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Review: Vault | iOS

apptrawler — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 22:16:51 +0000

Who would have thought that adding a pole to an endless runner would change the mechanics so much. Vault is the latest free game by Nitrome and is an 8-bit pole vaulting, platform game in their established pixel art style. Previous games such as Gunbrick, Platform Panic, Magic Touch and Green Ninja were all fun, so I expected as much from Vault.

Each level has lots of platforms, obstacles, spring boards and coins to collect that unlock characters and enable you to buy continues. Dying comes fast and often and once dead you have the option to watch an advert or pay 50 coins for a continue (this goes up the more continues you need). To play, you tap and hold the screen to slam down your pole and hopefully vault over the gaps and obstacles. Achievments can be earned by collecting a certain amount of coins, landing on particularly thin three trunks and upgrading your character.

Nitrome’s particular style of characters are all present from the purple jellybean with a sweatband (the enemies in Green Ninja – Year of the frog), a fish with the bounciest run you have ever seen and even a baby grim reaper

The game hit the App Store in late July and more recently arrived on Google Play. It’s free to download so there really is no excuse to try it out. Should you want to remove the ads, you can pay a small fee.

Overall, the visuals and sounds are oozing retro style and the gameplay is fun and addictive. Its the kind of game that is fun to play in small bursts and offers a refreshing new angle on the endless runner genre. This has to be my new favourite Nitrome game and I look forward to seeing what other weird and wonderful games and characters come out of the Nitrome universe.

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How women use Instagram differently to men

apptrawler — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 17:44:36 +0000

Instagram hit the headlines late last year when figures were released showing that there are more monthly active users of Instagram than of Twitter. Although the number of Twitter accounts is greater than Instagram ones, many of the account holders aren’t active users and don’t check in to Twitter that often. However, when it comes to active users, there are a whopping 300 million monthly active users of Instagram and only 271 million Twitter active users.

Although there aren’t any official stats on whether men or women users dominate the Instagram world, some internet pundits have claimed that more than two-thirds of Instagram users are female. And there’s probably a very simple reason for this. Whenever you’re at a gathering of family and friends, who is it who always backs into the shadows when the camera comes out? The men. Women on the other hand are the ones who want to be in the photo, and also want to get everyone else in the photo too. Of course, this is a generalisation, but think about the last few times you met up with a group of people, look at any photos taken at the time and you’ll see that there’s a pattern developing…

When you look at celebrity Instagram accounts, of course, there are some men as well as the women – Justin Bieber and Channing Tatum are up there with the Kardashians, Katy Perry and J-Lo. One man who certainly is happy to be photographed and share his pics with the world is poker player Dan Bilzerian. In most of his posts, he’s surrounded by women in bikinis while he’s seen in different shots living the high-life that the combination of his poker playing career and trust fund have made possible. Bilzerian shows off on Instagram on a regular basis and he’s now got 6.2 million followers. His Instagram fame must be part of the reason that gaming operator bgo got him to feature in its latest TV ad. And in true contemporary marketing style, you can see the ad both on the bgo site and Bilzerian’s Instagram account has a link to it as well.

If you take celebrities out of it, though, it seems in general that women are more comfortable and keen to post pictures of themselves doing anything, even mundane things such as having a coffee or going to the gym. And if you look at women’s Instagram pics, they tend to put a lot more effort into framing a shot, capturing a moment, than men do. Food’s a great example; men might take a quick snap of what they’re going to eat, but women check the lighting in the background and make sure the food looks great before they take the photo.

Like all things in life, the way men and women use Instagram reflects how they might be when you meet them face to face. It’s a cliché but there is some truth in the fact that women tend to make more of an effort about their appearance and to be more concerned about how the rest of the world perceives them – and that translates to the way they handle their Instagram accounts too.

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Retro-Inspired Apps You’ll Love

apptrawler — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 21:48:42 +0000

If you grew up in simpler times you might find yourself reminiscing about the golden years, when cameras used film, hair was teased, jeans were acid-washed and portable sounds came from a Walkman. If you love the idea of revisiting your youth, but can’t bear the thought of parting with your iPhone or iPad, add a touch of nostalgia into your day with these fun and functional retro-inspired iOS apps.

Wings of Rage – WW2

By Rainer Basso

Offering explosive, retro-inspired WWII air combat based on the classic 80’s arcade classic Wings Of Fury, Wings of Rage is a fun and challenging reimagining, featuring responsive classic side-scrolling gameplay. Take to the skies in a classic F6F Hellcat and wreak havoc on enemy forces with a selection of powerful weaponry, reminiscent of the Apple II original. Easy to grasp, but hard to master, Wings of Rage offers new players, as well as those who enjoyed the original Wings of Fury, hours of fun navigating through the chaos of air combat.

Wings of Rage is brand new to the iTunes store, and is available for US$1.99.

Hatchi

By Portable Pixels

Anyone who grew up in the 90s will love this Tamagotchi-inspired game, which take virtual pet care to the next level. Hatchi offers an authentic retro-feel with pixelated graphics, and offers hours of fun as you feed, clean and play with your pet, who responds to your care as they grow.

Hatchi has a 4.5-star user rating and costs $US0.99 via iTunes.

VH1’s I Love the 80s Trivia

By VH1

Test your knowledge and play against friends worldwide with VH1’s bodacious I Love the 80s trivia game, featuring awesome 80s photos and multiple choice, matching and timeline questions. Reign supreme as the king or queen of 80s trivia, and take a walk down memory lane to reminiscence about the best (and worst!) parts of the decade everyone loves to hate.

I Love the 80s Trivia has a 2.5-star user rating and is free via iTunes.

Hipstamatic

By Hipstamatic, LLC

With Hipstamatic, digital photography never looked so analog. Featuring a vontage toy camera-style interface, this app is great for capturing lomography-style shots, and comes preloaded with four lens types, three kinds of film, and three flashes that can all be swapped for hundreds of different effects. Share your retro-style snaps instantly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, and Tumblr , and order real analog prints delivered to your door, direct from the app.

Hipstamatic has a 4-star user rating and costs US$1.99 via iTunes.

ShakeItPhoto

By Banana Camera Co.

Whether you loved the original Polaroid camera or you missed it the first time around, ShakeItPhoto offers a fun Polaroid experience, allowing you to watch your image develop, with the option of being able to shake your device to make it develop faster. The app’s ‘Perfect Processing Technology’ makes your Polaroid photos look just like the real thin, and authentic sound and animation brings back memories of shooting Polaroid snaps which you can then email or share via Facebook.

ShakeItPhoto has a 4.5-star user rating and costs US$1.99 via iTunes.

Retromatic 2.0

By Peta Vision

Turn your original photos into cool retro works of art with Retromatic, which offers tons of fun retro-themed filters, backdrops, stamps and fonts. Take your photos back in time, and then share them via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.

Retromatic has a 4.5-star user rating and costs US$1.99 via iTunes.

8mm Vintage Camera

By Nexvio Inc.

Fan of film? 8mm Vintage Camera takes you back in time, allowing you to capture the beauty and magic of old-school vintage movies. Mix and match films and lenses to recreate the atmosphere of bygone eras, and apply dust and scratches, retro colors, flickering, light leaks, frame jitters instantly with a single swipe. 8mm features a live-view of effects, and authentic projector sound and post-processing to put you in complete control of your retro-styled cinematography experience. Save and email your films, email, or share via YouTube and Facebook.

8mm Vintage Camera has a 4.5-star user rating and costs US$1.99 via iTunes.

Pocketbooth

By Project Box

Transform your Apple device into a 1950s-era vintage photobooth that fits in your pocket. Featuring five photo effects, two paper types and two border styles, Pocketbooth replicates the intimacy, spontaneity, and hilarity of a traditional photobooth, and takes a series of photos just seconds apart to create stunning photo strips of your memorable moments. Post your photostrips to Facebook and Twitter, send them by email, or have them professionally printed and mailed to friends and loved ones anywhere in the world direct from the app.

Pocketbooth has a 4.5-star user rating and costs US$0.99 via iTunes.

AirCassette

By Majasalmi Ltd

Remember your mix-tape days with AirCassette – a retro-themed music player that taps in to your music library and allows you to queue your favourite songs as digital mixtapes. Featuring a range of realistic cassette graphics, with tape that spins as the music plays, you can rewind and fast-forward as you play for the total experience, and see the song name, artist and album information displayed on your cassette tape.

AirCassette has a 4-star user rating and costs US$1.99 via iTunes.

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