I always wondered why people go through the trouble of taking IQ tests. While intelligence quotient may be important, I’m pretty sure that some of the tests are actually frustrating little puzzle games. One of these examples would be to trace a route between a bunch of connected dots without having to reuse any path that has already been made. True enough the guys and gals at Nexx Studios took the concept and made it the basis of their cool iPhone game, Glow Puzzle.

Glow Puzzle’s concept is pretty simple, connect the dots on a continuous path without reusing any previous paths established in your previous moves. All this is presented in a neon-coloured user interface, making the game a real looker to behold. It’s safe to say that despite this simple premise, Glow Puzzle gameplay is top notch and is hard to beat even in the puzzle game genre. I already had my head cracking at Level 10 and while I’m pretty sure I’m a smart guy, I wouldn’t want to see these puzzles in an IQ test.

Thankfully solutions are given and you can utilise them when you are stuck, but try not to give in too easily as it draws away from the experience of solving a puzzle without having to look at a bunch of hints. While the game is free (with 25 puzzles), you can actually purchase additional puzzle packs in-app, and these offer 75 to 130 puzzles for just 99 cents a pack.

The free game is enough to drive most people up the walk (in a good way), but hey don’t just take my word for it. Download the game over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/glow-puzzle/id370410649?mt=8

As a kid, I really liked playing hidden object games, the “technical term” for a game involving looking for a list of items within a picture. There was a particular children magazine that held a contest featuring such a game and silly young me bought multiple copies of the magazine (so that I can have multiple entry forms) to create a bigger chance of winning the top prize, which was a LEGO set.

Anyways, in the age of video games, hidden object games are a dim a dozen these days, and while I’m pretty sure that there are plenty on the iPhone, this is the first time I’m reviewing one, having gotten it as a review request in the mail. Operation Camouflage is the latest offering from Disney, and it’s a hidden object game based on the hit movie, Toy Story 3!

Playing as Sarge and his group of toy soldiers, players have to look for a list of items in places such as Andy’s room, Bonnie’s room and Sunnyside Daycare. While the game keeps things interesting by making items a little abstract (and thus harder to find) with a hard mode to boot (read: timer), there are some gripes that I can’t seem to shake off. For starters, the game is definitely suited more for the iPad rather than the iPhone, thankfully the game is a universal app for both devices.

The beautiful high-res graphics prove to be a double-edged sword. While the game looks pretty, items tend to be really small and the zoom function is slow and it stutters. There’s no penalty for just simply tapping around the screen randomly without finding anything. But I guess this was a deliberate decision considering the target audience is after all, children.

On that point, Toy Story 3: Operation Camouflage is one of those games to keep the kids occupied when Mummy or Daddy need some peace and quiet to work over their income tax submission. Check out the game over at the App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toy-story-3-operation-camouflage/id386171639?mt=8.

If you are looking to buy those Toy Story toy soldiers, check out the Toy Story Collection Bucket o’ Soldiers containing 72 toy soldiers and a certificate of authentication. Check it out over here: http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-47yl-71-7g-49-en-84-j-70-3y5w.html

While match-3 games are practically a dime a dozen on the iPhone, there’s something really satisfying about Berzerker Games’ Super Juicy for the iPhone/iPod touch. The game borrows elements from both Tetris and Bejeweled to create a somewhat yummy (it must be the sound effects) take on a genre that’s frankly been lacking in innovation lately.

Gameplay is really simple, coloured bubbles descend from the top of the screen, players will have to tap any three or more bubbles of the same colour to pop them and they have to be accurate about it. Tapping on a bubble not in a group of three or more will cause you to lose points and  inflate the bubble bigger and bigger, taking up screen space and if that screen space fills up before the timer runs out, it’s game over.

The key here is to score combos (going from one combination of bubbles to another in quick succession) and the highest combo multiplier is the namesake for the game, Super Juicy. Like I mentioned earlier, the sound effects in the game are really nice, the combination of the fruity theme and the sound effects makes as if I just finish a pack of Sugus sweets (really yummy stuff). Graphics wise, the game keeps it simple and while I generally like this kind of approach, I did have trouble differentiating the red and green bubbles.

That minor issue aside, Super Juicy delivers fun and frantic match-3 action all in a polished package. The game is available for USD 0.99 on the App Store, check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/super-juicy/id328568119?mt=8

If you are sleepy I can’t recommend C4D’s latest iPhone game titled W.I.P. You’d probably guessed it, the title stands for Work in Progress, but while the game itself looks finished, the boring gameplay and monotonous music is likely to put you to sleep like it nearly did me. The premise of W.I.P is pretty simple. The game is literally a platformer (for all intents and purposes). You take control of a flying space bus of sorts, and you’ll need to plot your flight plan from one platform to another platform, ferrying around engineers.

It sounds simple enough but I’m guessing that the developers are out to make it difficult for players since they can’t do anything about the monotony of transporting engineers around (no offense to engineers out there). Should your flying space bus hit an obstacle, it will cancel out the flight plan that you just drew, and you’ll need to draw a new one, by tapping on the bus and dragging your finger on the screen. You’ll need to keep an eye on the clock as well because if the time runs out, it’s game over for that particular level.

Graphics wise, the game actually looks really nice, it’s just too bad that the gameplay and the soundtrack do not match up. The early levels will have you practically ding-dong-ing between two to three platforms, and I can barely keep my head up by the time I reach the fourth or fifth level.

In any case, W.I.P is available on the App Store for USD 0.99, if you want to check it out, you can do so over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/w-i-p/id385920680?mt=8. Probably they should just call it Z.I.P (for zzzz in progress).

I downloaded two games from Cave Entertainment last night, the first one being their latest release, Dodonpachi Revolution, and another title that has been on the App Store for a little bit longer, ESPGALUDA II. I’m usually a shmup player along the lines of R-Type and Tyrian but having read about bullet porn (or bullet hell) shmups in Brian Ashcraft’s Arcade Mania, I gotten a little curious about this sub-genre. It went to the extent that I visited a local arcade to try out one of the bullet hell shmup cabinets.

In any case, it’s fortunate that Cave decided to release their games on the iPhone, there’s no longer a need for me to go to the arcade (and bring along disinfecting alcohol wipes for those icky controls). I love both games. Dodonpachi Revolution has that raw visceral look while ESPGALUDA II looks really slick. Both are capable of churning out a crazy load of bullets, filling up the screen but thanks to the 3GS, there’s no slowdown at all.

One should however pay heed to the “requirements” needed to play the two games. Both require a 3GS or better, and the iPhone 3G won’t cut it with its slower processor. I made sure to remove background applications in order to give maximum headroom to the games considering both are memory intensive. If you are a shmup fan and still stuck with an iPhone 3G, these two games will convince you to take the plunge and get an iPhone 4 (or minimally a 3GS).

Check out ESPGALUDA II over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/espgaluda-ii/id363969661?mt=8, Dodonpachi Resurrection is currently available at a discounted price of USD 4.99: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dodonpachi-resurrection/id387176580?mt=8

Gameloft’s Asphalt 5 for the iPhone pretty much adheres to the adage “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. During my 20 minute play-through of the game, I had experienced  everything from the original The Need for Speed, to Hot Pursuit to even Criterion’s Burnout. Asphalt 5 borrows plenty from these games, and while offering nothing original except for tacky “unlocks” (of all things, girls…what century are you living in Gameloft?), Gameloft still manages to deliver a pretty tight package.

Controls wise, players are spoilt for choice with the option to go with the accelerometer, screen taps or a virtual steering wheel. I prefer the screen taps option simply because it’s easier to drive while playing in bed. The game looks pretty, and even though it still has that “raw” look prevalent in Asphalt games (it kinda reminds me that the game is still stuck in its nGage days), but the race tracks have really cool looking environments. The attention to detail is commendable.

One of the features I love in Asphalt is the soundtrack system based on an actual car stereo. While the soundtrack is not as iconic as say, OutRun, it’s still pretty cool and if that’s not enough, you can actually access your iPod playlists and play your songs instead.

The game offer up real-life cars to be added to your garage and while the winnings (and the number of events) can be rather generous, the game unlocks upgrades at a really slow pace. You might be better off getting faster cars rather than wait for the parts to unlock. Other customizable features include decals and paint jobs.

For a derivative, Asphalt 5 features plenty of gameplay and the best part is, it doesn’t suck. As implied in the first paragraph, it does pay homage to the games that have inspired its being. Asphalt 5 is available on the App Store for USD 4.99, check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/asphalt-5/id336845882?mt=8

I don’t know bout you guys but I’ve seen some couples go through some really crazy wedding day preparations particularly the sitting arrangements for the wedding lunch/dinner. Somehow PlayFirst managed to take this potentially explosive situation (imagine sitting 2 exes together) and make it to be part of the gameplay of Wedding Dash for the iPhone.

In Wedding Dash you play the role of a wedding planner. Not only do you have to take care of sitting and feeding your guests on the wedding day itself, you have to plan out among other things, the honeymoon, the cake and even the starter based on the couple’s requirements.

The bulk of the gameplay is still in the mold of Diner Dash. Some guests want to be seated with other guests or a particular table and all of them come bearing gifts which you must take and pass to the wedding couple. You even enlist the help of a familiar face, Flo, to help with delivering food to the guests. Once fed the three course meal, guests will proceed to join the dance floor. Each level is completed when the wedding couple joins in on the dance as well.

Scoring takes a cue from Diner Dash and it will take no mistakes to get an “Expert” score. The planning portion of the game may feel a little tacked on but it does give extra points. The rest of the game is classic Diner Dash madness and fans of the genre should find this quite entertaining.

It’s pretty surprising that on a platform seemingly saturated with racing games such as the Need for Speed and Asphalt franchises, The Fast and the Furious and Split/Second, there’s still room for innovation. One of more interesting racing games that I’ve played this year doesn’t involve in-car views, race tracks modeled after their real-life counterparts or even a strict adherence to racing lines. It’s Touch Racing Nitro and we’re racing RC cars here people!

The two thumb controls dictate where the car goes and the obstacle course-like race course is full of interesting challenges. However the game is quite buggy though (notice that in the earlier paragraph I called the game an interesting racing game, rather than best) and  by it making me jump through hoops everytime I exit and re-enter the game gets quite annoying. I’m still stuck at the 2nd level because of this, as the game requires me to play through level 1 again since it lacks a save system.

Graphics wise, the game looks really really nice. The physics engine is excellent, and I get to do crazy stunts with my RC car, going over ramps and half pipes and other stuff like that. It’s a shame though the game is buggy, otherwise I would have made a nice decent review. In any case, try out the free version of the game over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touch-racing-nitro-lite-ghost/id378344750?mt=8

Space, the final frontier. These are the short lived voyages of the Super Star Destroyer Executor, traversing the galaxy, hunting rebel scum. That lame attempt was a result of growing up enamoured to The Next Generation only to be an  adult Star Wars fan boy later in life. There’s a certain appeal in Star Wars canon and the fact that it is one that is well maintained despite the expanded universe makes it far fascinating (and easier to keep track) compared to the tired, fractured Star Trek universe (time travel anyone?).

In any case, Episode V turned out to be my favourite in the Original Trilogy and when I first heard that the first major battle in the movie was the subject of a new iPhone Tower Defense game, I thought, maybe I should keep tabs on it. Star Wars: Battle for Hoth has a Fieldrunners feel with it, but thankfully in addition to placing rebel troops, gun emplacements, laser turrets (that need to be tethered to a power station),  you get to dig trenches, just like how those rebel scum were hanging out in the movie.

Although it didn’t do them much good, placing rebel scum, I mean, troops, in trenches gives you certain bonuses, therefore it’s something you might want to do while playing the game. The cheap troops are necessary to deal with the starting rush of storm troopers and recon droids. Don’t get fooled into building laser turrets at the start of the game. Those things are really slow, and expensive. So remember, cannon fodder first, then only the expensive hardware.

Like most Tower Defense games, most units in Battle for Hoth are upgradeable, giving them more range and of course firepower. I find the upgrades to be a little unbalance though. It’s possible to shoot a whole bunch of troops without them having them get a shot at your defenses. Anyways, one very interesting part about the game is that you can set individual units on what kind of targets that they should be shooting at, be it troops, droids or even defend stuff.

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but you do get to deploy X-Wings in the game, but it doesn’t matter anyways as in the end Hoth will always fall, the dark side always win. Hehehe. Good thing some of the levels are inter-spaced with original footage from Episode V doubling as cutscenes, so it’s pretty much a study on how to win battles, but ultimately losing the war. Such a premise would have been depressing in say…an RPG, but the chance to deploy rebel scum to meet their deaths, simply priceless.

While the ground units are the typical storm trooper and droids, the rebel scum will also have to defend against AT AT walkers and even TIE Fighters or are those TIE Bombers. There’s just so much stuff to blow up. Here’s a tip to enjoy the game even further, do not play it on the Easy difficulty mode, the game tends to be a pushover. Graphics wise the game looks great and the sound effects stay true to that of the movie. As an added bonus, there’s OpenFeint support as well!

At USD 2.99, Star Wars: Battle for Hoth is pretty good value. Check it out on the App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-wars-battle-for-hoth/id380048097?mt=8 Highly Recommended!

MagniFusion didn’t really impress me the first time around, I thought the controls were shot but it turned out to be my fault for not paying attention in the tutorial. Thank goodness I decided to give the game another try, otherwise the impression that the game sucked would have been permanently burrowed into my brain. In any case, MagniFusion is one beautiful example (graphically and gameplay wise) of a puzzle game.

Your task is simple enough, it’s bubble management. LOL You’ll keep the number of bubbles in each level from reaching critical (the bubbles appear on a regular basis) and to do so, it’s a two step process. First you’ll need to combine bubbles of the same size and colour together (by nudging one closer to another), to create even bigger bubbles.

Occasionally some weird circular thing will pop up in the middle of the level and emit a ray, highlighting certain bubbles that you will then need to pop (by tapping on them) in a really short period of time. Hopefully this will reduce the number of bubbles more than they can appear. Merging bubbles before the ray appears means that you’ll have less highlighted bubbles to pop, so merge them while you can!

Pretty soon you’ll get into the groove  of merging bubbles, praying that the ray comes soon enough, and pop as many highlighted bubbles as you can, just like me. To add to the complexity, levels have obstacles (read: mazes), making it difficult for you to nudge bubbles closer to each other, and some bigger bubbles will have trouble moving through the maze. This heightens the drama so to speak, and when you realize that you have a log jam of bubbles of different sizes and colours, you can probably tell that the level has reached critical mass and it’s game over.

Even when it’s game over, you’ll get the opportunity to pop the bubbles that have not been popped, adding to your score. This is just one of the many generous gestures built into the game. Aside from the mainstay Puzzle Mode, the game throws in 3 different arcade modes. In addition to that, there’s a special maze arcade mode that can be unlocked by keying in  477201 in the “Codes & Extras” section.

Graphically, the game is beautiful and the soundtrack serves to complement it. I must be lucky considering the other games that I’ve been playing/reviewing for the past couple of weeks have really nice graphics. Last but not least, while I know Apple’s GameCenter is gaining traction, MagniFusion features trophies and online leaderboards courtesy of OpenFeint.

This is one more game to add to your library if you are a fan of puzzle games, especially those games that can get really frantic in the end-game (kinda reminds me of Tetris). If the game doesn’t make an impression the first time around, take it from me: jump straight into the Arcade mode (it’ll just make sense…trust me).  The game is available for USD 1.99 on Apple’s App Store. Check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/magnifusion-push-combine-squash/id381567077?mt=8