Since 2007, Peggle has been a mainstay for arcade pinball fans on the PC, Xbox 360, and the iPhone. Now it’s time for PopCap Games to dig another $3 out of your wallet for the iPad version in full, luscious HD. It’s just as good (if not better) than its predecessors. Add in a pair of 99-cent goodies in the form of a wickedly tough but satisfying number cube puzzler, and a fresh, neon-vector take on space pinball, and finally a freebie tower defense app that’s action-packed solid from stem to stern, and you’ve got our iPad Games of the Week.
Peggle HD ($2.99)
The sun has risen on an all-HD version of Peggle. It’s time for newbies and long time Peggle addicts to pony up a fresh $3, head to the App Store, and apply for auditing classes in The Peggle Institute. All the usual game elements are here, from the crazy unicorn to Adventure, Quick Play, Challenge, and Duel modes. Aim your shots well, bank them off the colored pegs, collect bonus power-ups, and pray for the game’s wild physics to swing in your favor often to land trick shots, sink your ball into the mobile bucket, and clear each level as quickly as you can. After long-suffering with the iPhone version on my iPad’s screen, it’s a joy to play this familiar favorite on-the-go on my tablet’s massive screen. Keep your eyes on each Master’s following eyeballs, enjoy the amazing soundtrack, and enjoy the unique gameplay and sound effects that only Peggle can deliver.
Data Cube ($0.99)
The data blocks are corrupt. Can you identify and remove all the bad blocks in each data set? That’s the premise in this 3D puzzler, and your math brain will be put to the test as the levels progress, along with your spatial skills. Rotate the cube, zoom-in and out, hold three fingers on the screen to pan, then tap each block to reveal blocks that aren’t corrupt, or flag the data that’s corrupted. Just like the Microsoft classic Minesweeper, the safe blocks you tag will present a number which corresponds to the number of corrupt blocks that are touching it. So put on your asbestos underwear, sharpen your math skills, and prepare to go 3D.
Hyperspace Pinball ($0.99)
Take pinball, launch it into space, add some neon along with some solid vector graphics, and you’ve got yourself Hyperspace Pinball. Sure, this is no Pinball HD. The graphics are above average, the physics more or less spot-on, and the graphics retro to the max. Still, there’s something addicting about this newcomer. The power-ups are perfectly balanced, with giant black hole-like portals opening in the middle of the play area often, sucking in the floating targets and triggering even more power ups. Level bosses can steal your ball and spit it back to you, challenging you in ways no static reproduction of real-world pinball games can offer. Given the high intensity of the gameplay, neon retro vector graphics, and power-ups galore, this is one Dollar Menu item that comes with a toy you won’t toss in the trash on your way out of the restaurant.
AutoRobot HD EX – Defend and Defeat (Free)
Grab your turrets and prepare to defend your game field. It’s turret defense, and Autorobot HD EX is as “plain jane” as they come. Still, once you get the idea that part of your screen will be blocked from view by ads, and that upgrading your well-placed turrets to the max is the surest way to win, there’s a fair amount of fun to be had in this no-cost app. Scatter your turrets along the path, paying close attention to its field of fire. Once you have the field covered, upgrade every third turret or so to its second or third iteration, and watch as you decimate your foes. Although your dollar counter will be covered by ads, there’s a good chance you have more credits than you think. Don’t be shy about pumping up your emplacements, and enjoy the satisfying “pop” of each foe as it tries to cross your firing solution.
Download the free Appolicious iPhone app
