Late last year when TurboGrafx-16 GameBox [Free] first hit the App Store, I was beyond excited our review. I'd still list the TurboGrafx-16 as one of my favorite game systems of all time, and the potential that an officially sanctioned emulator has is still something I'm still glad to have, I just wish it had more games. Hudson has slowly been leaking out updates to the emulator with new packs of games included, but like most other official emulators, it's sorely lacking in the classics department. Not to say that Bonk isn't a classic, but come on, where is Blazing Lazers, Keith Courage, and other phenomenal TG16 games?!
Anyway, the newly included games are Bonk's Big Adventure, Image Fight, Break In, Devil's Crush and Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu PC Bangaihen (say that one three times fast). Payment still works the same way in that there's a daily rotating free game, or individual titles can be permanently unlocked for $2.99 a piece. Devil's Crush is worth checking out, I'm not so sure about the other four.
Those of us who grew up with the likes of X-Com and Jagged Alliance have long been waiting for something -- no -- anything in that vein to come up in the App Store since its inception. We've seen plenty of turn-based strategy games come and go, but nothing has captured the RPG-centric squad-based tactical combat we've been yearning for (save, perhaps for the recent release of Tactical Soldier - Undead Rising). Hunters: Episode One [Free / HD] wants to scratch that slow-moving turn-based itch and does so by offering you a few maps for free.
Hunters uses the same in-app purchase style of recent Gameloft games, you'll get a tutorial and a couple of levels for free and you can decide from there if you'd like to purchase the game. That's not the only quirk, it also has a 24-hour mission cycle -- so every day Rodeo Games drops new maps into the cloud for you play through. This is a great idea in theory, but that "always connected" feature also happens to mean there will be ads on the mission select screen, which is a weird thing more than an annoyance. If you're passionate about checking the ads, you'll get some snazzy loot.
Sony’s half-hearted effort to get into the low-cost digital downloads space with the PSP Minis initiative has been disastrous. Its lead platform has been floundering at retail, and I’ve heard from several sources that its support structure is hobbled. That blows for everyone involved, but there is reason to celebrate Minis: good games have, in fact, made it to release. One of those being the ostentatious 2D, shoot-‘em-up called “Who’s That Flying!?” [.99]
Like Flying Hamster [$2.99 / HD] before it, Who’s That Flying!? has been ported to iOS devices and given a cleaner, larger look as well as natural-feeling touch controls. I missed out on the initial release of WTF, but I don’t feel like I did -- this port is so sharp that I mistook it for being a native game. That’s really important to me as I become increasingly grumpier about a studio’s effort in this arena. If it’s not tight, get it out of my face, you know?
Let's start by making one thing clear, MaxNick's Spider Jack [99¢ / HD] is Cut the Rope [99¢ / HD] reimagined slightly enough that it will appeal to the rope-cutting fans out there who've been dying for new levels, but certainly won't convert anyone who isn't a fan of physics based puzzlers. It's also impossible to get through this review without comparing them to each other every step of the way.
It's probably easiest to look at the few differences between the two games first before moving onto the similarities. Where Cut the Rope tasks you with delivering a piece of candy to little Om Nom's mouth, Spider Jack wants you to deliver Jack the spider to his dinner. To do this you'll be spinning you spider web out to knobs, using physics to swing around and eventually cutting the web to capture your dinner. The main difference is that you have to create the ropes before they're cut here. Other than that, you'll find a remarkably similar experience.
Laser Dolphin [.99 / HD] is a criminally under-produced game plagued by issues that wouldn’t be permissible if Laser Dolphin was anything else but a mindlessly fun game about a dolphin with a laser gun strapped to its back.
It’s obvious that Laser Dolphin is a game built on a tight budget or the end product of a rookie game development team. Its animations are stiff, while the story presentation is even stiffer; the assets are endlessly regurgitated, the level design is haphazard, and the action is loose, unpolished, and lacking substance, control, and refinement.
It seems like any time I hear of a new iOS game being built with the Unreal Engine development kit, I’m immediately interested. Such is the case with The First Attempt from Turkish developer Wish Game Studio. They recently released a video of their upcoming game and, despite not having any idea what type of game it is, the video has piqued my curiosity.
Take a look for yourself at the video for The First Attempt, which shows some character renders, some vague story description, and some fly-throughs of a few of the levels:
Unfortunately, there is no other information about the game, and the developer’s blog and Facebook page don't offer many clues either, though they do have additional screenshots if you're interested. My best guess is that The First Attempt will be some sort of first-person shooter, as the level designs appear to be laid out like a single-player campaign of a typical FPS. It’s really anybody’s guess, though, and there is plenty of speculation going on in our forums.
The video states that The First Attempt is set to launch sometime this month, and we’ll bring you any new information on this title as we get it.
Back in March Rovio Mobile released Angry Birds Rio, a version of their incredibly popular bird-themed physics game Angry Birds that tied into the also bird-themed movie Rio.
Normally movie tie-in games aren’t very good, but we were pleasantly surprised with Angry Birds Rioin our review, even awarding the game 5 stars. More than just a Rio re-skin of the original game, it actually contained a few new elements and improvements that made it almost feel like a full-fledged sequel.
In following with Rovio’s practice of adding plenty of new levels to the original Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons, they have released a trailer for the first update that is set to hit for Angry Birds Rio, subtitled “Beach Volleyball":
Rovio has stated on their Facebook page that this new update is set to hit sometime this week. If you’ve been enjoying Angry Birds Rio as much as we have, then keep your eyes peeled for an App Store update badge these next few days to check out the new Beach Volleyball levels.
Earlier this week we took a look at the upcoming multiplayer dual-stick shooter Deadlock from Crescent Moon and Invulse Games, and today we have the first trailer which shows the game in action. Deadlock will feature matches that can be played with up to 8 players online using Game Center in modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture & Hold.
In addition, there will be a fairly extensive upgrading system for your player. The 30 different weapons in the game will have various unlockable attachments which can alter their performance, and your character can equip armor pieces that offer different attributes and abilities. Many of these items and weapons will unlock as you achieve the 30 available ranks in the game through play.
Take a look at the first teaser trailer for Deadlock, which actually is quite a tease but does show off a good bit of gameplay:
Crescent Moon and Invulse are aiming to have Deadlock out by late June, and based on my time with a preview version of the game it’s definitely one to keep your eye out for if you enjoy dual-stick shooters and competitive online play. There’s a lengthy discussion thread in our forums where both developers have been chiming in with additional details, and we’ll have more on Deadlock as it nears its release sometime next month.
One of the strongest entries in an overcrowded castle defense genre is Liv Games’ Legendary Wars [Free]. We reviewed Legendary Wars back when it launched during Macworld in January, and found it to be highly enjoyable due to the variety of gameplay types, interesting upgradeable abilities, and wonderful artwork. Liv Games didn’t stop there, either, and offered up a substantial update to the game in March that added Retina Display support, Game Center integration, and a number of other enhancements and optimizations.
Legendary Wars is a game that seems like it would lend itself very well to the larger screen of the iPad, and indeed many players in our forums have been enjoying the game a lot just playing on the iPad in 2x pixel doubled mode. There’s no need for that anymore, however, as the iPad native Legendary Wars HD [99¢] is now available. It's essentially the same exact game content-wise, but the bigger screen allows more of the battlefield to be shown, requiring less scrolling and giving you a better view for planning your strategy.
Legendary Wars HD looks and plays wonderfully with a properly formatted screen and native resolution graphics for the iPad. As a special launch promotion, and as a bonus for current owners of the game who may want to double dip with the iPad version, Legendary Wars HD can be purchased for just 99¢ through the weekend. Plus, if you don't already have the iPhone/iPod touch version, you can currently pick that up for free this weekend as well. It goes without saying that you should definitely give the regular version a download while free, and if you own an iPad then Legendary Wars HD is an easy recommendation at the launch price of 99¢.
Pulse: Volume One [$4.99] is a new iPad-exclusive game by Cipher Prime, the developers who created the award-winning Auditorium [Free]. Like Auditorium, Pulse is a simple and elegant music game. This time around, Cipher Prime has moved away from puzzles and into the rhythm game genre.
Pulse is an immersive experience right from the start. Even in the tutorial, the game provides no external feedback. You can learn by experimentation, noting what works and what doesn't with the game's visuals to guide you. You're presented with a series of concentric circles and a musical beat. Glowing rings pulse outwards from the center in time with the music, and dots appear with the beat. Tap the dots as they're hit by the pulse and you'll be rewarded with explosive visuals and the next musical note.
They say the best things in life are free, and that's especially true if you enjoy comic books and you've also downloaded the latest offering from Squeenix. Imaginary Range [Free] is a graphic novel/game published by Square Enix, and developed by H.A.N.D., known for Final Fantasy: Chocobo Tales on the Nintendo DS.
Imaginary Range isn't your typical game, in fact it's not much of a game at all, it's more of a comic book with mini-games interspersed between the pages. While the main attraction here is the comic, the mini-games really help you feel like you're playing a part in progressing the story along, mainly because you can't read on until you finish whatever challenge comes up. The games range from your simple slide puzzles, to line drawing games like Flight Controlwhere you guide missiles towards your enemy. While the games are fairly simple, they are marvelously executed and really tie into the story well.
As happy as it makes me to see how far the iOS platform has come in adapting to more traditional gaming tropes, there’s really nothing I love more than coming across a game that utilizes controls and mechanics that feel completely organic to the touch screen. Such is the case of Foodies [99¢], the first iOS game from indie developer Nano Titans and one that I had never even heard of before until it popped up in the App Store just a few hours ago.
Foodies is a story of two squishy, uh, creature... things named Sam and Pam. They are madly in love and Sam proposes marriage to Pam, but there’s a problem. Pam likes a man with some meat on his bones (if these things have bones, that is), and she has given Sam one week to gain some weight before she’ll agree to get married. All that’s left for Sam to do now is eat everything in sight.
The unique control mechanic in Foodies is a big part of what I like so much about the game. Placing two thumbs on the screen will create a line in between them. Sam will drop into a level from the top of the screen and you’ll use this created line to bounce and push him around each level, collecting the various types of food and avoiding hazards.
Noel Llopis of Snappy Touch and Miguel Friginal of Mystery Coconut Games have teamed up on an upcoming project called Casey’s Contraptions, a colorful physics-based puzzle game. 8-year old Casey must build crazy Rube Goldberg-like contraptions in order to solve the more than 70 levels in the game. Solving puzzles will unlock over 30 different items which can then be used in a level editor to create your own puzzles.
Casey’s Contraptions will also feature Game Center integration which allows you to see replays of how your friends solved the puzzles in the game, and they can see your solutions as well. Also, created levels can be shared via email so you can send out your creations for other people to take a crack at.
The developers have just released the official trailer for Casey’s Contraptions that shows off the many possibilities of the physics gameplay:
I’ve been a big fan of these types of physics creation puzzle games ever since The Incredible Machine way back in that long-forgotten era known as the 1990s, and Casey’s Contraption looks to be a solid take on the formula. The game is slated to launch on May 19th, and we’ll take another look at it then. Until that time, swing on by the upcoming thread in our forums for a discussion on Casey’s Contraptions.
There have been plenty of excellent retro platformers released for iOS over the years, and the upcoming 1-Bit Ninja is one that has really caught my attention. Developer Ben Hopkins and his studio Kode80 wanted to create a platforming game that was an homage to the Game & Watch and Game Boy platformers of his youth, and it’s immediately apparent that 1-Bit Ninja is just that. It features monochrome-style graphics and simple 1 pixel animations, but it’s also hiding a high tech secret under the hood.
Anytime during play, you can touch and drag the upper portion of the screen to reveal the world in 3D and get a new perspective on things. If you follow console gaming at all, the effect is somewhat similar to the upcoming title Fez (I highly suggest watching the gameplay video for that game) or even the Paper Mario series. Changing the perspective is not only very cool looking but also affects the gameplay by revealing hidden paths and giving you a broader perspective down the level so you can plan your actions better.
But talk is cheap, check out this developer gameplay video to see what 1-Bit Ninja is like for yourself:
In addition to this interesting gameplay mechanic, Kode80 is also dedicated to creating a game that controls really well on the touch screen. The game has been designed from the ground up for two button controls - touching the left side of the screen makes your character run and touching the right side makes him jump - and that’s it. Players in our forums who are fans of iOS platformers like League of Evil [$2.99/Lite] and Mos Speedrun [$1.99] are skeptical about not being able to move to the left, but I’ll keep an open mind about that until I’m actually able to try the game.
That won’t be too long of a wait either, as 1-Bit Ninja is scheduled to hit at the end of this month. We’ll definitely be taking a look at this interesting looking title then, and check out the forum thread for more information.
Piclings [99¢] from Pan Vision Games is one of the most interesting uses of augmented reality in gaming that I’ve seen. It’s a simple platforming game that can take any picture and turn it into a playable level filled with coins, items, and enemies. The tech works surprisingly well, and it’s undeniably fun to think of new and silly pictures to create levels from. Unfortunately, the underlying gameplay mechanics aren’t the greatest, though they’re serviceable. Despite this, Piclings is still a unique enough experience that’s worth checking out.
The game includes 7 levels to play including a tutorial which walks you through the basic controls. A touch anywhere directional stick moves you character left and right, and you can float like a helicopter in the air for a limited time by pushing up. The floating mechanic is pretty awkward to use, and I would have much preferred the ability to just do a standard jump. Tapping anywhere on the screen will drop the Picling through the surface he’s currently standing on and down to the next.
Those of us who grew up with the likes of X-Com and Jagged Alliance have long been waiting for something -- no -- anything in that vein to come up in the App Store since its inception. We've seen plenty of turn-based strategy games come and go, but nothing has captured the RPG-centric squad-based tactical combat we've been yearning for (save, perhaps for the recent release of 
Sony’s half-hearted effort to get into the low-cost digital downloads space with the PSP Minis initiative has been disastrous. Its lead platform has been floundering at retail, and I’ve heard from several sources that its support structure is hobbled. That blows for everyone involved, but there is reason to celebrate Minis: good games have, in fact, made it to release. One of those being the ostentatious 2D, shoot-‘em-up called “Who’s That Flying!?” [
Let's start by making one thing clear, 
Pulse: Volume One [
They say the best things in life are free, and that's especially true if you enjoy comic books and you've also downloaded the latest offering from Squeenix. Imaginary Range [
