Appy Entertainment’s latest release for the iPhone, SpellCraft School of Magic, is probably Appy’s most complex game yet and to me, it’s the most fun title in their stable of games. That’s saying a lot about SpellCraft considering that it can count Trucks and Skulls (a favourite of mine as well) as company.

SpellCraft can be best described as Magic: The Gathering (MTG) meeting the Harry Potter set. It’s pretty clear which target market Appy is aiming for with this game. In this RPG, players take on the role of an apprentice wizard out to rescue his or her teachers trapped in the dungeons underneath their magical university.

Once in the dungeon, players face off against enemies which are determined, ala MTG, with the draw of a card. Players then cast spells from what looks to be inspired by MTG as well, with a number of finite spells to choose from your spell book. Casting the spells take a cue from Harry Potter (or any other wizarding story for that matter); there’s a wand involved, and there’s timing to “release” the spell.

I really like the dueling aspect of the game as it’s a matter of picking out the right spell to tackle the right kind of foe. Aside from wandering around dungeons kicking monsters’ ass, collecting treasures, new spells and other stuff, players get to customise their characters, purchase and grow magical plants which then contribute raw materials for making new potions. The part where players make new spells require a fair bit of touch screen rubbing as players “stir” the mixture of potions in a fiery cauldron.

Like recent Appy games, SpellCraft is free to play. You can guess that the game rewards players with coins and red gems which can be used to purchase in-game items like costumes and plants. Players can replenish the rubies by playing the game or by doing in-app purchases. One thing that I nearly forgot to mention is the asynchronous multiplayer that is supported by the game….think of it as Words with Friends but the only spelling you do is by casting spells (lame attempt at a pun…I know).

Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates SpellCraft School of Magic at a 4.5 out of 5 for being a really satisfying alternative to a typical RPG. The game is available on the iTunes App Store for free. Check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spellcraft-school-of-magic/id471396267?mt=8.

I’m beginning to wonder why most of the dual-stick shooters that I reviewed feature zombies as the antagonist. The latest to be included into this pile of games utilises IP from one of the most iconic (if not underrated) comic book characters in recent memory, Judge Dredd.

In Judge Dredd vs Zombies for the iPhone, the good judge of Mega City One delivers his brand of justice against waves of zombies in a game that closely mimics the style belonging to one of my favourite games of old, Incubation. This would mean 3D isometric graphics, which is something that separates this game from the likes of Age of Zombies.

One of the drawbacks from the game is the overuse of the slo-mo zombie destruction death cam (I’ve got no better way to describe how the camera zooms in slowly whenever you successfully score a one-hit kill on a zombie); it literally spoils the rhythm that you get whenever you are out shooting zombies.

The weapons load out however is impressive. Credits earned from killing zombies can be used to purchase new weapons or upgrade existing ones. My personal favourite is the shotgun….no zombie hunting judge is worth his badge without a shotgun IMHO. Fans of the comic book character would go all out to get the Lawgive, the Spitgun, the Scattergun and the Hi-Ex Launcher.

The same credits can be used to purchase additional equipment before the start of a level, stuff like additional ammo clips and body armor can really make a difference in the arena-like levels packed with zombies. Speaking about our dear un-dead antagonists; they make up for their sheer mindlessness with a singular objective of hunting you down.

There are several types of zombies and while things can get a little hairy (you may find yourself locked in a room full of zombies), there are items that can be used to help decimate them, such as exploding barrels (I bet the developers got this from playing too much of DOOM). Just so you know, the auto-aiming helps as well.

I had fun shooting up zombies in Judge Dredd vs. Zombies, the game is a pretty solid dual stick shooter and the developer has even thrown in Game Center support in the form of achievements. Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Judge Dredd vs. Zombies at a 4 out of 5, it’s certainly worth checking out. The game is available on the iTunes App Store for USD 0.99: http://itunes.apple.com/app/id476542841

This post was brought to you by the word aesthetic, which is defined as a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. Nextwell’s latest game for the iPhone, titled Juice It, has a certain kind of aesthetic that is beautiful to behold and one that is bound to make you hungry for fruit, or thirsty for fruit juice.

The game has you arranging falling fruit in a manner that mashes the gameplay styles between Tetris and Bejeweled. You’ll need to arrange the same fruit in a horizontal row consisting of three or more in order to “juice” them. As you continue progressing, different kinds of fruit are introduced (including the Halloween-inspired Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin) as well as power-downs such as fruits encased in ice, which prevent you from rotating them when they are falling.

So how does it tie to Bejeweled? Aside from rotating the blocks of falling fruit, you can swap the positions of fruit once they are placed in rows at the bottom of the screen. This only came to me by accident in my 2nd play-through, so imagine my surprise. You’ll need to get the hang of it as it’s crucial for big points.

It’s all in good fun as Juice It provides players with a Classic (read: endless) mode and other mini games such as the infuriating mirror mode in which your controls are crossed. Players will be looking at 5 game modes and Game Center online leaderboard support, which is becoming a necessity these days. One thing to look out for that is bound to make you thirsty is the Game Over screen, where jugs of fruit juice denote your progress!

For having a beautiful art direction and really addictive gameplay (inspired from not one, but two really addictive games), Juice It gets a 4.5 out of 5 from us at Nineoverten.com. Check out the game on the iTunes App Store where it’s available for just USD 0.99: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/juice-it/id476306110?mt=8.

A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.

Sea Stars is simply a beautiful game to look at and seems to exude a positive message. This is strange considering that the other games that it shares the same genre with, namely Death Worm, Jaws Revenge and Super Mega Worm, would normally focus on plenty of destruction and death. Hothead Games’ Sea Stars is practically rated G when placed next to those games and this makes it ideal for both kids and adult gamers.

If you have played the games mentioned above, you should be familiar with the gameplay in Sea Stars. Players maneuver a  cute sea animal that is perpetually moving forward, with the controls limited to making it jump or dive. This however is crucial when it comes to avoiding obstacles such as crab rockets (think torpedoes) and jelly fish. The objective here is to collect coins (like I said, no killing is involved) and to move as far as possible before being knocked out by an obstacle.

Score enough high jumps in the process and the Rainbow Birds will come along, allowing players to collect even more coins. Aside from obstacles, players will need to look out for power-up shells. These normally bestow bonuses that can either clear an area of obstacles, provide a jellyfish shield or a speed blast. Players are ranked based on their efforts in completing objectives. The coins earned in each level can be used to purchase stuff such as the aforementioned power-ups.

I really enjoyed playing the game and while it looks as colourful (and sounds as cheery) as My Little Pony and Friends, one thing will definitely attract competitive gamers: Game Center. The online leader boards measure players by the longest distance travelled and achievements are tracked as well. Like any other game with Game Center leaderboards, I had a hard time focusing on the review as I was trying to get in the top 20%….it’s like an itch I couldn’t scratch. LOL.

It’s rare to find a game that appeals to a broad casual market, ranging from the young to the new “hardcore” casual gamer, but Sea Stars seem to fit the mold pretty well. The game is also a novelty in a sense that it is one of the first games to actually use iCloud to store its saves, useful if you have multiple devices. Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Sea Stars at a 4.5 out of 5. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Check it out on the iTunes App Store where it is available for FREE (for a limited time): http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sea-stars/id465123320?mt=8. Nine Over Ten 9/10 was given a promo code for the purpose of this review.

At first glance, Cage of Monkeys’ (next time, I want a company name as cool as that) Quadra for the iPhone may look like a Tetris rip-off, but you’ll just need one play-through to realise that this game is a very different beast instead. The objective of the game is still dropping blocks on to a grid to form stacks called quadra, but the blocks only disappear when a beam passes through them.

This “delayed” destruction of blocks require players to come up with another layer of tactics but the extended grid (unlike Tetris, the game is played in landscape mode), allow players more room to maneuver and place blocks. The Game Center integration makes it possible to track achievements and online leaderboards across a variety of game modes available in Quadra.

There’s the 2-minute game mode for the casual player who wants something easy to pick up and play, followed by the 5-minute and unlimited modes. The game allows players to set difficultly levels as well, bringing about a total of 9 different variants of the game. The other things that caught my eye other than the gameplay would be the old-style graphics and the retro-like controls by the side of the screen. Those were super cool IMHO.

Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Quadra at a 4.5 out of 5. If you want something similar, and yet different to that of Tetris, check out Quadra on the iTunes App Store (USD 0.99): http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/quadra/id474244272?mt=8. A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.

Earlier this year I got to check out a boxing game that featured heavyweight champion David Haye. It was pretty interesting, more like a traditional boxing game combined with 2D cell-graphics and super moves. I figured it was only a matter of time before eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao took the stage on iOS devices, and now it’s here.

Much like David Haye’s Knockout, Manny Pacquiao: Pound for Pound is a fighting game from the third person perspective, except in 3D and a whole slew of touch-based moves. The game puts Manny in the role of a hero out fighting villains in a quest for justice and rescuing a damsel in distress. Fights are done on a one on one basis against a single enemy AI opponent.

Players slide their fingers up, down, sideways on the screen to create moves to take down the opponent. The funny thing about Pound for Pound is seeing Manny go all capoeira on opponents, considering that he is a boxer. The more you fight, the more experience Manny gains and this is used to upgrade Manny’s ability to his stamina, vitality and strength.

The combat is a little iffy at times, for sometimes the controls are not really responsive. Battles can be monotonous at times, and the mini bosses seem to have an ability to knock Manny out at will, making it very difficult to win those kind of fights while minions prove to be pushovers.

Inconsistencies aside, Many Pacquiao: Pound for Pound comes with Game Center achievements and leader board rankings for players to see how they fare against others. Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Manny Pacquiao: Pound for Pound at a 3.5 out of 5. Check it out on the iTunes App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/manny-pacquiao-pound-for-pound/id474156877?mt=8

A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.

I remember reading an article many years ago about how Japanese salarymen took to special cafes after work to hit punching bags or blown-up balloons with pictures of their bosses stuck on the bags/balloons as a form of stress relief. At this day and age however, technology is here to provide the same amount of stress relief without hurting your knuckles.

AppZap’s Kick the Buddy provides a punching bag in the form of a video game. Buddy is a versatile sack doll which you can abuse (thanks to some really impressive physics) not only by pulling him about but also with a plethora of things ranging for pistols, to grenades, missiles, the odd electric guitar and even medieval weaponry.

Hitting him will cause players to earn more in-game dollars which can be used to unlock even more items and backdrops. It’s a virtual sandbox in terms of what you can do to Buddy, but you know what’s the best part? You can actually choose a face for Buddy from the pictures available in your Photo Library. I pity the fool who gets featured on Buddy’s face. LOL.

It’s no voodoo doll but Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Kick the Buddy at a 4 out of 5 for being great stress (and comic) relief. It’s available on the iTunes App Store for just USD 0.99, check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kick-the-buddy/id410241364?mt=8. A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.

Given the scope of Anthill: Tactical Trail Defense, I would say that it’s best played on an iPad. But having said that, the iPhone version of the game is actually an amazing real-time strategy game, one that takes the concept of tower defense up several levels in having ants to patrol and defend an anthill.

How this is done is pure genius; players draw pheromone trails to direct their 6-legged troops. The ants themselves are divided into different types. There are the worker ants which are tasked to gather food and the bodies of fallen enemy insects, and with the food supply, players can create soldier ants, spitting ants and even flying ants that take up the role of long-range bombers.

With these ant types at their disposal, players will take on a variety of enemies and I must say, the enemy AI is a nasty little bugger. I myself had been routed several times and what Anthill has successfully proven is that the game is no pushover. Having your worker ant annihilated with no food left is one way the AI punishes players.

The game rates players based on the number of points earned at the end of each level, and players get a number of stars as the reward. These stars are used to obtain permanent upgrades to your troops, and here’s the slightly disconcerting part of the game. You can actually do an in-app purchase for additional stars in order to get a leg up in the game. It’s almost like paying to unlock the tech tree in let’s say….StarCraft II…

Anyways, on it’s own, the game is a well-crafted, beautiful-looking RTS for the iPhone and the iPad, and I highly recommend the game. The latest update brings about an infinity mode on top of the over 20 levels that the game offers. Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Anthill: Tactical Trail Defense at a 4.5 out of 5.

Check out the game over at the iTunes App Store where it’s selling for just USD 0.99: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/anthill-tactical-trail-defense/id414658364?mt=8. A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.

When it comes to games with Game Center online leaderboards, I’ve got a habit of playing obsessively until my scores are in the top 25%-30% in the “all time” list. I can’t explain it any other way and the latest game to trigger this kind of craziness is German developer Trilliarden’s latest platformer for the iPhone titled “Go Up!“

I spent more than an hour in Starbucks just playing this game, and while you might be wondering why, but the game is mechanically really simple. You take control of a protagonist running around a skyscraper. While you do not have control over the direction he is running, you get to control his jumps.

Players are tasked with making him go higher and higher onto platforms going up the skyscraper, while at the same time try to avoid him from falling. I did manage to crack the top 30% last night and while I’m sure the game appeals to people when it comes to its cute retro 8-bit pixel art, what will make you come back for more is the addictive gameplay.

Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Go Up! at a 4.5 out of 5, for being pure crack on the iPhone. The game is available on the iTunes App Store for 99 cents, check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/go-up!/id473204790?mt=8. A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 for the purpose of this review.

Teabags and sausages. I’m sure there’s a hidden message somewhere or some sort of innuendo involved when it comes to the stuff players are supposed to collect in Molecube’s latest iOS game, Monsieur Monsieur. I can’t put my finger on it, but no matter, the game is actually quite fun to play and is one of those games that makes great use of the touchscreen.

In this 2D platformer, players pull and aim the protagonist’s mustache in order to launch him into a particular direction. It’s actually quite funny and it had me chuckling to myself when I was reviewing the game over lunch (I know it’s bad table etiquette, but what can I do, the restaurant did a Hell’s Kitchen and my dish arrived way earlier than the rest).

Launching the yellow-coloured Monsieur Monsieur is one thing, players are supposed to use him to collect sausages and teabags (I really should interview the guys behind this game about the significance of these things) which translates to points. Your success in a level is measured using stars and determined by several factors, namely the number of sausages and teabags collected, and the number of times you pull the poor chap’s mustache.

The levels themselves are divided across three different stages, and Stages 2 and 3 require a number of stars to unlock; that’s reason enough to actually revisit levels to better your ratings. Another reason would be the game comes with Game Center leaderboards and achievements, so if you have a competitive streak, this game has something for you as well.

Nine Over Ten 9/10 rates Monsieur Monsieur at a 4.5 out of 5 for being a pretty cool platformer with back to basics touch screen controls. The game is available on the iTunes App Store for just USD 0.99. Check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/monsieur-monsieur/id439896501?ls=1&mt=8.

A review code was provided to Nine Over Ten 9/10 by Molecube for the purpose of this review.