Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Peter Willington'
Hands-on with Powder - Alpine Simulator, the minimalist snow carver
Powder - Alpine Simulator is a cross between an endless action game (like Impossible Road) and a simulation game. It's definitely much more in the arcade camp than the sim, but the feeling of carving through the powder feels surprisingly authentic. It's not a “realistic” game by any means, but when you're swooping through the trees and between rocks, attempting to out run an avalanche, you won't much care. Grab Powder - Alpine Simulator on iOS for free now via the link below this video, after you've watched it of course! [App Store link]…
Powder - Alpine SimulatorHands-on with Vertical Golf, the sky high club swinging sim
When you think of all the hazards that can happen on golf courses, suffering from vertigo probably wouldn't be the first thing you'd come to think of. Going knee deep into water, getting sand in your shoes, and the occasional rogue golf ball? Sure! But experiencing an extreme aversion to heights? It's not a regular occurrence. Not unless you're playing Vertical Golf, in which instead of smacking your ball out towards the horizon, you're smashing it skywards. Vertical Golf is available right now, you can find it on the App Store if you follow the link below this video. [App Store link]…
Hands-on with Flockers, an exclusive early look at the dark and fluffy puzzler from the makers of Worms
Though the company is best known for the Worms series, Team17 has a long and storied history of making games in all sorts of different genres - such as Superfrog, Body Blows, and Alien Breed. For 2015 the studio is bringing PlayStation 4 and Xbox One puzzler Flockers to mobiles and tablets. In AppSpy's exclusive early hands-on with the game - which will be released on the 14th January - you'll see a few of the earlier levels, get a taste of the dark humour, and watch as I get to grips with the fundamentals of play.…
Hands-on with Need For Speed: No Limits, or 'what the Real Racing 3 team did next'
As a fan of Real Racing 3, my interest was really piqued in Need For Speed: No Limits when I heard they'd gotten involved with the project. How would a race sim maker transition into making a more arcade-oriented title? Luckily I didn't have long to wait to find out, as the title has just now appeared on the App Store. Need For Speed: No Limits is currently in soft-launch in Taiwan, and the video below is from that version of the game. If you're interested in playing it for yourself, the link for which is underneath our hands-on video. [App Store link]…
Hands-on with Wizard Golf RPG, a curious blend of high fantasy and firm fairways
I like to think that Gandalf would have enjoyed a spot of golf, perhaps while savouring a little Pipe-Weed. I reckon Frodo would make a good caddy too, though I imagine he wouldn't be welcome at Hole 19, bless him. Wizard Golf RPG doesn't star Gandalf, but it does feature a wizard attempting to make Par across multiple courses over various themed worlds, in this compelling blend of RPG and golf. Wizard Golf RPG is out soon, but is currently in soft-launch. You can find the link for it below our hands-on video. [App Store link]…
Hands-on with Gunslugs 2, the most hectic shooter I've played in months
The original Gunslugs was no walk in the park, but for Gunslugs 2 it looks like developer OrangePixel has significantly upped the ante. Huge explosions, massive tanks, and giant missiles are run-of-the-mill occurrences in this side scrolling shooter, and you can't move more than a few feet before a hail of bullets rains down all around you, or something violently explodes. It's pretty rad. Check out my hands-on below.…
Hands-on with Talisminery, in which Mr. Wong dives for talismans
Talisminery is a neat little endless action game from new indie developer Jan Hrnjak. It's a tough highscore chaser that's a little reminiscent of stuff like Flappy Bird and Swing Copters, and also features tight controls, a nice retro aesthetic, and endless potential for leaderboard competition. Want to try it for yourself? Grab it via the link below our video, and then let us know your highscore in the comments. [App Store link]…
Grace of Letoile is now available on Android, and it's about time
Grace of Letoile is the tale of Vedley, and a pack of "automated dolls" called Letoiles who have the ability to control time. Vedley attempts to defeat these Letoiles and steal the Sertzes that lie at their cores, as doing so will grant him his one wish: to bring his parents back from the dead. Queue mystery, intrigue, and a whole lot of battling in this new JRPG from Kemco. Grace of Letoile is available now on the Google Play store, so take a look at the trailer below and then grab the game via the link under that if you feel like giving it a go. [Google Play link]…
Hands-on with Drop Wizard, a 'dawww'-inducing mix of Bubble Bobble and Super Crate Box
Drop Wizard is heavily inspired by classic cutesy arcade action games, especially Taito's classic platformer trilogy Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands, and Parasol Stars. The game is scheduled to be released on iOS on the 8th of January, but I grabbed an early access build to show you the opening few stages. Here's what it all looks like in motion...…
Hands-on with Transformers: Battle Tactics, in which we see whether you should be Jazz'd, or if this strategy game will make you Starscream
There's been a few Transformers games released of late, stretching from top quality tie-in auto-runners, to extremely niche pseudo re-releases. Transformers: Battle Tactics is a free-to-play turn-based strategy game that asks you to form a party of Transformers, upgrade them, and then take on a variety of other Transformers. It's currently in soft-launch in a couple of territories, but if you have a Canadian account you can start playing now via the link at the bottom of this article. [App Store link]…
Hands-on with Looney Tunes Dash!, in which we find out what's up, doc
I think we've all got a bit of a soft spot for the antics of Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Porky Pig et al, I know I certainly do. Zynga's recently launched free-to-play auto-runner is called Looney Tunes Dash!, and stars this lot and more over dozens of stages of collecting coins, jumping ravines, avoiding baddies, and generally getting up to comic mischief. The video underneath this paragraph shows it in motion and gives you some first impressions, if you want to grab it for yourself the link to get it is below that. [App Store link]…
Hands-on with Rocket Cars, the rocket-powered arcade racer from the Touchgrind Skate 2 peeps
Anyone who's been with AppSpy for a while will know how in love I am with Touchgrind Skate 2, so when I heard that the team at Illusion Labs was working on an arcade racer, I just had to go take a peek at the version that's currently soft-launched in Canada. Below is what I made of this free-to-play speed-fest, if you fancy checking it out yourself (and you have a Canadian account) you can do so via the link under the video. [App Store link]…
The top 5 best iPhone, iPad, and Android games of 2014
Here we are then: a brand new year. 2015. Twenty fifteen. Two, zero, one, five. I'm pretty sure we were promised personal jetpacks and hoverboards by now. Anyway, 2014 was one heck of a year for mobile and tablet gaming, and AppSpy was there to cover it all, bringing you all the video coverage you'd ever need for the whacky world of iOS and Android gaming. A world where space marines do battle, futuristic spacecraft race at thousands of miles per hour, sick skateboarding tricks are landed, and animals turn into real boys you can go on dates with. But what were the very best titles of 2014? Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, AppSpy's top 5 games of the year... From myself and th…
AppSpy's Best Games of 2014 - Peter's Top 5
It's the very end of December, and at this time of year it's customary for video game websites to pick out their favourites titles of the previous year. We'll be popping up our “official” collective top 5 on the 1st of January 2015, but as we build up to that, the AppSpy team is all going to take a little time to run you through its personal favourites. First up, my turn. Skylanders Trap Team The best thing about Skylanders Trap Team isn't the compulsively collectible toys, nor is it the rock solid mix of platforming and combat. It's not even the dedicated controller, superb voice acting, or top notch visuals.The best thing about Skylanders Trap Team is that it sets out to…
Got a new phone or tablet for Christmas? Here are 5 easy steps to use AppSpy to get the best games on the cheap
We know how it is: you get a new piece of gaming hardware, and you immediately think "this is awesome, I want to fill it up with super cool games... I wonder what's cheap on the App Store?". You need wonder no longer - AppSpy is here to help you get all the best games and apps as cheaply as possible, and sometimes even for free! Here's what you do; 1. Ensure you've signed up for an AppSpy account. It's free, and takes about 30 seconds to do. 2. Find any app or game you fancy playing. You can search for them here, or you can browse the very best iOS has to offer with our Top Rated list. 3. Having clicked through to the game, you should see a page that looks something like this. Now all y…
