Apps Gone Free: Where I find my free iOS apps

There are a bajillion app recommendation sites on the internet, but I tend to find my apps in two ways. If I am at my laptop, I read reviews on Gamezebo. On my iPhone, I use an app called Apps Gone Free from a site called AppAdvice. As the name suggests, Apps Gone Free lets you know about other apps that are available for free, usually for a limited time. Here's a YouTube review by a guy with an charming Australian accent:





In the video, the presenter is using Apps Gone Free on an iPad, but you can use it on an iPhone, as well. I have it installed on both of my devices so I can download the app straight from Apps Gone Free. There have been plenty of times when I've typed the name of an app in the App Store but couldn't find it because the name was rather similar to other app names.

One of my favorite things about Apps Gone Free is that I never run across junk. I've used other apps like this and ended up with games that looked like they were created as part of a school project or something. Apps Gone Free says that they have a staff handpicking the apps and writing the blurbs instead of just using the promo copy, and to me it shows. What is on offer seems to go in cycles; for a while I ran across a lot of art-related programs and now there seems to be a lot of preschool apps. No matter what they feature, it all seems to be good.

I haven't spent much time on the AppAdvice website, but from what I've seen I would say it is worth a look. They have more in-depth app reviews and lists of apps centered around a theme like Mother's Day. Not all of the apps mentioned on the website are free, but there are plenty of cool ones I would never have found myself.

This is NOT a sponsored or paid post. I just really like this app :-).

May have finally reached Facebook game overload

A few months ago, I wrote about how Facebook games could be a time suck. This became even more apparent to me recently when I joined a Facebook group devoted to a game I play regularly, Chefville by Zynga. Reading the messages in this group actually made me feel guilty that I wasn't playing more often. Members were checking in messages that read like this: "Sorry I haven't filled any requests today. I had to go to church and run some other errands." Really? Why on earth would you feel that you needed to apologize for living your life instead of playing a game? Well, it wasn't long before I posted a similar message myself. I thought that belonging to a game group would be fun because I would have other people to discuss the game with. Instead, I felt like I was a Chefville slacker who was letting her neighbors down by not playing often enough. Mind you, Chefville is a casual game, but being in this group gave me a sense of how players in more "serious" games like MMORPGs can get so engrossed that they fall behind in their homework or stop hanging out with real-life friends.

I'll be honest and admit that I let a few things slide while I was trying to keep up with not just Chefville, but the other nine simulation games I play on Facebook. When I took the time to do other things like play games in person with my kids and read books, it became quite evident that these games were more like work than fun. The Zynga games are the worst offenders with their multiple timed quests that require all your time plus the assistance of half your Facebook friends list. I went into overload mode for a while, but I think I am finally ready to wean myself from this particular pastime. You'll still see me gaming on Facebook, but it will most likely be other games that give me time to breathe.

What I'm playing on my iOS devices

As of last Christmas, I have pretty much turned into an iOS gal. ABM found two iPad 2 tablets for a great price at our favorite pawn shop, so he picked those up for us. I sold my Android tablet to his best friend, and he gave his Android tablet to our daughter C2 because her cheapo Android tablet from Christmas 2011 bit the dust. I now have both a phone and a tablet running on iOS 6. As much as I used to grouse about Apple not being the only game in town, I must admit owning iOS devices is enjoyable for cheap gamer like me. There are so many more free and freemium apps available for iOS, and the graphics don't look like they were created by a 3rd grader. Anyway, here are a few of the games that I am playing right now:

Fairway Solitaire (review on JayIsGames): This is a Big Fish game I just discovered recently, but it has been around since 2007 when it started as a desktop game. If I had found it back then, I would have been just as enamored as I am now. I think that older folks like me, who got their first computers in the 1980s when they all came with Klondike, have a soft spot for solitaire games. As the title suggests, it adds golf-related hurdles like sand traps and water hazards to the card play. There are also plenty of trophies, which I like because I enjoy working toward something in a casual game. The games displays well on the iPhone 4S without making me squint, and the occasional comments from the golf announcers are amusing.

Gems with Friends (review on Gamezebo): As you may have guessed from the name, this game is part of Zynga's "With Friends" line. I've been playing this game for months and I am still obsessed with it. There is something about matching up the numbers that is almost like meditation to me. I play it right before bed and it calms me down. The one downside for me is that this is a competition game and most of my friends don't play video games. Luckily, there is a random opponent feature that quickly finds me a match when I want one. I usually go through at least 10 games before I settle down to sleep.

Pocket Planes (review on Gamezebo): Although I installed this game several weeks ago, I didn't start playing it until this week. I was a regular Tiny Tower player when I had my Android tablet, and this game scratches that same itch. The simplicity of buying airports and scheduling flights keeps me checking my iPad over and over. I started out playing this on my phone, but I didn't like scrolling so much to see various parts of the map so I switched to the iPad. It is much more enjoyable for me that way. This game is also available for Android, and I wasted no time getting C2 (who was also a fan of Tiny Tower) hooked on it. I wonder which one of us will be the first to buy all the airports in North America?

There are many, many more games that I am playing. In fact, I have been playing so many games that I was falling behind on more important tasks! I'll do another post soon on games that have very little going for them, but I keep playing them.

Facebook gaming can be a time suck -- duh!

If you took a look at my most-played games on Facebook, they are of the homestead-building or city-building variety. I blame my introduction to Harvest Moon and The Sims franchise roughly 12 years ago. Something about manipulating the lives of little imaginary people and assigning them tasks appeals to me. I never enjoyed playing with dolls, but I imagine that this is what playing with dolls felt like for all my childhood acquaintances.

Unlike playing with dolls, games on Facebook don't freeze in time until you come back. I don't feel guilty if I get bored with a game like Song Pop and don't play it for a while, but I almost feel as though I am neglecting something important if I don't go back to Chefville for several days. My food will be burnt and several quests will have expired. These aren't the kind of games that you can lose, but having lots of unfinished appliances all over my imaginary restaurant does make it look that way.

I have been spending so much of my leisure time maintaining my pretend restaurant and my pretend theme park and my pretend farm that I haven't had time to try other games or read books or blog. Moderation in all things! The world won't end if I play these games for a little while and then move on.

Is anyone playing Clucks?

I still maintain an AOL email address, and one of ads on the log-in page is for an iOS game called Clucks. Apparently AOL is trying to shed its old image and move into the mobile content business. I downloaded the free app several weeks ago but didn't try it out until today.

As you can see in the video, it is a mobile version of the old party game Taboo.You try to get your opponent to guess a certain word without using certain other words. For instance, you would try to get someone to guess the word "basketball" without using the words "court", "ball", or "dunk". The game makes use of video to record your clue and voice recognition to make sure you don't cheat and use any of the forbidden words in your description. Unlike many other iOS games, Clucks is actually taking advantage of the capabilities of a smartphone in a clever way. So why doesn't anyone seem to be playing it?

Whenever I decide to try a new game or write a post about it, I do a quick search on Google to see what other bloggers are saying about it. I'll be the first to admit that I don't always have my finger on the pulse of pop culture, and a game could be catching on like wildfire and I'm just coming to it late. However, when I did a search for reviews of Clucks, almost everything I found was dated 27 Sep 2012 (the date the game launched). There is very little information after that date, though. I've sent out several invitations to play through the app, too, and haven't gotten a nibble yet.

Several of the articles I read about Clucks featured comments from AOL spokespeople saying that this game is the first step in reinvigorating the AOL brand. Grand plans, but I think they need to focus on getting higher visibility for the game first.

UPDATE: An AOL spokesperson mentioned in the comments section of this post that the game will be open to non-Facebook users soon. That may help lure a few more people into playing.

Gaming on vacation

What do you do when you will be spending five days either riding in a car or lounging in a deck chair? If you are me, you take this time to test out the many free games that you have downloaded obsessively to your tablet but never played. I have 24 games on my Android tablet and 13 games on my iPhone that I haven't tried yet. With several days away from the temptations of TV and the internet, it will be much easier for me to focus on playing and writing about games. So don't be surprised if there is a flurry of activity on this blog in the next few weeks.

UPDATE: Gaming on vacation was a bust. Unlike my previous vacations, this time I had a car full of people with devices that needed to be charged. Also, my daughter's tablet stopped working right before we left, so as a good mother I handed mine over. Luckily, my Zune mp3 player had a long battery life because I ended up listening to audio books on the long drive down to Florida. Oh, well -- there is always next year when it will just be my husband and me on vacation!

Off The Leash: An endless runner that's gone to the dogs

I quickly figured out after getting my iPhone this past January that I'm not very good at endless runner games. I've tried Temple Run, Stylish Sprint, and a host of others. Usually I get frustrated because I have to start over every 10 seconds. Then I found Off The Leash by Big Pixel Studios. I'm still not very good at the endless runner genre but this game at least gives me a fighting chance.

Off the Leash is a free iOS game where you play a dog who is running from the law. Apparently dogs have been outlawed in your town so you are trying not to get caught. You grab other dogs along the way to create your pack and help you grab coins and food. As in other endless runners, you can use the coins you collect to buy power-ups, buy a new dog, or dress up the dog you have.

There are several aspects of this game that make it more appealing to me and my game-playing preferences. First off, the view is top-down, which is easier for me than first-person or side-scrolling views. Second, your character doesn't fall off of cliffs or anything. This is a timed game, so as long as you pick up enough dogs and food, you add to your time and can keep going. When you run into obstacles, your time bank decreases but your game doesn't end right away. Third, there are missions for you to complete. Anyone who has seen how many hours I spend on Facebook games knows that I like a game with a goal.

If you like endless runner games but have gotten bored with running through the jungle, try taking a jaunt through the park with Off The Leash.