When we first had a look at the recently released Pocket Creatures [App Store] back at GDC, it didn't take us long to be enchanted by the too-cute, pikachu-like pet sim with an apparent wealth of things to explore.
Pocket Creatures begins in a temple, with you choosing the name and color of your critter. Hatching its egg and proceeding with the tutorial (which continues throughout the game in the form of stone tablets you pick up) introduces you to the basic mechanics of the game. Moving your little guy and navigating the game-world is straightforward, simply requiring double taps and familiar screen gestures.
Neowiz Entertainment'sNimp - Nymph In My Pocket [App Store] seems to lie somewhere in between the Tamagotchi craze in the mid-90's, Cube World toys, and maybe even a little hint of Little Big Planet in the game's art style. While Nimp is more of a virtual pet simulator than a game, the level of detail the developers have put in to it is very impressive for the first release, especially when you look back to how basic games like Pocket God were when they first hit the App Store.
In Nimp you start with one nymph, with a second that you can get via a free in-game purchase with more presumably available in the future either as free or paid DLC with the first being a ninja nymph coming soon. Your nymphs can interact with each other, dance to your iPod music, and do other silly little activities to raise their stats.
If you're not a virtual pet person, Nimp doesn't seem to bring anything to the table that is likely to suck you in, but seems great for what it is. If nothing else, watching the two nymphs dancing to your terrible music maybe worth the price of admission alone.
Well, readers, that special day is upon us. It's Valentine's Day. And what better way to share our love with our readers -- who are certainly glued to the website, the App Store, and their iPhones, rather than out weaving a web of romance with someone special -- than to underscore a few Valentine-savvy iPhone games?
Makeout Mania! is a "chain-reaction puzzler" that puts you in the role of that love-spreading cherub, Cupid, on a mission to pierce the heart of a school full of unsuspecting students with your arrows of love, sending them on a frenzied bid to kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.
The title offers 24 levels of gameplay in Puzzle Mode, where the mission is to pierce a heart and make the perfect match (consult the yearbook to see who's nuts about who) while avoiding the teachers at all cost. There's also Mania Mode where it's a race against the clock to trigger the most kisses possible in an ever-scrolling schoolhouse, with the option to compete against your Facebook and Plus+ friends.
Free, new levels are on the way and an update has been submitted that tweaks a few areas of gameplay.
A big part of Valentine's Day, for those of us that don't spend all our time playing iPhone games, is flowers. And, thanks to Noel Llopis of SnappyTouch, you can have your own lovely flower garden right inside your iPhone.
As we said in our initial review of the app, Flower Garden is not really a game. It does, however, fall into the same sim / virtual pet type experience that has boosted apps such as Koi Pond,Pocket God and Touch Pets Dogs to the heights of popularity in the App Store.
There's no real goal to Flower Garden. It's something of a zen-like experience, really. Grow flowers. Unlock new seeds. Clip flowers to make bouquets. And it's the last that really puts this game under the Valentine's Day crosshairs; you can make a lovely bouquet and email it to someone special. Basically, it turns your iPhone into a digital Cupid, with email for arrows. And, to make things even sweeter, the game is currently under a 60%-off weekend-only Valentine's Day sale at $0.99.
Everybody's played a whack-a-mole game, in one form or another. It's a pretty simple formula: the mole pops up out of its hole and you whack it.  And, who doesn't like to bludgeon moles? Especially when the damned things are trying to ruin Valentine's Day!
Whac-a-Mole: Whacky Valentines is basically a Valentine-themed version of the iPhone original [App Store] which is, as such games go, a pretty solid take on the whack-a-mole formula. Amusingly, the digital backboard of the game provides the occasional (though highly simplistic) mini-game -- a nice touch.
I'd go into further description of the title but...it's free, so just download it and start whacking.
Virtual pet buffs need not be left out in the cold on this day of love and merriment. Ngmoco is currently offering a Valentine's Goodies Pack as paid in-game DLC ($2.99) in Touch Pets Dogs for those that want to lavish their v-pooch with as much love as can be.
Last week we posted a preview of Adult Swim's My Lil' Bastard [App Store] and mentioned a release date of the 23rd. Sure enough, it's the 23rd, and My Lil' Bastard is ready to be abused on your iPhone.
My Lil' Bastard is a virtual pet game with an Adult Swim spin on it. This isn't your everyday Tamogotchi that just wanders around eating and sleeping, your lil' bastard has quite an attitude and seems to really take a liking to destroying the toys you get it and burning its cardboard box down. You eventually toilet train your lil' bastard, and even send it instant messages once you get it a computer... Assuming you don't kill it before then.
Like other Adult Swim games, the flash version of My Lil' Bastardcan be played for free online. The iPhone port of the game is remarkably similar, with the only major difference being using your finger instead of a mouse. Here are the first few minutes of the flash version:
If you like virtual pet games, but found ngmoco's Touch Pets Dogs [Free] to be a little too cute for your tastes, My Lil' Bastard might be right up your alley. Try the flash version first, if you find yourself enjoying your flash lil' bastard, you'll have just as much fun on your iPhone.
Adult Swim seems to be on a mission of porting every single one of their flash games to the iPhone, with My Lil' Bastard being the next from their lineup making the jump to the App Store.
My Lil' Bastard is a fairly simple virtual pet game where you raise your own lil' bastard, starting with adjusting a heat lamp to determine its sex. From there you learn how to feed it, clean it, look after it, and keep it happy. Of course, being an Adult Swim game, this isn't your average virtual pet. Your lil' bastard will inevitably have an attitude problem which will lead to lots of vomiting, thrown molotov cocktails, and even breaking the water bottle you use to discipline him or her.
Like the other Adult Swim games, My Lil' Bastard is playable for free on the Adult Swim Games site, and this is a pocket-sized carbon copy of the same game with touch controls instead of a mouse pointer.
Here is the trailer for the identical flash game:
My Lil' Bastard is set for release on the 23rd of this month, so if you find an iTunes gift card under your Christmas tree and are looking for a not-so-adorable virtual pet-- Look no further than getting your own lil' bastard.
This week we got our hands on ngmoco's TouchPets Dogs, a title I admittedly didn't have much interest in throughout most of its development. I fully admit that I felt that I was completely outside of the demographic that virtual pet games appeal to and I think a good part of our readership likely feels the same way. However, the latest build of the game, combined with the full realization of the cool things that are going to come out of the remarkably full featured social network they have built in to the game has transformed TouchPets Dogs in to a completely different animal.
The core gameplay has remained largely unchanged since our first looks at the game earlier. The way your dog interacts with objects along with the various animations associated with each interaction seem very refined, and at times border the edge of the canine uncanny valley, if such a thing exists. The touch gestures to interact with your virtual dogs feel very natural and the way they romp around playing with the various toys and objects can be somewhat eerie at times with how much the in-game dogs act like puppies would in real life.
Since we last saw the game, one of the big additions is the resource management aspect. Your dog obviously needs to eat, and buying food requires spending puppy bucks. Puppy bucks are earned by keeping your dog happy by petting it, teaching it tricks, and fulfilling its other needs. Puppy bucks also can be used to buy new clothes for your dog along with accessories required for the various dog career paths previously discussed in the other previews.
Here's a title that may appeal to a specific audience. Namco has released Tamagotchi: 'Round the World in both full $5.99 [App Store] and free Lite [App Store] versions.
Interact with cute clouds, playful plants and gleeful geysers to raise the ultimate pet: An entire planet! Keep your Tamagotchi well-fed with fresh fruit and tickle them until they fall down laughing! Play with the environmental creatures called Gaiatchi and earn Stars to buy Tamagotchi stamps for your virtual stampbook! Eat, dance, play and even poop your way to a happier and healthier planet!
The game is an updated version of the virtual pet phenomenon that was/is Tamagotchi.
Four Tamagotchi to choose from! Mametchi, Memetchi, Kuchipatchi and Violetchi.
Five mini-games to play with the Gaiatchi - Rock Paper Scissors, Bubble Game, Move It, Beach Ball and Dancing
Three activities to play with your Tamagotchi - Tickling, Memory Match, and Math Puzzle
Lively, interactive environmental creatures such as geysers, plants, clouds, and seedlings!
Earn Stars to buy special Tamagotchi stamps for your virtual stampbook!
The game revolves around raising and interacting with your Tamagotchi. It may appeal to those interested in virtual pet experiences and the Lite version gives you an opportunity to try it out.
When we first had a look at the recently released Pocket Creatures [App Store] back at GDC, it didn't take us long to be enchanted by the too-cute, pikachu-like pet sim with an apparent wealth of things to explore.
