iPhone Reviews 2.0

First of all I hope all of you have a safe and happy Christmas period and a great New Year!

I will be away between the 26th December and approximately the 5th of January so no reviews or anything will be done in this time.

I thank you all very much for continually visiting our site and helping us run for almost a year now!

Next year is going to be a big one with the sites 1 year Anniversary in early January and a new look and feel for you all. I'm going to strive to make the reviews in particular easier and better for you to read. Thank you all for your suggestions to improve the site, they have been greatly appreciated and you will see some in place starting next year.

Farewell for now but see you all ready to start gaming again in 2010!

Thanks, iR

iTunes Link

Need for Speed Shift is a racing game by Electronic Arts. $9.99

Originally Need for Speed Shift was not announced to be coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch in 2009, or even at all. The huge success of Need for Speed Undercover when it was released must have made EA realize it was worth them bringing out this title. Luckily for us they did and we can once again experience the Need for Speed, in a different way to Undercover.

Need for Speed Undercover is the uncontested arcade racing king while Real Racing holds onto the simulation racing spot. Need for Speed Shift was meant to be a simulation racer but instead the iPhone version is dead smack in the middle of the two genres. The racing style in NFS Shift is designed to be more of a simulation experience, with no incoming cars or being able to make other cars to flying. The racing modes and track designs just give this an arcade feel and the mix of the two makes for a deadly combination.

To be honest as first I thought the graphics were a bit of a let down when compared to NFS Undercover. In Undercover it was released before the 3GS so they had to unload all they had onto the current devices to make it look good. In Shift the small things that will cause the older devices to lag up have been saved for the 3rd Gen devices.

The reason for this is that while the cars look the same it is the amount of stuff in the background that would really tear the older devices to shreds. The city landscapes have a heap of buildings which are 3D, increasing the stress on smaller devices. Without the gleam and small effects I am surprised that this runs as well as it does on smaller devices with only minimal lag. On 3rd Gen devices you get all the small things that have are added to give it a slightly more polished feel.

Don't be put off by that if you own an older device, it still looks superb on our devices. You may not think it looks as good as Undercover to begin with mainly because it has a totally different style to it. It is in the middle of the day and all the tracks are nice and bright, unlike the dusk setting in Undercover. Everything right down to the cars look different and for me it took a bit of time adjusting to this new look. I absolutely love this game now after a few hours playing and believe it easily looks better than Undercover.

There are different racing views all look spectacular and really give you a great view of the track. However you drive this game looks superb and you will sometimes find yourself off the track because you were gawking at the scenery and how beautiful it looks. If you don't want this game because you like racing games it is definitely one to get and show off to all your friends who think their PSP games look good.

Electronic Arts have also included some sweet licensed tunes for us to listen to. The songs play throughout the entire game but sound the best while surfing the menu's. The beats of the songs make me feel like I am watching the Fast & Furious movies. During the race the songs are blocked out basically by the sound of your incredibly loud car engine. The sounds are pretty basic but work well for this racing game, especially with little things like changing the sound when the gears change.

The controls in Shift and Undercover are fairly similar but there are a few obvious differences between the two. The things that have stayed the same are that you have to tilt the device to steer your car, touch the screen to brake and that this is an auto-accelerate game. The reason for the auto acceleration I believe is to reduce the number of buttons on the screen, getting in the way of the sweet graphics. I am sure those who wanted Auto-accelerate wouldn't mind a button though if the mode was optional.

The Nitro is still in this game but instead of flicking up with the screen there is a tiny button on the right hand side. It is pretty small and even though it may not let you see as much the button should be bigger than it is. It is here to make way for the automatic and manual transmission options. When in manual you can change gears by flicking your finger up or down on the screen, having a bit of simulation racing in this game. The slow-down of time option has also been taken out, mainly due to the fact that normal car races don't have that option in their cars.

The controls work well, apart from the Nitro button for now. They have implemented the touch controls to successfully let you do more than just touch on screen buttons. If the Nitro button wasn't so small and sticky then these would basically be perfect controls for a game that uses auto acceleration.

The racing modes in Shift are definitely have more of an arcade feel to them. In the game you can on tracks which take you through 18 unique street tracks using 7 game modes. Instead of in a simulation racer where you may find just a circuit race there are many more game modes to keep you interested.

These modes are:

• Circuit- Complete a certain number of laps of the track and try and come in 1st position

• Elimination- Race 2 or 3 laps of the track and avoid being the last to finish every lap as they get eliminated until one remains

• Sprint- Try to finish in 1st place after racing from Point A to Point B

• Driver Duel- Take on an opponent 1 on 1 and try to get 5 seconds ahead to win

• Drift- Go around the track at your own pace drifting and trying to get a certain number of drift points

• Timetrial- You have 3 laps to try and beat the winning time to get the gold medal

• Exhibition- Race 1 on 1 against an opponent in a totally identical car

There are four locations in the game Chicago, London, Tokyo and the World Tour. Each of these has 7 events, one from each of the different game modes. The best thing about this game is that if you suck at one particular mode you can still get through the game because it is based on the number of stars you collect, not positions.

The game has a very in-depth career mode to show how good and sometimes bad you are. In almost all the race modes the races have different optional objectives that if you complete will let you earn a star. These are things like staying on the race line, lead for an entire lap and many more. These stars are used to unlock new tracks.

In each race you earn points by staying on the racing line, successfully driving a corner, drifting and much more. These are separated into two categories so you can tell what type of driver you are. All points go towards your driver level, which earns you more cars and money are you level up. There are 20 levels available in the game.

There are a bunch of trophies that you can try and earn. They have five levels to them and require you to do things like drift for so long in your career, perform x amount of overtakes or win x amount of events consecutively. These mean nothing but are a nice thing to try and achieve in your career. Another thing to watch is your win-loss record which again means nothing but is you are on 11-50 then you it tells you that practice may be handy.

In this game there are 20 licensed cars available for you to unlock and buy. These range from your BMW's to your Lamborghini's and Pagani's. The cars are ranked in tiers and certain cars can only go in certain events. This means that you are going to be regularly buying cars to not only stay with the competition but to re-play older tracks that you may need to re-do to earn some more stars. Some cars are unlocked by reaching a certain level and others are by completing certain events.

The game starts out very slow with no sense of speed what so ever as you own your first car. As I found though as you upgrade you car a bit or decide to buy a new car you quickly find that this game gives you some seriously quick cars and you better step up your act right away. While the first few races are off putting you will find this is one of the most thrilling racing games out there, especially when you unless the NOS.

All the cars are semi-customizable in both performance and visuals. You can give you car a new paint job from a base of set colours or add bodykits, new rims etc. You can also improve the performance of your car by upgrading it's acceleration, suspension, speed, tyres or add some nitro to your car. The prices rise as you get higher tiered cars so be prepared to spend the cash effectively.

The racing comes in 3 games modes Rookie, Amateur or Professional but you can customize it to suit yourself. This means choosing either Auto or Man transmission, steering assist, braking assist and whether you want the race line. The race line is a great addition to the game and is something I loved in the Forza Motorsport games. This lets you know the best line for the race and whether you are going too fast to make the corner. This is a nice addition that makes this feel like a simulation racer.

There are a few obvious signs that Electronic Arts tried to make this into more of a simulation racer. The first one is the fact that this game is more about choosing the right path on the race track instead of smashing and bashing your way around the track. Going off the track effects you but I feel like it is a bit too forgiving as you just bounce off the side of the track and slow down. I would have loved to have seen a bit more action, especially when going 200 Mph. The other dead giveaway is that unlike Asphalt, Undercover etc. you can not ram into another car and send it flying into the side of the wall. While you can earn a trophy for knock outs they are incredibly hard and you generally just run up the side of another car and make sparks.

There are four camera modes for you to play around with. The first is the cockpit mode just like in Real Racing. This looks cool and definitely makes it feel like a simulation racer. I enjoyed this mode the best because as you crash and get hit the windscreen slowly scratches before smashing. This mode isn't the best though, especially when trying to drift. There are two more modes that let you see just the bonnet of the car and then nothing but the race track. These look really cool but you wouldn't want to drive around in them. The final mode is the classic view behind the car, which let's you see everything that is going on and gives the full effect of the landscape. I will use this mode most for driving, especially in faster cars as you have more idea of where the corners are.

If that isn't enough there is also an option that let's you race your own friends via local multiplayer. This mode works quite well and it is really awesome how well it works. You may find a slight bit of lag but generally this is a heap of fun and very competitive.

It will take the average gamer around 4 hours to complete all the racing tracks and around 6 or 7 hours to unlock all the cars, get to Level 20 and earn all 150 stars. This game is absolutely amazing and the arcade feeling with the simulation racing style makes this into the best racing game on the App Store. Period. You would have to be insane not to get this game, especially at the Christmas sale price of $6.99.

Only Electronic Arts can deliver such a game that brings speed, excitement and an addictive game into a single game. Need for Speed is everything it's earlier version was and more. This is definitely one of the games of the year and I love it too bits as you can see with the size of this review. There is a slight bug some people are experiencing with a certain race in Tokyo crashing, but that is going to be fixed soon and then the game should be perfect. Just get this now, you shouldn't be disappointed. And Merry Christmas to everyone!

Gameplay- 10/10
Graphics- 10/10
Controls- 9.5/10
Overall- 9.5/10

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 Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes - Encore

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

Hills and Rivers Remain is a real time strategy game by Square Enix. $6.99

Hills and Rivers Remain plays much like a game you have probably seen before. If any of you have played Castle Warriors or Galcon you would know how to play this sort of game. Now the question is asked, how can this game stand out from the pack and justify it's high price, especially when rival games are priced a lot lower.

There were a few things that I managed to pick out of this game that the other ones didn't seem to have. For one there is a stronger story to why you are fighting and why the battles are taking place. Square Enix like putting a strong storyline behind their games and they have managed to do so with Hills and Rivers Remain. The other thing that came out in this game is that they have used the size of the screen to advantage, making it quite easy to scan over the whole playing field. This gets very handy in later levels as if it was hard to see quickly and effectively who is being attacked, you would find yourself in a difficult situation.

My first impressions of this game is that it doesn't look very good. There were two reasons why I thought this. The first was because the mission one is set in a dirty brown location, not being the most beautiful place I have seen. The second is because the game starts fully zoomed out so you get a view of the entire playing field. There is a bit of detail lacking in this view but I found that this changed as soon as you zoomed in.

When zoomed in the whole game changes with lots of detailed scenery and the real effect of the game is brought out. There are a heap of nice textures and detail put into the scenery while the fight scenes look a lot better. Being zoomed in looks better but you can't keep it for too long as you have to multitask multiple areas of the map. It is a nice option to have though if you want to use it.

The game runs smoothly on all devices, with no lag or crashes what so ever while playing the game. Instead of having some 3D graphics like in Castle Warriors, Square Enix has given us decent graphics while they focus more on the gameplay itself.

Hills and Rivers Remain has been created so anybody should be able to pick this up and play straight away. All the controls are by using the touchscreen and touching your settlements. When you touch one of the settlements you have under your control you can choose how many soldiers you want to move and in what direction. Double tapping a settlement will make it your base so soldiers will be spawned at that location.

It is all very simple to do and anyone is able to do it. The controls have been kept very simple so that you can spend all your attention on the strategy of the game rather than mucking around with moving soldiers etc.

The aim of Hills and Rivers Remain is to eliminate all other enemies so you are the last one remaining on the board. This is done by moving soldiers to attack your opponents settlements. They then go into a fight and the biggest number of soldiers will win, either keeping the settlement or taking it over. This sounds pretty simple but if you focus on one area for too long your enemies can gather a big force somewhere else on the map and you could then be cornered.

There are a heap of levels which quickly get challenging for the casual gamer. Each level has some sort of story behind why the battle is taking place and all of them are loosely linked together. While it might not be much it gives the game a bit of meaning and reason why you are playing it.

There are two game modes, Story and Free play. Once you win a level in story mode it becomes unlocked in free play. Free play mode gives you some customization of the game so you can play the level as a different character for example. You can also choose where the players start out on the map and how many opponents there are. This is a nice mode to play around with but I believe a local multiplayer mode would have been better.

You can send soldiers out as much as you want given that you have some, but the game is based on Turns where you get more soldiers after each turn. This is more of a real time strategy game as the battle doesn't stop. When you send soldiers out they will pass opposing soldiers coming at you, so it is best to leave some soldiers at home to prevent an attack while you are away.

This is quite a fun game that requires a good strategy if you want to be successful at this game. Most users will find it challenging and quite a lot of fun as you repeatedly try to beat some levels. There are some slight impressions that this is like the Final Fantasy series, mostly what the soldiers look like.

Hills and Rivers Remain is a good title that will be loved by fans of Strategy games. The graphics and sound are great and go with the game style quite well. The only thing that may stop you buying this game is the price. At $6.99 it costs more than Castle Warriors and Galcon so people may prefer to buy them instead of forking out to get this.

There are a heap of levels which I believe must equal why there is such a high price. If you aren't sure whether this is the game for you I strongly suggest you check out the lite version beforehand. I'm not much of a strategy gamer but I enjoyed this title while I could still win.

Gameplay- 8/10
Graphics- 6.5/10
Controls- 8/10
Overall- 7.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Galcon

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is Need for Speed: Shift

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

Ace Combat Xi Skies of Incursion is a flying game by Namco. $7.99

The popular series Ace Combat has finally soared onto the App Store for the first time blowing up anything that gets in it's way.

The first Ace Combat game was released in 1995 and the various versions have been put on different Playstation consoles, the Xbox 360, Game Boy and PSP. The franchise's next outing is the iPhone (not surprisingly), and boy does this game deliver!

The aviation genre on the App Store is probably one of the strongest out there. With some insanely good titles like F.A.S.T, Top Gun, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X and the upcoming Skies of Glory you must be brave to even attempt a game. When we heard of Ace Combat coming to the iPhone many people got excited that this game was being brought to the iPhone. But how does it size up to the other big games on the App Store?

I couldn't help but judge this game to the others in this genre. Even though it was released in June I still see F.A.S.T. as the best looking air combat game on the App Store. Ace Combat didn't do a bad job but there were just parts of the game which I found to be better in other games. All the games I have found to have good looking aircraft (Even if the screenshots don't prove that) which are all very detailed. The one area where Ace Combat lacked however was the scenery.

The scenery and other objects aren't all that bad but just lacked a bit of detail. I also found the ground to be a bit blurry and undefined in most places. When doing a comparison I just found that the other games had put more detail into their surroundings. While they aren't the best of the best I still liked the look and feel of this game as it was still very enjoyable to play.

This game is generally pretty smooth and I didn't find it to lag at all. The framerate is pretty consistent and runs at a decent rate. The game did crash on me once but I didn't find any problems when the device had been given a hard reset.

The controls in Ace Combat are fairly common among all the flying games. To steer your aircraft you have to tilt your device to make it turn left, right, up, down or somewhere in between. I found that particularly at the start of a campaign mission that the game was a bit slow to your tilting, but managed to regain itself once the game had fully loaded I suppose.

The rest of the controls are as on screen buttons. These are easy to use once you know what they mean. Most are fairly easy for a first time gamer to use but some of the buttons, such as one called TGT, will require some reading to find out it's purpose. I didn't find any problems with the controls and ended up being able to fly my plane with a fair amount of precision.

Ace Combat Xi lets you follow the story of the Falco Squadron as you save the world one mission at a time. When you get an airplane game you expect to be doing one thing, shooting down other enemy planes. In Ace Combat though you very quickly change your approach as incoming tanks, war ships and more have to be annihilated to save any array of locations.

The game is split into two game modes, Free play and Campaign. Campaign is where you will spend your whole time playing. The campaign mode is split into 5 missions which have nothing to do with one another. You will get some dialogue before you start your mission trying to give us a bit of a storyline, before showing the mission requirements. A majority of the missions I found to be about stopping tanks, planes, ships or a variety of the 3 from attacking or getting past a certain place.

Each mission is being ranked on your time to complete it, damage to places you are saving etc. They start out quite easy with most things except the planes just being sitting ducks. As the game progresses it gets harder and more challenging to complete the mission, especially with a time limit for some levels I found.

There were a few things that I didn't like about this game. The main one which really bugged me was what happened when you got too low to the ground to shoot at ground units. I would receive a message that says to pull up because you are getting low to the ground, but when I nose dived to the ground I would just bounce off and straighten up. This is annoying because it doesn't make dangerous enough.

I found that being attacked by the enemy did basically nothing to you and especially when you can fly as low as you want there isn't enough consequences for your actions. If you exploded and lost the mission then it would make this game more realistic and challenging, because at the moment all ships and ground units are easily destroyed.

The other thing that really bugged me was the number of aircraft available to fly. There are about 5 or 6 that you can use for free and there are another 4 that are available via DLC. All the free planes have really average stats while the DLC ones are all really good, so if you want to be good at this game you need to buy a DLC plane or try and unlock the last free plane. I would be fine if there were heaps of free planes and some with good stats, but at the moment this is just a money grabbing strategy by Namco.

Ace Combat Xi Skies of Incursion is a pretty good addition to the Ace Combat series. There is an average amount of content in the game but a gamestyle that the average gamer should enjoy. Compared to other games in this genre it fairs pretty well and should be considered if you like this genre.

What is a throw off for most people however is the price at $7.99. With F.A.S.T at $0.99 and the upcoming Skies of Glory being free it is going to be hard to win more than just Ace Combat fans to buy this. If you only want one airplane game and aren't fussed which one I suggest leaving this alone at the current price. If this dropped to $4.99 or less or got more missions then it would be a good purchase.

Gameplay- 7/10
Graphics- 8.5/10
Controls- 8/10
Overall- 7.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is Hills and Rivers Remain

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

Connect 4 is a boardgame by Electronic Arts. $0.99

For those unlucky people in the Northern Hemisphere you will be experiencing snow storms, rain and all round dodgy weather. In years gone by you may have played in the snow or crowded around the fire playing some of your favourite board games. Electronic Arts are not only reducing the size of all those boxes in your cupboard, but also putting a cheaper price as you can play all your favorites on your iDevice.

The latest board game on our iDevice is Connect 4. This game has the original game that we all know and love as well as some great new modes that we can only play in a virtual game of Connect 4. Quite possibly this game is better than the original, but not as good as Connect 4 Advanced (That game rules). Instead of staying with the basic game format like many of their other board games, I love how Electronic Arts put in the extra effort to include extra content for us to play.

Board games aren't the perfect genre for making insane effects and graphics for a game. Electronic Arts have kept the original layout of the board, even having an opening scene before every game of it getting brought out of the box. We still have the red vs yellow chips to play with but there are some extras included in this game.

Some effects or 'eye candy' has been added to make this game just that little bit more special. Apart from the opening scene we get slow motion gameplay as well as exploding chips when playing the special modes or someone wins the game. It does nothing to the overall gameplay but it's good just to see someone a bit special when playing. Especially the exploding chips work well and look cool when it's happening. Just another reason to get this over the un-exploding real version of Connect 4.

This game isn't graphically intensive so there is no surprise that it runs smoothly on all iDevices. What I did find is when you haven't reset the game in a while it will occasionally crash but resetting the device will fix this problem.

Connect 4 has been kept as simple as possible so people can come along and play this game with ease even if it's their first time using an iDevice. There is nothing more to this game except dragging your finger to the desired row on the board and letting go.

With the screen smaller than a real sized Connect 4 board they have allowed some room for error. In case you have put your finger on the wrong column you can move your finger around the screen before you take it off. This is to make sure there are no accidents and angry customers. There is nothing overly special about the controls but they are simple, they are all that are needed and they work just fine for this game.

Connect 4 is best to be played with another friend but this version means you can play against the computer if there is no one else around. All four of the game modes can be played in either single or multiplayer.

The game modes are Classic, Challenge and Advanced mode. The classic game is what we all know and love with the first person to get four in a row wins. Challenge mode has lots of different mini games and challenges that you must complete and win four challenges in a row to complete it.

Advanced mode has three different modes including Power Chips, Max Score and Pop Out. Power chips and max score are the same mode essentially with the aim to get as many 4 in a rows in a certain time limit. For Power chips however you get chips with special skills such as blowing up other chips or swapping places with chips. This makes it a nice challenge and bit of a mix up for the regular gamer.

Multiplayer mode is available to play via local WiFi, Bluetooth or Pass n Play. Wifi and Bluetooth work quite well but the cool multiplayer feature I found to be the Pass n Play mode. Instead of having a mode that you have to physically pass and play you can just sit it on a table and play this game. There are options to play depending on where you are sitting such as face to face or side to side. These little features just make the game more enjoyable and easy to use.

The different game modes are a lot of fun and really add to the amount you will play this game, particularly by yourself. The challenge mode is particularly fun to play by yourself and will challenge the most seasoned Connect 4 players.

When it get's down to it you are going to buy this game if you adore Connect 4 and probably not if you can't stand it. For those in the middle and aren't sure whether to get this or not then the extra modes will be the turning point for you. Particularly the challenge mode is a heap of fun and the new modes, especially Power chips, are something you can't play in real life.

For $2.99 you are getting what would be a $20 board game in real life and you don't have to be an accountant to figure out that you are saving heaps. Both fans and newcomers to the Connect 4 series will enjoy this game. What's better than a match 3 game? Yes that's right, 4 in a row!

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

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Bejeweled 2

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

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

Monopoly Classic is a board game by Electronic Arts. $4.99

Monopoly Classic is the original. the best. the board game that started it all. This is the game that made Monopoly a worldwide success and finally we can play it on our iPhone and iPod Touch's. Ironically though this is the second Monopoly game released on the App Store, with many of you I am sure already with Monopoly Here & Now World Edition already on your iDevice.

This version of Monopoly has no radical changes or improvements to the H&N Edition, except that you play the game with less money and the original Monopoly locations. So in the end the decision to buy this game just depends whether you want the Classic version over the H&N version or even both.

Graphics wise this game is the same as H&N World Edition except the images and locations look different and more defined. When playing the game compared to the H&N version the tiles are easier to see and not so blurry which is a good thing. The game lets you see the board from right above it so you can see the board and where everything is and when one of the pieces move it zooms into the particular area of the board for a better view. There are no real flashy graphics or effects in this game, keeping it simple and as an easy board game to play. For those wanting a Monopoly game with some better effects and clips then I suggest getting the Wii or PC version.

The game runs quite well on all devices and I didn't experience any lag or crashes what so ever. I found the game to be look much like the original board game and even down to having all your cards and money sitting around the table. Nothing special in the game but it has what is needed for a game of this genre.

The controls for this game are quite easy to get the hang of and don't require any serious skills. About as hard as it gets is having to shake your device to roll the dice and then the rest of the game is basically controlled by tapping options. What you do need to get the hang of however is what all the different options are.

These shouldn't take too long to pick up and most of them tell you what their purpose is anyway. For a board game to be good on this platform it needs to be easy to use and have controls that means the young kids right through to your grandparents can pick this up and play. Monopoly is one of those games.

For the four of you that are unfamiliar with Monopoly, here is a basic run down. The aim of Monopoly is to be the last person standing. This is done by buying properties and having your opponents pay rent. They are also doing the same to you. When all of your properties are mortgaged and you have no money left to pay rent if you land on someones land, they are out of the game. The game involves building houses and hotels on your squares to increase the amount of rent needed to pay. It is a game that requires skill but also quite a bit of luck to roll the right numbers.

Each version of Monopoly is different. The rules stay the same but the amount of money things cost and the buildings and landmarks change from version to version. In the Classic version we have a quite small and limited budget to buy the cheaper make believe properties. For those wannabe Millionaire's among you out there I suggest you go for the H&N edition which makes you a Multi-millionaire and lets you buy cities and landmarks from around the world.

In single player mode there are multiple difficulty modes, different locations to play Monopoly and the option to alter the house rules (rules of the game). Apart from the different locations I found only one big thing in this game that is different between the two versions. When you don't want to buy a property instead of staying unsold it will go to auction, where everyone is bidding to try and win the land. This can sometimes work in your favour if you play it correctly, letting you get places cheaper than it's market value if the opponent has less money than it's worth or making the other opponents fight it out and eventually pay more for the land.

The other great part about Monopoly on the App Store is that you can play it in many different ways with your best friends. For those with friends without an iPhone or iPod Touch you can have up to four people playing with the Pass n Play Multiplayer. If you have friends with an iPhone or iPod Touch you can play with up to 4 people via a local WiFi or up to 3 people with Bluetooth. This is a lot of fun and really the main enjoyment you will get out of having this game.

Monopoly is a great game and when compared to both the board and console versions of the game, $4.99 is an extremely good price for a game like this. Every person should have at least one of the Monopoly versions on their iDevice. There isn't much difference between the two versions so I recommend just getting the one you want most or both if you really are a Monopoly fan.

This game is a heap of fun to play with other people, but you can work out strategies or plans while in the single player mode. There are hours of fun to be had here and you won't be disappointed with your purchase. Just hope that you are lucky enough to secure Park Place, that's where the real money is made!

Gameplay- 8.5/10
Graphics- 8.5/10
Controls- 6.5/10
Overall- 8/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Monopoly Here & Now World Edition

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is Connect 4

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

Labyrinth 2 is a ball rolling game by Illusion Labs. $4.99

There are some games that would not work on any other platform except our iDevices, Labyrinth 2 is one of these and aren't we glad that we get to play it!

When the App Store was quite new we came across a game called Labyrinth, which gave us over 1000 levels to roll around in. I never got around to buying the full version but I did have the lite version for a long time and really enjoyed the game. Illusion Labs however has taken over the title and created an outstanding sequel which puts the original to shame.

With over a year between versions you would expect there to be some pretty big changes, especially in the graphics department. In true Illusion Labs style they have made this game look absolutely brilliant and have added some features which make this game one of the best out there. While this game only has about 200 pre-loaded levels that is just the tip of the iceberg with much more content to be found and created by you.

The original Labyrinth looked good, but somehow Illusion Labs has made it better and 3D. First of all looking at this game you don't think you can really make it look 3D and still decent looking, but the suttle improvements made to the game such as seeing the sides of the walls as you tilt the game really make this look awesome.

Instead of a game where you a rolling it into 2D lines on the screen it's almost like there is a real ball in your device. Along with the classic wooden layout of the original we get a new Metallic setting as well as some awesome new toys to play with in the levels. With these new features it really shows how good the physics are in this game.

The ball reacts accordingly to what happens to it with some level of realism and most importantly this game is smooth and has no lag at all. This is an extremely good thing, especially with a game that needs so much precision as lag would be the ultimate gamebreaker here.

Much like the other ball rolling game I recently covered, Super Monkey Ball 2, the controls are super easy to pick up but will take a long time to master. You tilt the device to control where the ball goes and obviously the more you tilt it the faster the ball will roll. Instead of the view we got in SMB2 you are looking down on the game with the whole level in front of you. Again, while the process seems easy enough you will find that this game requires a heap of precision and timing to finish quite a lot of the medium and harder levels.

There are many dangers on the levels and knowing the key amount to tilt your device is crucial to success, making once again another game that is quick to learn but will take hours to master. This seems like the key area of Illusion Labs games I have found.

The aim of a Labyrinth game is to work your way through the maze to the end point of it. In Labyrinth 2 on the iPhone they can add in lots more effects and features than we could ever imagine in a real life game.

In this version you have to avoid dangerous holes that send you back to the starting position as well as many other obstacles such as pinball bumpers, cannons, fans, trip wires, magnets and much more. Most of these features are new in Labyrinth 2 and require some getting used to their effects when triggered.

The base set of levels in this game rounds off to around 200 in total. They come in level packs and are classified as easy, medium or hard. The aim is to beat the levels as fast as possible to get the best time. Beating level packs and lots more lets you unlock achievements, which slowly unlocks new balls for you to roll around in the game. For the first time all these levels can be played in a brand new local multiplayer mode. This lets up to four players roll to victory each aiming for the best time.

I bet you are asking, how come we get 800 levels less in this new version? 200 Levels for $4.99, this is an absolute outrage! Luckily for those who manage to beat all 200 levels there is a revolutionary new mode that lets you download and create your own level packs. There are literally an unlimited amount of levels to download as the large fan base and creating new packs regularly. Some are downright terrible packs but if you check the Top 25 section you will find the finest packs created by fellow gamers.

To make your own levels you have to get a code off the game and head to LevelPack.com where you can then add any of the obstacles and features that we find in the game itself. This is quite a detailed layout letting you put exact sizes and locations of different items to create the ultimate level. You will find yourself spending more time on this than the game, trying to make hard levels to challenge the best rollers and nice easy packs for the beginners.

With this in the game Illusion Labs have created ultimately unlimited fun and levels for us to play, giving you more bang for your buck.

Labyrinth 2 is an excellent game that has received glowing reviews from the public, being in the top 20 paid games and still retaining their perfect 5 star average. This is one of the smoothest and best casual games out on the App Store. I can easily play this for 5 minutes or be hooked on it for over an hour.

Especially with their brilliant creating system and the ability to download other peoples levels is a great addition to this game. For $4.99 I can easily recommend this to anyone as you will find all aspects of the game perfectly executed. One of the best games I have played on the iDevice.

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

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Labyrinth

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

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

You know the iPhone and iPod Touch is a irresistible market when we are slowly but surely seeing more huge console developers cashing in on it's success. This time it is Codemasters joining the party bringing F1 2009 to our screens very shortly. But for now check out the preview screens and press release I received today.

With 100,000+ apps on the App Store and many review sites and YouTube channels covering these games it is hard for both developers and readers a like to find which sites are trustworthy and honest. While the majority of us are fair sites a few paint the rest of us in a bad light with paid reviews and dodgy dealings. That is where Got O.A.T.S- The Organization for App Testing Standards steps in.

For those who have no idea what this group is, it is basically a group of iPhone related sites that are set on improving the ethics of sites and lead in example. The sites that join up take an Oath stating to follow certain rules:

1) WE PLEDGE to never mix business with editorial. We reject all forms of paid reviews, including "express reviewing" fees. Advertising on an O.A.T.S. site will have no bearing whatsoever on whether we decide to review an App, or on the nature of coverage we give it, when and if we do;

2) WE PLEDGE to clearly mark all advertisements as such on our sites;

3) WE PLEDGE to insure that each of our reviews is as thorough, accurate, honest, and fully informed as possible;

4) WE PLEDGE to promptly correct all factual mistakes in our reviews, and to post an Editor's Note when we do;

5) WE PLEDGE that all editorial work appearing on our sites is our own;

6) WE PLEDGE to allow disagreement, dissent, and complaint through reader commentary, and to never censor it;

7) WE PLEDGE that all App reviews will follow the same process, whether a particular App is obtained via promo code, purchase, or ad-hoc distribution;

8) WE PLEDGE that site promotions or contests involving promo code giveaways will not influence any review in any way.

I initially joined GotOATS around a month after it was started by 148apps.com and SlideToPlay.com. What attracted me to it was a few reasons. One was being known as part of a group that were respected and being known as an accredited site that was an ethical site. The other thing that brought me to sign up was being part of this prestigious group along with some of the much larger sites that I looked up to.

I soon found out that there was more to the job than just being accepted into the group. Once in the group each and every one of the sites contributes to make the iPhone gaming sector a better place to work in. Everyone is regularly sharing ideas and notifying each other of dodgy sites and developers that are putting us in a bad light. We also try to counter this by sharing the good work of sites and commending those who are doing good things for our community.

Being a free-hosted blog I feel particularly lucky to be accepted into this group. Not only does it make me feel like I am doing the right thing with my reviewing but it sheds limelight on the smaller sites like myself that you can be rewarded for your efforts and good work.

I strive to keep my part of the bargain by following the Oath presented to me upon joining. I endeavor to write reviews which are fair and unbiased to the games and give all the information needed to the reader so they can make their own mind up on the game. I also do not let any advertising or offers of cash affect whether a game gets reviewed or not, rejecting any offers of cash for reviews or reviews to jump the queue.

Now that I have been with the GotOATS community for over half a year I have a strong sense of loyalty to the group and feel proud to call myself a member. This post is just a contribution to the effort we are all putting in too make this place a more ethical and trusting place for the readers to be in. During this month there will be more OATS members writing up on this topic and their approach to the OATS group.

I would also like to thank Jeff from 148Apps, Steve from SlideToPlay, Nigel from TouchGen and James from TheAppEra for founding this group and to all the other member sites for their contributions to help not only myself but other sites improve their ethics and the overall condition of iPhone sites.

Check out the other Got O.A.T.S posts from fellow members:

Just Another iPhone Blog
AppAddict

iTunes Link

Super Monkey Ball 2 is an arcade game by SEGA. $9.99

[This is a modified post from TheAppEra]

SEGA rolls once again onto the App Store, finally showing their potential to make Triple A titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Despite the original debuting to much fanfare (thanks to Apple), it just was crippled by bugs and lag issues. Now the team is back to PROVE that they DO know how to make iPhone games.

No more issues or lags, new levels and even mini games await! If you've bashed SEGA before, you can't bash them now with Super Monkey Ball 2!

One of the biggest updates to this game is how damn good it looks. The original title had a 3D environment but a 2D character, which for me was a big downer in the game because it just took away the full effect of this game. Finally though this game has gone completely 3D with more defined and improved levels as well as 3D characters, which just makes this game look more professional and just in general heaps better.

The characters are now 3D, with a realistic rolling action that I have been craving for a long time. This game if anything plays like Marble Blast Mobile by Garage Games in terms of physics and graphics, which was my no.1 ball rolling game until SMB2 came along.

Being a 3D game it is also demanding on the iDevice in terms of power. I found Super Monkey Ball 2 to work glitch, lag and crash free on both the 2nd Gen and 1st Gen devices. This is great as a game that requires lots of delicate tilting would be spoilt if lag caused the game to become impossible. 3rd Gen devices have been encountering blinking and other problems, mostly on jailbroken devices but a fix for this has been announced to be out soon.

The controls of Super Monkey Ball 2 are about as simple as they get, tilting. There is no jumping or special moves, all you do in the game is tilt the device in all directions to control where your monkey in a ball travels.

This is the total opposite to Super Monkey Ball 1 where the controls were very delicate and it got impossible to control your character on harder levels. SEGA B XMFW9W F has listened to us however, making a more friendly game that even a child should be able to use. On the harder levels the tilting requires much more finesse, which is where one slight problem comes in.

Super Monkey Ball 2 is all about getting from the start to the end of each level. In all there are 115 levels, and you have a 60 second time limit on each just to make things more interesting. These levels start out easy and pretty basic, but after completing a few areas you are thrust into tracks with sharp corners and all oddities!

With each level pack as such you start with 5 lives, which are lost by falling off the edge of the track or running out of time. To get more lives you must collect 10 bananas. So in theory if you complete every level perfectly you will get an extra life per level. In the middle of the pack you can replenish your supplies with a simple area with 40 bananas to collect, giving you a maximum of 4 lives to get you through the second half of the pack. Having all these lives are handy and a great way to help the average user survive the game.

There are four characters playable in the game. They are Aiai, MeeMee, Baby and GonGon. There are no special stats or anything with these characters, they are just for personal preference and are to be used when playing multiplayer. You can play any of the 115 levels against up to 3 friends over local WiFi or Bluetooth.

Finally there are mini games available for you to play. The first one available is Monkey Bowling where you flick your Monkey instead of using a bowling ball. The other two mini games are locked but are coming early next year in a free update. The first mini game is a heap of fun and a nice variation added to the game.

The game will sometime require you to do very very sharp U-Turns or turn sharply while traveling quite quickly. One consequence of easing up the controls is that you can turn as effectively as before, with you being forced to go to a complete stop to manage some corners. While this isn't the greatest I would rather have to adapt to a different style of tilting rather than have an uncontrollable wreck.

SEGA has taken the right steps in improving this game, making a highly addictive and fun game for us to play. Finally we have a game that is fully 3D and doesn't look like a port from another console or previous version. I was extremely impressed with Super Monkey Ball 2 and couldn't speak any higher of it.

If you've been traumatized by the original, this is the magic potion. Do not worry about what you thought of the old version, this version makes up for everything that you didn't like in SMB1 and adds some more juicy features on top. Don't be put off by the $9.99, it is definitely worth it!

Gameplay- 9.5/10
Graphics- 9.5/10
Controls- 8/10
Overall- 9/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Marble Blast Mobile

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

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

Since I will be away for the Christmas break I thought we would kick things off early with this Christmas Giveaway as a big thank you to all our readers.
This site has been around for almost a year now, starting out with only a handful of viewers but now we are booming and the biggest free-hosted iPhone blog on the web which is a pretty big achievement. (That I know of)
I'd like to thank each and every one of you, as I wouldn't be in the situation I am now writing for not only this site but under two great friends James from TheAppEra and Arron from Razorianfly.

What is a better way to have a Christmas giveaway but giveaway not one, but TWO promo codes to the recently released Super Monkey Ball 2.

How are you going to win it?

• This is going to be a random drawing with you having 24 hours to enter
  

• Everytime you comment on a post you go into the drawing. You can comment on each post made this year a maximum of 1 time, including this one (So if you really want to win this game you have a maximum of 148 entries)
  

• In the comment you must say what you think of either the game or the review itself. You must also include contact details eg. Twitter Account or Email Address
  

• Two people will be picked at random and will receive a Super Monkey Ball 2 Code each

• If I am feeling in a good mood we may more codes to giveaway - Devs if you want to help out here email me at Damon@razorianfly.com
  

You have 24 hours then I will find our winners, so get commenting guys!

Merry 'Early' Christmas!

iTunes Link

Rogue Planet is a turn based strategy game by Gameloft. $4.99

Months and months ago we heard of a game being developed by the people who made 1112 Ep 01. This game was meant to be so good that they even halted development on 1112 Ep 02 so they could get this game finished. Here we are months later with a game that is so good that even Gameloft wanted a piece of it, publishing the game. If one of the biggest and best developers on the App Store wants to get in on the action then why shouldn't get consumers be jumping over each other to play this game?

This game plays much like the GBA and Nintendo DS hit game Advance Wars. The nearest counterpart to this game on the App Store is Mecho Wars. I won't give up too much about the game now, that's saved for people who continue reading this review, but there is quite literally hours upon hours of campaign and free play missions to complete. Even after the first mission this game is working it's way into being a blast.

This game looks. Stunning. Firstly in the battlefield, which there are over 30 unique maps, these look great and close to if not better than the maps on Advance Wars. The surroundings are simple yet effective, with a map that looks nice without having to use so much power that the game becomes laggy. All the different characters and different enemy types are easily distinguished from one another and makes it good for tactical advances.

Another big part of Advance Wars and both Mecho Wars is the awesome looking battle cutscenes. What this means is that whenever you and an enemy attack each other we get a cutscene with a cartoon looking fight. This involves the attacker attacking first and if the other one in the fight is still alive we see them fight. While watching it is pointless and has no huge effect on what happens in the game, it makes the game fun and probably one of the reasons why Advance Wars was so successful. It just gives us a nice break from the map play and adds a bit more thrill and excitement to the experience.

Finally we have our cut scenes between campaigns, which is basically you choosing different locations on the ship to talk to people. The characters and style of these scenes reminds me very much of Mass Effect Galaxy by Electronic Arts. The general consensus with these chats is that the ship has carked it, the enemies are invading and there are no humans left... but in a serious manner. There is no importance to these scenes but they add a nice story to go with the battles.

The basic controls for the game are pretty simple, choose a player to move, touch where you want to go then move/fight someone. What isn't so easy to learn is the actions and symbols that go with this game and I have to say is partly due to how the game is set out. First of all there is no clear cut and simple tutorial to follow which explains all the different options available to you. Instead the first mission is basically just moving your characters without showing you how to perform anything else.

Instead of teaching you the controls with a hands on tutorial, you can get all this information by reading some tips in one of the options. While you do get all the information I find that an interactive tutorial going through how to colonize a building etc. etc. would be handy for first timers.

The basic storyline behind the game is save the world from the evil robots who have seemingly wiped out the human race. Your team has been in space for a number of years and return to find the world eerily empty. As you go to explore you encounter a different life form, some sort of robots who seem to be in control of earth. You fight it out over 19 campaign missions and in the end you ***************************** (Find out for yourself!).

The game is a turned based strategy game, kind of like a more entertaining and way cooler version of Chess. You and the opponent take turns in moving all your army on the map and then ending your turn. If you are within range you can engage in combat with an opponent's army member. There are many different machines and people that are found on the battlefield. Different races will have different effects on the same opponent. For example if you have a tank and a commando, one of these will be more effective against a certain enemy compared to the other.

Not all campaign missions are about killing all the enemy, however doing so will make your tasks a lot easier. Some campaigns require you capture so many buildings or cities while others may require you to get certain members of the army to a specific area. All in all each of the campaigns have some relativity to the storyline presented in the cut scenes.

The game has around 6-8 hours of game time all up, with the 19 campaign missions and 15 casual maps to play around with. For those who friends that also own Rogue Planet you can battle each other via local Wifi or Bluetooth, with Online multiplayer promised in a future update.

This game is very similar to the successful counterpart Advance Wars, but this is a great result for the iPhone. Not only do we get engaging gameplay but also the graphics and sound that make for a great gaming experience. This game will last you for a long time and is a very respectable game for the $4.99 price.

If you are a fan of turn based games or even RTS games like Command & Conquer, Warfare Inc. and The Settlers you will find yourself enjoying this game immensely. There is months of effort and care put into the game, which is quite obvious. This game plays perfectly on an iPhone 3GS right down to the 1st Gen iPod Touch's. So why are you still reading this review? Go pick up Rogue Planet and help us save the world.

Gameplay- 9/10
Graphics- 8.5/10
Sound- 8/10
Overall- 8.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Mecho Wars

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews next up is Super Monkey Ball 2

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

iTunes Link

Skater Nation is a skateboarding game by Gameloft. $6.99

[This is a modified post from TheAppEra]

Skater Nation gives us a huge world to play around in. When I say huge that's quite an understatement because it will literally take you forever to find all the areas to skate in. There is a heap to do in this game, it looks great, and I found the controls surprisingly easy with practice. Are you ready to skate down the streets?

This game looks damn nice! From the core basics of the city to the details right down to graffiti and ad boards. What makes this game impressive is how they have made a game with a huge environment that has unique scenery at every corner. I wouldn't be surprised if they used the Gangstar engine to get the layout for this city as they are both large in size for an iPhone game.

Those skating buffs will be able to tell the difference between the tricks as the game runs smoothly even on the 1st Gen devices. Each designated area of the game has a different feel to it, whether it being darker in the downtown area or nice and bright near the beach. It is amazing to see Gameloft kicking the notch up on every release.

The general feeling I have seen for this game is that people downright hate the controls. I will admit that the A and B buttons aren't the best way you could go, but they made it easy enough to learn the ropes of the controls to become decent at it. The other small let down I found was that the v-stick for controlling the skater was too small and hard to use for a game like this, with your finger often slipping out of range.

Apart from that, there is really no reason why you can't master these controls. To steer you skater you use the v-stick with forward to speed up, back to slow to a complete stop and left and right to turn. People seem to be annoyed that you don't speed up when turning but that's what happens in real life. Kudos again there!

To jump up in the air you press the A button either when on the ground or going up a ramp. To pull a manual, lip or grind you press B and a direction on the v-stick to do different variations of the trick. While doing one of these three you can either tilt the device or use the v-stick to balance your skater. While in the air using the A or B button as well as a direction on the V-stick will give you any number of different tricks to perform.

In Skater Nation there are two game modes, Career and Free Play. You will spend basically all your time in Career mode, as due to it's nature of how the career pans out you can spend unlimited time roaming around and exploring all corners of the city.

The career mode is basically cut down to completing tasks for random people who are waiting for you around the city. There are around 25 challenges or so to complete and range from getting so many points in a time limit to doing a manual over a certain distance. Defeating these challenges unlock various things ranging from decks, trucks, wheels and even more characters.

The wheels, trucks and decks that you can swap and change affect the stats of your skater. There are five characters available when you first pick up the game and three more are unlockables. Each of the characters have different stats and items to use, as well as each one having their own career mode. This adds a considerable amount of replayability to the game as you can try and get 100% on the career of each skater.

The rest of the time in the game involves just perfecting your moves and exploring the whole area. Half the fun is actually finding the people who have the challenges for you to complete. For example I found one person waiting for me inside a warehouse that just happened to be pimped out with huge ramps.

Some awesome graphics and huge gaming area makes for a title that will be played again and again by most people. As long as you give this game time and actually learn to adapt to the controls you will have an absolute blast playing this game. For those wanting more of a challenge you can try and collect all the floating decks in free play mode.

The only thing I can suggest is maybe have a more user friendly v-stick, but apart from that, this game is almost impeccable. $6.99 is a fair price for this game and if you are considering getting this, just get it already.

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

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Vans Sk8: Pool Service

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

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews