Gyrotate for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

It seems like there's no shortage of games loosely based on, or outright cloned from, Bejeweled. Some merely change the objects from jewels into other things like fruit or coins. However, every once in awhile, a variation on the same type of play stands out from the crowd. Enter Gyrotate.

Gyrotate is Bejeweled with a spin. Literally. The game board consists of a series of concentric squares. You move (or rotate) each square with your finger to align four or more of the same shape to eliminate them from the board. Each round has specific shape goals, and a timer.

This is one of the few Bejeweled-like games that actually rises above the original. The rotation of pieces add a new dimension, and makes the game feel fresh and challenging.

Here's a look:

Gyrotate in the App Store.

Garden Wars for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

I don't know about you, but I generally don't think of dynamite as the first line of defense against garden pests, but that's just what you get in Garden Wars. By placing dynamite around the screen, you try to blow up invading ants, caterpillars, worms, and more. 

The game is definitely aimed toward a younger audience, with the levels being fairly easy to beat. The gameplay is repetitive, but several mini games along the way keep things interesting.

Here's a look:

Garden Wars in the App Store

Elasticr for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

If you remember Gumby or Strech Armstrong (or heck, even saw The Incredibles) you know how important rubberband-like strecthing is to the superheres of the world. Now with Elasticr, you get to see how much fun it is to have that same ability. In Elasticr, you have to move your character (by pulling back, or stretching him) to a series of hand grips around the screen. Once you've made it to all of the handgrips, a magical portal will open, and take you to... the next level.

The game starts slow, but soon you will have many obstacles/drops to try to avoid. One aspect of the game is a bit confusing: on the lower left corner of the screen, you will see a series of five hearts. While these do indicate the number of lives you have, you'll find that falling off of any particular level doesn't "kill" you (the hearts remain) but you do have to start over.

Otherwise, the gameplay is fine; it's not a game that you'll sit and play for an hour at once, but for some quick fun it's not bad. The graphics and character could, and hopefully will, lead to a fuller game experience in the future.

Here's a look:

 Elasticr in the App Store.

Xtreme Mountain Busing for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

We've taken a few weeks off from the video app reviews, but with fall fast approaching, it's time to get back into the swing of things. And speaking of fall, that also means it is back to school season, and bright yellow buses will be showing up on all the local streets.

One place you probably won't find buses would be rocky precipices and cliffs. Unless you are playing Xtreme Mountain Busing.

XMB as the cool kids call it (no cool kids were interviewed for this review) puts you in charge of getting a group of kids to school on time, despite some ridiculous terrain. You have to climb rocks, and avoid toppling the bus by using the built-in hydraulics (of course!) to stabilize the bus. Oh, and don't forget to pick up more kids along the way.

The look of the game is reminiscent to the animation of TV's South Park, and the gameplay is fine, but this is definitely more of a quick, timekiller game, than a 40-hour epic. There's a free version, so you might want to try that before buying the full version.

Here's a look:

iDroidsMania for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Ok, robots getting it on... there might be certain situations where we can get behind that, but a frustrating iPhone game isn't one of them. iDroidsMania is a side scroller game, in which you as a robot, are trying to get your robotic love/wife back from the robotic equivalent of Popeye's Brutus. 

The gameplay is alright, but it is hampered by cramped controls: this game would definitely benefit from dedicated hardware buttons below the screen. The cramped screen real estate make for a frustrating experience that gets more frustrating when you have to restart a level, as the checkpoints seem fiendishly far apart. As for the robotic procreation, several visuals throughout the game hint (and in some cases overtly) at sexual content. It's not enough to make it an adult game, and yet not clever enough or subtle enough to bring the LOLs. Here's a look at iDroidsMania for the iPhone and iPod Touch: