Archive for category 99-Cent Games

Heavy Mach 2 iPhone Game Now $0.99

Feb 5

Posted by Tanya Menoni in 99-Cent Games, News, iPhone Games | No Comments

Normally $2.99, the Heavy Mach 2 iPhone game (iTunes link) is now on sale for $0.99. We reviewed the original version of the game, Heavy Mach, last year when we said: “Its basic controls, impressive graphics, and simple but challenging style come together to make it an enjoyable action-filled game.” We also gave it a recommendation.

Heavy Mach 2 is a tank game that features a variety of enemies, a multitude of weapons and lots of missions to keep things interesting. The app has pretty good ratings at the iTunes store, where 40 reviewers give it an average rating of four stars out of five. Users say the game is addictive, with easy-to-use controls and lots of customization when it comes to weapons and settings. So, if you’ve been meaning to check it out, now would be a good time.

Heavy Mach 2 is a $0.99 download at the iTunes store.

Battle Bears 1.5 $0.99 for a Limited Time

Jan 11

Posted by Tanya Menoni in 99-Cent Games, News, iPhone Games | 1 Comment

Battle Bears 1.5 ($0.99, iTunes link), a popular iPhone game that is currently among the top paid apps in the iTunes store, is on sale for a limited time. Normally $1.99, the game is now available for $0.99 to celebrate the launch of version 1.5.1.

Battle Bears 1.5 revolves around Oliver, a teddy bear that is forced to fend off cute bears that want to hug him. The game also includes some zombie bears that are decidedly less cute. Oliver fights off the bears with various weapons, including flame throwers, machine guns, and um… dead unicorn horns. When Oliver “dies,” the app gleefully proclaims he was “hugged to death!” From the app description:

What do black jelly beans, aircraft carriers and unicorns on flying carpets have in common? Battle Bears 1.5! Even more crazy action awaits you as v1.5 takes things to a whole new level of bizarre and ridiculous fun.

Battle Bears stars Oliver, a teddy bear stuck behind enemy lines who must fight off unending waves of Pink Bears wishing to hug him to death. Version 1.5, however, proves deadly hugs might be the least of Oliver’s worries!

The game has received good reviews from iLounge and TouchArcade, and it is also highly rated by users at the iTunes store, where it enjoys a four-star rating. Users describe it as “downright hilarious” and a “must buy.”

Battle Bears 1.5 is a $0.99 download from the iTunes store.

Gameloft Has 7 Excellent iPhone Games for $0.99 Christmas Sale

Dec 17

Posted by Alan in 99-Cent Games, iPhone Bargains, iPhone Games | No Comments

Countdown to Christmas Sale

Developer Gameloft is throwing a Countdown to Christmas sale, offering 7 of their best games for $0.99, now until Christmas. The games on sale are:

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Game Review: Jellycar 2

Nov 22

Posted by Tim Barribeau in 99-Cent Games, iPhone Game Reviews | 1 Comment

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The original Jellycar was a surprise hit from Disney, a physics based racing/platformer that proved immensely popular. Jellycar 2 ($0.99, iTunes link) builds on the formula of its predecessor, with 30 levels and new game modes with a 99-cent price tag.

If you haven’t played Jellycar before, it’s a conceptually simple affair that feels like a tech demo that somehow became an excellent game. You control a bouncy, jelly-like car, and your goal is traverse a obstacle-strewn landscape to reach a flag. You can drive the car either left or right on the screen and pick up power-ups that make you float for a short time or make your tires sticky. If you tap on the car, you briefly change into a much larger version, which is great for traversing large chasms.

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Coming into this game, one thing I didn’t expect was how damn hard it would be. The hand-drawn aesthetic, cute sounds, and music, and the fact that it’s a Disney game made me think it would be a simple but fun diversion. Oh man, was I wrong. This game kicked my ass. Maybe it’s just because I’m not used to it, but the levels seem devilishly hard (even on Easy mode), and one misstep means you’ll have to restart the round to try it again. The precision required is exacting.

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If, like me, you find yourself rapidly devolving into swearing under those sorts of situations, Jellycar 2 has some sweet other modes. Long jump quickly became my favorite, as there’s something timeless about flinging your car as long of a distance as physically possible. Factory mode is a sorting puzzle, completely removed from the normal car game. You can also customize the shape and color of your car, and build your own levels.

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Conclusion:

Blisteringly hard (for me at least), but excellently executed, with plenty of variation. We recommend Jellycar 2 and give it a 7.1 out of 10.

JellyCar 2 ($0.99, iTunes link)

Game Review: Skee-Ball

Nov 18

Posted by Tim Barribeau in 99-Cent Games, Games for Kids, iPhone Game Reviews, iPhone Games | No Comments

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Sometimes simple ideas just work, and Skee-ball is one of those. There’s nothing particularly mind blowing about the game, but it’s straightforward, addictive fun. Skee-ball ($0.99, iTunes link) replicates the thrills of the carnival game so well, the only thing missing is carnies peddling cheap stuffed toys.

The game itself is simple. You flick the ball upwards from the bottom of the screen, and try and get it in the best scoring hole on the board. The speed and direction are controlled by the initial flick, but you can also tilt the phone to give it a bit of spin, and nudge it in the right direction once you’ve let go. You get 9 balls per game, and win tickets based on how much you score. Sometimes, some of the sections will light up, and give you a 2x multiplier for the rest of the round if you can hit them.

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Winning tickets wouldn’t mean much if you couldn’t spend them on something. So you take those hard earned stubs of paper, and yes, you get to spend them on crappy fair prizes. If you find one you really like, you can even taunt your friends with your awesome new acquisition.

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Just to make you feel even more special, there are achievements that unlock as you play. Yes, it’s just there to make you feel good about flinging a ball at a hole mindlessly. Who cares? It’s great fun, addictive, and you can play for as long or short time as you like. Only have two minutes to kill? Just flick one round. Got half an hour to spend waiting somewhere? Time to try and afford the Mona Lisa.

Conclusion

Yes, it’s silly. But, you know what? Who cares. It’s fun, diverting, and only costs 99-cents. We recommend Skee-ball, and give it a 7.0 out of 10.

Konami Games Marked Down To 99-Cents

Nov 17

Posted by Tim Barribeau in 99-Cent Apps, 99-Cent Games, iPhone Bargains, iPhone Games | No Comments

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Konami has just marked down several of their games to that magic $0.99 mark. We’re not sure how long this is going to last for, but starting today some of their previously pretty expensive games will only set you back a buck. On the list are (click to open in iTunes):

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[via Joystiq]

Game Review: Doodle Jump

Oct 22

Posted by Tim Barribeau in 99-Cent Games, Apple iPhone, iPhone Game Reviews | No Comments

doodlejump1When you download Doodle Jump ($0.99, iTunes link), the title comes with the warning “insanely addictive”, and for once the hype is right. This cute, doodly platformer is filled with that wonderful “just one more round” quality that makes you utterly lose track of time.

doodlejump2The controls are some of the most intuitive use of the accelerometer we’ve ever seen. Your character constantly jumps upwards, and you simply tilt the phone one way or the other to control your movement left and right.

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The aim of the game is height, so you as you jump upwards, you maneuver to hit and land on the platforms and thus avoid falling to your death. Of course, along the way you are presented with various obstacles and powerups. Some platforms break as soon as you touch them, others only last for a couple of seconds or move. Enemies either have to be avoided or shot by tapping on the screen. Holes in the graph-paper background suck you in to your doom. To balance things a little, there are powerups, like a jetpack to give you an instant boost or a shield to protect your from enemies for a brief period.

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The addictive nature of the game comes in the form of little marks on the graph paper that show you how high up you got on your previous plays. Seeing as each play only takes a minute or two, you’ll easily find yourself thinking “just one more go”, forgetting how long you’ve been playing. You can link your accomplishments to Facebook or Twitter to share your performance with other gamer. You can also view heights accomplished by users from around the world you can strive for.

Conclusion:

It’s not very often you see a game that combines simple, addictive play, with ease of use, a pleasant aesthetic, and a low price point. Recommended for casual gamers.

Doodle Jump is a 99-cent download from the iTunes App Store.

Game Review: MaxInjury

Oct 18

Posted by Tim Barribeau in 99-Cent Games, App Reviews, Apple iPhone | No Comments

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Bastard offspring of the venerable Stair Dismount, MaxInjury ($0.99, iTunes link) follows the same style as the old physics demo, where you throw a crash test dummy down a staircase, trying to cause as much damage to it along the way as possible.

The game is spread over 12 levels, ranging from simple staircases, to elaborate floating structures, and power-based distance flings. In each one, you control the little crash dummy by dragging him with your finger, with a limited number of movements allowed per level.

Protip: dragging your fingers slowly seems to work better than quickly

Protip: dragging your fingers slowly seems to work better than quickly

A cute little touch is the ability to use saved photos as a face on the dummy, though you might get a funny look or two if you decide to use your significant other.

Spider Jerusalem models the "add a photo" function

Spider Jerusalem models the "add a photo" function

12 levels is a bit on the short side, and you can blow through them all in about 15 minutes. However, the replay and comedic value is very high, and worth the 99¢ fee. The one major annoyance we did have is the exceedingly repetitive cartoony sound effects, which are hilarious for all of 30 seconds, then becomes grating.

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Conclusion:

For $0.99, we give MaxInjury 7.5 out of 10 and a recommended. It’s derivative, and a bit repetitive, but still very, very fun.

MaxInjury is a 99-cent download from the iTunes App Store.

Tap Tap Revenge 3 Now Available

Oct 9

Posted by Tanya Menoni in 99-Cent Games, iPhone Games, iPhone Music Apps | 1 Comment

The next installment in the popular Tap Tap Revenge series, Tap Tap Revenge 3 ($0.99, iTunes link), is now available for download in the iTunes store. Tap Tap Revenge is a highly addictive music game that works much like Guitar Hero or Rock Band. The big news from the latest installment is the ability to make song purchases directly in the app, but there are also other new features including customized avatars, quickplay and game resume.

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We’ve previously reported on some problems with Tap Tap Revenge 2, in which the music and game rhythm go out of sync. We won’t know if that problem has been fixed in this latest version until we can play around with it for awhile.

While you’ll have to pay for Tap Tap Revenge 3, the game still includes more than 130 free songs from artists like Fall Out Boy, Stroke 9 and AFI. The Tap Tap Revenge apps are some of the most popular games on the iTunes store, and that trend is likely to continue with Tap Tap Revenge 3. The game has already hit the top of the paid app list on iTunes.

However, it appears that Tap Tap Revenge 3 may be getting some competition in the near future — Macworld reports that Rock Band will be debuting its own iPhone app at the end of October.

Tap Tap Revenge 3 is a $0.99 download at the iTunes App Store.

Game Review: geoDefense Swarm

Sep 30

Posted by Tim Barribeau in 99-Cent Games, Best iPhone Games, iPhone Games | No Comments

GeoDefense Swarm Game for iPhone and iPod touch

geoDefense swarm ($0.99, iTunes link) is the follow-up to the immensely popular geoDefense game from Critical Thought Games. It’s another entry into the weary genre of tower defense games on the iPhone, but in terms of purity of gameplay, geoDefense Swarm may be the king of the hill at the moment. While it doesn’t quite match Fieldrunners in terms of accessibility, it’s definitely a better game for experienced tower defense lovers looking for a challenge. We highly recommend it, and rate it an 8.3 out of 10.

If you’ve never played a tower defense game, you set up defenses around an area, and then try and survive wave after wave of enemy assaults. In geoDefense, your towers can’t get damaged, so the game’s all about placing them correctly to defend your home base.

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Graphically, geoDefense Swarm references heavily the neo-vector graphics that leapt to popularity with the popular game Geometry Wars. Bright colors on a black background with glowing, space-warping explosions all over the place. In the heat of battle, it can be very difficult to tell what’s going on due to all the flashing lights. For all the chaos, the different towers and enemy types are easy to distinguish, due to unique colors and silhouettes. The interface shows that Critical Thought Games know what they’re doing, as it’s precise and easy to handle.

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The game isn’t without flaws. It has quite a steep learning curve, and learning how various towers and creeps (that’s the bad guys) work isn’t explained very well, you just have to use trial and error. You’re definitely thrown in the deep end with this one and are expected to sink or swim without much instruction. If you are struggling, try picking up the demo to their previous game: geoDefense Lite (iTunes link). It’s free, and has a much more detailed tutorial to get you started (though some features handle differently).

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Part of the varying strategy of geoDefense Swarm is that the traits of the enemies (ie, how much money you earn for destroying them) and the cost of your defensive towers varies from level to level, so strategies from one round must be re-tooled on the next.

Another complaint is the length of the rounds. Fairly soon after starting, you’ll be facing 20 waves of opponents, meaning rounds that can last a significant amount of time. While it will pause and save the game if you have to answer a phone call or when you exit the app, I still think the best iPhone games (and cellphone games, in general) should only require a couple of minutes a level, so you can pick it up and put it down easily.

Conclusion

While not without flaws, it’s incredibly fun, frenetic, and addictive. We’re hooked, and highly recommend this game! We are rating it an 8.3 out of 10, highly recommended.

geoDefense Swarm is a $0.99 download from the iTunes App Store.