If you’ve ever wanted a big red button with a cover on it, you’re going to love this app. It won’t fire nuclear missles at your enemies, but it will send your GPS coordinates to your friends. Once you’ve rallied them all to your location, maybe then you can figure out how [...]]]>

If you’ve ever wanted a big red button with a cover on it, you’re going to love this app. It won’t fire nuclear missles at your enemies, but it will send your GPS coordinates to your friends. Once you’ve rallied them all to your location, maybe then you can figure out how to get your hands on those nukes, or have coffee, whatever you decide.

From the time you set up Twitdar, to the time you send your first location update to Twitter, this app proves to be very user friendly with it’s easy to understand instructions, and even easier to use one-button interface. Keep in mind that this is not your standard Twitter app, but rather an enhancement to your mobile Twitter experience. Once you’ve connected Twitdar to your Twitter account, you’ll start to see a whole new aspect of Mobile Social Networking. Twitdar may even encourage you to get outside and find new and interesting places to send location updates from.

Twitdar has two basic functions, the first of which is to allow you to update your Twitter followers with your current GPS position on Google Maps. The second function allows you to send waypoint “Tracks” to the GPS Visualizer website so your twitter friends can see your current route of travel. Your GPS position and current tracks can be sent from Twitdar in a variety of ways which are all fully customizable from the options screen, and everything is explained nicely in the included instructions menu.

From the options menu you can customize a message that will be sent along with your current GPS location or set of tracks. Through customized messages you can not only show your location, you can also give a short description of where you are or where you are going. With personalization such as this, the possibilities are endless as to ways you can use Twitdar. Whether you’re showing the location where you live, or showing the route you take when you go on vaction, Twitdar will pinpoint every move you make.

Features:

• Twitter Update Function
• In-App Instruction Manual
• One Button Operation
• Easy To Use Settings Menu
• Google Maps Integration
• Show Tracks On GPS Visualizer Website
• Customizable Preset Messages

Not only is Twitdar a great app, but it is backed by a great Development Team. I’ve had the pleasure of communicating with Serenity Integration through emails and Twitter, and I have to say that they are a great bunch of guys, with lots of patience, and I’m very impressed with their level of customer service and technical support. These things rank high in my book, and I can honestly say that you can’t go wrong when dealing with Serenity Integration. I highly recommend picking up Twitdar today from this outstanding development team.

Overall impression

★★★★★★★★★☆

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★★★

Category: Utilities
Type: Social Networking
Cost: 99cents
Rating: 4+

Current iTunes Reviews: 8 ratings, 4 1/2 stars

Description:

*** HOLIDAY SALE – 50% OFF ***

*** Route and FinalRoute tokens are currently not working due to a change in the Twitter API. We have determined the fix and the update is forthcoming.***

“Very useful when you’re traveling and you want to update your location to your friends/family” – amib75

“With personalization such as this, the possibilities are endless as to ways you can use Twitdar.” – AppGirlReviews

Twitdar is a location-integrated Twitter client that allows you to share your precise GPS location as well as your status with all of your Twitter followers all without having to sign-up for any additional services. Additionally, Twitdar will only transmit your location when you want it to and not continuously so you can always maintain your privacy. You have many customizable options to choose from including:

* A timer that will countdown for a specified number of minutes before sending out a tweet.
* Ability to customize preset messages for quick status updates.
* Choose from either time or distance intervals between automatic updates.
* Twitdar will automatically send a tweet with your new location if you’ve moved X number of meters or X number of minutes have elapsed.
* Option of sending latitude/longitude coordinates, a Google map link to your location, or a link to the route you’ve taken.

The potential uses for Twitdar are limited only by your imagination, but here are just a few of what we could think of:

* For runners/bike-riders/hikers: see how far you’ve gone in X number of minutes, how long it took you to travel X number of meters or let people see your route and current location during a long race, ride or hike.
* For parents: kids can let you know they’ve truly arrived safely at their destination (or secretly track them by hiding the iPhone in their car).
* In an emergency: let your friends know where you are immediately so they can send help.
* For the bar-crawl: tell people which bar you are at complete with mapped location or set the timer so your designated driver knows where to pick you at closing time.
* For vacation: ensure jealousy by sharing beautiful locales with your friends.
* During a disaster: share real-time eyewitness reports, evacuation, shelter, or other disaster information along with your own location.
* If you get arrested: instead of just one phone call, quickly let all your followers know what happened and where you are (and how to get you out).
* For your favorite places: share the location of your favorite places and activities.

We’re an indie developer and wholly welcome your feedback. If you have any suggestions on how to improve Twitdar, please e-mail us! And if you liked playing, please leave a positive review for us!

** This app is designed only for the GPS-enabled iPhones 3G/3GS **

What’s new

- New GPS token, Final Route.

When the Final Route token is used, GPS coordinates are stored depending on your settings and a update is only sent when you hit cancel. All other tokens are ignored when Final Route is being used.

- If GPS signal is not found after 5 seconds, less accurate tower triangulation will be allowed.

Finger Physics

If you’re looking for a challenging physics puzzle to satisfy you iPhone gaming needs, look no [...]]]> Would you like to try Finger Physics for FREE? Just comment below by Thurday, December 10th at 7pm est! TWO lucky winners will get a promo code for this amazing application!

Finger Physics

If you’re looking for a challenging physics puzzle to satisfy you iPhone gaming needs, look no further. Finger Physics offers the most entertaining and challenging set of physics based puzzles this reviewer has seen yet. Not only are there 9 stages, each with 9 individual challenges, but each challenge is unique in its offering.

These challenges range from the extremely unique “Egg Mode” to the typical stacking challenges. Egg Mode is my personal favorite mode. In these levels, you  must remove blocks in order to get the egg to drop in the basket. Sometimes this is an easy task, and sometimes it takes a little creative thinking (for example, you may need to remove a box that makes a bar hit a lever. That lever will drop a ball which will hit the egg into the basket, if you release it at the right time).

The stacking modes are fairly simply. You stack all available shapes in order to build a stable unit. Your unit must stand for at least 5 seconds in order to beat that level. There are two particular ways the blocks can interact with eachother to throw you off task, though. Red and Blue magnet blocks will stick to eachother (possibly making your task easier), but don’t try putting a red next to a red (or blue with a blue). The blocks will pull apart quickly, due to the magnetic forces. Orange explosive blocks cannot be placed touching another orange block. Otherwise, both blocks explode, and you will lose the level.

In most free-stacking levels, you are awarded a gold, silver, or bronze medal due to the time you spent on the level. Other times, your challenge will be to stack the blocks above a certain line. The lowest line is the bronze medal and so on. I found these levels the most challenging, as I can rarely get passed a silver medal.

There are also environmental constraints that affect your performance. In underwater modes, yellow blocks sink and blue blocks float. You must best utilize these blocks so that they do not sink or float to the top or bottom. There are also reversed levels where you must stack backwards the entire time.

Scores are reported via Open Feint integration, so there are various achievements you can try to obtain. Between the achievements and different medals, the replay value of Finger Physics is infinite. The music and graphics may look cute, but the challenge is real. It’s hard not to let this fantastic application’s appeal suck you in. After hours of playing, I still find myself replaying those levels I didn’t quite perfect. And replaying them again. And again. I mentioned this was challenging, right?

The physics mechanics of Finger Physics are top notch. There really isn’t a single thing I would change about the gameplay. I love the unique challenges – each stage felt like a surprise, as a new tactic needed to be employed. For 99 cents, I’d recommend everyone go out and buy this application. It’s in the top 10 paid applications for a reason.

Overall impression

★★★★★★★★★★

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★★★

Category: Games
Type: Physics-based puzzler
Cost: 99cents
Rating: 4+

Current iTunes Reviews: 543 ratings, 4 stars

Description:

******

Fingers in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Ireland and the UK would like to welcome their US brethren to the Finger Physics Top 10 party!

******

***Finger Physics Reviews***

“9/10 – What makes Finger Physics stand out from the others from the outset is the variety of challenges that it offers.”
- TheiPhoneAppReview.com

“I really liked Finger Physics for its gameplay variations and polished design, whoever did the art is extremely skilled.”
- NoDPad.com

“Finger Physics is AWESOME!! ”
- Eros Resmini, OpenFeint

“New elements make this physics gaming compound fresh and fun to play.”
8/10 and Silver Medal by PocketGamer

******

When was the last time you had an honest conversation with your fingers? Do you really know how much fun they are having on a daily basis? You use them to play games on your iPhone and iPod touch you say, but are you sure they aren’t tired of the same screen mashing, pointing and line drawing? No, you aren’t sure, you thoughtless wielder of tiny appendages.

Luckily for you (lucky because we don’t even want to talk about what it looks like when your fingers go into all out revolt mode), we did ask what your fingers want. Did you know that 9 out of 10 fingers agreed that magnetized blocks, explosive shapes, under water puzzles, low gravity environments and speed play levels were essential to the perfect finger fun? You didn’t, did you, could you be more selfish?

Here’s what else they told us:

Pinky: “I just want to be involved, I don’t care how, I just want to have some fun. While the other fingers get to play puzzle games, I’m stuck where I can’t even see. You don’t know how bad life is until a thumb calls you ‘stubby’.”

Ring Finger: “Seriously, stop playing with the ring. It’s bad enough that I’m constantly choking, but taking it on and off is torture. You take it off, I think I’m free, and then you put it right back on again. I hate you.”

Middle Finger: “I’m totally satisfied with my role as the longest, most meaningful finger.”

Index Finger: “Give me some mental stimulation, some physics or something; if I have to draw another line I’m pretending I have leprosy. I want a game where I get to build not only for height, but stability as well. Come talk to me when you’ve got that.”

Thumb: “I want to compete. Present me with some challenges and I’ll show you who’s the most “dexterous”. Though clearly “stubby” won’t be much of a challenge.”

Shocked? Yea, us too. We can’t help ‘Pinky’ (no one can) or ‘Ring Finger’, but Finger Physics is everything Index Fingers and Thumbs could want. With 9 stages, over 80 challenging puzzles and 7 distinct modes, Finger Physics provides you with your best chance to give back to those digits that you have so thoughtlessly neglected over the years.

Clearly, thumbs have something to prove (not that we’re here to judge), so we’ve added an almost unlimited amount of achievements allowing them to strut their stuff against fingers world-wide. Index fingers got their stability mode on top of a mode requiring them to strategically guide an egg in to its nest; we threw that one in just to shake things up for middle fingers.

At the Finger Physics launch party, Fingers were giggling, whooping it up, and engaging in riotous shadow puppetry in celebration of its availability.

Like what you see? Check out our other iPhone games including America’s Next Top Model, Bumper Stars, Go Fish Multiplayer, and Gin Rummy Deluxe. You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/press_ok.

Finger Physics is OpenFeint Enabled.

In 2035, the ship Nimah speeds back to Earth after years of space travel and technology [...]]]>

Consistent with past performance, Gameloft has once again come up with a winning title in their new game – Rogue Planet, a detailed and extremely challenging turn-based strategy game with an interactive storyline and a futuristic theme.

In 2035, the ship Nimah speeds back to Earth after years of space travel and technology development, but along the way it is hit and makes an emergency landing to discover that it has arrived somewhere near Mexico. Given that your entire database is destroyed and your ship stranded with little in the way of resources, you are commanded to explore the surroundings, and defend against any enemies you might encounter.

To start off your quest, you’ll find it useful to browse through the help menu, which instructs you on basic attacks, movement, terrain and weather effects, and special functions of certain units, among other things. The game controls are responsive and quite instinctive, so it should be fairly easy to figure out how to move around and perform commands.

At the start of the game, you’ll only need to send your units to capture several villages – these are abandoned and post no threat. As the story progresses, however, your missions get a lot more complicated and will require tactical skill and a great deal of planning before execution. You’ll need to harness resources to build units, defend against machine opponents, and take over cities, among other things. The entire game hinges on where and when you deploy your army and what you tell them to do. Most units can be ordered to attack, rest, move, and commit suicide, while special units can repair, heal, transport, refuel, and bomb – depending on its function. Think out a strategy and make every round count, using a variety of elements such as terrain and positioning to your advantage.

During the game, members of your ship will occasionally give you tips about how to approach your enemies. These include quick guides on opponents’ strengths and weaknesses against your units. Keep this information in mind and integrate it into your scheme to maximize the damage you do and keep more vulnerable forces safe.

Rogue Planet offers an almost endless amount of gameplay with several game modes and a high replay value. Plot your way through 19 challenging levels in story mode, unlock stages and discover 15 new maps in quick play mode, and go head to head with a friend over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi in multiplayer mode.  All this is enhanced by an intense soundtrack and excellent sound effect as well as polished graphics and animations.

If you enjoy hardcore gaming, you should really look into this game. Not only is there no undo button, most missions take time to complete, effectively forcing you to think everything through before taking action. Up to the challenge? Grab a copy now to prove your strategic skills and win the war for planet earth!

Overall impression

★★★★★★★★★★

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★★★

Category: Games
Type: Real-Time Strategy
Cost: 4.99
Rating: 9+

Current iTunes Reviews: 75 ratings, 4 1/2 stars

Description:

Plunge into this unique turn-based strategy game set in a futurist world. Take command of unbelievable battles in Solo and Multiplayer modes!

- A BREATHTAKING STORY MODE: Discover the story through numerous cutscenes. Complete 19 campaign missions to defeat the machines and take back Earth!

- GET READY FOR ENDLESS FUN! Quick Play mode features 34 maps: 19 from Story mode, and 15 new ones playable with 2 different armies and 3 difficulty levels.

- MULTIPLAYER MODE: Face your friend’s army via local Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection (online multiplayer via Wi-Fi or 3G coming soon in the next update).

- REALISTIC ENVIRONMENTS AND ANIMATIONS: Sci-fi visuals and 3D backgrounds provide maximum immersion in the game.

- OPTIMIZED GAMEPLAY: Touch the screen to select your units, zoom-in or rotate the game field.

- A LIVELY SOUNDTRACK for a unique feeling of intensity: Epic themes, shouting soldiers and mechanical sound effects give life to your army!

I love parties, and I can’t live without having nights out and having drinks, so when I saw this app I completely fell in love with it. Bar Rush is an exciting new game where you get to play bartender in a hot new establishment.  At the start of the game, the [...]]]>

I love parties, and I can’t live without having nights out and having drinks, so when I saw this app I completely fell in love with it. Bar Rush is an exciting new game where you get to play bartender in a hot new establishment.  At the start of the game, the owner walks you through an interactive tutorial and introduces you to all the basics. After a few mixes, you’re on your own!

To start off your bartending career, you’re tasked to cater to a few customers with orders that are relatively simple to prepare. These are usually drinks that require just one or two mix ingredients – juices, wines, and beverages. You’ll get an increased tip when you pass the correct drink to a waiting customer in less than half the time he or she is willing to wait. When glasses empty, you have a limited amount of time to whisk them away to clean – take note that customers can’t occupy spaces with dirty glasses.

After successfully completing a few nights, you get to serve up drinks that get more and more complicated to prepare. You’ll need a combination of memorizing and time management skills to progress through the game as you learn to mix and shake over forty ingredients to create delicious concoctions!

In addition to the engaging gameplay, there are simple tap, drag, and shake controls. The good graphics and great dance soundtracks add up to make Bar Rush one heck of a good time. As an added bonus, you even get to learn drink recipes while having a ton of fun. Overall, this is a high replay value, challenging app that’s worth every dollar.

Overall impression

★★★★★★★★★☆

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★★☆

Category: Games
Type: Simulation
Cost: 99cents
Rating: 12+

Current iTunes Reviews: 189 ratings, 3 1/2 stars

Description:

Bar Rush: Experience the Rush!

***Bar Rush is a featured app in the “What We’re Playing” Section.***

Reviews:
“Very, very fun…an original premise. 4 Stars” AppStruck

“Game play is a lot of fun and replay ability is high. 5-Dimple rating.” AppSmile

“Very engaging. A fun one to play. 4 out of 5 rating” Top iPhone News

“Adds a double shot of fun to the App Store.” App Shouter

“Entertaining. One of the most challenging time-management games out there.” Enushki’s App Review Center

“Fast-Paced. Very entertaining.” Pink Aplz Reviews

***CONTEST – Post the high Bar Rush score in November and win a copy of our upcoming Tower Defense game Hellemental***

!!! User Save and Cocktail Glossary now added. Music Library player, new cocktails and new characters coming soon. Thanks game fans for your feedback.

Bar Rush brings serious fun to casual gaming. Experience all the action of working behind a real bar as you mix, shake and serve drinks to an array of colorful characters. Serve all your drinks before the clock runs out and you just might collect enough tips to become a Master Mixologist. If you’re too slow, well…you’re fired.

Bar Rush mixes all the elements of popular Time-Management games like Diner Dash and Sally’s Spa with a “Lifestyle Learning” component that actually teaches you the recipes for dozens of popular drinks as you play. From basic beverages to complex concoctions, Bar Rush will challenge your bartending skills with over 80 drinks and 50 ingredients to choose from over 6 levels of increasing difficulty.

Bar Rush’s life-like game play is just like the real thing. After training, the bar is yours, if you can keep up with the non-stop stream of thirsty customers. Select the proper glass and ingredients. Use your iPhone like a cocktail shaker (for select drinks) and serve. But hurry, the clock is ticking and your customers won’t wait forever.

Generate tips by mixing and serving drinks before the clock runs out. The faster you are, the more you make. Post your tip total to the Online Leaderboard where you can view your own ranking and search to see how you fare against your friends.

Vibrant animation and humorous dialog, from the quirky patrons and surly bar manager, ratchet up the entertainment level in a game that’s easy to pick up but hard to put down. But should you have to, Bar Rush automatically saves your place when you take a break or a call.

Bar Rush: Can you handle the rush?

Features:
• Six Challenging Levels plus a Training Mode.
• Over 80 cocktail creations; Dozens of Ingredients
• Online, Searchable Leaderboard
• Real-life actions; Mix, Shake and Serve drinks.
• Fun Animations and Humorous Dialog
• Cocktail Glossary
• Learn Popular Drink Recipes As You Play

Added Features:
• More Challenging Levels
• More fun and funky Characters
• More Ingredients
• More Cocktail Recipes
• User Save Feature
• iTunes Music Library Access

When you hear the word Solitaire, you probably think of the stuffy old card game bundled with your copy of Windows. Good news then, friends – Arcade Solitare: TriTowers is here to prove once and for all that Solitaire can be fun, engaging, and yes, even addictive.

If by some impossible odds [...]]]>

When you hear the word Solitaire, you probably think of the stuffy old card game bundled with your copy of Windows. Good news then, friends – Arcade Solitare: TriTowers is here to prove once and for all that Solitaire can be fun, engaging, and yes, even addictive.

If by some impossible odds you are unfamiliar with the concept of a “Tri-Towers” style Solitaire game, here’s the general idea. Eighteen cards are dealt face-down in the shape of three separate pyramids. At the bottom of these pyramids are ten face-up cards. The rest of the deck forms the ’stock,’ which the player can draw cards from when they are unable to make a move. As the player, your mission is to match face-up cards with cards that are either higher or lower (by only one). Do this, and you can remove those cards from play. The goal is to remove all the cards from play before the time runs out; and yes, if you go through the entire deck and can’t make any moves, you lose that round.

Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers might, at first glance, appear to be no more than a well above average implementation of the classic game. However, slightly below the surface, the game offers so much more. The first thing you’ll notice when playing Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers is that the presentation is absolutely flawless. The cards are colorful and easy to read on-the-fly, the backgrounds that serve as the game board are attractive, and the cards animate smoothly at all times.

This is such a fantastic game that it could easily stop at being a great version of the beloved classic – but it doesn’t stop there at all. There are many different card themes and game boards for you to unlock (each of them completely stunning) as you continue play, and the game even features deep integration with OpenFeint, providing for social networking, achievements, and brilliantly implemented leaderboards.

If you’ve ever had even a small amount of fun playing Solitaire, you owe it to yourself to give Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers a try. I’ve never been a huge fan of card-based games, and yet I’ve spent many hours playing this little treasure. For the introductory price of 99 cents, this game is a no-brainer; however, it’d be a bargain at four times the price. Here’s the bottom line: the only thing wrong with Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers is the fact that your boss probably won’t accept it as an excuse for being late to work.

Overall impression

★★★★★★★★★★

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★★★

Category: Games
Type: Card
Cost: 99cents
Rating: 4+

Current iTunes Reviews: 18 ratings, 5 stars

Description:

✩✩✩ WARNING: EXTREMELY ADDICTIVE!!!

✩✩✩ BLACK FRIDAY SALE!! – (66% OFF!!) ✩✩✩

—————————————
★★★★ “Arcade Solitaire: TriTowers is one of the most addictive games I have encountered for the iPhone.”
– TouchGen.net

★★★★ “One of the most addicting and amusing solitaire games on the App Store.”
– iphoneincanada.ca

“It is a great game to pick up and play… be prepared to play a few levels or you’ll have to keep going back for more!”
– AppsAndHats.com

“This game is terrific.”
– AppGirlReviews.com

“Arcade Solitaire is an intense and challenging game.”
– MustTap.com

“For the iphone Arcade Solitaire is the best tri-peaks so far”
– freedog, TouchArcade.com Forums

“One of the best TriPeaks so far”
– Carlos-Sz, TouchArcade.com Forums

“I have bought every Tri Peaks game so far for the iphone and as of now Arcade Solitaire is the best”
– RaiderRich721, TouchArcade.com Forums

“The look and feel, the smoothness of the game, the unlockables, and the instant up-to-date high scoring feature are absolutely perfect.”
– Uhgii, TouchArcade.com Forums

“digital CRACK!”
– Neil Warner, Beta Tester
————————————–

The BEST, ADDICTIVE, UNIQUE, FAST-PACED Solitaire game ever! Once you start, you won’t be able to stop!

Combining the classic Tri-Towers / Tri-Peaks solitaire gameplay with a unique leveling system, achievements, live in-game leaderboard tracking, great visuals, sound effects, and fast responsive controls, Arcade Solitaire : TriTowers is the BEST and ONLY Solitaire game you’ll ever need or want to play again!

Fully integrated with OpenFeint 2.2!!

Features:
♠♠ Tracks all your high scores, career score, and other fun statistics!
♠♠ Compete against your friends and the World using OpenFeint online leaderboards
♠♠ Unique online in-game live leaderboard tracking (see who’s got the next highest score and how many more points you need to catch them – while you’re playing!)
♠♠ Over 30 unlockable background skins and card decks!
♠♠ Close to 50 OpenFeint Achievements!
♠♠ Visually stunning graphics and sound effects
♠♠ Extremely polished, FAST and responsive gameplay
♠♠ Pick-up, put-down gameplay (saves your game whenever you quit so you can resume later on)

GameFlow Entertainment has taken the bubble popping game genre and made it fun again. Not only did they change the bubbles to adorable penguins, but they added the element of colored snowballs which must be thrown to clear the penguins. This new element adds a slight degree of difficulty to this hand [...]]]>

GameFlow Entertainment has taken the bubble popping game genre and made it fun again. Not only did they change the bubbles to adorable penguins, but they added the element of colored snowballs which must be thrown to clear the penguins. This new element adds a slight degree of difficulty to this hand eye coordination based game.

Penguin Break has two modes of play. The first of which is Escape. In Escape Mode you are given columns of colored penguins which start out at varied heights. The object here is to throw colored snowballs at the similarly colored penguins to clear them before one escapes from the top of the screen.

If you find yourself unable to throw the snowballs fast enough to clear the ever-rising columns of penguins, you can give your iPhone or iPod a shake and it will drop the higher up penguins down into the lower columns, giving you a short window of opportunity to catch up on your snowball assault. In this mode it isn’t necessary to clear all the penguins, but rather to clear a certain number of peguins during the alotted time.

The second mode of play is Frenzy. Frenzy mode starts with a screen that gets totally filled with these colorful critters. The object is to throw the colored snowballs at their colored penguin counterpart to clear them from the screen. All penguins must be removed within the time limit in order to advance to the next level.

In Frenzy Mode there are several powerups you can earn which help you to clear the penguins. The powerups include; bomb, smart bomb, and change bomb. Each of these powerups is explained in the included tutorial menu.

Personal high scores for each mode are stored within the game, and only your top ten best scores will be recorded. The in-game scores are stored with any username or alias you wish to use. Each time you get a new high score, you have the option of connecting to Facebook and posting your score to your wall to compare with your friends. Your facebook friends’ posted scores will also show up in the in-game top scores list under the friends tab.

Features:

Penguin Break is loads of fun, and is packed with hours of playability. If you’ve ever enjoyed popping balloons, or matching gems, you will enjoy playing Penguin Break. This is definately a nice spin on the classic games in this genre.

Overall impression

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Category: Games
Type: Puzzle
Cost: 99cents
Rating: 4+

Current iTunes Reviews: 18 ratings, 5 stars

Description:

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DESCRIPTION

Penguin Break is an exciting, captivating game of runaway penguins and your efforts to stop them. Reaction, strategy, split-second timing, and careful aim – you’ll need them all to get the highest scores in this light-hearted, easy-to-pick-up, can’t-put-it-down flock of fun for your iPhone/iPod Touch.

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FEATURES & GAMEPLAY

■Two Kinds of Action –
-Escape! Penguins gradually fill the screen; you keep them from scooting off the top
-Frenzy! Clear all penguins off the screen before you run out of time

■Connect to FaceBook for bragging rights on your friend-only leaderboard!

■In Escape, shake your iPhone/iPod Touch for extra action – penguins at the tops of the highest towers tumble down, giving you more time.

■Tap the screen to toss a colored snowball. When you hit a penguin of the same color, it and all touching penguins of that color disappear; others tumble down from above.

■Try for Chain Reactions! If a penguin tumbling down makes a column of three or more of the same color, those disappear as well. One great shot can make multiple Chain Reactions!

■Three Different Power Ups –
-Bomb! Earn a Bomb by creating three Chain Reactions with one shot. Toss a Bomb to clear out all penguins in an area
-Smart Bomb! Make at least 14 penguins disappear with a single shot to earn a Smart Bomb. Aim it carefully – a Smart Bomb makes all penguins of one color vanish
-Change Bomb! Get a Change Bomb by matching snowball and penguin colors for several shots in a row. Use a Change Bomb to turn all penguins of one color the color of the bomb

■The action starts easy and grows more challenging the better you do. Start with three penguin and snowball colors; advance to four and even five!

■Follow us on Twitter for the latest info – www.twitter.com/penguinbreak

■The game comes complete with simple instructions to get you up and playing fast!

Word Spin is one of the world’s most beloved travel games. The concept is simple – spin the wheels to put a bunch of letters together. Then make words with those letters. When looking for a good travel game, you want it to be ultra-portable. Nothing ruins a travel game more than losing [...]]]>

Word Spin is one of the world’s most beloved travel games. The concept is simple – spin the wheels to put a bunch of letters together. Then make words with those letters. When looking for a good travel game, you want it to be ultra-portable. Nothing ruins a travel game more than losing pieces. That’s why recreating such a classic traveling game for the iPhone is genius – there are no pieces to lose, and you don’t go anywhere without your phone!

If you enjoy word games, Word Spin is one the the most addictive games out there. Similar to scrabble, when you’re making words certain letters are worth more points. You should always try to make words using Z, X, and Q first. If you’ve never played the game before, it can be a little hard to catch onto. I’ll go through the jist of it, but you really have to play the app to bring it justice.

You start out with 3 wheels, each with a letter facing forward. Each of those wheels can rotate down to be about 8 different letters vertically as well. You can move the placement of the three wheels, as well as the letter facing forward. When you think you have the best possible combination of letters, start making words. You can create any word with 2 or more letters. When you finish the first section, turn the wheel downward and make the next set of words. When you’re finished, you may click the top button that says “Finish.”

Every correct word scores you points, and every incorrect word detracts points. After you’re done, the app will show you what words you made and how many words you missed. It will not show you what words you missed unfortunately, because you may use those in future rounds. After this, you begin round two, which adds a new wheel (for a maximum of 4 letter words). Each consecutive round adds a new wheel.

Your score is a cumulative collection of your points for each round. Once you’ve made a word in a previous round, you cannot repeat it in any subsequent round. When you are finished, the score will report locally and globally. This way, you can track both your best scores and the top 100 scores worldwide. Do you have what it takes to be on that global list? Only time will tell.

The rules are mildly confusing for those who never played the travel game. Nonetheless, Word Spin is probably the most fun word game I have on my iPhone. I enjoy word games when I want a challenge that will actually make my brain work. They’re great for killing time in car rides or waiting in line. Word Spin holds its own with the best of them, and I’d strongly recommend it for anyone that likes simple, addictive games.

Overall impression

★★★★★★★★★☆

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★★★

Category: Games
Type: Word
Cost: 2.99
Rating: 4+

Current iTunes Reviews: 69 ratings, 2 1/2 stars

Description:

Boost your mental agility, language skills and greatly enhance your ability to play ALL word games better with one of the most captivating word games ever invented: WORD SPIN®.

Any time you have a spare moment you can now experience the mesmerizing word game that millions of WORD SPIN® fans around the world have enjoyed.

Among the nine national and international awards won are:

★ Best Mind Game Of The Year from American MENSA, Ltd. (The High IQ Society)
★ Game Of The Year from the Australian Toy Association
★ BBC-TV Good Toy Guide from the British Broadcasting Company
★ Oppenheim Gold Seal from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
★ Three Star Toy Seal from the Canadian Toy Council
★ Parents’ Choice Honors from Parents’ Choice Magazine

WORD SPIN® is LOADED WITH FEATURES!

▸ 3 Games To Play – PRACTICE or play SOLITAIRE alone or CHALLENGE your friends online.

▸ 3-D Spin Wheels – Using your finger on the touch screen, you can spin and/or shuffle 3 to 8 virtual “Spin Wheels” printed with letters on their edges. You then form words from the letters, scoring points as you go.

▸ Tournament Dictionary – Built-in SOWPODS dictionary gives you the same word list used for international word game competitions.

▸ Instant Feedback – Words found in the dictionary are instantly confirmed on your score sheet and added to your score. Attempts to score illegal words are red-flagged and result in deductions from your score.

▸ High-Quality Sound Effects – Vivacious sound effects award your performance and bring the Spin Wheels to life.

▸ CHALLENGE Your Friends – Play against friends anywhere in the world. When you challenge others (up to 100), they’re sent (via e-mail) the exact configuration of Spin Wheels that you used, leveling the playing field.

▸ Global Leader Board – Submit your high scores to the global leader board to see who is the WORD SPIN guru!

VIP CLUB
As a registered owner of WORD SPIN for iPhone you are entitled to VIP CLUB benefits which include a hot link to buy the ORIGINAL WORD SPIN® at 35% discount (for a limited time) from GEOSPACE® International. Plus, you may order online all other items offered by GEOSPACE® at a special VIP Discount of at least 25% or greater!

Visit Us: GeospacePlay.com
Follow Us on Twitter: @GeospacePlay
Find Us on Facebook: WORD SPIN
See Us on YouTube: youtube.com/user/GeospacePlay

What’s new

• Upgrades to Challenge email to work with Lite version
• Bug fixes

Gameloft - To celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, Gameloft is running a limited promotion on the App Store. The [...]]]> What fun would Thanksgiving be without all the incredible pre-Christmas sales that come with it? Some of your favorite iPhone developers are joining in the holiday sales fun! Check out all the incredible deals for the best applications:

Gameloft - To celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, Gameloft is running a limited promotion on the App Store. The following popular Gameloft titles will be specially priced at $0.99!
·         Terminator Salvation
·         Shrek Kart
·         Brothers in Arms Hour of Heroes
·         Blades of Fury
·         Real Tennis 2009
·         Castle of Magic
·         Hero of Sparta

NOW through Sunday, Nov. 29th

Squeeballs - A personal favorite application of mine, Squeeballs will be on sale for 99cents for a limited time! You won’t want to miss this fantastic app!

IUGO – In celebration of IUGO’s epic release of A.D.D., IUGO is putting a whole bunch of titles on SALE! See below:
 
Toy Bot Diaries 1,2,3                         $1.99 each => 99¢ each
Zombie Attack!                                    $1.99 => 99¢
Freeballin’                                              $3.99 => 99¢
Star Hogs                                                $4.99 => $2.99
Toy Bot Mini Missions                       $3.99 => 99¢
Spy Bot Chronicles                             $3.99 => $1.99
Toy Bot Compilation                         $3.99 => $1.99
Zombie Attack! Second Wave        $3.99 => $1.99
Cliffed                                                       $1.99 => 99¢
 
The sale will begin at midnight TONIGHT Pacific Time and run straight through the weekend until Sunday midnight Pacific Time. All of these games offer incredible value at this price! Grab them now while you can, who knows when we’ll next do a sale of this magnitude. And don’t forget to purchase A.D.D., the App Store’s latest sensation, along with our new star Implode! which is climbing the charts FAST!

If you’re a fan of space-themed shooters, you definitely have to check out StarPagga, a gorgeous 3D game in an amazing intergalactic setting. When you start the game, you’re greeted by an intense soundtrack and a smooth UI.

There are four preset spacecrafts, each equipped with four distinguishing weapons and enhancements, but you can [...]]]>

If you’re a fan of space-themed shooters, you definitely have to check out StarPagga, a gorgeous 3D game in an amazing intergalactic setting. When you start the game, you’re greeted by an intense soundtrack and a smooth UI.

There are four preset spacecrafts, each equipped with four distinguishing weapons and enhancements, but you can rename them and customize your ships further with your choice of offensive and defensive mechanisms.

The game offers two gameplay modes – Campaign and Challenges. In Campaign, you’ll find useful tutorial levels that will guide you through basics, and equip you with the knowledge needed to be a successful member of the Azure Squadron. Fly through fourteen levels of stunning environments that range from planet surfaces and space sectors to plasma clouds and asteroid fields. Complete various missions that include defending stations and attacking enemy bases – this will test your dexterity, strategic planning, and navigational skills.

Controls are smooth and intuitive, and can be configured to respond to either touch or the accelerometer. You’ll find everything you need on the game screen –  a small radar located on the top right to guide you through the combat zone, a shield meter on the top left that also serves as the pause button, and a lazer button at the bottom for firing missiles at your enemies. Additionally, keep drones within your tracking circle to get a lock on them, and shake your device to do a barrel roll and lose enemy missile locks.

When you’ve mastered the controls and efficiently played through several missions, head on over to Challenges. This consists of practice levels with three difficulty modes where your goal is simply to take down as many drones as you can within a time limit, and without fear of them engaging you in combat. There’s also survival where, as you might expect, you have to disable ship after enemy ship before they get to you.

Apart from the already overwhelming amount of gameplay features and extras, StarPagga also lets you connect with friends in multiplayer mode via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection so you can collaborate and share experiences of this exciting spatial combat game. You can also sign up with Agon Online to earn achievement rewards and compete in online leaderboards.

With so many amazing qualities, from the engaging graphics and sounds to fluid controls and feature-packed gameplay, StarPagga offers both casual and experienced players countless hours of challenge and entertainment.

Overall impression

★★★★★★★★★☆

Value for your money

★★★★★★★★★☆

Category: Games
Type: Action
Cost: 1.99
Rating: 9+

Current iTunes Reviews: 289 ratings, 3 1/2 stars

Description:

StarPagga is an action based 3D space combat game. You can play the single player levels, but the game comes into its own in the multiplayer mode, playing against your peers.

As a new member of the Azure Squadron it’s your task to attack and defend in a variety of interesting space environments.

Configure your spacecraft and take to the stars alongside your wingmen in a series of dangerous dogfights against superior enemy numbers.

Features:
• Action packed 3D space combat
• Single player campaign
• 6 player multiplayer (Bluetooth, LAN and Internet)
• Multiplayer voice chat (Bluetooth, LAN and Internet)
• Push notification game invites

• 14 challenging missions (more coming soon)
• 2 tutorials
• 4 challenge missions with online leaderboards

• Battle in a variety of different space environments from Saturn’s rings, dense asteroid fields, orbital construction zones, deep fog plasma clouds and planet surfaces
• Use the accelerometer or touch interface to control your spacecraft
• Use the mini-map radar to track your position, and that of your wingmen and enemies
• You’ll need to master evasive combat manoeuvres

• 4 configurable spacecraft available – you can name them, and then equip them with your choice of:
- Pulse Lazer
- Beam Lazer
- Fusion Torpedoes
- Anti-Matter Missiles
- Shield Generator
- Cloaking Device
- Computer
- Thrusters
- Afterburner
- Defence Matrix
- Shield Regenerator
- Shield Battery

• Frequent updates
• Developed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch

One of the most action packed space dogfighting games on the iPhone and iPod to date! Join the community…

“While we were slow to get the word out on this impressive looking title, the action is anything but.” – Blake Patterson, Touch Arcade

“A solid 3D shooter that offers a good dose of variety and gameplay” – Big Albie

“StarPagga is one of the best-looking, tightest tuned aerial shooters on the device” – Tracy Erickson, Pocket Gamer

What’s new

• Lite players can now receive push notifications
• Upgraded to Agon v1.3
• Bug fixes