heralds a significant leap forward for mobile
game graphics, vaulting the medium closer to matching the scope and
quality of its console predecessor.
follows the exploits of the "Hogs," a trio of
interstellar mercenaries assembling Drake Mass (a shotgun-toting
galactic marine) Flux Helix (an airborne robot with laser eyes) and
Goober (a reptilian hulk armed with a rocket launcher). The Hogs hop
from planet to planet shooting everyone and everything in sight,
tackling larger-than-life bosses, collecting rewards and completing
bonus missions; players may also purchase bizarre pets that can lend a
hand (or paw, or claw) in times of need.
is undeniably dazzling, leveraging Epic Games'
Unreal Engine graphics technology to deliver richly detailed 3D
characters and environments that virtually pop off the mobile device
screen. The problem is that the game is more style than substance: The
action is surprisingly shopworn, and there's little variation from level
to level, meaning that once the visual innovations wear off, there's
not much to keep gamers coming back. So while
is a technological breakthrough by any definition, it's difficult to shake the feeling that it could have been much more.
Grid (Developed by
Binary Thumb)
Available for:
iOS
Price: Free
Equal parts productivity tool and digital scrapbook, Grid lets you
organize information and images into a spreadsheet-like visual
framework, swiping and dragging the tiles to plan and manage projects,
travel, to-do lists and more in whatever way makes the most sense to
you.
Open Grid and it presents you with four "Create" options: Notes,
photos, contacts and maps. From those basic building blocks you can
assemble tile-based lists, tables and collages, put together
presentations and storyboards, manage personal and professional
relationships, or plan trips across town or across the globe. Press and
hold the individual tiles to move them around, or double-tap them for
more information. Grid also supports collaborative editing features:
Open the app on two or more iOS devices and changes made on one device
automatically affect the others, without connecting to Apple's (
NASDAQ:AAPL) iCloud. Smartly designed but simple to use, Grid will help you get all facets of your life in order.
3.Tiny Thief
The second release from the fledgling
Rovio Stars game publishing program reaffirms that the company has no intention of simply churning out a succession of
Angry Birds clones:
Tiny Thief
is a unique and utterly charming tribute to vintage point-and-click
gameplay, bolstered by distinctively stylized visuals and classic
cartoon-inspired sensibilities.
Tiny Thief's titular hero is a pint-sized Robin Hood tasked
with stealing a variety of objects across a series of six
medieval-themed settings ranging from a pirate ship to a castle. Each
theft is presented as an interactive puzzle, and outsmarting the rogue
knights, giant robots and related scallywags in your path requires
consummate skill and cunning. What separates the title from other puzzle
games is its humor and heart: It's sweet but not saccharine, stuffed
with visual gags that evoke the spirit of vintage Looney Tunes shorts.
Be prepared for
Tiny Thief to steal a lot of your free time.
4.Ernie Els Driven
Ernie Els Driven (Developed by
Driven Apps)
Available for:
iOS
Price: $4.99
Nicknamed "The Big Easy" for his buttery-smooth golf swing, Ernie Els
has earned 66 career victories, including four major championships, and
entered the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010, his first time on the
ballot. For years he's also written an instructional column for
Golf Digest.
You couldn't ask for a more qualified golf teacher, and Ernie Els
Driven delivers, combining videos, swing analysis, tutorials, practice
drills and other tips and tricks to help even the most inept golfers
shave multiple strokes off their game.
Ernie Els Driven focuses on all facets of the sport of golf,
highlighted by 300-frame-per-second video tutorials featuring Els
hitting every club in the bag, each from multiple angles. Users can
analyze his technique and compare it with their own via built-in "Ernie
Lines" and overlay graphics depicting key elements of each swing in
slow-motion detail, identifying and correcting trouble spots. The app
also includes Els' own short game drills alongside mini-games to improve
bunker play, putting and chipping--future updates are slated to bring
fairway tutorial videos, situational training and fitness programs. It's
another big win for Els.
5.Limbo
Limbo (Developed by Playdead)
Available for:
iOS
Price: $4.99
If the renowned animators the Brothers Quay were to translate their
phantasmagoric aesthetic to mobile gaming, the end result might look
eerily similar to the shadowy, surreal
Limbo, one of the most haunting and visually arresting games ever to arrive on iOS.
The hero of
Limbo is a nameless young boy who suddenly wakes
up in a mysterious forest. The game follows the boy's search for his
lost sister, a death-defying quest that forces the character to a run a
gauntlet of obstacles, traps and puzzles.
Limbo reveals its
secrets slowly and judiciously, favoring mood and atmosphere over
conventional narrative progression--even so, the gameplay is challenging
and often unforgiving, allowing the boy no margin for error, and the
specter of violence looms larger with each successive level.
Limbo doesn't look like anything else in the App Store: Its
color palette is limited exclusively to black, white and gray, with the
characters depicted as silhouettes against Expressionist-inspired
backgrounds. The sound design is equally minimalist, eschewing music in
favor of environmental noises that accentuate the game's palpable sense
of foreboding.
Limbo's relentless darkness may alienate some gamers, but those who fall under its spell will fall hard.
