The Pre Match Warm Up

It’s always good to get some practice in before the game, so when I am on the train traveling to the game I get a chance to play a few hands. Usually, I tend to play poker games online or use one of the many poker apps such as Party Poker, as found on the poker app guide site, however there are plenty to choose from, some use real money whereas other are just for fun.

Poker Time

As we start the game and reminisce about our previous wins, we start one of our ‘timer’ apps to keep track of the blinds, so we can all concentrate on the cards. Depending on whether we use my iPhone or Craig’s HTC our timers of choice are; Poker Timer by Birdsoft (for both iPad and iPhone) or the Ultimate Hold’em Timer for Android. Both have simple, minimal displays that allow you to get all the information you need from a simple glance.

Who Gets The Beers

Playing on a custom made poker table at Andy’s is a pretty cool experience, but playing in the Kitchen, a stones throw away from the fridge also has its advantages; namely, its close to the beer. When we are separated from our precious drinks we like to use an app to designate who will make the mammoth journey. For this we like to use Tea Round for the iPad. It might be themed around Tea but with its simple customization it is easily re-purposed.

Who’s Hungry

What better way to compliment beer and cards than with a few Pizzas. So when 10pm comes around we use the handy Dominos App to choose and order our pizzas without having to break the flow of the game.

Are You Taking Notes?

If like me you are constantly looking to up your game then you can take you poker playing to the next level by using taking notes on the other players. For this I recommend Poker Notes Live (for both IOS and Android). This free poker utility app is a useful tool that will help you remember the moves, style, patterns, and tells you notice about other players at your table. Very handy for the serious player and it can be used when playing online as well.

Win or lose we all have a fantastic time and eventually we will take our game to Las Vegas when Andy hits 40, where we hope to take part in one of many tournaments held at Caesars Palace. Can’t wait!

The post Essential Apps for the Ultimate Poker Night appeared first on AppTrawler.

Whether you want to have a barbecue, plan a trip or just relax in your garden, there are some essential apps you really should download. We have listed 6 top apps to make your summer even more enjoyable!

RunKeeper (free)
What better way to start your day then with an early run! With the RunKeeper app you can track your running distance, pace, weight loss and more. Not a fan of running? Use RunKeeper to track your walks, cycling tours and other workouts! It also works on the Apple Watch when you combine it with your iPhone.

GrillTime ($1.99)
Do you want to enjoy the weather with a delicious barbecue? Grill the perfect steak or any other kind of meat with the GrillTime app. The app guides you through the actual grilling and notifies you when your meat is done. Select the meat, thickness and level of doneness you want and let GrillTime do the rest. The app can’t do absolutely everything for you, so you are needed to put the meat on the barbecue and flip it when it’s time.

Kayak (free)
Summer time usually means travelling. People are looking forward to spending their vacation in the perfect place. One thing most people do not look forward to is packing. What you need to pack, depends on the location you are headed to. Some will be staying in luxury hotels in far-flung places and calculating flying on a private jet costs to get there in style, whilst others will be planning local camping trips and adventures with their family. Either way, the packing will be necessary. Save time and do not forget a single thing with the GetPacked app. You have to answer a couple of simple questions and within a few seconds the app customizes a personal packing list. This is an iPhone and iPad app.

GetPacked ($1.99)
Summer time usually means travelling. People are looking forward to spending their vacation in the perfect place. One thing most people do not look forward to is packing. What you need to pack, depends on the location you are headed to. Save time and do not forget a single thing with the GetPacked app. You have to answer a couple of simple questions and within a few seconds the app customizes a personal packing list. This is an iPhone an iPad app.

Free WiFi Finder (free)
Nowadays most people can’t go a day without access to the internet. Not even when they are on vacation. Whether you want to find the best restaurant in town, directions to your hotel or the nearest monuments, with internet-access you have the information you’re looking for right away. However, using your mobile internet could be quite expensive. Not with the Free WiFi Finder app! The app uses your location to find free Wi-Fi access. The Free WiFi Finder app is compatible with an iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Point It app ($2.99)
Are you headed for a foreign country this summer? The English language is not spoken everywhere or at least, not as well as you would like. Even if you are familiar with the foreign language, it can sometimes be difficult to understand one and another. The Point It app is the solution! Simply choose a picture and point at it to make yourself clear. With the pictures of this app everyone can understand you. The Point It app is compatible with an iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Get the best out of your summer with these apps, which you can buy in the iTunes Store with a credit card or iTunes Gift Card. You can order an iTunes Card from iTunescard.com in an easy and fast way. It is even possible to purchase the newest movies, music and books with it.

The post 6 Apps You Should Definitely Have This Summer appeared first on AppTrawler.

The thing is, the idea of app development is enough to send shivers down the spines of many people. Why? Well, if you’re not a programmer, learning how to code can be a scary prospect. If you want to build an iOS app, the good news is you can stop hiding behind your screen!

Believe it or not, the process of creating an iOS app is much easier than you might think! In today’s blog post, I will show you how. Keep reading to find out more:

Image Source: Pixabay

Decide why you want an app

The first thing you should do is consider the purpose of your new iOS app. In other words, what do you want it to do? If you run a business, is your goal to attract new customers? Or perhaps market mouthwatering offers to existing ones? Maybe you’d like to launch an app for an idea or invention you’ve got?

As with most things in life, research and planning are the keys to success. Before you get started with app development, it’s essential to build the groundwork first.

Do you want to sell something?

Many people decide to create iOS apps as a way of earning a passive income. For instance, they might display ads in their apps. Or they might create a virtual shopfront to complement their e-commerce site.

If you already sell products through your website, there’s one thing you should do first. And that is to decide how to plug that functionality into your app.

The easiest way is to create a Safari browser window within your app. Doing so means you can just load up your site in that window without doing any further programming. Of course, it makes sense to ensure your website is mobile-friendly first.

I recommend having your site checked by an OpenCart or Magento 2 agency. That way, they can suggest ways to improve the “responsiveness” of your site’s design. Let’s face it. You don’t want your users to squint their eyes to look at your site’s content on their iOS device!

How to create an iOS app without any programming (or any magic)

So, just how do you get started “coding” your new app? Well, here’s the shocker: you don’t need to do any programming! Do a Google search for a term like “app builder” and you’ll notice one thing. There are dozens of online app building services available to use.

To get started, all you do is set up the design and layout of your app. You can then attach all kinds of human-understandable logic to various components. To put it another way, you don’t need to be an Objective-C or Swift guru to create an iOS app. Online app builders do the hard work for you. All you need to worry about is making it look great!

An alternative to such services is to hire an iOS developer. It’s a useful option if you want to add a feature that an online app builder can offer you.

Good luck!

The post How To Create An iOS App The Easy Way appeared first on AppTrawler.

The game is very much like Tiny Tower or No Zombies Allowed, in that you have to build various ‘rooms’ that supply, power, food, water, storage and relaxation to an ever growing population. Each inhabitant or ‘dweller’ has a set of seven special stats from strength to luck. Different attributes are suited to different rooms. Strong dwellers work best in the power stations, whereas the more intelligent characters are happier in the medical or scientific rooms. If ‘dwellers’ are placed in the bedrooms, they have a chance of procreation and if dwellers work in rooms that match their stats they become happier and raise the moral of the whole shelter. Later rooms aim to improve the special stats and you are able to send people to the bar to improve their charisma, get them on a treadmill to increase their endurance or even have them play cards to improve their luck.

I have spent the last three weeks constantly playing this game and I love it. At a recent count, I had nearly 130 dwellers all in custom outfits carrying some serious weaponry. New clothes and weapons can be gathered by sending some people out into the wasteland for hours at a time, or by opening special lunch boxes. Every lunch box has a set of cards that range from additional caps (money) to bespoke dwellers. You are awarded lunch boxes for achieving various tasks, such as gathering resources or sending people outside. Lunch boxes are also given out for playing everyday for a week and should you get in trouble, you can buy them as in-app purchases. I found myself spending nearly £10 on lunch boxes after a series of failed ‘rush’ events, when I tried to force my dwellers to create more resources. The ensuing ‘bug attack’ and fires soon killed many of my dwellers and in a panic I bought my way out of it.

Despite, my loss of self control in the finance department, I don’t consider it a waste of money, considering how many hours I have put into the game. I would like to see the game extended in future updates and have the addition of more rooms, mutants, robots and all of the other things that make the Fallout universe so eclectic.

If you are a fan of the Fallout series or just enjoy persistent games such as the Tiny Tower or ‘sims’, this is a great game that will keep you going back again and again. After three weeks, I realised I was getting addicted when I found myself checking it many times a day and even starting a new vault, so I could test how flexible the in-breading rules were. Before I was consumed by the darkness of my own personality, I decided to ceremonially send all 127 dwellers out into the wastelands, to find their own destiny. As I sat watching the lights slowly turn off in my 12 storey underground bunker I almost shed a tear.

Three days later, i went back…

The post Review: Fallout Shelter | iPhone appeared first on AppTrawler.

New updates for Google Play Games Services

Gaming is an enormous market for Google, and the lead product manager for Google Play Games said that they saw 2013 as a breakout year. The company has seen more than a billion Android devices activated, which is an enormous target market. They also say that 75 percent of Android users use their devices to play games. No wonder Google is taking the gaming market so seriously.

As part of their commitment to gaming, Google has just released new updates for Google Play Games Services, and also the Google Play Games app, which bring some exciting new abilities to the Android gaming world. The element that will be most appreciated by gamers is the ability to have cross-platform games. Currently, Android users cannot play games with their iPhone friends, and vice versa. It is a frustrating limitation, and users will be happy to see the end of it.

Multi-player gaming across iOS and Android

The new Games Services toolkit update gives game developers the ability to create multi-player games across both platforms. While it still depends on developers to make use of this feature, this could lead to a wider game play experience – one where you can play with all of your friends.

Once developers incorporate this capability into their games, it will be possible to play both real-time games and turn-by-turn games with all of your friends, whether they are Android lovers or iPhone fans. There are benefits for game developers, too. Widening people’s pool of friends to play with could mean they become more engaged with the game, and keep playing longer. It also could lead to more players in a game, as people get their friends to play, regardless of what platform they are on.

In-game gifting – an excellent strategy to draw in more players

There are other changes in the newly announced updates, as well. One thing is that developers can now add gifting capabilities into their games. The idea is that players could send an in-game gift to any of their friends who are playing the same game, as long as that person is in their Google+ circles. This could help new players discover the game, when they see their friends sending and receiving gifts. It can also increase engagement by encouraging that interaction with friends.

The Google Play Store is also being redesigned for games, with eighteen new categories meant to exceed the expectations of every avid gamer out there. The intention is to help people find games they would like more easily. The store previously had very broad game categories like “Casual”. When someone is looking for a role playing game, for example, it is a lot easier to find something they want if they can browse through a more descriptive category.

There is also a change to help game creators improve their monetization with better in-game advertising. Google is integrating AdMob (which is their platform for mobile advertising) with analytics. This could let game developers target specific players with ads for in-game purchases.

The post Cross-platform game support between Android and iOS- Google added a boost in-app gaming engagement appeared first on AppTrawler.

The story revolves around Ittle Dew, an adventurous young girl who washes up on an island and has to complete a number of quests before the mad shop keeper will give her a boat to sail off on.  Ittle Dew sets off with her trusty drunken flying fox companion and tackles castles, dungeons, caves and a slew of weird  and wonderful enemies.

Swedish indie studio Ludosity has done a great job of bringing back the look and feel of the classic Zelda whilst offering a fresh and funny spin on it.

I have added the trailer below to give you a taste of the game before I hit you with the negatives…

OK, now the downside…

I really enjoyed playing this game in the beginning  and I was happy to over look the slow load times and periodic stutter but I had to stop playing when I had to hit four diamonds to open a door. This is a relatively simple puzzle about 30 minutes into the game and has four diamonds that are timed to turn off after a certain time. Using the on screen joypad I found it very difficult to move my character fast enough and after 20 attempts I was still struggling. Frustrated I downloaded the Steam version of the game and found that the same puzzle was infinitely easier on a joypad and keyboard.

So whilst I would recommend the game ‘as a game’ I would probably avoid the iPhone version and try the PC, Tablet or even OUYA version in order to avoid the troubles of an onscreen joypad.

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The post Review: Ittle Dew | iPhone appeared first on AppTrawler.

For those unfamiliar with the Tiny Tower mechanic, the game revolves around building a tower floor by floor that includes residential, retail, food, recreation, services, and special, or in this case Imperial. Each floor has a theme so it might be the Mos Isley Catina for the food, Watto’s toys for retail or a workout center for services. Imperial levels are basement levels and include floors such as the interrogation room and the hangar bay.

The gameplay revolves around you operating the elevator and dropping of the slew of both well known characters and aliens races you will recognize. Each level needs to be stocked with stuff from Whomp Rat burgers to wedding licenses. The more stock you sell, the more credits you earn. These credits can buy you additional floors, people, goodies and even a faster lift.

Whilst the game is highly addictive it does has its flaws. It is highly addictive and you will find yourself constantly checking on your creation thanks to its floor of push messages. After turning off this feature you will check it periodically and increase your stock levels, deliver Bitziens (people) to their required floor and build new levels. Every so often you be granted a ‘scene’ where a main character acts out a comedy version of mixed up Star Wars scene. For example, Jar Jar eats a snack dangling down from a rope, and subsequently pulls the ceiling down squashing himself under Jabba the hut. Whilst this is amusing, they are not very frequent.

What dawned on me after a few days (and 20+ levels) is the payment function. Being a free game, there are lots of opportunities to buy credits with real world money. The most expensive in-app purchase is £69 / $100 which would get you enough credits to pretty much unlock everything and buy about 50 levels. This made me think about the long hard slog ahead of me. If having 50 levels and unlocking all the characters and scenes is my goal then how long would it take in slow mode to do it. I calculated around three weeks and a lot of phone checking.

After this I had to weight up the idea of stocking shelves in Tiny Tower or playing a real game. I don’t know if everyone will come to the same realisation as I but at some point most people will stop playing when they see the near endless slog to unlock the different goodies. If that kind of thing floats your boat then you will get hours of fun from Tiny Death Star, however if you want more game for your hard earned hours then this will get boring quickly. I will keep my Death Star ticking over nicely (I am still partly addicted) but when memory is needed for my next title I will have to say goodbye to my busy little space station.

Overall, it’s a lovely looking game with great Star Wars themed chip tunes. It does so many things right in the presentation stakes and you’ll be addicted for hours but ultimately the game mechanic can be a boring after a while. If you spare $100 the get it, spend four hours to complete it and enjoy all the cut scenes then move on to a real game that requires more than just making an elevator go up and down!

Check out the first 20 levels of my Tiny Death Star Below:

PLEASE ADD IT TO PINTEREST!

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The post Review: Tiny Death Star | iPhone appeared first on AppTrawler.

This 70 level action platformer seems to have distilled down its console based parent into three simple actions, tap one side to jump, the other to hit and hold to fly. The four areas (with ten stages in each) are broken into actions so you learn how to jump in the first ten, fly in the second, wall run in the third and finally hit in the forth. Once you have nailed these skills then the final 30 levels see you running for your life away from what looks like angry old men and spikey plan life.

On each level you will be driven to collect navi-like ‘oms’ which are similar to glowing fairies. The amount you collect, coupled by the speed at which you complete the level is all totted up to give you a score at the end. It will ultimately be this score that will drive you to redo levels in order to improve on your last run and gain unlockables. Each of the wonderfully designed levels feel alive as platforms fall, plants weave and helping hands swing you across chasms. As you run around like a headless chicken you will notice little alleys, or alternative routes that, should you be inclined you can memorize for next time.

The graphics are lush with smooth and amusing animations coupled with an array of ditties and tunes that will make you smile. All of which culminate to create a heart pounding action platformer that will make you smile every time you play it. At first I was a little hesitate to pay the $2.99 price tag but I am happy that I did as I have well and truly got my moneys worth. This is a great game that is easy to pick and play in small bouts, but do not be surprised if you find yourself tackling some if the more difficult levels for longer than you planned.

The polish and amusement of this game has definitely spurred me on to try out its console counterparts.

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The post Review: Rayman: Jungle Run | Android appeared first on AppTrawler.

But not all apps are created equal. A large number of them are good for everyone from toddlers to teens, but many are inappropriate or blatantly unsafe for anyone but an adult. Whilst you can click here to check out the most popular apps that your child can use, ensure you review any app before your child downloads it so you know that it will entertain without harm.

Additionally, you can protect your children from potentially dangerous situations by installing mobile apps that can monitor what they’re downloading and where they’re going on the internet as well as around town.

Safe Apps

These particular mobile apps are fun for every age group and contain no violent scenes or inappropriate material.

● Angry Birds – Help the birds fly in the right direction to knock down various targets. This is an addicting game that actually helps kids learn a little bit of how arcs and angles work.
● Cut The Rope – Here’s another app that works a basic understanding of physics into the fun. To get Om Nom his candy, you have to know how to swing the rope just the right way to get past obstacles and have the treat land in his mouth.
● AniMatch – This is an electronic memory match game that kids as young as two or three really enjoy–with no cards to put away when done.
● Drawing Pad – With this app, kids pull out their virtual crayons and draw just as they would on paper. Budding artists can save their completed work and then share it using email, Facebook and Twitter.
● Where’s My Water – If you child doesn’t like getting clean, this mobile app may change that. The goal is to help Swampy the Alligator stay clean which makes for good, clean fun.

Just this small sample should give you an idea of all the wonderful, safe mobile apps that both you and your kids will be happy to own.

Mobile Apps To Avoid

It’s critical to know what apps your child, particularly your teen, should avoid. Don’t take your child’s word that the app is safe because “all my friends have downloaded it.” It could result in disaster.

Omegle and Kik are two prime examples. These social apps let you chat with people based on a profile you create. Users are required to be 18, but most kids are savvy enough to get past that rule. Unfortunately this had led to teens viewing (and sometimes sharing) “graphic” photos which compromised their safety and their reputation. Remember that what’s posted online stays there forever.

Other Important Child Safety Apps

Parents can’t be with their kids 24/7, but luckily there are safety apps that can.

The Mobile Spy app records both phone activities and the GPS location where your child has been. Phone Sheriff lets you block chosen activities from running on your child’s phone. Net Nanny for Android has an app manager that keeps new apps from downloading until reviewed and approved by a parent. You can work these from any web browser so your child won’t be aware of the surveillance.

Even after you take these precautions, remember that parents are walking, talking safety apps. Learn which apps could be trouble and talk with your kids about what can happen if they download any of these to their devices. They might not want you to know it, but they will be listening.

Software Developers India works with both large and small organizations to help them develop and market their mobile app ideas for both children and adults. Their developers are experts on a variety of platforms including Android, iOS and Windows.

The post How To Ensure Your Kids Use Safe Mobile Apps appeared first on AppTrawler.

More to the point, most of these games require a lot of time to enjoy and are the sorts of games you would only really play while relaxing at home. With that in mind, it makes far more sense to just play them on a PC or games console as they were intended. I soon realised that the sort of games that become fun and addictive to play on a phone are fairly simple in nature, use lots of quick levels, and have some sort of points system that are used to unlock later levels. They don’t necessarily have flashy graphics, but what they lack in visuals they more than make up for in playability.

I have found these to be the elements that make a smartphone game enjoyable and all of these elements are present in one of my favourite smartphone games available for Android and iOS: Blast Monkeys.

The concept is quite simple, even if it doesn’t really make much sense. You have a cannon which you use to fire a monkey called Moki up in the air. Once fired from the cannon you have no control over the monkey and have to rely on bouncing him off walls or platforms. Your objective is to capture three bananas on each level and then make your way to the finish point. Getting one or two bananas and reaching the end of the level is often fairly straightforward, while collecting all three bananas and making it to the finish point can very often be quite a challenge. Bananas are then used to unlock later levels, so if you don’t collect all of the bananas on each level you cannot fully complete that world.

The game is split into various worlds, each containing 25 levels and 5 “expert” levels which are more difficult. The worlds offer different themes, different graphics, and different challenges. For example, the snow world features levels that contain icicles which fall from above onto Moki and kill him, while the space world has strange vortexes that can transport you around the level in unpredictable ways.

Because of the short and quick nature of the levels and the fact that is can be so easy to almost complete a level perfectly and then cock the whole thing up, I have found this game to be extremely addictive and sometimes quite frustrating at the same time.

The short nature of the levels means this is the sort of game you can whip out and enjoy at any time. You could just have a minute or two spare while you are waiting for a bus, or for your drink at a coffee shop, but it is equally well suited to long stints while relaxing at home.

Levels often require you to act in stages. After firing Moki from the initial cannon to get the first banana you can often end up in a new cannon, a floating bubble (which you are able to pop at a desired altitude), or a block of ice that will move you to a new part of the level. It is this splitting of the levels into a few separate stages that makes the game addictive. The first stage may be quite difficult and require many attempts, but once you have managed to get the hang of it you are still not able to complete the level because the second or third stage results in your monkey dying. Not since playing Goldeneye on the N64 have I so much wanted to throw a game controller (in this case my phone) at a wall and sit in a corner rocking and back and forth.

This game is a couple of years old now and has already been enjoyed by over 12 million people on Android and iOS. Based on this success the developer behind Blast Monkeys, Yobonja, has released a sequel called Blast Monkeys Forever which comes with even more features and a new game concept called “infinite runner”.

Simon writes for UK money saving community Suppose.com

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The post Blast Monkeys for iPhone and Android | Guest Review appeared first on AppTrawler.

Scary Maze Game has challenging levels for gamers to play through, leading their little dot around corners and down long hallways. The game lends a false sense of security, as in the early levels the corners and hallways are nice and wide. Then on the later levels the gameplay takes a turn for the nasty and forces players to squeeze their ball through the passageways if they wish to complete unscathed. Once the little dot touches the walls, look out! The prank is on, watch the faces of your friends as they receive the scare that you have waited all this time to deliver. If by some chance the players make it to the last level without touching the walls, the games forces the scare onto the gamers once they reach the little green square that indicates the end of a level. For that little extra touch, lend your friends your earphones as they play. This makes the game more like the desktop version in the sound department, which is a big plus for the mobile version.

There is some difference between the mobile version of Scary Maze Game from the desktop version. With the desktop version, gamers have the benefit of the surround sound system that most desktops have equipped. On the mobile version, the audio is reduced to the tiny speakers and this may result in the prank being less scary. Also, on the desktop version, screen size makes the image of Linda Blair; taken from the 1973 Horror Classic film The Exorcist, really jump out in the face of the unsuspecting player. In the mobile version, players would have to place the device really close to their face to have the same effect, yielding the face that your friend makes hard to see at the moment of the scare. The Exorcist is a movie about a young girl who lives with her single mom. The child becomes possessed by demons and the mother reaches out to the Catholic Church for help.

Make no mistake about it; Scary Maze Game is a low budget game. The graphics of the maze itself would make any game proud, that is if the game was made for the Atari 2600, yes, the game is that bad looking. After all, the scary image used is from a movie that was made forty years ago. To make up for this the game developers used interesting sound effects to compensate and somehow found a correct formula that works well for what is intended. The game is published by Halfpeeled, Llc, Geeky Lemon Development, EO Games, and many individual developers and is available on the iTunes store.  Prank away!

[alert type=”yellow”]The review has been contributed by content editor of scary maze games, online community fan page dedicated to online zombie, monsters and scary games.[/alert]

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The post Promotion: Scary Maze | iOS appeared first on AppTrawler.

Combo crew takes a lot of elements of these classic titles and you see the main protagonists having to scale the Boss Inc tower floor by floor beating up minions as you go. They story won’t win any awards but its all about the action. There are 4 players to choose from,two of which will be locked until you have played through a sufficient amount of the game. Each battle earns points and in game currency (that looks like controllers) that can be used to upgrade your characters moves as well as buy more stuff.

The gameplay mechanic is like nothing I have ever seen and it looks specially developed for small touch screens. You tap the enemy you want to attack to select him then you gesture a one touch or two touch swipe in different directions (meaning there is a maximum of eight possible actions) and the animated attack ensues whilst you sit back and plot your next move (only for a second however).

The attack animations are smooth and imaginative and later purchased attacks have their nods to the retro beat-em-ups such as the Chun Li kick.

There is also various counter moves that can be initiated when the attacker has a symbol above his head. This is a nice touch but useful when you are in a full flow combo.

So far, so good

It has the moves, it has the controls and it has the retro nod to those legendary beat-em-ups. It even has a shop to get extra moves and power ups. So why have I found myself playing it so in frequently?

Sadly, when you play it and you are doing well it’s great, but if you get stuck and replay the same level more than five times it’s easy to put down and forget about. The power ups are pretty pricey but why is GREAT is the fact you have to play to earn the credit and their is NO in-app purchase which I find awesome.

Overall this game has so many good points I would definitely recommend it to a friend. The only caveat being that when it gets hard you might find yourself leaving it on proverbial shelf for quite a while. If you do get into the beat-em-up action however you will find it a challenge but very rewarding.

I am keeping a close eye on The Game Bakers in future as you can see they are creating games for gamers and not for a quick buck.

iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/combo-crew/id599516631?mt=8

Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thegamebakers.combocrew

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The post Review: The Combo Crew | iOS appeared first on AppTrawler.

The objectives remain the same as the original, which is that players can build whatever reality they’d like, dealing with mobs of zombies, creepers, skeletons, pigs, cows and more. Worlds are finite like the Classic version, but there isn’t infinite water at the corners, which makes things a little more difficult. Otherwise, most of it is near the same, often being updated which is a plus to any mobile game.

Of course, the 3D game environment really drains the phone battery, so unless you are running on full charge or are plugged in, you might find your phone dying fairly quickly. For some, that’s enough to quit playing altogether instead of always compromising their phones uses.

Multiplayer is also an option and is cross platform from the Androis to iOS, but not between the demo and the full version. The cross platform ability is a huge pull, as it expands who you can play with to a better degree and lets you play with friends no matter what kind of phone they, or you, own.

Minecraft Pocket Edition is great for those who want to sculpt and create on the go. It is always being updated, which is more than can be said for most apps, and it is worth it for those who want to dabble before trying out the full PC or console games, or to whet fans’ appetites on the go.

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The post Review: Minecraft Pocket Edition | iOS & Android appeared first on AppTrawler.

Graphics-wise this game holds its own against the slew of Bejeweled and Zuma clones already out their on the market. Although there are not many, there is some really nice animations and the whole package is lovingly polished. Tomb Breaker’s jewel collecting narrative is told through the eyes of a young Tomb raider called Aria Brite. It’s slightly familiar territory but to be honest, it’s all about the puzzles as apart from a cartoon girl and a voice over intro there is no real story or progression through a narrative.

The games main mechanic is matching the same colored jewels with each other that are horizontal or vertical to each other (not diagonal). The jewels do not need to be directly next to each other and you can connect multiple gems in a single swipe. It’s easy to get the hang of but difficult to master. Extra bonus points are given when you connect the entire collection of a single colour or if you cross your own lines. Each round lasts 60 seconds and you not only collect points but special gems which act as currency to buy power ups.

The Power Ups

The power ups come in five styles:
– double points
– 10 more seconds
– lighting mode
– double crossover points
– +1 to all matches

The game is very addictive and it wasn’t long before I had earned my ‘Played 50 games’ gamecentre achievement. Some rounds everything goes your way and you are clearing colours, crossing the lines and stacking up a pile of special jewels to use to buy powers ups and other times you have difficulty getting three gems to line up. This is a great pick up and play game that you can dip in and out of as you please.

The Issues

There is however, a few issues that stops this game reaching the top score and top of that list is the cost of the power ups. I played well over 50 games and earned enough to buy one of the power ups. I eagerly purchased the ’10 more seconds’ power up thinking that more time would lead to more points and more prizes. For a short time (about two rounds) this was true but them the power up was removed and I was left having to play another 50+ games to attempt to earn another one. Of course you can buy booster packs to gain extra currency ($1.99 will get you 100,000 and power ups cost between 3000 – 7000) am I did buy one pack in order to test out the other powers up (as well as support the developer as it was a free game) but I was a little annoyed.

I have spent the week playing and playing and although I still think this is a great game, many gamers will lose interest with it after a while as there is no story or quest mode, and you are ulytimately playing the same board over and over. If there was a steady progression of obstacles, enemies, boosters and general forward movement then this would score better on the longevity front. As it stands however, you may be like me and really enjoy playing it but ultimately stop playing after a while for lack of progression. If you enjoy playing over Facebook and challenging friends then it will last longer but if you are just after a fun puzzler in those ‘quiet times’ then you may be disappointed later down the road.

Overall

Overall this is a highly polished and hugely addictive game marred by over ambitious in app purchasing expectations and limited story line and progression. As its free I would definitely recommend downloading it but if you are stingier gamer who doesn’t like shelling out for in-app purchases then don’t get too excited about the power ups as you will only get to use them one in fifty games.

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The post Review: Tomb Breaker | iOS appeared first on AppTrawler.

Well, it’s not that easy. The game randomizes platforms, so as you start it’s easy to get yourself up there but the further you go, the more spaced out they are. Or they might collapse when you jump on them, or move back and forth, making it harder to aim. Your jumper is always in jumping motion; it takes a tilt of your smart phone to move him back and forth. The more extreme the tilt, the faster he’ll travel in that direction. The sensitivity can be changed, which is a good thing, as it really is all about how you work with your phone’s accelerometer.

You’ll also run into enemies along the way, which emit a sound that you can hear before they appear on screen. The downside is if you choose to play with sound off, you have no idea they are coming up. It’s very easy to run into one with no warning, making it hard to play this game in a public place where you might not want to disturb others.

Another downside is particular to the Android version; you don’t have the option for upgrades like the iPhone version does, making the game a lot more basic and overall much harder. It isn’t certain whether they will implement those options for Android users in the future, but it would be nice.

Your goal is only to beat your high score; there is literally no end game. This can make for an engrossing game, so it’s best not to start if you might have to abruptly finish!

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