Big Time Gangsta - GTA Simplified Done Right for your Smartphone (Review+ Guide)

    A few weeks ago I mentioned in my Contract Killer App Review that I played this app back and forth with that game. Both Contract Killer and Big Time Gangsta require you to come collect your earnings every hour our so to quickly gain money. The title of the app gives away the maturity level of this game. It contains no cursing and no hand to hand combat. If you don't have a problem with Grand Theft Auto type of games then this app shouldn't be a problem for you. In fact, if you like those games, BT Gangsta should be on your to get list for your smartphone. It's violence and language is toned down (a Plus). Reminiscent of Mafia Wars. Yep, Lady Gangstas are included in this app. Purchase and equip new weapons. Hire new goons. This game is FREE to Download. A ghetto type of application with this much detail is impressive.

   There are no headshots in this game. In fact I don't think there are critical or vital shots neither. Battles or Fights are carried out like in a simplified Civilization strategy game. Only 3 Gangstas or units from each team are allowed on a battlefield at a time. When a gangsta's healthbar is reduced to 0, that gangsta will be replaced by a gangsta from the bench or team if there are any. Be sure to equip items that can be used inside battles like health packets and increased bonuses. After each non arena battle, if a gangsta has some HP remaining, then he or she will fully recover. If a gangsta's hp is taken down to 0, then that gangsta will be out of order until that person recovers. Take over or make hospitals your territory to heal 10% faster. While at least one of your men are recovering, you might as well send some of the others that are left to do individual missions. Another good reason to do missions is when you know you aren't going to play the app for a while. This will make your men use your time wisely.

      Some weapons are Dual Wield Weapons, meaning that a gangsta may equip two of those at one time(two of these weapons must be bought separately). The number of the currently equipped items are in a red circle on the bottom right of the equipment icon. Each person may carry up to two different in-game items besides your weapon(s). To use an item during battle, click on the gangsta and their equipments will be displayed on the top left of the screen. Click on the item to activate it. A sound effect and some visuals will signify the use of the items. Different items have different sounds. Upon usage, the item's icon will turn gray and be unable to use until the waiting period or cooldown is over.

     Win battles at a building location and make that part of your territory. It sort of runs like a corporation game where you expand your business to collect greater amounts of profits. Real money doesn't have to be spent on this game for it to last long, just patience and persistence. Constant checking in to collect your territories to collect money and get experience each time. This app is by far the best I've seen for allowing you to get real money credit or Glu Credit in game. Upon leveling up, you receive 3 Glu Credits. You don't have to use those cred to progress to make the game last a long time. By signing on everyday, you get a bonus slot spin that could earn you money or even more Glu Credits. Facebook is required to get the daily free slot spin and money bonus. Activate the Facebook feature located in the semi transparent settings icon on the world map.

 

   A little Pinch and zoom feature available on the world map(and only on the world map). Even some of the cars on the street drive around, including police cars and their flashing lights. The icons on buildings move up and down a little bit to give them a little more life.  Tap on money icons to collect it and gain a small amount of experience. In late game you may get a visit from a Contract Killer, another Glu Mobile game called"Contract Killer". A nice touch. I haven't experienced cameos in apps.

    The Arena is where you test out your team against waves of enemies. Unlike normal battles, your gangsta's don't heal after each battle. Before and after a fight, you are given the option to Walk Away, Purchase and Equip items, or participate in the next wave. Your progress in the Arena is displayed on the right and looks like something from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. "Cash Out" ='s take what you've earned and leave the Arena (tournament). You are only guaranteed money when you lose after defeating a Blue Tier or wave. Two types of weapons are recommended because the same types of weapons usually run out of ammo about the same time. I don't recommend the Arena for gaining money AND/OR experience unless you stop at a wave where are starting to be forced to use Medium level healing kits. The later waves are strong and require you to use a lot of expensive items, defeating the purpose of fighting them to win prize money. Just waiting for your men to collect money on the world map is a lot more time efficient. For example, I only got 20,000 from beating the second to the last wave(last wave has no reward money, just the weapon and some experience).

How I Play (Arena Strategy)

      -Make sure everyone is equipped with weapons and items. (small cheaper items preferred if fighting in small waves or weaker enemies to conserve money)
      -If enemies are strong, then I try to click on each person and activate an attack boost right as the match is starting(try during the beginning animation before shots are fired). I Rarely use anything other than healing kits though.
      -Click on a character to control their shots. Basically will shoot shoot faster than if automated. Your gangsta will shoot whenever possible at the target you are clicking on.
     -Try to run out of ammo with one character and force him to reload as you go control another of your characters. This will make it less likely that you come back to a character with only a shot or two left, then be forced to wait as all your characters reload and possibly take damage.
    -Right after the battle is done, your characters will  do a finishing animation pose. During this time you may still use items. (If you do use items during this time, remember that the cooldown/waiting period to use those items again for that person will not instantly refresh unless you click on "shop" and come back to the Arena Menu(where you can click "Next Fight").
   -If you aren't fully recovered at the end of this battle, you can still recover during the starting animation of the next fight. 
   -My few experiences with having the "The Pump (shotgun) + 20% Spread" were worst than the unlocked earlier "Menace MP5 + Dual Wield". Had the pump on one of my three starters.
   -So far I've only tried and used the Small Damage Boost and the Small Med and their Medium counter parts. This may not be the best strategy but so far it's been working for me. Just got my first golden gun(the Gold Hammer) by beating the first Arena. After my guys heal I will try to beat the first Arena again to equip a golden weapon on more of my men.

     A gangsta game without a crib wouldn't be very complete. That's one thing that Glu Mobile didn't forget when designing this game. Upgrade Headquarters(HQ) with lots of options and you will receive diamonds. Diamonds are used for working out your characters which will extend their maximum health. Blue Water Bottles are used for sending units to do special missions (the ones for single units). You will have a surplus of these bottles with not much use for having so many. I wish Glu Mobile would fix this as this is probably the only thing bugging me about the game. Another minor oddity with the game is the SHOP. Items are cheaper than their listed price. I suspect this was modified or updated to make the games more playable. However, the store forgets this before the purchase and players must have at least the posted amount to make the purchase. This isn't as player unfriendly as one might think. Think of the pricing as a level or rank requirement to own such a weapon. Right now I do not know if the men become stronger or gain any benefits besides unlocking weapons with the user level or not.

        The in-game music is good, not too gangsta, and definitely not annoying. Load times are short, a few seconds. The nice screenshop on top isn't. Once again, Big Time Gangsta is brought to you by Glu Mobile. A lot of the big games by developers such as Glu Mobile and Gameloft are made for both iOS and Android OS.  Download BTG from your respective app store and see how you like it.  I suggest playing this with Contract Killer (if you haven't tried CK) to help you kill more time and decrease your waiting period to collect if you really have that much time on your hands. Since there is a lot to cover on this app, I might update this article if I think of other things that belong here.


Enjoy

30 Minutes or Less : A fun few minutes

   Adaptative Elite, an indie developer, just started crowfunding an app they are working on for iOS. Titled "30 Minutes or Less", at the moment, it's a tutorial, a demo, and a proof of conceit all rolled in one. My personal feeling: it works. I can picture myself playing a quick session while waiting for the bus.

   You control a delivery car from the restaurant and to the delivery points by clicking on the screen, which put the car into motion. Right now, on PC with the mouse, it is pretty fun to play and you can pretty envision how it'll play on iOS; I can actually picture it on DS with the stylus, or on Wii with the wheel, or on Vita with the back touchscreen; the control scheme is so simple. It can be ported to about any of the current platforms.

   The control are just the tip of the iceberg; I tend to prefer colorful games reminiscent of the 16-bit era and 30 minutes or Less delivers in that regards. To complement this, the animations plays up the comedy effect, most notably by giving the collisions and occasional stunt a lot of weight. Similarly, the sound effects of crunched metal gives a immediacy to the accident. On the other hand, the music is pretty bland at the moment.

   “At the moment” is really the word to remember. The game is fun as is, and there is a lot of potential for quirky items, powerful level-ups, and player progression; multiplayer modes, as well, are easy to dream up. I believe AdaptivElite has a very sound concept and what it takes to make it a reality. And don't just take my word for it: in 30 minutes or much less indeed, you can download and test this game, to maybe donate and help fund this indie game.

Aveline de GrandPre: A Gaming Assassin designed for Killing not Beauty

Aveline de GrandPré : Liberating female characters from sexist clichés

   I recently stumbled upon the trailer for the upcoming Assassin's Creed III : Liberation for the PlayStation Vita; and I love what I've seen. The video shows Aveline de GrandPré, a female assassin of African descent free of most harmful sexist tropes. Let's start with my personal, but small grievances here : it's taken 10 games and 4 main characters, and then only a spin-off on a handheld (whereas all the males debuted on the more powerful home consoles) to get a female lead for Assassin's Creed ; on the other hand, the Vita is brand-new, while the PS3 is nearing the end of its life, and the game is meant to showcase the console performances. The balance easily tips into positive.

   The same goes for Aveline being part African-American; only part, mind you, and very fair-skinned then; but still, it is a main character shrugging off the all-encompassing Caucasian mold. This game takes place in New Orleans, a bit of a cliché for a black character, but in the late 1700's, there wouldn't many “free people of colour” outside of that city anyway. Predictably, with this setting, her “other half” is French. However, her mixed heritage makes sense not just for this game, but for the whole series: Desmond's lineage up to that point had been European; beyond that, France was instrumental in bringing down the historical Templars in the 1200's, it did settle that part of America, and it used that location to help the Americans in their War of Independence (the setting for Assassin's Creed III and its lead of Native American descent, Connor). As I have previously established, you have to be mindful of the character and setting you are building as a narrator..

   Besides, she is first and foremost an assassin. No cleavage for the sake of titillation, no overtly feminine attitudes, no playing up her figure. Her clothing is traditional assassin's garb, not some “feminized” or “Africanized” version; remember Resident Evil 5 for a comparison with another female of African-American descent, forced into a leopard-patterned bikini and tribal tattoos... Aveline's only compromise is a hat instead of a hood, so that we can see her face better and actually identify her as female and part-African-American.

   Similarly, her weapons are also very classic, with the iconic hidden blades the series is famous for, blades which she uses very ruthlessly in close contact. This is refreshing, when female characters are so often confined to roles as technical pacifist, healer, mage, ranged fighter, or any combination thereof. Even her blowpipe is simply meant as the city equivalent to Connor's bow. Oh, her non-assassin attire is briefly teased and of course it's a dress worn with a lot less attitude; but it's simply her disguise. At this point of the game development, Ubisoft is teasing a great female character by not reducing her to her race and gender; we'll have to wait for the final product to give the final verdict, but I'll definitely be following this one.

Using BassBuds With the Galaxy S3

Stylish and customisable headphones to use with
Galaxy S3 and other top Smartphones

One of the reasons we like being a top Android and iPhone gaming blog is that media campaigns often use us to test their new products. 
So when Bassbuds High Performance Headphones asked us to review their new customisable headphones we thought they would be a good fit to try out with our Samsung Galaxy S3 phone that we use for gane reviews. 
Firstly let's say that trying out the perrrenial favourite Angry Birds Space we learned something new about Rovio- their soundtracks are damned good and actually contribute a lot to their games. Playing Angry Birds Space with headphone really transforms the game , and with a top end pair of headphones like our black Bassbuds you really get a lot more out of the smartphone game. The depth and breadth of the effects become a lot more apparent using the Bassbuds. So just for the fact that you actually showed us the true awesomeness of Rovio's musical compositions we salute you.

Bassbuds with many Smartphone Friendly Features

Bass is what they call themselves and Bass is what you get. Cranking up the Nicki Minaj tunes through the Samsung Galaxy S3 we really got a lot more depth and timbre to the bass than with the stock Samsung headphones. 
Performance aside another big draw about Bassbuds is the ability to combine so many different colours to really make your headphones suit your own identity. There are currently 20 colours and combinations making this one of the most customisable in ear headphones on the market. The Crystaltronics collaboration with Swarovski adds more depth, style and another layer of technological wizardry to the headphones too.
So as a headphone to support any Smartphone and particularly to use with the Galaxy S3 we recommend the Bassbuds as a good Smartphone headphone- of course they're chock a block with other features too (on lead controls in particular are a great feature) but head on over to their website to find out more:
Bassbuds Link

Real World Gaming Prizes

In a nice tie-in to fit with our gaming blog style Bassbuds has chosen to use a game to promote and give out discounts and free pairs of headphones. A simple enemy avoidance game, the Bassbuds game takes on a new dimension when you factor in the rewards that can be gained from getting score milestones, all the way up to pairs of headphones to be won for the top score.

Imagine a Bullet Hell game with real world prizes and you have an idea what to expect. On the other hand the game with it's progressively ramped up speed is not impossible to play and the current longest time survived is only 62 seconds, so definitely attainable by any worthy gamer. This current game will take it's winners at the end of July , but hopefully we'll see more of these type of gaming marketing tie-ins and hopefully they'll jump the platform gap to be on Smartphones too, as this type of game would be a prefect fit for Androids or iPhones. Of course the real world prizes are a big incentive too!
Try to survive and win Bassbuds headphones and Discount Codes:
BassBuds Game

Unique blend of Strategy and Puzzle: TwinsMatcher

Twinsmatcher Puzzle and Strategy Mix

The appstore has no shortage of puzzle games so it's refreshing when a unique take on the puzzle genre comes along. TwinsMatcher at first appears to be yet another symbol matching game, albeit one with quite an arty and attractive interface. However when you get into the meat of the game on your iPad or iPhone the strategic side of Twinsmatcher comes to the fore.
Not only will you be tasked with matching the colourful symbols but also carefully selecting the symbols to make the longest path and get a higher score. Clear the board to win through whilst competing against a nerve jangling time limit.


The Puzzle premise is simple but the clear and attractive icons used for the board, the time limit and stragtegic path choosing all blend together to make a puzzle game that seems to do the impossible by combining relaxing; yet competitive gaming. 


Features like the new board layout, various difficulty levels, a "shake to mix the board up" idea and new icon packs that can be purchased ; make this unique blend of strategy and puzzle worth the time it takes to make the free download. 
Try TwinsMatcher for iPad and iPhone; you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well it hangs together.

Mythic Saga: New Server and Features

Rich floklore derived browser game: Mythic Saga now has new features and a new Server

Popular Chinese developed Browser Game Mythic Saga has now gained a brand new server. The fantasy adventure game by Gamewave is proving to be a big hit and the new server features of Mythic Saga should up the gameplay even more. When are your Gamewave browser games coming to Android and iOS we can only wait and see....


The New Server and Features of Mythic Saga
 Since opening its OBT server last week, Mythic Saga has attracted an epic amount of players from not only the North American region, but all across the globe. Due to this huge influx of new players, Mythic Saga has decided to open its second and newest server with New Features which will go live on July 18th 6:00 PM PDT ,unheard of in a browser game, Guild Events have also been promised!
What is Mythic Saga: A popular and brand  new Free-to-Play Browser Based MMORPG published by COOLTOPLAY. The story of the  Mythic Saga game is heavily based around the rich Chinese folklore surrounding the popular fable: The Investiture of the Gods, a famous work rooted in Chinese Mythology. 
Thanks to diverse and expansive content and addictive gameplay the Browser game has already gathered thousands of players.
The types of activities you could expect from Mythic Saga are: fighting monsters or hunting down other players for your faction (an exelllent use of a browser for PvP), Mythic Saga caters to all needs.
Within the world of Mythic Saga, players will find many unique features, such as a distinctive upgrade system, beautiful full screen graphics, being able to receive Offline Rewards and Experience, an extremely active in-game community with a close relationship between GM¡¯s and players, powerful Relics to fight by your side, be a Mentor and train an Apprentice, get married, and many many more, that set this game apart from other MMORPG¡¯s. 
To play simply visit http://ms.cooltoplay.com/ or you can find Mythic Saga on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MythicSaga .

Skills in Rage of Bahamut

Playing Rage of Bahamut yet? This skill table should come in handy. Learn what attack and defense cards to use. What skills you should enhance in Rage of Bahamut and lots of other handy info to help you with PvP battles and more. Are Tiamat and Gilgamesh really that powerful?

Rage of Bahamut Skill Table

The Grinn's Tale: Facebook MMORPG

  The Grinns Tale : a good reason to smile

TheGrinnsTale is a new Facebook game which feels more like a full-fledged free-to-play MMO than just a Facebook game. After all, Nexon, its publisher, also owns such MMO mainstay as MapleStory. Here too, they chose a very distinctive art style; it's like the Nightmare Before Christmas read the Grimms' Tales and then moved to a steampunk setting. The character design has this perfect balance of child-like joy and cute creepiness. The music, with its brass instruments complete this choice, without ever getting annoying, overly-repetitive or stuck in your head; it can even be epic in battles. To be honest, it's currently playing as I'm writing this review (ok, and keeping an eye on my resources) and it's a nice background music.

The controls are similar to most Facebook games, moving your characters with your mouse, clicking some more to open menus to choose your next building, and so on. What's new is the combat. You can send your heroes in dungeons for loot and experience (more on that in an instant) : you equip them with armors and assign their abilities back in town, and in a fight you click and drag from one hero to its target. The tutorial, done through quests as per Facebook games' usage, is rather well-done, the combat system is simple yet efficient, so a new player shouldn't feel lost. Initially, all attacks and enemies are « mechanical »; then are introduced three new elements, electricity, chemical, and thermal, each having a weakness against one of the other two and being strong against the last one of the trio. Again, it's rather straightforward, and anyone having tried a Pokemon game should feel right at home.

One of the reason this feels more like an MMO than most Facebook games is that it involves real choices and decisions, via resources management : in a typical Facebook farm game, you generally decide based on factors outside of the game, like, how your farm will look like, how much time you have, how much money the crop will net you; with the Grinns, I find myself planning constructions, crops and upgrades based solely on in-game parameters: what resources I have, what I will need later, and what I can realistically loot. See, you have some actions points, but they are not what really decide what you can do, as they are only how any actions you can have a villager perform (generally accelerate the production of something). You'll need, for example, wood and metal to build your town and to start the crafting process. If you run out, just go to a dungeon to loot more, while your workshops are being constructed or are creating more resources.

Speaking of loot, there is a combat system. Your heroes will feel hunger as they fight, and as they level up, they'll get hungry more quickly; if starving, they become sluggish and less powerful, so that losing a fight happens more often. Remember I mentioned resources management? Here it is : you'll often run to the dungeons to get more resources, so that you can build and upgrade your town, but also so you can produce food to keep on looting. You have to carefully decide whether to build something or get more bread for your next expedition. My advice is, keep making food as long as you feel like adventuring, and when ending the session, set to build or upgrade the logging camps and mines.

Like most free-to-play MMOs and Facebook games, this is an element of grinding meant to prolong the gaming session and entice your buying the game currency (Pramins here) to speed things up; but on one hand, at least you are not stopped by lack of energy points so that particular frustration is absent; and on the other hand, well, you are not stopped by energy points, which means it can gobble up a lot of time. The grinding is accentuated by the items, rare resources used to craft armor and weapons (you may have to do the same dungeon again and again or pay up to get that elusive, but necessary piece), as well as by the token to unlock new upgrades for your town. You'll also want to level your heroes, and in more than one job, to get additional abilities and sub-abilities. At least you can do all, the item search, the resources looting, and the leveling up in one go.

Last but not least when speaking of Facebook games, the community. The game is still in beta, which means there are not yet that many players and that loading can be slow sometimes. From what I've seen, most participants on the fanpage are not just polite, but happy to help; there are the traditional request to add as friend for the game, but they are are not overly pushy. As just the small technical issues, we'll have to see how the community evolve. In the meantime, Nexon's community management fosters a good environment and the system to visit, invite, or message friends runs smoothly

All in all, this is a very classic and robust game on many aspects; what separates it is, you don't simply alternate between fighting and managing your town, but these two things are interdependent, making the handling of resources all the more complex and interesting. It reminds me of Recettear in that regard, but free to play and on Facebook.

How to make an Audio App for iOS

Samplers for iPhone and iPad

In a recent article we covered the popular iPad/iPhone audio app: SpaceSampler. The sound apps creator has been kind enough to grant us an intereview where we hope you'll learn some useful facts about making a sound app for iOS.


SpaceSampler Developer Interview

1. Why have you chosen iOS as your preferred medium

iOS has become the mobile platform of choice for music creators.  There are several great audio hardware interface options available for the iPhone and iPad and a wealth of information for developers.  

2. What programming background do you/your company have?

I have a background in Electrical Engineering and DSP.  I work with partners who help with various parts of the programming and it all comes together from there.

3 Do you regard Apple devices as a good tool for musicians?

Yes, absolutely.  In reality, iOS devices are still relatively new, however people suddenly have all of these new and unique options for music creation.  It's going to be really interesting to watch how the ways we create music on iOS filter through to finished music.

4. Have you used SpaceSampler for any of your own projects?

Absolutely.  It works really well for capturing sounds when out in the field or recording demos for my band Emperors Club (www.emperorsclub.net).  I've used it to process audio I've previously recorded in other apps and of course it's always fun to share something funny with a strange effect on it.  In that regard, it's been called "Instagram for audio."

5. Do you know of any fellow musos using SpaceSampler or other iOS music apps?

Yes - I always enjoy getting little shared creations from various people.  Doing a SoundCloud search for "SpaceSampler" brings up some interesting results.

6. What made you decide to make this type of app?

My favorite iOS apps have always been the simpler ones, with a great interface, that you can easily use on the go.  Photography apps like CameraBag and Instragram were a big inspiration.  I kept asking myself why there wasn't an app like CameraBag for audio, so i just decided to make one. 

7. Any insights into how the app was made would be great, recorded in a studio, what actual hardware was used etc,-with this question I'm just looking for a general insight into how the app was made with specific info that would be of interest to musicians looking for music apps or other developers looking to develop this type of app

Whatever article I cook up with your answers I'll link to SpaceSampler and hopefully generate some more interest in your app.

The fun part about making this app was concocting the filters.  Periscope Audio also does online mixing (www.onlinemixing.periscopeaudio.com) for artists worldwide and because of this I have some great audio tools at my disposal.  I brought out all my delays, effects, high end reverbs, EQ's and vintage mic preamps.  I used material I recorded with the internal iPhone microphone to create filters that would enhance it's sound.  I cross referenced this with other material recorded with high-end studio microphones so the filters would sound good on different sources.  Once the filters were created, I captured their response with a swept sign wave, performed a deconvolution and then edited them to create the Impulse responses found in SpaceSampler.

Juice Factory - The Original (NEW)

        Looking for a fresh new app that plays similar to Diner Dash? Juice Factoryis a brand new app that just came out. You work on an assembly line that doesn't require manual labor and allows breaks anytime. Place (slide) bottles into their respective cases. If the juice coming down is not processed yet, then tap them to turn them into juice bottles and earn extra points so that you may continue to do your job. Juice Factory has reached Top 5 in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and more.

   The Help section gives you explanations on how to play the game. Juice Factory is easy to learn, but gets hard to play quickly. There are 3 Difficulty levels;easy, normal and hard. Controls and animations are smooth, but watch out because the boss might be in a bad mood. He may randomly switch your crates with each other. You have to pay attention and not place the bottles in the wrong crate. The game won't let you do that, but it'll keep track of when you try. Make 3 errors or 3 strikes, and you're out, game over.  The sound effects are nice. You can even hear the supervisor make different grunts. Maybe he even talks and laughs at you when he feels like it. You're current level you are at is nicely displayed on the upper right hand corner below your score. When you level up, a signal will tell you.

    Bottles and unprocessed juices (fruits) aren't the only thing that comes down the belt. Little Evils, Frozen Wizards, and Fruit Wizards, and magazines make appearances too. 

Little Evils -  looks like green bats. It'll make your supervisor angry and the boss will not notice your mistakes. Oh and it'll make the assembly belt go slower.
Fruit Wizard - Tap on his fella and lots of fruits will come down.
Frozen Wizard - says makes snow appear at your workplace. 
Use Beauty Magazines to distract your boss and make him happier.

Combine two bottles of the same type into a bigger bottle by moving a different color bottle that is standing in between them. Larger bottles appear the same size when in the juice box and cannot be made from two bottles on the belt that are already next to each other. Tip: I don't believe you get penalized for not using the fruits as they pass by. There is an arcade mode than can be purchased in the app.

Juice Factory just came out a few days ago and we are proud to announce and be part of it's release. The application is available for iPhones, iPads, iPod Touch, Windows Phone 7 Marketplace and is coming to Google Play soon. It is currently FREE for a Limited Time. Don't miss your chance.

Click here to download for WP7 (Window's mobile OS)

Click here to download for iOS.

(Update: Suggestions)  
These aren't flaws, just ideas directed at the developers Toccata Technologies Inc. Some good things the game has going for it is the really nice and neat cartoon artwork, animations, sound effects, and menu navigation. Suggestions or ideas that I do have for future updates would be to have a landscape mode and have levels separated instead of playing one long nonstop match. As of now it's like in the original Tetris. Having a levels page could make the game less repetitive and possibly give a sense of accomplishment to players. Although there are lots of current achievements, I am not sure what their rewards are used for. Possibly add a female supervisor sometimes, or a supervisor that actually likes you and cheers and claps and gives you increased bonuses for correct moves temporarily(a rare OPEC visit or from a Higher Up). The ability to combine juice bottles without the requirement of them being separated by a different flavored juice. Although the amount of voices are adequate, more would be awesome too at the price of increasing the app's size. Maybe have small penalties (some points taken away) for not using fruits when they come down the belt. I'm not sure, but I believe sometimes the bottles miss for no reason. Fixing this problem if it exists would be nice. I might be getting too technical, but placing bigger bottles into the same case as small bottles seems unorganized, unless they are marked on the box. However, maybe the cases with bigger bottle(s) is sold at a different price or giving a little % more free as that is common in real life packaging. The boss switching the boxes randomly isn't a really nice experience. Maybe I didn't notice, but I would appreciate it if the boss gave a warning such as a smile AND a sound of a grunt and/or a warning sound effect. This would give me a heads up, but it isn't really possible to adjust my gameplay because the timing window to place juice bottles in correct boxes are already short. Also, there are a few minor typos in the game so if these could be corrected it would make the game feel a little more polished than it already is (not a big deal as the game is very playable already). If you aren't the developers then why are you reading this big paragraph for? Go enjoy Juice Factory.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for 3DS

         The Kingdom Hearts franchise is not a franchise a gamer can avoid hearing or seeing. It's had games exclusively for the PS2, Gameboy Advance, PSP, and now the Nintendo 3DS. The franchise is known for it's outstanding graphics and story. It is a mix of Disney and Final Fantasy that creates a whole new story of itself.  Many of the beloved characters of both companies have recurring appearances including Cloud Strife, Squall Leonheart, Sephiroth, Hercules, Beast, Ariel, Winnie the Pooh, and plenty more. The series has sold over 17 million units worldwide, and still counting :).

     Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance comes out at the end of this month 7/31/12 for those in the United States and Australia, and 11 days earlier in Europe(7/20/12). Join Riku and Sora as they are put to the test through the Mark of Mastery Exam. If they pass they will become official Keyblade Masters and obtain even more power. There are a new type of enemies called Nightmares. This time they are aided by new types of partners or friends called Spirits. Over 50 Spirits may be added to your team. Both Nightmares and Spirits are classified as Dream Eaters. Heartless and Nobodies are likely to appear too. Unlike the first portable Kingdom Hearts game, this one introduces you to new worlds. Explore New Worlds such as the La Cité des Cloches from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and “The Grid” from TRON: Legacy and Fantasia. Play as Riku for the first time as he has been left out of the story a lot lately. 

Riku and Jeff Bridges join forces.

     

    Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance is the franchise's first installment on the 3DS. Although I don't think the first Kingdom Hearts gamefor a Nintendo handheld (Chain of Memories for Gameboy Advance) contributed much to the story, later portables revealed and involved more of the storyline. Birth By Sleep far exceeded my expectations in story and relatedness to Sora and gang. 358/2 Days is still on my must play list, as I felt Roxas' story was taken out of Kingdom Hearts 2 and placed into 358/2. This made KH2 feel feel incomplete, vague, and less polished compared to KH1 except for the fighting mechanics of course. Some changes from KH1 to KH2 that I disliked were the change of the appearance of Squall Leonheart (Leon). His updated look for Kingdom Hearts 1 was award winning and cool looking and was voiced by David Boreanaz. Boreanaz played Angel who like Leon, was trying to get redemption for his past. Cloud's change was acceptable as his Advent Children outfit also looked great. However the mix of him and Vincent Valentine in part one was also really cool and interesting looking(although less official). I never did like the concept of the Nobodies, being emotionless but having hate and so much emotion in their quest for wanting hearts, along with personalities. This may be because since they retained their bodies, they might had retained some emotions as well. Plus Riku's involvement was lackluster in Part 2. Plus a lot of the games story after Kingdom Hearts 1 is difficult for me to understand without Wikipedia.

                            Meet Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Gargoyles included.

 Kingdom Hearts allows you to re-experience unforgettable Disney moments in 3D. The cutscenes and characters come to life, and not just look like 3D models trying to reenact scenes. No change in angles from the animated version, nor HD, is necessary to look good in 3 Dimension.

 Meet Neku Sakuraba, the first character introduced into Kingdom Hearts that was from another game or movie that isn't from Disney or a Final Fantasy game. He's from The World Ends with You for the DS. Created by the same group of Square Enix people who created Kingdom Hearts and worked on Chain of Memores. I noticed right away that he had similarities with Sora. What role will he play?

 Just in case you didn't know, The wonderful cast of Voice Actors and Actresses  for KH 3D include:

  Haley Joel Osment - the boy from The Sixth Sense as Sora, the main protagonist of the series so far.

  David Gallagher - Matt from the television show 7th Heaven as Riku. 
  Hayden Panettiere - Voices Kairi, Riku and Sora's close childhood friend when this all started. She also voices Xion, the latest and 14th member of Organization XIII.
  Jesse McCartney - singer of "Beautiful Soul" and voice of Roxas and Ventus.
  Leonard Nimoy - played Spock in many Star Trek projects, voices Master Xehanort, the main bad guy.

Who is this guy? Seriously I don't know. Not a fan of spoilers. Looks like a cross between Sephiroth and Tera.

The connection of the name Dream Drop Distance to the name of the handheld console 3DS is a clever relation.  That's 3 "D"'s or 3 D's or 3xD or the 3D of the 3DS. (Kingdom Hearts like to leave a lot of vagueness in the games after the first.) 

Now go out there and save some worlds that you know and love.

Gator Hunter: Fun Score Chasing Shooter on iPad and iPhone

GatorHunter: SOme fun mindless shooting
on iPad

After a long day do you really want to get involved with long load times; XP buffs; worry about loot drops; spend more time kitting out a game character with the right gear than your own children. OR do you just want to go and smash and blast things up without a care in the World?
Both styles of gaming have their place but really sometimes you do just want to jump straight into the action and go forth and .....shoot Alligators!


What have the Gators in side scrolling shooting gallery app Gator Hunter (now on iPad and iPhone) done to deserve this bullet riddled fate. Who cares! It's just fun to mindlessly blast away as the waves of reptiles increasingly move at a rapid pace across the screen. A little bit of strategising and hair trigger reactions come into at as the supply of bullets isn't endless and reloading comes around all too often. Then of course there's the instant death factor when you take out the Hunter's Hat. 

There's a Gator!You know what to do...

For a mindless score chasing blast Gator Hunter certainly fits the bill. Age isn't a barrier to enjoying this type of shooter experience and even my young son was soon involved in the High Score chase. Graphics wise a gator is a gator and certainly in need of a good shooting and the accompanying effects are more than adequate.


Yes, there could be more depth to the game, but if you're in a mood to just shoot 'gators and lose yourself in a reptile slaughterathon then Gator Hunter needs to be on your gaming list. Because isn't sheer enjoyment the reason we're all gamers in the first place?