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PSA: Motorsport Manager is out August 21st and you should probably buy it
If you were to ask me "hey, Peter, what's been the best game you've played in the last 3 months" I would slap you in the face as hard as I could, screaming "did you not see my hands-on with Motorsport Manager?" Then I'd try to calm myself down, and later apologise to you for my outburst. Sorry about that. But that wouldn't make the sentiment any less true: Motorsport Manager is complex, accessible, beautiful, personal, and I honestly believe that any fan of racing or management games will adore it. The game is made by Christian West, whose credits include Joe Danger Infinity and Geometry Wars Galaxies, and the game's handsome tilt-shift visuals, combined with deep and compelling gamepla…
Motorsport ManagerThe Simpsons: Tapped Out goes all Clash of Clans in new update
The Simpsons: Tapped Out gets a lot of stick in the games press for being an overly simple, mindless game of tapping and wait timers, with no creative value whatsoever, and precious few original ideas to call its own. The bods at EA Mobile have gone ahead and added a whole new element to the game, no doubt to prove the haters wrong: they've brought war to Springfield. Extremely-heavily-inspired-by-Clash-of-Clans WAR! You can still do all the tapping you like, of course, but the new update allows you to raid other players, defend Springfield from attacks, and see how Homer and the gang would fare in fantasy warfare. If you're wondering just how inspired by Clash of Clans the new update…
Destiny Companion now available for iOS and Android
The much anticipated spiritual successor to Halo - Bungie's new shooter Destiny - may not be out until September, but if you're an eager Destiny beaver you can go grab the companion app now. Destiny Companion lets you inspect your Guardian, compare your Grimoire score with others, and take a peek at the stats of others. You also get info on game updates, and have direct access to the Destiny forums. The eagle-eyed may notice that the app was released on 8th of June 2011, which is a fair few years before Destiny was announced. That's because it's technically a re-made version of the Bungie Mobile App, fact fans. The app will work regardless of whether you're playing on PlayStation or Xbo…
All aboard the hype train from Valadeline: Syberia 3 screenshots revealed
Fans of the Syberia games have been waiting since 2004 to see how the events of Syberia 2 would resolve. Ten years is a very long time to wait, but finally there are now more details (and a few tantalising screens) of Benoît Sokal and Microids' third Syberia title. Syberia 3 is an adventure game, as you'd expect, and kicks off immediately after Syberia 2. New York corporate lawyer Kate Walker will uncover more of the mysteries surrounding Syberia, all the while interacting with the Youkol tribespeople. These screens show a marketplace of the Youkol, complete with Snow Ostriches, and our heroine Kate Walker. I'm currently working my way through the PC versions of the first Syber…
Pokemon Trading Card Game heads to iPad, AppSpy team expecting Hell to freeze over any time now
Josh Wittenkeller - an extremely likeable chap who talks about Pokemon on The Internet - tweeted a very interesting picture from The Pokemon World Championship in Washington DC this weekend. As you can see in that link (and the pic below), it's the Pokemon Trading Card Game running on an iPad, the first time the game has been available on a non-Nintendo portable device. According to various poke-sources, it appears to be a version of the Windows and Mac game Pokemon Trading Card Game Online, but running on a tablet. So why's this exciting? First, the Pokemon TCG is a pretty cool card game that's been going since 1996 and has a loyal following, and getting to play it on iPad is going to…
Goat Simulator set to charge onto iPhone and iPad later this year
Bonkers sandbox destruction game Goat Simulator is set to charge onto iPhone and iPad sometime later this year. Having already wormed its way into the hearts of millions of PC gamers via a series of viral videos, Coffee Stains studio's surprise novelty hit is making the transition to mobile. Though it's still early days - the video above showcases the roughness of the current interface - the current build already lets you charge about the streets, ram pedestrians, and attach yourself to passing vehicles using only your tongue. Pocket Gamer's Mark Brown and I went hands-on with the game in a darkened Gamescom corridor. You can see the result in the video above. …
Elysian Shadows promises to be a next-gen 2D RPG
If you're itching for something like the RPGs of 16-bit yore, only with a modern sheen, then by jove you're in luck. Elysian Shadows is an upcoming Kickstarter-backed isometric 2D Action RPG that's managed to nab well over half its required funding in just 10 days. Yes, we have the odd retro-inspired RPG plop on to the App Store every fortnight or so, but this team is aiming to "push the envelope" by fusing 16-bit charm with modern techniques. In Elysian Shadows, you'll be able to lob anything in your inventory at baddies, bask in 3D lighting for 2D sprites, and witness the spectacle of particle physics that I have no idea how to explain. Check out the video below for a glimpse of the ga…
The Construct Quarter is now available for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
Another week, another Hearthstone update, another reason to sink another billion hours into the seemingly unstoppable game of card slinging. This time you're headed into The Construct Quarter to fight a bunch of new beasties. The rewards for this Quarter are pretty sweet, here's what they look like... And just for posterity here are those vital stats; UndertakerWhenever you summon a minion with Deathrattle, gain +1/+1Mana cost: 1Attack: 1Health: 2 Mad ScientistDeathrattle: Put a Secret from your deck into the battlefieldMana cost: 2Attack: 2Health: 2 Zombie ChowDeathrattle: Restore 5 Health to the enemy heroMana cost: 1Attack: 2Health: 3 Wailing SoulBattlecry: Silence your other min…
Animal Boyfriend is amazing and sweet and weird and creepy and you should probably start playing it right now
How's this for a video game premise... In Animal Boyfriend you take a "handsome Animal Student" (!) and help him to become a "refined" human being. Along the way you can change his personality and appearance (!!), talk with him and go on dates, and train him (!!!) to become your perfect boyfriend. The game has well over 1 million users in Japan, mostly female according to the developer, and it's now come to the west with a full English translation. To celebrate, a number of time-sensitive beginner events will be occurring in Animal Boyfriend; 1. Triple Attribute Point Campaign: Attribute Points are needed to change the personality of your boyfriend. EDT: Until 8/11 2AMPDT: Until 8/10…
Champ Man 15 is an iOS exclusive, Android owners left on the bench this season
Square Enix has confirmed that football management title Champ Man will be getting its annual update this year, and that the game will - rather expectedly - be called Champ Man 15. What's unexpected is that Champ Man 15 is exclusively headed to iPhones and iPads, with no word on whether Android owners will be able to get in on the fun this year. Want a trailer? Tough. Some screens? Sorry. But we do have the app logo for you. It looks like this; Other info on Champ Man 15 we've received covers off the essentials: it's free-to-play, will feature 440 real-life clubs in 23 leagues from around the world, and will include all the promotions, transfers, and stats from the 2014 / 2015 seas…
More free MSX games headed to iOS: Guardic and Yokai Tanken Chima Chima coming this August
A couple of days back I highlighted the excellent port of Zanac by D4 Entertainment, then went hands-on with it to show you how it plays, and subsequently had a moan on Twitter that more cult classics don't get the same level of treatment when they're ported. Clearly D4 Entertainment is in agreement with me, because after blowing me away with how it handled Zanac - which features new control schemes, a sleek conversion, and is ostensibly free - the company is doing the same with other MSX games. Shmup enthusiasts will be able to get their hands on Compile's experimental shooter Guardic, that does away with linear stages and allows you to pick your own path through the game. It has contro…
Attention: The Military Quarter is now available in Hearthstone
An army of Hearthstone fans will no doubt be excited to know that The Military Quarter has now unlocked in the card battling behemoth from Blizzard. It requires that you've already purchased previous chapters The Plague Quarter and The Arachnid Quarter, and will cost you $6.99 / £4.99 to access it. Or some Gold. Whatevs. Need stats? We got stats; Dancing SwordsDeathrattle: your opponent draws a cardMana cost: 3Attack: 4Health: 4 Spectral KnightCan't be targeted by spells or Hero PowersMana cost: 5Attack: 4Health: 6 DeathlordTaunt. Deathrattle: Your opponent puts a minion from their deck into the battlefieldMana cost: 3Attack: 2Health: 8 Baron RivendareYour minions trigger their…
Sherlock: The Network goes free-to-try on iOS, coming to Android this summer
Secretly, every person who has ever watched and enjoyed the Sherlock series on the BBC, has thought to themselves: "boy, I wish I could hang out with Sherlock, Watson, Mycroft, and the gang". I guess that's why Sherlock: The Network has been rather successful amongst fans of the series, as it lets you do exactly that, all the while solving a tough case full of intrigue, drama, and slightly phoned-in performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and Mark Gatiss. If you were put off by the entry price of Sherlock: The Network, you can now try the first few cases for free, to see if you dig what developer The Project Factory is laying down, and then buy the rest via a single IAP o…
Chaos Rings 3 will come to iOS and Android in Japan this October
Fans of mobile JRPGs rejoice: the next instalment of Square Enix's Chaos Rings saga has a release date, announced platforms, and some new screens for you to see. The game is titled Chaos Rings III and will be available on iOS and Android (with a special edition going to PlayStation Vita called Chaos Rings 3 Prequel Trilogy). The mobile versions will likely be identical, though the Vita outing will come with some extra fluff and a prologue explaining the events of the series to-date. Date? October 16th in Japan. Price? 2800 yen, which is about £19.49 / $27.99. Western release confirmed? Not yet, but we're chasing Square Enix for details. Hyped for Chaos Rings III? Let us know. F…
MSX shooter Zanac has received a stunningly good port on iOS
Classic games don't often get treated very well when a company ports them over to mobiles, but D4 Enterprise has blown me away with its treatment of Compile's legendary shoot-em-up Zanac, which has just been released on iOS. In Zanac, you pilot the AFX-6502 Zanac as you try to overcome the System, a race of bio-droids who are planning on destroying all of humanity. The game is generally recognised as a significant step forward for the shmup genre, and one step closer to the bullet-hell titles so popular today - the action is fast and explosive, there are plenty of power-ups, and enemies attack you from both air and land. This iOS version of Zanac is a straight port of the original MSX v…
