Speed with a Catch

A while back, I wrote a post about surface normals in OpenGL ES. Yesterday on Twitter, there was some discussion about using the inverse square root function from Quake 3 to speed up the performance of iPhone OpenGL ES applications. Here is what that method looks like (converted to using GL and iPhone data types):

static inline GLfloat InvSqrt(GLfloat x)
{
    GLfloat xhalf = 0.5f * x;
    int i = *(int*)&x;  // store floating-point bits in integer
    i = 0x5f3759d5 - (i >> 1);      // initial guess for Newton's method
    x = *(GLfloat*)&i;              // convert new bits into float
    x = x*(1.5f - xhalf*x*x);       // One round of Newton's method
    return x;
}

The inverse square root can be used in several ways. Noel Llopis of Snappy Touch pointed out two uses for it on Twitter yesterday: calculating normals and doing spherical UV texture mapping. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the UV Texture Mapping, but I understand normals pretty well at this point, so I though I'd see what kind of performance gains I could get using this old optimization. There's all sorts of arguments around the intertubes about whether this function still gives performance gains, but there's an easy way to find out: use it and measure with Shark.

I used my Wavefront OBJ Loader as a test, and profiled the loading of the most complex of the three objects - the airplane. The first run was using my original code, which stupidly¹ used sqrt(). I then re-ran it using sqrtf(), and then again using the Quake3D InvSqrt() function above.

The results were impressive, and you definitely do get a performance increase from using this decade-old function on the iPhone. Using InvSqrt() gave a 15% decrease in time spent calculating surface normals over using sqrtf() and a 40% decrease over calculating with sqrt(). That's not an amount to be sneezed at, especially in situations where you need to calculate normals on the fly many times a second.

Now, if you remember, this was how we calculated normals using the square root function from Math.h:

static inline GLfloat Vector3DMagnitude(Vector3D vector)
{
    return sqrt((vector.x * vector.x) + (vector.y * vector.y) + (vector.z * vector.z)); 
}
static inline void Vector3DNormalize(Vector3D *vector)
{
    GLfloat vecMag = Vector3DMagnitude(*vector);
    if ( vecMag == 0.0 )
    {
        vector->x = 1.0;
        vector->y = 0.0;
        vector->z = 0.0;
    }
    vector->x /= vecMag;
    vector->y /= vecMag;
    vector->z /= vecMag;
}

So... how can we tweak this to use inverse square root? Well, the inverse square root of a number is simply 1 divided by the square root of that number. In Vector3DNormalize(), we divide each of the components of the vector (x,y,and z) by the magnitude of the vector, which is calculated using square root. Since dividing a value by a number is the same as multiplying by 1 divided by that same number, so, we can just multiply each component by the inverse magnitude instead, like so:

static inline GLfloat Vector3DFastInverseMagnitude(Vector3D vector)
{
    return InvSqrt((vector.x * vector.x) + (vector.y * vector.y) + (vector.z * vector.z));
}
static inline void Vector3DFastNormalize(Vector3D *vector)
{
    GLfloat vecInverseMag = Vector3DFastInverseMagnitude(*vector);
    if (vecInverseMag == 0.0)
    {
        vector->x = 1.0;
        vector->y = 0.0;
        vector->z = 0.0;
    }
    vector->x *= vecInverseMag;
    vector->y *= vecInverseMag;
    vector->z *= vecInverseMag;
}

Sweet, right? If we now use Vector3DFastNormalize() instead of Vector3DNormalize(), and each call will be about 15% faster on current generations of the iPhone and iPod Touch compared to using the built-in square root function.

But… there's a catch. Actually, two catches.

The Catches

The first catch is that this optimization doesn't work faster on all hardware. In fact, on some hardware, it is measurably slower than using sqrtf(). That means you're gambling that future hardware will also benefit from this same optimization. Not a huge deal and very possibly a safe bet, but you should be aware of it, and be prepared to back it out quickly should Apple release a new generation of iPhones and iPod Touches that use a different processor.

The second, and far more important catch is the possible legal ramifications of using this code. You see, Id released Quake3D's source code under the GNU Public License, which is a viral license. If you use source code from a GPL project, you have to open source your entire project under the GPL as well. Now, that's an oversimplification, and there are ways around the GPL, but as a general rule, if you use GPL'd code, you have to make your code GPL also.

But, the waters are a little murky. John Carmack has admitted that he didn't write that function, and doesn't think the other programmers at Id did either. The actual author of the code is unknown. Some of the contributors to the function have been found, but not the original author. That means the code MIGHT be in the public domain. If that's the case, its inclusion in a GPL application doesn't take it out of the public domain.

So, bottom line: is it safe to use? Probably. This function is widely known and widely used and there's been no indication that any possible rights owner has any interest in chasing down every use of this function. Are there any guarantees? Nope.

My recommendation is to use it, but make sure every place you use it, have a backup method that you can fallback on if you need to. If you want some assurance, you could try contacting Id legal and getting a waiver to use that function. I don't know if they'll respond, or if they'll grant it, but the folks at Id have always struck me as good people, so it might be worth an inquiry if you're risk averse.

1 - sqrt() is a double-precision function. Since OpenGL ES doesn't support the GLDouble datatype, which means I was doing the calculation on twice as many bits as needed, and converting back and forth from single to double precision then back again.

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Apple Packaging

My new laptop arrived. As usual, I'm impressed with Apple's machines and with their packaging. I normally wouldn't have bought a new computer for another six months or so, but I've been toying with the idea of getting a new one since the 17" MacBook Pro was announced at Macworld. It's a beautiful machine. I drooled over the few samples they had on the show floor and have had a severe case of technolust since then. The longer battery life is a great feature for me and I've been incredibly impressed with the unibody MacBook I bought for my wife a few months ago. I found out recently that Dave and I had actually earned some royalties in the fourth quarter of 2008. I decided to write the book with Dave with the expectation that we probably would never make more than the advance. The fact that we earned out the advance and sold enough to get additional royalties in the first six weeks it was on sale seemed like a good justification for buying a new machine ahead of my normal schedule. I ordered it Thursday. It left China on Saturday, and it arrived on my doorstep at around 10:00 this morning.

This generation of unibody aluminum computers is nothing short of amazing. They feel solid and well-built like no other laptop I've ever picked up, yet are fairly light and thin. They seem to run considerably cooler then previous generations, the graphics chips are much better (and this machine has two of them!), the screens are ever so much brighter, and the keyboard feels really nice. That last one, I was really unsure about - I didn't think I would like the "chicklet" style keyboard , but I do. Very much so.

Here's the thing that impressed me the most, though.



From left to right, we have the box for the new 17" MacBook Pro, the previous generation 17" MacBook Pro, and the first generation 17" MacBook Pro. This would be even more dramatic if I had bothered to run downstairs to get the 17" PowerBook box I still have in the basement, because it's considerably bigger even then these. Every generation, Apple figures out a way to make the boxes smaller yet still protect the machines during transport. For the record, all of these machines are approximately the same size. There are minor differences in the footprint, but not enough to justify a noticeable difference in packaging.

As you can see from this picture;



There's not much in the way of wasted space. And even the outer box didn't have a lot of extra room - here it is nested in the shipping box:



I don't see that they could save much more room and still ship it safely. Visually, the changes are somewhat subtle, but on closer inspection, they are two completely different machines. Here's a picture of the new machine transferring files from my Time Machine backup. There was a window behind me in this shot and it's a sunny day, so there was a LOT of light on the machine, yet the screen is still bright enough to wash out in the picture.

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WWDC First Time Guide

Simon Wolf suggested via Twitter that I write up some info for first timers to WWDC. There are plenty of people who have been going longer. Heck, I can think of a few people I follow on Twitter who have been going since it was held in San Jose, and at least one who remembers when it was just called the Apple Spring Developers Conference. The event changes from year to year, and the only constants seem to be that the event gets bigger, and the bags get worse.

So, I don't want to pass myself off as an expert here, at least relative to several others I can think of. But I can think of a few pointers that may help first-timers.

1. Do not lose your badge. If you lose it, you are done. You will spend your time crying on the short steps in front of Moscone West while you watch everyone else go in to get edumacated. Sure, you'll still be able to attend the after-hours and unofficial goings-on (except the Thursday night party, which is usually a blast), but you'll miss out on the really important stuff. No amount of begging or pleading will get you a replacement badge, and since they're likely to sell out, no amount of money will get you another one, either. And that would suck. Treat it like gold. When I'm not in Moscone West or somewhere else where I need the badge, I put it in my backpack, clipped to my backpack's keyper (the little hook designed to hold your keys so they don't get lost in the bottom of your bag).


2. Eat your fill. They will feed you two meals a day, you're on your own for dinner. Breakfast starts a half-hour before the first session, and it's probably going to be a continental breakfast - fruit, pastries, juice, coffee, donuts, toast, and those round dinner rolls that Californians think are bagels, but really aren't. If you're diabetic or need to eat gluten-free, you probably want to eat before-hand. Lunch used to be (IIRC) a hot lunch, but last year they were boxed lunches. They were pretty good as far as boxed lunches go, but they were boxed lunches. I know a lot of people choose to go to a nearby restaurant during the lunch break, which is pretty long - at least 90 minutes.


3. Party hard (not that you have a choice). There are lots of official and unofficial events in the evening. There's usually a CocoaHeads meeting at the Apple Store. It fills up crazy fast, so go early if you go. It's usually on Tuesday, and it's usually competing with several other parties, but it starts earlier than most events and finishes early enough for people to go to other parties when it's done. Best bet is to follow as many iPhone and Mac devs on Twitter that you can - the unofficial gatherings happen at various places downtown, often starting with a few "seed crystal" developers stopping for a drink and tweeting their whereabouts. The unofficial, spontaneous gatherings can be really fun and a great opportunity. The parties often start before WWDC - there are usually a few on Sunday, and there have been ones as early as Saturday before. The Harlot at 111 Minna is a common place for parties, as are Jillians in the Metreon, and the Thirsty Bear on Howard. There are other common spots that escape me right now, but as we get closer, there will be lists and calendars devoted to all the events and parties. Some are invite-only, but many are first-come, first-serve. Although there's a lot of drinking going on, these are worth attending even if you don't drink. Great people, great conversations... completely good times.


4. Take good notes. You are going to be drinking knowledge from a firehose there. The information will come at you fast and furious. As an attendee, you will get all the session videos on ADC on iTunes, but it takes months and months before they become available, so the things you need to know now, write down.


5. Labs rule. If you're having a problem, find an appropriate lab. One of the concierges at any of the labs can tell you exactly which teams and/or which Apple employees will be at which labs when. If you're having an audio problem, you can easily stalk the Core Audio team until they beat the information into your skull, for example (that example is from personal experience - those guys are awesome, by the way). It's unstructured, hands-on time with the people who write the frameworks and applications. People start remembering the labs later in the week it seems, but early on, you can often get an engineer all to yourself.


6. Buddy up, divide and conquer There will be at least a few times when you want to be at more than one presentation at the same time. Find someone who's attending one and go to the other (Twitter is a good way to find people), then share your notes.


7. Make sure to sleep on the plane. You won't get many other chances once you get there. Everybody is ragged by Friday, some of us even earlier. Everyone remains surprisingly polite given how sleep-deprived and/or hungover people are.


8. Thanks your hosts. The folks at Apple - the engineers and evangelists who give the presentations and staff the labs, kill themselves for months to make WWDC such a great event. So, do your mother proud and remember your manners. Say thank you when someone helps you, or even if they don't. And if you see one of them at an after hours event, it's quite alright to buy them a beer to say thanks.


9. Remember you're under NDA. This one is hard, especially for me. We see so much exciting amazing stuff that week that it's natural to want to tweet it, blog it, or even tell the guy handing out advertisements for strip joints on the corner all about it. Don't. Everything, from morning to night except the Keynote and the Thursday night party are under NDA.


10. Brown Bag it. Most days there are "brown bag" sessions. These are speakers not from Apple who give entertaining, enlightening, or inspiring talks at lunchtime. Unfortunately, my favorite brown bag session isn't happening this year, which is the presentation by Dr. Michael "Wave" Johnson, head of the Moving Pictures Group at Pixar. Despite that, check the schedule, some of them are bound to be well worth your time.


11. Monday, Monday I don't know what to say about Monday. Last year, people started lining up at midnight the night before. I was still on East coast time, so for grins and giggles (since I was up anyway), I walked over at 4:15 to see if anyone was in line, not expecting to find more than a couple of insane people. I found a several hundred insane people, so I stayed and became an insane person myself. By 6:00am (when the line used to start forming), the line was five-wide and went around the corner. By the time they let us into the building at around 7:00, many of us had to pee awfully bad. They wound us around the first floor, then up the escalators and around the second floor, letting us go a little further every once in a while until we were about a hundred feet from the escalators going up to the third floor.
    
    Personally, I'm not sure I want to get up quite as early this year, but I did get to talk to a lot of very cool people last year while waiting in line, and there is a sense of camaraderie that develops when you do something silly with other people like that. Some people probably want me to suggest what time to get in line. I have no idea. Most people will get into the main room to see the Keynote. There may be some people diverted to an overflow room, but because the number of attendees is relatively low and the Presidio (the keynote room) is so big, it's a tiny percentage who have to go to the overflow rooms (maybe the last 1,000 worst case scenario). On the other hand, you'll actually get a better view in the overflow rooms unless you get there crazy early - you'll get to watch it in real time on huge screens and you'll get to see what's happening better than the people at the back of the Presidio. So, go when you want to. If you want to get up early and go be one of the "crazy ones", cool! If you want to get up later, you'll still get to see the keynote sitting in a comfy room with other geeks. And no, I have no idea if Steve is returning for the keynote


12. Park it once in a while There will be time between sessions, and maybe even one or two slots that have nothing you're interested in. Or, you might find yourself too tired to take in the inner workings of the Shark performance tool. In that case, there are several lounges around where you can crash in a bean bag chair, comfy chair, or moderately-comfy chair. There is wi-fi throughout the building and wired connections and outlets in various spots on all floors. So, find a spot, tweet your location, and zone out for a little while or do some coding. You never know who you might end up talking with. If you move around too much, well, let's just say a moving target is harder to hit than a stationary one.

Have more suggestions for first-timers? Let me know and I'll add them.

Update: Check the comments for more great tips. One in particular I wanted to highlight - make sure you register on Sunday. Registration won't open on Monday until long after most people have gotten in line. Registration is usually open until 4:00pm, so try and get over there to pick up your badge, t-shirt, and bag so you'll be ready whatever time you decide to get in line.

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WWDC Accommodations

Staying downtown in San Francisco is very expensive in the summertime. Bu, if you're going to WWDC, you really want to stay downtown. You do not want to be taking the BART in if you can help it, and you really don't want to be driving and and looking for parking.

With the closest chain hotels — the full service Marriott and the W — averaging around a $400 daily rack rate, and the Courtyard on 2nd (about four blocks away) costing well over $200 a night, it can be hard to find a place to stay that won't knock the hell out of your travel budget.

Here are a couple of hotels not run by Marriott, Hilton, or Starwood chains that are reasonable and seem to be well reviewed. They are both within a few blocks of Moscone West:

The Hotel Palomar is a well-reviewed Kimpton hotel that's very close to Moscone West. The standard room rate is well under $200, and the AAA discount brings it well under $150 (on average, some nights may cost a little more.

The Powell Hotel, run by the Miramir Hospitality Group is right across Market, probably three blocks from Moscone, and has an average nightly rate of $144 during the week of WWDC.

If anyone has any other accommodation recommendations for WWDC, post them in the comments and I will add them here.

Note: I have not stayed at any of these hotels myself (although I have a reservation at the Palomar for this year), so do your due diligence before making a reservation. I cannot personally guarantee you that they will have every feature that you wish or that they will meet a certain level of cleanliness, I'm just trying to provide some more reasonable alternatives to the big chains within walking distance to Moscone. My personal experience on this matter is very limited; in the past, I have always stayed at the Courtyard on 2nd or the Marriott on 4th because I always had elite status with Marriott from all the travel I used to do, so I was able to stay on points.

Update 1: According to Julio Barros, Expedia had good prices on the Westin and the W last week (I just checked the Westin, and they had it for $174 a night) so it's worth checking them out.

Update 2 Brian Gorby says the Hotel Triton on Grant Ave. is "clean, comfy, and friendly", though you're looking at about an eight-block walk. Not a killer, but enough to discourage you from going back to your hotel during the day. Though, that may be a good thing.

Update 3 Bill says the Intercontintental on Howard runs about $180-$210 and is only a block or two from Moscone and Toby Joe says he's staying at the Clift hotel at 495 Geary (about 6 blocks away) for about $200.

Update 4 Mike Taylor pointed out via Twitter that the Villa Florence was renovated last year and he was able to get a room for only $119.

No more updates - comments are growing too fast - just read the comments are loaded with good suggestions. Maybe I'll consolidate all the suggestions after they've slowed down.

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Wavefront OBJ Loader Open Sourced to Google Code

I have made a minor update to the Wavefront OBJ Loader and released it on Google Code. You can find its new homepage right here.

The UV texture mapping is still wonky - I haven't had time to look at that. After profiling, I realized I could save quite a bit of time by using sqrtf() instead of sqrt(), since OpenGL ES doesn't support GLDouble, there was no point in using the higher precision square root function.

I also implemented, based on some tweets by Noel Llopis of Snappy Touch fame, a faster normalization function that utilizes the fast inverse square root optimization. This is an optional optimization based on a pre-compiler define.

I really don't have any immediate plans to do much with this, but if anyone wants to work on it, I'm happy to add you as a project member. If you're interested in loading 3D objects, there's a fair amount of useful code in this project you can borrow and learn from, but there's also plenty of room for further optimizations if you feel like trying out Shark.

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Apple Store LA Book Sighting

Here's a picture sent to Dave by Dave Wooldridge of Electric Butterfly. It's our book on the shelves of the Apple Store in Los Angeles at The Grove.



Someday, I hope to see one of these in person. If not before June, I should be able to see it on the shelves of the Apple Store in San Francisco during the week of WWDC.

Unfortunately, the closest Apple Store to my home is an hour away, and it's not one of the top fifty stores carrying the book now.

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iDracula - Undead Awakening

iTunes Link

iDracula - Undead Awakening is a shooter game by Chillingo Ltd. $2.99

This game by the creators of Orions: Legend of Wizards is one of my most played games. The great pick-up and play nature of this game provides fun for all people. This shooter game is fast paced super addictive. The great way the game is played means that you aren't button mashing a shoot button, just continuously giving your fingers a workout. The latest version of the game has provided alot more to do, with two new game modes, bumping it up to four, and the option to choose out of three landscapes with slightly different enemies instead of one. All of these updates provide a heap more to do, and justifies why the price went from $0.99 to $2.99. There are no difficulty levels in iDracula, but each of the game modes start with easy characters but they get stronger and faster as you progress, but to counteract that so do your weapons. This game stands out from the rest with the way the controls work and how well it looks I believe, but the gameplay is something that must be experienced.

This game is super detailed, which is nothing short of what I expected from MoreGames. Everything from the unique monsters, the different landscapes and your character is built to perfection. All of the different monsters look original and detailed in their movement. The landscapes have alot of different items and places in them and looks just amazing. This game is super polished with there never being any frame rate issues, even when there are alot going on in the screen in the later stages of the game. There are eight different weapons which all have unique properties such as reload speed, damage and look. The controls in this game are well thought out, and are a welcome change from the old d-pad. There are two circular buttons on each side of the screen down the bottom of the screen. They are both used in a circular motion and wherever the arrow is pointing while your finger is still on it is the way you will walk/shoot. This sounds like you won't be doing much, but both of the buttons will keep your fingers moving alot as it is needed to survive. The left button is used to run around avoiding the monsters while the right button is used to shoot your weapon. In the middle of these are the different weapons, which can be changed by swiping left or right. This is a big let-down as it is really hard to change them while keeping your focus on the game. I would like to see a tap left or right to change the weapons instead, or an improvement on the swiping action.

The soundtrack in the game fits the type of game perfectly. The music soundtrack just replays itself over and over with the edgy, fast paced beat. The rock music is a great way to kill enemies I must admit, and I really enjoy listening to it. The weapons all have their unique sound effect and when you are attacked by the monsters they also make a noise.

I will explain the four game modes. Survival mode is the main mode which I play. This mode starts you off with a simple gun and a few slow and week monsters coming towards you. As you last longer they increase in speed and strength but so do your weapons. Every three levels, which happen with the game still playing, a dracula appears and you must kill him to collect an omen while monsters are still attacking you. Every now and then you can get a perk that increases your health, gives you special powers or more points in some circumstances. You keep playing until you are killed. Super Survival mode works on the same principal as Survival with a few tweaks. Basically there are a few original perks and dropped items that you can find in Super Survival, otherwise it is the same. Rush is the mode you would play if you want to finish the game in only a minute or two. I don't believe that you can earn any omens from Rush, but I haven't lasted long enough to find out. The basic principal is that you get to choose out of 3 weapons to fight with, and the one you choose has unlimited ammo. The very first monster from Survival comes at you faster and in greater numbers non-stop until you die. There are no health potions or anything in this mode. Wave Attack is as close as you can get to a story mode in iDracula. There enemies come in waves and you must kill them all before having a break between levels where a mystical guy will sell you what is usually dropped by the monsters. The monsters drop money instead so you can choose what to buy.

Each of these game modes provide alot of fun, and I have played all four of them countless times. I can't believe how good everything is in this game, with no room for errors. A few glitches were in version 1, which I found out and they have gladly been fixed by MoreGames. iDracula has huge replayability just from its sheer addictiveness. I would like to see an online leaderboard as well, and maybe on the leaderboard have an Omen count to see who the real Dracula hunters are. This game is perfection for its price, I would happily pay a more premium price like $4.99 for this game, but people wouldn't give it the treatment it deserves. For $2.99 it is a steal, and hopefully more updates can come to supply everyone with their dose of iDracula.

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

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Orions: Legend of Wizards

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews and some ideas to improve the reviews will be appreciated! Stay tuned, after I have returned from camping there will be a Namco Triple Dose with Inspector Gadget, Tamagotchi and Time Crisis Strike

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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Hero of Sparta

This is my first review that I did specifically for a different site, TheAppEra, so I thought I would share it with you who didn't see it. These reviews won't generally be put on this site as well

I don’t think there are too many of these button smashing and mashing games on the app store, but this one definitely comes out trumps in my eyes. The amount of detail and great storyline provides a great experience.



Hero of Sparta ($5.99)

Fun gameplay, stunning Spartan lands, easy controls and the three difficulty levels makes it hard to resist yelling, “THIS . . . IS . . . SPARTAAA!” when killing some of the many enemies in this game.

Unlike the other two Gameloft games reviewed this past week, Hero of Sparta has been out since 2008 and many people should have had the chance to play the game. The great storyline means there is a reason for everything that happens in the game, and provides a lot more entertainment than walking around killing random creatures.

Forums: Hero of Sparta

Design

I wasn’t expecting this game to have much to actually do. I was thinking maybe 2 or 3 levels and then harder difficulties but was very surprised. There are eight chapters to play through in order of the story, with an average of 20 minutes to complete each chapter on each. So there is over 9 hours in total if you wish to finish each difficulty level.



Your surroundings are highly detailed and the graphics of this 3D environment are beyond superb. Each chapter has its own soundtrack to hack your way through as well as realistic sounds of fighting, jumping and everything else. Many in-game cut scenes take place and use the in-game scenery for them since it is so good. Over the whole game I only found frame-rate to be an issue once and it generally ran very smoothly for such a busy game.

Controls

There isn't much that is needed to know in order to play Hero of Sparta as the controls are fairly self-explanatory. The first level is really an in-game tutorial that gives clear instructions of what to do with each of the buttons.



As you can see above the instructions are fairly simple but clearly show what is needed to do. I believe there were about four of these instructions during the first level. These instructions however didn't appear when needed all the time. For example when you were randomly walking along the fighting button was explained, not as monsters were appearing.



The green button on the right of the screen is dragged around to run, which makes it a lot easier than trying to tilt the device. On the right side of the screen there are two buttons which are generally used during fights. The top right button is used to attack with one of your five weapons that you find along the way and can be mashed repeatedly as it generally is. The lower left button is used as a defensive button to block attacks, but I never used it for that purpose. When dragging the button to a North East direction you can trigger your current weapons special attack which can be used on either enemies or walls blocking your path. In the upper right of the screen is a button that can be used to change your weapon.



Two buttons sometimes appear above the attack button. One of these is a green arrow that when pressed allows you to jump up to a higher ledge. The other button is a blue one that lets you focus kill one of the bigger enemies when they have been hit enough times. When this is triggered skull buttons come up on the screen and they must be pressed to kill the enemies and get extra orbs than a normal kill.



Gameplay

There is only one game mode in the game but it comes in three difficulty levels easy, normal and heroic. Heroic mode is locked until you complete easy or normal and all weapons you have from your previous game are brought with you into Heroic to make it a little bit easier.



After selecting the mode you are taken to the start of the game with one of the many awesome in-game scenes.

I will talk about Level 2 onwards here. Each level provides you with something to complete in order to finish the level. Sometimes it may be to defeat a certain creature at the end of the challenging puzzles that are incorporated in the game or to destroy a certain building. Whatever is needed to be completed is stated by the Fairy that follows you through the depths of the Underworld in another great in-game scene.



Whatever is needed to be completed, it generally ends with you earning a new weapon or piece of clothing that adds to your skills. The weapons can be upgraded with the red orbs that you get from killing the enemies.

Conclusion

Hero of Sparta is a superb game that I would recommend to any fans of these type of games. The one concern for me with a short playing time was thrown out the window the minute I played it. Amazing graphics, great sound effects, super fun gameplay and the perfect layout provides you with a top notch effort.

The only downside is once completing the game there is generally not a lot to do so I would like to see maybe a HoS 2 or downloadable stories that could be of the same length when the iPhone OS 3.0 comes out in June.

If you haven't bought this game already after reading the review do it straight away otherwise this huge dog will eat you!

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Tweetie

iTunes Link

Tweetie is a Twitter Client app by Atebits. $2.99

As many of you may know I use Twitter quite alot and finding a decent Twitter app for the iDevice has been hard. I have had my fair share of apps such as Twitterific and Twitterfon, but Tweetie easy is a full bodylength in front of the rest. Tweetie completes its purpose of being a Twitter client extremely well, just looking at the different features on iTunes completes a list of 23. There are some things on Tweetie that you can't even do without alot of effort and knowledge on Twitter. Some notable features of Tweetie is the 255 character Direct Message limit compared to Twitter's 140, the ability to use TwitPic and other services to post pictures, the ability to use TwitLonger and other services to post longer tweets, the ability to handle multiple Twitter accounts at once, the ability to search for nearby Twitter users and many many more. As well as these special features, the basic functions are delivered in a simple to use manner. This is obviously surpassed what is needed for the app, and being the only Twitter app in the top 50 is reason enough to buy it.

This game is designed to work to perfection on the iDevice. There is alot going on many buttons that are used in the app, and they are all big enough to be used with ease. There are different themes which can be used while using Tweetie. One of these is the bubble theme, that shows the users name under the profile picture with a speech bubble coming from them. This theme is generally easier to read and to determine who has tweeted what. I personally don't use this as I get many tweets from the people I am following a day, so I use the normal or 'dark' theme. These are the same except the dark theme is obviously darker. They still show the name and profile picture but the tweets are all joined together and are more compact. I find this easier for what I do, but they are both there to use. Reposting tweets from people and mailing the links or posts through email is all easy enough to get to. The main functions are all easy enough to use such as posting tweets and sending direct messages. Easy codes can be used for short-cuts in certain functions such as posting a tweet as 'D iPhone_Reviews' and it will send a Direct Message to iPhone_Reviews. Super easy design and first time Tweeters will be able to use it.

As you can probably tell I really enjoy using this app. A majority of my iDevice users that use Twitter use Tweetie, which shows how popular it is. This app has been super smooth for me, with the only problems occurring when there has actually been an outage on Twitter itself. Once using Tweetie, I have never gone back to my other Twitter clients. If you are a user of Twitter I would recommend buying this app instead of getting a free Twitter client, as the amount of options on Tweetie really sells it to me. For those who have never ever had a Twitter account or even know what Twitter is, it is the biggest social networking site that lets you send straight to the point messages. For first time users I would recommend getting a free app until you get the hang of Twitter and decide if you want to keep using Twitter before buying this. There is nothing that compares to Tweetie, Buy it now.

Purpose- 9.5/10
Design- 9.5/10
Our Opinion- 10/10
Overall- 9.5/10

I would recommend this app if you enjoyed- Twitterific

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews and some ideas to improve the reviews will be appreciated! Stay tuned, Tomorrow is- Mini Touch Golf

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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GDC Coverage: Electronic Arts

This week will be having various posts about new or exciting previews and games that are announced at the GDC.

Today we are featuring Electronic Arts Mobile who have announced 16 amazing iPhone games for 2009 as well as a new feature for one of their previously owned games.

The list of announced games by Electronic Arts are:
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR
The Sims 3
FIFA
NBA Live
Madden NFL Football
Spore Creatures
SSX
Mystery Mania
Wolfenstein RPG
American Idol
Connect 4
Battleship
Need for Speed
RISK
Monopoly Classic
Clue

The other big news by Electronic Arts is about their already released game Scrabble and Facebook. Here is the official press release:

EA SCRABBLE NOW AVAILABLE ON iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH WITH FACEBOOK CONNECT

Play EA Mobile’s SCRABBLE Anytime, Anywhere with New Seamless Integration Between Facebook Connect, iPhone and iPod touch

LOS ANGELES, Calif., – March 24, 2009– EA Mobile™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), today announced that SCRABBLE on Apple’s App Store now supports Facebook® Connect. The new edition of SCRABBLE connects the Facebook SCRABBLE application to a SCRABBLE game on iPhone™ and iPod® touch – or vice versa – allowing fans in the U.S. and Canada to have access to their favorite Hasbro-branded crossword puzzle game any time, any place.

“We’re excited to be one of the first companies to bring this popular game to two of the most prolific platforms in recent years, the iPhone and Facebook,” said Travis Boatman, Vice President of Worldwide Studios, EA Mobile. “With this new innovation, we’re giving players the opportunity to engage in SCRABBLE games from an iPhone, iPod touch or Facebook seamlessly, whether at home, during work or on the road.”

This connected version of SCRABBLE provides an intuitive interface that allows head-to-head challenges with family, friends or anyone accessing the game on Facebook, an iPhone or iPod touch. Start on Facebook and switch to iPhone or iPod touch to keep playing on the go. Connect with a Facebook friend from an iPhone or iPod touch or join a public game on Facebook. With easy tracking of scores and statistics, players always know where they rank against competitors. While playing SCRABBLE, gamers can enjoy built-in chat so they can converse with opponents and friends throughout the game. Players can also get help from in-game dictionaries.

“The ‘pick up and go’ integration between Facebook, iPhone and iPod touch allows SCRABBLE fans to truly stay connected to the game they love to play,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Gaming and Media at Hasbro. “It is a great example of how technology is opening new and exciting channels of gameplay for one of the most popular board games in North America.”

SCRABBLE is available on Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore, and on Facebook for users in the U.S. and Canada, or by simply visiting www.eamobile.com. Customers who currently own SCRABBLE for the iPhone and iPod touch can download the update for free on their device. For information on pricing for all EA Mobile games, please visit www.eamobile.com.

- We are going to be reviewing Scrabble very soon so keep an eye out to see what we think about this great new update.

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Preview: Marble Blast Mobile

GarageGames/iTorque Technology Presents:

Marble Blast Mobile

Marble Blast Mobile transports your iPhone and iPod touch to a futuristic astrolab arena suspended high in the clouds. Race your marble through moving platforms and dangerous hazards, while collecting rare gems and power-up enhancements, in an effort to complete each course in record time. Play alone or compete head to head in a multiplayer mode race for the gems.


Key Features
• Marble Blast gameplay on iPhone & iPod Touch devices
• 20 single-player levels to complete with and 10 multiplayer levels
• Play multiplayer against 4-8 friends in head-to-head matches
• Record best times and try for the gold medal for each level
• Use power-ups to enhance the abilities of your marble
• Select from 15 marble designs to use in-game

Product Specifications
Publisher: GarageGames
Ship Date: TBD
Price: ?
Platform: iPhone/iPod touch
Genre: Action/Puzzle

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Sway

iTunes Link

Sway is a puzzle game by Illusion Labs. $4.99

From the developers who brought us Touchgrind, we have again another excellent and original creation. Just recently there have been a few apps like this that are pushing what the iDevice can do as a gaming system. This game has the same basic principal as Touchgrind, with the controls being easy to understand, but hours to master and this is the case with Sway. Recently the game was updated to version 1.1 which provided players with 10 more levels and 3 more characters to play with. This bumps the total up to 25 levels and 10 characters to play with. This was a welcome sign as many people complained the game was too short for its $4.99 price tag, but now it is not the case. I have spent many hours on this addicting puzzle game, and still haven't mastered the way of the Sway.

This game is graphically beautiful. I have to commend them on the detail and design of the different characters. There is no way to describe how real they look. The different levels designs also have this feel to them and really look 3D. This is a top notch effort that really shows how well a game can look when enough work has gone into it. Absolutely love the graphics to bits. The controls in this game as said before are one of a kind. They surprised me a bit how they work, but after thinking about it for a bit I decided it was better than my method. Basically the way it works is that you must touch and hold on the right side of the screen to hang onto your surroundings with your right hand, and the same for the left. Then to move yourself you must swing yourself with the same finger on the screen by moving your finger in the desired direction(s) depending on how far you want to go. To start off with I tried tilting my device but that didn't work. An uncontrollable method of moving is to move your finger is a circular motion and just let go and hope.

This game has two great soundtracks that is uses. One of these is used on the menu screens and has a great beat and tempo to it. Another soundtrack is used for all the levels and is also great to listen to. I was disappointed however that the same soundtrack was used for all of the different areas such as the desert and the jungle. Some sound effects are used such as a scream when falling and are funny to listen to. All round a good performance.

This game obviously has a very unique gameplay. The storyline behind the game is that the wizard accidently blew up the world of Sway and your friends were scattered all over the world. You must help Lizzie rescue all your friends and when you do they can be used to Sway also. Each level terrain, such as the desert or jungle, starts off with a really easy level but gradually gets harder as you progress. The aim of each level is to complete it in a certain time and collect so many stars to get a rank of Gold, Silver, Bronze or a lollipop. There is no punishment for not completing it in a certain time as you still progress, but it provides a great incentive to replay levels. For levels where you must save friends you have to Sway around and also find three keys that when found and the level finished, unlocks that certain character. This game is very fun and the challenge provided for those who want to take up the challenge is great, but for those learning the ropes of Swaying they can just complete the game and feel the success of unlocking all the characters. The gameplay has been well thought out to keep it to one difficulty level and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sway is amazingly addicting game that is near perfect on all levels. The game has a huge replay factor as on my first time finishing the game I only got gold on two of the 25 levels, so I feel the need to master other levels. The only small thing I would like to see fixed is that if you spin around in a circle really quickly before letting go, you can actually fly through walls and in my eyes is an annoying glitch, especially when I wish to be stopped by the wall. Addicting gameplay, gorgeous graphics and a super soundtrack will keep you Swaying for hours. This isn't one to miss out on.

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

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Rasta Monkey

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews and some ideas to improve the reviews will be appreciated! Stay tuned, Tomorrow is- iDracula

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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Sneezies Easter Edition

Sneezies Easter Edition's review is just the Sneezies review we did back in January but we have added some information and edited parts that have changed between versions. The game is basically the same so there is no real need to re-write the review. By looking at the length of the review you can tell how far I have come in how I write the reviews!



iTunes Link

Sneezies Easter Edition is a popping game by Chillingo Ltd. $0.99

Sneezies Easter Edition is a cheap, fun game which can be played for a few minutes or a few hours. It is a special version of the original game, Sneezies, that has had a character and graphics makeover for the Easter theme. Never have I played a game where I am shouting at my iDevice because the cute ball of fluff won't sneeze! The aim of the game is to pop so many sneezies each level to advance, this is surprisingly hard and very addictive. The two different game modes, Classic and Challenge, have been slightly edited for this version to be slightly shorter so they can actually be completed. Classic now only has 24 levels and the Challenge mode has 8 levels.

The graphics in this game are very detailed, while being cute at the same time. The game is bright and colorful with its detailed backgrounds and cute Sneezies. It is very polished and is very smooth when lots of Sneezies are popping at once. It is very good for a game of this price. The controls in this game are so easy to use. To let off your sneezing dust you just tap where you want on the screen to set it off. Nothing else is needed in the game, keeping it as simple as possible!

I absolutely adore the sound of this game. The relaxing background music is enjoyable to listen to and the giggling I get out of hearing the Sneezing sneeze is priceless. It is great to play with the sound turned on.

The game as said before is quite simple. In classic mode you have one sneeze that you must use to pop so many Sneezies to advance to the next level. Once you touch anywhere on the screen, sneeze dust is released and any Sneezie that comes in contact with the dust also sneezes and starts a chain reaction. As you get further into the game is becomes gradually harder with more sneezies required to be popped to advance. In challenge mode you have five sneezes available to use to pop a certain number of Sneezies. As you pop them more come in their place before you sneeze again. If you pop over 75% of Sneezies on the screen in one sneeze, you get another turn. Both modes are fun to play and both very challenging.

This game has a huge replay factor. Certain levels will have you restarting it countless times to get past the level. A very fun, yet challenging game. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys puzzle games, a great buy.

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

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Sneezies

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews and some ideas to improve the reviews will be appreciated! Stay tuned, Tomorrow is- Sway

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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iPingPong 3D

iTunes Link

iPingPong 3D is a Table Tennis game by Chillingo Ltd. $0.99

iPingPong is the only Table Tennis game I have played on the iDevice, and by looking at the pictures on Table Tennis Star and Zen Table Tennis is the best in the way of camera angle for gameplay. For a start it is the only one that lets you play friends over a local WiFi, which I haven't had the chance to do. There are also many different game modes to play with such as Practice, Quick Match, Tournament and Multiplayer. There are 5 difficulty levels to play against in the Quick Match and these levels are used in the tournament mode. This game is a heap of fun and really surprised me how much I would play the game, as it is very challenging for all skill levels.

The graphics are fairly basic but there isn't much needed for a Table Tennis game. Don't be deceived by the first image on the iTunes page as that is not what the game looks like. If it did I believe it would be a lot better but instead picture five shows the actual game. It's not as good with the images not being as smooth as they could be, but the camera angle is actually alot better. The frame rate is very high and the game always runs smoothly. The controls are just like Table Tennis games on the computer, with your finger being a substitute to the mouse. You must drag you finger around the screen and that controls where the paddle moves to. Hitting the ball in different ways will put effects on it like a smash or a cut.

The game itself has no music in it but there is a soundtrack on the menu. It is actually quite enjoyable to listen to and is some of the more modern music I have heard in a game, meaning it has the punk rock sound to it. In the game there are sound effects for when you hit the ball. A few people cheer when you win a point, boo when you lose a point and a crowd cheers when the win a set or the match. For those who don't like the sound you can turn it off and use the music on your iDevice.

The game is very fun to play around with. Practice mode involves no scoring and just perfecting your skills before actually playing a friend or the computer. Quick match gives you a lot of options to suit how you want to play. The difficulty level of your opponent can be chosen as well as the length of the match, either 1, 3 or 5 sets. This mode is for those who want to get practice before playing their next opponent in the Tournament. Tournament mode involves you climbing the charts against 15 other oddly named players. As you increase your rank so does the difficulty of your opponents. The tournament can be stopped at anytime and you keep your rank, and losing the match doesn't make you lose your ranking. I generally only play the Tournament mode, and am currently trying to beat the #5. Finally multiplayer mode lets you play a one on one match against someone who is on the same local wifi as you. I would like to see a step up from this with matches over the internet, so globally.

This game is very fun with its slick gameplay and many modes. iPingPong challenges the most skilled players and has many hours of fun packed inside the cheap price of $0.99. I would like to see the option to have more arenas or places that you can have the match set, but for now it is good. iPingPong is a great sport game for every type of gamer, as I have had no past experience with Table Tennis in real life and thoroughly enjoyed playing it. This is the cheapest game of its type on the App Store, and by looking at the other two it is quite easily the best. I suggest playing this in short bursts as a pick up and play game as it can get a bit repetitive, but that is your choice. All round a good game.

Gameplay- 9/10
Graphics- 7.5/10
Sound- 8/10
Overall- 8/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Table Tennis Star

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

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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The Creeps

iTunes Link

The Creeps is a tower defense game by Super Squawk Software. $0.99

I am a big fan of Tower Defense games but only if they have alot of variety. The reason why I love Fieldrunners is because of its limitless possibilities when building your maps the way you want to. This game has the original path implemented into the game and you choose what to shoot with gameplay. What sets this apart from most of the tower defense games on the App Store however is the amount of variety in the game from the number of maps to the different guns and how they are put into the game. Each of the 16 unique paths that are on two different locations have only certain weapons that can be used. In total there are 8 towers that can be placed on the map. 4 towers are normal towers with special abilities such as goo or lightning that have three upgrades for them each. The other four towers are super towers which use the accelerometer for their attacks. These super towers generally are pre-placed on the map and can't be bought, apart from on the last level. There is a normal mode and an endless mode on all maps. The normal mode lets you try to last so many rounds before winning and letting the next level become unlocked.

This game is a great example of how good cartoon version games look. This game is highly detailed with its nice dark, yet somehow light hearted graphics. There are no flaws in the game and is very professionally done. For a game that is only $0.99 it looks just beautiful. The controls in this game are very simple but can sometimes get frustrating. To buy or sell a tower you tap in the desired spot and choose which one to buy or choose to upgrade/sell the tower. If you accidentally click the wrong spot you can't remove it without losing money, but 98% of the time this won't happen. To target an enemy or object on the map to shoot at you just touch it and a red arrow will pop up above it so you know what is being targeted. The super towers all use the accelerometer and the iDevice has to be tilted every way to make the towers special effects work.

This game has no in-game music, yet has its own sound effects. Truth be told they aren't much, just the sound of the weapons shooting and the enemies dieing. I prefer with this game to play with the sound off and jam to my own tracks while killing all the zombies and other things that go bump in the night.

The gameplay of this game is simple enough. You must buy towers with money to kill all the enemies and not lose all your health, which is next to the little boy in bed. The money is earned by killing the enemies and for an original concept of destroying all the surrounding environment such as trees and rocks. This is a great concept and involves even more strategy if you are trying to get as much money as possible. The game basically runs itself, and you only control the movement of the super towers and when to place towers. The game is alot of fun and the amount of maps to complete will provide you with alot of entertainment. There isn't much to actually say about how the game works as it is your simple Tower Defense game.

This super addictive fun game should be on everyones iDevice. For only $0.99 this has so much gameplay in it with more to come, usually at a higher price like $2.99 I would still rank this game very highly. There is a heap of replay value in this game as the endless modes on each level provide more fun once you have mastered the normal mode and unlocked all the levels. Any fan of Tower Defense games like 7 Cities, Tap Defense and Fieldrunners should have this or at least test out the lite version to see how fun it is.

Gameplay- 8.5/10
Graphics- 9/10
Sound- 6.5/10
Overall- 8.5/10

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- 7 Cities

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

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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Baseball Superstars

iTunes Link

Baseball Superstars is a baseball game by Gamevil. $4.99

Baseball Superstars is the first baseball game on the iDevice that has caught my attention. Apart from the SGN free game, iBaseball, there was really nothing any good in the baseball sector. This game still doesn't give the real MLB feel but is a very good cartoon version of the game. With Flick Baseball coming for probably $0.99 I am sure you are wondering why you shouldn't just wait for that? Well basically this game has weeks on end of playing to get through the finish it all as well as its very addicting gameplay. This game has 10 competitive teams to play with, 4 unique stadiums to play on, 5 different game modes to master, 3 difficulty levels for your own level of skill and 12 hidden players to choose from! This last one is the hardest to complete as I will talk about later. As you can see from all the variation in the game you will be playing with it for a long time, I have had it for over 50 days and am still playing it daily.

This game screams out mobile port, which it exactly is. Knowing that it was ported means I'm not going to be as harsh as I would be with this game. The graphics are certainly cute and are good for the cartoon baseball feel, but they are a bit pixelatted. I would have like to seen a bit more of a change between the mobile and iDevice version but they are still nice to look at. Flick Baseball looks like it will be a 3D baseball game while this is a 2D game. The game uses nothing apart from an onscreen controller that is designed specifically for Baseball Superstars. They are out of the way of the gameplay and are easy to use. On the left of the screen there is a d-pad for the menu (which should just be a touch screen job) and for moving your player or ball when batting and pitching. On the right side there is a large button for hitting and ball, a button for cancelling a run, a button for bunting the ball and a button for running another base if the player has stopped/ special powers hit. These don't take long to get the hang of and are really needed for a game like this.

This game has alot of sound effects and in-game music to listen to, but I didn't really enjoy it. While they put alot of work into everything, there is a few parts which I disliked. First of all everytime you even touched the screen a very annoying beeping noise was made and this really turned me off the sound. The game definitely came from developers in Japan, as the music sounds like it could easily fit into one of the anime shows over there. I could stand listening to it if the loud beeping noise was removed.

This game has a heap to play around with. There is a single game mode where you choose your team and your opposition and play 9 innings or more if need be. This mode is you only one where you bat for every player and also pitch the whole time. Great practice for beginners. There is a season mode where you choose your team and play through a season of 36 games to try and win the championship. I don't really know why this is an option as the Career mode is far better and plays on the same principal. Career mode is where you will mostly be playing. You create a character and play through his whole career starting out as a lowly skilled batter or pitcher, you can't be both, and work you way through up to 16 seasons. You get to buy new equipment for your player that improves his stats as well as train him and go to events like dates and interviews to get more money and popularity. This is alot of fun and is really the only mode I have given much play time with. You can have one batter and one pitcher in career mode at one time, but I mostly play with my batter as it is quick and easy to play matches. The next mode is a home-run mode where you have nine balls to get as many home runs as possible, and extras if you get combos of more than one home run in a row. This mode is really only to get G-Points to get special upgrades for your career player and to unlock special characters. The last mode is mission mode where you complete Batting and Pitching missions to again earn G-Points for your player.

This is a super fun game, and is easily a home run above all its other competitors. I really enjoyed playing this game as it is quick and easy to play just one match, but it will hook you there for a whole season or two. For those a bit skeptical about the game there is a lite version to try, but I would go straight for the full version at $4.99, it is worth it!

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

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Flick Baseball (To be released)

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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5 Fingers Games Bundle

This is a special press release from Majic Jungle, the publisher of the 5 Fingers Games Bundle as well as our comment on it below-

The 5 Fingers Games Bundle for iPhone - It's a steal

Five Independent developers unleash a pioneering new concept for iPhone gaming. The 5 Fingers Games Bundle takes five of the most popular, and best selling iPhone games, and combines them into one great package.

This is the first games bundle for the iPhone, but the real story here is the way in which it came about. In an increasingly competitive market, five different development teams have taken a break from fighting for a spot in the App Store Top 100 to create something wonderful. Independently connected through a shared admiration and enthusiasm for each other's work, they have joined forces and worked together to deliver a bundle brimming with quality.

Often for a games bundle, a publisher pulls together one or two good titles and pads them out with some weaker games, but this the best selling game from each of five developers. There's a game for everyone in the 5 Fingers Games Bundle. Each one is a gem in it's own right, with production values, quality, and heart.

Chopper - Previously a #1 game on the App Store
Up There - The most emotive game on the store
Sneezies - An adorable puzzle game for all ages
BurnBall - Addicting and high energy arcade action
BlackBeards Assault - Puzzle adventure on the High Seas

Together these games have a value of over $10.00, with each being at least $1.99. The bundle is available for just $4.99, a discount of 50% or more off each game!

The bundle includes only the latest full versions of each game. They are all neatly wrapped up in a single application, a simple launch pad is presented on startup, and it's quick and easy to jump into any of the five games. So as an added bonus for the hardcore iPhone gamer who has hit that 148 apps limit, the bundle only takes up one precious slot on the iPhone dashboard.

The participating developers are: Majic Jungle Software - Chopper, Veiled Games - Up There, Antair Games - Sneezies, IMS - BurnBall, and Warhorse Games - Blackbeard's Assault. The 5 Fingers Games Bundle is published by Majic Jungle Software.

5 Fingers Games Bundle on iTunes

5 Fingers Games Bundle website

Game websites:
Chopper
Up There
Sneezies
BurnBall
Blackbeard's Assault

This pack is a superb idea that provides a great bargain to 99% of people, even if you own one or two of the games already. At $0.99 cents per game when each is $1.99 or more usually it is really worth it. The menu is easy to use to choose the different game is very simple. Here is a quick run-down on what each game is about.

Chopper- Chopper is a side scrolling arcade game with 20 levels to complete. You must tilt your way buildings to complete the level requirements by shooting the enemies and saving civilians and other missions.

Up There- The aim of Up There is to tilt your device to help your balloon escape through the obstacles in this fun arcade game. Very challenging and requires alot of focus. Alot of fast paced addicting fun.

Sneezies- Sneezies is also an arcade game where the aim is to pop as many sneezies as possible from one sneeze. This is caused of chain reactions with the sneezies sneezing and the dust makes other sneeze. Quite addicting and very cute.

Burnball- Burnball is a game of territory where your ball must avoid robots and capture 75% of the screen to move onto the next of ten levels. I really enjoy playing it as well as the many contests that are held with it.

Blackbeard's Assault- This is a different variation on a match 3 game. Colored cannonballs follow courses that you need to fire cannons into to destroy them in groups of 3 or more. Good storyline and enjoyable to play.

I would recommend that you get this pack now, who wouldn't want 5 high quality games for $5?

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Zenned Out Special: Zen Bound

iTunes Link

Zen Bound is a rope and wood game by Chillingo Ltd. $4.99

I never thought I would say this (At least before the release of Need For Speed) but wow. No words can describe how perfect this game is, but I will give it my best crack. This game has no flaws in it what so ever for a game with such simplicity. I was hoping this game wouldn't turn into an overrated game due to so much hype like I believe Rolando became, but this lived up to its expectation and easily surpassed it. Especially on the hand held devices there are really no games which would make you buy the console, like Halo does for the Xbox 360, but Zen Bound comes as close as possible to that mark. This game brings a calm and easy feel back to gaming, while still providing a challenge to complete all the 51 levels that are in the game. Each of the levels requires you to paint 70% of the item to go onto the next level, but this won't get you far as you earn more flowers when you pass 85% and 99%.

This game has super amazing graphics. This game has been made with a heap of dedication putting a huge amount of detail into every little thing. The wood pieces are very polished and look superb with the original backgrounds for each level. Even the menu looks amazing with its excellent design of a tree with the levels hanging off it. Just a super game all round. The controls in this game are pushing what can be done to new boundaries. While they are simple, they show how effective a game can be when utilized correctly. The touchscreen is used to choose what path the rope will take around the objects, with a swiping motion used to rotate the object and the rope automatically sticks to it. The accelerometer is used effectively to choose how the rope is positioned both when starting your wrapping or in between. This doesn't sound like it needs to be used that often or to even make an effect in the game, but for those tight places in harder levels it is a vital skill to master.

Most games I have played have had a nice soundtrack, but not a great soundtrack. This game has just that, the best soundtrack out of any of the three zen games we have reviewed and uses the headphones to perfection. Like as in Soul Trapper, Zen Bound uses the single headphones approach (Basically where the sound is only coming out of one headphone at certain times). This is used very well and the peaceful soundtrack suits it perfectly, again some of the best music we have heard in any game.

If you had never heard or seen of this game before, its description would sound like it is some absolutely boring game. A game where you have to wrap a piece of rope around a wooden object doesn't sound very exciting, but once you experience it you are automatically converted. There are no time limits in this game but there are requirements to advance in the game. So many flowers have to earned by completing the levels by 70%, 85% or 99% before advancing and having more levels to play. For those who are just improving Secret Exit has split the levels into two sections so if you get really stuck you can just swap sections between the Tree of Reflection and the Tree of Challenge. How the game actually works is that the rope that you must wrap around the objects put paint on the object where the rope is stuck and slightly around it. You have so many meters of rope to use on each level and is determined by the size of the object. At 70% the end nail on the object starts glowing and if the rope hits that the level ends, so it is vital to avoid it but leave it available to hit. It sounds very simple but with all the cracks and shapes on the objects it is actually very difficult. If you forget about the inside or have large chunks of rope in the air hanging from two pieces of the object then it is impossible to paint a large part of the object. A strategy of how to attempt each level is needed before starting to plan where the rope will go.

This game is so amazing. With such an original idea that is perfectly suited to this device, it has been pulled off so well. I never heard of Secret Exit before this game but after playing Zen Bound I will be looking out for any of their future games. This game has perfection written all over it, with not a single flaw in the game. For such a peaceful game it will also provide a challenge for those who want to complete the game 100%. This is easily the best game on the iDevice up to the date of this review, I can't recommend it enough. If you don't have this on your iDevice right now do not hesitate to buy it straight away. I have seen countless reviews of the game and not one has been a negative review. Just perfect.

Gameplay- 10/10
Graphics- 10/10
Sound- 10/10
Overall- 10/10 PERFECT SCORE!

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- TanZen & Zentomino

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews and next to come is 5 Fingers Games Bundle

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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Zenned Out Special: Zentomino

iTunes Link

Zentomino is a Pentomino game by Little White Bear Studios. $1.99

Zentomino is the latest addition to Little White Bear Studios Zen games. This game is a little bit more challenging and takes the form as another puzzle game called Pentomino. The aim of the game is to fill in the puzzles with a selection of the twelve, five square in area, pieces. This game is alot harder as unlike TanZen there isn't one set way to complete the game and not every piece is used. There are less puzzles in Zentomino, with only 144, but I am sure as with TanZen there are more to come in updates. The 144 puzzles will still take a long time to get through. Sadly I can't write this review through the eyes of someone with no experience like I imagine most of you are, as I have had practice with a variety of the game I have played on Puzzle Pirates. I still find the puzzles quite challenging and most times I still had to resort to hints.

Like in Tanzen there is not much that can be done to the graphics without losing its simplicity. But what is in the game looks smooth and very professional. The background and puzzle pieces are simple yet effective. The side piece trays are a handy addition to stop clustering up the puzzle area. Each piece has its own original pastel themed color so when it is easy to define against other pieces. The controls again are slightly different to TanZen. The how to move the pieces are the same but rotating the pieces is different. Inside of using the 360 degree slider you just tap the piece to rotate it 90 degrees and double tap to flip the piece. The double tap is used alot more as the pieces have squares sticking out they just won't fit unless flipped. To take pieces out of the sides trays and drag it out and the same to put it away.

The sound in the game also have a strong Zen theme attached to it. The music has been altered and has a different tune to it. While this is only a small change it shows there is some dedication put into the games, as stuff isn't just being shipped from one game to the next.

The game again has no time limits, level requirements or achievements to speak of. The puzzles in this game vary in size from having four pieces needed to complete it all the way up to all twelve pieces. A great new hint system has been implemented into Zentomino as 2 hints for a four piece puzzle would not suffice for a twelve piece puzzle. The puzzles have kind of been graded by the number of hints available to use. The four piece puzzles will only show a hint for one of the pieces while the twelve piece puzzles show hints for up to four pieces of the puzzle. Another improvement from TanZen is that the pieces actually lock into place on the puzzle when you let go to them. This makes it alot easier and really means that you can't get caught by having the pieces overlap. I really enjoyed this game and even though it has less puzzles than TanZen, I found them more challenging and alot more fun.

This game is very easy to slip into a playing coma and before you know it you have missed that taxi to the airport and then your next four connecting flights. The small improvements or variations that have been made from TanZen to Zentomino make for a great gaming experience. I seriously think that this game is better then TanZen even if it won't last as long. As being an experienced player I know how to play so with this I suggest you get your own opinion of it from the lite version which is now available. This is seriously addicting and not one to miss out even experiencing how good it is. Two amazing games by Little White Bear Studios, best games of this genre that I have seen.

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

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- TanZen

Tell me what you think about this review at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/iPhone_Reviews and next to come is Zen Bound

Thanks- iPhone_Reviews

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