Calculators, Clocks, Calibration, Clownfish and Cocktails…on the 360?
As I’ve mentioned before, there are now a prolific number of Xbox Live Indie games out there; ranging from the truly excellent through serviceably average and right down to the tumour-inducingly abysmal. Frankly it’s getting increasingly difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff… and the chaff from the putrescent, foul-smelling excrement that surrounds it. However, a new phenomenon has been slowly emerging out of the coding community: Xbox Live Apps. Think iPhone apps… on your television.
Are they indispensible, life-enhancing gadgets? Or poorly thought out money-spinners? Let’s find out, shall we?
Calculator 360
Developer: Decapod Studios
Do you ever feel the urge to solve some complex quadratic equations on your television? Do you frequently spend your evenings wistfully staring at your dashboard, wishing that you could get stuck into some gnarly cosine calculations? No? Of course you don’t…and no one ever will.
Which is a shame, because Decapod Studios have created a very powerful piece of software… that’s completely pointless. Controlling a calculator with a thumbstick is as awkward as it is embarassing; and more to the point, a non-portable calculator is as useful as a condom machine in a nunnery.
An abacus will provide better value for money than Calculator 360… unless you can invent some calculus-based drinking games.
CGI rating:
Tee hee.
Clock 24/7
Developer: Schmaltzy Boy
Welcome to Clock 24/7: where time bends to your will! Conquer a huge selection of fiendish puzzles with your chronological powers in beautiful, serene surroundings…wait, no- that’s Braid.
Clock 24/7 is… a clock. Or, more accurately, a small selection of clocks. They tell the time. And that’s pretty much it. Since you can check the time by pressing the guide button (if you can’t be bothered to look at your watch or phone!), this app serves no purpose whatsoever. Apart from burning the ghost image of a novelty clock into your television after leaving it on all night.
There’s no reason to even consider downloading Clock 24/7… unless you really, really want terrible screenburn.
CGI rating:
TV Calibration
Developer: Arcane Labs
TV Calibration is a utility that features a number of calibration test screens designed to help tweak your television’s brightness, contrast and colour settings. They’re actually fairly tricky to use, but the difference is noticeable especially on large CRT screens. However, most games allow you to change gamma settings from within their own option menus- making this a pointless purchase for the majority of gamers. However, if you’re setting up a large projector or projection television (for a presentation or LAN party) they it could well be worth the points.
TV Calibration: does EXACTLY what it says on the tin.
I’m going to have to chicken out when it comes to the rating. You see, this app does exactly what it sets out to do…but only 1 in 1000 Xbox owners will need to use it. If you’re about to hook your 360 up to a projector for some massive screen action then consider spending the 200 points. If you ain’t, then don’t.
CGI Rating: N/A
Aquarium HD
Developer: Reedake 2
Basically, Aquarium HD is a shiny screensaver. But my God, it’s so shiny. The fish are remarkably high-resolution and look beautiful even when you press your nose against the screen, though jagged animations spoil the effect somewhat. You can feed your fish, tap the glass and…well…it’s as close as you’re going to get to a real fishtank for 80 points.
The bottom line is that Aquarium HD looks like a fish tank, but comes with half the hassle. It makes a fun talking point or centrepiece for a room and is worth considering if you’ve got a spare 80 points left over. Suprisingly impressive.
CGI rating:
Cocktail Paradise
Developer: Kittie
Enter the ingredients and you'll get a list of cocktails with full instructions. Simple as that!
Cocktail Paradise is an interactive cocktail recipe book that features over a hundred cocktails. You can search both by name and by ingredients, meaning that you can dig out all your old spirits from the back of the cupboard and find something useful to do with them! Cocktail paradise makes an amazing addition to kegger- or allows you to host your own cocktail evenings without hiring a barman. Finally, a list of drinking games offer a last-ditch method of resuscitating a dying party.
Cocktail paradise is a clever and useful little application that’d be a bargain at twice the price. It’ll get you hammered and help give your parties that extra little bit of sophistication. Turns out there’s actually a useful community app out there!
CGI rating:
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