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Hands-on with MMX Racing, the monster truck drag racer with astonishing graphics
If you've ever wanted to know what it feels like to get behind the wheel of some seriously powerful (and seriously massive) vehicles, but didn't want to actually bother learning how to drive them, then now might just be your chance. MMX Racing is a drag racer akin to CSR Racing, but instead of pootling about in suped-up sports cars, you're driving something that could probably crush a tank. I went hands-on with the game, and while I liked the mini-game-based racing, it was the visuals that really blew me away. Seriously, click play below and take a look at what I mean.…
MMX RacingHands-on with Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores, in which I shoot the lungs out of a dinosaur
As we noted last week, Glu is going to unleash a horde of blood-thirsty dinosaurs upon the App Store pretty soon. That's pretty irresponsible, if you ask me. Thankfully Glu is also providing you with the means to shoot said dinosaurs with high-calibre weaponry: in Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores. I had access to an early build of the game, so I thought go on the hunt to give you some hands-on impressions. Seeing as this is AppSpy, and I know you lovely lot like a bit of ultra-violence, I decided to show you a section in which I shot out the lungs of a Hadrosaurus, and another bit where a T-Rex got it square in the chops. Also I get ripped limb-from-limb at some point too. Click play below fo…
MONSTER HUNTER FREEDOM UNITE for iOS Review
When starting Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iOS, it helps to know what you're getting into. It promises you the chance to bring down monstrous creatures in a fantasy equivalent of big game hunting, but it makes you work for every moment of enjoyment. Before heading into the field you have to familiarise yourself with the basics. As a port of a PSP title, there are a lot of controls crammed onto your touchscreen. The result is confusing mash of context dependent virtual st…
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BlazBlue: Battle Cards is a Western-made iOS card battler from the makers of a shaving game
BlazBlue and portable gaming has had quite the history together since the series launched in 2010. The main games of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, Continuum Shift II, Continuum Shift Extend, and Chrono Phantasma have had various PSP / Vita / 3DS releases to keep 2D fighters busy. Even super niche side-story stuff like BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale, BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma, and Xblaze Code: Embryo have hit handhelds. However, smartphones are still yet to pay witness to the deeds of Ragna the Bloodedge, Bang Shishigami, and Jin Kisaragi. That's all set to change this Fall, as Aksys Games has announced it will be publishing BlazBlue: Battle Cards for iOS (and possible Android…
Hands-on with Angry Birds Go!'s Multiplayer Update 1, in which all is not quite what it seems
I've always said I like Angry Birds Go!, even when it's meant receiving death threats. It's a great kart racer, and though it has its faults, they're minimal. However, even I was wondering why multiplayer wasn't included when it was originally released back in December 2013. Rovio is fixing that with the first part of its big multiplayer update for the game, meaning that races with real people are now possible in Angry Birds Go!. Or are they...? It's not quite as black and white as that, as I explain below...…
Hands-on with Top Gear: Race The Stig's New York update
I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy watching a bit of Top Gear from time-to-time. The three presenters - I believe they're called Curly, Shortstuff, and Gramps - have an undeniably watchable rapport with one another, and though the show's supposed to be about cars, it's actually more about their antics in cars. There's an auto-runner loosely based on one of the other personalities in the show: The Stig, and it's called Top Gear: Race The Stig. In the TV programme The Stig is a faceless driver extraordinaire that cannot be beaten, and in the game he's an inevitable game over screen chasing after your car in this endless driver. The latest update places you in a race against The Stig in Ne…
Hands-on with Mighty Adventure, the auto-running platformer with a twist
Just when you think the games industry is done with the auto-runner, someone comes along and tries to put a fresh spin on it with a new game, hoping to rekindle everyone's interest in a genre that is starting to feel past its prime. Mighty Adventure is one such a game, and the new angle here is that you control not one character, but three, each with their own special power. How this works in practise is occasionally a bit iffy, but I should point out that the video you see below is of an early build of a game that's not due out for a few weeks, so there's still time for improvements to be made. Are you still enjoying auto-runners? Dash over to the comments to let us know.…
Hands-on with Hay Ewe, the fluffy action sheep-based puzzler where sweets fall from the sky
Developed by a group of ex-PopCap peeps called Rocket Rainbow Studios, and published by Team 17, Hay Ewe is a puzzle game where you must guide Matilda the sheep to save her flock, collecting loads of sweets along the way for bonus points. We're playing a very early build of the game today, but the finished article is set to feature over 100 levels, special items and boosts to aid your dangerous journey, and a level editor to create your own stages. Being published by Team 17 - them of Worms fame - I did ask whether or not the Super Sheep would be making an appearance at any point. The representative wasn't giving anything away, but didn't rule it out. I've got my fingers crossed. Press pl…
Plague Inc. to receive Dawn of the Planet of the Apes update
Ndemic Creations superb viral outbreak simulator Plague Inc. is about to receive another update, this time featuring content from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The simian flu featured in the movie kills humans, while also making apes smarter. This disease adds a new layer to the plague-spreading gameplay, because - on top of trying to keep the virus one step ahead of a cure - you will also be able to actively sabotage mankind's efforts to stop it by guiding your new primate pals. Communicating with your superior-simian friends as they spread the disease, you can guide them to smash research labs or keep them safe from detection while you try to crown them the new rulers of the pla…
Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores will launch next week, allows you to shoot out a velociraptor's heart
Word has just reached us that Glu will be releasing Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores onto App Store's the world over next week. Glu is the company behind Eternity Warriors, Frontline Commando, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, and the disturbingly popular Deer Hunter series. Though I'm thoroughly repulsed at the thought of shooting deer, digital or otherwise, I am totally, absolutely, 100% completely behind blasting dinosaurs with guns until they explode, and happily that's exactly what Dino Hunter: Deadly Shores will let you do. Dino Hunter's gameplay is similar to Deer Hunter's, in that you'll be plonked into wild locations, handed a powerful weapon, and told to blow animals to smithereens in a ra…
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite multiplayer madness, live on Twitch! (5pm UK | 9am Pacific | 12 noon Eastern)
Happy Independence Day to all our American readers! We are so totally over your ancestors wasting all that delicious tea. Honest. Rather aptly, today we’ll be playing a game that stands for freedom, liberty, and justice - Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iOS! Up to four players can battle together in this optimised version of the PSP classic, so what better way to showcase just what's on offer via our Twitch channel? It's going to be an AppSpy / Pocket Gamer love-fest with hosts James and Peter being joined by Pocket Gamer's Harry Slater, King of Reviews. Expect gigantic beasts, cats with stretchers, running away, and mirth aplenty. Give the chaps some support in the Twitch ch…
The Angry Birds are going to South Hamerica in the latest Seasons update
Those Angry Birds are at it again, this time with another huge update to Angry Birds Seasons. This latest embiggening of the aggressive avian’s adventures sends the flock to South Hamerica to take on 24 new levels. These new missions have you firing your birds over mountains to try and stop the evil piggies from stealing treasure. The mountain range - probably called the Hamdes - is filled with ancient statues, relics, and rope bridges for you to smash your way through as you attempt to bring down the savage swine by solving the game’s physics-based puzzles. The 24 standard levels are accompanied by three bonus stages, providing you are skilled enough to unlock them. Angry…
Hands-on with World Zombination, the strategic tower defence game with hordes of zombies
Though it's still in beta, we wanted to bring you an exclusive first look at World Zombination, a handsome-looking tower defence game with loads and loads of zombies in it. You play as either the survivors or, in a neat twist, the infected, and must defend your city from an imminent invasion. Carefullly placing units with different types of skills and abilities is what's required to succeed, and the game has a few subtleties in its gameplay that will no doubt intrigue fans of the genre. Watch our hands-on video below, then chime in in the comments with what you think of this currently unreleased title.…
Civilization Revolution 2 Review
Civilization Revolution 2 has a single goal: rule the world. How you set about achieving this easier-said-than-done task is open to interpretation. You could decide to control Gandhi in his march to military domination, or guide Bismarck to a religious victory, rewriting history with a selection of taps. Though Revolution 2 is based on previous Civilization games, there are added nuances to this new version. Fortunately, a tutorial walks you through the basic controls, showing yo…
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Hands-on with Rapid Star: The Space, the bullet-infested shmup with an auto-runner lilt
Auto-runners are ten a penny these days, and shmups aren't exactly a brand new idea on mobiles and tablets, but if you combine the two - and add a Scramble aesthetic - you end up with something quite unique. Enter Rapid Star: The Space, a terrible name for a pretty solid game. You control the ship on the left of the screen, it automatically fires lasers into baddies, and you dodge any bullets headed your way. The game is brutal, and it certainly doesn't expect you to survive for very long, so at the end of a run you're given a score and can compete with friends for highscores. Take a look at the hands-on below for footage of the game in motion.…
