On the other hand…

At first it sounded like a crazy idea. Shelling out 5000 kroner on something that is just an overgrown ipod touch. I quickly discarded the idea. But then… A friend got it and he loved it. I love gadgets and I took his appraisal of it into consideration. I weighed the pros and the cons, and in the end I got found a good offer on the internet. A few days later, I was the owner of an iPad 32GB version.

Now, manual people look at it and go “What on earth do I need one of those for? I already have a computer or a laptop!” and that is quite right. Most people don’t need an iPad. But then again, most people don’t NEED a big screen tv, they do not NEED a big luxurious car. But it’s still darn nice, right? The iPad, my friend, is somewhat similar. It’s a thing you don’t need, but once you have it, it’s damn nice.

Please notice, that at heart I am a thoroughbred Windows user. I am in no way an Apple-fanboy or anything similar. But there is something to be said about the quality of Apple’s products. From the case in which the iPad comes – heavy, stylish and a prime example of minimalism – to the actual iPad itself, which is pleasing and (in my opinion) a beautiful people of gadgetry.

I opened the case and there was the iPad. The case had an USB-cable for syncing and transfering, a small leaflet and a USB-to-mains pow er converter for charging. I had heard that the iPad would be quite power hungry for charging and it was all true. None of any of my computers USB ports would supply enough power to charge it. I suppose that’s why they include the converter. Anyway, while it was somewhat surprising that none of my computers – including a very new and powerful Intel i920 based computer with an 850 watt power supply – were apply to charge it, I was still happy for getting the charger, since it will work with any iDevice, such as my iPod Touch and my soon to arrive iPhone 4 (edit: now arrived).

As all other iDevices, the iPad needs to be activated through iTunes. Yes, iTunes is still somewhat horrible, at least on Windows, big it could be worse. The activation went fine and the first thing I did was to jailbreak the device. Silly? Well it made sense. iOS 3.2 which the iPad is running has no multitasking at all and jailbreaking and installing Backgrounder enables total multitasking.

At first I discovered that it is certainly not all apps in Cydia – that is, all the homebrew apps – that are ready for iPad. It seems there are some differences between iPhones and iPads and those differences are the main culprit. But, so far the only thing I miss is support for a decent clipboard manager.

I also got some of the popular iPad apps to test it out and let me just tell you straight away, that some of them are really good. Here is a rundown of a few:

Angry Birds HD - the popular game from the iPhone, in full HD quality. It should make it any better to play, and no, looks aren’t everything, but the larger screen also allows for more precise aiming. And that is basically all you do in the game.

Flipboard - The strange newcomer that really shook up a few people. What Flipboard does is to take your Facebook account, Twitter and various RSS feeds and puts them into some sort of magazine look. You flip pages like you were reading a magazine, only it is simply your Facebook account, tweets or various rss feeds. On paper it sounds kinda silly and I didn’t really think it would work, but I must admit to have become somewhat addicted now, to this new format. The only drawback with Flipboard is the fact that it doesn’t take so many sources.

Pages - The iPad’s take on Word. In other words, a word processor. With full WYSIWYG. Does it work? Well actually, yes it does work. Quite well. Why? Mainly because of the much larger keyboad on the iPad. Especially in landscape mode. Sure, it is still a touchscreen and as such there is no tactile feedback when you type. But at least it can be made to make little clicking sounds. And with a bit of practise, it’s not really bad to type this way. This entire review was written on the iPad, so it can’t be half bad.

Pulse News - This is another news reader. It’s not as fancy as Flipboard, yet it still has a somewhat nice layout and supports more sources. And it can supply you with a larger overview of several news sources at once.

Any hidden object game - I like the occasional hidden object game and while they vary somewhat in quality, the ones optimized for iPad are generally quite good. The bigger screen makes for a more enjoyable game.

Uno - Yep, the classic card game for iPad. The larger screen makes it possible for up to four players to play on the same screen. It may sound silly, but it works really well.

Browsing the web. In particular with something like Atomic Web browser with it’s very convenient adblocker which, when you’ve gotten used to it from your desktop computer. Sure, there is no Flash support, but it really doesn’t take a lot of the experience away. I rarely miss it, if ever.

Streaming movies. It is certainly possible and with a program like Airvideo it works quite well. The bigger screen makes it more enjoyable and bearable than using an iPhone.

The actual hardware is also rather enjoyable. The iPad feels durable but I still recommend getting a screen protector and a case for it. The screen isn’t that prone to scratches, but it’s still nice to be on the safe side. The iPad looks and feel exclusive with its beautiful screen and aluminum casing. Too marks there. Simple, but stunning. The screen sensitivity is spot on. You can say a lot about Apple, but they do crank out the best touch screens around.

If you have already checked reviews of the iPad on the net, you might have read that it has really excellent battery life. For once, those claims aren’t just marketing ploys. The damn thing DOES have awesome battery life. 10-12 hours isn’t unheard of on mine. It just goes on and on (wish my iPhone 4 did that). When the battery IS drained, you will of course have to recharge it, and this is a situation that will differ from charging an iPod or iPhone. Those most of you would probably recharge via a computers USB port. That is also possible with the iPad – if your computer can deliver th 10 watt the iPad needs. None of mine did, but luckily, there is an adapter for USB to a mains charge. Charging it fully from scratch will take a few hours, but that isn’t so bad.

The standard 30-pin Apple port is placed in the bottom of the device, along with its fairly big speaker. You will not run a disco from this, but it’s okay.

I must say that the great user interface, the awesome batterylife, stylish design and the amazing screen really makes the iPad a winner. Sure, it’s not the best way to type out a novel on a touch screen, but for casual surfing, chatting, gaming, editing of documents etc., it’s really good.

It could be somewhat lighter (it weighs approx. 700 gram) and can be a bit tiring on the hand holding it, but other than that, I hardly have any complaints. Perhaps the price. It’s about 4.500 DKK and that’s if you buy it in Germany or the UK. You can’t even buy it in Denmark yet. The official Danish price will probably be 5.500-6.000 DKK.

This article started with me being afraid that this purchase was a mistake. Now I’m pretty sure – it wasn’t and isn’t. I really enjoy the iPad and most people who have tried it admits it’s really nice. Whether or not you should get one, is up to you. I AM somewhat of a gadget geek, but it is a quality product.

PROS:

Stylish and sleek design

Amazing and large-ish screen (9,7”)

Very responsive touch screen

Fast CPU

Hundreds of thousands of applications, many very good ones amongst them

Can be jailbroken

Awesome batterylife

Fast recharging

Easy and intuitive userinterface

No Flash support (=many ads gone!)

CONS:

Price

A bit heavy

Attracts fingerprints like crazy

iTunes-dependent

Recharging only from mains – or a computer with crazy USB power output!

No case included (at this price, at least a cheap one should have been)

No Flash support (=many videos/web games gone)

Rating: 9 out of 10

-Jacob

-Jacob

There is an abundance of games on the iPhone, so if you want your game to be successful, it had better be something special or it will simply disappear in the sea of games. Click games has got something right with this game because it certainly sticks out from the crowd.

Combining slick graphics and presentation with humor and fun gameplay with something fresh and humorous, Helsing’s Fire is right on track for success. Or at least it should be!
The actual gameplay is quite simple. Helsing and his assistant Raffton are out to battle the foul beasts that scours the surface of the earth, or, to be more precise, The Shadow Blight!So, how do you battle the forces of the darkness? With light, of course! Our heroes enter the battleground learn of the placement of the foul creatures.

Now they have to place torches in places so as the light touches the creatures of the night, thus eliminating them. But of course it can’t really be that easy, can it? No, I’m afraid not. First of all, there are plenty of obstacles on each stage. These will odd course block the light but that can work to your advantage as well. And yes, the light has to touch the creatures, but different creatures calls for different measures. This is indicated by the colour of the creature. So after having directed the torches against a creature, you will need to cast a coloured tonic that matches the colour of the creature. If a wrong tonic is cast, the creature will simply change colour to the of the timing cast, instead of dying.

To make things even more complicated, creatures can apply different layers around them. This means a green creature can need to have a red tonic cast upon it first, and then a red. And of course some of these damn monsters have their own tricks up the sleeve like the ghost that can only be seen when you don’t direct the light at it, the mummy that cast a spell in your direction, the bat that moves into a new spot after each hit, the werewolf that turns into a fair maiden which should not be hit at all cost or the game is over.

As I mentioned earlier, the game sports really slick presentation, both graphics and sound-wise. But what it also sports is loads of really good dry, British humour! I love how Raffton says “Sir, you killed a human”, when you kill one of the fair maidens and Helsing replies “Indeed, a careless mistake, let us try that again”. Wonderful, dry British humour art its best.

At the end of each few levels you will have to battle against a boss. They usually take several hits and move about. They also fire back at you. And the thing is, when your torch is hit, is extinguished. Afton will supply you with a new, but you only have three per stage.

Helsing’s Fire is one of those games this sounds kind of boring on paper but in reality it’s a blast. I love just about everything about the game.

I don’t know what else to write in order to recommend the game. It’s cheap, just 6 dkr. or just one single us dollar. It’s fun. It’s pretty. The music is jolly good. It doesn’t really get frustrating and I simply enjoyed it thoroughly. Something like this deserves to be supported so buy your copy today. You won’t regret it.

Checkout a preview video:

Rating: 9 out of 10

-Jacob

The Nintendo DS has loads of titles in its library. Much like the Nintendo Wii, many of them are what is widely known as “filler”. Titles that are produced solely for the intend of making money. Of course, the intention of every game producer is to make at least enough money to pay the bills. But with titles like Petz: Dogz, Petz: Catz, Petz: Horzez etc., it quickly becomes clear that many titles are produced only with one thing in mind: Making a quick buck.

That doesn’t mean the DS doesn’t have some great titles, it most certainly does. But some of the real gems come in the strangest forms, and some are never really recognized for being exactly that: A little shining gem.

Maestro! Jump in Music (henceforth “Maestro!”) could be described as just another music games. The world sure needs one more of those, right? I mean, apart from numerous Guitar Heroes, Rock Band, DJ Hero, Singstar, Dance Dance Revolution etc., we certainly need more (that was sarcasm, in case you didn’t notice).

Now, I actually like music and I like music games. But by god, have they not released enough of the same and same old formula? Indeed they have, so does Maestro! bring anything new to the table?

For starters, Maestro!, as the name implies, incorporate the wonderful world of classical music. Sure, that has been done before, but not too often. Where Maestro! start to become really interesting is when we look at the actual gameplay.

The story is simple: The bird Presto lives next door to the spider Staccato. Not exactly friends, but they seem to get along. In comes the beautiful bird Bella, who both Presto and Staccato takes a fancy to. Presto wins and steals her heart (kinda unfair advantage he had, being a bird too, but hey). But Staccato is having none of that! And so he sees to it that the world goes mute. Now it’s up to Presto to save the sound and notes of the world.

How is this done then? Presto walks along strings set at different levels. In sync with the music comes notes that must be played by moving the stylus up or down over the string, much like you would play a guitar. Pulling down over a string can send Presto up a level, while the opposite will send him down. At first it seemed illogical, but in reality it is much logical, since that’s how you would do it in real life.

As Presto moves along, he collects objects, making chiclets follow him. You need at least enough to get a B+ grade to advance levels. Get many notes right and you’ll do fine, but miss a lot and you have to try again.

Luckily, the game is forgiving and you can try out a level before actually playing it. This can be worthwhile if you don’t already know the tune you are going to play.

That is, however, not all there is to the game. Soon you will have to learn new techniques for playing music. Each technique is carefully introduced with a tutorial you have to complete. There will be other birds entering the screen and you must click on them with the stylus at the correct moment. As they are moving, that’s not always easy, and of course you have to keep strumming the lines for notes.

Sometimes there will be several notes on top of each other, meaning you will have to strum them like a harp. There are times when you have to click an object and have to keep the stylus on the object as it moves, and then there are the “black holes” you have to rotate the stylus on. My favorite are the “mandolin” strings on which you have to strum up and down quickly.

The actualy gameplay is hard to describe, so here is the trailer for the game that demonstrates it quite well:

The game has 24 levels spread over 6 worlds. Each world ends with a music showdown with Staccato as your opponent. Seeing as these are the games’ “boss levels”, I would have believed them to be harder than the actual levels, but in reality, the boss levels are the easiest levels.

The normal levels can be played at different difficulty levels. On level “easy” it’s not too hard to advance in the game, although some of the later levels certainly taxes your stylus dexterity.

Now, all this would amount to absolutely nothing, if the music wasn’t well done. No matter how well done the game mechanic is, a music game with crap music would suck. So how does Maestro! sound?

I am happy to report that it sounds absolutely fabulous. I was totally gobsmacked at how amazing the music was done. Sure, it’s all “remixes” of popular and well known tunes, but by god, the music is awesome. Being composed by the obvious talented group Yubaba Smith & Fortune, the entire soundscape of the game oozes charm, joy and happiness. From the wonderful title theme that had me tapping my foot and whistling along in seconds, to the actual in-game tunes which are all respectfully (and quite faithfully) recreated versions of beloved tunes. The complete tracklist is as follows:

Green Grove: a colourful and flowery universe, full of exotic animals and lush vegetation. Rhythmic bass and afro beats inspire the music selection here.

* Ludwig Van Beethoven – Symphony No. 5
* Antonin Dvorak – Symphony No.9, From the New World
* Madness – Our House
* Traditional Japanese song – Sakura Sakura

Purple Sonata: what better music for a 17th Century palace with statues and marbling-a-go-go, than a classical sound, as baroque as you like, that has stood the test of time?

* Jean Sebastien Bach – Little Fugue in G Minor
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – A Little Night Music
* Perren, Mizell et al.– ABC
* Traditional French song – Vent Frais, Vent du Matin

Yellow Allegro: sojourn under the Italian sun in Venice where only the cursed seagulls throw a shadow over the scene. The music is typical of the setting: odes to joy, and love in the form of mandolin solos.

* Eduardo Di Capua – O Sole Mio
* The Animals – The House of the Rising Sun
* Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons
* Traditional English song – Greensleeves

Indigo Flow: a change of scenery and a free-dive to thousands of metres below the water’s surface! Rare air bubbles ring out and myriad species of fish resonate with sound at every touch.

* Erik Satie – Gymnopedie No.1
* Pyotr Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker
* Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – I Put a Spell on You
* Traditional Russian song – Otchi Chornye

Black out Beats: a spatial inspiration for this voyage beyond the solar system against a backdrop of starry skies and melting planets. The sounds tend towards the psychedelic: strange attractors winning out over gravity.

* Johannes Brahms – Hungarian Dances
* Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt
* Leonard Bernstein – The Magnificent 7
* Traditional song adapted for Bizet’s Carmen – El Arreglito

Red Hot tempo: the Wild West, steam trains and gunslinging cowboys–even Charles Bronson’s reflexes would be put to the test in this Leone-inspired nightmare.

* M. Gore, D. Pitchford – Fame
* Ennio Morricone – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
* Isaac Albeniz – Asturias
* American Traditional song – When the Saints Go Marching In

Some of the tracks might seem like an odd choice, but me, I’m all for exposing people to different kinds of music. And it cannot be stressed enough that the msuic in Maestro! is very, very well done.

There have been other music games with good music and decent game mechanics, but what about the presentation? Surely the humble DS can match games like Guitar Hero and the alike? No, of course you don’t get flash HD 3D graphics. But what you get is some of the most characteristic and charming graphics I have seen out of Nintendo’s own walls. This is simply how a game should be presented. From the very colourful graphics which have lots of neat touches and charm, to the way everything transitions from menu to menu. The selection screen is an old record player on which you move the arm to select option. And yes, you can click on the actual record and scratch and play in reverse and do pretty much whatever you want. It’s fun and it only adds more smiles to the players face. It certainly did here.

Presto himself is a great character. Just look at him! He looks so happy and joyful that I can’t help but smiling when I see him. Even the bad guy of the game looks fun. There have been painstakingly much work put into doing this game’s graphics and music.

But while many producers seems to think so, a game isn’t much cop without some decent gameplay. As I addressed earlier in this review, there are loads of games without any gameplay being released. They might look and sound flashy, but their life is shortlived, due to the lack of good old-fashioned gameplay.

Maestro! has the flash, but unlike many others it also have the gameplay. It’s fresh. It’s different. It’s challenging. But most importantly, it’s works and it’s damn fun. While I am sure it would not have worked so well with crap music and presentation that is not really problem here.

Maestro! delivers a breath of fresh air to an otherwise kind of tired genre – the music games. And it does in a way that none of the big consoles can.

Even the creators logo is charming! Pastagames is also doing a iPod Touch or iPhone version, so if any of you out there doesn’t have a Nintendo DS but one of Apple’s touchscreen gadgets, you are going to get the game as well. Any other device with a touch screen and the necessary CPU power could get it too, if it’s a success. Perhaps Android phones? Whatever it would take to ensure Pastagames make enough money to continue releasing wonderful games like this.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you have any interest in a charming, funny, good looking and wonderfully sound game, you need to look no further. This little gem has it all. It hasn’t received much attention (why not?!), but I can wholeheartedly give it much credit and can only recommend you purchase the game. It has most european languages (english, spanish, italian, french, german, danish, norwegian, dutch, portuguese and swedish) and it is worth it’s price.

You get a wonderful game and you support what seems to be a talented bunch of people who clearly invested a lot of time and effort in giving us this game.

Thank you , Pastagames.

Score: 9 out of 10

-Jacob