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Order & Chaos Duels Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on March 21st, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: ANGRY CARDS
Order & Chaos Duels is a beautiful and fun strategic card game at its core, but the solo campaign is horribly unbalanced.
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Favorite Four: Card Games

Posted by Jennifer Allen on March 18th, 2013

Card games are one of the oldest methods of gaming out there, so it's no great surprise that they've converted well to modern technology such as our beloved iOS devices. The App Store is overflowing with different card games, ranging from typical solitaire games to trading card titles. We've taken a look at our four favorite card games out there, at the moment.

Fairway Solitaire
Fairway Solitaire is a modern interpretation of the classic card game of Solitaire. Free and backed up with some very tempting in-app purchases, it offers a huge number of different solitaire games, all based around the game of Golf Solitaire. There's even a glimpse of a story through a mischievous gopher out to cause havoc on the gold course. Even better, there's regular new content thanks to a new courses each day. It should keep both puzzle and card game fans happy for many, many hours.

Rage of Bahamut
It's far from the prettiest of card games out there, but Rage of Bahamut has proven to be quite the phenomenon. It's even hooked the site's Rob Rich since he reviewed it last year. A trading card game full of mystical creatures and magical items, there's a surprising amount of strategical depth to it. Just don't expect it to use iOS's graphical prowess to its full potential.

Assassin's Creed Recollection
Moving onto a card game that does use some of the graphical potential of iOS devices, Assassin's Creed Recollection is ideally suited for fans of the Assassin's Creed world. A war between the Templars and Assassins is brewing in this real-time card game, with plenty of information about the titles available to unlock. There's a story mode, too, offering hours of intriguing missions and political battles.

Full Deck Pro Solitaire
Returning to traditional card gaming, Full Deck Pro Solitaire is a solitaire game that dispenses with all the bells and whistles that Fairway Solitaire comes with, sticking to pure cards. A variety of different games are available within, such as Klondike 3 Card Pyramid, Spider, Golf and Freecell. There's an extra pack to buy, too, including my all time favorite variety: Grandfather's Clock. Those after the classic one player card game experience should revel in this.

Immortalis Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on January 24th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: PUTS THE "I" IN "TEAM"
Immortalis does a few things differently and the rest pretty much the same, but none of that gets in the way of having a good time.
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Penny Arcade the Game: Gamers vs. Evil Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on December 24th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: NATURAL TWENTY
So, how does Penny Arcade's second iOS game hold up? Exceptionally well, I'd say.
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Fluxx Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on December 18th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: FLATT
This digital rendition of an absurd party card game is missing some of the magic, but it's still a pretty good time.
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Solitaire Kingdom Supreme Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on December 10th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: SUPREMELY SUPERB
Apparently combining familiar classics with loads of unlockables and all sorts of wacky and interesting modifications is just funkitron's "thing."
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Governor Of Poker 2 Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Jennifer Allen on November 28th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: TEXAS CASUAL POKER
Governor of Poker 2 is a poker game that's a distinctly casual affair.
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Solitaire Gets Crazy in Popcap's Solitaire Blitz

Posted by Rob Rich on October 25th, 2012

I profess I tend to spend a decent amount of time playing virtual solitaire these days, mostly thanks to some ridiculously early commutes. So it’s a game I’m quite familiar with, although I haven’t come anywhere close to mastering it. Why is this significant? Because Popcap is bringing their popular Facebook adaptation, Solitaire Blitz to iOS and I’m expecting to have a grand old time with it.

The rules of Solitaire Blitz are both familiar and totally new. Players still have to empty their cards into piles by following a particular sequence, but suits and linear progression don’t matter anymore. A King can be tossed on a Queen, to be followed by another Queen, then a Jack. Or it could go 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, Ace. But while this might sound like the challenge has been sucked out of the classic solo card game, the fact of the matter is it still makes for an intense game. Mostly thanks to the never pausing 60-second time limit and slots (up to four) for placing cards that have to be unlocked.

It makes for some rather frantic card shuffling as you attempt to spot anything and everything that can get tossed on a pile, attempt to plan ahead to avoid getting stuck, and search out any cards featuring a key icon that will unlock those essential extra card slots. All of this while the clock keeps ticking down. No specifics have been given regarding price yet but we can all look forward to one of the most intense games of solitaire ever this November.

Solebon Pro Solitaire Review

iPad App - Designed for iPad
By Angela LaFollette on October 22nd, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: FLYING SOLO
Solebon Pro Solitaire features 134 different card games, but its lack of features makes it difficult for gamers to shell out their extra cash.
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Fantasica Review

Posted by Rob Rich on September 3rd, 2012
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Developer: Mobage
Price: FREE
Version: 1.2
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Playtime Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

[rating:overall]

Mobage has developed a bit of a “thing” for freemium collectible card games lately. Not that it’s a bad thing, it’s just that there are a lot of them floating around now and it can be difficult to figure out which ones to stick with. Of course everyone already knows how I feel about Rage of Bahamut, but while it will always be my number one I feel confident in stating that Fantasica sits right next to it as number two.

Card collecting and enhancement is still the primary focus with this new Mobage title, but the formula has also been significantly tweaked in places. After the basics are covered in the tutorial players are given clearance to do whatever they wish, be it questing, training, fighting, and so on. Questing in Fantasica is like a simplistic game of tower defense: Enemies pour in and must be dispatched before they reach the exit, which requires placing characters along the path and putting their abilities to good use. Training is more of a simple lottery-style mini-game that has the player’s chosen leader character walking down a straight path, killing enemies to earn experience and finding treasure chests with cash or new characters along the way.

Unlike many other freemium games of this type, all actions aren’t tied to specific meters that refill over time. Instead, everything other than Training is tied to countdown clocks. Completing a quest of any sort initiates a cooldown phase, ranging from one minute to an hour or more, that can either be waited out or instantly refreshed with special items. I still haven’t decided how I feel about this method, but it seems to work pretty well all things considered. I’ve yet to get to a point where I’ve run out of things to do. It’s easy for me to get hung up on all the little elements that make Fantasica feel like more of a game than a browser-based affair, but I want to make sure I give the artwork and character designs their due. In short, they’re spectacular. And with good reason; it’s all been penned by Hideo Minaba. Yes, that Hideo Minaba.

As impressed as I’ve been with Fantasica I’ve still had a few issues with it. Mostly it’s that the menu interface is a bit busy which makes navigation a pain. I’m also not a fan of the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen since it forces me to actively search for my ally list, among other things. There are also certain concepts such as how defending against attackers works that aren’t communicated clearly at all.

I have to admit, despite the perplexing UI, Fantasica is a solid free-to-play. One with actual gameplay in it, no less. It’s too soon to tell whether it will surpass Mobage’s main juggernaut, but it’s certainly poised to make an attempt.

Lost Cities Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on August 30th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: GET LOST
Lost Cities is every bit as fun and interesting as any other Reiner Knizia game. But wait, there's more!
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Blackjack King Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on August 27th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: KIND OF A BUST
Blackjack King represents the game well, but it doesn't quite live up to its noble title.
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Create Your Own Avengers Team in Marvel: War of Heroes

Posted by Rob Rich on August 7th, 2012
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: BETTER THAN IT LOOKS :: Read Review »

Just about everyone in the world dreams about having super powers. Flight, strength, x-ray vision, that kind of stuff. While DeNA (think Mobage) and Marvel Entertainment’s upcoming Marvel: War of Heroes may not bestow impossible abilities to its players, it does put them in charge of a slew of iconic heroes.

Assuming the role of a S.H.I.E.L.D agent players will collect cards featuring various Marvel heroes and craft their own super team. Powers and abilities can be fused and upgraded as well, making an already powerful legend even more so. If you’re thinking it sounds similar to the more than a little popular Rage of Bahamut, that’s because it is. And because it’s being crafted by the same developers. Although the story – which is a thing that actually exists in this freemium card game. I know, right? – is all original and comes directly from Marvel itself. As does the art, actually, which is ridiculously awesome.

Marvel: War of Heroes is due to hit the App Store this fall. Anyone with even the slightest interest will be able to check it out for free, but those of us who are already curious can head over to the official website to pre-register. Why? Because it earns a free rare card, among other things. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from playing similar Mobage titles it’s that rare cards, no matter how useful they might be to my strategy, can pay off big. Also it might actually be really cool.

Michael Schacht's Gold! Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on July 11th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: WORTH ITS WEIGHT
It's simple and could really do with the ability to play with another person instead of the computer, but it's still quite the fun little card game.
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Reiner Knizia's High Society Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on July 11th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: ADDICTING AFFLUENCE
Hobnobbing with high rollers can be lots of fun but make sure to keep a firm grip on that shirt.
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