iPhone Weekly Digest: New Games, Sporting Apps, and a Clock Detailing DARKNESS

Left: Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble; right: ESPN ScoreCenter

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, er, Darkness

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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About the author

Craig Grannell

Craig Grannell is Cult of Mac's designer and an occasional contributor. He also runs iPhoneTiny.com, a Twitter-driven reviews site for iPhone apps and games. Follow Craig on Twitter @CraigGrannell and visit his website, Snub Communications.

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