The Super Bowl is this Sunday, and as always, there are plenty of apps that can help you watch the game or enrich the gameday experience. Appropriately enough, here are six apps; with an extra app that’s not necessarily football-related but could make a Super Bowl party more fun.
At 148Apps, we help you sort through the great ocean of apps to find the ones we think you'll like and the ones you'll need. Our top picks become Editor’s Choice, our stamp of approval for apps with that little extra something special. Want to see what we've been up to this week? Take a look below for a sampling of our latest reviews. And if you want more, be sure to hit our Reviews Archive.
I’m always a little skeptical when it comes to horror games, especially those in the survival horror sub-genre. That said, In Fear I Trust was one of those games that certainly caught my eye – not just for its outstanding visuals, but because it looked and sounded highly intriguing. A man finds himself waking up in a creepy abandoned facility deep in the heart of Soviet Russia. He can’t remember who he is or how he got there, just that something rather unsettling has been going on. Designed with the Unreal Engine for iOS, the game delivers an imaginative story over a number of episodes. And fortunately, the first two are filled with enough content to indulge oneself in until the release of the later episodes. --Lucy Ingram
I have to admit, until recently I never really ventured into the world of Reddit. I’m not a huge fan of the site interface, and for some reason it never really occurred to me to seek out an app for my phone. This has possibly all changed with the introduction of Redd; a Reddit client made especially for those who want to avoid the clutter and chaos of the main website. And one that is perfect for those who, like me, just want to use the dip-in/dip-out approach. The remarkably clean and simple looking interface is the first thing one will notice as they load the app. A sea of whitespace highlighted with a touch of red – it’s easy on the eyes, and a breeze to navigate. The typeface is fairly easy to read despite its light and thin demeanor, and its ability to filter the posts from the tabs at the bottom make it practically effortless to handle. --Lucy Ingram
It is impossible to reflect back on the annals of RPG history without hitting on the classic Baldur’s Gate franchise. Fourteen years after the release of Baldur’s Gate II, Overhaul Games have stepped in and given the second iteration in the series a fresh coat of paint. Can an iOS port of such a beloved title ever live up to the expectations of the nostalgic PC gaming audience? The answer to that question is not as straightforward as one might assume. --Blake Grundman
Scribe is a new utility for the iPhone that gives users the ability to copy data snippets from their Mac to their iOS device without the need for a Wi-Fi connection. It uses the Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) profile supported by most of Apple’s current-generation devices and Mac systems to send small snippets of text, URLs, and small photos over the air to one’s iOS clipboard. Using Scribe for the iPhone is as simple as making sure the Bluetooth setting is activated. This can be achieved by heading to Settings > Bluetooth > On. Users will then need the Scribe menu bar client. This is sold separately and available on the Mac App Store for $2.99. They will also need to ensure that they have a supported Mac. Scribe currently supports the Macbook Air (2011 or newer), Macbook Pro (2012 or newer), iMac (Late 2012 or newer), Mac Mini (2011 or newer), Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer), iPhone 4S or newer), iPad (3rd generation or newer), iPad Mini (all generations) and iPod Touch (5th generation or newer).
Recently over winter break I discovered that one of our truly favorite developers, Busythings, had developed a new app for iPad named Snowball Shootout. Downloading this app was an absolute no-brainer as a free application, but I soon forgot that I had added this to our device. It was my son who discovered it, instantly understanding that this was a new game from one of his favorite developers as their style is utterly recognizable, even from the small thumbnail image seen on the iPad. Snowball Shootout has quickly become a new favorite game of my boy’s, as he has reached a new low in asking me to leave the iPad in his bed so he can play this new game immediately upon waking – a request I denied. There is a lot going on that my son really enjoys with this game, incorporating some elements seen in Angry Birds such as a sling shot that needs to be manned, here used to shoot snowballs at the blob-like Pink Men that are seen hiding in trees or popping out of igloos. Controls are simple as one controls both the strength and angle of each shots with the drag of a finger allowing snowballs to be lined up in an exact manner, which I prefer to “pullback and pray” gameplay of Angry Birds. --Amy Solomon
If you are looking for the best reviews of Android apps, just head right over to AndroidRundown. Here are just some of the reviews served up this week:
Little Galaxy is a story of hope. It’s about dreams, resourcefulness… and moon boots. It tells the tale of a scientist who believes that sky isn’t a limit in his quest to jump from celestial body to celestial body. And the game developers, smitten with the inspirational story but unable to help improve the moon boots, do the next best thing: they create this game. Thankfully. --Tre Lawrence
Galaxy Factions takes the CoC clone genre to space. With lotsa lasers and guns does it have an edge over its sword sporting brethren? Galaxy Factions sets the player up with a command center, a transport ship and little else. As is common with this genre, Galaxy Factions is all about constructing a base, mining resources and taking the fight to pirates and rival mining bases in single player or to other players in multiplayer. --Allan Curtis
Ever since getting their hands on the Monopoly license, EA has punched out a good number of Monopoly licensed games on the mobile platform. Games like Monopoly Slots and Monopoly Hotels take the iconic board game and expand upon it or mash it up with other styles of games. As cool as that might sound, it isn’t all its cracked up to be sometimes. In the case of these titles, more often than not, they come off as cheap marketing gimmicks, using the popular Monopoly name to garner more players and possibly more money. Monopoly Bingo, of course, is yet another one of those games, feeling more like a desperate attempt to push an otherwise freemium Bingo game, than putting out a quality product. EA has been so hot and cold this year with their free to play lineups; FIFA 14 and Plants vs Zombies 2 knocking it out of the park, while other titles floundering. Monopoly Bingo attempts to spin the age old game of Bingo with one of Hasbro’s most popular board games, hoping to create something new and interesting. However, this attempt faltered short, instead creating a Bingo game with achievements, leveling and a backdrop that is supposedly based around Monopoly. --Mike Deneen
And finally, this week Pocket Gamer reviewed Atomic Fusion and Hopeless, picked the best Roguelikes on the App Store, wrote a huge guide for Hoplite, reported on the Very Big Indie Pitch in London, and chose the best iOS and Android games of the week. It's all right here!
We are proud to announce the nominees for the 6th Annual Best App Ever Awards. The awards that celebrate the best apps available, not just the best selling. This year we saw an amazing response with over 809,000 nominations submitted for three thousand unique apps!
Voting is now open and will remain open through March 15th, 2014. Winners will be announced in late March during the Macworld/iWorld Expo in San Francisco, CA. Further details on that are to come.
Hit the jump for the list of the remaining nominees in the 100+ categories. Or head right on over to Best App Ever to start voting. Best of luck everyone!
Apple reported today that the App Store topped $10 billion in sales in the 2013 calendar year with over one billion brought in during December alone.
“We’d like to thank our customers for making 2013 the best year ever for the App Store,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The lineup of apps for the holiday season was astonishing and we look forward to seeing what developers create in 2014.”
Also mentioned by Apple in their press release, developers have now earned (minus Apple's 30% cut) over $15 billion in revenue from app sales and in-app purchases. Hit the jump for the full release.
:: The week is almost over, and the holidays are that much closer, but those gifts won't find/buy/wrap/give themselves now will they? Thankfully there are people like us putting together handy-dandy holiday shopping guides for you! Whether you’re looking for new hardware and accessories, or just something a bit less impersonal than an iTunes gift card, we’ve got you covered.
Other 148Apps Holiday Gift Guides: for [Heath Nuts] [Socializers] [Creative Types] [Power Users]
Today’s guide centers around iOS gamers. These are the folks who love their portable games and spend most of their morning commute matching pieces of candy or fighting immortal titans. If you’d like to make the gamer(s) in your life have an overall more pleasant and convenient gaming experience, or simply get them some really cool stuff to play, check out our list below for some ideas.
While you're considering the MOGA Ace Power Gamepad, you should probably also think about software to go with it. I'd recommend Oceanhorn ($8.99 - Universal), Dead Trigger 2 (Free - Universal), and Silverfish ($1.99 - iPhone) since all three are not only good games in their own right but also confirmed to be compatible. I'm sure there are plenty of other games out there that will work with it as well, but if you're trying to put some sort of package together it would probably be best to stick with what you know will work.
What games go best with a phone-charging battery case? Battery hogs. There are a fair number of them out there and they can usually be picked out by their super-pretty graphics. A couple of great-looking (and just plain great) games you might want to consider are Warhammer Quest ($4.99 - Universal) and, of course, Infinity Blade III ($6.99 - Universal). However, XCOM: Enemy Unknown ($19.99 - Universal) is by far the biggest battery-muncher and would definitely benefit from something like the iKit NuCharge case.
The Mophie Juice Pack is another charging case, sure, but it's also quite durable. So it should be able to stand up to a little punishment when you toss your phone across the room after a particularly rough game of Tilt to Live 2 ($2.99 - Universal) or Pivvot ($2.99 - Universal), and will let World War II turn-based airplane strategy buffs like our own Andrew Stevens keep playing Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies ($4.99 - Universal) through just about any harsh weather conditions.
Of course if you're looking to get some nice speakers, you may want a game or two to go with it that put the enhanced sound to good use. I'd recommend The Last Door - Chapter 2: Memories ($1.99 - iPad) for those who love a good scare as it's a ridiculously creepy game without any audio enhancement whatsoever, so you can imagine what some high-quality speakers will do to it. Home ($2.99 - Universal) is another excellent choice for the same reason. LEGO Lord of the Rings ($4.99 - Universal) is another good option because, come on, who doesn't want to hear that epic score and the official movie dialogue on something more substantial than their iPhone/iPad speaker?
Feel free to peruse our Editor’s Choice selections for more top-rated game ideas.
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:: PLAYING WITH POWERLogitech has announced a new iOS controller called the Logitech PowerShell Controller + Battery, which works with the iPhone 5, 5s, and iPod Touch 5th gen and is now available for $99.99. It features a D-pad, two shoulder buttons, and 4 action buttons. Yes, that means that there are no dual analog sticks with this one.
The controller does feature powering capabilities that increases the length of time users can enjoy their game playing, though. It also lets users power the controller and phone while both are still connected. Current games that support the controller include Bastion, Galaxy on Fire 2 HD, Limbo, Lego Lord of the Rings, Asphalt 8, and more.
“We designed this controller to deliver a true console-gaming experience on an iOS 7 mobile device,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, general manager of the Logitech gaming business, in a press release. “With gaming so pervasive on the mobile platform – our research shows that 87% of iPhone and iPod touch users play games on their device – it’s time to revolutionize the experience.”
MOGA's new MFi controller, the MOGA Ace Power, is set to offer full console-style controls for your iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, and iPod 5th generation. It comes with dual analog sticks, a d-pad, action buttons, and L1/R1 L2/R2 shoulder buttons. It also features MOGA Boost: an internal battery which helps power your phone while you play, extending the battery life so you can enjoy all your favorite games for a longer period of time. Pretty nifty, yes?
The early reviews are good, but not great. CNET mentions that it "feels more like a $50 device than a $100 one." Don't be too excited yet, even the developers that have added support for controllers haven't had time to test their games with an actual controller. Pocket Gamer reports "Judging by games like Trouserheart and Into the Dead, which are supposed to have controller support but barely even work in practice, it's clear that developers need more time with the actual hardware to get their games feeling good."
The MOGA Power Ace should be available for pre-order this week at mogaanywhere.com and will reportedly cost $99.
Solar Flux Pocket makes its way to the iPhone and iPod after previously releasing on iPad only. Firebrand redesigned the game to make it more ideal for smaller screen, and also added new missions and revised levels to make sure everything is ideal for an enjoyable mobile gaming experience.
"Smaller screens and touch controls meant that we couldn't have the larger levels and all of the 'space' we wanted. So the team went back to the drawing board and found a way to take all of the elements people love about Solar Flux and recreate them in a way which takes advantage of the smaller screens and creates a more immediate and intimate way to play the game. We're very pleased with the way it's turned out and we're looking forward to helping more players to save the universe, one dying sun at a time.” said Mark Greenshields, the Managing Director of Firebrand Games, in a press release.
:: A MERRY QUEST :: Read Review »LEGO Lord of the Rings has finally arrived after all these days of waiting! It's now time for players to use their favorite iOS device to travel to Mount Doom in order to destroy The One Ring. LEGO Lord of the Rings can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99 and has over 90 characters to unlock by exploring Middle-Earth, solving puzzles, and dominating the battlefield!
“The team at TT Games is excited to finally bring gamers the iOS version of the thrilling videogame adventure LEGO The Lord of the Rings that they’ve come to love playing on their console and handheld devices,” said Tom Stone, Managing Director at TT Games Publishing, in a press release. “And we’ve implemented the same quality gameplay mechanics with enhanced features specifically designed for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.”
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