Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Richard Brown'
Cross Fingers Slides Down To 99c
Heck, you wait all year for one price drop announcement from Mobigame and then two arrive in a matter of days. Stealth-cum-action romp Perfect Cell received the promotional treatment last week and it’s subsequently been joined in Mobigame’s iOS bargain basement by Cross Fingers. Even more exciting than the news this polished tangram-esque puzzler is on sale at 99c is the inclusion of a stack (and we mean stack!) of new levels from its creator. Retina display support and leaderboards bolster Cross Finger’s appeal, though its combination of block shifting and gorgeous packaging was sufficient to find us enamoured from the start. If you fancy taking up the mighty 390 puzzle challenge,…
Streets of Rage 2 Muscles Onto iPhone
You may recall that last week Japanese video game behemoth Capcom brandished two extra cabinets in its iPhone Arcade. One of the new titles made available to Capcom Arcade punters was, of course, Final Fight. (The other was 1943.) Now, almost by coincidence, Capcom’s great rival Sega has released its own side-scrolling sensation Streets of Rage 2 onto the App Store. Well, the New Zealand App Store. The original ORIGINAL Streets of Rage was Sega’s Genesis response to the Nintendo-exclusive Final Fight, so this particular duel has bucketloads of previous. Anyhow, Streets of Rage 2 for iPhone will scrap its way into all App Store territories overnight, retailing for $2.99 and guaranteei…
Papa Sangre Creators Uncloak The Nightjar For iPhone
By its own publisher’s admission, Papa Sangre is a bit - well - out there. Described in one quarter as the “video game with no video”, Somethin’ Else’s atmospheric / spooky audio experience certainly made an impression on the App Store community. Including a favourable one on AppSpy’s very own Andrew. Thanks to nifty, and no doubt incredibly complex, 3D binaural tech, you navigate around the chilling palace of the eponymous demon using only your sense of hearing...and a few swipes on the touchscreen. And continuing in that ‘enigmatic’ vein, Somethin’ Else has taken to that other great contemporary marketing channel Twitter to feed intriguing droplets of info about its u…
25 Extra Levels In Push Panic Revamp
Push Panic is bloody brilliant. Don’t take my word for it, though: Andrew agreed wholesale when he covered it for AppSpy four months ago. The reason why it’s brilliant? Simples. Push Panic actually – cough – pushes the envelope of match-three puzzlers by forcing the player to interact with the cascading blocks much more so than normal through taps and shunts. And anyone who thought they’d cracked Appular’s colour-coded combinations had better ready their thumbs for the next wave... Push Panic’s ranks have swollen to the tune of 25 new levels, eight fresh achievements, and 17 gold rings. Ok, that last one isn’t true. In addition, Push Panic has been converted into a unive…
World of Goo For iPhone Arriving On Thursday
Well, folks, we finally have a date! Developers 2D Boy announced earlier today on their blog that World of Goo for iPhone will roll onto the App Store on Thursday. Yes, THIS Thursday. The iPad version of the construction builder’s wet dream drew plenty of critical praise when launched last December, so here’s hoping the translation to the smaller screen is a smooth one. Mark your diaries now, for, as promised, World of Goo for iPhone will drop at 99c, before being draggggged up to $2.99 24 hours after release. The Sign Painter has confirmed once and for all, too, that World of Goo is only compatible with iPhone 3GSs and iPhone 4s. Pay attention to another ‘warning’ from the gam…
Bulkypix Make MMORPG Yslandia Free To Play
With Gameloft set to enter the MMORPG space on iPhone via Order & Chaos Online pretty, pretty, pretty soon, the platform’s maiden take on the WoW phenomenon has just gone free to play. Bulkypix’s Yslandia stepped into the iOS arena last August, delivering a unique massive multiplayer experience full of the genre’s usual tropes. You know: quests, classes, weird creatures, mystery, and a growing dislocation from what’s known as THE REAL WORLD. Well, it appears that the early enthusiasm for Bulkypix’s first-of-its-kind-on-iPhone epic hasn’t been curbed in the eight months since release. More than 100,000 players from around this big wide world are now getting their Yslandia groo…
Gangstar: Miami Vindication Dropped To 99c
I’m not ashamed to admit I bop my head now and again to some slick Jay-Z rhymes, but the whole gangster-gangster posturing side of hip-hop frightens me somewhat. I suspect it has much to do with the violence, guns, and disturbingly lax morals vis-à-vis da' laydeez. Video games are ace, though, innit, for I can live out my wildest 50 Cent fantasies without fear of recrimination. Ohhhh, yeah, baby. And if YOU fancy infiltrating gangs, undertaking missions, and generally causing carnage on the mean streets of Flo Rida, Gameloft have just the iOS title for you. Gangstar: Miami Vindication is the second in the series of superlative sandbox stories (try saying that twice in a row) from the…
Cut the Rope Showcased On Giant Screens
It’s Friday, so why not – ahem – cut loose and rope in some fun, eh? Eh!! When App Store devs release an update to their prized possession, many opt to tell the world about it via a press statement. Others prefer to shout from the social networking rooftops. Cut the Rope’s publishers Chillingo (in conjunction with Monster Media), however, have chosen a slightly different tack altogether to promote their recently launched Magic Box level pack. To showcase / show off their BAFTA Award-winning and AppSpy 5* physics-based puzzler, they’ve set up two humongous interactive displays in strategic locations across the US. Well, two locations, to be precise. If you’re in the vicinity…
Cave Discount Bullet Hell iOS Games
In times of acute adversity, the strength of human spirit is called upon. Nowhere has that been more evident than in the recovery missions carried out on behalf of those communities decimated by recent natural disasters in New Zealand and Japan. iOS developers and publishers around the world have played their part in the relief effort, donating revenue to charities tied to the affected regions. Japanese bullet hell specialists Cave have decided to contribute in their own small measure by pledging earnings from the sale of Mushihimesama Bug Panic over nine days (starting on the 9th) to the local Red Cross. The 5* Mushihimesama Bug Panic, 5* ESPGALUDA II, and 4* Dodonpachi Resurrection hav…
Perfect Cell Gets Perfect Price Reduction
Any game featuring the word ‘Perfect’ is under pressure from the outset, with the developer left wide open to... Hang on, we’ve been here before methinks. Anyyyyyyways, you may remember Mobigame from such controversies as the Edge incident (starring trademark troll Tim Langdell) and the gloriously filthy Truckers Delight pop promo. What you may have overlooked – oh, silly you – is the fact that the vast majority of their iOS output is of a high calibre, and Perfect Cell is no exception. Using varying degrees of stealth, survival, puzzle solving, and swipes, Perfect Cell sees your super-advanced alien life form attempt to escape a high-security submarine base…
Extra Mode and Armoury In Legendary Wars Update
Any game featuring the word ‘Legendary’ is under pressure from the outset, with the developer left wide open to ridicule, should the gameplay stink. Fortunately for the maker of the cartoony castle defence title Legendary Wars, this Plants vs. Zombies-esque time killer in the main lives up to its lofty moniker, despite the imprecise control scheme. That said, Liv Games have gone some way to assuaging the complaints from the Legendary Wars fraternity by dropping a whole load of new content onto the zombie, vamp, and gargoyle infested battlefield. 50 Game Center achievements, a new Arena mode, and a stack of new armoury should extend the Legendary Wars experience no end. But if you’r…
Gameloft Release Screenshots Of Order & Chaos Online
People often ponder, “why do buses come in threes?” Well, we can’t really answer that logistical conundrum, but we can point you towards the second Gameloft treat in a matter of days. See what we did there? After teasing us with gorgeous artwork from their upcoming FPS sequel N.O.V.A: Elite, Gameloft’s marketing men are it at again, this time showing off some screenshots for Order & Chaos Online. In time honoured fashion, this smattering of images and illustrations was posted on Gameloft’s Facebook page, though only after one of those popular X Factor style polls. For those unfamiliar with Order & Chaos Online, the best thing to do is close your eyes, imagine World of Warcraft…
Final Fight and 1943 Added To Capcom Arcade
Nostalgia in and of itself is no bad thing, particularly if it reunites us with a long-forgotten genre or reminds us of a time when petrol cost less than three arms and a leg. Capcom Arcade on iPhone is the publisher’s attempt at rekindling some glorious gaming memories, albeit minus the sweat-filled rooms and the constant beep-beep-beep from adjacent cabinets. When it launched on Apple’s Store, the free app Capcom Arcade comprised four titles from the ‘golden era’: Street Fighter II, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, 1942, and Commando. There is just one catch: if you want to test your Ryu reflexes more than three times a day, you have to cough up for tokens or buy the game…
Substantial Update Coming To League of Evil
Contrary to some belief, League of Evil has nothing whatsoever to do with the autocrats running the Premiership in England. No, it is, in fact, a fantastically fun iPhone platformer from Ravenous Games, which hopped, skipped, and jumped into AppSpy’s good books in early February. Don’t be fooled by the charming presentation and retro art style, though – League of Evil is one tough cookie, Bob. And to make your life even harder in future, Ravenous Games are cooking up an update filled with new obstacles, traps, and 30 additional levels. The question is when can we expect to dine on this fulsome feast? Soon, say the devs, who have already submitted the extra content to Apple for that…
World of Goo For iPhone Submitted To Apple
iPhone owners have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for 2D Boy’s World of Goo to appear on their handhelds. In reality, 18 months have passed since the famed indie developers first mooted that a World of Goo iPhone edition was in the works. Of course, the iPhone’s big brother iPad launched in the meantime, and 2D Boy switched their attention to readying the physics-based puzzler for the larger touchscreen. The net result was - in the developer’s own words - the best version “by far” of the bridge building extravaganza. All of that patience on the part of iPhoners is about to be rewarded, though, as 2D Boy has finally submitted the iPhone strain of World of Goo to App…
