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!

Related articles

• LucasArts and Nimblebit announce ‘Star Wars: Tiny Death Star’
• Star Wars: Tiny Death Star review: there’s good in this, I’ve felt it.
• Disney and NimbleBit’s ‘Tiny Death Star’ Hits the App Store

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For those of you that don’t remember, the battle of Hoth is the scene in the Empire Strikes Back with the large robot walkers set on the snow and ice planet Hoth. Game designer Tomas Rawlings commented on the setting for the game, “This game focuses on one of sci-fi’s most epic battles, it is epic because it has got it all – conflict, heroism, a back-against-the war struggle, cool military technology, good vs evil and of course AT-ATs.”

In the iPhone game you take the role of the commander of the Rebel forces defending the shield generators from the Imperial forces. As the game progresses through 15 levels, additional units will be added to both the Rebel and Imperial sides. Once a level has been completed on classic mode it can be played on fortress mode. In tower defense games you generally have some form of currency that allows you to build new units. In the Battle for Hoth game those are called command points. You only have a set number of command points per level thus can only build so many defense units. The key to the game is building the right kind of units and placing them in the proper locations to set up a proper defense.

Star Wars: The Battle for Hoth Game Information

General Information
Star Wars: The Battle for Hoth is a game for both iPhone and iPod. It is a tower defense strategy game; such games have the player placing defensive units to stop waves of enemy units from exiting the level. The game sees the player taking the role of commander of the Rebel forces trying to stop Imperial forces from reaching the main shield generators before the evacuation of Hoth is complete. As the game progresses new units for both the Rebel forces and the Imperial attackers are introduced. The game has 2 difficulty settings – easy and normal, plus comes with a help and unit guide.
Gameplay
The player begins each level with a set amount of Command Points. The player ’spends’ these by choosing a unit type and selecting where on the level to build them. Each unit can also be upgraded for additional Command Points. Upgrades add to a units power – depending on the unit type – increasing aspects such as range and damage. The player can also change the targeting orders for units – tell them to prioritise ground/air units or stronger/weaker units (though not all Rebel unit types can target flying units). This can be done on an a single unit or for all units at once. The player can also build trenches to both funnel the Imperial forces into kill-zones and to position infantry who gain extra protection once inside. Except for infantry, Rebel units require a power supply to operate.
Imperial forces emerge from staging areas to the left of the map and proceed to try to exit the level on the right, to damage the main shield generators. Once too much damage has been done to the main shield generators, the player has failed the level and must replay to progress. The various Imperial units do different amounts of damage to the main shield generators.
Battlefield
The game is set on the planet of Hoth – it features 15 levels. Initially each level is played in ‘Classic Mode’. In this mode once the player’s defences have destroyed each group of Imperial attackers, a Command Points bonus token is left behind. By touching these the player can collect them and earn additional Command Points. If the player collects multiple tokens with a single sweep of the finger, bonus Command Points are awarded. However, leaving Command Points bonus tokens risks the value of them degrading over time.
Once a level has been completed in ‘classic mode’, it is available to play again in ‘Fortress Mode’. In this mode the player get a larger starting pool of Command Points, but does not gain any additional during the game. The player collects Score Points bonus tokens instead which add to the player final score.
Unit List
Rebel Units

• Soldier – A basic infantry unit armed with a blaster rifle. This unit requires no additional
  power but is vulnerable to heavy fire. Place in trenches to improve their defensive
  capabilities. Can only target ground units.
• Heavy Weapon Soldier – A solider armed with a powerful repeating blaster. This unit requires no additional power but is vulnerable to heavy fire. Place in trenches to improve their defensive capabilities. Can target ground and air units.
• Power Generator – Provides all units within range with an energy supply.
• 1.4 FD P-Tower Laser Cannon – High damage ground-to-ground combat weapon. Can only target ground units.
• DF.9 Anti-Infantry Battery Tower – Effective against infantry, but vulnerable to larger units. Can target ground and air units.
• Ion Cannon – High power consumption but very powerful weapon. Can target ground and air units. To vehicles the ion-impact disrupts the electrical systems slowing the unit down. To infantry the heat of the impact can kill.
• Snowspeeder Control Tower – Launches a single Snowspeeder which completes it’s attack run before returning to the base. Can only target ground based units.
• X-wing Control Tower – Launches a single X-wing fighter which completes it’s attack run before returning to the base. Targets only air units.
• Energy Shield Generator – Generates a localised Energy Shield that protects all Rebel units within its range. If the Energy Shield collapses, the generator unit is destroyed.

Imperial Units

• Viper Probe Droids – Fast but with weak armour, these units are used by the Imperial forces as cannon fodder.
• Scout Trooper – Fast but vulnerable infantry. These troops are the advance of the main force.
• Snowtroopers – Elite infantry trained to fight on any world. Deployed in large numbers to hammer at enemy defenses.
• 74-Z Speeder Bike – Often used as a scouting unit or for rapid attack. This air unit is fast speed with weak armour.
• AT-ST Walker – A fast walker with medium armour. Designed for hit and run attacks on enemy defenses.
• TIE Fighter – The main multi-role space fighter of the Imperial forces. This air unit is also used to attack ground targets.
• AT-AT Walker – Huge, heavily armoured walkers that are deployed to smash foes into submission either by being shot or crushed. These units ignore trenches and can crush all in their path.
• Command Units – ‘Boss’ versions of existing units but much stronger and tougher. Concentrate your fire at them to stop their advance.

The post Preview: Star Wars – Battle For Hoth appeared first on AppTrawler.

Have a look at the gameplay videos they were able to capture of these upcoming titles.

• Star Wars: Trench Run

Use the Force to overthrow the evil Galactic Empire as they attempt to destroy the small Rebel base on Yavins jungle moon.

As part of the Rebel Alliances Red Squadron you dogfight with TIE Fighters above the Death Stars surface before heading into a trench where you are inundated by cannon fire. Dodge obstacles, and stay out of Darth Vaders sights as he tries to gun you down before you have the chance to fire your proton torpedoes into a thermal exhaust port the size of a womp rat. If successful, a direct hit will cause a chain reaction that destroys the Death Star, thus saving the Rebel base from impending doom.

• Skies of Glory

Skies of Glory is an aerial combat game much like F.A.S.T. but set in World War II with various terrains including mountains, deserts, and sea which are said to showcase the classic views of WWII air combat. The game will support both local Wi-Fi battles as well as online battles around the world.

Also demonstrated was the upcoming Harry Potter: Spells, a game that turns your iPhone into a magic wand and allows for real-time player-to-player duels utilizing 14 spells, each summoned by its own particular hand gesture.  The hands-on video of this one can be seen here.

The post New Videos: Star Wars, Skies of Glory & Harry Potter appeared first on AppTrawler.

Relive the pivotal moments of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope on your iPhone or iPod Touch in Star Wars: Trench Run, a brand new game launching soon. Developed by Infrared5 and distributed by THQ Wireless Inc., Trench Run lets you skim the surface of the Death Star trenches as you seek to target a small thermal exhaust port less than two meters wide. Can you reenact the shot heard ’round the galaxy? Is the Force with you?

Trench Run uses simple motion controls and realistic game play to put you in the action. Tilt your iPhone or iPod touch to maneuver your X-wing. Tap one side of the screen to fire weapons, and tap the other to call on the power of the Force, which slows the action down allowing you more control. The game features two main play scenarios — flying in the trench, and dogfighting with TIE fighters high above the Death Star surface.

Star Wars: Trench Run will be available at the iTunes store for $4.99. See below for a list of features of the iPhone / iPod Touch version:

Force Power: Slow down time and increase agility using the Force to bring TIE fighters into shooting range, and to dodge obstacles while flying down the trench.
Breathtaking 3D Experience: Incredible 3-D graphics based on the original Star Wars movie.
Amazing Special Effects: Vivid lighting, advanced shaders, explosions and incredible lifelike models.
Authentic Star Wars Music and Sound Effects: Combined with real movie footage for complete immersion into the Star Wars universe.
True-Life Flight: Accelerometer controls with life-like physics.
Addictive Game Play: Ever increasing challenges, and tons of replay value.
Multiple Points of View: Featuring both chase cam and cockpit modes.
Mission Mode: With storyboards, music and dialogue from the original Star Wars movie.
Arcade Modes: For increased re-playability, includes both Trench Run and Dog Fighting modes.
Multiple Difficulty Levels: From Easy to Jedi.
Optimized Gaming Experience: To work on the 3G, with special graphical features for the 3GS, iPod Touch 2nd Gen and future devices.
Leader Boards: Players compete against others across the world for the top spot. Find out who are the true Jedi.

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