148 Apps on Facebook 148 Apps on Twitter

Tag: Star Wars »

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Blake Grundman on December 30th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: FEELS THE FORCE
Can Free-to-Play work well for episodic gaming? Let's just say that this is a perfect example of episodic done VERY right.
Read The Full Review »

148Apps 2013 wrAPP-Up - The Year's Best Apps and Games

Posted by Chris Kirby on December 27th, 2013

Whoever said perfection is overrated obviously never got a five-star review on 148Apps. It doesn't happen often. Just take a quick look through our reviews and you'll see lots of well-deserving Editor's Choice winners, but most only reach four-and-a-half stars. In fact, in all of 2013 there have only been ten five-star reviews. Take a look at some of what we considered the best of the best this year.

Jool


Jool is a unique 2D platformer that features a bird and his evil alter ego. Collect items, earn points, and survive. --Michael Carattini


Year Walk


Year Walk is a haunting adventure game from Simogo that blends a dark world and involved mythology together to create an absolutely amazing experience. --Carter Dotson

Star Wars: Attack Squadrons - Disney Announces New Free-to-Play Online Space Combat Game, Coming to PC Only for Now

Posted by Andrew Stevens on December 17th, 2013

More Star Wars is on its way as Disney announces Star Wars: Attack Squadrons, a free-to-play online space combat game that's currently set for PC only. Polygon mentions that the game is in development by Area 52 Games, a studio that focuses on PC and mobile gaming, but we'll have to wait and see if this title officially makes its way to our part of the galaxy or not.

Knights of the Old Republic Update Inbound - Includes Improved Visuals, Updated Interface, and Goes Universal

Posted by Rob Rich on December 16th, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarstar :: JEDI MASTER :: Read Review »

GIVEAWAY: We've got four copies of KOTOR to give away! Share/retweet this post on Twitter to be eligible to win. We will send out codes to the winners on Wednesday.

Heads-up, Jedi masters! It's just been confirmed that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is getting a very substantial update. How substantial, you ask?

First and foremost, it's going Universal. So if you don't have an iPad and have been using anything including a 5th Gen iPod Touch or an iPhone 4S and above, good news! The interface is also being tweaked so that the text will display better on smaller devices, and it's even going to support widescreen formats for the iPhone 5 and 5s! In addition, many of the graphical elements such as lighting and shadows are being dressed up for devices using the new A7 processor (iPad Air, Retina Mini, iPhone 5s). There have also been rumblings of MFi controller support, although it's still considered to be in the experimental stages.

So when is all this going to be available? Really, really soon. Like this week soon. If the stars align, the update will go live this Thursday, December 19.

Original

Updated iPhone 5 Widescreen

Tiny Death Star: How Disney Mobile Found a Balance Between NimbleBit and LucasArts

Posted by Carter Dotson on November 7th, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: FULLY ARMED AND OPERATIONAL :: Read Review »

For Jon-Paul Dumont and the team at Disney Mobile, the creation of Star Wars: Tiny Death Star was a balancing act. On one side, there was NimbleBit and their hit game, but also their aesthetic of gameplay and of how they approach free-to-play that forms the spirit of their games. On the other side, LucasArts is very protective of Star Wars, and even with Disney owning the brand now they work diligently to make sure that anything Star Wars fits in with the brand.

Getting to work with NimbleBit for Disney's internal mobile studio was a dream come true, and Dumont had been in touch about working with them but he couldn't find a partnership that would work out until Disney bought Star Wars. And how did Tiny Death Star come about? Well, Dumont says "Somebody just sort of blurted out, 'What about Tiny Death Star?' and lightbulbs sort of went off and it sort of wrote itself from there on out."

Once the idea was formed, making a game that would feel true to NimbleBit was key. "The team sat down with the guys at NimbleBit and learned from them, what were the fans of Tiny Tower really excited about? What did they love? What were things that they felt like could be improvements?"

"One of the things that we really loved about Tiny Tower was the delightful randomness of the game, and how you never quite know what the next floor is going to be... who the next character is going to be who gets into your elevator. So we wanted to add to that by taking all these fun, iconic villains and heroes and species of Star Wars and giving you a reason to want to see all of them."

"Even though we built this internally at Disney, this should feel 100% like a Nimblebit game. David and Ian [Marsh] were involved in the game and they reviewed builds often, and helped us stay within what is really important to them as game makers. The great thing is that we were starting from something like Tiny Tower that was very successful and I think really innovative in the market at the time, so we didn't really feel the need to reinvent their formula. So in the same way that we were really reverential to Star Wars, I'd say we were really reverential to Nimblebit."

And making the game fit in with the Star Wars brand was important for them and for LucasArts. "The team started working then with LucasArts to figure out, how do we adapt that fun, humorous, 8-bit style that NimbleBit has over to Star Wars? It was the first at least recent 8-bit game for LucasArts, there was a lot of work and back and forth to make sure that our versions of the characters really worked but still had that tongue-in-cheek style."

"[LucasArts] are really rigorous, and it makes sense given that Star Wars is a property that has lasted so long, and that they have plans to keep it going for decades to come. They are just making sure that the characters fit and that things are logical within the universe. They're also making sure that they are making the right creative decisions for the future. They have a kind of legacy to protect. And so when they look at an 8-bit Stormtrooper, they're trying to figure out not just how does it work for this game, but what does 8-bit mean in Star Wars for next year, 5 years, and 10 years in the future?"

This even came down to making the game make at least some sense narratively. Dumont says "We needed to know even if it's goofy or silly, like our premise is intentionally, it was important to have that central focus of knowing why is an Ewok on the Death Star? Why is Lando Calrissian around your cantina? So, that gave us a grounding element. It was also really important to the guys at Lucas. They really are the guardians of this legacy of Star Wars. So no matter how silly or goofy the game is, they want to make sure everything fits together. And there are things that we followed along that were important to them. For instance, our game is set roughly in the classical era of Star Wars, which means that characters who died in the prequels are not going to show up in this game. Even for something as cute as this, there are really important sort of structural rules that are important to us and LucasArts."

"I would not call this game canon, they're not basing movies on it or anything like that, but having something that fits and makes sense is actually really important to us and we feel like it is important to our audience of Star Wars fans who take things, even goofy things seriously. It is really fun to play around in a version of Star Wars that doesn't take itself that seriously, so it allows us to have a lot of the fun and lots of fun humor and gags."

And with Tiny Death Star out now worldwide, players can judge for themselves if Dumont and Disney Mobile found their own balance of the Force between the inspirations from NimbleBit and Star Wars. Thanks to Jon-Paul Dumont for his time.

Star Wars: Tiny Death Star Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Carter Dotson on November 7th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: FULLY ARMED AND OPERATIONAL
Tiny Death Star is Tiny Tower but all decked out with Star Wars. The Star Wars parts are great, but those who got their fill of Tiny Tower already might not find much else new here to get hooked to again.
Read The Full Review »

It Came From Australia: Tiny Death Star

Posted by Carter Dotson on October 16th, 2013

NimbleBit and Disney have teamed up to make Star Wars: Tiny Death Star, a Star Wars take on Tiny Tower. Right now, the game is in testing in Australia (you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy) but we were able to sneak past their defenses and get a shot at the exhaust port in this edition of It Came From Australia!

Now, the game at its heart is essentially Tiny Tower but with Star Wars, and that’s a-okay. The game’s formula hasn’t been changed: players build residential levels for new bitizens to live in, and businesses for them to work at. Each bitizen has certain stats for certain job types that makes them more effective at their job, allowing players to earn more credits. One of the key gameplay additions are new Imeperial levels that help to advance the story by collecting Imperial Officers. Otherwise not much has changed, which isn’t a bad thing: there’s the two-currency system, but Galactic Bux can still be earned through VIPs and by completing certain objectives like putting a bitizen in their dream job.

The Star Wars theme is well apparent. Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader have been brought to pixelly life as bitizens, and all the other recognizable Stormtroopers, Rebel soldiers, and much of the non-human life from the series make appearances. The music is all based off of the classic John Williams music but in a light, jazzy theme. That almost justifies the game’s existence alone. The whole game is light-hearted fan service for Star Wars fans who get to build levels of the Death Star after recognizable places and themes – the developers have clearly had fun trying to cram reference after reference into the game. The whole thing is just whimsical.

There’s no telling if the Tiny Death Star will ever be blown up by a plucky orphan from Tatooine, though. The game’s likely to come out soon: it works offline so it’s quite likely that this is just a monetization test, or to see if certain elements play well with a real-world audience. So soon the game should be fully armed and operational for the whole world. Until then, watch our video below.

Star Wars: Tiny Death Star - What Happens When the Empire Takes Over Tiny Tower

Posted by Jeff Scott on October 4th, 2013

Disney today announced Star Wars: Tiny Death Star for release very soon. It's a version of Tiny Tower based in the Star Wars universe. It's about time Disney started putting out Star Wars games! Though I don't think this is the first one I would have thought of. What do you think, is this a good first release for Disney and Star Wars?


The Empire needs your help! In collaboration with LucasArts and Tiny Tower creators NimbleBit, Disney Mobile introduces Star Wars™: Tiny Death Star™, a new game for mobile devices. Live life on the dark side and join Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader on a mission to attract Galactic bitizens, run intergalactic businesses, and build an all-new Death Star. Construct unique Star Wars themed locations to attract iconic characters and species to your space station in this 8-bit style game. Star Wars: Tiny Death Star will soon be available worldwide.

Angry Birds Star Wars II Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Blake Grundman on September 19th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: FORCE WIELDING FUN
The force is strong with this one.
Read The Full Review »

Star Wars: Force Collection Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Rob Rich on September 4th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: A LITTLE FORCED
Star Wars: Force Collection induces its fair share of painful moments, but there’s a surprisingly competent CCG hiding just below the fan service.
Read The Full Review »

This Week at 148Apps: May 27-31, 2013

Posted by Chris Kirby on June 2nd, 2013

The Latest App Reviews Are Here


Need to know the latest and greatest apps each and every week? Look no further than 148Apps. Our reviewers comb through the vast numbers of new apps out there, find the good ones, and write about them in depth. 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. Want to see what we've been up to this week? Take a look below for a sampling of our latest reviews. And if you want more, be sure to hit our Reviews Archive.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Ten years ago, BioWare released the revolutionary Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR). This took the Dungeons and Dragons combat that BioWare were masters of in the PC niche they had carved out, placed it in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and had a non-linear story where decisions have a major role in what happens. BioWare made all this complexity accessible in a way that both new and existing audiences–including console gamers–fell in love with KOTOR. The success propelled the gaming company to become one of the most important game developers of the past decade, with wildly successful original franchises like the Mass Effect series. Flash-forward to today, and a new generation of gamers gets to play KotOR thanks to renowned port producer Aspyr, known for bringing many titles to the Mac. While the game isn’t always a perfect fit for the iPad and shows its relative age in spots, KotOR is still as transcendent an experience as it was a decade ago, thanks to its sheer depth. --Carter Dotson


Warhammer Quest

Rodeo Games knows strategy. Hunters was a fantastic game that seemed to come out of nowhere, and Hunters 2 pretty much set the bar for a lot of iOS strategy RPGs that would follow it. In fact, they set the bar so high I was worried that Warhammer Quest wouldn’t quite measure up. Either that or end up feeling like more of the same. Turns out I worried for nothing. Warhammer Quest puts players in charge of a group of warriors as they travel the realm seeking fame and fortune. Mechanically the gameplay is similar to Rodeo’s earlier titles with its top-down view and simple but intuitive tap interface, however there’s a much bigger emphasis on close quarters combat since there aren’t any sniper rifles or machine guns to be found. There’s also a liberal sprinkling of more traditional RPG elements such as extra dungeon encounters or even random events, such as a hero getting partially digested by a slime monster, that can keep even the most well prepared players on their toes. --Rob Rich


Wake Alarm

Find it tough to wake up? I know the feeling. While I struggle to get to sleep at night, I have as much trouble trying to wake up. That snooze button is all too tempting. Wake Alarm is out to stop any such problems and ensure that one gets up at the time they want to. Immediately simple to look at, the app works on a scroll wheel basis, one that’s immediately reminiscent of the classic iPod interface. Simply spin the virtual dial to set the alarm and away it goes. That’s the most basic way to use Wake Alarm, but there’s a little more to it. --Jennifer Allen


Other 148Apps Network Sites

If you are looking for the best reviews of kids' apps and/or Android apps, just head right over to GiggleApps and AndroidRundown. Here are just some of the reviews these sites served up this week:

GiggleApps

Crayola Light Marker

Recently, I was given the chance to try out the Crayola Light Marker. This piece of hardware, as the name may describe, allows children to use this chubby crayon-like tool - part laser pointer of sorts - to draw and in other ways interact with the free app associated with this Light Marker. Included with the Light Marker is a simple but nicely functional green plastic stand for the iPad that is thoughtfully included as this app is used on a propped iPad, with children standing between two and three feet away from their target. --Amy Solomon


Jazzy World Tour is a delightful exploration of music around the world, including the same characters and watercolor stylings as seen in the earlier companion app, A Jazzy Day. This app opens up with different countries marked with a flag on a world map. Tap to select a flag to explore the related country. Three sections are included, specifically Learn, Play, and Create. --Amy Solomon


AndroidRundown

The Conduit HD

The Conduit HD is probably the finest console-quality FPS available on mobile because it actually is a console FPS on mobile. Originally released as a Wii game by High Voltage Studios, they have now brought it to Android with a fresh coat of paint for HD devices, but with the same gameplay. On mobile scale, it’s quite an achievement, but does the title actually work on mobile? It’s a mixed bag. Players control Michael Ford, a government agent who soon finds himself facing down an alien invasion after being betrayed by a shadow government, and forced to work for the ‘terrorist’ Prometheus who may not be as bad as he seems. Players swap between a variety of weapons and use the “All Seeing Eye” to activate switches, unlock doors, and find hidden items and messages spread throughout the game world. --Carter Dotson


Swype Keyboard

I’m a brave man. I believe a couple centuries ago, I would have been an explorer of sorts. I love a challenge, and few things scare me. Except spiders. In any case, the prospect of switching from a device with a physical keyboard to one with a virtual one made me nervous. I was okay with switching from from one OS to another; I had done my research, liked the new ecosystem and liked the hardware available to me. The thing that really bothered me was the eventuality of having to peck on a touchscreen. I’m here to tell folks: Swype made the switch possible. --Tre Lawrence

10000000

“And lo, the hero’s adventure did come to an end because he couldn’t unlock the chest in time.” This is something that does happen in 10000000, the indie match-3 RPG from EightyEight Games (aka Luca Redwood) that has been brought to Android. Sometimes it’s not the enemies that fell the player, it’s the inability to get the keys to unlock doors and chests, leading to one’s doom. Wait, why? Well, in the world of 10000000, players exist on a horizontal scale where they need to keep moving, and anything that slows them down or keeps them from advancing it a threat. Sure, the enemies are greater threats because they’ll actually knock the player back, stopping them on their quest to get ten million points and free the protagonist from his mysterious imprisonment. --Carter Dotson

Help, I'm Lost on Taris: Learning the Ins and Outs of Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic

Posted by Carter Dotson on May 30th, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarstar :: JEDI MASTER :: Read Review »

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a huge game. Especially when starting out, you will get lost. Here's some tips to help you out on your way early on.

Choose wisely, padawan.

Choosing a class and starting attributes without having ever gotten to play the game is rough, because it really takes getting in to the game and playing it a lot to realize just what is possible, and the path you might want to take with your characters.

If you're the type that prefers beating people down and being the tank, then the Soldier class is for you. Scoundrels are best at most non-combat abilities like Persuasion and Security, meaning Jedi mind tricks and breaking in to doors. Scouts provide a balance between the two. However, there's two things to consider when choosing a class early on: one, it's possible to travel with a party of three, so even if one play style is preferred, it's possible to have party members fill a different but useful role. Two, the main character is always gonna be there, and there's certain skills like Persuasion that only they can really use. So, why not have them focus on that? Use the wookiee to beat stuff up.

Focus, you must.

Jack of all trades, master of none. That saying is a warning in KotOR. You're going to get the best effects and stat bonuses by choosing to focus on particular paths, whether it be a certain set of combat skills, or going down the Dark or Light Side path. Have a plan and stick to it and you'll get the best results. Again, if you're worried about any deficiencies, remember that you have three party members and can control any individual character, so you can cover most any area of expertise at any time if your party is set up accordingly.

Blow it up like Alderaan.

Your first playthrough is going to be one giant mass of confusion. Taris, the first planet, is big and confusing and you will get lost often. Plus, you won't quite know what everything in and out of combat is until you experience it in the game.

By the time you're ready to leave Taris, you've gotten to experience the gist of the game's elements, so this is time to make a decision: do you want to keep going with your selected main character? Don't be afraid to start anew at this point. It will take significantly less time to get back to where you started, and odds are, you'll be far more satisfied with the results. And if not, hey, there's multiple save slots for a reason. Use them!

Exploit the game like the Death Star's exhaust port!

Need a quick heal? If you can warp out the area on the map screen, you can get healed instantly and for free. And unlike on the Xbox, loading is so brief that you'll save yourself thousands of credits on medpacks.

If you have a tough Persuasion roll, know that some characters can be re-rolled by going through the conversation again. This doesn't always work, but consider it. Just quicksave before making any important decisions.

The structure of the game isn't perfect - you'll discover the gaps and how to take advantage of them as time goes on.

Google is more powerful than the Force

This is a console/PC game from 2003 that's based on Dungeons and Dragons which is even older than that. There is a lot of info out there. Don't be afraid to use it if you're confused or get stuck. StrategyWiki's KOTOR guide has a fantastic database of numbers and information. IGN has a great guide with plenty of visual aids if you get stuck. GameFAQs can pretty much fill in the rest, because hey - it's GameFAQs and KotOR was originally released in the prime era of GameFAQs' existence.

Have fun.

Of course, part of the fun of KotOR is the ability to dig in and find a lot of this stuff out yourself. Don't just follow the guides. Experiment! The quicksave and multiple save slots are there for a reason. Explore! There's a lot to find, and when you discover it yourself, it's the most satisfying.


Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - The first 30 minutes

Posted by Jeff Scott on May 30th, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarstar :: JEDI MASTER :: Read Review »

We got a chance earlier this week to take a deep look at Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It's a very long and involved RPG style game set in the Star Wars universe many years before Episode 1. KotOR has hours and hours of gameplay, and here's just a bit of those many hours to whet your appetite for the real thing.

The Internet Meets Star Wars: Five Of The Best KotOR Memes In The Galaxy

Posted by Rob LeFebvre on May 30th, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarstar :: JEDI MASTER :: Read Review »

You know you've made it big today when you're showing up in memes. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (aka KotOR) while not a modern game by any means, is still one of (if not the) most popular Star Wars games of all time.

It's not surprising, then, that the internet has taken its own inability to refrain from putting big blocky letters on top of images and mashed that up with images and references to this most geeky of geek games. Here are several of the best from around the 'net. Click on each image to go to the original source.

Let's start with a meme from a popular series of beer commercials, the world's most interesting man.

Yeah, it's a bit obscure for us, too.

And, keeping within the classic meme concept, here's a good one, referencing KotOR, the new Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic, and, well, Xzibit.

Seriously, dawg, we did.

Of course, no meme bank would be complete without actual images from the game itself. Here's one of the main characters, Bastila Shan, who apparently has a bit of a judgmental attitude.

Voiced by Jennifer Hale, no less.

Then there's the angry droid companion, assassin HK-47, who refers to all non-droids as, well, you get it.

I can haz Jedi-burger?

Darth Malak has Bastila up against the torture table, and leans in close, menacing. Suddenly...

A new fragrance from the maker of "JediPassion," Darth Malak.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Review

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
By Carter Dotson on May 30th, 2013
Our rating: starstarstarstarstar :: JEDI MASTER
The best Star Wars game of all time has made it to the iPad in a faithful port by Aspyr, and Knights of the Old Republic shines just as brightly as it did ten years ago.
Read The Full Review »