James Wright
Freelance Writer, Editor & Social Media Strategist

Tekken Bowl : App Review

Tekken Bowl is a classic. Fair enough it was only an added mini-game as part of the original Tekken Tag Tournament PS2 game, but it was still a classic, up there with the best of them and on par with Chocobo Racing and Galaxian.

For those not familiar with the game here’s a brief recap: It’s a bowling game featuring characters of the hit beat en’ up game Tekken. Honestly, it’s really that simple.

The port translates pretty well to the iPhone using two straightforward power bars to decide both the direction and power of your ball, so you’ll get to grips with the game in no time.Even better, Namco have also introduced a puzzle mode into the game, which only furthers the longevity of the game.

All in all, Tekken Bowl is a must have and considering it’s free there’s really no excuse not to own the game. The only question left asking is when will Namco release a full on Tekken beat em’up to rival Street Fighter.

Developer: NamcoBandai Games Inc
Released: 10 August 2011
Price: Free

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com

Undercroft : App Review

Undercroft may look familiar, it has that sort of ‘I think I use to play that back in 1993’ vibe, but actually it’s a wholly original “old-school” style RPG. The reason it looks sorecognisable, is because it’s basically a bastard child of many great RPG’s from the late 80’s and early 90’s such as Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder and Lands of Lore.

Like the games on which it’s based, you take control of a group of individuals (warriors, mages, priests, etc) who take up arms to complete various quests, battling through dark dungeons, forests and snowy mountains.Yet, even for a game of such complexity (There are numerous buttons an all) the interface is relatively user friendly and you can quickly master it in no time.

What’s more, with at least 20 hours of gameplay you’re hardly going to short of quests to complete. However, the reality is that most users on the iPhone are casual pick up and play gamers, Angry Birds/ Flick Football that sort of stuff, so it’s difficult to imagine anyone except die hard RPG fanatics truly embracing Undercroft.

Some users may think Undercroft is the best thing to come out in a long time, while others may find they don’t have the time or will power to delve into Undercrofts giant storyline.NeverthelessUndercroft is free (a steal in my opinion) so there’s really no reason why people shouldn’t at least give it a go.

Developer: Jagex Ltd
Released: 5th Aug 2011
Price: Free

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com

Thorpe Park : App Review

I never would have thought to download an app before visiting a theme park but nevertheless I gave it a go because I wanted to know if it would help me in and around the park. The result it seems is a resounding no.

The problem is that there’s very little it can do to essentially ‘aid’ you whilst you visit the park. Granted there are sections of the app that are helpful, such as the ability to view queuing times, but the problem is that they’re rarely accurate and you’ll still end up queuing anyway. So what’s the point exactly?

The only real positives to come out of the app are the pictures and videos of the rides, which was great for deciding what to go on whilst driving to the theme park initially.

Overall, the main function of the app is to have a handy map to hand in your pocket, but surely the paper maps distributed at the theme park do that already? It’s not a total waste of space, but it’s very difficult to find a genuine use for it, especially when a paper map doesn’t waste your battery either.

Developer: Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd
Released: 19 March 2011
Price: Free

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com

Video Greeting Card : App Review

I should point out first that I’m not exactly the biggest advocate of cards. I find them a little cheap and pointless, but not in a ‘it’sall a money making scheme’ sort of way, It’s just that I tend to consider them an afterthought when people haven’t made much effort. Handmade cards, now that’s an idea I can get behind.

Anyway, the whole E-Card idea is slightly more appealing idea, at least in the sense that you’re not only doing your bit for the environment but you also get the feeling that people have made a tad more effort creating a personalised video for the recipient.

The Video Greeting Card app allows that functionality on the go, providing numerous card templates – Anniversary, Birthday, Friendship, Sorry, Love – with something for every occasion. What’s more the app is relatively easy to use and has been designed with a pencil sketch kind of look.

So far so good then, but unfortunately the deeper you delve into the app, the sooner you discover that actually it’s a waste of money, because the templates actually look rather cheap. It’s a real shame, but the fact remains that it doesn’t matter how good the app looks, if the e-card you send looks rubbish, what’s the point?

You’re more likely to look not only like an idiot for sending the tacky dancing stick man, but also a little cheap. Additionally, with only 45 seconds allowed for the video you can add, it’s fair to say that you can’t say anything particularly meaningful, which you might actually be able to do if you had a whole page to write on in an actual card.

Plus at £1.49 I wouldn’t recommend the app at all because it’s far too expensive for something that ultimately looks far too cheap and tacky. Granted you could use it over and over again, whereas you might have to keep buying actual cards, but if you actually want to show someone you care, the Video Greeting Card appisn’t the way to go about it.

Developer: Sanjay Pal
Released: 5th Aug 2011
Price: £1.69

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com

Shotlist : App Review

At its heart, the Shotlist app is a unique GTD (Get Things Done) productivity app, dedicated to simplifying and organizing film shoots. It’s quite a good idea especially for budding young filmmakers, or those wishing to film in more of a guerilla/off the cuff style.

The app allows users to store the details, locations and notes in a editable format. Essentially it’s a on the go, editable call sheet. It also allows users to use storyboard frames for each scene, where photos from the camera library can be added. So again essentially storyboarding on the fly.You’ll also notice that the app has been designed to a very high standard (right through the home screen to the various other menu screens), which of course makes for a far more enjoyable user experience. Equally there’s a wealth of features at your fingertips such as the ability to keep cast and crew informed of changes through the use of an added email function in app. What’s more you can also update project files and immediately back up the work to Dropbox™, which is also a very nice touch.

However, when judging this app we really need to consider exactly how this will aid filmmakers. Does it improve filmmaking production? Does it make filmmaking easier and more organised? In my opinion, no it doesn’t.

The app is effectively replacing hand written call sheets and hand drawn story boards, but somehow using the app (which crashed occasionally uploading pictures), it actually felt like a lot more work than simply jotting the information down. You’ve got to fiddle with the menu’s type things up on the tiny iPhone screens – yes it’s available on iPad too but I’d consider that slightly less ‘on the go’ friendly.

What’s more, it’s also difficult to see how the app might be useful as a tool on the go, as I whole heartedly believe that the constant stop start nature of having to use the app, would more than likely hinder the organic process of filmmaking on the fly, rather than principally aiding it. In fact I’d imagine that if someone was filming in a more guerilla style, that they would be far more inclined to just shoot everything they could and then analyse the footage in post.

Obviously, my opinion is only one point of view, others may find this useful and god speed to those who do; but as a film graduate who worked on short films I’d consider that I at least have some weight in my judgment and I know I wouldn’t have wanted me or anyone else to be fiddling around with a iPhone mid-shoot.

Lastly, the real stumbling block is the price, which is an astonishing £13.99. Had the cost been more in the region of £2.99 I’d advise users and in particular film students to take a punt on it. However at £13.99 the app is far to expensive to truly justify buying, especially when it would be replacing traditional (cheaper) methods that have worked so efficiently for years.

Developer: Peter Johnson
Released: 28 July 2011
Price: £13.99

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com

Pixel Face : App Review

Ok so it might be just another photo filter app, and yes there might be numerous apps out there that already do pixilation effects, but there’s something lovably retro and charming about the Pixel Face app.

You just can’t not love the design of the thing, which looks like its been dipped in a barrel of gooey 8 bit sugar and spice. Everything about the bright 80’s colored buttons and the arcade style sounds just put a smile on your face.

Supporting both the cameras is a nice touch, but the ability to send your picture straight to Facebook and twitter is the real feather in the apps cap. However it’s also a little bit of a stumbling block for the following two reasons:

1. The Twitter up loader gives the warning error ‘failed – try again’ – but the app does actually upload the image to the twitter.

2. In order to connect to Facebook you are forced into signing in and tagging through the safari Facebook sign in – which is just a pain.

Still at £0.69, this is great fun even with the very minor fault.In truth, I feel a little guilty about not giving the app 5/5 but should it sort out its publishing kinks to Twitter and Facebook, I’d more than happily change my opinion and recommend it as a five star app!

Developer: Michael Forrest
Released: 17 April 2011
Price: £0.69

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com

I Spy U : App Review

I can’t think of the amount of times I’ve tried to take sneaky pictures on the train or a quick snap of one of my friends in a compromising position, only to look like a total fool apprehensively tilting my phone in there direction.

So the I Spy U app is supposedly meant to fix all of this and admittedly the idea seemed appealing especially with its easy to use interface. However, there’s still one horrendous problem with the whole spying element, which the app can’t account for in that you still have to physically point the thing in someone’s direction like an idiot.

It doesn’t matter whatever way you disguise the app, because the fact remains that you still look odd when you try to covertly take a picture at them. You can’t be discreet because people can see when you’re holding the phone bizarrely or equally when you’re doing something out of the ordinary with your phone.

In fact the more you take this flaw into account, the more ridiculous the whole app seems. For instance, why is there a special maneuver to take the picture or a black screen, when your object is more than likely in front of you anyway? They’re not going to see it. Equally, if the person you are spying on is looking at the front camera (which you can also use btw), they’re still going to see a strange black screen, which will still set off suspicions right away.

In short, you’re better off keeping your £0.69 and continue looking like an idiot with your conventional camera. Sorry we can’t fix the idiot part.

Developer: Ghostwriters
Released: 03 August 2011
Price: £0.69

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com

Jumping Frenzy : App Review

The JumpingFrenzy app is all over the place, quite literally in fact. You’re tasked with maneuvering two stick men from left to right in order to catch an assortment of animals, chairs, boxes and humans as they helplessly leap from the two buildings either side of the screen. The way in which you play is relatively straightforward as well, simply by tilting or tapping the screen to control the trampoline direction. However the apphas one major problem that they really need to fix and if they do they could have themselves a good little earner on their hands.

As it stands, you start with five lives and lose one whenever you fail to catch something. However, whenever a tiger is ‘saved’ it chases you off the screen while other animals or people helplessly fall to their deaths. Easy solution, you don’t catch the lion, but when it falls in the same place as say a human or gorilla then you’re screwed because you either have the option of:

A) Not catching the lion and human and losing a life while the human plummets to his/her death.
B) Catching both and then being chased off the screen while several lives and animals are killed.

It’s not just a catch 22, it’s a infuriating error on the part of the game which makes playing it more frustrating than enjoyable. You just feel like you’re being cheated really.It’s a feature that distinguishes something like Jumping Frenzy and another app like Angry Birds as completely poles apart. Yes Angry Birds may be the market leader, but that fact remains that you can just pick up angry Birds and play it for five minutes. Unfortunately the same can’t be said of Jumping Frenzy (at least in it’s current guise) because it’s far too hectic to get your teeth into, even for two minutes.

Some audiences might be able to see past that flaw, but for the more casual, on the go gamer, it will be nothing more than an irritating addition to what could have been an enjoyable little game.

Developer: Duc Hiep Ngo
Released: Aug 08, 2011
Price: $0.99

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com

Football on the TV : App Review

Football on the TV is a fantastic website and serves no other purpose than well … displaying what football games are on the TV. Simple really. It’s only drawback stemmed from the fact that you still needed to spend time at a computer on the web to access the information and when so many people already get it as a byline on BBC Sport or Sky Sports it seems almost pointless.

But, the app solves all that unnecessary time wasting, by essentially cutting out the middle man (the world wide web) and giving you direct access to everything you needed to know in a neat little package.

Granted it’s features are limited but it certainly does the job. Aside from the obvious in being able to view every game on for any given day you can also favorite teams for quick easy access, view all games for a given channel (some of us can only afford ESPN) and finally a search section to search for matches by team, competition or date. All in all, it’s a bit like the RonsealWoodstain of the app world, in that it does exactly what it says on the tin … or in this case, the app store.

In truth it’s very hard to say a bad thing about the Football on the TV app purely because it does exactly what it has set out to do and it executes it’s mission statement with such precision. However, if we’re being picky we might argue that the developers should definitely not raise their asking price.

Currently the app is selling at £0.69 on the app store but with curtail that it is a limited “Pre-season price drop”, but with that said it’s difficult to see who would be willing to pay anything more, for something that essentially provides a shortcut to free information already available on the web.

Assuming the price of the app is kept low, it will do exceptionally well all year round, but get to greedy with the price and the developers might soon find they’ve scored a bit of an own goal by alienating potential buyers.

Developer: Clear New Media Ltd
Released: 16 December 2010
Price: £0.69

This review was conducted for iPhoneAppCafe.com