Here’s my Metro Canada News reviews for the week of June 9th.
Maleficent: The Official Multi-Touch Book
By Walt Disney Studios
iBooks
Three Stars
A refreshing acknowledgement of the faerie tales behind Walt Disney’s films, this Maleficent tie-in includes a copy of Charles Perrault’s 1697 version of Sleeping Beauty and a timeline going back to the original 1330 tale, Perceforest. Galleries, pop-up facts, and videos reveal the wizardry of effects and characters used to develop a villainous backstory for Angelina Jolie to revel in.
Saying When: How To Quit Drinking
iPhone/iPad
$1.99
Take stock of your drinking habits with this ingenious app from the CAMH that will help you track your alcohol intake, identify your limits, and find coping strategies that work.
Kitchen Knife Skills
iPhone/iPad
$4.99
Enhanced with video lessons, this in-depth handbook teaches the impressive ability Chefs have to slice, dice, carve, and butterfly their ingredients. Discover the tricks behind both Western and Japanese styles.
Marco Polo
iPhone/iPad
$0.99
Shout “Marco” and this Toronto-made app will trigger your misplaced phone to scream out “Polo” in response. You can use custom phrases and novelty voices to make finding your phone fun.
Tomodochi Life
Nintendo 3DS & 2DS
Rated: Everyone
2 Stars
It’s up to you to create all the characters for this strange game of awkward conversations and bizarre costumes. Buying your villagers gifts and watching their antics is entertaining, but it’s the mini-game quizzes, fantasy quests, and Frisbee tosses that actually give you something to do, and yet they only appear at inconvenient hours of the day. The rest of the time there’s little activity and only your own characters to play with. There’s nothing wrong with Nintendo playing at being surreal, but they’ve forgotten how to be engaging too.
