App of My Eye » Mac

Crystal Quest

Art — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:58:02 +0000

In a past life, I had the pleasure of talking with the original creator of Crystal Quest, Patrick Buckland, who described to me the essence of it’s gameplay experience in one word: therapeutic. When he conceived of his memorable classic, the majority of other arcade games in the mid to late 80′s, whether in arcades or on personal computers, was about destroying everything in sight. Patrick instead thought a game, in which the player would prefer avoiding enemies (aka Nasties) first before resorting to destroying them, would be more interesting. Plus, by adding crystals for points amongst the enemies in a full playing field, the player would then see several moves ahead and thus, giving a sense of ‘cleaning up a chalkboard.’ For me, it was food for thought and, while I may not totally agree with the therapeutic nature of the analogy, I do agree that you must check out one of the most beloved Mac games from back in the day. As a bonus, the classic version is included as well as the updated version based on the Xbox Live Arcade release. Check it out and see why it has stood the test of time. Price: $2.99.

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PewPew

Art — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:13:20 +0000

When I saw the iTunes page for this game and realized that the developer was most likely of French descent, I couldn’t help but think of Pepe Le Pew from Looney Tunes. Sorry Jean-Francois! Jokes aside, I finally figured out that the title of the game, PewPew, is meant to be the sound of lasers being fired like in old arcade games, which this app does a tremendous job of paying homage to. Duh! Yes, I’m that thick. Visually reminiscent of the original Battlezone, Asteroids, and Tempest as well as more recent releases like Geometry Wars, PewPew offers excellent arcade action in two modes, Dodge This and Assault, which are rather self-explanatory. Playing more like the old Crystal Quest on the Mac and Robotron 2084 than Asteroids, the biggest praise we have for this game is it’s controls, which are very responsive and just feels great overall. If not THE best controls that we’ve ever had in an iPhone game, definitely one of the best. Other publishers/developers should take note. A must-have app for every level of gamer and amazingly, it’s free. Price: Free.

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Off

Art — Sun, 31 May 2009 10:09:56 +0000

Are you trying to live greener, but little indiscretions like leaving your computer on keep slipping your mind? Well, don’t sweat the small stuff and allow it to become a big problem. Instead, try using Off, which enables you to shut down your computer (regardless if PC or Mac) remotely. Whether for your home gaming rig or your office setup, this app helps you control power states of all computers at your disposal as well as be a means to monitor the computer usage of your kids. No more late night WoW for Jack and Facebook posting for Jill. One caveat: this app requires a small additional install on each computer. For less than a buck, it’s the least you can do for the environment. However, you still should fix that leaky faucet in the bathroom. Price: 99¢.

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