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This Week at 148Apps: August 4-8, 2014

Posted by Chris Kirby on August 11th, 2014

App-tastic!


How do you know what apps are worth your time and money? Just look to the review team at 148Apps. 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.


Blood Bowl

When translating a nearly 30 year old tabletop game like Blood Bowl into a digital format, the folks in charge have to make some decisions. Craft a fairly robust in-game tutorial to ease new players gently into this somewhat complicated quagmire? Or just say “screw it,” assume the target market is going to be almost entirely existing fans of the product, and leave the newbies to sink or swim? Take a guess which direction Focus Home Interactive and Cyanide Studios went with this one. For the uninitiated, Blood Bowl is what would happen if somebody tossed American Football and Rugby into a blender and poured the resulting slurry through a filter made out of the Warhammer fantasy universe. This violent team sport, played by such Warhammer staple races as Orks and Skaven, doesn’t exactly cleave to either of those two inspirations, however. This almost-familiarity players might feel is the entry point where things start getting complicated. --Rob Thomas


Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery: Episode 2

The sequel to Episode 1, Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery: Episode 2 is just as pleasant but far too short lived – clocking in at only around an hour. Sure that might be a fun hour of solving puzzles, but it never quite gets going. Jacob and Biggie head off to the Crackskull Mountain to solve the secret of Biggie’s childhood, amongst other things. The writing is suitably witty and entertaining, with a smattering of puzzles to break things up, but that’s the problem: it really is only a smattering. 14 puzzles are all that are available here, and while they’re fun and well designed, they’re not particularly original. --Jennifer Allen


Time Tangle-Adventure Time

Using the colorful and immensely popular license of Adventure Time comes Time Tangle – Adventure Time, a title that’s keen to avoid being just another Endless Runner, but fails to truly take advantage of its small sense of purpose. Each session involves spinning a wheel to see what kind of activity must be completed. These generally involve either chasing something, collecting something, or beating something up. The controls are the same but the change in objective does help make you think there’s more to Time Tangle – Adventure Time than there actually is. --Jennifer Allen


iBattz Mojo Refuel Aqua Case

I demand a lot from my electronics. Since I became disabled and lost my ability to write, I’ve depended on my touch screen devices for everything – especially my college work. Being in an environmental biology program means I’m in the field a lot in many weather conditions. Naturally when it rains I need a waterproof case, but my phone always runs out of juice before the day is out. Most battery cases didn’t offer the waterproofing that I need; until I found iBattz’s new case. The iBattz Mojo Refuel Aqua S Case (what a mouthful!) is pretty spiffy. The case can be used to extend battery life, then when you need waterproofing it takes less than a minute to switch it over and lock it up tight. I’ve been using the case for almost two weeks now and have noticed the good and bad of it. --Jade Walker


Micromon

It was bound to happen one day, wasn’t it? Yes, Micromon is currently the nearest you’re going to get to Pokemon on your iOS device. Fortunately it’s pretty fun, too. There’s one downfall though, and it’s a pretty obvious one – those pesky in-app purchases that often get in the way of such experiences. First up, Micromon is gorgeous to look at. It doesn’t offer quite as many monsters to capture as a Pokemon game, weighing in at just over 130, but each of them is delightfully animated and appealing. The story within Micromon isn’t particularly gripping, staying quite formulaic, but that’s no great hardship. --Jennifer Allen


Slingbox M1 Hardware

I don’t know about you all, but I use my iPhone and iPad to watch Netflix videos all the time. It’s just so handy to be able to pull up a streaming video right before bed or to watch something else while the TV is in use. Well the Slingbox M1 is kind of like that; kind of. It’s also quite a bit different, but no less interesting. The Slingbox M1 essentially lets you broadcast the signal from your cable box to your iOS device and your computer – with the appropriate apps, of course. This means that you can use your iPad as a second screen, watch something on TV without moving to whichever room has the TV in it, or even catch up on local news and sports while you’re out of town. So long as you have an internet connection you can stream the signal from your cable box straight to your other devices. --Rob Rich


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

Master of Craft

Master of Craft looks to be an engaging game that merges key gaming genres in a tidy package. At its core, it’s all about simulating an economy of crafting. Off the bat, the busy animation of the game easily draws one in, with bright colors and vivid landscapes. If the developer’s goal is to please people that are iffy about the game at the start, it is mostly successful. The rustic vibe combines well with the whimsical representations, and the overall visual feel is that it is playful and serious at the same time. --Tre Lawrence


Suits and Swords

Suits and Swords is much like Blackjack version of the venerable and well received Sword and Poker. While a good ideas does a simpler game like Blackjack have the legs to support an RPG? Suits and Swords has a rather amusing story. The majority of things and characters in the story are named after card related things. The main character is called Black Jack, he’s a solider or Battle Jack and the villain is an evil disembodied head named Joker. He’s pretty serious.. --Allan Curtis


Super Heavy Sword

Super Heavy Sword is a classically styled platformer, which aren’t all that common on the Playstore. Monster Robot Studios have freely admitted that the game is a homage to the astonishingly successful Mario games. Indeed the game feels like a mix of Mario 64 and the original Super Mario Bros. With the big N’s reluctance to bring the overalled plumber to Android, can Super Heavy Sword full the gap? Super Heavy Sword opens with a scene of Pike, the Hero and Lucinda the princess. A bunch of enemies roll in and amazingly don’t kidnap Lucinda but rather begin destroying to land,. Now it’s down to a lone warrior and his girlfriend to stab them all and restore peace. --Allan Curtis

And finally, this week Pocket Gamer weighed in on BioShock for iOS, provided a complete database of Micromon's Micromon, found nine celebrities besides Kim Kardashian with their own mobile games, and found eight games that you wouldn't be able to play if it weren't for some dedicated fans. And it's all right here.

Catching 'Em All - Tips, Tricks, Strategies, and Cheats for the Avid Micromon Player

Posted by Jennifer Allen on August 6th, 2014

Never heard of Micromon? Curious to see what we thought of it? Then check out our Micomon Review and decide if it's the iOS Pokemon-like for you.

Just downloaded Micromon and not sure where to begin? Here's a helping hand in the form of a selection of tips and tricks to get you started.

Elementary, my dear Micromon


  • It's a concept that those used to other RPGs or Pokemon will know by heart, and it makes the difference in battle. Every element has its own strength and weakness. Besides the common/normal type of monster that is pretty neutral to everything, the other four each have pros and cons. Playing to their strengths is vital to success.

  • Fire is weak against water, but it's strong against wind based monsters.
  • Water is weak against wind, but it's strong against fire.
  • Wind is weak against fire, but strong versus water.
  • Mineral (or earth type) is weak against water, but strong against wind.

  • It's a simple mantra but one that you really need to remember if you want to succeed. It makes such a huge difference to whether you win easily or struggle greatly.

Grinding it out


  • You'd be wise to regularly fight it out with other foes. It's more fun that way, but it also means you can gain new Micromon as well as level-up your team.

  • The grass is where most of the action is. Look out for sleepy looking Zs floating upwards. That means you can surprise the sleeping Micromon, easily giving you the upper hand.

  • Get out the grass quickly though, if you don't want another attack on your hands.

  • Odds are you're going to want to catch 'em all, but if you just want to complete your database, you can simply witness a Micromon to get that all important entry.

  • Capturing a Micromon is a matter of getting their HP as low as possible beforehand. You only get three shots at this, so plan well.

  • Save your super chips for super rare or ultra rare catches for maximum efficiency.

  • Don't bother with Micromon that have low development rates. They're never going to get to be anything exceptional so you're just wasting your time with them.

  • Similarly, bear in mind that store bought eggs always produce better Micromon than the wild varieties. They develop more quickly and are stronger on the whole.

Battling it out


  • Some moves require stamina to use them, and they're always the strongest attacks. Plan accordingly and try not to run out of these essential moves at the wrong time. Keep a supply of stamina potions on standby for the tougher fights.

  • Don't be afraid to go on the defensive in order to use a couple of healing potions, especially when up against trainers that can be pretty tough.

  • Always keep a fast Micromon available. They're exceptionally useful because they can strike more often - sometimes twice consecutively. They're also more likely to have healing moves.

    The Cardinal Rule


  • Micromon recently added an auto save function, but don't rely on it. It's not particularly clear and you don't want to miss out on valuable progress. Save often. The last thing you want to do is lose out because you didn't save at the right time.

  • Micromon Review

    + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
    By Jennifer Allen on August 6th, 2014
    Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar ::
    Pokemon by a different name; Micromon very nearly is that.
    Read The Full Review »