Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Richard Brown'
Sponsored Feature: MonTowers, the number one game in Japan, is now free
Any game where you capture monsters and battle them can be a hugely engaging and addictive experience - as anyone who has played a Pokemon game can attest. Nintendo's well-loved franchise looks to have yet another contender for its crown in MonTowers ~Legend of Summoners~, Japan's #1 iOS game. After its launch, MonTowers quickly became Japan's #1 game and currently has over 500,000 players. Considering it has attracted over 20,000 combined iPhone and iPad reviews on the App Store, it's safe to say MonTowers is a resounding success. The companies behind the game - YD Online and Buffstone - are hopeful that it'll soar up the App Store charts in the West much like it did in Japan.…
Sponsored Feature: China Wireless Arts on Armed Beasts
Shoving weaponry into the hands of cartoon animals such as rabbits, dogs, and lions might sound a desperate move - but publishers China Wireless Arts are keen to emphasise that Armed Beasts is much more than just an amusing concept. The overhead shooter throws in a range of enemies, locations, and mission objectives to keep you interested after the thrill of a bull firing a chaingun has long since worn off. Wendy Don from China Wireless Arts spoke to us about how the game has a range of locales to explore, weapons to sample, and what the multiplayer options involve. AppSpy: What does Armed Beasts offer that no other overhead shooter on the App Store can? Wendy: Armed Beasts is a 3D gam…
Sponsored Feature: Nevosoft on My Kingdom of the Princess III
My Kingdom for the Princess III is the latest iOS release from Russian developer and publisher Nevosoft. If you're not familiar with the My Kingdom for the Princess series, the game contains a unique mix of simulation, strategy, and time management. It also recently featured as a new and noteworthy release on the US App Store. In My Kingdom for the Princess III, you are required to destroy any obstacles you're faced with, rather than just build to make progress. We spoke to Ekaterina Zholobova, head of mobile marketing at Nevosoft, to find out what the influences on, and inspirations for, My Kingdom for the Princess III were. "Sergei Korshun, the project's author and lead develop…
Sponsored Feature: MobileMediaCom on Toons Summer Games 2012
When MobileMediaCom developed their latest release, the goal (pun intended) was to produce an iOS game that was popular, of international stature, and that could relate to current events. It made perfect sense, then, to develop a game based on the upcoming Olympic Games. MobileMediaCom have undeniably got into the spirit of things for Toons Summer Games 2012 - a vibrant and fun game where you can play as various cartoon animals, compete in numerous athletic events, and participate in multiple game modes. We spoke to Philippe Moyal from MobileMediaCom about the team's thought processes during the development of the iPhone and iPad title Toons Summer Games 2012. By deciding to have c…
Sponsored Feature: beActive on Collider Quest for iOS
Collider Quest isn't your run-of-the-mill iOS title. Rather than simply being a standalone puzzle-action game, it's actually one part of beActive's futuristic multiplatform Collider World project. Alongside the Collider Quest game, beActive plans to immerse gamers in the Collider World 'universe' via a web series, comic books (also available as apps), a story prequel on Wattpad, and even a film (which is due for release this autumn). We spoke to Nuno Bernardo, beActive's CEO, to find out which films, TV shows, and games acted as inspiration for Collider Quest. "We were inspired by the work of J.J. Abrams and the sci-fi post-apocalyptic movies like the Terminator series, where the w…
Sponsored Feature: Playbean on Astrowings 2 - Space Odyssey
Touchscreen devices shouldn't really be able to handle fast-paced 2D shooters, but the fact bullet-hell titles from developers such as Cave and Llamasoft have worked so well on iPhone and iPad mean we're more than happy for logic to be defied. Developer Playbean believes that its latest iOS title, Astrowings 2 - Space Odyssey, is one of the better shooters on the App Store, and the game boasts a large number of levels, difficulty settings, and upgrade options to back up that claim. Song In-Hyeon, project director at Playbean, spoke to us about how Astrowings 2 - Space Odyssey has been developed to appeal to a wide audience, what shooters inspired its creation, and what the future holds for…
Sponsored Feature: Kaimai On Spaced Invaders
As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." We imagine that's what went through the mind of Kaimai's main director Peter Lau when he began crafting Spaced Invaders, a modern twist on the arcade classic Space Invaders that's been entertaining coin-op fans since 1978. Lau spoke to us about how his idea came to fruition; respecting a classic; guest appearances; and his ambitious plans for a sequel. AppSpy: Can you tell us a little bit about Spaced Invaders? Peter: The game is set in three different stages and each stage has five levels. The first stage is set in a warehouse, the second in a nightclub, and the third is set at an outdoor festival. You play as a DJ, whos…
Über-Popular Facebook Shooter UberStrike Being Ported To iOS In 2012
CEO of Cmune Ludovic Bodin announced today at the Social Gaming and Virtual Goods World conference that Unity3D shooter UberStrike, previously only playable on Facebook, will be arriving on iOS in the near future. With its 1 million+ players gladly indulging in the simple thrill of charging around a tropical island and gibbing enemies like it’s 1995, UberStrike has become one of the most popular free-to-play games on The Social Network. Already ported to the Mac App Store with chart-topping results, Bodin believes it’s time for the FPS to make its mobile debut. An iPad version of the game has already been spotted in Cmune’s official forums, so it’s clear iOS develo…
Sponsored Feature: Evileggplant Studios On Straw Hat Legacy HD
Freshening up the tired endless runner template is no easy task, but Evileggplant Studios believe their latest title Straw Hat Legacy HD has managed it. A platforming game with distinct Heian-era influences, it's a title that looks to offer something different in an overcrowded genre. Wael Ouaijan, CEO at Evileggplant Studios, spoke to us about Straw Hat Legacy HD's stylistic influences, the developer's future plans for the game, and why it isn't just another endless runner. So, what exactly does Ouaijan believe the game offers that you can't find anywhere else on the App Store? "Straw Hat Legacy HD is unique in providing players with a free form (non-linear) platfo…
Update To Physics-Based Puzzler daWindci Floats Onto App Store
For the second time in three months, one of the great masters of the High Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci is about to receive a mention on these pages. They - whoever they may be - don't call AppSpy the 'most culturally enlightened iPhone site on the planet' for nothing, you know. With a clear nod to the esteemed Italian polymath, developers Reality Twist have designed a masterfully meditative physics-based puzzler for Apple's mobile by the name of daWindci. In essence, you must pilot a hot air balloon via the iPhone's multi-touch display through 45 separate levels, searching for valuable items and circumventing electric fields along your expeditions. Those already seduced by the combinati…
16 New Levels Available To Download In Cube-Puzzler Edge
If you'll pardon the pun, please, readers, developers of Edge Mobigame appear to be on a bit of a roll lately. Firstly, they finally obtained the trademark to the term 'Edge' in May after one of the longest and most bitter legal disputes in mobile gaming history. Secondly, they released Edge Extended, a pitch-perfect iPhone sequel to the aforementioned cube-shifting puzzler. It's good to see, however, that Mobigame haven't forgotten their roots throughout this purple patch, as the company have just issued an update to the isometric brainteaser Edge. For those of you who found the pace of the 48 levels that comprise the Edge Challenge too easygoing, news that 16 additional stages of great…
More Levels and Level Editor Objects Promised In Update To Bike Baron
If you go down to the Facebook woods today, you're sure of a big surprise. A big Bike Baron surprise, no less. Creators of this 5* Trials HD-esque stunt racer Mountain Sheep posted on Mark Zuckerberg's social networking site recently that Bike Baron would be imminently exiting the studio's pit lane. Bike Baron update was submitted to Apple for review! Will bring new levels, new level editor objects and much more. And why should that be of interest to you? Well, Mountain Sheep's daredevil motorcyclist was not only selected as one of AppSpy's picks of the month, but it also finished top of the Quality Index's October pops. You can't argue with that kinda industry acclaim. Can you?…
More Order & Chaos Online Accounts Have Been Hacked
You thought you could breathe a huge Order & Chaos Online sigh of relief, didn't you? Unfortunately not. After reporting on the first Gameloft Live security breach a few weeks ago, which involved hackers gaining access to Order & Chaos Online players' accounts, we told you we'd keep you updated on events relating to the French studio's iPhone MMORPG. And so we are. In spite of Gameloft's best attempts at plugging the Order & Chaos Online security holes, a raft of gamers - some of whom were affected in October, some of whom were not - have had their accounts hacked over the weekend. If that wasn't enough bad news for the Order & Chaos Online masses, reports are surfacing…
Super Stickman Golf Goes Free For 24 Hours On iPhone
Super Stickman Golf may have been put off its game slightly by a trademark troll earlier in the year, yet it remains a phenomenally enjoyable iPhone experience. This inventive trajectory-based puzzler from Noodlecake pitched up on AppSpy's green a little under a year ago and received full marks from Andrew on review. The effortlessly simple control method complements the cleverly designed levels rather nicely, while the online multiplayer mode is a genuine treat. So long as you have three mates who own the game, of course. Whether you're a Billy No-Mates of Mr Popular, mind, news that Super Stickman Golf is going free for a day should be music to your ears. 261 holes and Retina display…
Com2uS's Tower Defense: Lost Earth Updated With Additional Power-Ups
You may not necessarily be aware of this, but the term 'tower defense' is copyrighted. The copyright-holder is none other than Com2uS, who waited almost three years before actually cashing in on their lucrative TD trademark (serial number 3442002. Honestly.). Was it worth the wait for an 'official' tower defense on iPhone, then? Yes and no. Yes, because Tower Defense: Lost Earth is undeniably polished, full of game modes, and rewards high score seekers. No, because there's nothing really new or innovative about this particular tower defence experience. Still, we awarded it a handsome 4/5 on review, and we're stoked to see it updated by the developers with additional power-ups, includin…
