Plants vs. Zombies

Price: £1.79

• CONCEPT: 9/10
• GRAPHICS: 8/10
• SOUND: 7/10
• CONTROLS: 9/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 8/10

If only we could defend ourselves against a zombie assault staged primarily in our back garden, well luck is at hand as this new take on the tower defence genre just happens to fulfil that need. We can now sleep easy knowing full well that our shrubbery will take care of any undead end of the world issues. Nice one shrubs!

In Plants vs. Zombies the undead slowly stumble from right to left across the stage attempting to break through your defences, enter your house and eat your brains, “brains” they mumble “BRAINS”, but they aren’t getting my brains and they’d be disappointed if they did! Despite this gruesome premise gameplay play is smooth and simple as are the controls that require just one finger and nothing more complex than tapping.

You start off with the choice of a few plants but unlike traditional tower defence games your potential allies increase ten fold as you thwart the enemy and earn cash. Zombie types increase in the same fashion with the more powerful zombies saved to face of against you in the final few levels. I mentioned cash so I’ll go into a bit more detail, early on you are introduced to Crazy Dave who happens to retail plants and such, you’ll have to save for the better ones but he offers an array of useful items for each level.

A few zombies are selected to face you in each level, as you can imagine certain plants are more powerful against certain zombies but you are free to choose your roster to a degree with night & day modes suggesting you use appropriate plants.

The only real disappointment is the difficulty, the game starts off pretty slow with tutorial levels etc, and ramps up as you progress but not as much as I would like, it never really feels challenging. I’ve also heard of older iPhones experiencing frame rate issues but I’ve had no problems with the 3GS as yet.

To end on a high note it’s an amazing game and the campaign is only the start, a tougher campaign is unlocked upon completion (in terms of three of your roster selection are locked in place) along with loads of extra features (mini games) which all take from the campaign with some subtle, interesting gameplay changes. PvZ has a great cartoon style and can be genuinely funny, it’s addictive as you like.

Jon

Exciting times ahead as Apple plans to release iPhone OS4 this summer (2010 for DeLorean owners). The new update allows Multitasking, Folders (something we've been waiting a long time for), Mail - integrating all your accounts, iBooks & so much more including being able to add a 'wallpaper' ... bloody finally. Roll on OS4.

http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/preview-iphone-os/

Bejeweled 2

Price: £1.79

• CONCEPT: 8/10
• GRAPHICS: 8/10
• SOUND: 5/10
• CONTROLS: 8/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 9/10

The number of times I have unknowingly withered, wasted and wrecked the battery-life on my beloved iPhone playing Bejeweled 2 is beyond count. I dare even go as far to say that I’ve lost sleep by playing, and sadly, thinking about playing this game. Simply put: it’s bloody brilliant.

The idea of the game is very simple, and like many games, simplicity is often the bright and shining key to success. Like ‘Connect 4’ and ‘Tetris’, (which I admit to enjoying in my primitive years) Bejeweled 2 has a similar objective: align 3, or more, of the same shape to earn points and eventually level-up.

The player is faced with a grid of 8x8 squares populated by brightly coloured and sparkling jewels. Yes, it’s very pretty. Each jewel can be moved, or swapped, with another that inhabits the space directly above, below or to either side. When the player successfully aligns 3 or more, the row disappears and the jewels from above drop into their gap and the game continues.

By aligning 4 of the same, the player is rewarded with a ‘Power Gem’ (of sorts) which, when aligned with more of its kind, can explode, producing (you guessed it) more points. The maximum amount of gems one can line-up is 5, which results in a ‘Super Gem’ and when swapped with the fellow next door, can explode all of it’s identical friends sending plenty of lovely points in the players’ direction.

What makes this game so entertaining are the types of challenge available; and there are 4: ‘Challenge’, ‘Action’, ‘Endless’ and ‘Blitz’. In ‘Classic’, the player can play until there are simply no more moves to make. ‘Action’ is much more tense as you’re playing against the clock, and with time running out it can sometimes seem that your brain, and fingers, can’t move quickly enough. ‘Endless’, is, well… endless (I guess the clue is in the title) and ‘Blitz’ gives the player the opportunity to play online and compete with ones’ mates on Facebook. The scores can be published on your page, and a week later removed as the new challenge begins.

The controls are beautiful and the touch is responsive. It flies like a dream, as it were. It looks clean and pretty but the soundtrack leaves a lot to the imagination, as does the narrator, who sounds like a cross-breed of Darth Vader and a voice from your darkest nightmare. But that’s not why you’ll be playing anyway.

In short, this game is fantastic, and its biggest downfall is its addictiveness. I haven’t been so compelled to play any other iPhone game. For those moments of sheer boredom in a lecture, meeting, during a lunch break or on the bus home – nothing beats a bit of Bejeweled 2.

Nat

Platypus

Price: £2.99

• CONCEPT: 7/10
• GRAPHICS: 9/10
• SOUND: 10/10
• CONTROLS: 6/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 7/10

I’ve never experienced anything quite like Platypus, much like a certain mammal of the same name, it’s a bit of an odd duck. One day Miss. Claymates and Mr. Galaga got together and gave birth to a weird child, ironically this family of freaks produced something beautiful! … nice one science! And for a double dose of irony it feels oddly nostalgic.

For a start I feel I should point out that everything in Platypus has been beautifully crafted with modelling clay … seriously it looks bloody gorgeous! Gameplay being your basic side scrolling (spaceship) shooter.

Platypus plays out over four areas each with five sub-sections, as you can imagine enemy ships play sky chicken with you as you make you way from one side of the world to the other, “what is at the other side of this world” you might ask but bugger me if I know, probably a pond or something but that’s not our concern. You are rewarded for destruction with points, which often take the form of fruit, and power-ups in the form of a star – shoot it to rotate through the power-ups, along with this you get balloon-supported crates containing an extra set of guns thus doubling your fire-power, if you manage to combine this with a power-up against a boss you may begin to feel god-like and sometimes (unfortunately) grossly overpowered.

Platypus confronts you with loads of enemies ranging from grunts (there just to absorb your shots) to huge vehicles moving slowly across the screen (and often spanning more than 5) taking the form of a boss fight, watch out for the bosses who move in the background of each areas penultimate section.

Unfortunately the controls are too often the reason for your destruction. Platypus is setup to be controlled using the iPhone’s accelerometer, tilt right to go right etc, this works well to a degree but I was left wanting a d-pad (not a virtual one). This isn’t a deal breaker however and there is another customizable control option - follow my finger (touch), I found this more successful but I’ve never been a fan of obstructing the view of potential catastrophe.

The thing to remember is that this problem isn’t specific to Platypus, it just happens to be a genre that just doesn’t currently control great on the iPhone but it’s worth putting up with for everything Platypus does right.

In summation Platypus’s only let downs come from the devices limitations, gameplay is addictive and only elevated by the music which is truly evocative of each ‘area’ offering an honestly stunning experience. If you’re up for something a bit more challenging look not further! Oh and get some proper earphones!

Jon

3D MINI GOLF CHALLENGE

Price: £1.19

• CONCEPT: 7/10
• GRAPHICS: 8/10
• SOUND: 6/10
• CONTROLS: 7/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 8/10

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve always felt that the British Open, the US Open, the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup and The Masters would benefit from a few… obstacles. Say, a giant clown head, or a windmill; maybe even a few fires, laser-beams and some industrial strength wind-generators.

If you like Mini-Golf, chances are, you will enjoy this game. However, this Mini-Golf game comes with a number of challenges – rather than play any level at any time, the player is required to complete each stage before unlocking the next. Each challenge can earn the player between 1 and 5 stars, depending on how well you play.

It’s not just course after course of beating the set ‘Par’, however, as other challenges often crop-up, such as facing a computer opponent, a tricky time-attack trial and attempting devious hole-in-one shots with guess what: one attempt. Obviously the course obstacles are set to help confuse, baffle and annoy your stunted efforts… unless of course, they’re not stunted but fully-grown gigantesque strokes of beauty and majesty.

The controls are simple and the game is easy to play – by simply dragging your finger across the screen you can direct the power and angle of the intended shot. The player has the ability to zoom-in and out of the course and to rotate the camera for a better view.

The graphics are indeed rather impressive and the level of fun to be had is largely dependant on the course design, which needless to say, is rather good. There are four different stages each containing four different challenges, and each slightly different from the previous, which helps maintain a certain level of interest. The opening stage is somewhat Medieval, and through the players’ progression, ends with Futuristic. Upon completion, the player has the added option of playing on with the unlocked ‘Master’ and ‘Expert’ levels.

The biggest disappointment is that this game has no ‘multi-player’ option and is, therefore, for the soloist. It can, at times, slightly annoy – particularly when the course obstacles block the players’ perspective, but regardless of the odd hiccup, the game is generally fun and challenging and this certainly shouldn’t detract from the couple of hours’ worth of enjoyment to be had whilst trying to achieve the games completion.

Nat

HookChamp

Price: £1.79

• CONCEPT: 8/10
• GRAPHICS: 9/10
• SOUND: 7/10
• CONTROLS: 9/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 8/10

My first console was a Gamegear, later traded in for a Gameboy but I always regretted swapping SEGAs little joy toy in for (and this may be controversial) an inferior device. HookChamp takes me back to those days, the graphics, the music, even how it controls - all reminiscent of better times when games took control of our minds! … Also a controversial topic.

In HookChamp you play Jake (Indiana Jones) as you/he attempts to escape various temples (treasure in hand) using a grappling hook whilst being chased by a large screaming ghost … lovely, but don’t worry, you’re the HookChamp! You can also get about on foot but this is feels tedious at best and more like a punishment for bodging a swing. It’s faster (and a lot more fun) to rope about using your hook, which is handy as you wouldn’t have a chance in hell of getting out without it.

New temples open up as you buy maps from the local (aptly named) “shop” where you can also purchase hats … a plenty, sometimes people and upgrades for your equipment consisting of a rope, running shoes and a shotgun used to temporarily K.O. the ghost. Upgrading your equipment adds some RPG elements to gameplay and improving your stuff will noticeably improve chances of success.

You can eventually unlock four characters each offering slightly different abilities; fans of Minigore (app) will enjoy the recent addition of the Minigore Temple and John Gore character (only available in the aforementioned temple). Also anyone too fragile to fend off a screaming ghost will welcome Hookbot who allows you to venture enemy free like a large metal Womble.

The game controls feel good and responsive, tapping above the character shoots your hook in that direction allowing it to latch onto in range objects, holding either side of Jake makes him run and pressing the gun icon fires a shot to your left stunning the ghost and, as a side effect, harnessing any kickback to boost you in the opposite direction.

The whole game has been created beautifully with pixelated graphics and a great (reminiscent of Gamegear) soundtrack, I don’t really have any complaints but it would be nice to see some sort of mid-level save point, especially on later temples that take a lot of trial and error, and often pure trial, to get through. None of that matters really, levels are relatively short and well paced, plus HookChamp has got to be the best swing app out there and it’s got a lot to offer, if you’re a Gamegear fan this is the title for you.

Jon

Colourbind

Price: £1.19

• CONCEPT: 9/10
• GRAPHICS: 8/10
• SOUND: 6/10
• CONTROLS: 9/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 9/10

It’s not often that brains and beauty come in the same delightful (and cheap) package, but Colorbind offers exactly that. And fun.

This is essentially a puzzle game and the objective is to weave your ribbon through the variously placed dots on the screen. It sounds simple but soon enough this game becomes rather tricky. The tutorial sets you up perfectly – I have to admit that before I downloaded the game having seen some of the screen shots, I imagined the task to be rather daunting, but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. For those of you who are unsure about shelling-out the £1.19 for the game, you shall be happy to learn that there is a Lite Version available for you to sink your gnashers into.

Anyway – the game: there are a total of 84 levels, or puzzles, for you to complete. Starting with ‘Easy’ and rather unsurprisingly ending with ‘Hard’. As previously mentioned the aim of the game is to move your paper strip (by dragging it with your finger across the screen) over the dots of the corresponding colour. Once you’ve collected all the dots onscreen, you’re free to move to the next puzzle.

As the game progresses, naturally it becomes harder, and you can be faced with between two and three different coloured ribbons – sometimes unable to intersect with each other. It can be incredibly tricky and rather frustrating but once you’ve cracked a rather difficult level the feeling of completion pushes you on to the next. And because of this, it is very, very addictive.

Yes, the concept might sound difficult to comprehend in text, but once you’ve had a couple of goes it becomes second-nature and it’s incredibly difficult to put down.

Visually the game is beautiful in its simple elegance and the sound effects are satisfying.

If you’re a fan of puzzles, or a lateral thinker, this game will surely be of some interest. It controls well and if you find that you’ve made a complete mess of things a quick shake of the iPhone clears the screen – a bit like an electronic Etch-a-Sketch. The game is a graphic designers dream as it is stunning to look at, and is equally as entertaining to play. It should be interesting enough to want to battle on to the bitter end and I dare say many players would play through this game multiple times. In my book, it’s a must-have.

Nat

Bit Pilot

Price: £0.59p

• CONCEPT: 6/10
• GRAPHICS: 7/10
• SOUND: 10/10
• CONTROLS: 9/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 7/10

Man alive I love this game, its exciting, fast and ridiculously addictive. Now that’s just my opinion, it may not be everybody’s cup of tea but who blinks at 59p?

Bit Pilot is old school, evocative of an unarmed version of Asteroids and direct from the age of you get one go and you go till you die … again and again … all day long in fact, as if there was nothing else to live for … there isn’t.

In Bit Pilot you dodgem / collectem in order to increase your score, dodge asteroids, of which there are several variants, and collect pills that either increase your shield (with no limit as far as I can tell) or your score. Even in death you are greeted with an amusing phrase such as “sad face” or “smashtronaught” followed by your score. A game often doesn’t last longer than a couple of minutes making it unforgivably easy to give it “just one more go”, the drug reference of the pills becoming increasingly satirical as you play on.

Controls are great and wont take more than a few seconds to get used to. Swiping powers your ship in the direction of your swipe, use two fingers for increased acceleration and swipe the opposite direction too put on the brakes, that’s your lot but gameplay isn’t everything BP offers and there are some pretty nice unlockables, in the form of alternate in-game music and wallpapers for your iPhone, that release as you build your accumulative score.

Bit Pilot is a great twist on an old genre, it offers brilliant gameplay and great music by Sabre Pulse, get it now while its still possible to be ranked number 1 in the Universe … currently me! … trust me, it was painstaking!

Jon

Angry Birds

Price: £0.59

• CONCEPT: 7/10
• GRAPHICS: 9/10
• SOUND: 8/10
• CONTROLS: 9/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 10/10

If you’ve a certain penchant for cute little piggies I suggest you look away quickly, as this review condones, and even advocates violent action towards said mammal. Although, rest assured, these are not real pigs: for a start – they’re green.

The storyline (and I use the term in the loosest of loose senses) is a premise upon which a gang of unruly pigs have stolen the eggs of our hero birds, thus, explaining their fury; and believe me, these birds are hell-bent on causing mayhem. Funnily enough, rather than attempt to rescue the eggs, the player is faced with the somewhat amusing challenge of killing the piglets as they hide in various castles of sticks and stones. By catapulting the birds into the pigs’ dens and hideouts one can progress through the many levels unlocking more angry birds. The player eventually has the alternate selection of a dive-bombing yellow bird, an overweight-white bird which drops exploding eggs, a black bomb-like bird and a blue bird, which, when activated bursts into three for maximum damage.

As the game progresses the pigs come in larger numbers and often wearing armour (why not?). Their castles require an immediate sieging by our battalion of livid nest-dwellers. The graphics are simple and impressive. Much like the point of the game, it’s hard to say exactly why one would wish to play it, but there is no denying it’s addictiveness and the fun to be had destroying the little pigs is almost endless.

The sound too is amusing: particularly the sound effects of the birds and pigs, which can often surface a sly chuckle, and the theme tune, strangely cheery in an ironic fashion.

It’s a simple idea for a game and it’s one that sticks. The levels are easy to begin with but as the game progresses they can often be challenging but never impossible – creating a chance for the player to apply physics and battle tactics, or to simply unleash a bird-like hell. If seeing these piggies’ toothless, and somewhat bruised faces, doesn’t inspire you to retry the level, or march gallantly to the games completion then nothing will.

That’ll do pig, that’ll do.

Nat

geoDefense

Price: £1.19

• CONCEPT: 7/10
• GRAPHICS: 9/10
• SOUND: 7/10
• CONTROLS: 6/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 8/10

Man, talk about a golden oldie, but with iPhone games being churned out every few seconds this one definitely stands the test of time. geoDefense is a tower defence game, geo being a nod to its aesthetic influences, as visually it takes a lot from Bizarre Creations title Geometry Wars (not to anyone’s dismay). For those not accustomed to the likes of Geometry Wars I’ll attempt a summation … neon shapes go boom yeah!

geoDefencse has the creeps (bad guys) follow a set path that you are tasked with defending. The path, often a visualisation of the level title (e.g. the level ‘the hat’ is shaped as such), ends in a number that counts down as the creeps overcome your defences … or not depending on if you’re actually any good. But fear not, even the worst of players are rewarded with busts of colour as their lives diminish.

Visually geoDefense is stunning, sparks fly and the background warps as your towers destroy the small neon shapes, do you feel big? You should as performing this heroic deed gets you cash and cash + towers = bigger towers = more destruction = smashing eye candy!

You’re armed with five towers, Unfortunately controls for placing towers can be a bit sticky but you get used to it and it won’t hinder you for too long. Each tower has seven upgrades though creating the most powerful tower isn’t always the most successful strategy, every level is beatable but often a precise strategy is required so don’t expect to blast your way through the whole game.

David Whatley (the creator, now critical thought games) has been good at supplying extra content and has now graced our wonder struck eyes with semi-sequels such as geoDefense Swarm and more recently geoSpark but they are heart-warming tales for another time.

Anyway, this game is well worth a buy and makes for a visual feast. Good luck beating those small glowing shapes down like the dogs they are.

Jon