iPad Reviews (Fruit Ninja and Plants vs. Zombies)

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The Mad Blogger

iPad Reviews (Fruit Ninja and Plants vs. Zombies)

Postby The Mad Blogger » October 20th, 2011, 2:58 pm

Fruit Ninja
Rating: A-

In Fruit Ninja, you slice fruit with a blade controlled by a touch pad. As the fruit is thrown onto the screen, you swipe your finger across the screen to create a slicing motion, attempting to slice the fruit in half. You are awarded extra points for slicing multiple fruits with one swipe, and you can use additional fingers to make multiple slices simultaneously.

You must slice all fruit; if you miss three pieces of fruit, the game ends. However, if you reach scores that are multiples of one hundred (that is, 100, 200, 300, and so on), you gain an extra life. Now, here's the catch. Bombs are occasionally thrown onto the screen, and will also end the game if you slice them.

There is a Zen mode and an Arcade mode, but the Standard mode is the one to play. It is highly challenging and extremely addictive. In fact, this game is so addictive, an arcade port of it was released earlier this year, and when was the last time you saw a console game precede its arcade counterpart? Usually, it is the other way around.

If I had one negative thing to say about Fruit Ninja, it is that it is too difficult. After you reach the first milestone (that is, a score of 100), the difficulty increases exponentially. A more gradual increase of skill might have been better. But this is nitpicky. Fruit Ninja represents the type of game to be played on the iPad.



Plants vs. Zombies
Rating: A+

In Plants vs. Zombies, you place different types of plants and fungi, each with their own unique offensive or defensive capabilities, around a house to stop a horde of zombies from devouring the brains of the residents. The playing field is divided into a number of horizontal "lanes," and with rare exceptions, a zombie only moves toward your house along one lane (the main exception is if it has scented a garlic). Most plants can only attack or defend against zombies in the lane in which they are planted. In the game's initial levels, if the zombie reaches your house, you can use a one-shot tool (for example, a lawn mower) to wipe out zombies completely in that lane; however, the tool will not be restored until the next level. In later levels, you have to purchase upgrades so as to adapt your lawn mower to new environments like pools or rooftops. Except in special cases, Zombies attempt to devour any plants in their way while heading toward your house.

The game is quite addictive, and after you complete all 50 levels, a catchy tune accompanies a fantastic wrap-up video. If this were all Plants vs. Zombies contained, the game would be worth playing. However, there are a truckload of extras, including challenging achievements, a "Training" mode to practice the more challenging levels, a "Survival" mode for those of you who like your zombies to attack Rambo-style, and dozens of intriguing mini-games. This game is as close to perfection as a game can get, and even after you complete it, you'll find yourself coming back for more, all the while singling, "There's a zombie on your lawn."

Note: You can read more about The Mad Blogger's reviews by going to his Web site at
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