iPhone Reviews 2.0

Word Wonders: The Tower of Babel is another entry into the Puzzle RPG genre that has been booming on the App Store in recent times. This game is worth your look with a high level of quality gone into the game by the developers dreamfab. You begin your journey in the arcane Tower of Babel with nothing but your wits and magic words. During your journey into the upper levels of the tower you will be battling monsters and villains by laying magic words upon a game board as you progress along your path of power. To help you conquer your foes you will learn magic spells and use the power of alchemy to create powerful potions and items. So prepare yourself for the mythical magical word-based journey into the Tower of Babel with Word Wonders! Features 50 unique levels filled with dangerous monsters and mythical creatures. A fantastic story inspired by 1001 Nights! A boost board with many unlockable magic spells and special abilities. Alchemy system: Mix different ingredients to create powerful potions and items! Three different levels of difficulty with special rules of engagement each. Challenge your friends in hotseat mode on one device in an all-out multiplayer letter mayhem! Available in English, Spanish, French, and German: Play in your native language or improve your skills in the others! Supports Game Center, iPhone 5 and iCloud game saves. The game looks quite good and so does the trailer. Take a look at it and see for yourself why this is a game you should consider!

Square Enix, a developer that is known for bringing some of the biggest and most ambitious titles to the App Store, rarely meddles with the standard pricing chart. From the various Final Fantasy titles to the iOS exclusive Chaos Rings series, a Square Enix game won't come cheaply. So when a casual game came out last week for $0.99, I was perplexed by their decision to try this new market instead of staying put in the area they are currently dominating.

KooZac takes on the classic brick falling system of games such as Tetris and removes the shapes and replaces it with numbers. Such a simple change makes for some exciting gameplay that had my brain working harder than even the most intense Tetris sessions. There is also three game modes with endless play taking a backseat to the standard mode with levels of increasing difficulty that are popular on the iOS platform. Those with Facebook can also access Blitz which pits you against your friends. All are great modes that do well to offer up their own unique take on the KooZac formula.


The aim of Koozac in puzzle mode is to clear the board of all the blocks that had already been placed prior to the level beginning. These are removed by placing blocks directly on top of them that add up to a designated number that changes after every move. You will be required to stack multiple blocks on top to equal the number and as levels progress in difficulty you will need to keep an eye on the cumulative number on towers. As blocks come at faster intervals and you have more on the screen it becomes a real micromanagement game as you quickly add up numbers to see if any tower will be cleared with your current move. Looking ahead to future numbers and targets is also needed for success, even if it is hard given the time restraints.

Finishing levels in a shorter amount of time will lead to more points which encourages replaying of levels. Of course, if you make your way through the entire puzzle mode and still are wanting for something more than there is always the endless mode to sink your teeth into. This mode removes the designated blocks to remove and instead gives you an empty slate to stick your teeth into as long as you can keep the blocks under the top bar. This mode does take a while and I don't find it as rewarding as the objective based levels, but those who truly love the KooZac formula will crave this mode.


Those who like the endless style but don't like the slow pacing brought with it will be better off logging onto Facebook and playing Blitz mode. This mode is essentially endless, but it lasts for 60 seconds only and blocks continually pop up from the bottom as well to create some fast paced, frantic action. It is a lot of fun to play and creates added pressure to quickly add up numbers.

The graphics are slick and while the touch controls aren't always as precise as you want them to be once the gameplay gets frantic, you shouldn't encounter many issues. This is an easy game for anyone to pick up and play right from the word go. Some future additions I'd like to see include a hardcore mode that maybe use multiplication and other methods either with addition or as a standalone thing. Those who want to take it to the next level could be tempted to return to this game for a whole new set of challenges in future updates.

Conclusion

For $0.99 you now expect to receive a fairly comprehensive package that will keep you coming back for more. KooZac does this with a strong emphasis on education while also keeping it addicting with this new, unique gameplay. Fans of Tetris or games that require fast decisions will absolutely love KooZac and shouldn't hesitate to pick up this game from the App Store.

It has been only a handful of months since the iPhone 4S was launched but already the hunt for patents and evidence of the new iPhone 5 is underway. While it is early in the inevitable development of the iPhone 5 (or more likely the 'new' iPhone), a few sites have already released pictures and descriptions of what they believe will be in the new iPhone.

I am no photoshop expert myself so putting together an accurate representation of what I expect from the iPhone 5 is hard. I have gone ahead and looked at various images and mock-ups from other sites to see convey what I think the next product is going to be. For me, I don't see Apple changing the size of the screen. Having over 500,000 apps on the App Store that are already designed for a specific screen size presents problems if they all need to be altered to fit a slightly bigger screen. If you want the games to be bigger get an iPad.

I see the device getting even slimmer, if even marginally. I can see borders around the screen becoming non-existent and soon we will have an iPhone which goes from side to side with the actual screen. Specs wise it's safe to see everything bumped up extensively to match not only new phones on the market but to match the power of Apple's own iPad.

Here are two sites which offer up a variety of different representations. I think that they could potentially be on the money with some design aspects of the future iPhones. The clear glass iPhone is something that would be super cool but obviously quite a few years away. Other designs on the pages seem more in line with possibilities and it's great to check out what people have been able to make in anticipation of a release later in 2012.

1. New iPhone 5 Photos
2. iPhone 5 Leaked Pictures

Stay tuned for more information hopefully coming soon!

WWF WrestleFest is a fondly-remembered arcade game developed by Technos Japan, and released in 1991. Players could take control of such legendary figures from the world of sports-entertainment as Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, Sergeant Slaughter, and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, among others, as they took on all comers in the over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble, or paired up to conquer the unstoppable Legion of Doom for the World Tag Team Championships.

As with many old school games, it has made the transition to the iOS platform with bolstered rosters and graphics while keeping the same arcade beat 'em up style of the classics. Various WWE titles have made their way onto the App Store over the years, mostly trying to replicate the more realistic experience of recent console titles. Despite all of these, the best iOS wrestling experience I had was TNA Wrestling which also followed the 2D arcade nature of Wrestlefest. It's safe to say that this will be a hit for those fans as well.


At its heart, WWE WrestleFest is about big sweaty men hitting each other until one of them is unable to stand. The premise of the game is fairly self explanatory and will be easy for newcomers to pick up and play automatically. There are eight of these perspiring gents to choose from, with a further five unlocked as an in-app purchase. You control your wrestler with a virtual stick and two buttons. The stick lets you move around the ring, and the two buttons control your punching and kicking. Once you're in a grapple, which happens when you get close to your opponent, mashing 'kick' will fling him at the ropes, while mashing 'punch' will perform one of your throws at random. After you've beaten your foe's health bar down to zero, and stamped on his crotch a few times, pushing 'kick' will fling your muscular sprite atop his prone body for a pinning attempt. The controls are responsive and work perfectly, something titles with on screen buttons have been guilty of in the past.

There is a lot of choice in the game with a large array of fighters and locations. Almost all of the original roster and locations are gone and replaced with new ones, with both help yet hinder the experience for those wanted a nostalgic feel to the game. Yet, for all the choice you are given between wrestlers and arenas, it’s all pretty much cosmetic. Every single one of the Superstars controls in the exact same way, with a joystick, one punch, and one kick button being your only means of input. Different combinations do different things, and each wrestler still has their signature and finishing manoeuvres.


There are plenty of modes on offer, from single matches to career-spanning climbs up the wrestling ladder. Some bouts have different victory conditions, such as the Royal Rumble, which tasks you with hurling men out of the ring. But mostly you're punching, kicking, and throwing until it's time to lie down.

Online multiplayer lets you take a wrestler out into the big bad world, fighting against other people for pride and bragging rights. This is a nice addition, but as with so many other games which aren't able to the hit the top of the charts the lobbies are a bit dry and it may be hard for you to find a match. If you are able to get a friend to play you, then the life of this game is expanded extensively with a nice bit of local competition.

Conclusion

If you are picking up WWE Wrestlefest Premium hoping for the classic arcade gameplay of old you may go home disappointed. This game has more changes than just the heading and is actually a complete revamp with only the base gameplay remaining. That being said the arcade action is a heap of fun and the large variety of modes will keep you body slamming weary foes for hours to come. Just go into Wrestlefest knowing it is an advancement and not a direct port.