If you'd like to listen to us go ahead and direct download or stream our words through those links just below. If you'd like to catch us the moment we upload ourselves to the Internet, you can do so by subscribing to our podcast on iTunes and Zune. Do it!
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iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
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Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-021.mp3, 40MB
As usual, here are the show notes:
GAMES
<!-- PHP 5.x -->Why hello brand new iPhone 4S owners. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Eli, I'm 6 feet tall, brown hair, blue eyes, and love long walks on the beach… Wait, wait, wait, wrong introduction. Err, anyway, let's assume you've just unboxed your iPhone 4S, peeled all the plastic off of it, and are currently waiting for it to do its first sync. You looked up "iPhone game reviews" trying to figure out what you should downloaded, and that landed you here.
[Note to current readers: This guide is written for people who just got their iPhone, or are stumbling across TouchArcade for the first time today trying to find games for their new device. If you're a close follower of this site, chances are high that you're already aware of the things I'll be discussing and the games I'll be linking, but you never know, you might learn something!]
Every month we'll do a "Best iOS Games" roundup post that bundles up all the best games that we reviewed in a particular month. These articles are the best place to get started if you want a quick glance at all the best games that have come out, accessible via the Best iPhone Games category link in the far right column. (Or by clicking that link I just dropped.)
We've also done more substantial "best of" roundups at the end of each year, as well as when new devices are released, much like this post. Here's a list of those:
Also, if you're new to the App Store, you'll likely be delighted to find out about the incredible culture of sales, freebies, and other promotions of great games. While even new release "premium" games are never anywhere near as expensive as traditional portable console games, if you're careful with following and tracking sales, you can get an unbelievable amount of titles for either free or 99�. I've written up a handy dandy guide on how to use our sister site AppShopper, as well as the AppShopper App [Free] to basically never need to pay full price for anything� As long as you're patient. With the release of the 4S, and developers scrambling for your dollars, the "Popular Games With Price Drops" section of the site is particularly active lately.
So now that I've blasted your head full of knowledge, here's some iOS games that'd be a great fit for your brand spankin' new iPhone 4S, or really, any brand new iOS device. Keep in mind this obviously isn't a list of every game you should have, for that check out the previously mentioned Best iPhone Games listing, or stop by the "What Should i Get? thread on our forums where people can recommend exactly what you should check out if you post what kind of thing you're normally interested in.
Probably the best place to get started is on games that'll truly stretch the legs of the iPhone 4S's dual-core A5 processor. These games are packed with eye candy.
Infinity Blade, $5.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � ChAIR's amazing gesture-based swordfighter which utilizes the Unreal Engine was released last year, but it's still the best way to show off what your iOS device can do. Incredible graphics are paired with a great gesture-based sword fighting system, and constant updates have kept the game fresh. There's even a sequel coming on December 1st.
Dead Space™, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � "Console quality" is a phrase that's thrown around a lot to describe portable games, and really, it's a fitting title for this iOS-exclusive version of Dead Space. Playing in a dark room with headphones makes for an incredibly creepy experience, as EA totally nailed the sound design that has made previous Dead Space titles so awesome.
Real Racing 2, $4.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � A marvelous sequel to Firemint's original Real Racing, which improves upon the first in every way imaginable. A career mode, licensed cars, and 16 player online multiplayer are just a few of the new features. If you've got an AppleTV, it'll even stream wirelessly to play on your TV, among other cool things.
Anomaly Warzone Earth, $1.99 / HD - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Who knew that turning tower defense in reverse would make for such an incredible game? If you're even vaguely interested in anything to do to tower defense, Anomaly: Warzone Earth needs to be on your iOS device. The mechanics are solid, the atmosphere is cool, the graphics are incredible and it'll leave you wanting for a sequel.
Dark Meadow, $5.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � A wonky combat system is the only thing that has stopped us from fully recommending The Dark Meadow. If you can deal with that, you'll be in for a treat as the atmosphere and story of the game are absolutely phenomenal. If you're a fan of creepy atmospheric games, you'll likely love this one.
SHADOWGUN, $4.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � This game is an entirely formulaic third person cover-based shooter that feels a bit more like a tech demo than it should, but it's still an incredible display of what the Unity engine is capable of. A multiplayer update with no ETA is on the horizon, which would be a welcome reprieve from an otherwise repetitive (but great looking) title.
On the opposite spectrum from the graphical showpieces are the iOS classics, games which are so casual your grandma could play 'em that are still fun as heck even for stodgy "hardcore" types� And have sold millions of copies.
Angry Birds, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Chances are you've already heard of Angry Birds, unless you've spent the last year of your life living on Mars in a cave with your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears. It's ridiculously popular, and for good reason: The game is incredibly fun, very simple to play, and updated often. I'd start with the original Angry Birds, but be sure to check out the other flavors, Angry Birds Seasons [99�] and Angry Birds Rio [99�].
Doodle Jump - BE WARNED: Insanely Addictive!, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Before Angry Birds' rise to power, Doodle Jump was king of the App Store. This simple tilt-based jumping game became a party of early iPhone pop culture, getting mentioned in sitcoms, name-dropped on various talk shows, and even appearing on stage at a Lady Gaga concert. A recent multiplayer update made this game even better.
Canabalt, $2.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � While I'm not sure that Canabalt was responsible for bringing the endless runner to the App Store, it did it the best. A great soundtrack is paired with pixel art graphics and gameplay that basically begs for one more play through. If you want a similar game that's fleshed out a bit more with goals and unlockables, Halfbrick's Jetpack Joyride [99�] is one of our recent favorites.
Fruit Ninja, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � In this game, you pretend your finger is a ninja sword and you slice up fruit. The premise is simple, but the gameplay is basically perfect for these types of touch-based portable devices. Play sessions can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, and multiple game modes offer something for just about everyone.
Flight Control, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Single-handedly responsible for popularizing the "chaos management" genre, Flight Control also made "line drawing" a popular control mechanic that's used in a ridiculous amount of iOS titles now. For some additional variety, you can also pick up Harbor Master [99�] which provides similar gameplay, but with different levels and a nautical twist.
Love it or hate it, free to play games have taken the App Store by storm this year. These games are a little more fun than your average Farmville clone, mostly because they feel like more of a game and less of a money-vaccuuming compulsion loop:
Pocket Frogs, Free - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � In this game, player control a habitat of cute little frogs� Endlessly breeding for new varieties, mutations, and more. Aside from collecting 'em all, Pocket Frogs offers other in-game goals such as a daily challenge to breed a particular frog. Once you get a handle on how the breeding mechanic works, you can have a frog-breeding super-lab up and running in no time.
Tiny Tower, Free - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � From the same developer as Pocket Frogs, this time you're put to the task of acting as a building manager for a sky scraper filled with pixelized citizens (or "bitizens"). Gameplay focuses on building your tower, as well as managing the various businesses and residencies that exist inside your tower.
DragonVale, Free - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Mixing many of the elements from other popular free to play games, DragonVale is the latest from Backflip Studios who already have an impressive free catalog on iTunes. You create dragon habitats and breed your own colony of dragons, on the search for the legendary rainbow dragon, a rare breed of dragon that is driving players on our forum mad trying to find.
Tiny Farm by Com2uS, Free - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Similar to DragonVale and Pocket Frogs, Tiny Farm has a great breeding mechanic which seems to add a lot more depth to the game. There's a hunting system to get mega-rare animals, a super-cute art style, and there's even plans for crazy seasonal ghost animals coming up for Halloween.
One of the best part about the iPhone is its always-on connectivity which has allowed for the miracle of push notifications. These games all rely heavily on the push notification infrastructure, sending you an alert when its your turn:
Disc Drivin', $1.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � People around here are absolutely obsessed with this game. Imagine a racing game with shuffleboard-like mechanics, tons of power-ups, and push alert based multiplayer. That's Disc Drivin in a nutshell. There's also a ad-sponsored version available, Disc Drivin' Free [Free].
Words With Friends, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Since we first covered Words With Friends, the game has grown to an absolutely -massive- scale. You now can play cross-platform with Android and Facebook players, and the developers have been acquired by Zynga in the process. If their take on Scrabble isn't your cup of tea, Hanging With Friends [99�] offers up Hangman-style gameplay and what Chess With Friends [$1.99] provides should be fairly self explanatory. All the versions of these games also have free ad-based versions, but you're better off just buying them as the interstitials can be pretty annoying.
The App Store is home to a serious amount of puzzle games of all shapes and sizes. Here are a few of our favorites:
Dungeon Raid, $2.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � As mentioned in our review of the game, with the number of fish in the match three sea, it takes a lot to make one that's just as fun (if not more so) than the match three staples like Bejeweled 2 and other classics. Dungeon Raid accomplishes this by distilling the Puzzle Quest formula down to its basics, and providing match three gameplay that retains its simple nature while offering a shocking amount of depth via random equipment and character upgrades. Also, there's much more to matching than just high scoring, clearing each type of block has a purpose, and the order you clear them in can mean life or death. This game has stolen hours of my time, I can't recommend it enough.
Puzzle Quest 2, $4.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � If you want even more depth than Dungeon Raid has to offer, check out Puzzle Quest 2. It's a great sequel to the original in every way, and it even has a multiplayer battle mode. Multiple character classes add some serious replay value to the game, making this something you can sink days of your life into if it sucks you in.
Monsters Ate My Condo, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Adult Swim and Pik Pok joined forces to bring us one of the craziest matching games we've ever seen on the App Store. The game requires matching similarly colored floors while appeasing nearby color-coded monsters, each with a more ridiculous super-power than the last. Also, you can score billions if you're good. Billions!
Helsing's Fire, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Helsing's Fire sends you on a quest to destroy Dracula, placing you in 90 randomly generated, dungeon-like levels across three different worlds. The challenge is to eliminate said beasties by moving your torch about the screen, which casts brilliant beams of light and dark shadows about the play area. It's one of the most unique puzzle games we've played, and several updates has made it even better than when we first checked it out.
Drop7 by Zynga, $2.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � This game came out all the way back in 2009, which is ancient in App Store terms, but I've found myself playing it again and Drop7 is as fun as ever. It's a numerical puzzle game where you've got to drop numeric discs into rows and columns, and when that row adds up to that disc, it disappears. There's all kinds of different tricks and nuances you start to notice as you play, making Drop7 almost perfectly fit the "easy to play, difficult to master" mega-cliche game description.
I'm not really sure what to categorize these as, but they're some of my absolute favorite games the App Store has to offer:
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, $4.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � If you only ever install one game on your iOS device, let it be this one. Sword & Sworcery is an amazing experience from top to bottom. The best pixel art I've ever seen is combined with a custom-tailed soundtrack to create an iOS title that's as much of an experience as it is a game. The "full" version is universal, but if you don't care about that, you can save a couple bucks by picking up Sword & Sworcery EP Micro [$2.99]
King of Dragon Pass, $9.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � No lie, I've spent more time playing this game than all the other games that we reviewed in September combined. If my exhaustive review wasn't clear enough, here's all you need to know: If you like simulation games, you needed King of Dragon Pass on your iPhone yesterday. I've still got my fingers crossed for an iPad version, but I'm more than happy managing my clan whenever I've got a few seconds to spare on my iPhone.
Space Miner™, $2.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Looking back on the game releases of 2010 trying to pick what we thought was the best lead to us continually coming back to Space Miner. We loved the classic Asteroids-style gameplay, the clever storytelling, and the degree of customization that kept us coming back for more through multiple play throughs. Depending on how you load your ship out, the game plays much differently. For instance, you can be a glass cannon prioritizing asteroid-pulverizing guns, or take a more slow and steady approach prioritizing shields and cargo space for huge hauls of ore.
Carcassonne, $9.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � There are many board games that have made their way to the App Store, but Carcassonne is by far the finest. Online asynchronous multiplayer, Retina Display graphics, universal compatibility, and classic gameplay. It doesn't get much better than this.
Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � We choose Tiger Style Games' Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor for our 2009 Game of the Year first and foremost because it's a great game, but also because it perfectly represented the promise of iPhone gaming. A clever method of story telling only provides the player with as much depth as they're willing to get out of it. You can chose to play as a spider, just completing objectives… Or let your human curiosity take control and try to unravel the mysteries of Bryce Manor.
Game Dev Story, $3.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � At first glance this appears to be an abysmal port of a J2ME game… Then you play it. A few hours later you will be looking for your charger to keep playing. In the game you run your own game studio, managing staff, making games, and even releasing your own console. Once Game Dev Story sucks you in, it's impossible to put down. I think this is their easiest game to get engrossed in, mostly because of the familiar subject manner. If you like this style of gameplay, check out Kairosoft's library of games on the App Store for tons more.
The hard part about putting together lists like this is that for each game I've included, I can think of at least ten (actually, way more than that) titles that are easily worthy of being on any must-have list for a new iOS device owner. So, instead of leaving the typical "Argh! Why is _______ on the list but _______ isn't?!" comments, I'd like to invite everyone to leave comments listing off their favorite games. Imagine a friend of yours just got an iPhone 4S, and asked you what do get. What would you tell them? More importantly, why do you recommend each of these games? A list is nothing without some context as to why they're so amazing!
So, congratulations new iPhone 4S owners. I'm glad you've discovered TouchArcade. Regular readers, I hope you learned at least something new. If nothing else, the launch of the iPhone 4S makes the pool of iOS devices even larger, which only benefits the iOS community as a whole.
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As we've covered extensively, Forever Drive is about, um, driving forever. It's an arcade-style driving game where your performance is ranked not on speed but on the points you pick up and the combos you build. It sports a comprehensive leveling system that earns you better, shinier and cooler cars as you progress, and a track editor that lets you help build the endless roads you'll be riding on. And everything looks like it's been ripped straight out of the best parts of Tron. Sounds great, no?
Loving Forever Drive means buying into its gameplay. A quick look at our forums suggests that some players aren't really feeling the fun, and that's fair. At its core, this game gets into a grind. Tracks can be quite samey as you drive through several end-to-end, and the only thing you're racing against is time. But it keeps drawing me back in. I'm driven by the need to do better.
You see, you need a steady hand to do well in Forever Drive. You're constantly on a timer, and tracks are covered in time-extending checkpoints. Each track you complete ratchets up your score, but it gets harder and harder to make it to the next checkpoint. If you want to keep going, you'll need to hit every power-up on the field and dodge every car you pass. There's a constant sense that if you can just do well enough, you'll get to drive forever.
Dodging cars gives you another perk � each one you pass builds up your score modifier. You can also grab stars and ride the edges of the track (without crashing) for more points. At the end of your run your score is translated into experience and over time you level up, unlocking new cars, plates and paint jobs, and new scenery for track building.
At this point, you're probably waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it's not going to happen. The pricing model is more than fair. You can purchase credits, and then spend them to earn experience (but not high scores) considerably faster. There are a few cars and cosmetic upgrades you can pay for. You're also limited to creating a handful of tracks, but you can open up more save slots with in-app purchases. That last one is a bit of an odd choice for a game that so relies on community input. Otherwise, I've put hours into Forever Drive without spending a dime, and without feeling like I'm running up against any limitations.
There are a few small issues, and hopefully Supermono will address them in updates. Buildings can be placed over tracks in the track editor, which has already become this game's troll-of-choice. Eventually down-voting will remove them from play, but it's sure annoying to have your screen constantly blocked in the meantime. You also can't delete a track once you publish it, so that 3-track creation limit is a little too firm. Finally, the 10x experience multiplier for credit runs makes those runs feel so efficient that your experience seems to crawl the rest of the time.
The only issue I couldn't get around was the controls. They come in four flavors � slider, joystick, tilt, or "arcade," which has directional buttons on both sides of the screen. On smaller devices these all work fine, but on iPad the only comfortable option is arcade steering. Unfortunately it puts the brake buttons uncomfortably far away. And no matter where you put your hands, the buttons for rating tracks are very distant. The interface needs adjustment if it's to be played comfortably on iPad.
Even awkward controls didn't stop me, though. The journey to driving forever is made all the better by striking visuals. Forever Drive has a neon and black color palette, and it makes heavy use of lighting effects, shaders and shadows. It's a slick, stylized look that would be comfortable in the world of Tron. Put in your headphones while you play and you'll also be treated to a great techno soundtrack. It's the perfect combination for trancing out.
Forever Drive is a slick, mellow game that rewards both your time and your skill. It won't appeal to everyone, but it can (and should) reach a larger audience than the average racing game. Supermono has done a fantastic job of creating something beautiful, interesting and free, so give it a test drive. There's no obligation, and no money down.
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King Cashing takes a lot of inspiration from the basic tenets of role playing games. You play as a king on an adventure to storm the dark castle and take down the evil antagonist. Along the way you will encounter a large variety of different monsters and boss enemies. There is an experience/leveling system, along with a decent inventory system including a wide variety of weapons and items. In addition, there are also "side quests" in the form of optional monsters that don't need to be beaten to advance, but can offer serious rewards if you manage to take them down (and they are very difficult to actually defeat). Sure, the actual story mode, as well as the majority of the enemies, isn't particularly special, but I think of them as simply necessary game elements in order to keep you playing its unique combat.
Where King Cashing deviates from the normal RPG experience is with its battle system which is completely controlled by a slot machine. Each of the three slot columns have different types of modifiers: the left column has your party characters (warrior, archer or mage), the middle column has your equipped weapons, and the right column has your enemies. In order to attack your enemy, you must match an enemy modifier with a character or weapon on the same row. If you manage to match both a character and weapon with an enemy, your damage output increases. Match a character with a weapon that they're affiliated with, and that damage exponentially increases. Other modifiers, such as extra spins (cherries), experience, gold and 'misses,' are also littered throughout the slot field. Simply put, the entire system works extremely well, although it would have been nice to be able to choose how many rows you want to actually bet on per turn (currently you can only place 'max' bets for all three rows unless you're down to less than three cherries).
Maybe it's the inherent intrigue of the slot machine, but I just couldn't put down King Cashing. Each enemy can be fought again as many times as you wish in order to gain both additional gold and experience. In addition, you're assessed a ranking at the end of each battle based on how fast you beat your opponent. As my party gained experience and acquired new weapons, I always wanted to go back to earlier opponents and bosses to try and get the elusive gold ranking. Also, I just simply found the slot machine concept for the battle system to be incredibly quick and easy, especially considering players are given the option of quickly stopping each column simultaneously (for quick play) or line by line (for more strategy). The entire gameplay experience just worked for me, particularly as a title that you can play in short bursts when you have a few minutes to spare.
As you reach the endgame, �you'll have to do some grinding on previous baddies in order to raise your level and increase the odds of future victory, but RPG gamers are certainly familiar with that genre staple and some, like me, actually don't mind the need to continually progress and level up. Interestingly enough, King Cashing also has a separate leaderboard for gamers that measures who can beat the game in the least amount of days (read: battles), which in itself would require a completely different play strategy.
King Cashing certainly isn't for everyone, particularly if you're not a fan of RPGs or the slot-machine mechanic. However, for anyone that's remotely interested, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It's certainly getting some interest in our forums, and I think its approachable gameplay combined with a decent slice of strategy and standard RPG tropes may get you hooked.
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Here's the list:
NOVA 2, if you're looking for a suggestion, is probably your best bet for a good time on a budget. It's pretty sharp as far as first-person shooters on touch devices go and it benefits from its solid production value.
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If you've ever played a game like Mafia Wars, you'll have some idea of what to expect in Please Stay Calm. It's similar in design, but it takes place in your neighborhood. The world has been overrun by zombies, and you're a survivor. You'll need to scavenge for resources, build up a safehouse and a good team, and gun down the undead � and a few of your fellow survivors.
The world Please Stay Calm inhabits is one that's on the edge of destruction. Zombies are everywhere, the government has been useless, and the survivors are on their own � almost. The app ties you into the CVC, a network of survivors that connects you with missions, a black market and chat. While this is all done up in a simple informational interface, presenting the package as an app for survivors adds a nice bit of immersion.
Winning a fight or surviving a scavenging hunt rewards you with cash and supplies, two of the many, many numbers you'll need to pay attention to in this game. Some supplies can be taken to the black market and sold for cash, others are a currency on their own. You've also got health to worry about, stamina, and energy � you can't investigate without energy. Then there are credits, the premium currency for Please Stay Calm. They can be converted to supplies and cash. Supplies upgrade equipment and pay for health packs, credits pay for items that restore stamina and energy (and public chat, strangely), and cash gives you equipment. Lost yet?
Eventually your assortment of bars will refill for free, so the patient among us can play without paying. Then you can go back to hunting. If that was all there was to the game it would get old fast, but there's always more to do. Like any MMO, Please Stay Calm is better with friends. You can choose one nearby location as your safehouse and use your supplies to upgrade it. Not only do you end up with an awesome stronghold, but its stats effect yours in battle. More friends in your safehouse means more people to cooperate with, and everyone knows you can't survive a zombie apocalypse alone.
There are a few other things to do in Please Stay Calm. You can duel other players to earn cash, supplies and experience. As you level up you'll get access to missions that carry the storyline and offer great rewards. You can build outposts and harvest them for cash or supplies. And Massive Damage Inc. has more planned: they've hinted at turf wars, crafting systems and more of everything else. Still, without those things Please Stay Calm feels like it's still a bit beta, still somewhat unfinished.
The location-based MMO is a genre still growing into its own. Location-based anything is still quite new � only since we've had GPS technology in our phones has it really caught on. Please Stay Calm is a fun example of where the genre is today, but ultimately it feels like a novelty. You can tie it into Foursquare, and then it's a more social novelty. If, like me, you're waiting for the killer app of this genre, you'll have to keep waiting, but Please Stay Calm is a satisfying way to pass the time till then. If you want to share your zombie-slaying exploits on your way to the top of the leaderboards, stop by our discussion thread.
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Here's the big list:
Whenever we do these sales we usually tell people to go download�Dead Space since it's the best game on the list. This is true yet again, but I will add that�Tetris is a mighty fine touch-based title. You won't be writing home about its graphics regardless of your hardware, but it's pretty fun.
<!-- PHP 5.x -->Many people believe that HTML 5 will replace Flash eventually, but Flash has proven to be powerful tool at Adobe MAX 2011 conference for designers and developers by running Unread Tournament 3 in web browser.
During the Adobe MAX 2011 conference, Tim Sweeney from Epic demonstrated how Unreal Tournament 3 runs in Flash environment, and for the purpose of this demonstration, latest Flash 11 is used. This means that Flash can now provide console-like quality games right in your browser, so it's only matter of time when will we be able to enjoy in full 3D Flash games on the web. As for Flash 11, it has 1000 times faster rendering performance of 2D and 3D graphics that its predecessor Flash 10. According to the developers, we'll be able to enjoy in console-like quality video games in our browsers, at smooth 60fps at all times thanks to Flash 11.
Unreal Tournament 3 in Flash is just the beginning, and we can't imagine what 3D games will Flash 11 run in the future.
[via�Destructoid]
BlueMarble doesn't have the cleanest translation, but if you've ever played either of the board games you won't have trouble falling into its rhythms. The first square gives you a nice chunk of cash, you visit places around the world and buy them, and build houses or hotels on them. Some squares cause you to lose money, and others win you more. There's even a jail, er, desert island.
Instead of fighting over who gets to play the hat and who will be the race car, BlueMarble lets you pick between adorable animated animals, blobs, robots and more. And you don't necessarily need to play until all the other players are bankrupt � in single-player, the game usually goes for a certain number of rounds, at which point the player with the highest worth wins. You can also play until someone reaches a certain amount of money or total net worth.
But what really sets BlueMarble apart is the addition of collectable cards. In single-player, each match has a second condition to meet � hitting it wins you a new card. You can also earn stickers, achievement-like meta game rewards that unlock new cards and avatars.
The cards replace "Chance," "Community Chest" or "Key" cards, depending on which game you're used to. You can build a deck of up to twelve cards (out of a possible 80 cards), and you'll always have three randomly-chosen cards available to you while you're playing. They cost marbles to use, and you earn marbles as you move around the board. But there's a catch � it costs marbles to upgrade your lands too.
The cards let you do all sorts of things. Some are familiar � one lets you leave the desert island instantly. Some are aggressive, letting you steal lands, marbles and cash from your opponents. Others are stranger, or reliant on luck. Deciding which to bring, when to use them and whether to save or spend your marbles adds a nice layer of strategy to a game that otherwise rides entirely on a roll of the dice.
The single-player levels are abundant, spanning six worlds, each with ten scenarios to master. The multiplayer, on the other hand, is sadly lacking. BlueMarble offers single-device multiplayer only, which isn't the best call for a non-iPad game. I'd love to see an iPad version � the extra screen real estate would show off the candy-colored visuals beautifully, and I could see playing with friends on the big screen. Even more, I want online multiplayer. I'm not holding my breath, but an update that brought Game Center and its associated multiplayer is exactly what this game needs.
BlueMarble is currently on sale, so if you're considering buying it, do so while it's cheap. It's great fun, but without proper multiplayer integration it's probably not worth the higher asking price. If you share my fond memories of childhood games of Monopoly, though, and are looking for something that scratches that itch while actually entertaining, you won't do much better. Charming, cheerful and fun, BlueMarble does a great job of breaking the mold while not straying too far from its roots � and you won't ever have to be the banker.
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As for the technical side, Cut The Rope now boasts a "safer game progress reset" and a better selection screen � it's now apparently easier to scroll through worlds map courtesy the game's new scrollbar.
Cut The Rope, regardless of how long in its sweet tooth it's getting, remains one of our most highly recommended games. You can read our review here if you're still in dark about Om Nom and his cravings.
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