iPhone Alley - App Reviews

Blades of Fury

Holly Likes — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:22:51 -0500

Blades of Fury is a surprisingly good fighting game quite similar to Soul Calibur. Created by Gameloft, Blades oozes quality in every category, from the sweet visuals to online play. It even features a decent storyline! After being defeated 20 years ago, the evil Faust has risen again to reclaim the holy suit of armor. You start the game by choosing one of 6 characters (more are unlockable), both good and bad, each with unique moves and interesting motivations for wanting the armor.

iDracula

Holly Likes — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:37:23 -0500

iDracula is a sweat-inducing shooter from More Games Entertainment and Chillingo. You play a vampire hunter while taking out hundreds of monsters and the occasional bloodsucker. Being outnumbered is a serious understatement. The difficulty level here is somewhere in between intense and brutal. If surviving endless waves of monsters until you inevitably die sounds like good times, iDracula is definitely the game for you!

Nice List

Michael Johnston — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:30:59 -0500

Nice list is an application made specifically to help you remember which gifts to buy while you're out Christmas shopping! The first thing you'll notice is that it's very pretty. To begin creating your lists, simply tap the plus button to add someone's name from your contacts. If their name isn't in your contacts, you can manually enter it.

The Quest

Holly Likes — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:45:13 -0500

The Quest is a classic Role Playing Game (RPG) originally designed for Windows computers and some very early smartphones like the Palm Pilot. The questing here is in-depth, very customizable, and at times quite hard. Those who have the skill and patience, however, will find an addictive adventure style that's rarely been seen since the era of pen and paper RPGs.

Horror Racing

Holly Likes — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:14:53 -0500

Horror Racing is a hectic arcade racing game where you outrace and outgun monster opponents on your way to the finish line. It's a perfect example that racing games for the iPhone don't have to have awkward controls that depend on the device's accelerometer. The graphics are rough and grungy, but that's pretty much to be expected with this particular theme. Don't let the title worry you, the "horror" is at a PG level. Think "Mad Max" meets "Monster's Inc." With missiles, speed boosts, and plenty of ramps, Horror Racing is a lot of fun and really easy to get into.

Sneezies

Holly Likes — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:30:39 -0500

Sneezies is a puzzle game that I definitely feel falls in the "absolutely must have" category. The charming and colorful characters combined with an unbelievably simple idea make for dozens of hours of addicting fun. The fact that it's so simple, yet it can still be quite challenging make it, quite literally, a game for all ages.

Rise of Lost Empires

Holly Likes — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:08:20 -0400

Rise of Lost Empires is a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game by Gameloft. It has a very similar feel to the computer game Warcraft and comes complete with great graphics, great soundtrack, and solid gameplay. You start as Gavan, fighting to protect his homeland against the orc hordes. You are a hero. The success of your empire falls on your shoulders as you you prepare your people for attack. Eventually the great story in Lost Empires will have you playing as both humans and orcs!!

RedLaser

Michael Johnston — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:15:33 -0400

RedLaser is a cool little barcode scanning app that may change the way you shop. The way it works couldn't be easier. Simply hit the "scan" button and point your iPhone's camera at a barcode (no autofocus camera required). RedLaser then looks up that barcode using Amazon and Google Product Search to show online listings for that exact product complete with prices. Awesome, right?

Ramp Champ

Holly Likes — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:13:48 -0400

Ramp Champ is a extremely addicting and interesting take on the classic arcade concept of skee ball. There have been several versions of this style game to hit the App Store, but this is by far my favorite. It's surprising that such a simple idea could be so entertaining, but trust me. Ramp Champ will steal hours and hours of your life away.

Birdbrain

Michael Johnston — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:32:57 -0400

Birdbrain is a simple little app which allows you to track changes on one or more Twitter accounts. Its primary focus is on how many followers you gain and lose over time. It does this by periodically taking a snapshot of your Twitter account and showing you the changes. This means that you won't see any stats when you first get the app, but after a few days Birdbrain will be able to start reporting statistics on followers, posts, and more!