New Apps Discussed on March 7th, 2010:

1. Light Up! – $0.99 – Another puzzle game in which you need to manipulate lights and mirrors to try and angle the proper colored lights into the proper receptacle. Looks simple, but can be challenging.
2. Volkswagen Think Blue. Challenge – Free – An edutainment game in which you drive around a Volkswagen with efficient driving in mind. Get ready to learn how to conserve gas because every bit more efficiently you drive, the higher chance you’ll make it to the next checkpoint. Visually it looks fairly good and the challenge is actually one I’ve never experienced before. There’s some cheesy moments where you learn how to become a more economical driver, but they make sense too and might even teach you something.
3. Tiny Dot Edit – Free – Create tiny pixel-style icons in a grid format. Simple painting with that cool retro look all the kids are going ape over.
4. Cocoto Magic Circus – $0.99 – Based on the Wii age, Cocoto Magic Circus is a selection of 35 minigames that are based around shooting targets. There’s some twists, like the inclusion of red and green balloons that get in your way and can cause good and bad effects on the game. The visuals are incredibly impressive as they really got the cel-shaded look to appear vibrant and seamless on the iPhone. There’s online multiplayer, including the ability to choose your group or use matchmaking, though not many were playing when I tried. Overall, I feel like it hits all the right notes in terms of a quick dollar iPhone game and most everyone will feel like they got something very full and thought-out for the buck.
5. Knife Toss – $0.99 – Toss knives at balloons that surround a clown in classic knife-tossing circus style. Visually it looks great and the simplicity of the gameplay leads to an addicting experience. There’s also the fun of taking your anger out on a clown.
6. Ragdoll Blaster 2 – $2.99 – I will admit I skipped out on the first version, but I was really intrigued by the graphics and presentation of this one. Adding a steampunk look to the game, Ragdoll Blaster 2 incorporates ragdoll physics, launching precision, and puzzle elements into one really addicting and challenging game. The physics are believable, and really at this point any physics is almost status quo. However, I really loved the puzzle elements and how quickly the game moves you through all the levels. I got very easily wrapped into it and missed my train stop one time (a compliment, of course).

Shuffle Free – (Bob) – Free Lite version or $0.99 Premium version – Shuffle for the next song ahead of time while the current song plays. The presentation shows you different album covers and you can touch one to select the next song to play. So in a sense, you’re not completely shuffling, but reducing your choices so you can “shuffle” in the right direction.

Gundead Defense (Kevin) – Free – I have to admit, I was not surprised when I saw that there was another tower defense game with zombies. But then the western motif had me intrigued and I really will never pass on a free game when it looks interesting. Color me shocked when I discover this is more than just a defense game. Gundead Defense has all the usual tower defense elements, but it also incorporates attack into your strategy. The maps allow both parties, you and the CPU, to set up your defense while also managing your attackers that try to take out the enemy base. It’s really a great twist on the genre and adds a bit more strategy towards money management. The game has great presentation, an actual story, and the zombie campaign of levels for an additional dollar. Given that it’s free, I see no reason why any tower defense fan wouldn’t pick up this really unique tower defense game.

Mike Tyson Quotes – Free – Read some Mike Tyson quotes and wonder if the man really said that. Then Google for it and realize he did. Just some quotes and images, but a fun Punch-Out image as the App icon.

BumpRADAR – Look Who’s Bumpin’ – (Bob) – Free – Visualize the recent usage of the Bump application in your nearby area. It’s mainly just for the curious, though it is a very cool idea.