Stay ConnectedThe Touch of Gaming podcast is your source for iPad and iPhone gaming news, reviews and interviews! In each episode your hosts Lloyd Hannesson and Jared Schulz will bring you the latest in gaming on iOS.
This show has been retired. Keep checking back for more Mobile Game coverage on REZD.tv
Copyright: © 2017 REZD.tv
In this episode you will hear Todd talk about the snowstorm that wasn’t and about upcoming plans to see Star Wars.
That leads Jared into a most excellent and heartwarming story about one of the prequel movies…not something you hear about very often for sure with those movies!
We then talk a small bit of news and quite a bit about the games we did not play this week…even if we did happen to buy them (we are all looking at you; Jared)
Finally, it is time for new games…
Todd played Baum ($1.99, iOS & Android, A Fox Wot). This is a very pretty and somewhat interesting platformer where you use touch to move a drop of water through various levels. The game looks and sounds nice but the controls are not quite there and the fact that you are “flying blind” in a lot of levels does not help things out. This game is OK but not really recommended at this point.
Jared decided not to bury the lead and talked about Crashlands ($4.99, iOS and Android, Butterscotch Shenanigans). Dear listener, grab a nice cup of your favorite beverage, find a cozy place to sit down, and listen to the melodic voice of Bard Jared as he praises this game like almost no other. He really, truly loves this “crafting meets action” game and he recommends it to all of you out there in mobile game land.
Todd then talked about Dungelot: Shattered Lands ($3.99, iOS, Red Winter). This game is a distillation of all of the great gaming ideas that Dungelot 1 started. It is full-on premium (unlike Dungelot 2), irons out many kinks from Dungelot 1, and adds a ton more content and concepts. Basically, if you like Rogue-like games with a fantasy setting, a mine-sweeper vibe, and RPG elements…you should try this. If you loved Dungelot 1 and are craving more; this is for you. If you never played any of them (or only #2…shudder), then this is the one to get. Recommended.
Pirate Power (Free, iOS, Godzilab) – Jared was in on the beta for this one and even though the gold release wiped out all of his data (that is typical…not some sort of bug), he is still enjoying this game. Lots of fun is to be had here. The “free to play” mechanics are not too intrusive. In short, this is Jared’s current “free to play” game of choice and he will keep playing it. Give it a shot as well.
And that is that.
See everyone next week.
This is our Games of the Year 2015 show and, as such, I am not going to add any further show notes. No spoilers.
In this episode, Jared and Todd talk about their favorite games of 2015 and they hand out awards in a variety of different categories. Sit back, relax, and hear about a lot of great games.
We’re back after our little holiday break! First we gave shout-outs to the 2 awesome, 5-star iTunes reviews we received in December. Thanks! We then talked our game of the month for December and the winner is:
Todd –
Runner Up: Air Attack 2 is runner-up ($1.99, iOS, Art in Games)
Winner: Magic: the Gathering – Puzzle Quest (Free, iOS & Android, D3 Go!)
And Jared agrees…
Jared – Winner: Magic: the Gathering – Puzzle Quest (Free, iOS & Android, D3 Go!)
We then talked a bit of upcoming game news.
Then we went into games. Todd tried 6 games this week and insta-deleted 5 of them…so he does not have a lot to talk about. Jared has a few more; thankfully.
Jared:
Pixel Starships (Free, iOS, Savy Soda) – Jared picked up this game hoping for something fun. Instead it got a Clash of Clans meets random, boring pixel art game. He gave it is all but he really cannot recommend this game to anyone. Removed from his device.
Todd:
Grayout ($2.99, iOS, Neven Mrgan) – Todd sort of enjoyed this interesting take on an interactive novel meets mystery story meets word game. However, the game often fell more towards the “random guessing” side of things than the “logically figure out the puzzle” side of things; which leads to frustration and too much randomness. He cannot fully recommend it but it is worth checking out more if the idea of it intrigues you.
Jared:
Battlehand (Free, iOS and Android, Kongregate) – a CCG with many free to play elements (literally and figuratively). Jared needs more time with this one before he can give a recommendation. Todd tried it, found nothing really new to what it was doing, and deleted it right away…but that could be due to his own burnout on the genre more than anything else.
Clocks (Free, iOS, Noodlecake) – a fun little score chase/puzzle type of game that Jared is having a lot of fun with. Well worth trying out…which is exactly what Todd will do this week since he tried 5 other “quick” type games and did not like any of them at all.
World of Yo Ho (Free…kind of $38.50, iOS and Android, Les Editions Volumiques) – And now for something completely different…this is a free app…but one that is essentially useless unless you buy the $40 (ish) board game that goes with it. Do that and you get a very fun, humorous, and innovative physical/digital game experience. If you are into board games and want to try something different, this is a nice place to start.
And that about does it.
Our next show will be our “Games of 2015” rundown show. Cool.
In this episode, Todd and Jared answer a listener question.
They then talk about the current iOS App Store sales and they each give a few picks.
They revisit the helpful App Shopper App.
And they also revisit Amazon Underground and the incredible slew of awesome games an Android user can find there…all of them for free.
Since so many games were released this week the “games we didn’t play” section is quite long.
And then we get into games.
Todd recapped Air Attack 2 and Power Hover from last week. Both are great and worth buying.
Jared then had a little segment called “5 games in 5 minutes…games Jared played while out sick”. In that segment, he talked about: Sneaky Sneaky, Prune, X-Mercs, Puzzle Craft 2, Magic: The Gathering – Puzzle Quest
Todd mentioned a few other games he tried this week…none of which grabbed him (1 of which would not run on his iPad). Into the Dim – he needs to play more. CarRage – not the best Micro Machines type game out there…largely due to the control scheme. Cardinal Pixel – this game would not play. It crashed during the tutorial. It was updated after the episode was recorded. Todd tried it and now it is not compatible with iPad 4 at all and it could not be updated. Weird.
Todd then talked about Rust Bucket (Free, iOS, Nitrome) – this is a rogue like that focuses more on the puzzle elements of the genre than on the upgrades or weapons or spells. In essence, that makes it a purely puzzle experience. It is nice to look out and the audio is solid, but Todd was looking for something more like Tiny Rogue or Arcane Tower and, as such, this one falls short for him. The ads are also a bit much, but there is a very good game here if you are looking for a pure puzzle game with the look and feel of a turn-based rogue like.
Jared: Cut the Rope Magic (Zeptolabs, iOS and Android, Free on Underground or $.99) – a perennial favorite of Jared’s, this installment basically offers more Cut the Rope for anyone interested. The puzzle mechanics are still there in all of their glory and they add in a few new tricks, but this is basically a new installment of the series as opposed to a sequel. If you liked any of the prior games, you will really enjoy this one too. Worth buying for sure (and definitely get it for free on Amazon Underground if you are an Android gamer).
Todd: Dashy Crashy (Free, iOS, Dumpling Design) – another Voxel graphics, lane based runner enters the fray! This one features a variety of cars/trucks you can control as you move lane to lane trying to avoid oncoming traffic. They throw some fun touches into the mix like an over the top narrator and a day/night cycle while also adding a bit to the mechanics in the forms of Ranked levels, speed ups, brakes, and all sorts of unlockable vehicles. The free to play model is very fair and the gameplay is fun. Recommended if you are looking for a new pick up and play type of endless runner. Fun stuff.
Jared: Metro 2033: Wars ($7.99, iOS & Android, Tapstar Interactive Inc.) – Jared grabbed this turn based strategy game that is based on the books/games of the Metro 2033 world. He could not find a lot of info about it but did see some positive Windows Phone reviews, so it went for it…and it turns out to be a very deep and tough turn based strategy game. The focus is on battling it out in Russian subways…trying to gain and hold territory as you build up your small army. The game has lots of nice touches but you need to be careful…perma-death lurks around every corner and any little mistake could be exploited. Despite all of that, the game feels fair and it is very well worth a look. The price is high and might scare some off, but Jared will be back with more info next year if you are still on the fence.
And that wraps it up.
This was a nice, game-packed show to take us into the holiday season (and ToG hiatus).
Our next episode will be for the week of January 11, 2016.
In this episode, Jared battles through a nasty cold/sore throat and we deliver another ToG for the masses to enjoy. We talk about a few notable game updates, some upcoming games we are looking forward to, and a tiny bit of news.
We remind listeners that we will do one more show this year (for the week of Dec. 21) and then we will take 2 weeks off to spend the holidays with friends, family, and our game of the year contenders.
We then talk game we played.
Todd: played a few games with that got Holiday updates: Ski Safari 2, Soda Dungeon, and Landsliders (which also saw its Android release this week). He is enjoying all of these games right now.
Jared: gave a brief update on Desktop Dungeons…a rogue-like that came out this year. He is really digging its almost “puzzle-like” gameplay and he highly recommends it to rogue-like fans who are looking for something with depth and puzzle elements more than action RPG elements.
As for new games…
Todd talked about Air Attack 2 ($1.99, iOS, Art in Games). This WWII themed air battle schmup features truly awe-inspiring graphics, lots of action, and varied missions/ways to play…it all adds up to an excellent take on the bullet-heck schmup genre and Todd recommends this game. A full review is pending, but so far it has been excellent.
Jared played Fantastic Plastic Squad (DropForge Games, iOS, Free). It is a fun little action shoot/FPS game and it offers some fun gameplay elements, but the Free to Play aspects are a bit heavy-handed and the story/characters are a bit on the generic side. Worth a shot but he will be deleting this game soon.
Jared and Todd both played Magic: The Gathering – Puzzle Quest (Free, iOS & Android, D3 Go!) and they found it to be an awesome mash up of the match 3 elements of Puzzle Quest and the deck building/card battling mechanic of Magic: The Gathering. The game is surprisingly deep and offers a lot of strategies and options for the player. The free to play mechanics never truly get in the way; although if you do want premium currency, it is doled out very, very slowly or can be purchased at a fairly high price point. The UI leaves A LOT to be desired, but it detracts little from the game’s enjoyment. Well worth getting if you are interested in the mechanics of either PQ or M:TG. Grab it today!
Todd played Power Hover ($3.99, iOS, Oddrok Oy). This is a very interesting, story based hover board action game. You move along the varied levels using your hover board skills to collect batteries which help you gain power and power up your town/overworld. It looks great and has a lot of interesting levels. The hover board is a bit unwieldly but you do get better at it with time. The checkpoint system is fair and the game is very quick to restart if you die. Games like this sometimes lead Todd to frustration, but this one has the right mix to keep him trying to progress. So far, so good. A full review will come soon but put this one on your radar.
Jared: The Incorruptibles – Knights of the Realm (Free, Maximum Play, iOS). This game starts off as one of the best Real Time Strategy games Jared has ever seen on mobile. It does so much right within that genre. But then it adds in a Clash of Clans-esque town building/defense mechanic and that drags the game right down. Overly aggressive Free to Play mechanics (especially the cool down timers and the Builders) further sully the experience. Overall, Jared loves this game for the RTS elements, but the other mechanics overwhelm the great RTS experience and drag the game down. Try it if you want but he will be uninstalling the app soon.
And that does it for another ToG.
In this episode we talk about a tiny bit of news…it was a pretty slow week.
We talk about some games we are excited for, got notable updates, and are coming to Android.
We also talked about the few bigger games that we did not play this week.
Then we got into the games we are playing…
Jared: Warhammer 40,000 Deathwatch – this was an update of the game that Jared has been playing, and really enjoying, for weeks now. As it turns out, there is a ton of content here and some very fun mechanics for upgrades, etc., that make for some true fun. Highly recommended.
Todd & Jared: Dominion (Free, iPad and Android, Making Fun, Inc.) – so, this game is something different. It is the very long awaited iOS adaptation of a very popular deck-building board game. Todd was playing it on iPad 4 and it gave him no shortage of troubles. He was never even able to make it fully past the 8 stages of the tutorial. Things like the “End Turn” icon not appearing to the “Play by Play” chat window being stuck in the “open” mode…this game was one bug after another for him. When he could play, he basically enjoyed it, but mostly it was just a mess. For Jared, on the iPad Mini, things were a bit smoother and he was able to play. But he found the mechanics of the game a bit lacking and the Expansion packs to be far, far too expensive. It would cost to the tune of $90 to get all 9 packs. Craziness. Overall, this one is not ready for prime time; although there is potential there. Buyer beware.
Jared: Digfender (Free, iOS and Android, Mugshot Games) – This is a very fun tower defense game with some twists/new mechanics. Jared is really enjoying the look, feel, and gameplay of the game so far. Well worth trying out if you enjoy the tower defense genre and a nice place to start if you are not that familiar with such games. Try it today.
Todd: Rescue the Princess (Free, iOS, MiniJiniStudio). This is an interesting take on the Match 3 style game with a gameplay mechanic similar to a title like Dungeon Raid. In this one, you have a character icon on the map and the location of that icon is the jumping off point for the matches you can make. Slide your finger along any path through 1 type of icon (blue attack, red attack, hearts, or coins) and you do/accrue the corresponding thing. The monster then takes its turn. It has rogue like elements so you collect gems (the premium currency) and when you die you can use the gems to buy permanent upgrades so you can start again from a more powerful place. The free to play aspects are very optional. When you die the first time, you can play a short ad to “revive” and continue. You can also buy gems or a gem doubler to help you on your way. This is a fun game with some nice twists on the typical gameplay style. Try it.
Jared: Shadowrun Returns ($1.99, Harebrained Schemes, iOS and Android) – This one is a little blast from the past. In an effort to free up some space on his iPad, Jared decided to pick a large (size wise) game and play through it so he could delete it. This game, a reboot of a classic PC title based on a pen and paper game system, got the call. It is an strategy RPG and it starts a bit slow, but it picks up and, with time, becomes a pretty decent little title with a nice story and good gameplay. For $1.99 you get a solid 8-10 hours of sci-fi/fantasy SRPG gaming so you might want to give it a go. We hear the sequel is the best in the trilogy (the 3rd game is not out on iOS or Android yet), but this one does hold its own very nicely.
Todd: Rayman Adventures (Free, iOS and Android, Ubisoft) – perhaps the biggest release of the week, this game actually got released a day later than most others on the app store. It is essentially the 3rd in the Rayman series on mobile and Todd tried it on his failing iPad 4. It was not optimal, so he tried it on his phone and had some fun with it. It is essentially a platformer with awesome graphics and sound. The gaming is divided into 3 types of stages (straight platforming, collectathons, and battles) and you proceed along different “adventures” trying to 3 star all of the levels in each adventure. That is all well and good but they thrown in free to play mechanics (creature cool downs, creature acquisitions, elixirs, etc. etc.) that do not add to the gameplay at all. Unlike the other 2 games, in this one you are able to move back and forth in a level (rather than always moving forward) but the swipe controls feel a bit “off” and that can make for a frustrating experience at times. A virtual D pad probably would have worked better. Also, once you finish an Adventure (which is a set of 3+ levels), you move to the next and you can never go back to the ones you finished. So they are essentially forcing you to 3 star each level (if you care about such things) before moving on to the next adventure. Coupled with the FTP mechanics, this can bog things down. Todd found himself not caring about the 3 stars and just trying to move on. It was just too much tedium to do otherwise. Overall, it is still a game worth checking out and it has a lot going for it, but some design and FTP choices make it less fun than the first 2 in the series.
And that does it for this week.
Thanks guys and have a nice day.
In this episode we talk about the small amount of news coming out this week as well as the few upcoming games/updates we are excited for.
We then delve into the games we grabbed during the big Thanksgiving Holiday sales on the App and Google Play stores.
Then it was time to talk games…and we have quite a few this week.
Jared: Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes (Free, iOS and Android, EA) – Jared played a bunch of this game and while the gameplay is ok and the Star Wars setting is nice, the overall free to play mechanics and muddiness make this game forgettable. There are too many currencies, too many odd upgrades, and too much grinding to fully recommend this game to anyone but the most ardent of Star Wars fan. This one will not be sticking around on Jared’s device. 3 out of 5 overall.
Todd: Ball King (Free, iOS & Android, QWIBOO, LTD.) – challenged to beat a score in this game by a Game Center friend, Todd decided to grab it and try the game. What he found was a very simple “shoot the ball in the floating hoop by using very intuitive touch controls to draw the path of your shot” game. This is a nice high score chase game with decent graphics, great sound effects, great control and extremely fair Free to Play mechanics. Really good fun and worth picking up for sure. On Fire! 5 out of 5.
Jared: Starlit Adventures (Free with unlock, iOS and Android, Rockhead Games). This game, in the vein of Dig Dug, proved to be a lot of fun for both Jared and his 3 year old son. Although probably not completely understandable children of that age, this game can be picked up quickly and easily and makes for a great little “on the couch” time waster. It has good music and a very bright, friendly, and colorful style. Worth trying for sure.
Todd: Snowboard Party 2 ($2.99, iOS, Ratrod). Todd loves snowboarding games in the vein of SSX but has yet to find one that really lives up to that potential on mobile. This one comes close with nice graphics, good controls (including MFI controller support), and an ok soundtrack (but with the ability to play music from your own collection!!). It has 4 modes of play, lots of characters and gear to unlock, plenty of tracks with a decent amount of variety. In short…it has most everything you might want. What it lacks is the cohesion to tie all of those things together. Something is missing and it makes this completely competent game less than the sum of its parts. It is worth grabbing if you like the genre but it could have been better. 4 out of 5 overall.
Jared: Le Havre: Inland Port ($4.99, iOS and Android, Digidiced). Digidiced provides an excellent port from board game to iOS with this release and the only thing that could see improvement on that end is the online mulitiplayer…which they are working on. The game, however, is a bit too “mathy” for Jared’s tastes so he probably won’t keep playing it. Overall, this is an excellent translation of the board game…but you need to like this style of board game to appreciate the iOS version of the game. At $4.99 it is worth grabbing; especially if you have already tried the board game and enjoy its mechanics.
Todd: Traffic Rush 2 (Free, iOS, Donut Games). Hot on the heals of its 2009 prequel, this game looks to up the ante a bit…and it succeeds overall. A voxel based update to a high score chase game, this follows the Crossy Road free to play model…which means you really never see an ad if you don’t want to and you never have to pay any money. The gameplay is very tight and feels a lot like its 2009 rendition. It is fun and gets very frantic…which can be a good or a bad thing overall. Todd feels like he might have already reached his highest score…but he will give it one more try just in case. 4 out of 5 overall.
Jared: Starside Arena (Free, iOS and Android, Epic Owl) – Jared is really, really digging this “build your own starship” arena battle game. In this one, strategically building your starship is the key. When you send it out into battle, the battle plays out automatically and you have no input, so plan well. There are tons of things to enjoy about this game and only 1 real flaw so far…it seems that even if you are winning battles, the game will sometimes “scrap” your ship and tell you you need to rebuild it to do better. You can rebuild it without a problem…but you might not have wanted to. That aside, this is highly recommended and Todd was convinced enough to download it while Jared was talking. Cool.
So, here you have ToG #224 for the week of Nov. 23, 2015
In this episode, Jared and Todd talk a bit of news. Seeing as though this is a holiday week, the news is a bit light as are the updates/upcoming releases.
We also talk about a slew of good iOS games that have now moved to Android. Chief among them are Call of Champions, Horizon Chase, Skeletomb, and Lifeline 2.
Moving on to games:
Todd: Goat Rider (Free, iOS, Beaver Tap Games). We were fortunate to be given an advance copy of Goat Rider this week. Todd enjoyed the gameplay for what it was…a test of reflexes during a high score chase with lots of, mostly superficial, unlocks. A fun game for a short period of time, Todd feels he probably will not beat his current high score so he will stop playing for now. Worth trying but the fun is fairly short-lived as the game just gets too hard after about the 45 second mark.
Jared: Max Ammo (Free, Mantis Shrimp, iOS and Android) – Jared really enjoyed his time with this cover based shoot. It looks great and plays well and just feels “right” on most counts. It can get a little grindy; although paying a bit of cashola will help with that if you want to go down that path. Recommended.
Todd: Tales of a Viking: Episode 1 ($.99 on iOS, Free on Android, MACE Crystal Studios/Dimitry Sadovnikov), This retro-inspired, Hoplite-esque, turn-based strategy game offers a ton of variety and interesting gameplay mechanics that help it stand out from the pack. It really ramps up what has happened in similar games of yore and it makes for a highly enjoyable, highly interesting little game. Well worth the price of admission if you enjoy turn based strategy rogue like puzzlers…with RPG elements. Grab it.
Jared: Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey ($8.99, Kobojo, iOS) – get ready…this game threw Jared for a complete loop. Never before has he had such a love/hate relationship with a mobile game. Brilliant graphics, great music, a genre-defining combat system, and decent game length battle it out with an extremely misleading app description, odd free to play residue, lack of auto saves (enjoy that phone call…you just lost 20 minutes of progress in the game), and a hit or miss UI. Overall, this one, at this price, needs to be approached with a “wait and see” attitude. The Dev says they are working on improvements and changes. Until then, hold off on purchasing this. With the right adjustments, this could be the best JRPG on iOS…but it is not there yet.
Todd: Super Dangerous Dungeons (Free, iOS, Jussi Simpanen) – A bit Spelunky. I bit just cruel, small scale platforming, this game looks nice, sounds good, and plays pretty well…but Todd could not quite get over the floaty jump and “fall” mechanics and he ended up getting frustrated after 15 or so level…and some Time Trial attempts. Nevertheless, this is free and if you like punishing puzzle platformers, this might be just the game for you…so try it and decide for yourself.
Jared: Brass ($6.99, Cublo, iOS and Android) Another board game gets adapted for mobile and Jared decides to try it out….and he really likes it. This is an “economic”/number crunching sort of game and playing on iOS speeds the gameplay up nicely. He is enjoying his time with it and thinks they did a great job porting it over…and that includes a stellar tutorial which is something that is sadly lacking from so many board game ports. Grab it today and challenge Jared to a game tomorrow.
Have a nice (U.S.) Thanksgiving.
Here is a short but sweet ToG. #223. For the week of Nov. 16, 2015
We talk upcoming games and news.
We then talk about what we’ve been playing.
Todd- had a brief update on: Mavenfall (Free, iOS, Blue Tea Games US) – He enjoyed the Campaign, as did Jared, but found both the Arena and the Deck building lacking…as did Jared. Worth grabbing for the campaign and then seeing if they improve the rest of the game; because it could be a very good game with the right tweaks/improvements.
Jared: Tiny Rogue ($2.99, iOS, Ravenous Games). Jared appreciated the puzzle elements in this rogue like but found the game a bit too simple and a bit flat. There was not much keeping you going on your quest other than a high score chase. Todd did not really enjoy the puzzle elements that much b/c he has played better this year. Overall, this is not a bad game but there are other, better options out there.
Todd: Rogue Saga ($1.99, iOS, Jinwoo Park). A different rogue like that mixes voxels with dungeon exploring, battles, and loot. Todd actually found this to be a lot more fun than Tiny Rogue, but there are some rough edges that need to be smoothed out. He will keep playing it but thinks it is worth the price of entry.
Jared: Wizards and Wagons ($4.99, iOS,Touch Dimensions). Not the Oregon Trail-esque game Jared thought this might be…this one actually resembles a space trader game where you need to move from place to place as you buy low and sell high. There are battle elements and other management pieces in here and so far Jared is really enjoying the game. It might be a bit pricey for what it offers but he will keep playing and report back.
Todd: Amazing Loot Grind (Free, iOS & Android, Michael Astolfi). Todd played this on Android and it is an odd game…that really is not a game. Not quite a clicker in the traditional sense, this game is more of a “yes” or “no” (buy or sell) your loot type of game. No real gameplay is present but there are probably folks out there that will get hooked on this just for the fun of seeing new loot. Todd deleted it but you might want to try it anyway…just in case.
Enjoy!
In this episode we talk about the weather.
We also touch (of gaming) upon a lot of game updates, upcoming games, games we didn’t get to try this week, and some big news stories from within the mobile gaming world.
We wrap it all up with some discussion on the games we did actually play…
Todd: The Room Three ($4.99, iOS, Fireproof Games) – starting off with a bang, the much-anticipated ‘The Room Three’ released this week. It is getting all sorts of critical praise and Todd falls right in line. A great puzzle game that expands on the prior 2 games in (almost) all the right ways. Totally worth your $5 investment if you like moody, exploratory, puzzle games hat look and play great on touch screen. Grab it!
Jared: Mavenfall (Free, iOS, Blue Tea Games US) – Jared was very pleasantly surprised with this Collectible Card Battler. It combines some elements of Hearthstone with some small elements of Castles and Crusaders for a nice, intro-level strategy card game. The free to play seems fair enough and the mechanics are fun overall. Well worth picking up and trying out. Todd echos those sentiments as he tried it out a bit as well.
Todd – Neon Drive (Free, iOS, Fraoula) – This game looks all 80s neon flash and has a fun soundtrack, but it is only a simple lane-based endless runner/high score chase. The controls are decent but Todd found himself getting frustrated with the timing of the lane moves and the repetitiveness of the levels. Coming off of the recent, excellent Horizon Chase, this game suffers in comparison…but that is mostly in Todd’s brain. Try it but don’t expect too much from it and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Jared: Bigfoot Hunter: A Camera Adventure Game (Free, iOS, R2 Games USA Co., Limited) – This fun Pokemon Snap meets first person (camera) shooter kept Jared entertained while he took photos of woodland creatures in his hunt for the elusive Big Foot. He recommends the game, particularly if you have younger gamers in the house; although the game does get fairly hard in the later levels. Give it a shot…or a photo shoot. Bam.
Todd: Runestone Keeper ($2.99. iOS, Cimu) – Last up with have this dandy little rogue-like RPG in the vein of tile-revealing game Dungelot. There is a lot going on here and it makes for a very strategic and interesting game…one well worth picking up if you are at all into that genre. Highly recommended.
And that does it. In a week that seemingly only had 1 major release, pretty much everything we tried ended up being good to great. We love it when that happens!
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
