While probably not as graphically exciting as perhaps some other flight simulators like F.A.S.T, X Invasion 2 is a respectable punt at providing the simulated flying experience you might be looking for.

GeeTasks is a bare-bones to-do app that draws on the Google Tasks service. You won’t find any frills here, but the ability to take my Google Tasks offline and have them waiting in my gmail inbox makes this simple app great for getting things done.

Hellemental is a colorful tower defense title set in the times of magic sorcerers and mythical creatures. One with 3D graphics and more spells you can shake a stick it .. for me though, it was missing something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Never again will I forget to bring socks to a three day convention, and that alone makes Packing Pro worth every penny.

B-Boy Beats is the most original music game that I have seen on the iPhone. It’s not perfect, but its unique gameplay and clean feel make it definitely worthwhile.

Osfoora is the new Twitter client on the block, which clearly takes some of its initial inspiration from Tweetie. While good, the app could benefit from some UI jiggling, as currently its not as user friendly as it possibly could be.

Tehra Dark Warrior is a fantasy-based RPG slasher set in the times of knights and dragons. While the game is immersive visually, I found gameplay to be quite stagnant and highly repetitive.

Plants Vs. Zombies was a huge hit for Pop Cap on the desktop, and quickly became the number one selling game in PopCap’s history. PvZ is a great, yet simplified tower defense game modified with thought for the iPhone.

Riddim Ribbon is a decent first attempt, but falls flat in too many places.

Heavy Gunner 3D, with its manic action and tilt controls, is the kind of game that you want to play while standing… and that’s how I like it.

Fighting Fantasy: Deathtrap Dungeon. The Second In A Series Of Interactive Book Offerings from Big Blue Bubble

Ever played one of those fantasy-based board games? If so, you’ll probably like this. It’s not often you come across a truly unique concept for an iPhone app, but these digitally interactive RPG books from Big Blue Bubble definitely caught my eye today. Starting off with Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and announcing today the release of the second in the series, Fighting Fantasy: Deathtrap Dungeon, Big Blue Bubble have launched an interactive book-like experience which is sure to delight fans of the modern fantasy genre.

Described by the studio as part book part game, and based on the 1982 fictional genius of Steve Jackson (and later Ian Livingstone), this interactive series takes the player down in the dark twisting labyrinth of Fang, where unknown horrors await you. Devised by the devilish mind of Baron Sukumvit, the labyrinth is riddled with fiendish traps and bloodthirsty monsters, which will test your skills almost beyond the limit of endurance. Countless adventurers before you have taken up the challenge of the Trial of Champions and walked through the carved mouth of the labyrinth, never to be seen again. Should you come out of the labyrinth alive, you will be wealthy beyond your dreams.

The game’s features are listed as follows:

• Tap the on screen buttons to flip pages (No papercuts!)
• Shake to roll the 3D dice using the accelerometer
• Inventory items selectable via touch-screen
• Game-save feature allows you to retrace your steps
• Includes both original illustrations by Ian McCaig and digitally re-mastered versions
• Integrated iPod music library access

There are three more books to come in the series. These include; Citadel of Chaos, Creatue of Havok and City of Thieves, although no release date has been disclosed yet.

Continue reading Fighting Fantasy: Deathtrap Dungeon. The Second In A Series Of Interactive Book Offerings from Big Blue Bubble »

Vanquish is an action-packed RPG with a little bit too much action and not enough depth. Lack of autosave, a lackluster story, and repetitive levels are balanced against a truly fun and speedy combat system. While it remains stylish and fun, Vanquish still needs some work.

Guerrilla Bob is sure to wow gamers with its impressive graphics and innovative level design… it’s just too pretty to pass up.

“Why are you using that Sam Jackson app so much?” “‘CAUSE THAT’S HOW I TALK!”

Canabalt is a daringly simple platformer with frantic gameplay and a wonderful attention to detail. The sensation of movement is exhilarating, and like Doodle Jump, it’s the simplicity that will keep you coming back for more.

The racing sub-genre defined by Crazy Taxi finally gets some love, and it’s a solid effort. Parcel Panic is a few stops short of greatness at this point, but still lots of fun.

While more levels would be much appreciated, Space Station: Frontier is an excellent strategy title. There’s a lot going on in this pocket of the solar system!

Nacmo’s Ridge Racer franchise returns, with the well loved retro arcade racer spinning its way onto the iPhone. Sure, the graphics are still there, but are the controls?

Speed Forge Extreme is a polished futuristic space-like racing title from the guys over at Chillingo. In many ways it’s being called a clone of Sony’s WipEout franchise – and I’d have to agree, it is. It’s not as feature filled yet, but it’s damn close.

Outside combines a range of statistical weather information including local forecasts and current lows, to bring a different twist to the weather experience on iPhone. But it isn’t all there, yet ..

Pac-Man CE on the iPhone just isn’t quite as cool as the original. The diminished graphics, imperfect controls, and lack of leaderboards help to lessen the experience.

Glyder 2 was one of my most anticipated games of the season. Now that I’ve finished this soaring, gliding, collection game, I might just play through again.

Where’s Waldo? suffers from a bloated, lag-tastic implementation, load times, and a much-unappreciated timer. Where’s Waldo? images are meant to be savored and explored. I don’t want an app that allows (forces?) me to cheat, nor one that refuses to let me take my time.

House M.D. is an unexpected logic puzzle hybrid that is interesting at first, but quickly loses steam. A handful of images and sound clips add some window-dressing, but little else.

Old School meets New School. Sporting a wonderful pixel art style, Beat It! surpasses tired rhythm game conventions with its stylish mash-up of beat machine and puzzle game.

EA’s Auditorium is a musical puzzle delight with all of EA’s polish and the inventiveness of an indie studio. While more content would be highly appreciated, Auditorium is still a treat.

Any way you slice it, it’s still Connect 4. A handful of bells and whistles does little to add some excitement to the old board game.

MiniSquadron is a phenomenal, whimsical 2D shooter with well-honed controls and personality to spare. It’s addicting, to put it mildly, and who doesn’t like blowing stuff up? This is a must-have.

First Look: Tweetie 2.1. Brings Twitter List Support, Among Other Trippy Stuff.

There aren’t many people who don’t love Tweetie for iPhone. In mid-October of this year we saw Loren introduce to us his completely re-vamped version. Hyped to high heaven, Tweetie 2 saw a more simplistic UI, a new (coined revolutionary) way to refresh your timeline, better account management, a new tweet composing experience, custom URL endpoints, the ability to save tweets as drafts for later publishing and more. It was seen as a great step up to the original Tweetie.

But with recent changes to Twitter’s API, new service introductions, and with Tweetie 2 not having any support for these out of the box, it was clear it was in for an update, very soon. Cue, 2.1. If you happen to follow me on Twitter, you’ll probably (almost definitely) know that I’ve been closely involved in the beta-testing of Tweetie 2.1, and I have to say it’s an update well worth attention. Most notably, this version brings support for Twitter’s new ‘Lists’ feature.

If you’re not already aware, Twitter Lists are the new universal way to categorize your followers, and for them to categorize you. It’s as simple as selecting which ‘list’ you want that person to appear on. Other people following you then have the option to follow that specific list, meaning if you make a list called ‘Favorites,’ and add all your favorite Tweeters, anyone who follows that list will essentially see the best content from your followers. The Twitter list feature has become so popular in the short space of time it has been live, that people are now starting to judge ‘influence level’ on how well you are listed, and in what categories.

In Tweetie 2.1, lists are pretty much the same as they are on Twitter.com, but it’s how they’ve been implemented which makes the experience a whole lot more user-friendly. Tapping the ‘More’ tab in 2.1, you’ll now see all the ‘Lists’ you belong to, or have been added to, including the one’s you’re not even following. Choosing a list will throw you into a specialized, scrollable time line which only consist of the members of that list. Want to see the stats of a list? In the bottom left you’ll see an ‘i’ info button. Tap it, and the current list being viewed will flip over to reveal the owner of that particular list (and tapping on him or her will take you to their profile page), alongside the list’s following and follower counts.
Continue reading First Look: Tweetie 2.1. Brings Twitter List Support, Among Other Trippy Stuff. »

Cash Cow takes money-counting and turns it into a fantastic puzzle that rivals Bejeweled in the addiction category. Absorbing and fun, this puzzle game is simple to learn but requires plenty of strategy to master.