Tag Archives: appsized

May 13 2014

Now Playing: Hearthstone (Heroes of Warcraft) for iPad

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It took me longer than it should to share my thoughts about this amazing new game, Hearthstone (Heroes of Warcraft) from Blizzard, best known for their incredible and genre-defining games, Starcraft, Warcraft and Diablo. While these games are serious affairs, Hearthstone takes on a lighter note as its ordinarily fearsome and powerful characters are reduced to gorgeous, animated cards in a deck.

Hearthstone is a card game. If you’re not a big fan of these games (like I am) or if you’re new to them, then Hearthstone is by far the best introductory game you’ll find. Basically, you have a hero with his/her own respective skills and strengths, represented by specific cards. To boost your hero, you also have ‘neutral’ cards or cards that can be used for all classes of heroes. You have a deck of 30 cards and starting health of 30. Each turn gives you a specific number of mana corresponding to the mana required by the cards to be played. The goal is to defeat your enemy who may be AI (in practice mode) or a fellow player who is online (play mode, ranked mode or arena mode).

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Apr 2 2014

Now Playing: Man At Arms TD for iPad

 

man at arms TD It has taken me a month before sitting down to write this review largely because I’ve been doing nothing with my free time except play Man At Arms TD for iPad ($4.99). After many hours logged in making maps, playing online, replaying levels and combining cards, I have finally finished the lengthy campaign mode and am left wanting even more!

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At first glance, Man At Arms TD is not as slickly designed as its tower defense (TD) counterparts. In a genre where games are getting more attractive by the day, Man At Arms TD is rather plainly designed with some awkwardness in the animation. Gameplay wise,  Man At Arms TD does not reinvent the wheel with its gameplay.

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Feb 8 2014

Bardbarian Now Out With Endless Mode

The guys at Tree Fortress were busy rolling out updates for Bardbarian. Last week, we saw important bug fixes and earlier today, Endless Mode came out.

Endless Mode is more about running and dodging enemy projectiles. Distance covered is key. I haven’t gotten very far; Brad is a bit slow when it comes to running,

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p.s. Finally unlocked all but one unit, and the newer units are just awesome and make this game even more unique!

Feb 4 2014

Flappy Bird – 1, Mankind – 0

I decided to hop on the Flappy Bird bandwagon after seeing an ominous Facebook post warning the rest of the world that no matter how bored you are, DO NOT download Flappy Bird. Apparently, this game which has been out since May 2013, recently and mysteriously went viral.

That kind of a warning is the surest way to get someone interested in this quiet little game that suddenly went viral. Kids everywhere are playing it, adults like myself can barely get past the first pipe!

The game certainly doesn’t score points in the looks department. I instinctively look for Mario and perhaps a colorful red and white mushroom to pop out. The art here is rather plain and dull looking.

Flappy Bird has generated enormous attention as the game du jour with some writers mystified and frustrated about the game’s soaring popularity. Maybe because it’s free? Maybe because it’s supposed to be simple but it’s not? Is it because this game unites both iPhone and Android users, therefore, the entire smartphone toting world? Are mobile games going downhill? Whatever reason it may be, it’s undeniable that Flappy Bird now gets 15 minutes of fame the same way Candy Crush took over the world for some time.

Perhaps the game’s real secret is its infuriatingly simple premise : just get past the spaces between the darn pipes by tapping on the screen to propel your flappy bird. Tap too hard and you will hit the pipe. Tap too slowly you fall into the pipe instead. Timing and excellent eye to hand coordination is the name of the game. Believe me, it’s not as easy as it seems.

For some reason, Flappy Bird is more of a tappy bird, in my humble opinion, but knowing this doesn’t make me push past my all time high score of four.

Oct 8 2013

Supermarket Management 2 HD for iPad: Let the Time Management Madness Begin!

Supermarket Management 2 HD from G5 games is a brand new entry to the iPad casual gaming scene. I still have the original Supermarket Management HD and while I never quite got around to finishing it, it’s high on my list of time management (TM) games.

Seems like a typical day at the supermarket to me!

Seems like a typical day at the supermarket to me!

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Mar 2 2013

Art Mogul HD in Review: A Rare Find

If there’s one thing that the App Store lacks, it’s more art-themed games. The ones I’ve tried are usually stealth games which means they focus on stealing gorgeous paintings rather than actually appreciating them. Art Mogul breaks out of the art-meets-stealth-game mode by doing two things: combining hidden-object game mechanics with tycoon-style sim gameplay.

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Feb 16 2013

Karateka In Review: Is the Romance Gone?

Back in the 80s, Karateka was one of those seminal games (not very many were available then) that offered drama, romance and nail biting fight scenes.  Because personal computers then were just taking off, graphics were primitive and much of the excitement of the game depended on your imagination. If you grew up in that bygone era of early personal computing, then the dramatic background music and the boss fight, would be replaying in your mind right now.

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Dec 11 2012

iOS App Review: My Farm Life for iPad

My Farm Life HD on appSIZED

A game that’s called “My Farm Life” might arouse suspicion for those, like me, who hate pay to play, freemium games that are cute and promising but require real cash to buy this and that. To my relief, and likely yours as well, My Farm Life HD published by Alawar Entertainment is not a social farming simulation game – it is actually the title of a fictional reality show where an unsuspecting aspiring actress is cast in the lead role to well, run a farm!

If you’re into frantic time management games, then My Farm Life HD deserves further examination. Read on!

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Nov 23 2012

Shop Til You Drop with appSIZED’s Black Friday Massive Sale Alert!

It’s Black Friday once again as we celebrate Thanksgiving with a slew of apps and games on sale! To guide you through the hordes of apps at your disposal, here are some of appSIZED’s very own recommendations. Just click on the name of the app to take you straight to the iTunes page:

1) Plants vs Zombies HD (NOW $0.99/iPad only) – if you don’t have it yet! Check out our review of this awesome, iconic tower defense game!

2) Avengers Initiative (NOW $0.99/Universal) – HULK SMASH!

3) Infinity Blade II (NOW $2.99/Universal)- Gorgeous, elegant and action-packed sword fighting RPG adventure. One of the best games on the iOS ever. Read the review.

4) Infinity Blade (NOW $0.99/Universal) – The game that started it all.

5) Gangstar Rio: City of Saints (NOW $0.99/Universal) – If you love cars, guns and some badass adventure, then go pick this up now!

6) Need for Speed: Most Wanted (NOW $2.99/Universal) – If you love racing games and a thrilling chase, check this out!

7) Mega Mall Story (NOW $0.99/iPhone only) – Their apps go on sale rarely, so Kairosoft fans and newbies to one of the most addictive simulation games known to man, you can test the waters with this game.

8) Jazz: Trump’s Journey (NOW $0.99/Universal) – Lest this music game/platformer be buried in the massive price drops going on, this gorgeous little game has a lot of charm and soul.

9) Autumn Dynasty (NOW $3.99/iPad only) – Gorgeous real time strategy (RTS) game that, in my opinion, is perfectly suited for the touchscreen device.

10) Fieldrunners (NOW $0.99/iPhone) – Experience the original 2008 tower defense game that set the bar for thousands to come. Check out the review of Fieldrunners and its awesome sequel here.

11) Pocket Informant Pro (NOW $7.99/Universal) – Powerful calendar/task/notes management software that helps you organize your life!

12) Quickoffice Pro HD (NOW $4.99/iPad only) – A personal favorite of mine, Quickoffice Pro HD is also a viable alternative to your Pages/Keynote/Numbers apps, in one easy to use app.

13) ReaddleDocs for iPad – PDF viewer/attachments saver/file manager (NOW $1.99/iPad only) – Readdle is a trusted brand when it comes to productivity, so you might find this app useful for school and work.

4) Docs to Go Premium (NOW $9.99/Universal) – Looking for a way to make your iPad more productive? Docs to Go is a one stop shop for documents, spreadsheets and presentations on your iPhone and iPad.

Attention, time management fans and casual gamers, do not miss the massive blowout care of Alawar Entertainment! Most of their iPhone and iPad games are on sale, or totally free! Check out their massive collection of apps here and apps reviewed on appSIZED here.

Likewise, another favorite of mine, G5 Games, also has tons of games on sale! Check out their games here and appSIZED reviews of some of their games here.

That’s it for now. Keep watching this post for more picks from appSIZED!

p.s. In case you are on the lookout for some cool new stuff from Apple, such as an iPad mini perhaps or a retina Macbook Pro, make sure you don’t miss their own Black Friday sale on the Apple page. Free shipping for selected items!

Nov 5 2012

Back2Back Review: Fieldrunners and Fieldrunners 2 HD for the iPad

Fieldrunners 2 HD on appSIZED

Fieldrunners (iPhone) is a tower defense game that combines cute cartooony runners, vehicles and flying objects with serious looking towers that lob plasma, bullets and shoot electricity. Long before the tower defense (TD) genre spawned hundreds of copycats as much as it has some original concepts going, Fieldrunners for the iPhone was the definitive game of the tower defense genre and iOS app development. Tower defense games have multiplied exponentially since then, from cute themed games to hardcore action.

Meanwhile, Fieldrunners for iPad ($7.99) came out in 2011 – meaning indie developer Subatomic Studios took their sweet time to port the iPhone version to a bigger screen. Fieldrunners 2 HD ($7.99) on the other hand, launched to great success late this year, and is retina-display ready.

With a daunting pricetag and tons of TD games to choose from, should you make space for your iPad for Fieldrunners for iPad or Fieldrunners 2 HD?

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