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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…
HearthstoneHands-on with Space Colors, the asteroid-blasting roguelike with pretty lighting
Containing everything you would want from a space-based roguelike - i.e. shooting lasers, death, and experience points - Space Colors is unfortunately a disappointingly hollow experience. At least it certainly is at the beginning of the game. The combat is very simple for a long amount of time, you die often, and the upgrades you need to progress always seem so far out of reach. But Space Colors has its redeeming features as well, including a gorgeous game engine with stylish lighting effects, plus a sardonic (and genuinely funny) sense of humour. Take a look at the game in motion below.…
Chopper - EncyclAPPedia
We go way way way back into the vaults today to reminisce about Chopper, one of the very first titles officially released on the iOS App Store, and still an enjoyable tilt-based action game. EncyclAPPpediaɛnˌsʌɪklə(ʊ)ˈpiːdɪənounA video or set of videos giving information on many mobile games or on many aspects of one game and typically arranged entirely at random.…
Hands-on with Solar Max, the float-about-in-space-until-you-die-of-asphyxiation-em-up
I really wanted Solar Max to be fun, because its art style and soundtrack is wonderful: I'm a sucker for pixel art and chiptunes, and this features great examples of both. The core idea of Solar Max is cool too. You float around space, trying to find air tanks, to refill your oxygen levels and continue playing for longer. But the gameplay just isn't there. Items are too small to pick up with any regularity, and there's no radar to see where the next pick up that you should be headed to is located. On top of that, the jet pack you're using is ineffective at turning and guiding your hero in the cold gravity-free environment of space. Here's Solar Max in motion.…
Hands-on with Time Tangle - Adventure Time, the uncharacteristically derivative adventure starring Finn and Jake
Adventure Time is a series that is always trying to break down pre-conceived notions of gender, race, age, and any other social construct you care to mention. It's a pioneering animation that manages to appeal to kids and adults, with seemingly something for all ages to enjoy and learn from. It is bold, it is cute, it is welcoming, it is amusing, and above all it is original. Time Tangle - Adventure Time is a derivative auto-runner that will cost you $2.99 / £1.99.…
Crazy Taxi - EncyclAPPedia
Blowing the dust off of the great tome that is EncyclAPPedia, we're going to shake things up and make some "crazy money" with Axel, B.D. Joe, Gina, and Gus, in Crazy Taxi. EncyclAPPpediaɛnˌsʌɪklə(ʊ)ˈpiːdɪənounA video or set of videos giving information on many mobile games or on many aspects of one game and typically arranged entirely at random.…
Hands-on with Animal Boyfriend, in which I train Brian Thumper to be my perfect lover
I'll keep this intro short: in this hands-on with Animal Boyfriend I choose the human / animal hybrid that I'd like to date, pick a name (with a bit of help from the AppSpy community), and then begin the slow but steady process of teaching him how to be a better human being, just like I explained in our news story. In Animal Boyfriend there are spelling mistakes everywhere, confusing menus aplenty, and very little animation and sound. It's niche, and it's odd. But that's all totally okay, and I'll tell you exactly why that is in the video below.…
Hands-on with Rusted Emeth, the JRPG where you fight giant monsters in huge mechs for cash and glory
After it was released on Android a month or two back, Rusted Emeth is now out on iOS. It's a cool concept for a JRPG: many people have become hunters who collect bounties after defeating massive creatures in battle using their Golems (heavily armoured mechs). The visuals are a little basic, but keep with Kemco's usual 16-bit aesthetic, and I'm really liking the fact that the controls are optimised for touchscreens, and aren't virtual sticks. I fired up Rusted Emeth so I could show you the opening moments, click play below to see them.…
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…
Hands-on with Micromon, a monster battler that's Pokemon in all but name
Some people are going to look at Micromon and get very very angry. They're going to say things like “this is such a flagrant copy of Pokemon”, and “this 'Glareon' design looks a heck of a lot like Flareon”, and “Nintendo should take these chancers to court”. But you know what? They shouldn't say those things. Because this is the closest any of us are going to come to playing a Pokemon game on iOS for at least the next 5 years. And even if Micromon is impersonating another game, it's a damn convincing impersonation. Here's my hands-on explaining more.…
Battle rival factions and build a prosperous empire in Rise of Rome
Rise of Rome, an historic simulation game that allows you to become the leader of one of three factions (Julius Caesar, Scipio Africanus, Marcus Junius Brutus), is now available to download from the App Store and Google Play for free. Your aim in Rise of Rome is to build a successful and prosperous empire, and then defend it from attacks from rival factions. As you defeat opponents and progress through the game, you’ll earn resources, which are useful for developing both your army and your city. Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities to customise your armed forces. You can choose from over 72 different classes of soldier, for example, including eleph…
Hands-on with Tank Biathlon, where tanks are raced to see which team can smash a shed in the fastest time
The Tank Biathlon is an actual real thing. It is, in many ways, the perfect subject for a video game: dumb, explosive, and competed in by males with a propensity for aggression. A company called Grotburn OU thinks Tank Biathlon would make a great game too, and has therefore gone and created Tank Biathlon, a free-to-play minigame collection of sorts that, as I note in the video, feels a lot like Track & Field: Tank Edition. The controls are spotty, the announcer annoying, but those visuals are very nice indeed and the concept is pretty fun. Also you drive through wooden sheds with enjoyable regularity, which is surprisingly fun.…
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…
Hands-on with Zanac MSX, a classic cult shooter revitalised
Zanac is a shoot-em-up classic, a cult one. If you're over a certain age, or a follower of shmups, you might have run into it in the past, but to everyone else it's - at best - a case of “oh yeah... I think I've heard of that”. Now's the time for you to hopefully rectify that, with this excellent port of the MSX version, titled Zanac MSX. It has touch controls, controller support, high speed emulation, and it's free. Please note: at the time of recording the game was available and then unavailable, and at the time of publication remains unavailable. We contacted D4 Enterprise to find out what's going on, and they've told us the game will be available next week. Expect to see i…
