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Shiny Happy App Reviews

The App Store can be a daunting place. What to try? What to buy? How do you know? Thank goodness the review team at 148Apps is here to save the day. We sort through the chaos and find the apps you're looking for. The ones we love become Editor’s Choice, standing out above the many good apps and games with something just a little bit more to offer. Take a look at what we've been up to this week, and find even more in our Reviews Archive.

Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies

The great strategy of Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol returns with Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies. It’s set during World War II; where players have the choice to play as the US Navy, US Army, Imperial Japanese Navy, and Imperial Japanese Army. It certainly has a familiar presentation for those who played the original, but it’s also more polished and enhanced. The mission set-up is different as players are given one mission instead of a choice between three. I also find the visuals to be more polished and likable, but that’s probably because I love the old warbirds. --Andrew Stevens

Rayman Fiesta Run

Rayman Fiesta Run is the sequel to Rayman Jungle Run, Ubisoft’s mobile version of their Rayman revival series, taking the form of a level-based auto-runner. Rayman Fiesta Run really only serves as an iteration on the previous one, but more of the familiar excellent gameplay and an improved level structure make this a better game. Players control the jumps and punches of Rayman, who can’t stop running for reasons both justified and unjustified depending on the level, trying to collect Lums and just get to the end of each level in however many pieces is optimal for Rayman because he has invisible limbs. Levels, which take on many forms from horizontal platforming to back-and-forth ascents – with the occasional wall-running and jumping, too – are challenging due to the timing needed to succeed and survive the various hazards. --Carter Dotson

Tiny Death Star

Tiny Death Star is one of those ideas that’s absolutely brilliant: take Tiny Tower and put it in the Star Wars universe, having players build a Death Star instead of a non-descript tower. Oh, and the bitizens are all Star Wars characters. If that sounds appealing, then go download Tiny Death Star. It really isn’t too much different from the original Tiny Tower, the game where players earn money by stocking floors of a tower that sell different items, building new stores and residential floors for new people to move in to. Managing where bitizens work is important because they’re more efficient at certain floor types. This whole process continues until one’s tower is as high as players want it to be. It’s just all decked out with Star Wars characters and themes this time. --Carter Dotson

Hipster CEO

Let’s get this reviewing cliche out of the way: Hipster CEO is an acquired taste. It sounds like an excuse to basically say “Some will like it, some will hate it,” but it’s remarkably true in the case of this game. Unlike so many other titles on the App Store, Hipster CEO doesn’t mollycoddle its players. There’s a gameplay guide rather than a comprehensive tutorial, but even that isn’t as useful as simply giving the game a shot and gradually figuring things out. It’ll be rewarding, but it will take patience for those who want to succeed. Occasional moments of being crash-prone can irritate, too. --Jennifer Allen

Sorcery! 2

Bigger, better, stronger. That sums up Sorcery! 2, the sequel to the rather great Sorcery!. Feeling substantially weightier than its predecessor, much like the book it’s based on, Sorcery! 2 is a veritable bargain even despite its premium price tag. It’s been promised that there are over 300,000 words to it with more than 10,000 choices. I have no reason to doubt such a claim as there are plenty of hours of content here. Continuing from its predecessor, it’s not essential to have a save file at the ready but I’d recommend it, purely to carry on the storyline. Players explore Khare: the Cityport of Traps, and it’s a huge city indeed, as they attempt to move forward in their quest, potentially overthrow the city port’s council, and more. I’m grateful that Sorcery! 2 has such an extensive backtracking feature as there really is a lot that can be done here. --Jennifer Allen

ProCam 2

ProCam 2 is the kind of photography app that should, theoretically, mean that no other photography app is really needed. While some might find themselves keen to stick to an app they’re more used to, or with a slightly different look, ProCam 2 covers all the bases meaning that there really isn’t a need to do so. I’m assuming the developers wrote up a list of requirements for a good quality photography app, then kept working until every single one had been included. I’m struggling to think of anything that could have been missed. --Jennifer Allen

Other 148Apps Network Sites

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:

AndroidRundown

Dot.Stop.Run

Dot.Stop.Run is a pretty eye-catching runner, but how does it play? Players control Dot, an enigmatic female as she runs along a landscape littered with hazards, such as pits, falling blocks and moving platforms. Using well timed jumps, the player must guide Dot through each level. Dot.Stop.Run has the bare vestiges of a story. Dot has escaped from the unseen system and now runs through an endless binary domain that changes constantly to recapture her. Only by making her way safely through the binary domain can the true power of Dot be unleashed. This story doesn’t really make an appearance in game, but at least it sets the tone for the trippy gameplay to follow. --Allan Curtis

Lost Chapters HD

There has to be some science behind the way certain games force you to stop playing and instead ‘come back later’. I’ll happily admit I’m no expert in the economics of designing free-to-play games, but I always thought turning people away was a dangerous idea. They just might not come back. It’s with this in mind that we talk about Lost Chapters HD. It’s a game all about exploration of an island, completing tasks to unlock new buildings and discovering treasure along the way. --Matt Parker

Wake the Cat

Cats. Lovable bundles of fur or feline freeloaders? How you feel about cats will determine how you want to look at this game. LIKE CATS: Wake the Cat is a puzzle game where you gently roll a ball of yarn towards a sleeping kitty so that you may wake them from their peaceful slumber and play with them. HATE CATS: Wake the Cat is a puzzle game where you launch a ball of yarn (maybe with a rock in the middle of it) so that you stir the cat from its unearned slumber. Maybe to then throw the cat out of the house. I don’t know. --Matt Parker

And finally, this week Pocket Gamer picked the best iOS and Android games of October, reviewed Rayman Fiesta Run, provided some top tips for Tiny Death Star, and followed the saga of an indie developer who got rejected from the App Store... twice. Check out the Pocket Gamer weekly wrap-up right now!

I'm a huge fan of Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, and was excited to learn this week that Sid Meier and the team at Firaxis is hard at work on a follow-up title, Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies. With that announcement, it was clear that I needed to take a moment to ask Sid Meier himself, lead designer & gameplay programmer, a few questions about the upcoming title.

148Apps: Did you learn anything from the release of Ace Patrol that will help Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies when it launches this fall?
Sid Meier (SM): We got a lot of great suggestions from our players, we listened to the feedback they gave us, and we looked at how they played the game. For example, we found that most of the people who purchased content in the game preferred to buy everything, and so we’ve specifically designed Pacific Skies around the idea of charging a lower price than what the full slate of IAP would be, and giving players all the content from the start. There are also a number of new mission types.

148Apps: How similar are the two games in terms of gameplay and what makes Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies different from the original Ace Patrol?
SM: They’re very close by design. The specific details of the aircraft have changed, and the higher power of the real-life aircraft means we could put in some tighter turns. Experienced players of the original Ace Patrol should be able to adapt pretty easily: The Japanese aircraft are more maneuverable but more fragile, and the American aircraft are faster and tougher.

148Apps: Did you have any plans for Ace Patrol that didn’t make it into the game but may have made its way into Pacific Skies?
SM: No, the plan from the beginning was to make the original Ace Patrol with a clearly defined scope, which let us move onto Pacific Skies, incorporating feedback from the players.

148Apps: How many missions can we expect from the game at launch and are there any new mission types?
SM: There are about 180 missions, including some new ones including dive bombing, torpedo bombing, and ground attack. We also have a category of special missions, which have unique objectives or high-risk, high reward possibilities.

148Apps: What’s the presentation going to be like this time around with the mission briefings and visual presentation?
SM: The presentation is a bit different from Ace Patrol. You no longer get your choice of three missions, the game provides you with the next mission in the campaign at random. At the start of each battle, there’s a defined situation between you and the enemy. You might be at an island base with the enemy approaching from sea. The game then looks at the pool of missions it can draw from for this situation, and chooses one of these. So while you can’t pick the specific mission, it will give you a different challenge each time you begin a new campaign.

148Apps: What’s the best World War II aircraft? Is the P-51 just as beautiful in-game as it is in real life?
SM: My favorite is the Hellcat. A long time ago, one of the first games I made was called Hellcat Ace. The rest is history.

148Apps: How many types of aircraft are available in Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies?
SM: Thirty – four each from the US Army, US Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy, and Imperial Japanese Army, as well as bombers, torpedo planes, and recon aircraft.

148Apps: What’s been your favorite moment in the creation of the Ace Patrol series?
SM: It’s hard to say! For the first Ace Patrol, it was the first time the game was working and playable on phones. That was pretty amazing. For this current game, it was getting the shiny metal USAF planes into the game, and how the artists were able to get that effect.

148Apps: What excites you most about Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies?
SM: Really my favorite part is getting to be the lead gameplay programmer, and coming in every day to make a game. That’s always been my favorite part of this job, and the chance to work with a small group to make a game that has all of the depth and gameplay of a triple-A title is wonderful. Working on the Ace Patrol and defining this new category of game has been great.

148Apps: How many enemy aircraft have you shot down? You’re the ace, right? Let’s hear it!
SM: Well, since I have access to cheat commands, I shoot down every plane.

148Apps: What do we need to know most about Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies?
SM: I did want to mention the reworked AI this time around. It considers the entire situation and the mission objectives before it chooses a move, so it’s harder to fool than before. I also wanted to thank our players who gave us such great feedback from the original Ace Patrol. We appreciate what they have to say and we’re always listening to them.

Thank you, Sid Meier, for taking the time to answer my questions!

It's almost time to take our planes back up into the skies, flying over the pacific, as 2K and Firaxis Games have announced Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies. This is a sequel to the popular and mightily fun strategy title, Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, which we (I) gave Editor's Choice back in May.

Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies takes players to the Pacific Ocean during World War II where they'll be able to battle at Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Guadalcanal. Once again, players are also able to unlock special skills, upgrades, and maneuvers that will be very useful during battle.

I definitely can't wait to take on these new missions with those beautiful World War II Warbirds! Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies will be available on iOS this fall.

A new update has landed on Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, adding over 60 new missions and new mission types. However, the biggest and most noteworthy addition to the update is that players can now pilot bombers and recon planes.

I can't wait to check those missions out. There are also enhancements to improve the play experience, but whatever, we have new aircraft to fly!

Sid Meier's Ace Patrol just got a new update that adds unique advantages and a different experience as you play with each nation in the game. Pocket Gamer reports that British pilots can perform one extra high performance maneuvers, while German pilots only need two victories to earn their special power. French pilots can avoid being captured after a forced landing, and American pilots can recover from injuries faster than everyone else.

I like the sound of this--now we have another reason to take to the skies!

There is a new turn-based strategy game landing on iOS devices next week. 2K and Firaxis Games announces Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol, a strategic free-to-play World War I title that revolves around air-combat scenarios throughout more than 120 missions. Players select from 30 available vintage WWI aircraft and will build a team of Ace pilots that offer their own unique skills. Pocket Gamer notes that players gain access to equipment upgrades and can unlock pro maneuvers like rolls, loops, and slips for their pilots.

Besides single player mode, there is two-player hot-pad or asynchronous multiplayer modes through Game Center. Sid Meier's Ace Patrol is designed and programmed by the designer himself, Sid Meier, and players can look for it next week on May 9th.