Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Alex Beech'
Sly Cooper tie-in Bentley's Hackpack sneaks onto the iPad
An iPad port of PS Vita and PS3 game Bentley's Hackpack made an unexpected appearance on the App Store yesterday. Bentley's Hackpack is a collection of the three hacking mini-games from Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. The initial download is free, and offers demos of all of the three mini-game types: Spark Runner, Alter Ego, and System Cracker. Each of these games takes clear inspiration from an arcade classic. Spark Runner is a maze style game where you must gather collectibles on your way to the exit. Alter Ego harkens back to classic side scrolling shoot-'em-ups, and System Cracker is essentially gallery-shooter Combat with a neon coat of paint. While Sony certa…
Mega Jump 2 Review
Game development is all about making tweaks. A change here, an improvement there, and pretty soon a bare-bones idea is transformed into a stunning game. Thus, having already built a solid foundation with vertical platformer Mega Jump, you'd hope that Get Set Games could perfect is monster-centric take on the genre with the sequel. Mega Jump 2's tilt-based action is as responsive as ever, with you directing tiny hero Redford back-and-forth across the screen with subtle hand moveme…
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Get Set GamesRetro RPG sequel Across Age 2 HD slashes its way onto iPad
Things have changed since FDG's nostalgic RPG Across Age was released on the App Store back in 2010. Though old-skool Zelda-alikes were relatively thin on the ground four years ago, iOS gamer have since been drowned in a tidal wave of similarly styled retro-JRPG experiences. Unlike many of these one-shot copy / paste efforts, however, the newly released Across Age 2 HD - which is now available on iPad - does build on an established RPG franchise. And, to its credit, it doesn't seem to stick as closely to the cookie-cutter approach of some of its peers. The basic premise remains unchanged. You're cast as returning heroes Ales and Ceska, and must jump headfirst into another ti…
Revisit RPG history in Bioware classic Baldur's Gate II, out now on iPad
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition appeared iPad just over a year ago. A remake of Bioware's point-and-click RPG classic, the Overhaul Games-developed port was a collector's dream, cramming in all of the game's original expansions, and running on an improved version of the Infinity Engine. Now, the team has brought the Baldur's Gate II, a game widely regarded as one of the best RPGs of its time, to Apple tablets. Much like the iOS port of its predecessor, Baldur's Gate II will take advantage of an improved graphics engine, and contain all of the game's expansion packs. These include Throne of Bahaal and Fist of the Fallen, two self-contained adventures that…
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project Review
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project has always been a game out of time. The original 2002 PC version was delayed by five years, by which time Duke's take on 80's action-movie stars was already D.O.A. Now, the iOS remake stands as a confused anachronism that struggles fit the mobile platform. Back in the da, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project's use of 3D to create a 2.5D run-and-gun platformer was worthy of note. The problem is, that twelve years on, the same trick does little to impress. A…
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Mega Jump 2 is leaping onto the App Store at midnight tonight
Get Set Games's vertically-scrolling sequel Mega Jump 2 will be leaping onto App Stores everywhere at midnight tonight. Mega Jump 2 builds on the original Mega Jump's jump-based platforming action. It sees the return of monstrously cute hero Redford, whom you must guide up the screen and though a series of new platform-filled worlds, collecting coins as you go. This time out, however, Redford will be joined by some new friends. As well as adding some colour and variety to the character roster, these new protagonists have their own unique special powers to assist you in your quest for coins and gems. The other major change is that Mega Jump 2 is a free-to-play game. The op…
Fly a magic carpet with your face in head-tracking game Umoove Experience
Umoove Experience – or Umoove Experience: The 3D Face & Eye Tracking Flying Game to give it its full name – isn’t much of a game. What it is, however, is proof of what Umoove Ltd's face-tracking software can do, and an exciting jumping off point for more entertainment focused developers. It's hard to get excited about a short game that sees you flying around village trying to collect 14 potions. However, its Umoove Experience's peculiar control scheme which turned our heads - literally. After launching the game, Umoove asks you to place your face within view of your iPhone or iPad's front-facing camera. After a few seconds of calibration, the app is able to…
Lost Toys Review
Sooner or later, we are going to have to abandon the idea that wooden toys will be viewed by modern kids as pieces of art. While the sight of our once-beloved spinning top may still tug some sentimental heartstrings, the reality is that - these days at least - plastic and pixels are what kids want. Perhaps this is what Barking Mice Studio's new puzzle game Lost Toys is commenting upon. Each stage of this block-puzzler presents the charred and blackened husk of a toy, twisted out of sh…
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Stunt-racing sequel Joe Danger Infinity reduced to 69p / 99c on the App Store
After landing on the App Store only last week, the toy-tastic stunt-racer sequel Joe Danger Infinity is now on sale for 69p / 99c. Despite the fact that Hello Games only released its pint-sized follow-up to the excellent Joe Danger a few days ago, the developer is already playing fast and loose with the pricing gun. In this case, it's reduced the game's £1.99 / $2.99 price tag to less than a dollar. That's 150cc of fun for the price of 50cc. We really enjoyed Joe Danger Infinity, with its toy-sized take on the action scaling the stuntman down to a size of a Playmobil hero. Swapping out full-sized tracks for tiny assault courses has given the new levels an interesting d…
LYNE Review
One of the keys to a good puzzle game is creating something that feels new, but also has an air of familiarity. It is a feat rooted in simple and intuitive design, a form which conjures the thought that, surely, someone must have had the idea already. Thomas Bowker's LYNE does exactly this. And, no matter how hard we wrack our brains, we can't think of another game that does what it does. Or, at least, none that do it as well. As the name suggests, the simple goal of LYNE is to…
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Detective Grimoire Review
Mr Remington, owner of the tourist attraction Boggy's Bog, has been found murdered. Now, having assume the role of glib gumshoe Detective Grimoire, it's up to you to solve the mystery behind this untimely death in the charming whodunit from SFB Games. All is not as it seems when the good detective arrives in the isolated swamp that plays host to the theme park Boggy's Bog. Upon investigating the scene of the crime, you discover that all evidence points to Boggy, a legendary creature t…
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Codemasters chooses Singapore to play host to soft launch of endless-racer USA: Drive
If the idea of speeding your way across the United States of America in a car has you excitedly humming Born to be Wild, then you might want to check out Codemasters' recently soft-launched free-to-play endless-runner Drive: USA. However, before you strap on your driving goggles, you'll want to check your postal address. You see, rather than soft launch Drive: USA in New Zealand or Canada, the developer has decided to use the Singapore App Store as a testing bed instead. Drive: USA looks to be trying to blend the classic arcade racer Cruisin' USA with Temple Run. Set against a background of Americana, the familiar multi-lane action moves between cities, towns, and open road as you dod…
Backers to receive first half of Kickstarter sensation Broken Age tomorrow
Almost two years after beating its Kickstarter goal by over $3 million, the first episode of Double Fine's point-and-click adventure game Broken Age is about to be made available to backers of the project. The early launch, which will see those who contributed to the game's whopping Kickstarter funding total gaining access to the game, was confirmed on Saturday in a tweet from Double Fine's studio head Tim Schafer. The tweet read: "Haven't shipped a game of my own in 4.5 years, an adventure game in 16, a point-n-click in almost 20. Next Tuesday is going to be exciting!" The acclaimed developer went on to say that though Tuesday's release would be for backers only, th…
Feed Me Oil 2 Review
Holy Water Games's Feed Me Oil was a charming fluid dynamics puzzler that was conceptually simple but mechanically challenging. Now, the team has returned with Feed Me Oil 2, a title that manages to build on its predecessor with the simple addition of water. The goal in Feed Me Oil 2 is to transport oil from a nozzle to a creature's gaping maw. The black liquid spills from its spout with very little force however, so it is up to gravity, and a selection of well-placed tools,…
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Explosive warfare sim Battle Supremacy is blowing up the App Store right now
Newly-released war sim Battle Supremacy take Atypical Games's mastery of dogfight simulation - best shown in titles like Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders - and apply it to land, sea, and air combat. The game recreates a range of WWII campaigns. Leading a tank brigade, you will battle through France, Russia and the Pacific islands, unlocking a range of period-appropriate tanks as you go. Fire up the multiplayer, however, and you'll be able to bring both boats and planes into the theatre of war. All of these vehicles will be upgradeable, meaning you can pimp-out your Panzer before rolling into the online fray. Although simulation fans and WWII aficionados will be excited by…
