Archive for November, 2009

Iphone Reviews And Credibility

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
iphone review


When it comes to the matter of reading iphone reviews, it becomes important to establish the credibility of the individual who is writing the review. That is to say, if the reviewer is not qualified to write the review then the review may be without merit. While this may seem like an overly serious assessment of requirements needed to read a review, there needs to be a clear understanding present as to why the potential customer is reading the review in the first place. The primary reason people read a consumer review is to make the proper purchasing decision. Considering that there is a time and monetary commitment required for making the purchase of the iphone, the need to be forewarned and forearmed is vital to many people who are of limited time and resources. In short, they peruse the iphone reviews so as to make sure they are not making an inaccurate purchasing decision.

If the credibility of the review is in question, this will undermine the primary purpose and objective of reading the review in the first place. Of course, there are those who read consumer reviews for entertainment purposes only, but such trite casual reading is also deserved of accuracy in consumer review and reporting. Providing iphone reviews – or any reviews for that matter – should not be treated tritely by the reviewer and there should be a clear and definite attempt to provide a quality review. If not, the previously aforementioned undermining of the review’s purpose becomes present.

If there was a genre that movie critics disliked to review it would be the comedy genre. The reason for this is that no matter how much they may dislike a comedy they can not say it was not a funny film if the bulk of the audience is laughing. The purpose of a comedy is to make people laugh and if it does then it succeeds at its purpose.

Similarly, liking or disliking a particular iphone may provide entertaining reading as some iphone reviews may serve a purpose of being little more than a vehicle for humor, but whether a person likes or dislikes the phone is irrelevant unless the liking or disliking is expanded upon to include whether or not the phone delivers on its promised service. Ultimately, this is the most important aspect of the phone – does it work or not and does it provide a functional value in concert with its cost.



Space Invaders for iPhone Review

Thursday, November 5th, 2009
iphone review


Space Invaders is over 30 years old now if you can believe it, and still ranks as the number one arcade game of all-time, and likely will for all-time, unless arcades make a miraculous comeback around the globe.

Space Invaders for iPhone resembles the classic game a lot. This is a plus point as far as retro gamers are concerned. Other games of this genre like Pac-Man and Tetris have undergone upgrades to make it suitable for mobile gaming. However, Space Invaders has not deviated from its original mode. As a gamer, you have no option to save the game. This means you can progress far in the game only if you ready to drop everything else. The level of difficulty is quite tough and the controls need some tweaking and improvement.

Space Invaders is a 2-D shooter, with you controlling a little laser at the bottom of the screen. In the middle of the screen rest hordes of aliens who slowly descend upon you. As more and more of the critters are blasted into pixelly smithereens, the remaining aliens pick up their speed, moving across the screen with increased urgency. The sound also increases in intensity, getting the heart rate pumping as things proceed into overdrive. The aliens will also fire off occasional blasts of fire at you, though you have handy bunkers to hide behind for protection. These bunkers will gradually be destroyed by the aliens though, after which you’re on your own.

After completion of one level, you enter the subsequent level which is a bit more difficult than the preceding one. The real indicator of your success or failure in Space Invaders, like most of the early arcade games, is your score. This game can be, at least in theory, played indefinitely. The absence of an online leaderboard to boast about your gaming skills is a drawback. What is the fun in scoring a lot if you cannot spread the word amongst others? Space Invaders is extremely challenging but can quickly become monotonous.

It must be noted that there is one area where Space Invaders has not changed even one bit. The graphics and sounds department is practically the same that was used in the arcade versions. Except for the option of colorful aliens to blast and upgraded backgrounds, everything else remains the same. If you are hoping to scare your girlfriend with the aliens, you are in for a disappointment. The aliens look like crabs and bats and are not even remotely scary. If you have played this game before, the bleep and bloop sounds will bring back fond memories.

The game controls include the classic control option, the touch screen control option and the accelerometer controls. In the first one, you have an on screen joystick to control the laser. The second one is the least functional while the last mode is the coolest one amongst them all.

This game has what it takes to keep the player entertained. However, considering the fact that Retro Game Challenge is available on DS, it remains to be seen whether anyone would want to pay for this game on the iPhone. There is nothing wrong with the game. However, the question is whether the game is good enough to attract the gamers. The developers could have at least added some new features to the game to make it more interesting. If you’re desperate for some space invaders on your iPhone, then this game is worth getting. For everyone else though, there is nothing new here, and not much point in getting the game.

Score: 6/10