Angry Birds and Doodle Jump Have Brand New Games And This Time Kids Rule!

Angry Birds and Doodle Jump Have Brand New Games And This Time Kids Rule!

Well this has been a banner week for fans of two of the most beloved franchises in iOS history and both have movie tie-in so these new versions are aimed at kids more than ever before.

The biggest news is that Rovio/Chillingo launched Angry Birds Rio (.99 for iPhone 1.99 for HD) and it’s cool, Pump loves it, all angry bords fans will love it.

The game forget evil pigs this time and instead has you freeing fellow birds from cages, presumably in Rio.I find this premise much more appealing than killing evil pigs who ate their babies, to this parent anyway, and connects the game, however loosely, to the Upcoming Fox Film.

Also there is no question the gameplay is easier. Pump found me playing with it for a review minutes after he woke up. Before he had rubbed the saned from his eyes, he had completed the first four levels.

But I covered Angry Birds at such length the other day (Click Here to read post) I don’t want to go on and on about it. If you like Angry Birds, you’ll like Angry Birds Rio, it’s really that simple.

I want to focus today on Doodle Jump: HOP the Movie. I submitted my QuickAdvice review to AppAdvice.com, but I always cover the kid-angles on my own dear SAHGeekmom.com.It finally brings the iPhone classic Doodle Jump to the iPad (and iPhone, it’s universal.) Well almost…

What the game really is, is an advertisement for the upcoming Easter animated kid-flick from Universal, HOP.

Doodle Jump: HOP the Movie  is similar to the original Doodle Jump. You still tilt the device to have the hero, E.B. star of the film, jump from platform to platform, avoiding obstacles, shooting invaders and aiming for the sky.

It’s a lot of fun, but it’s not really the fulfilment of Lima Sky’s promise of an iPad version of the game that just saw its 10,000th paid download.

Instead of controlling The Doodler you control E.B., and instead of endless gameplay, there are levels to clear, but otherwise expect the familiar.

It plays beautifully and looks good enough to eat. I even found it easier to control E.B. on the iPad than on the iPhone version of this universal game. The interface is vibrant, the execution excellent, and best of all the game is free. Which seems only fair since it is basically an add-supported game.

Angry Birds Rio does charge, and I don’t think it far (see post here) but they give you a very full game.

This game is very winnable, it won’t be a keeper for anyone over 10, but it should help tide fans over while the always ‘coming soon” iPad Doodle Jump finally hits the App Store.

But for young kids, repetition is fun and  the best way to learn, so you actually get a lot for nothing more than a link to the movie trailer your kids have already seen unless you ban the big box in your home (oh how I wish…)

The game has you bouncing off gummies and falling through candy-string platforms. There are no monsters or aliens to shoot; instead E.B. takes out baby chicks taking no prisoners in his candy-quest. But’s it’s not gory, it’s silly.

Check yesterday appisode of AppAdvice.com’s AppApdvice Daily, with Robin Rhys:

The famous and subject of recent controversy, The Doodler (google Doodlegate! I won’t explain, but if you want to see how some devs are just big kids, for better and especially for worse, it’s a very interesting story of trademark law, flaming, poor journalism and hurt feelings) does make a cameo appearance: E.B. follows his lead for a few seconds and then he’s off to loftier vistas.

Just as the Doodler pops in to this new Lima Sky offering, E.B. is no stranger to the Doodle Jump world.

Since the last update of classic Doodle Jump you have been able to change the player name to HOP, which activates an Easter theme, and replaces the Doodler with E.B, but it’s a skin, not a new game, and not on iPad.

One certainty is the game’s appeal to kids. The Easier theme, E.B., and candy-coated levels, target the youngest players, the market for whom the movie is intended.

Pump loves Doodle Jump on his iPod touch, and loves all the themes especially, of course, the scary ones.  And as usual he is better at this game we both enjoy than I am. But neither of us can really get very far so the games is great, but only a few minutes distraction.

Doodle Jump: Hop the Movie, however, on both iPhone and iPad is really much easier to control.

If you have played Doodle Jump before, you know that as you jump up, the board also keeps scrolling up. What I mean is you can’t just wait on a platform, you must keep moving. Everyone I have seen play it, at some points, falls because a platform they remembered being there, fell out of view mid-leap.

This doesn’t happen on Doodle Jump: HOP the Movie. The board only moves up when you do, so it’s much easier to plan your moves. You can play for much longer. Also the levels help. Having short attainable goals is a better idea no what your kid is doing, than giving them an open-ended job.

In Doodle Jump losing is the most common occurrence. This makes the game addictive, replayable and beloved, but it frustrates Pump that he has not really improved his score in months ofplay. But he loves all the Angry Birds games, because he is rewarded for completely small tasks, often.

And of course the bright colors, adorable Easter Bunny offspring and the fact that kids have been bombarded with ads for the movie all make this a game they will want to go back to.

For me, the original is still the kind go doodle games, but for Pump, Doodle Jump: HOP the Movie has become an instant fave.

Mom’s you HAVE to check out this amazing new calendar app for iPhone and iPad, called MommyCal. I reviewed it yesterday and everyone I know who grabbed one has been have too much fun getting organized! You can read all about it here.

OK, I have to do a review for Appadvice now, but be sure to check back often for more great games for everyone.

Happy App Hunting,

The 

Welcome to My New Home + Edu-App No-Brainer 2/4 – This One Is for Artists and Watercolor-Lovers: Auryn Ink + Bonus Art Stylus Review

Hello again,

Happy Friday! It has been for me anyway!

As I mentioned in my last post,  The Stay at Home GeekMom does not have much time on weekends (yes, I consider Friday the weekend, I’m just ahead of my time…)  but I promised you some quick reviews and I have some exciting news.

If you didn’t notice while clicking you way over, I have a new home on the web. You can now visit me  at www.SAHGeekMom.com. I am so pleased with the turns my blog has taken, and it is time to have a homepage. I know it looks the same for now, but I’m about to start painting the walls with my own colors. Please bear with me, particulary when it comes to formatting, as I learn the ropes, experiment with some themes and templates and just generally settle in, get cozy, and create a play-space for Pump.

I hope you will join me as I discover the world of blogging and bring you the world of iPad and iPhone apps (and accessories) for parents, kids, artists of all kinds, in the broadest definition of the term, casual gamers and anyone who considers learning a lifelong journey and wants to use their iOS device to make that trip more fun. You can subscribe to my blog, my RSS feed, or follow me for updates, tips, and QuikRace Contests @sahgeekmom

Ok, you already know me, let’s get to today’s Edu-App No Brainer. On sale today, you must try Auryn Ink! It is one of my favorite painting apps, and will be covered more fully in an upcoming review of the best art apps, but today at .99 down from 3.99, I don’t want you to miss out.

Before you buy it, you have to understand  a little about the app. Auryn Ink is not just another painting app. This is a WATERCOLOR painting program. Auryn Ink does not market itself as a painting-app-for-everyone, they specifically state in their description that this is intended for medium-level to professional-level artists.

The brushes are not meant to give you the finest of detail, or add glitter, crayons, charcoal or stickers. They are supposed to be, well, watery. How watery is up to you, but it is amazing how painting with them doesn’t just create work that looks like you used watercolors, the page responds like you actually were painting watercolors onto canvas. It evens responds to GRAVITY!

Auryn apps are a unique combination of proprietary technology that incorporates fine art techniques and innovative storytelling. Pushing the boundaries of animation technologies comes naturally to Auryn’s founding members who have contributed to visual effects and animation expertise to leading edge and Oscar-winning feature films for Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks, Sony and Digital Domain.

Deatils at www.auryn.com or read a real artist’s review at todayinart.com

The interface has been improved, I find it intuitive, but comments in the app store suggest it might take a little time to get used . Once you feel the canvas absorbing your paint, actually sucking it into the porous fabric, you will understand why this app shines. It’s up to you to chose a wet canvas (my choice always) or dry paper, how to let it dry, and as I mentioned you can control the density of the paint from extremely runny which gives wonderful effects, to finer brush and thicker paint.

Layering is, of cour

se, an option, which makes me want to remind you all again to MULTIi-TASK now that you can. Import a photo, sketch, digital painting that you may have adjusted or even created with another app and let Auryn Ink add wonderful new elements to your design, or start with a watercolor and export to a photo editor or another art app to add other mediums. The only limitation you face when making art on the iPad is the breadth of your own imagination.

Oh I forget to mention, Auryn Ink is really touch sensitive, so much so I had to get a new stylus to really make the most of it – see below for details. Auryn is great Indie app development group best known for interactive children’s storybook apps, and with a major release of The Little Mermaid (the real one, not the Disnified version,) set to launch soon

(shh! that’s a secret right from the owner of Auryn, but remember you heard it here first and come back to see it here at SAHGeekMom’s new home, I will have an exclusive preview and some promo codes to give you!)

They are responsive and eager for user feedback. They continue to work on Auryn Ink and I expect great things in the  future. Buy this app, for .99 it’s an absolutely steal and an Edu-App No-Brainer

Moving on, aside from teaming up with some great new developers and distributions companies so I can continue to bring you exclusive news and deals, what made today great was the package of iPhone 4 and iPad accessories that finally arrived by way of  my friend and fellow blogger, Krystal (read PolishGalore, her blog, – she’s has a serious nail-polish fetish and it’s contagious!) I ordered the PenGo Touchpen iPad Sylus available only at amazon.com by PenGo Creative Tools

I can’t describe it ny better than they did so I clipped this from Amazon:

The new PenGo Touchpen gives you the comfort and control of a pen, instead of using your finger – for use on any capacitive touch screen device or application. The innovative low-friction elastomer tip, allows you to write, draw and navigate with ease.

I got the silver one but they come in black, blue and white too. This Sylus is ideal for creating art on the iPad. It’s longer than an average stylus, making it feel comfortable and natural in the hand, and it has a tapered nub that emulates a real pen far better than any other I have seen to date.

I gave it a test run up against my Targus and PogoSketch styluses (styli? No one answered before??) and the difference is obvious. When I lightly run the PenGo across the tablet it barely leaves a trace. I need to apply pressure like a real pen, and as a result get much more realistic results. It is ideal for hand-writing apps too. (My favorite is Noteshelf, great wrist protection, great interface, not overcrowded with unnecessary features: 4.25 SAHGM stars!)

The Pengo Stylus for iPad should not replace your stylus for page turning, pecking at the keyboard or other day-to-day use, you will wear out the tip, and the touch senitivity is a liabilty. But if you want to paint this is the best option I’ve come across as yet. SAHGM gives it 4.5 stars!

Ok that’s it from me. Remember to check my Contest Page to see who wins the creative-play app Playtime Theater, and learn about upcoming contests brought to you by WeetWoo! and Dino Rush.