SPLICED STUFF /
Blazin’ Aces
AVAILABLE ON / Android / iOS /
Windows Phone
PRICE / $1
B
lazin’ Aces is a 2D retro
dogfighting game by South
African studio Red Dot
Lab. With some pretty awesome
comic art that sets the scene, you
take control of a WWII fighter
pilot. The control system is quite
straightforward. Up and down
buttons, shoot, flip your plane
and a special feature button
which becomes active when you
collect items from crates falling
from the sky.
You’re pitted against enemy
aircraft and the first to reach
a set score wins. Quite simple
gameplay mechanics so it’s not
too complicated to understand or
get into. If you crash (the controls
can take a bit of getting used to at
first so this is not an unforeseen
circumstance), you simply launch
again. Don’t think you can fly
around destroying everything in
your path however, as your plane
takes damage from things like
overheating if you just hold down
shoot for example.
From a story perspective it’s a
little thin, even with the beautiful
illustrations and well-crafted sound
design. Overall it could take a few
steps to improve in an updated
version, such as expanded, more
engaging levels with additional
challenges to keep
players interested for a
longer haul.
- Pippa Tshabalala
7
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ISSUE 05
MINI REVIEWS / APPS
QuizUp
AVAILABLE ON / Android / iOS
PRICE / Free
Tinder
AVAILABLE ON / Android / iOS
PRICE / Free
Q
D
8
8
uizUp is an ingenious
little mobile game that
pits you against an online
opponent in a series of multiple
choice questions. The faster you
answer, the higher the points you
win. Obviously, the player with the
highest score wins. Sounds pretty
vanilla, but QuizUp's appeal lies in
its massive selection of questions
split into tons of categories. There's
basically a set of questions for just
about any area of interest that you
might fancy. Consider yourself a
bit of a Star Wars nut? Then prove
it: go up against fellow Star Wars
nuts from across the globe and test
your general knowledge about that
galaxy far, far away.
Match rounds are very quick
and tend to be done in less than
two minutes. Victories count
towards your skill level in a
specific topic. Topics are split into
general categories like History,
Lifestyle, Music, Games, Movies
and more. Those categories are
then further split into specifics,
so Games unpacks into things like
Halo, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy...
you get the idea.
Add in a country-based
leaderboard per category,
worldwide leaderboards, and a
stunning, clean-cut design aesthetic,
and QuizUp is a free mobile game
you cannot be without. A couple
of crashes on Android
aside, this is a solid
time-waster.
- MiklÓs Szecsei
o you love meeting new
people but hate the chore of
human interaction face to
face? Are you a suave Don Juan of
the cyber sphere but a bumbling
buffoon in reality? Tired of all
those other pesky dating sites that
always ask you to fill out an “about
you” or “Interests” section? Do
you prefer to base meeting people
on looks alone? Well fear not, the
app of your dreams is here.
Tinder is the latest and easiest
way to meet people simply
by looking at their photo and
swiping either right for “Yes”
or left for “Oh hells no!” If the
person you swiped yes to likes
you back then you have a match.
That means you can chat to each
other for hours and hours on end
and never have to actually meet
in real life either! Or if you want,
you can. You know, whatever
floats your boat.
Tinder requires that you have
a Facebook profile to log in. It
then imports your most recent
profile photos and allows you to
set up your profile according to
what you’re looking for with age,
gender and vicinity, all of which
are adjustable. That being said, it’s
probably the most addictive dating
app you’ll ever use, with swiping
left and right turning into an game
you never realised you
were playing. Happy
judging, Tinderising!
- Chris Savides