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Get ready to become Anook and Nooki and bounce from ice cube to ice cube in Anooki Jump [$0.99 (UNIVERSAL)] from Bulkypix. Anook and Nooki are two Eskimos who need your help to bounce as high as possible. The mechanics and the game will sort of remind you of Doodle Jump, but the game is completely different. For one thing, there’s no monsters that are trying to make you die. You’re probably wondering how you can play as 2 characters in this game. We’ll it’s actually really cool how you do it. Both of the Eskimos have a health bar. You start the game off with one of the characters and as you bounce higher the characters health that your bouncing with starts to deteriorate. Along the way there’s sort of a “pit stop” I guess you could say with the energized Eskimo waiting. When you land on it, your characters swap out and your immediately thrown back into the game with

the well rested Anook or Nooki. If you fail to swap out, your health will go down and once it reaches the end then it’s immediately game over. There’s a bunch of power-ups in the game that allow you to jump a decent amount of distance such as the star, the ballon, and a few other things that raise you higher up. With power-ups comes obstacles. Some of those obstacles are the bomb that spins you out of control for a little bit which makes jumping hard to do. Another one is the oil spill that gets you stuck in it, which requires you to shake your device to get out of it. There’s also a sort of Jack-in-the-Box that you can land in which can either shoot you straight up or shoot you straight down. So, that can be considered a power-up and an obstacle. In the

end this game is pretty addictive. The only thing I’ll say is that I’m not a fan of the colored world. It’s cool that every time you play the background is a different color, but it would be even better if the backgrounds were actually themed. Also, tilting on the iPad feels clunky, but well most tilting games on the iPad do. Overall, Anooki Jump is a cute game that you could easily spend hours trying to beat your high score by getting higher and higher. My final rating is 4 out of 5 stars. Anooki Jump is a universal app so you don’t have to double-dip if you have an iPad and iPhone and would like to play on both. You can grab Anooki Jump for $0.99 from Bulkypix !

Virtual City Playground HD [FREE] by G5 Entertainment is sort of sequel to their popular Virtual City HD [$6.99]. I’ve never actually played the original game so I can’t tell you how this stacks up to the first one. Well, in Virtual City Playground you get to build your city from the ground up. There’s a bunch of missions to complete in the game and a lot of cool buildings that you can build. As you build more things you start to notice more and more people starting to move into your city. You can only do so much at a time because a lot of the game requires you to use your energy to build things. As you earn more coins you can

expand your city. I actually like the integration with Facebook. A lot of these freemium games allow you to post what your doing in the game on Facebook, but this game actually gives you an incentive to post that you just leveled up. If you’re new to this game like me then you might have some trouble at first. This might be the first time that you might actually have to… read the instructions. YIKES! After you get a hang of it then you’ll have a really good time with it. Even though it’s a neat game I do have a few problems with it. I find that loading your city takes longer and longer as you progress farther in the game. The progressing in the game seems a bit slow for impatient people like me. This is also a game that I feel like you actually have to make some in-app purchases to move faster, because a lot of this stuff that you need to build your city seems to be pricey. Well in the end this game is free so you can always make the final verdict for yourself. Overall I found the game to be fun, but too slow for me. My final rating is 3 out of 5 stars. Go download it today. I’m pretty sure that a FREE game won’t break your bank account! Well what are you waiting for… get your building on!

Pokemon has been at the root of most peoples early childhood and even later on in life.  Some feel ashamed to have once been a part of this huge phenomenon but others still embrace it today.  After much tension and debate over Nintendo porting over a Pokemon game to iOS they still remain stubborn and adamant to not let that happen.  Fortunately Puppysauraus, a game that plays similar to Pokemon has been released, but it is not the type of experience most imagined.

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From the first time you open up the game you realize that it is marketed towards the younger market.  The graphics are cutesy, the colors are vibrant and the creatures names are no where near threatening.  I remember my first thought being, I hope my friends don’t see me playing this.  But the game has turned into something of a guilty pleasure with me and some of my fond memories of playing Pokemon have been brought back to life.
You start off by being asked if you are a boy, girl or robot. Then you get to choose your skin color and then are off on your journey.  You receive your first Twee, which is the equivalent of a Pokemon and are briefed on the history of the game and why you are venturing out on your quest to stop/collect the Twees. Shortly thereafter you initiate your first battle.
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The battle system is quite unusual to say the least.  You can have up to 3 Twees on the battlefield at one time and can not switch others in its place if one retreats. Then you get to choose what move your Twee performs on its opponent. There are many different attacks like “Bap”, “Tag”, and Freeze all of which correspond with a cute little animation of your character doing that to the other Twee.  Needless to say as this is a kids game, none of the creatures get harmed and the attacks are done in good fun which is where the over cutesy nature really struck me cold. Then you can try to catch wild Twee which appear randomly across the map. To catch a Twee you don’t use a Ball or kind of catching mechanism. You make them your friends by performing specialty moves like “Nuzzle”, “Dance” and others to make their love meter fill up and thus join your team of Twee.  To initiate one of these battles you have to run into a sparkly portal found randomly around the wild area you are in.  If you clear an area of all the Twees you get a special reward.  You control your character with the aid of a joystick which feels fairly responsive.  From a menu you can change your Twee Team, tweak the settings, and check your teams stats.  When you want to quit all you have to do is exit out of the app and it will save exactly where you were when you left.  Included with the game is the ability to upload your own drawings into the Twee world for others to catch and battle.  All you need is any drawing app like Doodle Buddy or Sketchbook and your ready to draw!
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The music is amazing and really gives the game an epic soundtrack.  The sound effects are a little annoying in battle but I got used to it after a few matches. Visuals are as mentioned before, geared towards kids and are very pastel colored in nature. In-game Menus on the other hand leave a little to be desired.  The standby Twee menu utilizes the basic blue and white list menu which does not correspond with the mood the game has set.  My only other complaint is that I would like to see a clothes and hair shop where you can change the look of your character and thus personalize your experience.
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Overall if your into Pokemon or just want to be a kid again then this is the game for you.  Just don’t let your friends see you playing it! I give it a 4.5/5.
Itunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/app/puppysaurus/id432228575?mt=8

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 I think we all can agree that this August has been an awesome month for game releases and many of my favorites have gotten sequels that drastically reinvented themselves.  There have also been alot of other unique releases that deserve mention as well.   Ladies and Gentlemen this is..The Best of the Best!

Pocket RPG-(Crescent Moon Games) 0.99

Though  released on the iPad before the iPod, this Wednesday it was made Universal. Pocket RPG is now fast becoming our favorite game with three different characters and tons of exploring and looting to do you’ll be spending all your free time with this amazing game. App Store Link

Mega Mall Story-(Kairosoft) 3.99

 If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to be the manager of a mall then this game is for you.  It puts all the elements of business and turns them into something extremely fun.  You can build shops, invest in the surrounding community and expand your very own mall.  Pick this one up today! App Store Link

Jetpack Joyride-(Halfbrick) 0.99

There’s no doubt about it that Halfbrick has done it again. This has got to be one of the best releases all summer. Do whatever you have to do to get this game. You won’t regret this purchase. This is truly a fun and addictive game. By addictive I mean you will literally be hooked on this game for hours and hours and hours… well you get it. Go download it now! App Store Link

Edge Extended- (Mobigame) 0.99
Based off of the success of the very first Edge Mobigame went and made a sequel to that game. This definitely feels like a true sequel and is true to the originals length and complexity.  To read up more on this game check out our Review of it.
 App Store Link

Contre Jour- (Mokus) 0.99
 
A blend of game and interactive art this breathtaking puzzler is one of the most innovative games we have ever seen.  With a blend of Cut the Rope, Angry Birds, and other games mechanics you’ll surely be entertained! App Store Link

Infinty Field-(ForzeField) 0.99
This is the first dual stick shooters that has actually stuck on my device for more than a week and is perfect for those few fleeting moments you have during your bathroom breaks and when your teacher is looking the other way.  All in all I highly suggest you try this game out for the low asking price of 0.99.  I promise you wont be disappointed. App Store Link

Temple Run- (Imangi) 0.99
Endless runners are a well done genre in the App Store but this game takes a turn where few other dare to go….3D.  You are frantically running away from the angry temple guardians who feel you violated the sanctity of their temple. By swiping you jump, turn and slide around all sorts of obstacles and passages. The replayabiltiy is off the hook and I have once spent 2 hours straight playing the game.  I highly recommend you try this for the low cost of 0.99. App Store Link

Think of all the cliche alien movies you have seen this year. About 100% of them have huge Michael Bay- esque explosions and  awesome futuristic weapons.  Alpha Balls also has to do with an alien invasion but fortunately does away with all the over used explosions so common in main stream media.
When you first start up the game you are brought to a menu screen where you have a few different options.  You can check out the gamecenter leaderboards and see how your friends are doing, go through the tutorial, and finally start a game.  There is only one game mode; Survival, and it is score based.  You can try to compete for a high score by playing survival for a long time or just play it for fun.
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The main enemy in the game is an alien spacecraft that is trying to destroy the earth.  They’re not using heavy arms or swarms of enemies but are hedging the success of their mission on throwing large balls at our planet and hoping we are obliterated. But dammit were AMERICA we don’t stand for shenanigans like that!  Our awesome and high tech solution is to shoot balls back at their balls so that they are pushed away from our planet, hopefully hitting our annoying neighbors.  The ball shooting device is similar to a tennis serving machine and machine-gun fires the balls right back at them.  In order to shoot you drag your finger on the lower part of the screen in the direction you want to fire.  Keep in mind you have a limited amount  of ammo that replenishes slowly so you really have to be strategic in where and what you shoot of.  Unfortunately that means you cant have extreme firing rampages like in Rambo but that would just make the game too unbalanced. If you tap the screen with 2 fingers a charged shot is released that has more impact power than the regular shots. Using this ability decreases the shot meter by 5 shots which you could have used defending your base. You start off with a shield but that diminishes when it gets hits more than once which leaves no room for error. The game gets really intense later on in survival mode and will have you hooked trying to save your base.
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Overall this is a great physics based shooting game but is a little lacking on content.  More enemy types besides the 2 currently in the game would make the game more strategic as well.  I give it a 4/5 stars.
Info:
Releasing Sept. 1st
Price: 0.99
Devs: Appsolute Entertainment
Note: Pictures will be added once the game is released along with the unreleased video.

There’s no doubt in the world that when you first see this game your first thought is “Wait, this looks just like Cut the Rope”! It does sort of resemble Cut the Rope, especially since the main character in this game Yammi bares a strong resemblance to Om Nom. Even though Save Yammi HD [$0.99 (iPad Only)] by Bulkypix looks like it might be a ripoff of Cut the Rope, it’s not. It’s actually the complete opposite. You could actually say that Save Yammi builds off of the things that made Cut the Rope such a success and they turn it into their own. In this game your goal is to deliver the cookie into Yammi’s mouth. In each of the over 100 levels you can collect the stars within each level to earn bonus points to boost your overall score. There is a

rope that you can use in this game, but there’s no cutting ropes. Instead you can draw the ropes. You can draw the ropes before you start the level by popping the bubble that holds the cookie. The bad part is that you can only draw the ropes you’ll need at the very second you begin the level, because the ropes actually start to vanish as time moves on. So that means by the time you’re near Yammi your rope that you drew might have completely disappeared there. One of the coolest things about the ropes is that once you draw it, it’s not completely straight. It actually acts like a real rope by sort of drooping down a bit once you set it. You’re also only given a limited amount of rope to use. I actually love the idea of being able to draw ropes. It might take you a couple of replays to get the ropes exactly where you want them, but that’s what keeps you playing and makes the game absolutely addictive! New elements in the game are gradually added over the 100 levels. There’s power-ups that allow you to float and a bunch more of other things. There’s also a great deal of obstacles such as electric volts to watch out for or lightning to avoid or risk getting your cookie obliterated into pieces! I also forgot to mention that the gyroscope in the game is extremely helpful and works perfectly. Overall, I found Save Yammi HD to be a fantastic puzzler. There’s definitely a lot more thinking in this game

then there is to me in Cut the Rope. The levels in this game were just very well done and though out. This right here is a true puzzle game. My final score is 4/5 stars. The game can be frustrating at times but in the end it’ll keep you coming back every time. So if you’re looking for a cute challenging game or your a Cut the Rope fan and you want more of a challenge then go check out Save Yammi HD by Bulkypix for $0.99 here. This game is only available for iPad… no I’m just kidding. You can also pick it up for your iPhone & iPod Touch for just $0.99 also here.

Harkening back to the good old days of RPG’s is Muteki Corp’s newest game, Dragon Fantasy.  Right from the start with the hilarious intro you know this is going to be a great experience.  After the intro you start off in the kingdom of Wester where the new king is about to be crowned.  Then suddenly a Dark Knight comes and states that his master demands an audience with the prince who was going to be crowned.  Ogden(your in game character) chases after the Dark Knight to attempt to get the Prince back.

You control your character by dragging your finger in the direction you want your character to move in.  The controls are quite smooth and you can use any part of the screen for control.  You move across the expansive continent similar to how you do in Final Fantasy.  There are various towns, villages, and temples scattered across the land.  You will end up visiting most of these places in pursuit of the stolen Prince and there are no fetch quests like in KRPG’s.  Battles take place randomly as you go across the land and the combat is turn based.  You have four options while in battle: Fight, Magic, Items, and Run.  When you select Fight you automatically hit the opponent and there is a small chance that a critical hit(which makes the damage of your attack higher) will occur.  You gain Magic over the course of the game and can be useful when your in a pinch. The item option is self explanatory, you can select certain items that you have with you and use them in combat.  Run can be used when your too much of a wuss to fight a enemy and there is a small chance it wont work that round.  The battles are fairly fast paced and there isn’t loads of text you have to tap through to get to the next action.
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The graphics are simply awesome with beautiful 8-bit effects that seem like they’re coming straight from a arcade game. The 8-bit music is amazing as well and definitely adds a finishing touch to the game that makes playing through it all the more fun.
Overall this is a simply must have game that provides a humorous throwback to the good ol Retro RPG age. This should be anyone’s first forray into the AppStore RPG market.  I give it 5/5 Stars.
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Price: 2.99 + Universal support
Link: Dragon Fantasy Link
Site: http://mutekicorp.com/

At one point or another everyone has had some form of a pet in their life.  Be it a frog named Hoppy or a fluffy dog everyone cares about their pet regardless of shape and form.  But sometimes owning a pet can be too much and quite stressful on you and your relations with others.  Fortunately Pixaquarium; a new pet simulation game, takes the weight off your shoulders and lets you have the experience of having a pet without really having one.

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Pixaquarium as the name suggest focuses on you raising and caring for your very own virtual fish.  When you first start the game up you are allowed to choose what type of tank you want your fish to live in.  Then after you made your selection you are taken to the fish tank which has a fish egg in it.  After 30 seconds pass the egg hatches into either a boy or a girl baby fish which you can then name.  The baby fish requires a lot of interaction as you would expect and it can be difficult to keep it alive during this phase of its life.  Fortunately after just 59 minutes it evolves into a teenager which doesn’t require as much interaction and care. Then after 12 hours it finally evolves into a adult. The appearence of your fish changes every time it evolves and their are 44 different types of fish to discover. With only 2 evolutions per your fish’s life you will be playing this over and over again trying to discover all of the other evolutions.  All of the fish you have discovered are added to the Fish Book which catalogs them all and includes descriptions.   You cant access the book in-game but once your fish inevitably dies due to old age you can check it in the main menu.  It becomes necessary to check in every once in a while and is great to kill the 5 minutes you have off in the work day.  

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You can interact with your fish in 4 different ways, either by playing with it by dragging your finger along the screen, feeding it food, cleaning up its waste, or healing it from its sickness.  Those options may sound fairly limited but they are the same options that the very first Tamagotchi had.  I asked the developer if new interactions,new breeds of fish, and items your fish can play with would be included in a future update and he said they certainly would.  I also would like to see mini games but I suspect he is already working on some of those.  The art in this game sports the “retro” pixel effect which takes me back to the era when having a Tamagotchi was completely awesome. Their really isn’t any music in the game but that doesn’t really affect the feel of the game.

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Overall this is a highly addicting game that will have you checking back on your cute little fish often.  With tons of different fish breeds to discover you definitely wont be bored for a very long time!  

Pick it up now for the low price of [0.99]

SuperJumpBall: Basketball [$0.99] by Bengger Applications is a neat new game where your mission is to guide the basketball out of harms way into the basketball hoop. There’s 15 levels to play through with more coming in future updates. Your ball is always moving, so the only control in the game is tap to jump. If you land in the various obstacles such as the spikes or garbage bags then it’s game over. To finish the level you have to make the basketball in the hoop. There’s no time limit, but in various locations throughout the level there is points hanging around that you can collect to earn a higher score. If points are going to be awarded for each level then Game Center definitely needs to

be added in a future update, because right now I don’t really see a point in try to get a bigger score. I’m also not a big fan of the control. I find it a bit hard to get use to and the jumping is laggy at times. I also hate that if you get caught on an object then you have to restart the entire level because there’s no way to move the basketball back or forth. That’s where a left and right button would be extremely useful. There is extras that you can earn in the game after completing a certain level. So far the only extras are changing the color of your ball to green for example. My favorite part of this game has to be the simple style graphics and the levels in my opinion we’re very well done. Overall, the game is pretty challenging so you’ll find yourself restarting levels over and over either trying to finish the level or get a higher score. My final rating is 3 out of 5 stars. It definitely needs a little more work and features, but it’s a nice little game to fill in empty time during your day. If it weren’t for the controls then this game would be much better. Hopefully the controls get a little tweaking. You can go download SuperJumpBall: Basketball by Bengger Applications for your iPhone & iPod Touch for just $0.99 here.

Are you ready for this! It’s giveaway time over here at TheAppShack. Today the first 2 lucky readers can snatch a code for Hungribles [$1.99 (Universal)]. I previously reviewed this game on the site before which you can read my review here. We loved this game in our review! The two codes are right below this paragraph. Hurry up and get a copy before it’s too late!