iPhone Weekly Digest: New Games, Sporting Apps, and a Clock Detailing DARKNESS
Left: Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble; right: ESPN ScoreCenter
It’s Friday Sunday and it’s time for our weekly digest of tiny iPhone reviews, courtesy of iPhoneTiny.com, with some extra commentary exclusive to Cult of Mac.
Under review this week: Diorama, Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble, Darkness, Nag-O-Meter Deluxe, Glypha, Rugby Zone, Otakukous and EPSN ScoreCenter. As always, all id.gd links are to the relevant App Store page.
APP OF THE WEEK
Find out when darkness will encroach with Darkness
Darkness: World clock with sun/moon info. Location-aware + looks great, but needs full-screen mode. 4/5 $0.99 http://is.gd/3OXpN
Diorama: Stereoscopic 3D marble-rolling game. Innovative but frustrating, due to overly sensitive controls. 3/5 $0.99 http://is.gd/3Jbx5
ESPN ScoreCenter: Usable, configurable sports aggregator. Slow loading and US-only ticker, but otherwise great. 4/5 Free http://is.gd/3MtgC
Otakulous: Dubious app for leering at oddly-drawn bikini-clad Manga girls. App UI good; pity about the content. $1.99 1/5 http://is.gd/3OUXE
Rugby Zone: Rugby results, standings and news. Lacks team tracking; also a bit unstable to begin with. 3/5 Free http://is.gd/3OVhw
Glypha: Fast, challenging and playable Joust clone. Marred by simplified gameplay & slightly awkward controls. 3/5 Free http://is.gd/3OVTj
Nag-O-Meter Deluxe: Mildly amusing categorised audio ‘nags’. Includes motion-sensitive ‘nag bomb’ + alarms. 2/5 $0.99 http://is.gd/3OWr7
Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble: Pretty & fairly playable but largely unexciting bubble-bashing update. 3/5 $4.99 http://is.gd/3QDYi
Three standouts this week. Darkness—the app of the week—is an interesting take on an iPhone clock, providing all sorts of info regarding daylight times, along with a live map showing darkness covering the globe. ESPN’s ScoreCenter is a sluggish but very usable sports score app, enabling you to flag favourite teams, which are subsequently highlighted when you scroll through listings. And Diorama, while not matching Squareball for quality, shows the developer nonetheless has a keen eye on taking long-standing gaming styles and doing something new with them—in this case, true 3D.
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