Tag Archives: daily ipad app

Daily iPad App: Feed Me Oil HD

  By Mike Schramm | May 17, 2012 - 10:00 pm | iOS, iPad
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Image

Chillingo's Feed Me Oil was released a little while ago, and it's a solid game that didn't get a ton of press when it first dropped. The reason for that is probably because it's somewhat similar to Where's My Water, in that you're trying to get a fluid simulation into a certain place on the screen by tweaking physics-enabled objects in the world. But while Where's My Water was all about digging, Feed Me Oil is much more about creation -- you place objects like platforms and wheels in the world to try and get the "black gold" flowing where you need it to go.

Like pretty much all of Chillingo's other titles, there is lots of content here to play through: Lots of levels and puzzles with an increasing number of objects to use and move around to your heart's content. And while the game is on the iPhone as well, it's much better on the iPad -- the graphics are bigger and the objects are easier to manipulate in the game's space. Feed Me Oil is an excellent game, and especially because it's on sale today for completely free. Check it out.

Daily iPad App: Feed Me Oil HD originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: Feed Me Oil HD

  By Mike Schramm | May 17, 2012 - 10:00 pm | iOS, iPad
Leave a comment

Image

Chillingo's Feed Me Oil was released a little while ago, and it's a solid game that didn't get a ton of press when it first dropped. The reason for that is probably because it's somewhat similar to Where's My Water, in that you're trying to get a fluid simulation into a certain place on the screen by tweaking physics-enabled objects in the world. But while Where's My Water was all about digging, Feed Me Oil is much more about creation -- you place objects like platforms and wheels in the world to try and get the "black gold" flowing where you need it to go.

Like pretty much all of Chillingo's other titles, there is lots of content here to play through: Lots of levels and puzzles with an increasing number of objects to use and move around to your heart's content. And while the game is on the iPhone as well, it's much better on the iPad -- the graphics are bigger and the objects are easier to manipulate in the game's space. Feed Me Oil is an excellent game, and especially because it's on sale today for completely free. Check it out.

Daily iPad App: Feed Me Oil HD originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is gonna take you for a ride

  By Mike Schramm | April 25, 2012 - 9:15 pm | iOS, iPad
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After quite a while, Capcom has finally released Marvel vs. Capcom 2 in the App Store, and you probably know right away if you want it or not. This Dreamcast-era fighting game might be a little silly and colorful, but it offers up some insane, excessive action that other fighting games have yet to match. Those on full consoles are already playing version 3, of course, but version 2 is a masterpiece of 2D animation, with all of Capcom's and Marvel's heroes decked out with great graphics and animations.

Unfortunately, the game suffers from the same issues that most fighting games on the iPad and iPhone do: The virtual controls aren't the best for this type of gameplay. Capcom's dealt with it as best they can with something called the "flick button," but still, for games like this, nothing's going to substitute for a real joystick and buttons. The app description doesn't mention iCade support, but that would be nice.

The title does have local multiplayer over Bluetooth, however, so you and a friend can face off locally, and all 56 characters are here and playable out of the game. If you have a new iPad, the graphics aren't yet compatible with the new Retina Display, but that's not too big a bother, and an update might fix that anyway. For its launch sale price of $2.99 (until May 6), Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is definitely a great title for those who love fighting games. It's so Pringles!

Daily iPad App: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is gonna take you for a ride originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: Total War Battles brings big-time RTS to iOS

  By Mike Schramm | April 23, 2012 - 4:00 pm | iOS, iPad, iPhone
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I first saw Total War Battles (now out on the iPad and iPhone) at GDC earlier this year, and walked away excited about its potential. The Creative Assembly has been making phenomenal Total War games for the PC for years, with deep, intelligent war strategy across several time periods. Now Creative Assembly faces the challenge of bringing an involved, deep strategy game meant for a mouse and keyboard to iOS.

Their answer is Total War Battles. It's been streamlined a lot, but all of the elements of real-time strategy combat are still there. You build bases, hire units, and lead them forward onto a (very compressed, hex-based) battlefield. What Creative Assembly actually came up with is somewhat similar to the popular Legendary Wars, but I think it's a bit cleaner and nicer than that one. That's not surprising, given how experienced Creative Assembly already was at making great games.

Aside from the hex battle maps, there's a ten-hour long, story-based campaign to play through, and as Creative Assembly told me at GDC, the basic storyline is fairly easy, meant for more casual players. More difficult maps are available to those who want a challenge. Total War Battles also offers local multiplayer. You can face off against an opponent 1v1 on the same iPad screen. It's not quite as deep as the core game, but it is kind of a wacky take on strategy that's worth a try.

Total War Battles is US$6.99, and despite its quality, I'm pretty sure that Creative Assembly won't get nearly the audience they're hoping to at that price. Still, it's a great game -- if you like real-time strategy games, it's a must-play, and if you play PC games at all, TWB is worth a look just to see the choices Creative Assembly made in translating its work to the iOS screen. And if all else fails, just wait -- the next time Sega runs a big sale, this will likely be a little cheaper.

Daily iPad App: Total War Battles brings big-time RTS to iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: The Little Girl Who Could Fly is a delightful interactive book for children

  By Kelly Hodgkins | April 20, 2012 - 4:15 am | iPad
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Today we are stepping outside our typical app reviews for the iPad and looking at an interactive book. Because of their interactive elements, these titles stray over into the app category. This particular title, The Little Girl Who Could Fly from YellowPixie, is an animated, illustrated adapatation of Karl Capek's children's book, The Man Who Knew How to Fly.

The digital book opens with an illustrated page that has the book's credits, a start reading button and two toggles for controlling the background sound and the narration. The narration is pleasant and is an excellent accompaniment for younger children. Each page of the book has navigation arrows that let you move back and forward through the pages. There's also a home button and a toggle to turn off the background sound on every page.

The 20 or so illustrations throughout the book are light-hearted and colorful. They are animated and move along with the story. Each page is filled with adventure as there are three to six illustrated items that'll move or make a noise when your child taps on them. My favorite is the teacher's hat that'll do a flip when you tap on it. Your child can also tilt the iPad and control the main character when she is flying.

There are also two mini-games within the book. One will let your child color along with the lead character and another is a dress-up game that the little girls in the audience will enjoy. The games pop up in the middle of the story, but they fit in with the story line. As a result, the games add to the story and only minimally distract from it.

The storyline about a girl who proves she can fly is fun. My children read the book, both with me and by themselves, several times. It's definitely geared towards the younger set, but it's not an early reader like See Jack Run. It's a storybook with a delightful tale that's perfect for a parent or an older sibling to read to their three to six-year-old.

Set aside some time when you first read the book to your child as some of the words are long. You may have to explain the meaning of words like delegation and 90-degree angle, before you let them loose on their own.

You can download The Little Girl Who Could Fly from iTunes for US$4.99.

Daily iPad App: The Little Girl Who Could Fly is a delightful interactive book for children originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: The Little Girl Who Could Fly is a delightful interactive book for children

  By Kelly Hodgkins | April 20, 2012 - 4:15 am | iPad
Leave a comment

Today we are stepping outside our typical app reviews for the iPad and looking at an interactive book. Because of their interactive elements, these titles stray over into the app category. This particular title, The Little Girl Who Could Fly from YellowPixie, is an animated, illustrated adapatation of Karl Capek's children's book, The Man Who Knew How to Fly.

The digital book opens with an illustrated page that has the book's credits, a start reading button and two toggles for controlling the background sound and the narration. The narration is pleasant and is an excellent accompaniment for younger children. Each page of the book has navigation arrows that let you move back and forward through the pages. There's also a home button and a toggle to turn off the background sound on every page.

The 20 or so illustrations throughout the book are light-hearted and colorful. They are animated and move along with the story. Each page is filled with adventure as there are three to six illustrated items that'll move or make a noise when your child taps on them. My favorite is the teacher's hat that'll do a flip when you tap on it. Your child can also tilt the iPad and control the main character when she is flying.

There are also two mini-games within the book. One will let your child color along with the lead character and another is a dress-up game that the little girls in the audience will enjoy. The games pop up in the middle of the story, but they fit in with the story line. As a result, the games add to the story and only minimally distract from it.

The storyline about a girl who proves she can fly is fun. My children read the book, both with me and by themselves, several times. It's definitely geared towards the younger set, but it's not an early reader like See Jack Run. It's a storybook with a delightful tale that's perfect for a parent or an older sibling to read to their three to six-year-old.

Set aside some time when you first read the book to your child as some of the words are long. You may have to explain the meaning of words like delegation and 90-degree angle, before you let them loose on their own.

You can download The Little Girl Who Could Fly from iTunes for US$4.99.

Daily iPad App: The Little Girl Who Could Fly is a delightful interactive book for children originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: Fibble is Crytek’s entry onto iOS

  By Mike Schramm | April 18, 2012 - 7:00 pm | iOS, iPad, iPhone
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If you had told me, just a couple of years ago, that Epic and Crytek would both have iOS apps in the store, I'm not sure I would have believed you. The Unreal Engine is one of the most popular graphical engines for major high resolution games, but Crytek is also very popular for its graphical work on Crysis and a few other titles. Epic has had a couple of hits in the App Store already with the Infinity Blade series, and here comes Crytek, working not on a big-time shooter for iOS, but a much cuter physics platformer-style game called Fibble.

Fibble looks great, especially on the newer iOS devices. Crytek has brought its full engine expertise to bear, and so textures look terrific, everything's bright and clear, and the game runs very well. The gameplay is sort of a weird mix of platforming and golf. You move Fibble around by flicking him like a slingshot, and then you can use a series of other controls (like jumping or speeding up) to navigate a course, trying to get to a certain point in as few "flicks" as possible. It's simple, but there's a fair amount of things to do in 30 different levels.

Unfortunately, Crytek's entry into iOS isn't quite as groundbreaking as Infinity Blade. The company aimed a little too close to Angry Birds rather than trying to blaze their own trail as an AAA iOS developer like Epic did. It would have been nice to see Crytek really break out and try something a little more innovative (or with a little more content -- 30 levels isn't small, but compared to some other games like this, it's not huge either). As it is, it's a fair first entry onto iOS, and has some excellent graphical sparkle, but you would be fine with waiting to see if it drops off of the current US$4.99 price for the HD version.

Daily iPad App: Fibble is Crytek's entry onto iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: Bounty Bots is full of cartoony shooter action

  By Mike Schramm | April 17, 2012 - 10:30 pm | iOS, iPad, iPhone
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MunkyFun is the group of developers behind first-person shooter Archetype for the iPhone, so they know already how to put a console-style shooter on Apple's mobile devices. Archetype was published by Villian, but MunkyFun's latest title is self-published. It's called Bounty Bots, and it's available for free on the App Store right now.

Hopefully, at the word "free," you already went to go and download the game to see what it's like. But in case not, I'll tell you that it's a shooter where your main goal is to run around collecting coins as quickly as possible, and then to deliver those coins into banks (but without getting killed by other players). Coins delivered get banked, but you still get XP for picking up coins, so even if you're terrible, you can progress through the game. Progression gets you various parts to customize your bot with, and the game is finely tuned for both casual and hardcore players, so those ready for a real challenge can buy special parts that make things tougher but can also come with rewards as well.

The game's freemium bent can be frustrating at times (if you ever lose all your coins, you're locked in a jail that you can then pay your way out of, which seems targeted right at guaranteeing those all-important in-app purchases). But there's enough action here that it's worth the free download, and if you get hooked, well, all the better. And MunkyFun is already updating the title as well, so there's more content on the way. Bounty Bots is a fun use of the company's expertise so far, and I'm sure it will lead to even better things in their future.

Daily iPad App: Bounty Bots is full of cartoony shooter action originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: Soundbrush lets you create music with a brush

  By Mel Martin | April 16, 2012 - 10:00 pm | iPad
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SoundBrush is a US $1.99 iPad app that lets you create original compositions by swiping your finger across the iPad screen. The description sounded a bit odd, but I had fun playing with SoundBrush and discovering what it could do.

You can have a total of 4 instrumental lines -- piano, strings, flute and synth, and it appears the app selects proper harmonies when you lay your tracks down. I was surprised how good my little compositions sounded, although I wasn't quite ready for a concert.

The app lets you hear the notes as you draw them, and you can super-impose a grid to show you the notes you are drawing. You can delete anything you have written with a double tap, so you can actually edit the music you create. The canvas scrolls, so you can have lengthy compositions. You can also control the playback speed, which also comes in handy when you are editing.

This might be a great way to get a young person involved in music, and the combination of the dynamic colors and music that flows from the drawings you make are bound to be a stimulus to any young mind. I'm no kid, and I really enjoyed experimenting. I would have loved to have the app creators include some sample compositions, because starting cold, you don't know what to expect. I also think having some percussion options would be nice. Using the app doesn't require any musical knowledge, but I expect the more you know, the better your compositions will be.

Soundbrush requires iOS 5 and an iPad, and it supports the retina display on the new iPad.

Gallery: SoundBrush

Daily iPad App: Soundbrush lets you create music with a brush originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPad App: Adobe Reader is an easy way to add annotations and signatures to your PDF documents

  By Kelly Hodgkins | April 11, 2012 - 1:15 pm | iPad
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Adobe updated its Reader app for iOS, and what was a good PDF reader is now an excellent tool to annotate and sign documents. As luck would have it, I needed to add a note and sign a PDF file that was sent to me via email today. This rare occurrence gave me the opportunity to check out these new features using the iPad version of the Reader app.

The latest version of Adobe Reader has several new tools for marking up a document including a freehand drawing tool, a highlighter, strikethrough, and underline. You can take a page in a PDF document and use these tools to point out spelling errors, highlight important text, mark sections for deletion and more. If you need to add a longer correction, you can even attach a sticky note to any position in the document.

Besides annotation, there's a new form feature that lets you toggle radio buttons or select a text field and start typing in text. A new signature feature aso lets you add your signature and place it anywhere in a document. Your placement has to be good, because once you set the signature down on the page, you can't move it.

Overall, Adobe Reader is an excellent tool for someone who doesn't need advanced features like Dropbox backup. If you only need to mark-up or add a quick signature to a PDF file, then you can't go wrong with Adobe's software. It's available for free from the iOS App Store.

Daily iPad App: Adobe Reader is an easy way to add annotations and signatures to your PDF documents originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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