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Alright. Many of you have already signed up to receive our newsletter. Unfortunately, this service has been down for quite some time. Until today. If you previously subscribed and still wish to receive The App Shack’s Newsletter, unfortunately, you’ll need to go through the process again (enter your e-mail address below, and confirm through an e-mail). We’re terribly sorry about this, but it’s the only way it could be fixed at this time. We’d like to thank you for your understanding, and are hoping that we can get back the substantial amount of subscribers that we previously had. 

We’ll start again by sending out monthly letters. Depending on how it goes, we might make it bi-weekly, but it all depends on feedback. 

Thank you for your support. You, the reader, make what we do here at The App Shack worthwhile. It means the world to us. =o)

The last couple of releases from Sphinx Entertainment have been amazingly outstanding. Actually, you wouldn’t be flamed if you said that the last couple releases they’ve put out are the best titles in their respective genres. Sphinx Entertainment is very quickly climbing up the ranks on my favorite developers list, and their latest title, VR Mission EXT, puts them one step closer to the top 5. Taking everything the team has learned from the original VR Mission, EXT steps it up in more ways than one, and could very well be the best stealth based game available for the iOS. 

As you can tell from screenshots, and the name, VR Mission EXT gets its inspiration from Konami’s Metal Gear Solid VR Missions. In 2012, the world seems peaceful after several notorious dictators have died. Unfortunately, a secret organization, the Shadow Soldiers, claim that they have the newest and best in Nuclear, Bio and Metal Mechanic weaponry. The last World Nations soldier to go into the enemies base never came back, but pictures were sent out of weapons, and secret intel, leading the World Nations to send in their best agent, Viper, to find out the truth and eliminate all possible threats. 

VR Mission EXT picks up where the original left off. Actually, that’s not very accurate. VR Mission EXT contains all 15 missions from the original game, as well as 19 more. EXT was originally going to be an update to the first VR Mission, but after putting in over 6 months of very hard work, Sphinx Entertainment decided to release EXT as a separate app. And it is definitely for the best. 

For those of you who have already played the original VRM., you know that one of the most requested features was 360 degree movement instead of the original 4 directional movement it was released with. The update was going to include this, as well as more missions. But after getting to work on the game, Sphinx Entertainment added much, much more. 360 degree movement, more missions, more items in the shop, re-done level designs, and 2 more agents, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, thrown into the mix for good measure. Worth another $0.99? We sure think so. 

As you make your way through the 34 levels, you’ll encounter various trap and hazards, like metal floors which make loads of noise as you walk over them, trap doors which will have you falling to your death, and more, as well as numerous enemies, and bosses who are on a mission to take you out. In some of the levels, you’ll come across data pickups, which you’ll need to download while staying out of the enemies sight range, as well as cash drops. These cash drops help you pick up and upgrade items in the shop. Also to help you out, each stage contains 3 objectives, each giving you $500. You’re also able to replay previously beaten missions to pick up some extra cash if you get stuck, and need a hand.

The level designs, and layouts are superb, and the graphics and animations are fantastic. Unfortunately, GameCenter is not supported, which does take away from the replay value and drive for achievements, and perfect playthroughs. The objectives for each stage do help with this, but not having a scoring system, and no achievements to go for is kind of disappointing. 

If GameCenter was added in a future update, VR Mission EXT would easily be the best stealth based title for the iOS. In fact, many gamers have already placed it in their #1 spot despite the lack of GC. But for others, it’s still in close competition between Spy Mouse, The Nightworld, Dexter, Silent Swords, Dynamite Jack, Spy Corp. and more. However you slice it, Sphinx Entertainment has created a top notch stealth game, worthy of checking out whether you’re a huge fan of the genre or not. The gameplay is fantastic, hooking you in from beginning to end. VR Mission EXT is yet another fantastic title to add to the ever growing list of Sphinx Entertainment’s creations. Specially priced at $0.99 for launch, don’t let this one slip by you. 

With the recent release of Pocket Heroes re-igniting my love for D&D parties, and bringing back memories of playing Diablo back in the late 90’s, I’ve been on a sort of quest of my own. To find all the Diabloesque and Fantasy Card games for the iOS that I can. Low and behold, one of the first titles I came across, and just can’t get enough of; Blade of Darkness – an open-world 3D RPG/hack-n-slash game developed by Zealm (developers of Monster Fight, Zombies Runner and Angry Zombie Ninja Vs. Vegetables). 

Blade of Darkness starts out with a pretty impressive cutscene giving you a bit of backstory; seems darkness overtook the land after a meteor shower rained down from the skies. Zombies and other undead creatures started to appear everywhere, and the darkness slowly spread. This land is appropriately named ‘Shadowland’. On the edge of Shadowland lies ‘Sanctuary‘; a campsite set up where a small patch of sunlight hit’s the ground. It’s here that you’ll begin your journey. 

Actually, I guess I should say ‘it’s here where you’ll figure out what you’re supposed to be doing throughout the rest of the game.’ The tutorial is made up of 3 pop-ups. One telling you that the joystick in the lower left corner is for movement, another saying that the icon to the right is for jumping, and that to talk to people, you walk up to them and tap on them. Trust me, you won’t forget. Every time you come back to Sanctuary, you’ll need to go through the ‘tutorial’ before you get started again. From here on out, you’re on your own.

After figuring out that people in town with a “!” above their heads have a quest to send you on, you can try and figure out how to get out of Sanctuary. Turns out there’s a pathway right behind where you start from that leads out to two different warp areas, and from here, now you can start your journey. Your first task requires that you go to the East to find the wife of a wizard at camp. It seems they were separated, and he needs you to find her. Unfortunately, leaving the campsite will only take you South, through cemeteries, dungeons, and other dark lands which are full of undead creatures. Directions aren’t really accurate, and there will be quite a bit of exploring involved. 

The battle system is in real time, and is kind of reminiscent of CrimsonHeart. If you just run into a pack of enemies slinging your sword around, you’ll find yourself in trouble fairly quickly. Standing back and luring a couple of enemies towards you, and watching how they attack and block will be a valuable asset to learn early on in the game. Running around to the back of enemies helps you avoid their shields, and can give you some massive hits. Of course, not all of the enemies require this tactic. There are some that will just stand there while you walk right up to them and bash their heads in. It’s all part of the combat system dance. I guess. Once you start killing enemies, they’ll start dropping gold and other items, and you can get your loot on. Figuring out how to pick items up is another task that you’ll need to figure out on your own. I’ll help you out; Tapping on the item inside the window that pops up will put it in your equipment pack.

Don’t get me wrong. Once you figure everything in Blade of Darkness out, it’s really a fun game. But sticking with it through all of the figuring it out will be taxing, and currently priced at $0.99, there are going to be some people who just give up, and delete the game. But if you’re willing to stick it out, and not afraid to learn basically the whole UI on your own, the hack-n-slash, loot driven, Diablo reminiscent gameplay can be very rewarding. Finding those rare items, and beating the hell out of hundreds of enemies is great fun. You’re also able to play in CO-OP mode, which has the game controlling another hero along side you, Multiplayer Mode, where you can host or join another game, as well as an Arena Mode where you can battle other players online. Lets just hope that Zealm sells enough copies to be driven to keep the updates coming, because if they do, Blade of Darkness could turn into one hell of a Diabloesque title, and maybe even one of the top loot driven games on the iOS. 

Back when I first got my 2nd generation iPod Touch, platformers were pretty hard to find. There really only seemed to be a couple decent ones available for the iOS at the time. Since then, the genre has grown and grown, and kept growing into the massive collection it currently is. Now, with well over 50 platformers on my iPod alone, the only hard thing to find is which game I want to play. Luckily, this week, Virginia based developer, Uncade, released his third platform game, Kid Vector. 

Like Uncade’s last platformer release, Blast Ball (now named Blast Soccer), Kid Vector uses beautiful retro graphics to enhance the gameplay. Personally, I loved the graphics in Blast Ball, but with Kid Vector, the backgrounds are all animated, adding to the look, as well as the feel of the game, and bringing an extra level of polish to the whole package. 

One (of very few) shortcoming of Kid Vector is the length. Containing only 15 levels, chances are you’ll finish the game relatively quick. However, even that can provide a decent challenge, and when  you bring into account the 3 badges that each of the 15 levels has, you’ve got yourself one hell of an old-school challenge to complete. 

Each level contains a certain amount of coins, as well as 1 hidden star. Collecting all of the coins gives you the Coin Badge, while finding the star will get you the Star Badge. Each level also has a time limit which you can try and complete the level by in order to get the Time Badge. Now, don’t get the wrong idea, just because there’s time limits does not mean that Kid Vector contains bite-sized levels. The levels are actually pretty big. Big enough to have a checkpoint, and time limits around 50 seconds. 

The level design for Kid Vector is fantastic. With the crazy amount of hazards (spikes on the ground and the ceiling, falling spikes, flame throwers, laser blasters, large caterpillars, UFO beams and much more!) placed perfectly, and moving as well as disappearing platforms, and the animated backgrounds adding to the whole layout as well as challenge, it’s one of the most well designed iOS platformers I’ve had the pleasure of playing, and I’ve played just about every single one of them. 

Priced at $1.99, being Universal, including different placement of the buttons for the larger iPad screen (though you’re unable to move the buttons), and GameCenter integration with 7 achievements, Kid Vector is a great buy, especially if you’re a fan of old-school platformers. The 3 badges for each level do add to the challenge, and the replay value, but once you complete that, there’s really nothing to come back for. GameCenter leaderboards for each of the 3 world’s total times, or including a scoring system for score-chasing would have been a huge plus. Though, with Uncade’s previous releases getting some fairly big updates, fully rounding out his previous titles, there’s a pretty good chance that Kid Vector will only be improved as time goes on. As it is now though, there’s quite a bit of gameplay to keep even hardcore platform veterans busy for hours as the challenge more than makes up for the lack of leaderboards and the shortness of the game. Uncade has definitely pushed the bar for iOS retro platformers with slick graphics, awesome music, fabulous level design, and a crazy amount of hazards. Kid Vector is one title you should not pass up. 

One of my favorite old-school video games has got to be Final Fantasty. Created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, pretty much everything his hands touched turned to gold; Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, Vagrant Story, Legend of Mana, and loads more, Sakaguchi left Squre, created Mistwalker, and has since released some fantastic titles; Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, The Last Story, and more. Releasing titles on the XBOX 360, Nintendo DS, and Wii, Mistwalker finally found their way over to the AppStore with the release of Party Wave, a casual arcade title that has players controlling groups of surfers. 

Surfing really isn’t a sport that’s touched on much in the iOS gaming world; Rising Board, Derby Surf, Line Surfer, South Surfers, ePig Surf and Robo Surf are the only titles that come to mind, and with other genres overflowing with games, it’s pretty surprising to only have a few surfing themed games laying around. But with the reputation of Mistwalker, Party Wave has the potential to blow them all out of the water, so to speak, even before checking it out. Fortunately, that’s not how things operate, and getting our hands on the game, seeing how the first step away from the RPG genre Mistwalker has taken, as well as how they approach the casual arcade genre, we’re pretty darn impressed. 

For those of you who have never heard the term, ‘Party Wave’ is a term for any large wave which several surfers ride on. And that’s exactly what you’ll be doing in the game. Starting off, you’ll guide each of the surfers to a specific spot in the water by swiping on them, flicking them to the area. Once you get all of the surfers there, the fun begins. 

Each surfer will start to blink once they hit the bottom portion of the wave. This is your cue to tap them, sending them up and into the air. Once in the air, you can tap them again on their way up to do a trick, and again on their way down to do another trick. It sounds pretty simple, right? Just tap on the surfers when they’re at the bottom of the wave and in the air, no worries. But once you throw three or more of them together, and add in the hazards of the water, it can get very challenging, very quickly. What makes it even harder, is that some stages require that you get a certain number of perfect scores on previous levels in order to play them, and progress through the game, and sometimes you’ll need to go back and try and replay stages without having any surfers fall off of their boards. 

The gameplay is pretty straight forward, but can get awfully hectic at times. Quick reflexes, quicker thinking, and fast fingers are definitely an asset worth having if you’re going to compete on the leader boards, or complete the game. For those of you who really look for replay value when you get your iOS gaming on, Party Wave caters to you as well; the gameplay gets even more depthy the more you get into it. Perfect scores for getting all of your surfers on the wave, and not letting any of them fall off are great and everything, but what will really make you coming back, trying to max out your score? The little mechanics that add that special spark to a game, having it stand out above others within the genre, as well as all the titles available in the AppStore.

When you perfect clear a stage, stars start showing up. Collecting these while you’re playing will give you power-ups, like giving a surfer extra speed to make it to the wave catching area, which you can trigger by pausing the game, and touching the stars in the menu. You can also collect stars by touching the strange UFO which appears in the game at seemingly random times. Also, the closer you get to the hazards and objects in the first part of each level, while you’re flicking the surfers to the wave catching area will give you special little bonuses as well. 

Something else that will keep you coming back? The special ultra spiffy Arcade Mode! Here, you’ll try and get through six sets of four stages in a certain amount of time. Doing tricks adds to your time limit, while running into hazards depletes it. Arcade Mode can get very difficult, but never in a frustrating way, and when you nail tricks just right, it can become a lot more fun than the already incredibly entertaining Level Mode. 

Party Wave, priced at $1.99, being Universal, and having GameCenter support with 2 leaderboards, one for your total score in the level stages, and another for Arcade Mode, is a fantastic title. The experience of Mistwalker definitely shines through out the entire game, from the graphics to the gameplay, and even down to the little special mechanics that make the gameplay deeper than it looks on the surface, and keep you coming back for more. Party Wave is a shining example that yes, everything Mr. Sakaguchi touches really does turn to gold. 

Last June (2011) a newcomer to the iOS gaming scene, Triolith Entertainment, released their debut title, Wisp: Eira’s Tale. In it, you needed to guide a glowing orb through small maze like levels, avoiding incredibly creative hazards, collecting elements, Fire, Air, Water and Earth, and then safely make your way to the exit. Since it’s release, it’s gone through quite a few price drops, and had some updates that completed the game, making it one of the most polished games of it’s type available. 

Triolith has also been hard at work on their sophomore title, Megatroid, a platformer/run-n-gun title with randomly generated levels, and loads of equipment. Judging by the game’s name, it’s pretty easy to tell what the influences are; Metroid and Mega Man. These happen to be two of my favorite old-school games, and I’m sure many of you are also pretty big fans of the two series, so when I heard about Megatroid, I just about did a backflip in excitement. 

Megatroid not only has endless replayablity, but also a story to go along with it, which was a pretty big surprise. You’ll control Hali, a member of GRiN (Galactic Rebel Information Network), as she fights her way through the Imperium army one station at a time. You’re accompanied by a mechanical pet orb, named S.P.A.K.K. (Self Propelled Aerial Kinematic Kitten – that’s right – kitten), who gives you various information, and helps guide you on your journey. Now, once you complete the first couple of levels, and collect the Imperial Warp Gate, you’re able to jump from station to station. This is where the randomly generated level system comes into play. 

With a little help from the developers, here’s how it works; 

Because computers are pretty bad at figuring out random stuff, the level generation is seed based. This means that a string of characters – “FN/#NS¤’MDFH” – is fixed, while any word you can think of is typed in, say “The App Shack”, and then combined with “FN/#NS¤’MDFH” in order to create the stage. Since every copy of the game uses the same seed, every copy of the game produces the same level when the same word is typed in. So if I type “Goobel-e-gla” in my copy of the game, and so do you, we will both play the same level. 

This works out for the best, as Triolith has hidden some levels within the game, and if you happen to type in a certain word, you’ll unlock the Hidden Game Mode. Hopefully more things like this will be added in future updates. It’s a really neat feature. 

If you haven’t yet got Megatroid, make sure you check it out! It’s available for FREE (that’s right, folks! FREE!!!!) in the AppStore. This does, however, mean that IAPs are included as well, but they are very non-intrusive, and basically there for players to donate some cash to the developers. There are two markets, the Premium and Black Market. Both contain weapons and armor, but the Premium Market has items which you can only purchase with Space Bucks, while the Black Market’s currency is with Coins, which you earn in-game by destroying enemies and completing levels. There’s two options for picking up Space Bucks; One – purchase them through IAP with $$, Two – check out and install free apps, or watch trailers, though this only gives you a couple at a time, it’s there if you’re determined to get Space Bucks. The weapons in the Premium Market are not much stronger than the items in the Black Market, so it’s definitely not required at all to progress through the game. Also, new items are added every day, so you never really know what’s going to be available to you! Very cool!

Fans of Mega Man and Metroid (there are branching paths in the levels, but not much exploration, and no upgrades required to reach new areas, but you can still see the influence) as well as platformers and run-n-gun titles should definitely check out Megatroid. It’s on par with Wisp: Eira’s Tale, and could possibly become an iOS classic very soon. Check it out!

Casual arcade games are a sort of secret obsession of mine. With as many as there are in the AppStore, it’s really no wonder a lot of gamers are looking for more when it comes to their app purchases, but when it comes to score-chasing casual arcade titles, especially games with combo and multiplier systems, I just eat that stuff up, and love every minute of it. NNT + ZigZaGame’s new title, Cats Away, is the most recent little addiction of mine, already sucking away at least 5 hours of my spare time.

The graphics and animations are very well done, adding quite a bit to the gameplay. It’s great seeing cats being flipped every which way while in the air on their way into the spaceship. The exploding bushes and projectiles that some ships are equipped with have minimal animations, but they fit the graphic look of the game very well. The physics are another very polished aspect of the game, with each cat having their own weight and feeling to them, adding another layer to the gameplay. All-n-all, it’s a very polished game that you can tell a lot of thought went into while creating it. 

Like Point & Click titles, Board games seem to be a complete fit the iOS device. Perfect for the touch screen UI, multiplayer capabilities and none of the setting up, putting away, or deck/piece/board maintenance. One of the most recent board games to hit the AppStore is Codito Development’s (the same company that brought Tikal, Tigris & Euphrates, Ra and Medici to the iOS) Le Havre (The Harbor). The popular board game, released in 2008, that has you controlling the development of the town, Le Havre.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of playing this 2009 International Gamers Award winner, you’re in for a real treat. Le Havre has you building up as much wealth as you can over the course of 18 turns by constructing buildings, owning ships, and bringing in goods through the harbor. The tutorial is very well designed, and easy to understand, giving you the full scope of the game’s mechanics your first time through. There’s also an option to keep hints on while you’re playing, just in case you need a little extra help through your first couple of games. It’s fairly complex, and includes a bit of depth, but once you get the hang of it, it actually becomes pretty simple, and you’ll probably wonder why it took you so long to figure everything out.

There are two gameplay modes available, Local, which you’re able to set up with up to 4 AI opponents as well as other players via pass n play type gameplay, and Online Multiplayer through GameCenter. You’re able to set these modes up in one of two different ways; Short Game and Long Game. In a short game, you’re given 12 rounds, each round containing 3 turns, and are given a couple of building supplies to get you started. This mode is best for newcomers to the game, while a long game includes 18 rounds, and you are not given any building materials to start out with.

Using your basic building materials; wood, clay and iron, you’ll be able to use the buildings that the town has already built in order to create them. For instance, the town has built the Construction Rirm. You can use the Construction Firm to build up to 3 buildings per turn. Once you build these buildings, you own them. The buildings that you’ll build will help you create more food (which is required every round to feed your workers/employees), more complex building materials, like bricks and iron, and more. Also, with each building you own, your wealth goes up. 

Using the dock, you’re able to collect materials and food, used to feed your workers and build. Starting a long game can take a couple of turns to get into as you collect your materials. You’ll also always need to make sure you take a turn or two to either collect food, or turn food into more processed food, which in-turn feeds more of your workers. Feeding your workers is a huge part of the game. If you can’t afford to feed your workers, you’ll be required to take a very costly loan from the bank, and that can pretty much damage your chances of winning. 

Le Havre is, by far, one of the most impressive board games I’ve had the pleasure of playing on the iOS. The graphics, user interface, and just the mechanics of it all create an incredibly immersive, and very entertaining gameplay experience. Priced at $4.99 and being Universal, if you’re a fan of board games, Le Havre is one that you need to own. GameCenter leaderboards for wins, total wealth, and more, it’s one game that will take you a while to master, but is incredibly enjoyable throughout the entire learning process, and even more-so after you finally figure out the best ways to become the wealthiest man in all of Le Havre. Codito Development just can’t seem to do any wrong.