This little ad supported game is a city-wide destruction derby that takes the player through many different situations with lots of different goals and absolutely no sense of traffic laws. In Crash Mayhem the player takes control of their car and uses their finger to point out the direction on screen where they’d like the car to accelerate. Missions are varied and change from level to level. Sometimes players will have to crash as many cars as they can in a single intersection. much like a very watered-down version of Burnout CRASH! at a much lower price. In other levels, players will have to run rampant through the open city in search of items to collect before the time runs out.

The simple finger controls in Crash Mayhem work pretty well and the cars handle well too, depending on which car players are driving. As the game progresses, players gain control of faster and more responsive cars to take around on their destructive missions. The AI on other cars is virtually non-existent and they more or less run on tracks until they are hit or hit something in their path. The claims that this game is an “open world” game are a little misleading. It’s true that each level takes place in a different section of a larger sprawling city, but the action is broken into levels with no way for the player to explore the city by themselves with no pressing mission or goal to worry about.

The design of the cars and city is simplistic, but it really works for what this titles is. With such a large environment and many different things to see in each level it doesn’t matter that the city and cars aren’t rendered in super high quality 3D models. There is a certain charm to the visuals of Crash Mayhem that lets the player enjoy the gameplay.

Crash Mayhem basically boils down to a mini-game collection that brings together many of the gameplay elements and mechanics made popular in other iOS driving games. The game is ad supported which can be very annoying when ads are shown almost constantly and sometimes even cover buttons or gameplay. Still there is an unlock available via in-app purchase to get rid of the ads for players who really end up loving this title.

The concept behind the Hello Music website is a simple but brilliant one: provide members with information regarding all manner of deals and sales, on all kinds of musical goodies. The Hello Music app does pretty much the same thing, only on iOS. In other words, with an account on the website and the app on a phone, anyone looking for great deals is covered.

The site, and by extension the application, will per-negotiate discounts on a set (and limited) quantity of various items. These range from tangible objects such as amps, pedals and such, to less tangible things like studio time. Since quantities are limited the deals don’t last long (usually around 48 hours), but with a handy-dandy iOS app to monitor these deals on the go it becomes much less of an issue.

Setting up an account on the website is free. The app is free. Suffice it to say, any musicians with even a little interest in savings (and an iPhone, of course) need to take a look at this.

FREE!

Hello Music

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-12-16 :: Category: Music

James Shaw, handy app wonder-developer, has done it again. Now that the need for spontaneous toilet location is covered, he’s moved on to the next most important thing: pizza. That’s right, just like the ever-useful Toilet Finder, Pizza Finder automatically hunts down any nearby deliciousness and shows users exactly where to find it.

From mom and pop joints to upscale eateries, from Little Caesar’s to Dominos, Pizza Finder will use the iOS device’s built-in GPS to locate anything that sells the tasty pies and literally provide a map to it. The app also presents addresses and contact info, which makes setting up reservations while en route a breeze. Of course, it’s also useful for ordering takeout. Then leading the way to the restaurant so the food can actually be taken out, naturally.

Pizza-enthusiasts who hate being left out in the cold when traipsing through parts unknown can rest easy. Pizza Finder is here. Heck, for $1 it can make pretty much anyone’s life (or at least last-minute meal plans) easier.

$0.99

Pizza Finder

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-11-04 :: Category: Lifestyle

I imagine suburbanites wouldn’t get much use out of it, but us metropolitan… -ites (?) could put 16 year-old app aficionado James Shaw’s Toilet Finder! to good use. Well, us and anyone visiting our “fair” city. Lots of tourists fail to come up with a Potty Plan when they set out on their walking tours and whatnot.

It’s a common problem when anyone is oot and aboot in unfamiliar territory. Someone has to “go,” and no one knows where the nearest restroom is. It typically leads to one of two scenarios: either the twitchy individual leaves the pack to look for one on their own, which usually takes a lot longer than expected, or they all wander off and waste time that could have been better spent on other things. This is exactly why Toilet Finder! was created.

The app uses the GPS to automatically find and display all known toilets in the immediate area. Conveniently displayed in either map, satellite or hybrid styles. Any crap-tanks in the database will also be accompanied by an address and phone number, just in case it’s late at night or in a weird location. And just to make things even more helpful, the app can provide directions to the desired bathroom.

Sounds useful, no? Toilet Finder! is in the App Store right now for a dollar. Given the amount of time and/or money one could waste while searching for an “outlet” – I’m inclined to think it might be worth it.

$0.99

Toilet Finder!

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-10-20 :: Category: Navigation