Touch Hockey: FS5

Every since the appstore was released I’ve been looking for a good Air Hockey game for my iPhone. After a few bum hockey games I’ve finally stumbled upon the Holy Grail that is “Touch Hockey: FS5″ an air hockey game that does what it’s supposed to do.

First of all Touch Hockey: FS5 is free, this is the best thing about it, so go download it before you even finishing reading this post. The reason Touch Hockey: FS5 can get away with being free is that it runs ads every once in a while, in between the games. You have the choice to visit the sponsors or continue on your way. This is barely a nuisance. Some other good features include the sound, the sound is very crisp and clear as are the physics. Physics are something that iPhone developers tend to have trouble perfecting, Touch Hockey’s physics are very accurate, this is the main reason I love the game so much. FS5 also claims the game runs at 60 FPS so that would explain why everything runs so smoothly. Another cool feature is the instant replay. Now you can see exactly how you managed to hit the puck into your own goal.

Touch Hockey offers three ways to play: Single-Player, which lets you play against the computer, Two-Player, which lets you play against a friend, or Local Wi-Fi, which lets you play against another friend on their iPhone. I’m pretty sure this has to be local so you can’t just search for some random person to play across the globe.

Overall Touch Hockey: FS5 is a must download. It’s simple priceless fun. I am giving Touch Hockey: FS5 a 5 out of 5 stars simply because it does what an Air Hockey game is supposed to do and it does it well.

*Update* – I played a local wi-fi game with my uncle and was very impressed, the game connected instantly and the gameplay was smooth for the most part, there was minor lagging at some points but nothing that affected the gameplay. Overall the online wi-fi is great. I hope that someday we can get some “non-local” multiplayer going in some iPhone games.

Download Touch Hockey: FS5 now for free!

Blocked

Blocked, a simple block moving puzzle game is now available for iPhone. This game brings back memories of a block moving game in Clubhouse Games for the DS. Blocked is a game where you move the blocks to make room to get the blue block out of the square. Unlike the DS version blocks can only movie in two directions either up/down or left/right depending on their orientation. In the DS game the blocks could move in 4 directions making it less frustrating but even more tricky. I have to admit Blocked’s hand-drawn art style is one of the main reasons I bought the app. The $0.99 price point was another reason it was an impulse buy. I recommend you spend the $0.99 for Blocked and give it a try, it’s a simple puzzle game that is great exercise for the brain.

Billy Frontier

Because games keep my blood pumping I decided to download Billy Frontier this past weekend while I was visiting my hometown of Johnstown, PA. Billy Frontier is a simple shooting game with 4 different modes including: Dueling, Shootout, Stampede, and Target Practice.

The Dueling mode consists of pushing the circle and triangle buttons on screen in the same pattern they appear on the screen. The more accurate you are the better the outcome. I didn’t spend much time with this mode. The next mode is Shootout which is a simple shooting game, you clear the area of aliens and then move forward to the next area. You can turn left and right in this mode. The next mode is Stampede. Stampede doesn’t involve any guns and is just a simple accelerometer based mode. In this mode you are running from stampede, the camera shows your character running towards you and the stampede right behind you. You are to avoid rocks and logs and can jump by tapping on the screen. You control the direction your character moves by tilting the iPhone. The last mode is Target Practice. Target Practice is just what the name suggest. In this mode you shoot things that are being launched in the air. Sometimes the camera will shake to make it harder.

Overall Billy Frontier seems as if it launched before it was perfected. When I was playing Shootout the game would just end randomly and send me back to the games menu screen. I also really didn’t like that the camera shook in target practice, I didn’t think this was necessary. I do like the fact that they let you choose between an offset or centered crosshairs which means you can have the crosshairs aim and shoot directly where you tap or have it offset above your finger so you can see better. Options like these are key to a good iPhone game. Billy Frontier is fun while it lasts but it’s not a game that seems very top-quality. $5.99 is not much for a game but if you aren’t sure you will like this game then wait for the price to go down a bit before you get this one.

Billy Frontier is available in the iTunes and iPhone appstores for $5.99.

Sudoku Unlimited

I picked up Sudoku Unlimited after trying out Daily Sudoku, the free version of Sudoku Unlimited, for a few days and decided I wanted to play more than one game a day. Sudoku Unlimited is a very sharp and clean Sudoku app for iPhone. Since Sudoku is a very basic game there isn’t really much to say about Sudoku Unlimited except the fact that you can change the skins to some pretty cool selections including Notepad, Vanilla, Newspaper and Default. Personally I like the Notepad skin the most. You are also given 5 difficulties ranging from “I’m New” to “I’m Clinically Insane.” Sudoku Unlimited runs very smoothly and utilizes space by using a box that pops up when you select a blank square. I haven’t played any of the other Sudoku apps for iPhone but I feel confident in saying this is probably one of the best.

Sudoku Unlimited is available in the iTunes and iPhone appstores for $2.99 as of the writing of this.

Bug Bounce

I had stumbled upon Bug Bounce in the depths of the AppStore ocean yesterday and after looking at some screens I was hooked, whether the game was good or not I wanted it. Something about the kiddy art-style really appealed to me. Maybe it’s because I love anything that’s cell-shaded, maybe it’s because I am a soon to be father, whatever the reason may be I decided to get Bug Bounce with it’s $2.99 price tag. Bug Bounce is very bare bones. The object of the game is to avoid the bugs. You direct a little blue bird by dragging your finger around the screen, if you hit a bug you will take damage. Certain bugs do more damage than others and if you take too much damage then you will lose a heart. When you lose a heart the screen background automatically changes to the next season. You have 3 hearts total. Once you lose all of your hearts the game ends and you are scored. You can upload your score into a global leaderboard to see where you stand. Bug Bounce will give you a few minutes of fun but there isn’t much too it and it can get boring fast unless for some reason you are one of those people who has to be the best at everything. Bug Bounce has a great art style and I really want to love it but there’s not much there to love. Cocoa Touch Games are the developers behind Bug Bounce and I checked out their site and was happy to see they are hard at work on at least 6 more titles for iPhone. All of them look to have that same great art style. I’m excited to see what else Cocoa Touch Games will bring to the iPhone. They definitely have the potential.

Sol Free

Sol Free is available now for the iPhone. Sol Free is an awesome solitaire application that’s…you guessed it…free! Sol Free gives us 3 free card games taken right from the $9.99 Solebon Solitaire which has 20 games if you are interested. These three games include Baker’s Game, Demon, and Klondike Deal 3. Sol Free gives me the only game I ever play (Klondike) so I am totally satisfied. This app has great visuals and is great for playing anywhere. Unlike Platinum Solitaire (which I own) this game has no load screens or developer “movies.” You just start the app and choose your game and you are all set. The game features an unlimited undo button and also an auto button which will complete the obvious moves for you. I actually prefer Sol Free over Platinum Solitaire because it looks great, it starts up fast, and it’s perfect for my Klondike needs.

Chopper

I had first experienced Chopper when I downloaded the demo for my Mac. It was fun but you could tell it was cheaply made. After reading some reviews of the iPhone app which were generally favorable I decided to give it a try.

Chopper is one of those games you would think was made specifically for the iPhone. The controls are perfect. You control the helicopter by tilting the iPhone. Tilt it away from you to go up and towards you to go down. It takes a little time to get used to the machine gun which you control by touching the machine gun icon in the top right corner. You have to make sure your chopper is pointing down to make the best use of that weapon. Another option is to use the bombs that are provided. These drop straight down. Both of these weapons are unlimited so there is no rationing here. Again, it looks like the developer is making sure the user has fun and isn’t frustrated. The main goal of Chopper is to get to the civilians, drop down and pick them up and bring them back to base alive. Along the way you will encounter tanks and men with rocket launchers. Some of the environments include snow, desert, night time, and rainy weather. The graphics look really good on the iPhone’s small screen. I was very impressed.

I would have to say Chopper is probably the funnest game I have played on iPhone thus far. With 60 levels spanning three difficulties it will definitely keep you busy for a while.