself who doesn’t even own a car won’t have much use for it but there are billions of people out there who drive, and at least millions who own an iPhone. Chances are good that there’s a decent market for something like this.
It’s that time of the week again. Time to get ready to enjoy the weekend, collect a paycheck, and kickback with some iOS games that don’t cost a dime. I mean, We’ve all got bills to pay, right? So why not keep them as low as possible with a healthy amount of App Store frugality?
Fairway Solitaire – Big Fish Games – Golf, gophers, and… playing cards? I guess so. Big Fish Games’ take on the classic single-player affair has certainly seen its fair share of buzz (no pun in intended). Which isn’t too much of a surprise seeing as it’s all super-colorful and addictive. The only thing needed to make it “perfect” is an extremely cheap price tag. Oh wait, it has one of those, too.
Clockwork Brain – Insanely Fun – Mini-game challenges are always popular, and people apparently love to “train” their brains. I blame Nintendo for that one. But thanks to them we have games like Clockwork Brain to pass the time and flex the neurons. Plus it’s got a robot in it. Robots are cool.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-16 :: Category: Games
Trigger Knight – Weird/experimental games always intrigue me. Especially when they involve RPG elements and classic JRPG-inspired visual designs. That, and the concept of a “survival RPG” that utilizes split-second decision making and a single-tap interface just sounds neat. And hey, it’s free so there’s absolutely no harm in checking it out.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-02-15 :: Category: Games
Dancescape – Hmmm… A puzzle game where the puzzles are dance moves. And players have to guide a character through the ruins (and traps) of an ancient civilization. With dancing. Why it’s just insane enough to work!
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-16 :: Category: Games
Stromfeld – In a world full of shmups, what’s the harm in adding one more to the library? Silly of me to ask, I know, because there isn’t any harm in doing so. Especially when it’s free. Also it looks kinda cool and features “endless gameplay.” Not a bad deal.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-14 :: Category: Games
Let’s Bowl 2 – Set ‘em up and knock ‘em down using a number of unique balls, each with their own unique performance, through all manner of wacky and colorful alleys. Throw in upgrades that can be purchased with “bowling bucks” and it’s a pretty cool freebie we have here. Just don’t judge it by the catch-phrase. It’s kinda… yeah…
Fish are always cool. Know what’s cooler than fish? Robot fish. So it stands to reason that Robot Fish from Liger Games gets automatic cool points. They also deserve some cool points for making a game that involves drawing lines that doesn’t quite adhere to the norms of most line-drawing games.
Rather than tracing a path to an exit or preventing collisions, players will seemingly have to plan their route through each level in one go. The kicker is that they can use all manner of fruit to acquire special abilities (i.e. bashing through hazards, duplication, etc…). It’s hard to fully picture it with screen shots, but the videos on thedeveloper’sblog should help. Looks pretty nifty, huh? I can only imagine how much planning and practice it takes to blow through levels that fast, and most of the time they’re barely earning “C” ranks!
Robot Fish should be hitting the App Store soon. Within the next couple of weeks, assuming it makes it through Apple’s approval process in a timely manner. No word yet on a price, though.
How many sick days do I have left? Do I have enough personal time saved up to make that doctor’s appointment? I really want to get away for a couple of weeks, but I’m not sure I have enough vacation time for it.
We’ve all had these problems. Well with the magic of technological innovation and smart thinking, we can use Time Off to keep track of it all. And I do mean “it all.” Sick days, vacation days, personal days – anything that ultimately equates to paid days off – can be documented. It can keep track of multiple jobs, display accrued time in hours or days, and account for rollover. But perhaps the most impressive (and ingenious) feature is that users can send time-off requests to their employers via email from within the app itself.
I know it seems a little silly but I honestly find the concept behind Time Off to be incredibly exciting. And I think anyone who’s dealt with any (or all) of the issues I’ve mentioned about will probably agree with me.
No doubt there will be plenty of couples out celebrating this Valentine’s Day. Lots of flowers, candy, romantic dinners and candlelight. No one really stops to think about the less glamorous side of the holiday; namely waiting in long lines to get into a restaurant for said romantic dinner, scrambling to find flowers and candy when at least half of the country is doing the same, and so on. Fortunately there’s a way for iOS users to lessen the irritation and have an easier time enjoying the moments that really matter. In this case, I’m referring to Gameloft’s Valentine’s Day sale.
Of course rescuing a space princess in Earthworm Jim, wreaking havoc in Gangstar Rio: City of Saints or running amok in Rayman 2: The Great Escape won’t substitute for making googly-eyes at each other from across the table. They will, however, make the wait for the table more bearable. And just in case finding “the right words” ends up being an issue, there’s also Gameloft’s Love Declaration Generator. Hey I’m just pointing out that it exists, I didn’t make the thing.
When it comes to 2012, it’s hard to know what to think. Some people are certain that the world is due to end by the end of the year. Others think is a load of bull. Then there are a few folks who just seem to be caught in the middle, unsure of what to make of the whole thing. I don’t claim to know who’s right in all this, but at least now there’s an app that can appease anyone who wants to know more.
2012 Doomsday is an app specifically designed to inform. It’s got info on what’s theorized to happen on the big day, lots of videos about 2012, details about the Mayans, what kinds of supplies to stock up on and other general survival tips. Depending on an individual’s take on this business it could be their go-to guide or simply something to consider a fascinating “what if” scenario.
2012 Doomsday is currently available for everyone, skeptic or not, on the App Store for $0.99. I’m not claiming that it’ll make a difference in the grand scheme of things, but I suppose there’s nothing wrong with being prepared. Just in case.
Holy crap. No, seriously, holy crap. Pixowl Inc, in collaboration with Bulkypix, are poised to unleash something major on the App Store. It might look like a simple toy at first, but make no mistake: The SandBox is packing some seriously intense concepts behind that cute facade.
When The SandBox first caught my attention, I thought it looked like a nifty little pixelated world-building game. In a way, it kind of is. However, I was thoroughly unprepared for just how many different aspects of this created world could be manipulated. Water will flow down hills, erode stone into sand, turn dirt into fertile soil, evaporate in extreme heat and freeze in extreme cold. Flowers and trees can grow. Weather will develop based largely on the environment. Players can even make rudimentary circuits to do anything from heating to creating light.
The SandBox is still very much in beta at the moment, but that’s no reason not to get excited. What’s already implemented is pretty amazing, actually. A lot of specifics are still up in the air, such as the final number of “story” levels (currently around 20), price and release date. It’s kind of a shame because this is all so cool, but then again it’s probably best not to rush things. Although the super-curious or anxious can try to get in to the beta. No guarantees, though. Regardless, be sure to keep an eye out for The SandBox whenever it does hit the App Store.
Shooting and strategy seem to be the two key themes in this weeks FREEday. I honestly didn’t plan it that way, it just sort of happened. Although I suppose it’s not that bad. They are two incredibly popular kinds of games for iOS devices these days. Then again, just about anything that lends itself to quick bursts of playtime do quite well for themselves, too. No matter the intention, here’s a list of free games. Enjoy.
Farmkill – Zombie survival games. Yessir. But before writing off Farmkill as just another shambler slaughter consider this: players can raise volatile (literally) animals to fight off the horde. In addition to the expected defenses and numerous firearms. I have to admit, it’s an interesting idea. Although now I keep thinking about chicken nuggets for some reason…
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-05 :: Category: Games
Battlefield 3: Aftershock – iOS users seem to enjoy multiplayer first-person shooters, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that EA decided to bring what is arguably their biggest FPS of 2011 to Apple devices. What does come as a surprise is that it’s a free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter. Allow me to repeat that: it’s a free multiplayer first-person shooter derived from one of EA’s largest 2011 releases. Let the downloading commence.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-08 :: Category: Games
Robot Troopers – Robot Troopers takes the idea of task-management and robots it up a notch. Or two. Players will be taking control of an assembly line, cranking out an army of autonomous forces while simultaneously training the new recruits. A robot foreman’s work is never done.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-02-08 :: Category: Games
Suitor Shooter – Protect the princess from the unworthy while getting the prince(s) to the castle. In essence, players are bombarding a horde of “evil,” flower-toting fiends with delusions of dating from a dirigible. While not bombarding the good guys, of course. It’s an unorthodox approach to dating to be sure, but it sure makes for an interesting game.
Pocket God is still going strong, blasting right through update number forty-three (43!). The newest episode, “Killing Time,” deals with the kind of stuff that turned Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Deloreans and use of the word “paradox” into national phenomena. In other words, it has to do with futzing around with time. Like time, time. Not wasting a few minutes at the bus stop, time. Players will be able to visit the new Apocalypse Island, home of a multi-roomed temple that includes a time-shifting chamber. It also houses a creepy Aztec calendar that’s counting down to 11:11am, December 21st, 2012.
This is just the first of many apocalypse-themed updates, according to Bolt. Each of the temple’s many rooms features some sort of Armageddon-like power, each to be opened with future updates, but at the moment no other specifics have been revealed. Bolt will be continuing to release more doomsday content over the course of the next 10 months. Hopefully they’ll be able to move on to a new theme after that, assuming the world still exists.
Pocket God in all its dark-humored glory can, as usual, be downloaded from the App Store for $0.99. The other 95% of iOS users who already own it can simply update it like they normally would to get the new stuff.
Having spent a decent portion of my retail career involved in the children’s section of a bookstore, I think I have a solid grasp of what makes for popular literature among parents and their children. There’s always one or two “flavors of the week,” but there are also those that always sell. Where the Wild Things Are. The Velveteen Rabbit. Virtually anything written by Mo Willems or Sandra Boynton. Sitting proudly at the top of this list are the works of the undisputed monarch of children’s literature, Dr. Seuss.
Theodor Seuss Geisel‘s stories have been adapted for all manner of medium, not surprisingly including iOS. Oceanhouse Media has been offering special adaptations, referred to as “omBooks” for portable Apple devices for quite a while now. These special not-quite-ebooks allow users to flip through their virtual pages normally, have the stories read to them at a set pace (not unlike a movie) or a hybrid of the two that narrates while emphasizing key words.
While individual Seuss classics have been available in this form for quite some time, Oceanhouse has released their first-even multi-title collection. The Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Collection #1 features five of (arguably) his most well-known works: The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, The FOOT Book, Mr. Brown Can MOO! Can You? and Fox in Socks. Five classics, no waiting. Well, depending on one’s WiFi speed, anyway.
This collection is on the App Store right now for $11.99. I know it may seem like a lot, but buying each of these omBooks individually would cost around $15 or so. And that’s after the price drops in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Anyone with an appreciation for all things Seuss should certainly check this out.
It feels like it’s been ages since I first set eyes upon Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds Minigame Adventure. Back then it consisted of a mere two games. Now the last of them have been added, bringing the total up to the initially promised twelve.
It makes for an extensive collection of mini-genres, from the “find the item” graphical adventure style of the Prequel through the old-school puzzle gameplay of The Red Weed (Part 1) and ultimately drawing to a close with the arcade-like viral infection of Dead London. It’s a collection that I’d easily recommend to fans of H.G. Wells’ classic tale for the typical going rate of $5. However, in celebration of Minigame Adventure‘s completion the price is getting a temporary 60% price cut for the weekend (2/3 – 2/5).
It should go without saying that being able to grab a collection of a dozen well-made, War of the Worlds-themed mini-games for $2 is significant. Even if it should, I feel the need to reiterate it. Both for dramatic purposes and because it would be foolish for fans of the novel/movies to pass this up. So here I go: Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds Minigame Adventure, a title which offers twelve mini-games, is currently on sale for $2. It’s a ridiculously good deal, and one that I’d recommend jumping on before it’s over.
Call me crazy, but I felt compelled to make this week’s list of freebies a little bigger than usual. Maybe it’s because there were more to pick from. Maybe there was a larger number of legitimately interesting titles. Or maybe I was just on a roll and went with it. No matter the reason, there’s a nice big list of iOS games down there that can all be acquired without the use of money. Why not take a look?
GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective – It seems like Capcom has started to compulsively port their DS games to iOS. Not that I mind, because most of their DS games are utterly fantastic. GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective is most likely no exception. The dead private eye who continues to solve cases as a spirit while possessing various items in order to freak out nearby living folks might be a tad eccentric for some, but it’s right up my alley. I can only assume it’s right up other peoples’ alleys as well.
Rock the Vegas for iPhone – People love to build their own cities in a virtual environment. A lot of people also love to gamble. Rock the Vegas offers both of those things. For free! With no broken thumbs!
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-01-30 :: Category: Games
Brand Name Space Game – Okay, so there’s no shortage of top-down SHMUPs on the App Store. But how many of them feature semi-satirical names? And look pretty? And are free? Yeah, okay. I kind of backed myself into a corner with this one. Still, it’s free so why not take a look?
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-01-31 :: Category: Games
Range – Rangemight be a game. Then again it might not. Either way, it’s intriguing: it attempts to subconsciously teach players another language through the use of audio cues and platformer-style gameplay. I don’t know if it really works or not, but it’s a pretty cool idea. And I’ve always wanted to start learning Japanese…
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-01-31 :: Category: Games
Epic Tic Tac Toe Pro – I like to think that anyone who’s been reading my stuff since I’ve started at 148apps is aware of my natural inclination towards completely weird stuff. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’ve managed to find a game that makes tic-tac-toe look like an 8-bit empire building sim. Admit it, this sounds interesting.
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-01-31 :: Category: Games
Spice Invaders – I’d be ashamed if I failed to mention what I’d consider this week’s best free-to-play release. Sure the multiplayer is rather borked, but that can be fixed. Besides, this tower defense game is totally worth the free download for the campaign. And it’s got a ton of unlockable content to keep players occupied.
When I first played Terra Noctis, I came away with an incredibly positive opinion. Sure it had its share of problems. In fact, it had a ton of small ones. However it was still a cool platformer that was well worth the somewhat hefty (comparably) price of $2.99 at the time. The cost has dropped down to $0.99 since then, but even that might be “too much” some some frugal shoppers. Which is why BulkyPix has brought in Everyplay Interactive to adapt a special free-to-play edition they’re calling Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming.
Free Dreaming is more or less the exact same game, albeit with a few noticeable adjustments (and a lot that aren’t so noticeable). It is, of course, free. Players can enjoy the same level of content found in the original, purchase power-ups in the shop, unlock levels with red fairies, etc… The freemium content is there, mostly in the form of purchasable fairies, but refusing to pay doesn’t gate off content so much as evenly pace its distribution. With the exception of a “Fairy Cloner” that permanently doubles the amount of fairies earned, it can all be acquired normally with a bit of patience.
In addition to the new payment (or lack thereof) model, as well as some stylish hats, there have been a number of small improvements that add up to make this the version to own. The Pumpkin Shop is accessible from anywhere, even mid-level. The shop’s interface is much easier to navigate. Virtually all of the tiny bugs and crashes have been squashed.
This definitive edition of one of the App Store’s best (and prettiest) platformers is available right now. And as I’ve already said it’s completely free. No more excuses, people.
Microcraft is something of an oddity. It’s a fan-made “remake” of a port of a Notch-made knockoff of one of the most popular indie games of all time. Wow, that was intense.
The game itself functions much like a top-down Minecraft, with a few other key differences. While surviving assaults by vicious monsters and crafting items from wood and stone are still a major factor, there’s not much in the way of building. So while players can (and should) explore the world and create helpful tools and weapons for themselves, they can’t construct a fortress to live in. Kind of a shame, but making something like that from this perspective would undoubtedly be tough to pull off.
With several “mobs” to fight, a number of different environments to explore and a day/night cycle (not to mention all the crafting), I think Microcraft should make for a good time. Whether or not it stays on the App Store for very long is up in the air at this point since it does share many a similarity to Mojang’s runaway train of a game, as well as Notch’s Ludum Dare spin-off, but I’d like to think that it’s different enough to earn a permanent place among the other hundreds of thousands of titles up there.
Game Center: RobsteinOne
OpenFeint: RobsteinOne
Twitter: 
Ridiculous and physically impossible musical instruments, with equally ridiculous and physically impossible names, can only mean one thing: Dr. Seuss. Or in this case, a Dr. Seuss Band.
Junk mail. Yuck. Not only is it annoying, it’s also a terrible waste. All those circulars about sales no one cares about involving products nobody wants… At least those unsolicited emails from Nigerian princes don’t waste any paper. Well now there’s this neat little app that will theoretically put a stop to most of these unwanted advertisements.
:: DEVOURS FREE TIME
Now I’ll admit that I don’t do much driving nowadays because I use mass transit (i.e. the subway), but I did drive a lot once upon a time. And it was quite the pain to deal with all of the extraneous annoyances like traffic, insurance, and gas. Guess which of those problems Gas Logs addresses?
Fish are always cool. Know what’s cooler than fish? Robot fish. So it stands to reason that Robot Fish from 
How many sick days do I have left? Do I have enough personal time saved up to make that doctor’s appointment? I really want to get away for a couple of weeks, but I’m not sure I have enough vacation time for it.
No doubt there will be plenty of couples out celebrating this Valentine’s Day. Lots of flowers, candy, romantic dinners and candlelight. No one really stops to think about the less glamorous side of the holiday; namely waiting in long lines to get into a restaurant for said romantic dinner, scrambling to find flowers and candy when at least half of the country is doing the same, and so on. Fortunately there’s a way for iOS users to lessen the irritation and have an easier time enjoying the moments that really matter. In this case, I’m referring to 
When it comes to 2012, it’s hard to know what to think. Some people are certain that the world is due to end by the end of the year. Others think is a load of bull. Then there are a few folks who just seem to be caught in the middle, unsure of what to make of the whole thing. I don’t claim to know who’s right in all this, but at least now there’s an app that can appease anyone who wants to know more.
Holy crap. No, seriously, holy crap. 
Pocket God is still going strong, blasting right through update number forty-three (43!). The newest episode, “
Having spent a decent portion of my retail career involved in the children’s section of a bookstore, I think I have a solid grasp of what makes for popular literature among parents and their children. There’s always one or two “flavors of the week,” but there are also those that always sell. Where the Wild Things Are. The Velveteen Rabbit. Virtually anything written by Mo Willems or Sandra Boynton. Sitting proudly at the top of this list are the works of the undisputed monarch of children’s literature, Dr. Seuss.
It feels like it’s been ages since I first set eyes upon Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds Minigame Adventure. 
When I first played Terra Noctis, I came away with an 
Microcraft is something of an oddity. It’s a fan-made “remake” of a port of a Notch-made knockoff of one of the most popular indie games of all time. Wow, that was intense.
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