When I look at the calendar, I know it's 2011 - but when I look at my iPhone games collection, I can't help but wonder if it's really just 1994 all over again. Why would I wonder this, you might ask? Because customizable card games are back in a big way on the App Store, and I for one couldn't be happier. Kard Combat is the latest such release, and it's easily one of the best in the bunch.
Great ideas are good to work from, even if the ideas weren't necessarily yours to begin with. That seems to be logic behind PirateFleet for Friends, the debut iOS game from United Toy that, as you may have gathered from the name, owes much of its inspiration to Zynga's popular With Friends series. But while Zynga with Friends has put together their own variations on Scrabble, Hangman, and Chess, PirateFleet goes after the most seafaring of social experiences - Battleship.
If you're among the throngs of card-based gamers who are eagerly awaiting the worldwide release of Kard Combat, Hothead Games has put together a new video the whet your appetites even further. The game's producer Hamish Millar (read Gamezebo's interview with him here) has put together a nice little 4 minute video walking viewers through the basics of Kard Combat's gameplay - and Gamezebo readers are getting the first look!
I know I've said this a few times already, but I'm absolutely in love with the fact that a lot of my favorite board and card games are making their way to the iPad. What makes me even happier is that, as time goes by, the conversions are just getting better and better. Enter Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer, which is a deck building game that I have zero bad things to say about. So what's a deck building game exactly? Well, I'm so glad you asked!
Most board games that appear on the App Store, whether good or bad, are based on a board game that's already available in the real world. Developer Trouble Brothers takes that formula and turns it on its head, debuting new board games exclusively on iOS devices and worrying about the possibility of print production later. It's an unorthodox plan, but it's one that seems to work. Their first release, Wizard Hex, was a slam dunk amongst iOS board game aficionados - and their sophomore release blows their freshmen effort out of the water.
Amongst board game enthusiasts, there are some titles that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Catan. Carcassonne. Ticket to Ride. And of course, Puerto Rico. But unlike the first three games mentioned, Puerto Rico's popular plantation challenge has yet to make an appearance on the App Store. Worry no more, board game aficionados! Codito Development is bringing this modern board game classic to the iPad.
Here at Gamezebo, we've been pretty quick to call the iPad the greatest thing to happen to board games since dice. Just take a look at our reviews of games like Ticket to Ride and Hey, That's My Fish! to see what I mean. And of all the upcoming iPad board games on the horizon, there's one that's remained particularly high on our radar since its announcement last winter: Cargo Runners. Now, after a lengthy silence, developer Trouble Brothers are ready to take the App Store by storm.
Memoir '44 Online is the digital version of the super popular two-player board game from Days of Wonder. Between Ticket to Ride and Small World on the iPad to this latest title, Days of Wonder has made a serious push into the video space and I for one couldn't be happier. Unlike those other titles, though, Memoir '44 Online is a free download and while it won't play on your iPad it will play on your PC, Mac or Linux machine.