Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
It's Cookin Time (Diner Dash Review)
3:17 PM
Evan R.
For anyone who has ever been a waiter before (or waitress), you probably realize the rigors that naturally come with the job can sometimes be a bit stressful. From people who don't like the food that's been served to idiots who can't keep their "hyper" children under control, things can be a bit rough. Which brings us to Flo. Once trapped in the everlasting agony of corporate America, Flo has decided to leave her job for the greener pastures of being a waitress. Sounds fun, right?
For those of you who have never played Diner Dash before, the basic concept of the game is to get through a day of being a waitress while racking up tips and making as much money as possible to upgrade your diner. Along the way you'll manage to serve people from all walks of life, from the elderly to even restaurant curators. Gameplay is simple enough and what you could probably expect from the genre: greet the people at the door, seat the people, and serve them their food. After they are done eating, it's just a simple matter of moving them out the door while you usher in the next group of people. Do your job in a fast, effective manner to get a great tip and get you closer to your money goal for the day.
While it really is a simple app, Diner Dash can get very addicting when things become hectic later on in the game, and it's definitely something that you will probably sink quite a few hows into in your quest to move up the food chain. It's a bit on the pricey side at 2.99 (.99 cents is basically the sweet spot for this app), but there is a light version available for those who would be more comfortable trying before they throw money at the developers. For the price, it really is on the meh side. If it goes on sale, though, I highly recommend picking this up and joining Flo is her quest to become the ultimate waitress.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Some Random Thoughts About the New Mac App Store
10:18 AM
Evan R.
1.) Angry Birds has come to the Mac...
...but it's crazy expensive for the game. Don't get me wrong -- I love Angry Birds. But $5 for it? I think I'll stick to the mobile version.
2.) My condolences to the people who decided to buy the iWork bundle again thinking that it was the '11 version. Apparently there's a bug in the software that doesn't pick up that you already have it installed, but that should be fixed soon enough (it was on mine...).
3.) Aperture is cheap. Well, almost. Gimp is still my preferred photo manipulation/editor tool if you don't mind X11. $80 is $80.
4.) I've seen a bunch of these apps randomly strewn across the internet in the past. I guess this is just Apple's way of condensing things.
5.) iLife '11 individual apps can be had for 14.99 a piece. That's a good thing, too, because I largely find iPhoto and Garageband useless for my tastes. iMovie, on the other hand, is what I use for youtube videos, so that got my download.
6.) Twitter is the #1 free app right now. TheAppNook approves.
7.) When in doubt about which version of an app to get, portable is usually better. And cheaper.
8.) Having an all-in-one update feature ala iTunes is going to be a huge boon for the lazy people out there (read, me) who never get around to updating apps.
9.) Growl isn't in the store. Get moving, guys.
10.) Microsoft hasn't put the Office Suite on there, either. They're either wanting exclusivity rights, or Apple is trying to sell old iWork programs. Or Microsoft is trying to siphon every last penny out of you.
So there you have it, just a few random thoughts about the whole thing. I may find other random tidbits here and there, but this whole thing has underwhelmed me compared to what the iOS App Store has become.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Join the Elite (NBA Elite 11)
12:50 PM
Evan R.
Maybe.
NBA Elite 11 is the only true basketball game in the app store that I could find. Every mode that you'd expect in an NBA title is present, from quick exhibition matches to a full season. A 3-PT shooting contest is added in for fun. Games usually last around twelve minutes and can be paused at any time, which is perfect for a pick-up and play type of experience. If you really want a mobile NBA title, NBA Elite 11 is probably the closest thing you're going to get.
While I like NBA Elite 11 for the aforementioned reasons, there are a few problems that need to be mentioned. Firstly, the "Retina graphics" that the game promises aren't really retina quality at all, looking more like jagged bricks at points. It's not enough to dissuade someone from buying the title, but I definitely wouldn't consider it a selling point like the developers are trying to push. Secondly, the game is heavily reliant on dunks. Almost no skill is needed to simply walk up to the basket and lay one down, as your CPU opponent will surely show you as you start playing games. There is simply no way to stop an opponent from dunking on you. Thirdly, in the time that this app has been fooled around with, there have been two or three crashes that randomly occurred while the game was loading. For five bucks, I don't like the idea of an app crashing randomly.
Problems aside, NBA Elite 11 is probably the closest thing you're going to get to an NBA experience in the app store. If you have to have a mobile NBA, you really only have this to fool around with. For those of you who can wait to simply play it on a console, I'd do yourself a favor and stay far away from this app. It's good, but not five buck good. Ninety-nine cents would have been perfect for this app, so if you do see it on sale in the future, I can definitely recommend it for that price. Anything higher though is a red flay to stay far away.
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