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Retro Games Review

April 14, 2012

Retro Games (Packs 1 – 3)
Developer: Elite Systems
Platforms: iPhone (reviewed), iPad
Release Date: April 6th, 2012
Price: $0.99 (BUY NOW), HD (BUY NOW), Free (DOWNLOAD NOW), Free HD (DOWNLOAD NOW)

Overview

Retro Games, released by Elite, is essentially an emulator than runs the ancient 8-bit “classics” of old. It runs on the iPhone and iPad, with free and HD versions also available. The app comes with Bruce Lee, as well as 3 game packs, with 3 games apiece.

Gameplay

Well, the emulator works. It even has the graphics glitches when loading at times, and some games even feature the nostalgic garbled audio buzzes and bleeps that are just as annoying as the real thing! Seriously, though, Elite have done a good job of accurately recreating the original games, which look and feel like their aging counterparts.

All versions of the app come with Bruce Lee. The paid-for version ($0.99) comes with the first 3 game-packs for free, including the following games: Archon, Tales of the Unknown, Infiltrator, Black Magic, Alternate Reality: “The City” and “The Dungeon”, Emlyn Hughes International Soccer, Monty on the Run, Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (aka Death Sword).

Another feature of the app is the all-new “iDaptive controls”, letting you customize and reposition virtual buttons and joysticks to your heart’s desire on your touch screen device. It even lets you resize and move the “screen” itself (referred to as the canvas in-app). These controls are also compatible with the iCade.

And this brings us onto the games themselves. While the emulator recreates the titles down to the pixel, they are still really old games. Which means that some of them are really hard, and most of them take a lot of figuring out (or at least require reading the huge, tome-like manual that comes with each game) to be able to even start playing.

There was a couple of games hidden away in the 10 available that were playable… in a broken, glitchy kind of way. But the others are simply too old to be played by a modern gamer. And Elite are going to be releasing a total of 100 titles for their new app, so I’m sure there will be more retro games that have some playability to them, but for now, I’m just not sure it’s worth the money.

Now, Elite specialise in making these emulated games, and push out lot of these rehashed games to the market. So there’s obviously a decent amount of people buying these games for it to be worth their while. If you’re looking for a nostalgia trip, and want to remember those heady days of cartridges and tape cassettes, then you’re sure to get a kick out of playing your favourite classic titles. But if otherwise, there’s not much here for you but frustration and annoyance (a staple of games made that long ago).

Audio & Visual

The sound is faithfully recreated, keeping the good ol’ bleeps and bloops of yesteryear intact. And they even kept the glitchy whines and dial-up-type sounds some of the older consoles had. The music is pretty good in these games, and with the resurgence of 8-bit inspired chiptunes and games in recent years, it’s quite interesting to see where it all came from.

The graphics, too, are equally faithful to the original games. The sprites are simple, but descriptive, and some scenes are down-right impressive for the time and hardware they were made for.

Overall

If you’re looking to blow some money to feel some nostalgia through one of your old faves, then by all means, have at it. Else, I’d give this one a miss. So all-in-all, some will think it’s awesome, and others will think it’s… not-awesome.

Avernum: Escape from the Pit Review

Joshua Moris

April 14, 2012

Avernum: Escape from the Pit
Publisher: Spiderweb Software
Developer: Spiderweb Software
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), Mac, iPad
Release Date: April 11, 2012 (PC Version)
Price: $9.99 – Here

Overview
Indie developers tend to be overlooked or overshadowed by big name developers and should truly merit more attention. Spiderweb Software is one such indie developer but has a healthy line-up of games to share. From previous titles like the Avernum trilogies, Geneforge, and Avadon: The Black Fortress, Spiderweb Software holds a promising track record.

Spiderweb Software has worked hard to deliver this title not only to PC platforms but also make it available on the iPad. This sort of dedication provided me with the understanding that they stood by a valuable product. The only question left is: “Can you escape from the pit?”

Story
Stories have been told of Avernum. A dark place saved for those that have committed crimes against the Empire. But we have not murdered anyone nor stolen goods. What we have done is spoken against the word of Emperor Hawthorne – an act that will not go unpunished.

There is no appealing the judge’s decision. One morning we were taken to the far wastes before a large stone dome. In this structure a magnificent portal shimmered in front of us, emanating freedom and terror. The guards covered from head to toe in armor took off our chains. As we breathed our last breaths of fresh air, the pits of Avernum awaited us.

Being thrown into the dark depths initiates a story of despair that creates motives for survival. Faced with an eminent fear, players are driven to understand and develop their own purpose. With three attainable game-winning quests, players will be able to decide their own fate.

Gameplay
The main focus throughout the entire gameplay is the development of characters. Upon starting the game, players must identify and create the group of adventurers that will be thrown into the pit. Preset classes like soldier, barbarian, and priest can be chosen. While the developers hint towards making a diverse group, any combination of classes can be done. Creating an adventuring group of barbarians may not be the best idea as a priest would be helpful for healing teammates during battle. Additionally, advanced Avernites can create custom classes for each character and allocate skills to their liking from the very start of the adventure. To attest how customized the game is, you can even choose to play the game solo with one character. However, I do not suggest taking on legions of monsters on your own.

Character progression and customization is the result of leveling up and acquiring traits. No matter the preset class a character is given, the traits an individual can possess are based on skills and attributes chosen. For example, a barbarian class would be geared towards strength with lacking intelligence, but enough skill points could provide the character with priestly spells and traits to compliment – Healing Focus. Having this kind of class cross-over will also reduce the amount of specialization a character could potentially achieve. Points spent on priest spells could be better placed with an advanced skill such as Parry or Riposte.

Skill trees can be confusing at first because everything seems unlocked. Further investigation shows that the top tiered skills cannot be acquired until the lower skills have a similar point value. To attain a rank in Riposte, a player must allocate one rank in the following skills in order: Melee Weapons -> Hardiness -> Parry. Understanding this concept is essential to create a specialized character of any class. Miscellaneous skills such as Luck or Cave Lore can prove useful in finding hidden places or evading battles.

Avernum is not only a place of hardened warriors but also a world of magic. Spells can dictate the outcomes of battle by providing assistance or creating destruction when needed the most. Healing becomes ultimately important as you cannot rest out in the wilderness (resting occurs once players reach a town and instantly heals all living party members). Characters that have invested points in priest spells can perform abilities like Minor Heal in battle to help prevent death. Alternatively, mage spells can cause elemental damage to a range of opponents. Keep in mind a fire spell will not do damage to a Lava Bat or similar fire based enemies.

One of the more diverse aspects of the vast caverns is approachable foes. Even as humans are thrown into the portal from above, there are other races claiming dominion in Avernum. Amongst the threatening races are the nephilim and slithzerikai. Nephilim are cat-like humanoids that follow only powerful beings and hold little tolerance to humans. Perhaps the more organized of the two dominating races is the slithzerikai or sliths. Sturdy lizard humanoids that have the potential to be peaceful or absolutely barbaric. Understanding the difference quickly is a matter of life and death. Other foes include magical spiders, mystical dragons, and unnerving undead.

Visual/Audio
The art contributed to the introduction scenes are wonderfully crafted which offers viewers a glimpse of the imagination that Spider Software instills into Avernum. An image of a creature grasping around a pillar nearing an adventurer offers players the understanding that anything can appear in the cavernous depths. In this instance, the artwork emanates a bulk of truth as large foes may present themselves unexpectedly.

Visual in-game components are set in a 2D environment and do not emanate the same appearance seen in the opening artworks. While I was initially deceived, I sensed a striking similarity with another game, Baldur’s Gate. Even though the quality is much better in Baldur’s Gate, I felt that the user interface offered a close resemblance. In a positive light, Avernum: Escape from the Pit delivers full environments by incorporating unexpected objects like mushrooms and colored stones.

Strictly text driven, there are not any actual speaking parts through any of the storyline. Since I focus more readily on voices versus text, I felt disconnected from the characters when reading text driven dialogue. Nevertheless, conversation is necessary to pick up quests, but the temptation to skip or skim is always present.

Making up for the lack of character vocals, sound effects dominate your every step in Avernum. Truly, every movement on the map will create a footstep sound. As it does produce a viable sound for moving around the map, the effect emphasizes the dark unknown of the wandering cavern. In addition, battles are brought to life with sounds of spells and sword swings against your falling foes – or your own motionless body.

Overall
Countless hours can be spent playing a role playing game merely on character creation. This happens to be the best attribute about Avernum: Escape from the Pit as the leveling and advancement of a character build gives a player that something more to look forward to. As another level nears, you begin planning what attribute to increase and what new skills you can acquire.

The poorest qualities lie with the solely text-based dialogue and limited sprite details. There becomes a lack of connection when reading a quest because we do not get to feel the power or tone that a character can influence. Voice acting could make the story more captivating and allow players a more immerse experience. Additionally, if the visuals matched the artwork seen at the game start-up, there would be little discussion for the top 2012 indie game.

Role playing fanatics should summon this title to their shelves immediately. For a mere $10, Avernum: Escape from the Pit is a fun-filled experience that is very affordable. Spiderweb Software has made it available on PC, Mac, and iPad resulting in few excuses not to own this.

Burnout Crash! iOS Review

Jared Hilliers

April 14, 2012

Burnout: Crash!

Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: EA
Platforms: iPhone (Reviewed), iPad, PSN, Xbox Live
Release Date: 11th April, 2012
Price: $6.49 USD/AUD – Available Here

You can check out the Xbox Live Arcade version of our review here

Overview

Well, this was like nothing I expected, but I suppose I shouldn’t have expected much, I didn’t know too much about this version of Burnout. Given the intensity of the Burnout series, which I love, something like that can’t be emulated on the iPhone without some sort of compromise. The title makes the game pretty self-explanatory; it’s all about the crash, from a top-down view. This game started out as a PSN/Xbox live downloadable title, and was ported for iOS, but tilt controls don’t work for it unfortunately.

I basically went into this blind, knowing nothing of the previous downloadable titles or what it was all about. I’ve heard the console iterations are quite enjoyable, but the transfer to touch controls didn’t really do it for me, the game is basically like the Matrix with cars. If you can handle the absurdity of flicking a car around on the screen, trying to make it cause as much damage as possible, then this Physics Puzzle type game can be fun.

Gameplay

Easy to learn, difficult to master, would be one way to describe the mechanics of gameplay. Annoying could be another way, depending on your preference, but it maybe because of the lack of a tutorial. Apparently the console versions have a tutorial, why they dropped is for iOS is beyond me. You’re basically thrown into the game without any real direction, you’ll figure it out, but it deters you from an otherwise decent game.

You can take control of one of several vehicles ranging from pick-up trucks to sports cars (different vehicles are unlocked as you achieve more goals). You basically accelerate into steady streams of traffic in different intersections and create maximum mayhem with explosive “crash breakers.” These are explosions that emanate from the car and hurl it in the direction you swipe on the screen, this is where the Matrix style absurdity comes into play. The car only moves on its own as it initially drives into the intersection; after that it is only moved around by swipes, explosions, bumps from other vehicles, and its own crash breaker explosions.

If destruction is your thing, it’s no doubt watching the mayhem can be fun, that’s the whole appeal of the original burnout and Crash! stays true to the roots. There are several different game types playable on each level meaning Crash! has reasonable replay value, considering it’s $6.49, you would hope so. Some modes also include insanely over the top special events like super tornados or giant lobster monsters (see above), which adds to the absurdity. Each intersection is unique with its own distinct traffic patterns, buildings, and features, so the level design is varied.

Visuals and Audio

All similarities to the original GTA games aside, the game looks fairly decent compared to it’s console counter parts. A few gripes, some of the textures in game look low-resolution on the iPad, and the colour palette is abit muddy for my liking. The explosions in general are pretty good, and things get alot more interesting once special events come into play. Most noticeably for me was the frame-rate drops as you approach intersections, other than that, it’s not a bad looking game.

The constant boing! sound effect when you swipe is probably the most annoying thing, that definitely needs to go, but the general feel of the soundtrack is cheesy arcade game. It’s intentional, so it works for the game and Burnout in general, but quite a bit of the voice-work from the console version is missing. The game currently sits at 146MB, maybe they were aiming for 3G downloads? Unsure, but I doubt most people will notice what’s missing and what’s not from the console version. Another thing, Game Center issues occur sometimes, the game often tells me that the game is not recognized by Game Center. There’ll probably be a fix for this at some point, but it’s sort of annoying right now, especially just after opening the game.

Overall

Burnout: Crash! isn’t a bad port, there are a few issues, but it’s a good fit for the iOS pick-up and put down style of gameplay. It’s more suited to the iPad, with the iPhone feeling a little too small for the mayhem, but that’s a matter of preference. Overall Crash does a decent job for the swipe and tap interface, at times it can feel as though the action is playing out by itself, a little absurd and out of control. But that’s vintage Burnout everyone has known since yesteryear, total mayhem and out of control destruction linked to high scores is what it’s all about.

MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions #15

Philip Federico

April 14, 2012

Welcome back for this week’s iOS Game Suggestions. If you missed out on last week’s suggestions, click on the links below and check what cool games you should be picking up for your iOS along with the introduction and disclaimer on how the suggestions work, as I’m not going through the same old intro every week. (suggestions 1 has the disclaimer)

MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions

What I’ve also introduced is video game play footage (if it’s possible) on some of the iOS games I’ve suggested, you can check this out at the bottom of the article. Currently video game play footage for this week’s suggestions are not available, check back in a few days there will be some more added. For now, if you jump into previous suggestions there are a few videos to check out.

Once again it’s been a great week on iTunes, it started off slow but ended with a bang with many amazing games released, this week I’ve suggested a total of 24 great quality titles. As always for this week’s suggestions are all new titles that you should take a look at and spending your hard earned iTunes cash / time on. This week I’ve focused on Free and games over 99c.

For The Cheapskates – FREE GAMES

	Aero Vacation – Price : FREE – Publisher – Chillingo. (See the world on an Aero Vacation ! Captain the ultimate airship in this highflying adventure. Keep your passengers happy as you travel around the world. Upgrade your ship with marvellous facilities like roller-coasters and water parks that are sure to make your airship the greatest vacation destination to sail the skies.) on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Jumbled HD – Price : FREE – Publisher – Brightside. (Welcome to Jumbled! The gravity puzzle game full of brain-teasing logic to challenge even the greatest puzzlers! The aim is simple. Move all of the blocks around until they fit perfectly into the empty space. Can you complete all 90 levels across the FIVE beautiful stages? The faster you complete each level, the more Stars and Coins you earn. Use your Coins to buy Hints and Level Skips which will help you unlock more stages! You can even customise your level of gravity, friction, spin and linear speed to make Jumbled unique to you!) runs on iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Garfield’s Diner – Price : FREE – Publisher – Web Prancer. (It’s summertime and Irma’s off to Hawaii for a well-deserved vacation. But who will run the diner while she’s gone? Irma convinces Jon to take over for the summer, but it’s Garfield who’s really in charge! Everyone’s favorite fat cat is in the kitchen and laughter’s on the menu! Join Garfield and his friends as they do their very best (or worst) to run Irma’s diner and serve savory signature meals to her regular customers — fresh, hot and fast…daily!) runs on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Doodle Ball – Price : FREE – Publisher – Sandy Games. (Find a different way to enjoy sketch on the screen? Take the challenge on our sketching doodle ball! Express your creativity and madness thoughts to find every possible way to make through each level. How to paly? Click on chalk to start drawing! Draw on an exact location where ball suppose to bounce into the container. Once the ball is within the container, player may make through to the next level. As the level goes higher, it will be tougher to succeed! Let’s start the challenges~ ) runs on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Farm Invasion USA – Price : FREE – Publisher – HandyGames. (It’s been a peaceful day in Texas, with the sun burning down its last rays on Redneck Pops and his two sons Joe and Otis, counting the harvested corn on their porch… when suddenly unknown flying objects are landing and hoggish blue noses start frying fresh corn to make popcorn of it! Reasons enough to welcome the new visitors the Earthling way! Help the two brothers Joe and Otis, get a shotgun, the deadly rocket launcher or a hunting rifle and start the engine of the family’s heirloom, the mighty corn chopper! Race down the fields and banish the popcorn raiders with the sharp blades of your thresher! Use aimed shots to get down their spaceships and avoid obstacles on the field to collect the remaining corn! The craziest invasion of the third kind has just begun!) on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Spell Slingers – Price : FREE – Publisher – Oscar Mike Games. (Welcome to the world of Spell Slingers! Here wizards are pitted againts each another in fast paced 1 on 1 dueling combat and to the winner go the spoils! Use your winnings to outfit your wizard with magical weapons, fantastic customizable outfits, powerful off-hand items that can give you the edge in combat, and much more. Challenge the world and prove you have what it takes to become the top SpellSlinger!) on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Hippo Gum – Price : FREE – Publisher – MaxReality. (Pass from start to finish by chewing gum, avoiding traps and obstacles on your way. And funny little Hippo will help you with that because he likes to chew and blow up bubbles so much! Hippo Gum – is a mix of arcade and puzzle. There is a great variety of levels from simple to highly complicated in store for you. Pass the levels earning stars and awards! This game is suitable for children from 4 to 104.) on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Fighter City – Price : FREE – Publisher –Gamevil. (Fighter City Where Only the Strong Survive. It’s a dog eat dog world in Fighter City. Around every corner is a cutthroat hooligan waiting for their next victim- the only way you’ll survive is to fight your way to the top. Develop into the ultimate fighter by training in a diverse range of martial arts, from Muay Thai to Tae Kwon Do to Jiu Jitsu. Become the top dog of your real world city by establishing a dojo and accepting apprentices. Climb up the ranks of notoriety as you and your posse run Fighter City. ) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE

For The Bargain Hunters – 99c Games

	Cure John – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Appsolute Studios. (C’mon! let’s cure John! John is the very ill and he need to be cured. This is fun game and worth to try. You will become one of John’s white blood cell who dare to fight against the filthy bacteria, the flu virus and more. But not only that, you can also challenge your survival instinct. We also add some interesting fact on the game related to the John’s disease. Try to read that because maybe you never know about that.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Touch Traffic HD – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – TRADEGAME Lab. (‘Touch Traffic HD’ is a simple fun and addictive traffic control game on iPhone & iPad. Don’t compare with any other traffic control games. It’s very different and unique! There are heavy traffic cities, and their residents are suffering from air pollution and the drivers under a lot of stress. Can you give them your best solution?? Of course you can do it!! ) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	Rotate And Roll – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Gamextar. (Rotate and Roll is an addictive gravity driven game. Rotate the world through 54 challenging levels. Pick up all the stars and roll the balls to the bubble portal to escape from these bizarre worlds. Use your finger to rotate the world. Pick up all the stars and help the blobs find the bubble portal while avoiding enemies and falling into outer space.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Cubis Creatures – Price : $0.99 – Publisher –FreshGames (Slide, Stack and Crack your way to victory! – Cubis, the #1 cube puzzler is back with lots of new and exciting features! Bomb-away for bonuses, fire lasers to rack up score multipliers, and compete in daily tournaments to show your stuff. Completing the puzzles in each world gets you one step closer to unlocking the whimsical mystery put upon our sleeping furry friends.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Crazy Animals – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Woodpecker Bros. (The craziest animals from all over the world have gathered under one asylum, will you be able to cure them all before they commit suicide? “Crazy Animals” is a time attack drag & drop game with a unique play system. Drag the needed pills to the insane animal in order to cure it. Squash the mice before they scare your animals again. Electrify animals to delay their insanity.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Got Cow? – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – David Miller. (The Milky Way needs YOU! Peaceful Cows are being abducted by mischievous Alien Invaders! Take aim with your Rocket-Launching Spacecraft & blast the enemy to Smithereens! Can you solve 60 challenging levels of Explosive gravity-based puzzles?) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	DevilDark: The Fallen Kingdom – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Triniti Interactive Ltd. (An old king’s greed has unleashed a plague of evil upon the land, and destiny has chosen you to banish the monsters. The time has come to take up arms and deliver your people from darkness! But beware! As you grow stronger, so will your foes. You’ll need every skill and weapon in your arsenal to prevail. Do you have what it takes?) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW

For The Millionaires – All games over $0.99

	MASTERABBOTT’S OVER 99c PICK OF THE WEEK Max Payne Mobile – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – EA Mobile. (Max Payne, the award-winning title is now available for iOS. A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, hunted by cops and the mob, Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Max Payne is a relentless story-driven game about a man on the edge, fighting to clear his name while struggling to uncover the truth about his slain family amongst a myriad of plot-twists. The groundbreaking original cinematic action-shooter, Max Payne introduced the concept of Bullet Time® in videogames. Through its stylish slow-motion gunplay combined with a dark and twisted story, Max Payne redefined the action-shooter genre.) runs on iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
	Burnout Crash! – Price : $5.49 – Publisher – EA Mobile. (MASTER THE DISASTER! Burnout™ CRASH! explodes onto iPhone and iPad with huge pile-ups, mega disasters and more! Crash and burn with this spin-off from the award-winning console series. WARNING…ROAD HAZARDS AHEAD… UNLEASH DEVASTATING DESTRUCTION. Activate catastrophic Super Features and trigger road-shattering disasters like tornados, tidal waves, asteroids, and even UFOs!) runs on iPad & iPhone. BUY NOW
	Crow – Price : $5.49 – Publisher – SunSide Inc. (Crow is a story-driven action-adventure for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Combining unique exploration, combat, and game mechanics, Crow takes the player on an exciting journey to faraway lands where an ancient battle is unfolding. Created using Sunside’s in-house game platform Radiance™, Crow delivers stunning visuals and immersion in a fully 3D world. Your choices will forever alter the course of this world. Will you Curse your foes or Spare them and risk the consequences?) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	The Secret Legacy: A Kate Brooks Adventure HD – Price : $7.49 – Publisher – Big Fish Games. (Explore Egypt and discover The Secret Legacy of Kate Brooks’ grandmother in this exciting Hidden Object Adventure game! After being given the grim task of cleaning out her deceased grandmother’s office, Kate discovers a letter that describes an entire Secret Legacy! Travel across the globe and uncover a buried treasure! Collect the clues to the mystery behind Kate’s grandmother’s death and save the day!) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	Miku Flick – Price : $14.99 – Publisher – SEGA. (Hatsune Miku arrives on iOS with Miku Flick! Flick characters in time with the lyrics of Hatsune Miku’s most popular songs in this new rhythm game! Match your flicks with on-screen lyrics to score points and clear songs. Each cleared song will unlock additional Miku content to play and watch in “PV Mode”! Become a “Miku Master” and challenge your friend’s high scores over Game Center!) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	Hot Donut HD – Price : $1.99 – Publisher – GameNUG. (Hot Donut – Completely Resigned for iPad with HD Graphics! You are a high velocity donut in a beautiful world of hills. But there is water between you and escape. You must ROLL, JUMP, and DASH your way to freedom. Just touch anywhere on the screen to increase gravity and ROLL down hills. Let go at the top of the hill to FLY through the air. Not going to make it over a gap? just use two fingers to DASH forward and make the landing. Earn power-ups to make your donut FLY upwards, FLOAT in mid air, or get a instant BOOST of speed.) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	iSiege: Nuclear Option – Price : $1.99 – Publisher – Pew Pew Entertainment. (iSiege: Nuclear Option features single player, multiplayer, and pass n’ play modes with several difficulty modes. Take turns as you try to destroy the opposing side’s capitol with tanks, troops and ICBMs. Defend yourself with countermeasures when things get tough. Score bonuses and unlock challenges in Gamecenter by scoring combos, destroying enemy forces, and precision Nuclear Strikes. Track your scores against your friends and the world as you play for world dominance!) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	The Rebus Show – Price : $1.99 – Publisher – Atlantyca Entertainment. ( Being scared is all part of the fun! What do you get when you take one very heroic bat in the world’s most creepy place? The Monster-Help! A mummy who cannot sleep? An ogre with love problems? A vampire who has lost his teeth? No problem: here it’s Bat Pat! Drag Bat Pat through 30 different levels in three creepy locations, avoid the traps and discover all his super powers! Because the monsters don’t really want to hurt anyone. In fact, what they really want is… help. Drive them out from every room and solve their problem… But watch out, don’t get too closed to them! ) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Hero Mages – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – D20Studios (Hero Mages is a turn-based tactical strategy fantasy game that combines the fun of role playing games (RPGs) with competitive and cooperative cross-platform multiplayer gameplay. Designed and developed by a single individual driven to share his passion for gaming with the world, Hero Mages also blends the best elements of tabletop miniature and collectible card games.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW

There you have it folks, these games should keep you busy for quite some time. I’ll be back next week for another dose of iOS goodness, in the meantime if anyone would also like to suggest their own suggestions, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Remember kids,

Play Hard Or Don’t Play At All!

Game Play Videos coming soon.

Gravity Rush demo lands on UK Vitas on May 30th

Travis Bruno

April 14, 2012

While people in North America may be able to go down to their closest video game selling retailer and try out a Gravity Rush demo on the Vitas they have set up in store, gamers can’t actually try the demo out on their own Vita. However it seems that Europeans at least will have a chance to download a Gravity Rush demo before the game is released in June.

UK retailer GAME revealed in a tweet that the demo would be arriving on the European PSN on May 30th. This of course gives us hope that there will be a simultaneous release for the North American PSN as well, considering Gravity Rush is still the most highly anticipated title of the whole Vita line-up.

New Assassin’s Creed 3 screenshots show off wondrous winter environments

Travis Bruno

April 13, 2012

New Assassin’s Creed 3 screenshots show off wondrous winter environments

While Altair and Ezio Auditore may be rolling in their graves when they see these screenshots, you may find them delightful. In what seems to be yet another Assassin’s Creed 3 screenshot leak from Ubisoft, we see our new main character making his way through a wintry forest as he hunts down a deer.

Those eager to see any action, or even a successfully claimed hunt will be a bit disappointed , but there is one thing these images do showcase, and that is how wonderful the environments look already. At least half of the images seen below could be passed off as a real-life landscape if you didn’t know they were from a game already.

Sleeping Dogs set for release on August 14th, pre-order bonuses revealed

Travis Bruno

April 13, 2012

Sleeping Dogs set for release on August 14th, pre-order bonuses revealed

The revived True Crime: Streets of Hong Kong, now named Sleeping Dogs, has received an August 14th release date from Square Enix today alongside a handful of pre-order bonuses that, as usual, are tied to specific retailers.

For those who want to pre-order the game from Best Buy will receive the “Georges St. Pierre Pack,” which offers GSP related items as well as his “signature flying punch.” GameStop is offering a very basic SWAT pack and Amazon is handling the “Martial Arts Pack.” All of the pre-order packs can be seen below, though it is clear that Best Buy wins this round.

Mistwalker: Message from Mr. Sakaguchi

Kyle Moore

April 13, 2012

Recently, Mr Sakaguchi announced that his company, Mistwalker, would be releasing three titles for the iOS. Finally, we are given some insight in to the way they may look, and even an idea at what the game itself may be. The featured image is from an upcoming title, Party Wave. Party Wave will be an iOS surfing game. Unfortunately, Mistwalker are being rather mysterious and there are no hints as to how the game will function mechanically. The character design is rather charming and looks to be a trick based title. Whether or not it will borrow elements from the RPG genre, as Sakaguchi is famous for, we will have to wait and see.

Worms Revolution and the Environmental situation

Darren Resnekov

April 13, 2012

Worms Revolution and the Environmental situation

The Worms are coming, again under the guidance of Andy Davidson, the original creator of the concept who has returned to Team 17 to guide the Worms revolution project, and some new concept art has been released showcasing some of the new environments. Whether playing in single player or multiplayer modes the game will always take part in one of four differing environmental locations including

– the Sewer which is one part of a sewer network and the Rock Pool with a lovely beach view

– the Garden of a house belonging to a mad scientist as well as a Farmyard scene.

The game will feature unique technology where the original cutaway worms background has been replaced by a 3D rendered background, yet retains the same granular environmental deformation as its 2D traditional counterpart. While it was always a goal to render the backgrounds in 3D to improve the visuals, the team were adamant that the deformation physics remain the same as to preserve the classic worms gameplay we all know and love so much.

Each of the 4 differing environments are made up of 5 seperate elements including

– the background which houses all the other elements such as the deformed landscape that reacts to the worms and their weapons

– detail objects such a limpets which are found througout the different environments

– wind indicators which are objects that float across the screen and give the player and indication as to wind direction

– base water which sits below each landscape and acts as a death poon for any worms that dare fall into it

Within the various environments can exist borders whihc add a new dimension to the game. Any battle that takes place in a bordeered environment has to be more strategic as the border walls are impenetrable. This removes things like air strikes from gameplay and makes players think a bit more as to how to destroy the enemy. Keep posted for more Worms Revolution news.

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