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6 reasons why the iPhone 7 is a total mess
In case you've been living under a rock, which is also at the bottom of the sea that happens to be on a far flung planet in a different dimension, Apple revealed the iPhone 7 last week. It's already attracted its fair share of controversy, and for good reason - it's a mess. Here's why. 1. The design It's basically the iPhone 6S (or the 6…), but you can get it in black now! Yay! Groundbreaking! How are people supposed to be jealous of my decadence when my new shiny thing looks exactly the same as their old shiny thing?! UGH! 2. The home button Everyone knows the only good bit about the iPhone is the satisfying click when you hit the home button. Well, say goodbye to that…
Stretch Dungeon is Nitrome's latest warped mobile gaming masterpiece
There's a new Nitrome game on the App Store and Google Play Store called Stretch Dungeon. No, we weren't expecting it either. Gotta love those Nitrome guys. Stretch Dungeon is a typical Nitrome effort. That is, it's intuitive, moreish, has a pixel-art style that's somehow completely distinctive, and has that little smidgen of something different that sets it apart from the crowd. At heart Stretch Dungeon is an endless dropper. Your put-upon bearded protagonist gets freed from his suspended cage at the top of a vast vertical dungeon, and it's up to you to guide his descent. This is where Nitrome supplies its glorious twist. Stretch goals Rather than controlling the protagonist himself, or…
Stretch DungeonOur beginner’s guide to Piggy Boom will give you the tips you need to take your little piggy all the way to the top of the leaderboard
Piggy Boom is the perfect way to enjoy the fun and banter to be had with social gaming, as you get to spin, build and steal your way with your friends to creating your very own island metropolis. Colourful, cute and fiendishly addictive, Piggy Boom will appeal to every casual gamer as you make your way up the leaderboards in this very social app. Piggy Boom comes to you courtesy of RAFOTECH, the publisher behind popular titles such as Casual Warrior and Cutie Riot, and it’s shaping up to deliver yet more relaxed and charming fun. Wheel of Fortune. If you want to earn prizes you have to spin the wheel. Each spin earns you a new prize to build up your island, protect it with shield…
Why Pokemon GO is the perfect fit for the Apple Watch
Apple recently announced the new Apple Watch Series 2, and alongside it imminent support for Pokemon GO - pretty much the biggest mobile game ever. There may be some doubters out there, but we reckon it's a perfect fit for the smartwatch form factor. But wait - gaming on an Apple Watch? That's a bit of a bad idea, isn't it? If you're talking about traditional concepts of gaming - and even smartphone gaming - then we wouldn't argue with you. The Apple Watch Series 2 is going to be pretty much identical to the first Apple Watch externally, which means it has the same tiny 1.65-inch display. The CPU is an improvement - it's dual-core and 50 percent faster - but still can't offer anything like…
Sushi Go is the tastiest iOS card game we've played in ages
Sushi Go has just hit the App Store, and it's one of the most compelling card games we've played on iOS since Card Crawl. Not that you'd necessarily suspect as much by looking at the screenshots. It looks like a cutesy casual management game, right? We can understand the misapprehension. In actual fact, Sushi Go is a faithful conversion of a real and much beloved physical card game from Phil Walker-Harding. The idea is to assemble hands from a deck of sushi-themed cards that gets passed between two to five AI or human-controlled players. Counting the calories Each tasty morsel of Japanese cuisine has its own unique value and scoring potential. For example, maki rolls aren't worth anythin…
Mario comes to iOS - 5 more Nintendo franchises that could get the iPhone treatment
Well, who would have thought it? Mario is getting his very own iOS game. Which leads us to thinking about all the wonderful Nintendo IP that could be put to use on iPhone and iPad. Many of us never thought we'd see the day that Nintendo makes a Mario game for another platform, but mark it in your diary. September 7th 2016 might be the day that Apple announced the iPhone 7, but we suspect it will go down in history as the day that Miyamoto (Mr Nintendo himself) cropped up at said event and announced Super Mario Run. This is no crass conversion of a Nintendo 3DS game. Nintendo is far too proud and considered for that. Rather, it's an original game made with the mobile format in mind. To put…
One More Jump and 5 more warped iOS platformers
One More Jump is out now on the App Store, providing a brashly brutal twist on the classic platformer template. The action is flipped 90 degrees, so your little square character is running (sliding?) up the screen rather than from left to right. Also, each configuration of platforms is a self-contained world, so jumping off the edge will bring you around to the other side. It's a pretty mind-warping take on the platformer, and it's not alone on the App Store. Here are five more warped iOS platformers that don't play by the rules set forth by Mario, Sonic and co. Gunbrick We're used to our platform characters being living creatures of some kind, or at least some kind of entity with a na…
The 6 iOS games you should download for your new iPhone 7
Apple is announcing the iPhone 7 later today. Inevitably, it'll feature a faster processor and better GPU than the one you'll find in the already pretty speedy iPhone 6S. It's also set to have a more vibrant display, and will probably have a refined 3D Touch input system, making the display even more sensitive to pressure. All of which means, of course, that it'll be absolutely brilliant for games. These six examples should be among the first things you download for the iPhone 7 when it hits shops later in the month. Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade is a decent-but-dumb on-rails shooter set in the humourless Warhammer 4K universe. So why include it on this list?…
Noodles was one of 2015's most blissful iOS puzzlers - and it's now free
Noodles is Apple's Free App of the Week, making right now the perfect time to try out one of the most moreish puzzlers of 2015 - if you haven't already. The game belongs to a growing list of polished, gentle puzzlers that place the player into an almost zen-like state. There's no frantic rush to solve each of its puzzles, and simply interacting with its components is a tactile joy. Noodling around Your goal in Noodles is to link up a series of pipe pieces by rotating them in place. If you've ever played Pipe Mania (also known as Pipe Dream), or even the hacking mini-game in Bioshock, you'll be right at home with the concept. There's no pressing time constraint here though - no rush of wa…
Lumines: Puzzle & Music and 5 more top console to iOS conversions
Lumines: Puzzle & Music is out now on iOS, and it serves as a timely reminder of what a truly great block-dropping puzzle game this was when it first dropped on PSP way back in 2004. The concept is simple - form large areas of colour by rotating and shifting four-block clumps, with each block conforming to one of two colours. As this is happening, a timeline sweeps along the bottom of the screen according to the techno track playing in the background, granting you precious time to assemble larger combos before they are cleared. This is undoubtedly the best mobile version of Lumines yet, which got us to thinking about other top notch console to iOS conversions. Whether they involved a…
Like Machinarium and Botinacula? Samorost 3 is a similarly enchanting iOS adventure game
Developer Amanita Design has made a name for itself in recent years with Machinarium and Botinacula - two beautiful and charming adventure games for iOS. Now it's released another in Samorost 3. As the name suggests, this is the third game in a trilogy, but the first two Samorost games have never appeared on iOS. The first two appeared more than a decade ago as Flash games. That doesn't matter, though. The developer calls Samarost 3 a "loose continuation" of the earlier games, and it's perfectly self-contained. Not your garden Gnome You're cast as Gnome, a little creature who lives in a tiny three-floor observatory. When Gnome discovers a magical flute (as you do), it kicks off a plane…
The 6 best iOS games to get your Battlefield 1 fix on the go
The Battlefield 1 beta recently went live on console and PC, meaning a generous slice of DICE's much-anticipated World War I-set online shooter is available to play for free. But what about mobile gamers? There's no Battlefield game on iOS (not anymore at least), but we can think of a few games that nail that Battlefield spirit. Most are simply accomplished online shooters - yes, they do exist on mobile - but we've also thrown in a nod to Battlefield 1's unusual World War I setting. Blitz Brigade No iOS game captures that Battlefield mix of online FPS action, open levels, and vehicular combat like Blitz Brigade. Okay, so the light-hearted tone is completely different to DICE's series.…
Which mobile games are most like Assetto Corsa?
So you like digitally tinkering with cars, huh? That's cool, everyone needs a hobby. That's why games like Assetto Corsa exist, so you can really get down to fine tuning your polygonal automobile. But what if you fancy doing it when you're on the go? Well, why not try one of these mobile games? They might not be quite so fancy, but we reckon you'll still have a lovely old time with them. Real Racing 3 If you're a fan of burning rubber on your phone then there's a decent chance you've already got all oiled up over this one. It's about as close as you're likely to get to a proper racing simulator on your blower. There's plenty to tune, loads to poke around, and some solid racing to back…
Duck for cover with 60 Seconds!, the recently announced survival adventure game from Robot Gentleman
It’s about time we had a post-apocalyptic game with some dark humour. From developers Robot Gentleman, the survival game 60 seconds! arrives on app stores next month with its unique take on the adventure game genre. The aim of the game is (you’ve guessed it) survive. You’re tasked with saving your family before a nuke hits, collecting supplies along the way to aid your progress. But the game looks to pose a deeper question – what would you do if a nuke were about to hit? You play the role of Ted, who is given the 60 second warning, leading to a frantic rush that ensues through his procedurally generated house. It’s your responsibility to use that time wisely…
Now that the Marvel Avengers Alliance games are going, how can you get your mobile Marvel fix?
Well Disney has called time on the Marvel Avengers Alliance games, taking them off the App Store and saying that it's going to close the servers come the end of the month. And that's a pretty big shame if you're a fan of playing about as a superhero on your phone. But don't worry, we've got you covered. Here's a big list of some of the best Marvel games on the App Store, and why you're probably going to enjoy playing them more than just hurling your phone out of the window and having a sulk. Marvel Contest of Champions A superb brawler featuring an all star cast of heroes from the Marvel Universe. As these simplified fighters go, Contest of Champions is pretty much the top of the tree.…
