iPhone Reviews 2.0

iTunes Link

World Series of Poker- Hold 'Em Legend is a poker game by Glu. $4.99

[This is a modified post from TheAppEra]

With the launch of the App Store can a great poker game by Apple themselves, which feature great graphics and strong reasons why it should be the only poker game you need to buy. Over a year later and I have finally found a poker game that I feel it worthy to share the limelight with Apple's Texas Hold 'Em. It just so happens that this game is also a fully licensed WSOP game.

Being a total Poker nut, even to the extent of winning a fair sized tournament and owning about three poker games for my Xbox 360 I feel like I know enough about the topic to review this game. When I picked up this game it was really about comparing it to Texas Hold 'Em by Apple. This game has some qualities that are better than Apple's attempt, but it is also been beaten in other areas. Overall though, taking into account what is important in a poker game, I believe WSOP: H'EL comes out trumps.

The main area where Texas Hold'em wins out is definitely the graphics department. Apple have filmed various people betting, calling, folding and all sorts of actions to watch as your turns go around. Even in horizontal mode I feel as if it looks better than WSOP. The closest WSOP gets to this are the short cut scenes when you have a sort of rival in various tables and the short movie of each hotel before you start playing a particular tournament.

You can only play WSOP horizontally and it looks basically the same compared to Texas Hold'Em, except with the graphics not as smooth and crisp as the earlier game. Also the game doesn't seem to be as responsive and quick compared to TH'E. If you are looking for a poker game that has better visuals and everything, this isn't the game for you. Luckily though poker games don't care too much about how snazzy it looks as it is all about how good the gameplay is, which is where WSOP really comes out on top.

The controls in this game are pretty simple really. The game plays out with other players betting and folding as they please, which can be fast forwarded straight to your turn with a single touch of the screen. When you get to your turn to bet you have to touch the table to bring up the betting screen. This can sometimes be frustrating as it doesn't come up straight away. Once it does pop up though you slide it to whatever amount you choose and press bet. If you want to check your cards you just double tap the screen, similar to double tapping the table in real poker to check.

Just like in TH'E there are some special tricks you can do to speed up certain processes. Whenever you want to fold you just touch your cards and flick them into the middle of the table. Also if you want to skip betting and go straight to going all in then you can do that by dragging your chip pile into the middle just like with the cards. This will automatically put you all in.

Gameplay is where this game really happens. Those who have it will know that TH'E has a few different tables that require you to win money from smaller tournaments to buy in and try your luck. In WSOP it is basically the same, yet in more detail. You start off the game most likely in Legend Career (A local and global multiplayer option is also available). This career mode lets you create a player to slowly work your way up the casino's to be the ultimate poker superstar. You start off with limited cash and really only one casino that you can play on. As you master that table and increase your cash amount you can progress until you get to the last hotel, with a heap of cash flowing out of your pockets.

WSOP has many different hotels to play in, with something I felt was missing from TH'E, different types of Texas Hold 'Em. While this game doesn't feature games like Omaha and 7 Stud Poker like the console version, it does have many different modes like Shootout and Winner Takes All. All these basically do is affect how much you can potentially win at the end of the day, but it can affect what game I will play depending on how strapped I am for cash.

The other great thing about this version is that Glu also has the rights to let us win one of the coveted WSOP bracelets that real life poker stars can win in major tournaments. These don't come easy but winning one is an achievement in itself. On that note there are also 20 achievements that can be achieved through playing the game. These are meaningless but a bit of fun to collect.

The main aim of WSOP is to get to the final hotel, with your eye on the main prize to win the WSOP main event. This is the hardest poker tournament in history, and will require a lot of cash from hard earned tournament wins and even more skill and luck combined to get you through for the victory.

Getting to this main table will probably be a dream for some of us poker wannabe's but there are hours of fun sucking at the smaller tables to be had none the less. Poker is a game I can play all day and the amount of new and riskier challenges in this game has even dragged me from my WSOP Xbox game and Zynga Poker on Facebook.

Like Poker and want something more challenging than Texas Hold'Em? Then this game is definitely for you. Countless hours of fun to be had. The only downside I found to this game was the lack of people wanting to play in the global multiplayer, which I found to never be able to connect me. I would stick to the Legend Career for now and just hope you don't get dealt a 2 7!

Gameplay- 9/10
Graphics- 7/10
Sound- 6.5/10
Overall- 7.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Texas Hold'Em

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is Skater Nation

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

NBA Live is a basketball game by Electronic Arts. $9.99

[This is a modified post from TheAppEra]

First of all I feel extremely privileged to even review this game, with James being perhaps the biggest Lakers fan of all time (Except this guy or even this guy). For a long long time we have been waiting for NBA Live, since Electronic Arts announced their 2009 line up back around March. Now it has arrived, and boy isn't it NOICE!

Being a long time fan and player of Basketball there was nothing more that I wanted on my iPod than this. First of all the game lets you use all NBA teams and players in the full 82 game season. The game itself are very fun and have good use of the touch screen by using a minimal number of buttons to play.

There is no better feeling than hitting down a big 3 pointer or dunking the ball over the top of another opponent and this game successfully recreates all of it. All aspects of the game are covered and plays almost like a real NBA game with no super skills or tricks possible. The Lakers are also a good team which isn't hard to believe ;)

The graphics probably aren't the best they could be, but as far as I know it is to keep the performance of the game at a respectable level on all devices. The players aren't up to the standard of their other games like Madden 10, but I found even without looking at the names I could successfully distinguish who was who on the court. Each of the courts have been personalized for each team with their logo's splattered all over the arena.

This game has managed to smash a heap of different controls into two buttons plus a D-Pad and tactics board. On the left side of the screen is a floating D-Pad which lets you control your player. There are two buttons, one blue and one red. While in offense one button lets you pass the ball and the other lets you shoot the ball. To pass the ball you can just touch it once and it will pass the ball to the nearest player or you can hold onto the button then touch whatever player you want to pass it to. To shoot the ball it is best to hold it down while you jump up and let go at the top of your flight for the best percentage shot.

To pump fake you just touch the shoot button quickly. When shooting free throws you get to tilt your device backwards to lift the ball and flick it forward to shoot the ball, kind of like SGN's free game iBasketball. The passing button can also be flicked up, down, left or right which let's you do or fake your opponent while dribbling the ball which can be handy to get around them. To dunk the ball all you have to do is press the shoot button when the player is near the ring, which can be known if their circle turns entirely green.

While in defense the buttons let you either try to steal the ball or block a shot. I found defense to be the least effective part of the game as your circle tells blue when you can successfully steal the ball and red when you can successfully block a shot. Apart from that it's a hit and miss thing that may or may not work. In each part of the game you can use tactics and plays to score or have a successful defense, these can be changed each play.

This game is just like playing basketball (surprise!). You can play in either exhibition mode, season mode or skip it all and go straight to the playoffs. Each of these games can be played with one of three difficulty levels and various quarter times.

I found the game quite a challenge while on medium, which is good to see that it isn't really easy to defeat. The game plays and feels like a basketball game which is good to see. Each of the players have different traits that represent their real life selves. For example when playing with the Lakers I found Kobe Bryant is more likely to hit a 3 pointer than say Pau Gasol in the same position because he is more often than not in the paint.

EA has done a great job on making this game as good as possible, but if I was to suggest anything I would love a more intense defense, not only on my side of the game but from the opposition as well. They seem to just sit and wait for me to make a play and I would like to see some more attacking defense. This game has loads of replayabilty for you as it will take days upon days to finish the 82 game season and the playoffs. While $9.99 may seem like a hefty price just think of all the game time you will get out of this.

This is a not to miss game for all basketball fans and should also provide enjoyment for the less unsporty. With the added incentive of unlockable legends of NBA teams' past, this should appeal to those who are fans of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or even classics like Magic Johnson.

If I was you I wouldn't miss out on this game, it will be one of your favourites for months to come. Now I have better get back to the game otherwise Dwight Howard might blow me out of the water... Unlikely ;)

Gameplay- 10/10
Graphics- 9/10
Sound- 10/10
Overall- 9.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Streetball

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is World Series of Poker Hold 'Em Legend

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

Asphalt 5 is a racing game by Gameloft. $6.99

[This is a modified post from TheAppEra]

Early in the App Store's career we had one game that was a standout at the time, Asphalt 4: Elite Racing. But with the release of the latest Asphalt game we find that game blown out of the water with a faster, shinier and meaner Asphalt 5.

I absolutely loved Asphalt 4 to bits, thinking it was about as good as iPhone games could go (hell was I wrong). Asphalt 5 is Gameloft's latest version, a game that has been announced for some time. They have basically stripped Asphalt 4 and improved the game on almost every level possible, putting a racing game out that is finally in the same league at NFS: Undercover and Real Racing.

After Asphalt 4 I was expecting at least an improvement when Ferrari GT came out, getting a game that I found worse than Asphalt 4. The frame rate of the game has improved immensely, even though it still isn't up to NFS standards, but it heaps better than the previous version. Everything from the controls to the track layouts have been improved to be more fun and thrill for the user.

I found Asphalt 4 to have some sweet graphics, which I soon found out aren't sweet at all for this type of device. Asphalt 5 however has made great improvements to this area of the game, making more realistic graphics and just an all round better looking game. While the game has made improvements I still can't put this game at the same level as NFS and Real Racing, but it certainly matches it with the other good racing games like Fast & Furious and Fastlane Street Racing.

The one thing that lacks in this game is a decent frame rate for the game. This in the end is the difference between this being an A grade and an A+ game. The game runs fine at the current frame rate on my iPod Touch 1st Gen, and even if it was bumped up on the 3GS and 3rd Gen Touch then it would at least make the game better for some of our community. Really though, overall this is a great looking game which can be seen just from looking at some of the screenshots from the game.

The controls in Asphalt 5 are basically the same to this and every other racing game on the App Store. The game is set to auto acceleration but can be changed to an accelerate button, but the rest of the game is controlled by you. The game wrecker in Asphalt 4 was the dodgy and VERY VERY VERY annoying drifting that came on if you tilted the device at all, basically drifting around any corner. The drifting is turned on by pressing the brake while going around the corner and can be turned off be re-braking or using nitro, making the drifting process easier and more fun.

To use nitro you just touch the nitro button, with it going up in 3 modes of speed. The car can be moved around the course by tilting your iDevice and braking can be done by pressing the brake button on the left of the screen. Even though the controls are basically the same they are certainly improved from Asphalt 4, with the drifting making all the difference.

Asphalt 5 is all about two game modes, career and online. There is also a quick play mode but you may as well play the career mode and earn new cars. There are 12 locations to race in with 4 different game types per location. The races can be completed in 33 super cars that are from big names like Ferrari, Audi and more.

The career mode is very fun and will take you multiple hours to complete. The locations are slowly unlocked as you complete tracks, but as has been widely broadcasted the Cop Chase mode wrecks the game. This mode is extremely hard and I have not been able to continue any further because I can't beat this mode.

The other modes range from a 3 lap race to a time trial or even a cash race to try and earn enough cash in the 3 laps. There are 8 modes in total with some new additions and add-ons to the modes in Asphalt 4. The entire list includes race, cash attack, last man standing, cop chase, time trial, drift race, duel mode and escape. These are provide a nice challenge but nothing compared to Cop Chase.

The other new mode is online mode which pits you against up to 7 other real players around the world. This mode works quite well but has a few glitches like extremely jumpy cars, and you can tell why they didn't implement it earlier this year with Ferrari GT. As a basic online mode for a racing game it works well though and can be an enjoyable experience, if you have a fast car.

This game has taken huge leaps from the dawn of Gameloft in the App Store, and the progression has paid off greatly. This is a sweet racing game that you can find yourself happy playing time after time. Gameloft have stated that they are working on fixing the cop chase mode so the average gamer can complete it and they are still making a decision whether to incorporate the previous idea of DLC maps and cars.

At $6.99 this game is dearer than both Need for Speed and Real Racing and I would recommend them everytime. If you have both of them then this is definitely option #3 for racing games and has enough content for the price, seeing as we got less with Asphalt 4 for $9.99. I was extremely impressed with this title and hope to finish it when/if Gameloft put a fix out for the cop chase mode.

Gameplay- 8/10
Graphics- 9.5/10
Sound- 8.5/10
Overall- 8.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Need for Speed: Undercover

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is NBA Live

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

Pro Surfing (Wildcard) is a surfing game by Traction Games. $1.99

Being a surfer myself I have been looking for a long time for a game that satisfies my surfing urges when I can't be in the water. While Pro Surfing isn't the most realistic surfing game I have played it takes you inside the wave, giving the best surfing experience possible. The other games I have played have you looking at the wave and the surfer, this game puts you directly behind the surfer, experiencing all the rush of being in the barrel of a wave. This game as I said doesn't give a realistic experience of surfing, mainly because unless you are a surfer it would be boring and you wouldn't understand it. This game lets you get massive air and do some sweet tricks, something missing from the other surfing games.

Pro Surfing has some great graphics which have brought a more realistic feel to the game than others such as Bobble Surfer. The wave looks as good as it can for a game like this, with it continuously moving. The surfer's look quite realistic and very impressive seeing no other surfing games have come even close to this. The animations are super smooth f0r this game and I encountered no lag during gameplay. The only thing I can think of possibly improving in the graphics department are more customizable characters with different boards, outfits etc. and clearer loading screens. The load screens have tips on them, but it seems quite blurry and would look more professional if they improved them a little bit. Apart from that I'm happy with the graphics of this game.

The controls of Pro Surfing have been simplified to make it easy for the average gamer to pick up and play. To start surfing you have to tilt your device as shown on the screen, this then allows you to start surfing. From there you have to tilt you device left and right to move. Riding up and down the wave allows you to gain speed to get out of the barrel and to do bigger tricks. To do tricks all you have to do is tilt your way off the wave and then press any one of the 4 buttons on the left of the screen. Tilting while in the air also gives you more points. The button on the right side of the screen lets you slow down, getting into the barrel to gain points and hopefully get a barrel blowout for some extreme speed. The controls are easy and work well for a game like this, making for a fun time that is easy to learn, but takes a long time to master.

The aim of surfing is to surf for so long and try and get a high score, hopefully getting a 10/10. In Pro Surfing you have to do this twice, to try and beat your opponent to progress to the next round of the competition. There are four competitions that you have to compete in to be the best surfer in the world, and these are on four very different waves. These must be won in competition before you can surf them in the free surf mode. In my first run through the competition I won 3 out of the 4 locations, meaning I have to do the whole thing again to unlock the wave I missed. I find this quite annoying and would like an option to do certain contests after the competition is completed once. The other thing which could be improved is an in-app leaderboard so you don't have to go to safari to submit your scores each time. Apart from that the surfing mechanism in this game is very good, making the game have some sort of feel like the real thing. The game physics don't let you do anything really extreme, except for the huge airs but that's the fun factor of surfing games. I gave this to my non-surfing friend to play and they were addicted to how fun this is, before asking me why I can't do any of this in real life.

Pro Surfing (Wildcard) is the best surfing game by far I have played on the iDevice, and nearly any other device except Kelly Slater Pro Surfer. The experience is fun for all players, experienced surfers or not. Definitely one of the better games I have played that aren't well known on the App Store, even though it should be. There is now a lite version to test the waters as such with, but it should be enough to convince you to buy this game for a respectable price of $1.99.

Gameplay- 9/10
Graphics- 8/10
Sound- 5.5/10
Overall- 7/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Bobble Surfer

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is NBA Live

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

Play EA Mobile’s iPhone/iPod touch game and build an empire from the ground up!
Use your savviest business strategies to Buy, Sell, Trade & Manage big-name real estate.
Cruise around the interactive board with animated tokens and 3D dice as you collect popular properties for profit!
Play through 3 levels and save games in progress for non-stop FUN!
And for the first time ever, MONOPOLY is 3.0 ready. Listen to & control music from your iTunes library without interrupting your game!

*** MONOPOLY is 3.0 ready! *** For the first time ever, LISTEN TO & CONTROL music from your iTunes® library without interrupting your game!

>GET DOWN TO BUSINESS─ Use your savviest business strategies to Buy, Sell, Trade & Manage big-name properties and stay ahead of the competition

>HAVE FUN WHILE YOU MAKE MONEY─ Cruise around the interactive board with animated tokens and 3D dice as you collect popular properties for PROFIT

>HANDS ON EXCITEMENT─ Shake your iPhone to roll the dice. Tap the screen to Buy, Trade, and Upgrade your properties with Houses & Hotels

> FEELING COMPETITIVE?─Play with up to 4 friends on the same network with WiFi & Pass ‘n Play and up to 2 people with Bluetooth Multiplayer

>ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES─ Play through 3 levels of difficulty and save games in progress for non-stop FUN

LINE 'EM UP WITH CONNECT 4!
Play the popular checker-dropping iPhone/iPod touch game for hours of fun!
Listen to & control music from your iTunes Library while you play.
Go solo with Single Player and connect 4 in Classic, Challenge & Advanced Modes.
Play against friends with Bluetooth, WiFi, or Pass 'n Play.
Build up your high score and unlock 25 achievements for smart plays.
Block & counter your opponent’s moves and check out new cut scenes, slow motion gameplay, and cool special effects!

LINE ‘EM UP! - Play the timeless, world popular row-making game for hours of addictive FUN!

GO SOLO WITH SINGLE PLAYER - Test your row-making talent in Classic, Challenge, and Advanced Modes with all-new Powerchips, Max Score & PopOut!

PLAY AGAINST FAMILY & FRIENDS - Go head-to-head with the competition using Bluetooth, WiFi, or Pass 'N Play Multiplayer!

STAY AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION - Build up your high score & unlock 25 achievements for smart plays. Block & counter your opponent’s moves and be the first to get 4 tokens in a row to win!

EYE CANDY - Check out new cut scenes, slow motion gameplay, and cool special effects like exploding chips!

Prepare your strategy and lead your troops to victory!
Use touch screen controls to place your ships, map your co-ordinates and fire at the enemy.
Destroy all the enemy ships to win.
Play new and fun modes including the quick-fire Salvo and heavy duty Super Weapons where you can use an arsenal of powerful weapons to defeat your opponent.
Use WiFi and Bluetooth multiplayer to take on friends and prove you are the ultimate naval tactician!

• Different ways to play – Classic, Salvo and Super Weapons Modes
• Local two player Wifi and Bluetooth multiplayer