For some reason, we are still getting a fair amount of hits at this site–and they aren’t clicking the links to go to the new site. So….

For all of you still following us via RSS feeds, please change your feed to follow from our new URL. We will not be updating this blog anymore except for an occasional remider similar to this one. The new URL for our blog is http://zymblog.appstorebeta.com . There are many advantages to this new website. We have now have a mobile version that works great on the iPhone, as well as a new forum.

Please point your RSS reader to the following feeds:

Posts: http://zymblog.appstorebeta.com/feed

Comments: http://zymblog.appstorebeta.com/comments/feed/

Also once again the link to the site is appstorebeta.com so bookmark it!
Posted in iPhone/iPod Touch App ]]> http://zym5.wordpress.com/2009/02/08/moved/feed/ 0 woodjosiah http://zym5.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/reminder-we-have-moved/ http://zym5.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/reminder-we-have-moved/#comments Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:51:34 +0000 macbookairman http://zym5.wordpress.com/?p=732 ]]> For all of you still following us via RSS feeds, please change your feed to follow from our new URL. We will not be updating this blog anymore except for an occasional remider similar to this one. The new URL for our blog is http://zymblog.appstorebeta.com . There are many advantages to this new website. We have now have a mobile version that works great on the iPhone, as well as a new forum.

Please point your RSS reader to the following feeds:

Posts: http://zymblog.appstorebeta.com/feed

Comments: http://zymblog.appstorebeta.com/comments/feed/

Also once again the link to the site is appstorebeta.com so bookmark it!

With that domain name we can do much more (such as

the mobile version and the new theme). So change all of

your bookmarks, and get reading =]

Zym

The App’s Description:

Ever wondered why some of your iPhone or iPod Touch applications suddenly quit?

Wondered why sometimes Safari quits while you are browsing a web site?

Could it be that your iPhone or iPod Touch is running low on runtime memory?

Now, you can free up 20 MB of memory to make it available for applications.

The iPhone comes with 128MB of runtime memory. Native iPhone applications such as the iPhone dialer and iPod can remain running even though you have closed them.

This leaves any remaining memory available to non-native iPhone applications. This remaining memory can change and can affect the performance of non-native iPhone applications, sometimes even causing the applications to close unexpectedly.

Use Free Memory to free up 20 MB of runtime memory!

After using it for a day or so, I can say that it works very well. If I plan to play a memory heavy game such as X-Plane, I just open Free Memory first and clear up the memory. That way I know that X-Plane won’t have any issues with crashing (the same goes for any other “big” game; such as SimCity).

One thing the developer notes in the description of Free Memory is this:

For users of iPhone/iPod Touch 2.2 software that have less than 4 MB available, freeing memory may take about 1-2 minutes, or it may cause a soft reset.

I think this is a very usefull app, and one that many people will appreciate. I give it 5 stars out of 5.

Free Memory is available for $0.99 in the App Store. [iTunes Link]

–macbookairman

Zym

Zym

If you are familiar with the original X-Plane for iPhone app (click for review), then this will feel VERY similar. The biggest change in this version is the aircraft choices. This version is all about Airliners, meaning they are jumbo jets. X-Plane Airliner includes a Boeing 777, Boeing 747, Airbus A-380 and the Boeing 787.

Upon opening X-Plane airliner, the first thing you will notice is 2 new controls. The original only had Throttle and Flaps adjustments. Airliner (I’m going to call X-Plane airliner simply “Airliner” for the rest of this review) takes those controls and adds two more: speedbrakes and trim. The cockpit view is also different from the original. It is a “Glass Cockpit” meaning that all the information you need is on a glass display.

One of the biggest additions to this version is the airports. The original has 3 airports. This version contains 98, with 42 NAVAIDS and roughly 60 by 180 miles of airspace.

By now you may be wondering if I’ll ever get to how the actual flying feels. Well….it doesn’t feel too much different from the original. The planes take a bit longer to respond to accelerometer movements because of how big they are. You also can’t do some of the loops that were possible in the original. Overall though, it feels pretty similar.

With that said, I was a bit disappointed at first because of the fact that these Airliners weren’t thrown into the original version, as was implied by the developer. He later explained that because of the iPhones memory, he couldn’t do that. (He has said he will try adding another small plane or two to the original version). I would also like to have seen bigger airports added with planes moving around on the runway and air traffic as well.

If you still haven’t bought either of the X-Plane for iPhone titles (Original, Helicopter, and Airliner), I would suggest you consider purchasing the Airliner version ONLY. I say this for a couple of reasons.
a) Its cheaper than the Original Version
b) I haven’t noticed much of a difference between the two (original and airliner) versions besides the planes. The planes do handle a bit differently and there are more airports, but other than that they seem very similar.

To sum that paragraph up, you get more for less when you purchase the Airliner Version. In fact, i have deleted the Original Version from my iPod Touch because I feel it isn’t necessary with the new Airliner Version.

I give this 4 stars out of 5.

Photos from the X-Plane for iPhone website.

Check out this link for my thoughts on the best ways to land and control your plane in X-Plane airliner. (In simpler words, its a tutorial)

macbookairman

Zym

Zym

Everyone knows what Monopoly is, and how to play it, so I’m not going to waste any time there. The Here & Now edition changes the nice, familiar Boardwalk and Park Place into Montreal and Riga. They even change the simple pieces into baseball gloves and windmills. Hey, if you got a thing for windmills, this might just be your game, as the windmill actually flies up to the next property on it’s turn.

When I purchased this game, I had a bit of trouble getting past the loading screen. I restarted my iPhone 3G several times, and still Monopoly crashed each and every time. After much frustration, I swallowed my pride and asked on a forum, how the hell do I get it to load, after thinking I just ate my 8 bucks. It turns out, I had to go to the settings of my iPhone, and make sure my language was set properly. Very strange, and unexplainable bug.

Gameplay with an AI is good, as three different levels of difficulty are at your fingertips. The first level AI is a bit predictable, allowing me to trade some crap to it, and allow me to get a monopoly.

I’d say that overall, it really does deserve the 300+ reviews on iTunes with an average rating of 3 1/2 stars.

Pros and Cons

~Pros~
Great overall gameplay
Nice graphics
Wifi gameplay
Gives stats for a specific property

~Cons~
Very buggy if some settings aren’t exact.
Predictable AI
Slightly steep pricetag.

Screenshots

bleu

Zym

Zoneout Video on Vimeo

It’s too long to be on youtube, I will put up a shorter version on youtube soon.

I was suppose to post this and a couple of other videos yesterday, but they took too long to upload. Look for a couple more to come.

Zym

Pros+Cons

•Pros
Great Graphics
Doesn’t crash
Decent game overall

•Cons
Not really an objective
No highscores, they should add global and local

Overall a 3 out of 5

Zym

Screenshots:

•Pros-for the triology
A lot to do
Great graphics
Great storyline
•Cons
It can seem like it isnt going anywhere sometimes, but just hang in there

Overall I say that these games would be great buys. Id say to get tjese games if youre planning on going on a road trip, or if youre planning on using youre touch/iphone more for games. These apps make the iphone more of a gaming platform because you have to actually take some time to play; I mean its not just like trism where you just play it at the bus stop or train station, you play it at home, or on break, etc.

The series is a 4 out of 5

Zym

Zym

Here are the apps “stats”:

Tower Defense … In Your Hand
Full featured Tower Defense for the Apple iPhone

• 30 levels, both storyline and challenges
• 8 towers, each with 6 upgrade levels
• 2 bonus abilities for tight situations
• Two modes of play, path based and maze building
• Achievement system with 18 goals to unlock
• Full sound and music, with adjustable levels
• Supports resuming play after exiting the application
• Online high score tracking
• 4 play speeds
• 5 profiles to keep track of your individual progress

I must admit, I am very new to the tower defense genre of games. My first entry into this genre was the free “TapDefense” on the App Store. I really enjoyed it, but I got bored quick because there were only 3 maps. Then I found Besiegement.

Besiegement has plenty of maps and challenges to choose from. There are also a good variety of towers, each upgradeable 6 times. You can earn bonus abilities if you are desperate need of help (bomb and freeze). There are 4 different playing speeds-Slow, Normal, Fast Forward 2x and Fast Forward 3x. There is also a pause option. (Note you cannot add more towers while paused).

The first few maps and challenges aren’t too hard. But as the game progresses, it can get very challenging. One level (named “Heavy Metal” is particularly hard–to the point that the developer posted a video on YouTube showing how to beat it.

Besiegement is available for $4.00 in the App Store.

Screenshots:

You can follow the developer and his work here at his blog. There he explains the process of developing an iPhone application in Windows.

I give this app a 5 out of 5 stars. I would deffinately reccommend this app if you are a fan tower defense games. And if you aren’t, I suggest you give this one a try.

iTunes Link [$4.00]

–macbookairman

AirFight in iTunes

Sorry for the bad quality, but this time I used a tripod =]

Zym

Oh yeah and the press release:

Freak accident at Conniption Entertainment’s headquarters forces Santa to grab his shotgun and turn on his little helpers

SAN DIEGO, CALIF., December 22, 2008 – Conniption Entertainment released Shotgun Santa, a holiday parody of Zombie Invasion.

An anonymous programmer at Conniption Entertainment gives his account of the incident, “I had just finished decorating my cubicle with all my Christmas stuff, when out of nowhere a big bolt of lightning came through my office window and zapped my iPhone, my holiday music collection, and all my Christmas decorations. Later that day I went to do a little zombie slaying, but when I opened up Zombie Invasion, Santa and a hoard of zombifed elves had taken over the whole game.” *

Game Synopsis

Zombies have made their way to the North Pole in an effort to thwart Santa Claus’s plans to deliver presents to all the good little boys and girls around the world. You must help Santa defend his workshop from his own undead helpers. **

This hilarious parody includes:

- Santa and his guns

- Zombifed elves

- Cool Christmas theme

- Zombified Christmas music

- The choice words Santa has for his undead helpers

Get Shotgun Santa from the App store

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=298701554

Video

About Conniption Entertainment
Conniption Entertainment, located in San Diego, California, is devoted to creating games that include outstanding game play, unique innovative design, and dazzling graphics. As a gaming company we bring fun, engaging, and polished games to consumers and provide the market with worthwhile gaming. High-quality entertainment and service will always be a priority at Conniption Entertainment as we continue to bring you new and exciting games. Conniption Entertainment is a division of Seltmann Systems LLC.

* Parts of this press release are fictitious.

** No elves were harmed in the production of this game.

lol “** No elves were harmed in the production of this game.”

I give it a 4 out of 5 because of the music, and how it’s Christmas related =] (sorry all of you non-Christians)

And some screenshots:

Zym

The going price for Tanzen is a low 99 cents, with an option to get Tanzen Lite, which is absolutely ridiculous, as this game becomes addictive quite quickly. This game allows hints, which does come in handy later on in the game when it gets a bit harder.

The object of the game is to make seven geometric shapes into a shadowed out shape, such as a house, letter, or bird. Each piece is laid out at the top of the screen, and can be dragged easily, along with being able to use just one finger to rotate the piece you’re working on.

~Pros~

Addictive

Low Price

Nice replay value

Allows for hints

~Cons~

No ability to download added puzzles from UI.

Screenshots:

bleu

SimCity Menu

Hey everyone! I’m new here. You can call me “macbookairman”. I’m very excited to be part of the Zym Blog team. I plan to review lots of apps in the future.

With that said, here is my review for SimCity…

I’m sure many of you have heard about SimCity for iPhone lately. There has been a lot of hype about it on various forums and websites. And after playing around with the game for almost a week, I can say that there was reason for all that hype.

If you have never played any SimCity game before, you will likely struggle with this game to start. Its not any sort of stripped down version. From what I can tell, its the real deal. I had to run through the tutorial level a couple of times to understand everything–and even then, there are still some parts that I don’t have a complete grasp of (yet).

But here is a general rundown of the game:
When you first open the app, you are sent to an easy to navigate menu. Here you can find a help menu with topics that cover all aspects of the game, an options menu, and the play option. On the play menu, you can start a new city, load a previous one, or continue your last city. When you choose to start a new city, you get to adjust things like size, budget and terrain. You can also start playing with one of the preloaded cities (there are 2– 1 big, 1 small).

Once you have started a city, you are given a birds eye view of the city. There is a menu at the left which contains Zoning, Transportation, Utilities, Buildings, and Bulldozer. To start your city, you have to zone parts of the city for different things. Just make sure that your residential zones aren’t close to the industrial zones…the sims don’t seem to like that.

Throughout the game you are confronted with various issues such as fires, UFO attacks, pollution, damaged water mains, etc. (You can also manually “attack” your city with these things) You, as mayor, have to manage everything to keep the sims happy. Its not easy. The sims always have some problem that requires your fixing.

There are a very large assortment of building to choose from. They range from libraries, to fire stations, the Empire State Building, and even the White House. Many of these buildings affect the game. For example, if you don’t have schools, then your population will go down. If you have a very large city and have no bus stops or train stations, people will leave your city because it hard to get around.

With all that said, SimCity is one of my favorite apps so far. It has a big learning curve, but once you get past that, it is amazing. There are only a few issues I have encountered so far.

(Cons)
1.) It has crashed a couple times on my iPod Touch 2G (after a restart) EA has acknowledged this and plans to fix it.
2.) The menus can take a very long time to load. Cities take even longer. (When opening a city file, you see a white screen for seven seconds or so) Saving games is also pretty slow.
3.) The tutorial isn’t good enough. It needs to have more depth.

4.) No ability to play your own music in the game (yet).

(Pros)
1.) Great re-playability.
2.) Good graphics
3.) All around great game.
4.) Good size at 31 MB.

I would give this app 4.5 stars out of 5.
(More Screenshots to come)
Bonus tip: While playing, shake your iPhone or iPod Touch and a box will come up that you can enter cheat codes in.

enter “I am weak” to make all items free.

SimCity is developed by EA, the developer of other big name apps such as Spore, Tetris, and Monopoly.

macbookairman