For the geniuses in all of us, waiting to bust a move.
Drop7
Drop7 by Area/Code Entertainment, falls into the "easy to play, difficult to master" category, requiring a fair amount of strategy and a little bit of luck. You drop numbered discs into the 7x7 grid. Whenever the number on a disc matches the amount of discs in its row or column, the disc disappears. There are also blank discs which start out with no number son them. If one of these discs is next to a 'disappearing' numbered disc, then it will crack once, and after two cracks the blank disc's hidden number will be displayed as well.
You have a limited number of moves per level, and then a new row of blank discs will appear at the bottom of the grid, pushing all other discs up a row. Once one or more discs are pushed past the 7th row, the game is over (similar to Tetris). By planning out where you drop your discs (or sheer luck) you can set off chain reactions of disappearing discs, earning more points. Drop7 offers global leaderboards (per mode) and Facebook Connect to show off your high scores to all of your Facebook friends. This is the most expensive title of the bunch at $2.99, but it is well worth it. A lite version is also available, but I'm confident that once you try it, you'll be rushing to the App Store.
NineGaps
NineGaps is a bit of a departure from the rest of my selections. This game by Quadion Technologies, is a simple puzzler where you have to solve six intersecting mathematical equations by filling in the gaps with the numbers 1 through 9, each of which (like in Sudoku) can only be used once. NineGaps offers 3 different difficulty levels for players of all skill levels. You drag the colorful scraps of paper containing the numbers to their proper locations on the game board. When an equation computes properly, you will see the answer to that equation turn green.
Warning, its not as easy as it sounds, since the numbers will only fit properly in the equation one way, and the numbers you place may solve the vertical equation, but not the horizontal one. You are trying to solve each puzzle in the quickest time possible. The graphics boast a fun graph-paper theme, with what look like hand-drawn equations, all very fitting for this style of game. Math fans, this one is definitely for you, so if "you don't know much about the math you took" then perhaps one of the other titles on the list would be better suited for you. Unfortunately, there is no lite version available for this game, though it comes at a recommended price of $0.99.
Summation
Last, but not least, we have Summation by JetFable Studio. This game contains some aspects of each of the other titles that I have already mentioned. In Summation, you drop numbered blocks into a 10x9 game grid, trying to get the numbers to sum (either horizontally or vertically) to the current target number. The target value will change as you progress through the game, so you need to make sure you always keep track of it. This too has a Tetris-style game ended, when a block ends up outside of the top of gameboard. Definitely a slower paced game than the rest, with no time limits, meaning you can take your time placing your pieces and games can last for quite some time.
One thing I would have liked to see was a few more game modes, similar to those in DownToZero, but there is just the one mode. Perhaps these will show up in a future update? If someone from JetFable is reading this..hint hint. Summation's chalkboard-like visual style is perfectly suited for the mathematical nature of the game. There is a global scoreboard and you have the option of listening to your own music while you play. Unlike Big Top Ten, the sums are not done automatically for, you, so your in-head math skills will be tested. A lite version of the game is currently under review and should hopefully be appearing on the App store soon, otherwise, the full game is at a mere $0.99.
<< Previous Page 2 of 2
2 comments
Marty (Costa Mesa) / 13th Aug 2010
Good morning--and may I say to you that it's Friday the 13th--the only time it happens this year (2010)! On Thursday night, just before I left my girlfriend's apartment, I purchased on her computer, but with my own i-Tunes account for a dollar, the number game of Summation, whose numbers and symbols are in chalkboard style. Yes, the game works on my i-Pod touch (the game Poker Tower, which I bought on Wednesday, unfortunately does not)! I believe that Summation, which does use the digits 0 to 9, but not all of them together at first, works like this: the game starts with blocks at random numbered 1 to 4, but there are also blocks with zeros in them; they are used to put together a chain of numbers, and the chain cannot be broken or extend- ed while working on a specific number. And points are scored by successfully removing blocks from the game board--usually it is one point for each block taken off that adds up to the designated number. A minimum of one time for each num- ber is required to advance to the next level, but each move costs the player a chalkboarded star. Then when the specific number, which increases by one at each level, reaches anything higher than 12, the squares that started at 0 to 3 becomes 0 to 4, 0 to 5, until the highest level 0 to 9, which increases scoring--and difficulty, too. Thanks for the game of Summation, even though it has the chalkboard look until new options come!
Cheap Medications / 7th May 2010
Hello! Excellent site, keep up the good work!