Plunderland is Apple’s App of the Week this week. Does it deserve it? Yes and no. Developer JohnnyTwoShoes has made a solid effort to bring pillaging across the sea in the hands of eager gamers.

The premise of Plunderland is you are a ghost with pirates that sail across the sea to attack and sink enemy ships, pillage tribes people and take money from their monuments then make it to the next port. Sounds fun? Well, get used to it because that is what you do over, and over, and over again with little variety. Call me a stinker, but I don’t see the allure with this game.

Sure, the water physics are nice. You tilt the iPhone left or right to make your boat move in that direction. When there is a storm, etc, the water behaves in a more erratic manor, making maneuvering more difficult. Once you are on the high seas, you come across your enemy; the British warships. You have a couple ways to take them out. First is to use your ships cannon. You have a nifty way of angling the cannon to shoot your targets, just move your finger along the bottom and you will get a reticule via a line that helps your aiming. Release your finger and you fire your cannonballs. Second, you can use the enemies cannonballs against themselves. Before the enemy launches an attack, the cannon will puff smoke, that is your cue to ready your finger and deflect the cannonball back upon the enemy ship and with luck, split it in two!

I know, I make it sound exhilarating, and it is the first two or three times you do it. Sadly, Plunderland does little to keep your attention. Future attacks add blimps and more, but the fun is gone by that point. The attacking villagers is a simple “tap, tap. tap” on the totems to get money and fling some villagers around in an effort to extract some more dough. Again… zzzz…

There is nice upgrade system though, you can upgrade your ship, cannons and bowsprits by earning said money above. The game has excellent promise. The controls, physics and graphical style all lend them selves to a success. However, the bland  I really, really wanted to like this game, being highlighted on Apple’s App Store, but alas, mateys, I just can’t bring myself to recommend this lack-luster treasure.

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

UPDATE: I had a delightful Twitter chat with the developers. I explained that I had played 50% thorough the game and became unchallenged with the levels and objectives. They understood and are looking at a way to unlock the more exciting and complex levels earlier for more “hardcore” gamers. I also said that when I find the time to complete the game 100%, I would update this review to include my findings. I am hopeful that by the time I do this, they will have some new content available. You can follow the developer on Twitter here.

Pros

• Great graphics
• Solid frame-rate
• Good physics engine
• Upgrade system

Cons

• Very, very, very repetitive
• Takes a while to become a challenge (the end of the second chapter)

Plunderland for iPhone- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Chain Link is based on the concept of creating as many links as you can and dragging them into the vortex in the middle of the screen without disturbing any other types of links.  The game starts off fairly easy and gets harder pretty quick.  There’s also support for OpenFeint to share your scores with your friends and other Chain Link users.  I found the game pretty addicting after a while.  Hit the jump for more screens and a walkthrough.

When you first open Chain Link, you’ll be asked to choose a game mode.  The differences are that in easy mode (static), the pieces won’t move by themselves.  They stay in one spot, where in arcade mode, they’ll move around, making it harder to avoid collisions.  Whenever pieces collide with another piece that isn’t a like kind, instead of creating a chain, the pieces that collide will shatter.  You’ll also lose one of your lives.  You get 3 lives.  After your third collision, game over.

Besides having regular game play modes, you can also choose timed modes.  The pieces will float up from the bottom and down from the top and you’ll have to try and coordinate chains as quickly as possible and drag them to the center.

All in all, Chain Link is a pretty decent game to kill time with.  It gets hard pretty quickly and there’s tons of game play modes to keep you busy.  There’s nothing more depressing than beating a game you like in a couple days and either having to wait for an update to add more levels or just retiring it altogether.  Especially when it’s a game you enjoy.  I don’t see this being the case with Chain Link.  There’s a lot of different game play options to keep you busy for quite some time. I think adding a few more options and maybe more visually appealing menus could improve the user experience.

[iTunes Link]

Pros

• Easy to play

• Lots of game play settings

• OpenFeint Support

Cons

• Some of the game play modes are a lot alike

• The addition of more shapes would be welcome in order to make game play just a bit more complex for expert players

• Main menu is somewhat cluttered

YouTube Link

Chain Link Pro for iPhone – App Review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Gameloft’s NOVA has just received one awesome update; high-res retina display support and the ability to use the gyroscope (looks like Gun Range proved useful after all) for iPhone 4. First let’s talk graphics…

This game looks absolutely amazing. Color. Crispness. It’s all there. No aliasing problems, things just look great. Now for the not so great news, the Gyroscope.

I have been playing with the NOVA update for the last couple of days and for the life of me, I can’t seem to feel comfortable using the gyroscope in conjunction with the traditional controls. Sure, the gyroscope is precise. Sure you can pivot in a circle and the game will rotate with you. But when it comes to playing in a firefight with aliens, it is hard to be using the traditional controls to pan while using the gyroscope to aim. Perhaps I just don’t have the reflexes of my youth, but I found the experience frustrating. Thankfully you can turn the gyroscope controls off.

This was just my experience, how are you liking the update? Let us know in the comments!

Video after the break.

[$4.99- iTunes link]

NOVA gets Retina Display and Gyroscope support is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Once in a while there is a game that comes out that is simple, fun, addictive and priced for the masses. Ladies and gentleman I give you StarDunk!

StarDunk is brought to us by the fine folks at Gozilab that made iMoki. The premise behind StarDunk is to make baskets (as in basketball) with a ball and complete globally against other players. You have two basic game modes; offline and online. Offline is where you hone your skills and when ready you are ready, compete online.

The ball is positioned on the right side of the screen (there is a lefty mode) with the basket on the left. There is a limited guide that repositions itself on screen as you move your finger across for aiming of the ball. When you release, the ball shoots. There is more to the game than just making baskets. There are four vertical bars directly behind the basket, like a backboard. If you hit one before the ball goes in, it lights up. When all four are lit, you turn the bonus on. Bonuses range from a temporarily wider basket to three balls shooting at once for maximum scoring.

Each match lasts for a couple of minutes and to add to the drama, the last basket is in slow motion. After the match you are ranked on the specific contest you played as well as your global ranking. You can also view your scores against your own countrymen and friends on the Plus+ network.

I have a lot of fun with this title. I find no real flaws. It is a blast to play and is one of the ultimate pick-up and play titles.

[$0.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Quick fun
• Global multiplayer
• Plus+ integration
• Great techno music to keep the blood flowin’

Cons

• None!

StarDunk for iPhone- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Ngmoco has just brought out the ultimate game/tech-demo (to show your friends) for the iPhone 4 – Eliminate GunRange. It’s a virtual gun range game where you use real weapons to shoot targets. The concept is not entirely engrossing as there are plenty of other top-notch shooting games out there (ngmoco’s own Eliminate comes to mind). What makes this game fun and special is that it is the first game to take full use of the new iPhone 4 gyroscope. How does it work? Continue reading to find out!

The game starts out simple enough; you are presented with a single weapon, an M60. There are numerous other weapons to choose from, but you have to score well to unlock additional weapons with credits. After you select your weapon, you then can begin the ” Challenges” for your selected weapon. When the level begins you have a pre- determined set of targets to destroy. That is where the fun begins.

The enjoyment factor of GunRange does not stem from the fact that you are destroying targets, it comes form the amazing control offered by the iPhone 4 gyroscope. It literally “feels” like you are holding the weapon in your hands and where ever you aim your iPhone, the cursor hovers over the target. This level of control is unprecedented in previous iPhone efforts till now. It is simply a tease of what is to come.

What could be hum-drum central, ngmoco has attempted to make levels as interesting as possible, however there are only three ranges. For example, the first level is a basic shooting range. As you progress you being to shoot targets outside in a different locale. What makes the level and challenge enticing is that targets appear “off screen” and you have to use the gyroscope to quickly turn left and right. Speaking of turning left and right, you don’t have to rotate your whole body like Steve Jobs did in his WWDC 2010 keynote. Rather, I was able to successfully turn by simply lowering one side or the other to turn. This is also effective in racing games too, I have found.

For $.99 this is an easy pick up title. Will it keep you engaged for months to come, unlikely. But is it fun and cool to show off? Definitely.

[$0.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Awesome use of the iPhone 4 gyroscope Graphics are sharp and look good on the retina display
• Multiple guns and shooting ranges

Cons

• A bit repetitive
• Only three gun ranges, more variety would have been nice

Eliminate: GunRange for iPhone 4- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Let me preface this entire review by saying that I suck at Guitar Hero. Seriously. If someone took me hostage and forced me to play GH in order to save my life, I’d be a dead man—and don’t anyone get any ideas either. I’ve tried it on every platform around; it’s especially funny if I try to play in public, say, in a big department or electronics store where they have a demo unit set up. I usually try to resist the pull, but sometimes I just can’t and find myself approaching that little guitar, queuing up a song I love and thinking that maybe this time it will be different. It never is, and I inevitably end up surrounded by a small flock of smarmy looking twelve year olds waiting for me to get out of the way. I have yet to hit any of their young, smirking faces with the controller, so I think I can take that as a sign of growth and maturity even in the face of such open derision.

So anyway, it’s not that I’m not musically inclined, it’s just that I have about as much rhythm as a can of unopened pinto beans. Still, I must admit to being impressed by the port of Guitar Hero over to the iPhone. Anyone familiar with the game can safely skip over the tutorials, though they are quite helpful, and after jumping into the game to try my hand, I found myself going  back and actually reading through a few of them. It didn’t help my performance any, but at least I had a better idea of just how badly I was really doing.

The game’s graphics are beyond decent, meaning they’re pretty good, which is what we’ve all come to expect from the iPhone anyway. GH looks and feels right at home on an iPhone screen, and the game’s controls and interface are slick and intuitive. One of the things that impressed me the most with GH, however, was the sound. The sound quality of the game, especially the music, was excellent even when piped through my $50 Sony earbuds. And you’ll definitely want to use headphones—even the game tells you this as it’s loading—the sound experience just isn’t the same when played through the iPhone’s unimpressive external speaker, not to mention the possibility that those around you may not in the mood to rock out with you. I found myself really enjoying moving about the interface—which to me has a very cool and somewhat grungy, steampunk look to it— and awesome little background sounds with each click and selection.

When you first start the game it will ask to scan the music you have on your phone and add it to the game’s library of songs. If you want to further expand your library you can visit the in-game store and purchase additional songs. The store doesn’t really have much of a selection at present, but the game was only released a few weeks ago so I’m sure that will improve. If you’re feeling kicky you can share your scores with your friends on Facebook or compare yourself with other users via the Leaderboard display. I, of course, did neither of those things as I have enough sources of embarrassment in my life without unduly exposing my complete lack of timing and coordination. A guy has to keep some things secret, right?

The gameplay in GH, despite my jerky, zombie-like thumb action, is quite easy to get into and the game’s controls translate quite well with the iPhone’s touchscreen. Even if you’ve never played the game before you should have no problem getting comfortable with the simple controls and you’ll be getting your groove on in no time. Guitar Hero, as many people already know, is ridiculously addictive and fun even for someone with considerable lack of talent (me). It’s $2.99 at the App Store and well worth it in my opinion. I’m sure it will see plenty of play on my phone if for no other reason than to prove to myself that I’m not the uncoordinated goob the game makes me look like.

Zynga’s Farmville has just sprouted its way onto the iPhone and is just waiting for you to harvest it via the iTunes App Store.

You can access your existing Facebook farm or start a new agrarian life from scratch. There’s also exclusive iPhone/iPod touch content — we’ve already seen snow leopards in honor of Apple’s current Mac OS X — and all of the same seeds, fruits, vegetables, and animals casual gamers have grown to love.

If you try it out, let us know how you like it.

[iTunes]

Farmville for iPhone now in App Store is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Don’t want to pay a lot for those EA (Electronic Arts) iPhone and iPad games? Well, you’re in luck – a ton of them are on sale today for just $0.99. Not every game, mind you, but a lot. Here’s the list:

• Command & Conquer: Red Alert
• FIFA 10
• FIFA World Cup
• Madden NFL 10
• Need for Speed Shift
• Need for Speed Undercover
• SimCity
• Dragon’s Lair
• Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear
• Trivial Pursuit
• NBA Live
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour
• Battleship
• Connect 4
• Surviving High School
• The Game of Life (Classic Edition)
• Clue
• Yahtzee

Here’s the link to go get ‘em. Tell us what you recommend, and what you get. (We’re trying to figure out what we want).

[EA on iTunes]

Massive EA iPhone games sale – $0.99 for 48 hours is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Phoenix Wright is Capcom’s latest game for the iPhone. It’s a port of a port (GameBoy to Nintendo DS to iOS) that still retains it’s fun factor through the years and is a great addition to any iOS gamer. The concept behind Phoenix Wright is simple; you are a new a attorney and you have taken on your first criminal case as a defense attorney for your best friend from high school, Larry Butz, and he is accused of murder!

The main game play takes place in the court room. Just like any court case, you are given evidence that you can reference at any time from the court record. And you WILL need to reference it as your clients future depends on it.

Your first case deals with Larry’s girlfriend’s murder. The witness pins Larry as the killer… but is he? This is where the fun begins. It is up to you to prove his innocence. In the courtroom you listen to the witness testimony and try to find holes in it based on the evidence you have in your possession. Regretfully, I can’t give away too much more without spoiling the story… There are additional levels though and each one gets more and more challenging, you even move out of the courtroom to gather evidence yourself.

As fun as the game is, the writing is geared towards a younger audience. Even though the subject matter is adult, it often uses “childish humor” to get points across at times. Though I shrug this off, it may bother some adult gamers, kids will love it. But I do admit, I chuckled from time to time. It is important to note that this game is not 3D but instead kind of like one of those old Choose Your Own Adventure books. The game is based primarily on reading and critical thinking skills and lends itself as a quick pick up and play game, but you will be spending some quality time with it. The good news is that you can save anytime and it usually places you right at the spot you were last at in the story.

In the end I found Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney very enjoyable and fun. Was it challenging? Yes. Was the crude humor at times? Yes. Will I play it again? Most definitely.

[$4.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Great story design
• Deep level of interaction
• Critical thinking skills are needed!

Cons

• Childish humor at times
• Simple graphics
• Can be too hard depending on audience

Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney for iPhone- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Well, it’s been a while since an iPhone game has come along and delighted me as much as Angry Birds has. Angry Birds, produced by Rovio Mobile, a European-based independent game developer, is one of those games that is brilliant in it’s simplicity and fun-factor, which only adds to its addictive qualities and appeal.

The story is that there’s a family of  five dysfunctional birds out there with some anger-management problems and their trying to peacefully live their lives, taking care of their eggs and eating their worms in peace. Unfortunately for the bird family there’s a group of hungry pigs nearby that have apparently tired of eating grass all day long (I’m not an agriculture expert or anything, but I didn’t think pigs ate grass, I’m just sayin).

Well, the pigs set their sites and their appetites on the birds’ eggs and decide to steal them and cook them. The problem is that the birds are, naturally, very vigilant in watching over their progeny, but as luck would have it fortune smiles on the pigs by sending a mutant mosquito to terrorize the birds. This mosquito, being a mutant, naturally has a taste for bird eggs—which probably hasn’t been seen in the natural world since the Pleistocene era, thankfully—and the strength to attempt to filch one of the eggs right from the nest. The birds, not having any of it, proceed to beat the living tar out of wayward mosquito, eventually, after several gruesome tag-team rounds, beating the poor insect into a hole in the ground. Satisfied that they’ve warded off the threat the birds turn back to their nest only to find that their precious eggs have been shanghai’d by the morally ambivalent pigs. After that, it’s on. The birds declare war on the pigs and set their sites on destroying the flimsily fortified pig castles that, apparently, all pigs live in. Who knew?

That, in a nutshell, is the game. Angry Birds, is physics based game in which you sling shot your maddened fowls into the structures protecting the pigs on the far side of the playing field.As I said, it’s simple and stupidly addictive so if you try it out, be ready to surrender several hours of your afternoon to some friendly pig killin.

Granted, I’ve only been playing, off and on, for a week now, but I haven’t even made it past the first level, in which there are several boards to conquer. The game takes some strategic planning in order to eliminate all the pigs with the limited number of bird shots you have. As you progress though, you get some different types of birds that have various abilities which make them special. There’s your normal, run-of-the-mill, bird shot (pun intended), and then there’s the smaller birds which can split into three smaller shots in mid air resulting in a less powerful, shotgun-like effect, and much more.

Angry Birds [iTunes link] is by far my favorite iPhone game at present, and considering its popularity all over the world, it’s definitely worth a look. And at only $0.99, it’s well worth the hours and hours of enjoyment you’ll get from it.

Angry Birds, highly recommended if you have some time to kill, and/or work to avoid!