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Tag: Location based »

The Target! Wants to Turn Your City Into a VideoGame

Posted by Jessica Fisher on May 14th, 2015
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

La Mosca has released an innovative new location-based game calledThe Target!, which turns you and your friends into characters in a real life video game.

Global Supremacy Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on July 8th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar :: SPREADSHEETS: THE GAME
Global Supremacy has the makings of a neat location-based game, but there's not really much "game" to it at the moment.
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D:COM - MISSION ALPHA Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on June 28th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: MECHA IN MY POCKET
D:COM - MISSION ALPHA has a more complex title than it does gameplay, but it still makes for some decent no-frills fun.
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Please Stay Calm - Zombie Apocalypse Survival MMO RPG Revew

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on March 11th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar :: KEEP CALM AND KILL ZOMBIES
Search the neighborhood for supplies and desperately fight off the zombie horde in familiar local spots in this apocalyptic MMO.
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Evzdrop Review

Posted by Carter Dotson on December 3rd, 2012
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

Developer: Evzdrop, Inc.
Price: Free
Version Reviewed: 1.1.1
Device Reviewed On: iPod touch 5

iPhone Integration Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
User Interface Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Re-use Value Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

[rating:overall]

I generally find myself skeptical of location-based services that launch. In general, they have too much of a focus on urban dwellers. Something like Foursquare is only interesting for those who live in a big city. As well, it becomes just noise when shared to people on other social networks, just a shallow way to announce that a person is at a certain place, instead of actually adding value to the conversation.

Evzdrop avoids many of those traps. First off, the service is built to actuallya have people say something. There’s a Twitter-esque 140 character text box that requires input whenever a drop is made. This makes it easy to share thoughts on the place. Think the food at this restaurant is terrible? Say that, and include a thumbs down. Think that this bar is the raddest joint on earth? Thumbs up and a cool message will lead the way. Drops can be shared to Twitter or Facebook (or not at all!), and photos can be attached.

[img id="Evzdrop-4-169x300.png"]Second, there’s actually many, many ways to use the service. It’s possible to listen to places akin to following them on Twitter, and to see what’s happening at a certain place, or to see what’s happened recently. For example, when I spoke to the developers of Evzdrop, they mentioned that people have posted photos and updates from sports stadiums, so people can get a special perspective on what’s happening there. It could even be used as a Yelp-type service, where seeing real, recent opinions on a place is possible, or even just to filter to certain types of places and to see what’s around. Essentially, micro-reviews. This means that in suburban areas, where people are more spread out, there’s value in still posting things, as othe people will be able to see them later. Drops are all public, and those who run places can respond to drops, but it can also be done entirely anonymously.

The long-term problem is simple, as with every other service that’s based on location: it needs users. It needs people checking in at places regularly in order to provide content, so that when a person looks, they will actually see what they want to see. It needs places to actually interact with people regularly. The app also needs some cleaning up in its interface. There’s a lot of options, and a lot of the value of the app can get obscured in buttons and options, and things that look like buttons, like the tiny icon in the upper left, seems like it should be a button but is actually a non-interactive icon.

I find myself very interested in what Evzdrop will do in the future: they’ve done a lot to ensure that it’s something that has value even early on as its userbase is growing, and to ensure that there’s actually interesting content on there. But it just needs more to be something truly special.

Geomon Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on September 25th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: REDUCE
On the surface Geomon isn't all that different from other monster catching and training games. What a difference a GPS makes.
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Flirt, Date, and Meet Locals With Location-Based App Lovoo

Posted by Rob LeFebvre on August 9th, 2012
+ Universal & Apple Watch App - Designed for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch

So you say you want to meet new people in your city or town? You're not the bar or singles scene type? The developers of Lovoo have you covered, then, with their location-based flirting app.

The app supports English, German, Czech and Turkish, with more languages coming soon. You simply log in to the service using your email or Facebook, then hit the "Flirt Radar" to find others in your area who are looking to flirt as well. You can sign up for the service within the app as well - no need to use the service website to create a free account. You can then fill out a quick profile with your gender preference, age, location, and the kinds of interactions you're looking for.

Seems like a fun idea, like a social network for flirty local connections. Let us know if you check it out and have any success finding that special someone.

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Location-based Search App Where To? Releases Major Update

Posted by Kevin Stout on June 25th, 2012

Where To?, Editor's Choice winning local search app (reviewed years ago by our Editor In Chief, Jeff Scott), has just released its next major version of the app Where To? 5.0. In this fifth major release, new features are added in the favoriting and navigation area.

Specifically, the app has four new major features. Two of those features have to do with favorites. Users can now favorite places to come back and access them later. In addition, those favorites as well as the apps settings can be synced over iCloud. And now, when searching for restaurants, hundreds of thousands of the US restaurants in Where To? include menus for users to search through before they decide to make that tough decision of where to eat. And the app now supports three more navigation apps when users decide to visit a location (iGo Prime, VZ Navigator, and Gokivo). The details pages for places also have a new design.

Where To? is a location-based search app that brings up points of interest in the area around the user. The app is also known for its augmented reality (AR) technology which can be added to the app for an additional fee. Where To? is $2.99 and made for the iPhone. An additional $0.99 will earn users the 3D and Augmented Reality features.

Meatspace Invasion Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on June 25th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: A LITTLE DIFFERENT
Take the fight to the streets (be safe, look both ways, etc) in this location-based shooter.
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Mobbles Review

Posted by Rob Rich on June 12th, 2012
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

Developer: Mobbles Corp.
Price: FREE
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

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

[rating:overall]

My neighborhood is apparently playing host to a menagerie of monsters. That’s okay because they’re of the cute and cuddly variety, but there sure are an awful lot of the little buggers hiding out around here. Good thing I can use Mobbles to catch them. Then pet them and love them and call them George.

Mobbles is an interesting combination of location-based and monster-collecting and raising gameplay. As long as there’s space available, a player can wander around just about anywhere and try to track one (or several) of the little suckers down. If they can get within a certain real world distance, they can attempt to catch it. If successful, they have a new little buddy to feed and shower with attention. This is where the second half of the game comes into play. Each little critter can be fed, bathed, played with, and put to bed. They each also have their own to-do lists that will reward bonus gems (used for buying stuff) or love (used to level-up a given creature) that run the gamut from tickling a specific number of times to simply feeding at a specific time of day.

Every creature in Mobbles has a distinct look (always cute), and every creature also has its own basic personality. Although for my money Gummy is about as adorable a cartoon iOS “thing” as I’ve ever seen. Having to put them to sleep once they get tired from too much activity, typically for about a half an hour, can actually be seen as a good thing since it prevents people from spending way too much time poking virtual cartoon monsters. And the features that constantly unlock for each Sploon, Gummy, Runka, and so on can be a major driving force to keep players invested.

Though they may be cute and numerous, and full of un-lockable wardrobe options, Mobbles can also be a bit of a let down for someone who doesn’t know what to expect. Finding, collecting, and trading monsters typically lends itself to training and battles as well, but those are two features that are decidedly not present here. This is not a battle game, it’s a virtual pet game. It’s important for anyone interested to understand that as there’s very little in the way of action, which can be a huge disappointment if it’s not expected.

So long as people know what they’re getting into, they’re bound to enjoy Mobbles. It’s an entertaining and family-friendly game designed to get everyone out of the house for a bit while they go looking for new specimens, not a collect ‘em, train ‘em, battle ‘em affair. Given the sheer amount of cute on display, I’m inclined to be okay with that.

City King Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on May 22nd, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: FIGHT FOR IT
Fight for control over real-world locations (literally!) in this location-based social RPG.
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Parallel Mafia Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on April 12th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: CYBORG ENFORCER
Create a mecha-mafia empire in this location-based sim.
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Paper Baron Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on March 27th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: GOING THE DISTANCE
Get a healthy dose of long distance gliding and location-based domination in this free-to-play offering.
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Placesaver Review

iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
By Rob Rich on March 7th, 2012
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: FIND IT
Placesaver makes marking locations significantly easier and more user-friendly.
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Let Roamz Show You the Local Hotspots

Posted by Brad Hilderbrand on March 5th, 2012
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

It's Friday night and you've got no plans. What do you do? Well if you're up for a bit of adventure you could fire up Roamz and let it guide you to all sorts of local fun and excitement. The app scans your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and FourSquare accounts to find out what other folks in the area are up to and what local establishments are jumping on a given day.

What sets Roamz apart from similar apps is that it tailors itself to your personal tastes, recommending locations which are not only popular, but which you'll also find interesting. Who cares if your friends are checking out an art museum if you're not into that stuff right? Basically, the more you use the app the better it can predict what you want to see, and the latest update has improved the app's learning functionality so it will be more accurate than ever. Want to know more? Check out the video for a quick rundown of what Roamz can do.