Readers’ App Reviews – October 2012
This is a post by Reader’s Apps Reviewer Ryan Poolos, an iOS Developer and founder of Frozen Fire Studios. Checkout his latest game, Cyborg Livestock. Checkout his latest website, iHelp. You guys have been very hard at work making a ton of awesome apps and games. We had over 60 submissions this month! This month […] By Ryan Poolos.
This is a post by Reader’s Apps Reviewer Ryan Poolos, an iOS Developer and founder of Frozen Fire Studios. Checkout his latest game, Cyborg Livestock. Checkout his latest website, iHelp.
You guys have been very hard at work making a ton of awesome apps and games. We had over 60 submissions this month!
This month you guys made a ton of great apps, such as:
- Games about a dog dreaming of ice cream cones, and a cat diving for golden tuna
- A drawing app inspired by a tutorial on this site
- A Leprechaun standing up for his rights!
Keep reading to find out what your fellow readers have made this month! :]
I Want Ice Cream!
This extremely cute game features a puppy named Bouncer.
Bouncer was a naughty puppy and so he was confined to his kennel. Left to dream of his only joy, ice cream, he’s on a magical journey collecting ice cream cones! Mmm, tasty.
This fun game has 60 levels of high flying fun as you bounce your way across slim platforms in search of your sweet treat. Balloons, spikes, and more will spice up your adventures.
- Author: Johan K @atpcreative
- Most useful tutorial: Space Game Starter Kit
- App Store Link: Check it out!
KittyOfTheSea
Who says cats don’t like water?
If dogs dream of ice cream, cats dream of something else – the coveted golden tuna!
And this cat wants it so bad she’s willing to risk her fear of water to get it, scuba gear and all! :]
Its your job to help this kitty navigate the dangers of the deep while trying to stay with the current.
Don’t drag your feet, with limited oxygen your this scuba-kitten doesn’t have long before it has to hit the surface and lose the trail!
- Author: Lance Kimbrough @lancekimbrough
- Most useful tutorial: How To Create A Game Like Tiny Wings Part 1
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Draw Buddy
Draw buddy is a great app for kids with a simple, uncluttered interface and multistage undo.
I really like that there is a built in graph paper background along with white, black, and a cartoon scene.
The graph paper is a great addition allowing this app to be supremely useful for kids working on homework or just playing around with basic geometry.
This app stays focused on one awesome task, drawing on your iPad.
- Author: Matthew Norris @simengie
- Most useful tutorial: How To Make A Simple Drawing App with UIKit
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Lep’s World 2
There’s an evil wizard afoot and he’s taken a Leprechan’s gold! Leprechans will not stand for this oppression!
Help Lep battle his way through over 60 beautifully designing levels in this classic sidescroller. Hurl pine cones at your enemies while collecting coins.
This one already has iPhone 5 support in addition to GameCenter and cross platform (Mac, iPad, iPhone) Multiplayer. Definitely a top notch game.
- Author: Raimund Eissler @lepsworld2
- Most useful tutorial: Space Game Starter Kit
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Math Harvest
Math Harvest is a great way for kids to learn math on the iPad.
The app has a simple system where a child simply touches fruit and collects it in a basket to build the numbers shown on a chalkboard. It features bilingual auditory reinforcements and several levels of difficulty.
There are even three cute farm animals to help along the way!
- Author: Donald Rodriguez @DRGCostaRica
- Most useful tutorial: Audio 101 for iPhone Developers: File and Data Formats
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Mission Juggle
Mission Juggle is an awesome game where you juggle on your iPhone!
Don’t start tossing your expensive iPhone around yet – it’s not juggling the way you’re thinking! :]
Instead, colorful balls appear on the screen and you have to keep them in the air as long as you can. As you get going more and more balls will appear on the screen.
The more you keep in the air the more points you’ll earn. Special super balls will appear for bonus points!
- Author: Mohamed Waly
- Most useful tutorial: How To Make A Simple iPhone Game with Cocos2D
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Phage
Phage is a simple yet addicting strategy game.
Each player starts with 4 pieces, a circle, a square, a diamond, and a circle. Each piece is allowed to move in the direction of one of its vertices. So for example a circle can move in any direction while the square can only move diagonally.
Once a piece is moved, the tile it was sitting in is blocked. Whoever can leave their opponent with no legal moves first wins!
This is a game thats easy to pick up and play but there are surely some complicated strategies waiting to be discovered.
- Author: Stig Brautaset @phageapp
- Most useful tutorial: Beginning Turn-Based Gaming with iOS 5 Part 1
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Robots Attack! HD
Who wants to control giant robots destroying the human race? I know I do, mwuhahaha!
This fast paced game lets you manage several robots using multitouch as you take over the world. Each robot has unique abilities and available upgrades. You better have fast fingers to keep up with all the robots you can spawn at one time.
Rampage your way across the city as the filthy humans throw everything they have at you in endless waves of destruction.
- Author: Sergey Bondar
- Most useful tutorial: How To Debug Memory Leaks with XCode and Instruments Tutorial
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Spectrum Run
Spectrum Run is a unique sidescroller that will take some reflexes.
Several different gestures allow you to control the running with different slides, jumps, and flips necessary to overcome obstacles. However, each obstacle will be color coded so you’ll have to change your spectrum inbetween obstacles and use the right gesture in time to clear the obstacle.
GameCenter integration rounds out this very addicting game. Challenge your friends to match your awesome reflexes.
- Author: Tobias Hagemann @MuscleRumble
- Most useful tutorial: How To Create and Optimize Sprite Sheets in Cocos2D with Texture Packer and Pixel Formats
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Speed Kittens
“…if you have ever seen a kitten on a jet pack you’ve probably noticed how clueless they can be when it comes to ace fighter pilot aviation.”
Speed Kittens is a squad of jet pack ladden kittens on a mission, protect their milk from zepplins!
No one knows why Fat Cat Meowski the Fifth passed the Hover Milk Act of 3586 AD, but it calls for all milk to be strapped to zepplins and fly around forever out of reach. Until jet packs were invented of course!
Aim your floating kittens like rockets and take down the zepplins and end the milk tyranny once and for all!
- Author: Marcus Schwab @SpeedKittens
- Most useful tutorial: How To Make A Simple iPhone Game with Cocos2D
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Swipe Bomb
This game has one purpose, pick up bombs and drop them in the safe zone.
This simple additive game can put your reflexes to the test as the screen fills with multicolored bombs waiting to blow. Use all your fingers to grab as many as you can for combos.
Four maps and a bonus round will keep you occupied long before you run out of bombs.
- Author: Joey Hengst @studdervof
- Most useful tutorial: How To Drag and Drop Sprites with Cocos2D
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Tipsy Meter
Often wonder if you’ve had one too many?
Well Wonder no longer, Tipsy meter can help you and your friends measure your addiction while making hilarious comments about your issues along the way (trust me, I know from experience) :]
Using a stabiliy test to check your hand eye coordination and a walking test to see if you can handle a straight line. Tipsy meter takes full advantage of the accelerometer in your pocket to determine just how much you should be texting your mom tonight.
And of course, no app would be complete without the ability to share your embarassing problem on Facebook and Twitter! :]
- Author: Abdul Azeem @abdul_azeem
- Most useful tutorial: iOS 5 by Tutorials
- App Store Link: Check it out!
War7
War7 is a unique strategy game where you drop numbered disks onto a 7×7 grid.
The disks are destroyed if the row or column contains that disk’s number of disks. Gray numberless disks appear at the bottom over time. Blowing up a disk near them one will crack them, a second time will reveal a hidden number underneath.
Survive as long as you can with three challenging game types. Including an awesome multiplayer where you and your opponent are fed the exact same disks. To make it even more intriguing, you can hurl powerups at your opponent to mess with their strategy, opening even more stategies!
May the best strategy win!
- Author: Kaan Dedeoglu @kaandedeoglu
- Most useful tutorial: How To Make a Simple Multiplayer Game with Game Center Tutorial: Part 2/2
- App Store Link: Check it out!
WordFiends Free
Race against the clock to create as many words as possible in this tile based word building game.
Simply drag your finger to connect tiles and form words. the bigger the word the more points you’ll get. Play again Facebook friends, random strangers, or other friends with Wordfiend accounts in turn based multiplayer.
Keep an eye out for any bonus tiles to boost your score and send your opponents packing! Don’t forget to brag on Facebook and Twitter after!
- Author: Ngoan Nguyen @wordfiends
- Most useful tutorial: Apple Push Notification Services Tutorial: Part 1/2
- App Store Link: Check it out!
U.F.Oinkers
I just lost so many bets its not even funny… flying pigs are here.
In this physics based game your goal is to make pigs fly by dragging them into sets of wings. But you’ve got to be careful, the chain bridge is very flimsy and can only hold so many fat pigs before it breaks!
You get to collect food along the way to keep you pigs happy and gain extra points. But don’t let it sit, we all know how food in the back of the fridge looks after a few days so eat it fast!
Oh and watch out for zombie pigs, that is all.
- Author: George Tonev @SerendiBits
- Most useful tutorial: How To Debug Memory Leaks with XCode and Instruments Tutorial
- App Store Link: Check it out!
Honorable Mentions
Here are the apps that didn’t get reviewed. Remember it wasn’t a popularity contest or even a rating contest. Forum members got priority among other factors. Your apps were great and I’m sorry we didn’t have time to review them all!
Where To Go From Here?
That’s it for October! Keep up the awesome work everyone. And if you’re reading this thinking, “I wish I could build a great app/game”. You’re in luck! Check out our free Tutorials! What are you waiting for, I want to see your app or game next month!
As always, it has been hard to pick which apps to showcase. In the end priority was given to active readers and forum members. This column isn’t a ranking or contest. We only highlight the apps to point out our readers, who have put in a lot of hard work on these apps – and it shows! Be sure to check out the honorable mentions to see the rest of the awesome apps!
If you are a reader of this site and would like to be considered for this column, click here!
I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with next month! :]
This is a post by Reader’s Apps Reviewer Ryan Poolos, an iOS Developer and founder of Frozen Fire Studios. Checkout his latest game, Cyborg Livestock. Checkout his latest website, iHelp.