Enigmo 2 Review
Enigmo 2 would be really boring if it was just more levels to the original Enigmo, as this could be done via an In-App purchase thanks to iPhone OS 3. The new bells and whistles it brings to the table is 3D and new gestures. For the most part, it works quite well.
Now on to controls. Enigmo 2 would have no way utilizing 3D without multitouch. Two fingers are used to pan around the 3D landscape. To add to the usability Pangea added two controls. One being snap to grid, which works excactly how it sounds. The second is one I’m not sure of the name, but you tap an object and depending what axis (x- y- and z-axes) you’re looking at at the time of deploying a puzzle piece, it will line up to the object you tapped earlier. For me, this feature worked at times, and at other times it didn’t.
My biggest complaint about Enigmo 2, one I have not gotten over since the beginning of testing this game, is when I am trying to pan around with one finger, at times, I accidentally move puzzle pieces out of their place, and at time ruining the level for me. Unlike, for example, Rolando and its successor, the sensitivity of the controls are enough. That is a small issue that you learn to adapt to. This particular problem, is not. This has dropped my rating of this game by a full point.
As for the levels, instead of being is a sewer or some type of plumbing system, it is in outer space, complete with planets moving around and revolving on their axis. The app warns that this will drop performance, but in my tests everything was the same. Thismight have to do with the fact I have a 3G S, but nonetheless, it is great.
To some up my review, The Loop Blog give Enigmo 2 an 8.75 out of 10. As I said before, if Pangea found a better way to pan without changing the puzzle pieces, I would have given this app a 9.75. That just goes to show how important usability is (at least to me). Enigmo 2 is available in iTunes (link: http://bit.ly/vhobF ) for $3.99. I am Zalman with The Loop Blog, and I’m out.
As you probably know, ng:) and Star Defense were showcased at the WWDC Keynote as part of the iPhone OS 3.0 demonstrations. Stephanie from ngmoco :) showed the audience the new in-app purchase API’s available in the soon-to-be-available 3.0 software update.
The options in the menu are Galaxy Map, Challenge Log, Commendations, and Options. Galaxy Map is the choice of planets, but more on that later. Challenge Log shows tweets by the game for accomplishments in Challenge Mode, but, again, more on that later. Commendations are accomplishments such as defeating all waves on all planets on all difficulties, etc., etc. Options are the settings and comprises of Sound FX on/off, music on/off, reseting the game, credits, and Facebook Connect and Twitter.
Finally, we move on to gameplay. You drag your turrets out, and you press Start First Wave. Out of the enemy’s, or S’rath’s, ship come creatures trying to attack your planet. Your turrets immediately start shoothing, and the S’raths basically explode. As the waves go on, the creatures get harder to beat, and you really have to think about where you put your turrets. As you kill S’raths, you get money to get more expensive turrets. You can upgrade them and such, but my one gripe about it is that you can’t move your turrets around. You have to sell them for a lower price than you got them, re-purchase them, and then put them where you wanted to move them. Overall the gameplay is very good, and that little kink won’t ruin your day.
