Mac|Life - Software

Star Marine: Infinite Ammo Review

Steve Haske — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:59:38 +0000

GlitchSoft's original side-scroller takes strong cues from hardcore shooter classics, serving up a loving homage to Contra III with similar mechanics, weapons, and music, plus monstrous bosses that take multiple drubbings to defeat. Star Marine makes a couple adjustments to the typically tough formula, letting you use items to escape death or refill your health, but the biggest change comes from one very modern twist: an awful insistence on microtransactions.

Unlike its inspiration, kills in Star Marine are tallied by a timed combo meter, with faster enemy death tallies yielding more points; these in turn are used to collect the in-game currency, called gems. Upgrading most skills and weapons is expensive; counterintuitively, this boils down to either having to shell out real cash for a gem pack or face tedious grinding to get new equipment.

Other problems persist. Unlocked weapons can be destroyed in a few hits, leaving you stuck with your basic pea-shooter assault rifle for long bouts. The somewhat sluggish virtual d-pad makes also precise movement trying, and bullet streams miss a beat when transitioning from prone to upright.

The bottom line. Numerous issues make Star Marine an inferior homage. Dust off the original classics instead.

Review Synopsis

Product:

Star Marine: Infinite Ammo 1.0.0

Company:

GlitchSoft

Contact:

http://glitchsoft.com

Price:

Requirements:

iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 3.0 or later

Positives:

Generally does a solid job of emulating the Contra experience. Nice visuals and appropriately moody music.

Negatives:

Forced grinding or microtransaction usage. Inaccurate virtual controls don't lend themselves well to twitch gameplay.

Score:

2 Weak

Grand Theft Auto 3 Review

Andrew Hayward — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:37:09 +0000

Rockstar Games' seminal open-world crime game arrives on the iPhone and iPad in this touch-enabled 10th anniversary re-release, which serves up the original go-anywhere, do-anything action experience for a cool five bucks.

And you'll get your money's worth here, as the lengthy solo adventure takes your anti-hero through all manner of illicit activities, plus loads of side missions, and the sheer thrill of high-speed cop chases still shines through today. Whether on-foot or behind the wheel, there's plenty to do throughout Liberty City, and quite a bit of it amuses and entertains in equal does. Plus, all of the amazing radio stations from the original console release remain intact!

While not as glossy as some newer iOS releases, Grand Theft Auto 3's open sandbox of mischief is welcoming on both devices, though the mass array of virtual buttons can be a bit overwhelming, and it's not as precise as the controller schemes of past versions. Luckily, the buttons can be moved around the screen, letting you design the most comfortable control option for your device and preferences. And regardless of any nagging control issues, it's pretty amazing to experience such a huge and entertaining adventure like this on a much smaller screen.

The bottom line. Despite some bugs and signs of age, Grand Theft Auto 3 is still a blast a decade after its debut.

Review Synopsis

Product:

Grand Theft Auto 3 1.0

Company:

Rockstar Games

Contact:

http://rockstargames.com

Price:

Requirements:

iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 4.3 or later

Positives:

Stellar and complete port of a true open-world action classic. Works well on both iPhone and iPad. Extremely well-priced for what you're getting.

Negatives:

Controls aren't perfect, though they are customizable. Looks a little dated, plus you'll encounter occasional glitches.

Score:

4 Great

Path Review

Garrett Martin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:30:31 +0000

Path launched in 2010 as a single-app combo of Foursquare, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, with a focus on exclusivity. It limited you to 50 friends, the thought being that Path would prioritize the relationships that actually matter, and not just spotlight every kid you ever sat at a lunch table with in elementary school. Recently, Path increased that maximum to 150 friends along with a bevy of improvements, but even that still-limited tally doesn't explain why my Path friends list is so slim. The problem with Path is hardly anybody is using it.

That's a little surprising, as Path is less cluttered and easier to navigate than Facebook. Creating posts is incredibly simple: click on an icon at the bottom of your screen and six buttons fan out in a quarter-circle. From here you can write whatever's on your mind, take and upload photos, pop up a location tag, and share what songs you've recently listened to (along with links to buy them). These all appear on a single screen along with your friends' updates.

All the information you and your pals share pops up in one long, single scroll. Like Facebook, that could mean having to sort through multiple inane posts of sheer unrelenting vanity to find anything of substance about a friend or family member. That probably won't happen, though, because it's tough to find enough pals on the service to make regular use essential for most.

It's tough to be an off-brand social network. Apps like Path are only as useful as the size of their user base, and Path has roughly 799 million less users than Facebook. I fraternize within various social circles, all of which are heavy with tech-savvy Internet addicts, and yet I struggled to find many people I knew using Path.

The bottom line. This Path is best walked with friends, but it can be a quiet journey. It might be too fundamentally similar to Facebook to steal away users en masse, though it can syndicate its posts out to other networks; but Path's more elegant interface makes Facebook's web-based approach feel old.

Review Synopsis

Product:

Path 2.0.4

Company:

Path, Inc.

Contact:

path.com

Price:

Requirements:

iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 4.3 or later

Positives:

Clean, simple layout that handily tops Facebook for aesthetics. Easy to post a photo or message.

Negatives:

Small user base at present. Folks deeply entrenched in other social networks might not bother switching (as seems to be the case thus far).

Score:

3.5 Good

Bring Me Sandwiches!! Review

AJ Dellinger — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:55:23 +0000

Who would have guessed that Adult Swim, the late-night network famed for its irreverent cartoons and live-action series, would prove to be one of the most consistent producers of quality iOS games? Its latest addition to the stack is Bring Me Sandwiches!!, which is one part platformer and another Katamari Damacy, topped with a dab of absurdity and slapped between two slices of bread.

You'll take control of lovable loser Jimmy Nugget, a hapless employee at a local fast food restaurant. When a seemingly unquenchable glutton of an alien named Gourmo threatens to destroy the earth, Jimmy is called upon to save the day by meeting the otherworldly visitor's single, titular demand. Of course, an extraterrestrial isn't going to crave just any kind of sandwich; he's choosy about ingredients, so don't be surprised if you're asked to offer up a cat and fire hydrant sandwich.

At the start of each vibrantly colored and well-designed level, Jimmy is handed a slice of bread. Running around using either the intuitive touch or tilt controls, you'll collect any and all items that are littered about the level to stack your sandwiches higher. While the controls work well, there are rare occasions where they don't seem responsive enough; jumping off the heads of other characters comes to mind. Some platforms are also ill-defined, though it's seldom problematic. Neither presents a significant hindrance, but the rest of the game is so sharp that the little flaws seem more prevalent.

The bottom line. Bring Me Sandwiches!! is a genre-blender that takes the best parts of other favorites and makes them work together. It's so quirky, entertaining, and difficult to put down that you might find yourself in your kitchen, simply stacking random objects on bread because you just can't get enough.

Review Synopsis

Product:

Bring Me Sandwiches!! 2.1

Company:

Adult Swim

Contact:

http://adultswim.com

Price:

Requirements:

iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 3.1 or later

Positives:

Plenty of variation within the simple concept. Easy to pick up and play. Hilarious dialogue and sandwich combinations.

Negatives:

Controls feel less responsive than expected on occasion. Hard to see parts of the level when sandwich stack gets too high.

Score:

4.5 Excellent

SousChef Cooking Software Review

Florence Ion — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:55:47 +0000

Make your Mac carry its weight in the kitchen

There are two things I learned the first year I took up cooking: it takes many failures to create a successful dish, and it’s okay to bring the computer in the kitchen. With the advent of online recipe archives, I’m not shy about placing the MacBook next to the cutting board. SousChef capitalizes on this, and hopes to become the proverbial apron your computer needs to help you cook. And frankly, it’s a great help.

The SousChef app has an easy-to-navigate interface, with options for searching for recipes based on what’s in your fridge, categorizing them by cuisine, adding in substitutes, and making a grocery list. You can sort all recipes by name, rating, category, or cuisine, and if you find one you want to share, there are built-in settings for publishing straight to Blogger, grabbing an HTML snippet, or emailing it via your default mail application. Editing existing recipes is also a breeze--simply click each category and type, without worrying about formatting. The app also taps into a cloud database of recipes, so there is a constant flow of new dishes for you to try. And if you have a family recipe you want to keep private, you can opt out of sharing with the cloud.

There aren’t too many cooks in the kitchen when your partner is SousChef.

Inputting recipes is a cinch. Normally, recipe apps don’t play nice with copy and paste, but I took recipes that I had clipped in Evernote and copied them into the appropriate areas without any hassle. But while the formatting stayed the same, the photos did not copy over, which I need so I can see how the process is supposed to look. SousChef also limits you to one photo per recipe, unfortunate considering visual references are essential in the kitchen, especially for novice cooks.

SousChef’s best feature is its ability to direct you in the kitchen. When you’re ready to begin creating your culinary confections, SousChef will launch your Mac’s built-in Speech app. The app will switch to a full-screen display with large font and dictate the directions as they’re written, so you don’t have to worry about scrolling through with floury fingers. It gives credence to the app’s tagline that it’s your “digital cooking assistant,” so kudos to SousChef for delivering on that.

The bottom line. With its ability to organize recipes, pull new ones from the cloud, and dictate directions, SousChef is the ideal companion for novice cooks looking to get their bearings in the kitchen.

Review Synopsis

Product:

SousChef

Company:

Acacia Tree Software

Contact:

Acaciatreesoftware.com

Price:

$19.99, <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=ApuPaiKIpxg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fsouschef%252Fid420590151%253Fmt%253D12%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="Mac App Store">Available in the Mac App Store</a>

Requirements:

Mac OS 10.5 or later, minimum resolution of 1024x768

Positives:

Categorically organize recipes, pull new ones from the cloud, set up Speech to have your Mac dictate directions to you.

Negatives:

No add-on for clipping recipes from the browser; only allows one photo per recipe.

Score:

4 Great

Soulcalibur Review

Andrew Hayward — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:48:59 +0000

Considered one of the all-time great fighting games on consoles and in arcades, Soulcalibur makes a surprisingly stellar translation to a touchscreen interface, with virtual buttons that deftly issue sweeping sword strikes and kicks, and a stick that lets you move your fighter ably around the stage.

Soulcalibur still leads the weapons-based fighting genre today (with this week's release of Soulcalibur V on consoles), and this late-90s flashback serves up all of the original fighters -- including the staff-slinging Kilik, as well as sword-wielding samurai, Mitsurugi. While the combat isn't quite as robust as in later entries, this is still a satisfying affair that works well on both iPhone and iPad. Plus, this decade-old classic looks better than ever thanks to the high-resolution bump, though the rough textures of a bygone era aren't entirely absent.

Soulcalibur remains a fast, fluid, and thoroughly exciting fighter after all this time, though this universal iOS port feels frustratingly incomplete. Omitting the beloved single-player mission mode is a drag, sure, but leaving out multiplayer – both local and online – is a truly baffling move for a competitive fighter. Additional modes are expected via updates, but at the full price of $15, or even the current launch price of $12, we shouldn't be left wanting such an essential feature.

The bottom line. Soulcalibur is a great fighter, but it's currently a questionable value – at least until multiplayer is added.

Review Synopsis

Product:

Soulcalibur 1.0.0

Company:

Namco Bandai

Contact:

http://namcobandaigames.com

Price:

Requirements:

iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 4.3 or later

Positives:

Stellar port of a true fighting game classic. Virtual buttons are responsive throughout. Universal app looks nice on all compatible iOS devices.

Negatives:

No multiplayer, whether local or online. Rewarding mission mode from original console release also absent. Very pricey for such a limited feature set.

Score:

3.5 Good

Posterino Review

Florence Ion — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:16:43 +0000

Collage your memories

While Facebook and Flickr are fabulous ways to share your memories online, there’s something very one dimensional about simply clicking through a slideshow of photos. Why not do more for your memories by showcasing them in an artistic collage with Posterino? This Mac app allows even the most novice artists to create collages from templates and then easily print them out as a keepsake. It’s easier than doing it by hand, and as long as you’ve got the hardware for it, it’s cheaper than paying a professional service to do it.

Posterino offers 35 different collage options, including templates for a random display, placing photos in an e-card or calendar, or a mega-collage of a photo for one day of every year. Once you choose your project, the app will ask you to choose your dimensions, from a standard 4x6 photo size to A1, which is 594mm by 841mm. It’s up to you to select the dimensions that fit your printing needs, and Posterino promptly reminds you of this fact before you print.

Create beautiful collages without using scissors and glue.

Once you’ve started a project, Posterino lets you drag and drop photos from your Pictures folder, Aperture, iPhoto, or Adobe Lightroom onto the canvas. From here you can adjust the dimensions of each individual square, the background of your project, the layout, paper size, and even use photo filters, including one that gives your photos a vintage feel. When you’re finished, save your collage as a TIFF or JPEG file, send it to iPhoto, or publish it to Flickr. Posterino also supports Lion’s Auto-Save and Versions features, so you needn’t worry about losing your projects in the middle of a computer meltdown.

Posterino is fairly easy to use, but depending on the size of your project, it can be difficult to see which photos are placed where, making the process feel tedious at times. Fortunately the app has the option to fill at random, and you can do so by event. The end result is beautiful, and we were impressed at the quality of the collage on a standard 8x10 printout.

Globetrotters and social butterflies will especially enjoy Posterino because it’s a dynamic way to share photos beyond the standard slideshow fare. It’s also more cost efficient to pay for the software than to have a photo service piece your photos together for you. However, unless you have the printing capabilities available to you, it may be difficult to justify the cost of the app. For a simple digital collage, there are some cheaper—even free—apps out there that do the job.

The bottom line. If you’ve got a powerful printer and love to piece together photo memories, Posterino is worth the splurge.

Review Synopsis

Product:

Posterino

Company:

Zykloid Software

Contact:

Zykloid.com

Price:

$29.95, <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=ApuPaiKIpxg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fposterino%252Fid412411033%253Fmt%253D12%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="Mac App Store">Available in the Mac App Store</a>

Requirements:

Mac OS 10.6 or later, a fancy printer that prints photos

Positives:

Easy to use, integrates with available photo libraries, exports to web or printer, offers a large range of dimensions.

Negatives:

Not worth it if you don’t have a printer to print the collages.

Score:

4 Great

WriteRoom 3 Review

J.R. Bookwalter — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:14:58 +0000

Could make procrastination a thing of the past

Writing is often a thankless, solitary task requiring isolation from outside interference. Just when you least expect it, the telephone rings, new email arrives, or an interesting tweet diverts attention from the work at hand. WriteRoom can’t thwart all of life’s interruptions, but it does offer solace from most computer-based distractions with a streamlined writing environment, making it easier to get the words on the (virtual) page.

If you thought Apple’s TextEdit was bare-bones, just wait until you launch WriteRoom 3—there’s just a smattering of preferences and menu-based functions. Gone is all the traditional word-processor cruft, and with it, all your excuses for getting distracted. The app is now completely built for the required OS X Lion (including Auto Save and Auto Resume), offering a remarkable full-screen writing experience with the ability to track writing sessions (or even record them to a spreadsheet) and view ongoing statistics such as character, word, line, or page count.

The real star of WriteRoom 3 is OS X Lion full-screen mode, which removes the distractions and lets the words flow.

New documents can be created in plain or rich text and easily exported to PDF at any time. There are no tools available for fancy page layouts with tables or graphics here, but WriteRoom doesn’t skimp on useful features such as Paste and Match Style (for pasting text without formatting) and plentiful view options like typewriter scrolling, blinking insertion point (or block mode, reminiscent of old-timey standalone word processors), and displaying invisible characters.

WriteRoom 3 also knows how to play dress up, with the ability to create and share unique themes as eye candy for lengthy sessions banging at the keyboard. Aside from the WriteRoom default (white text on a dark gray background), the app can emulate TextEdit, Terminal, or a print document, with other user-created themes available on the company’s website.

Full-screen writing is the real star of the show: choose between standard Lion full-screen (additional monitors are blanked out with gray linen) or full-screen single (main display only). More disciplined users can remain in traditional window mode, with many type formatting options available via contextual menus from all three. Documents saved to Dropbox can sync to the $4.99 universal iOS version, making it the perfect solution for home, work, or travel.

The bottom line. Most of the text in Mac|Life was originally written in Word or TextEdit, but WriteRoom 3 has us in a switcher frame of mind. When it’s strictly about getting words on virtual paper quickly and efficiently without the hassle, noise, and expense of modern word-processing applications, WriteRoom 3 is now the standard by which all other plain or rich text editors should be judged.

Review Synopsis

Product:

WriteRoom 3.0.1 for Mac

Company:

Hog Bay Software

Contact:

hogbaysoftware.com

Price:

$9.99 Available in the <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=ApuPaiKIpxg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fwriteroom%252Fid417967324%253Fmt%253D12%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="Mac App Store">Mac App Store</a>

Requirements:

Mac OS 10.7 or later

Positives:

Fast, distraction-free writing tool with minimalist interface and just the right balance of features users can’t live without. Text formatting available via contextual menus for uninterrupted full-screen writing. Dropbox-sync friendly with iOS edition.

Negatives:

No support for pre–OS X Lion systems. Strictly for writing rather than occasional desktop publishing uses. No export to MS Word or other formats (plain or rich text and PDF only).

Score:

4.5 Excellent

iBooks 2 Review

J.R. Bookwalter — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:42:43 +0000

Apple and education have always gone hand in hand, but Cupertino has taken a bold leap with iBooks 2, a full version update offering zero new features for those of us who graduated from school long ago. But for iPad-toting students, the company’s new digital textbook initiative is a revelation.

iBooks 2 is the same as it ever was, adding only the ability to read interactive, multitouch textbooks on the iPad, purchased via iBookstore on your tablet or through iTunes on the desktop; iPhone and iPod touch users are sadly left out on this fresh feature. But despite Apple’s hyperbolic marketing, iBooks 2 arrives with a mere nine textbooks from two of the three top publishers.

The real revolution is the price: $14.99 compared to $75 for a print textbook. Available titles cover high school basics (algebra, biology, chemistry, and physics), but Apple nabbed one exclusive: E.O. Wilson’s Life on Earth, a work in progress whose first two chapters are free, while future entries can be purchased when released. You’ll need to clear space on a 16GB iPad, though, since textbooks consume nearly 1GB or more.

Despite an otherwise modest update, textbooks are a joy to use. Almost everything on the page is interactive, including graphics, diagrams, photos, and videos. Objects can be enlarged or rotated with a pinch of your fingers, and you can even highlight text just by swiping with any digit. A Study Cards section consolidates notes, highlights, and glossary items in one place, and everything was fast and fluid on my iPad 2.

The bottom line. Non-scholars may have no urgent reason to install iBooks 2 other than maintaining version parity, but the update is worthwhile as a glimpse into the future of education. Kids, I'm jealous: If my generation had such cool textbooks, I might have paid more attention in school.

Review Synopsis

Product:

iBooks 2.0

Company:

Apple

Contact:

apple.com

Price:

Requirements:

iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch running iOS 4.2 or later

Positives:

Digital textbooks priced at $14.99 or less. No more heavy backpacks full of hardcover textbooks. Nearly every page offers some form of interactivity, which makes learning more fun.

Negatives:

Textbooks are large downloads weighing in at 1GB or more. Update adds nothing new for iPhone/iPod touch users or non-student iPad owners. Limited textbook selection at launch.

Score:

3.5 Good

PhotoStyler Photo Editor Review

J.R. Bookwalter — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:32:27 +0000

Get that cool vintage look from your desktop, too

Making digital photos look old-fashioned is all the rage on mobile devices. Apps like Instagram and Camera+ are like virtual time machines, leaving you with retro images from your modern cameraphone. If you’re also looking to go vintage with pictures on your Mac, PhotoStyler is a fun, powerful, and easy-to-use way to get that old-school look without paying a fortune on eBay for antique photo gear.

PhotoStyler takes advantage of core Apple technologies in Mac OS X, tapping into the Mac’s GPU for quick processing of any image file format, including RAW. The interface is clean and uncluttered—novice users can quickly process images to share with friends. At the same time, PhotoStyler also appeals to power users who want to start from scratch without getting bogged down with too many options.

A before-and-after mode helps keep track of just how far your image has come.

Drop an image onto the spartan user interface and you’re presented with 120 thumbnails, each representing a different preset with its own look and feel. The sidebar offers the option to sort by Rating, Date, or Name with tags for viewing specific categories such as Polaroid, Vintage, or Lomo. Images can also be loaded using the standard Mac OS X file browser, with direct access to the iPhoto or Aperture library via the Media sidebar.

Preview a selected preset by pressing the Space bar or clicking the toolbar icon. Double-click to edit image layers, which can be turned on or off, rearranged, and individually adjusted; additional layers can be added with a click. Editing happens in a single window, and a Photo Navigator panel keeps the big picture while zoomed in. Adjustments can be saved as a new preset, and images can be exported in six different formats (including TIFF, PNG, and JPEG), saved as a layered file for further editing in PhotoStyler, or shared to Facebook, Flickr, or iPhoto.

PhotoStyler performs its magic lightning-fast, with image masking tools that rival pro apps and a convenient batch mode for cropping, resizing, shadowing, or rotating photos in bulk. We’d like to see OS X Lion–specific support such as a full-screen mode, additional sharing options, and the ability to use PhotoStyler as a plug-in with Aperture, but otherwise the app delivers—with style.

The bottom line. PhotoStyler is a worthwhile investment for vintage photo junkies, going well beyond the modest editing abilities of popular iOS apps. 30 bucks may feel steep for iOS users accustomed to free apps, but the ability to quickly go retro from the desktop makes it well worth it.

Review Synopsis

Product:

PhotoStyler

Company:

Neatberry

Contact:

neatberry.com

Price:

$29.99

Requirements:

Mac OS 10.6 or later

Positives:

Super-fast image processing with a wide variety of options. Uncluttered user interface doesn’t get in the way of creativity. Styled images can be saved complete with layers for later editing.

Negatives:

Mac App Store version lags behind version available from developer’s website. Previewing multiple images results in a blank window. Limited sharing and clunky import from iPhoto or Aperture.

Score:

4 Great