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Overkills abounds in new iOS tower defence game OTTTD
Apparently, OTTTD is an acronym for Over The Top Tower Defence. And, in fairness, the game's overblown explosions and wacky cast of units deliver exactly what it says on the tin. While it may have tower defence in the title, the game actually blends a fair amount of traditional RTS into its melting pot of gameplay. Along with the standard defensive emplacements, OTTTD lets you take command a squad of heroes to take the devastation directly to your foes. RPG elements are also mixed into OTTTD’s flavoursome gameplay stew. You can level up your heroes, and personalise their equipment to suit your play style. If the trailer above isn’t enough, then you can always check…
App StorePeggle removed from New Zealand App Store to make way for free-to-play version
Peggle is dead, long live Peggle! EA has removed PopCap’s original Peggle from the App Store in New Zealand. In its place, the publisher has soft-launched its new free-to-play take on the game, called Peggle. While the free-to-play version shifts the perspective to a horizontal plane, the basics of the pachinko inspired gameplay remain intact. You must still clear the board of orange and blue pegs by firing your tiny metal balls at them, and enjoying the chaos that ensues. Look under the hood, however, and you will find more significant changes. The game is framed by an overworld map reminiscent Candy Crush Saga. As the difficulty increases, the free-to-play elements come to t…
Godzilla - Smash3 Review
We wonder what went through Rogue Play’s collective heads when they got the Godzilla licence. Given the leash of the world's most iconic building-mashing monster, we can’t work out at what point they felt that a match three puzzler would be the best fit. But while Godzilla - Smash3 may not offer the most apt use the king of lizards, it does offer some monstrous elements. Controlling Godzilla, you must battle the military, smash buildings, and defeat other monsters. While y…
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World Cup teams and kits come to FIFA 14 in latest update
With World Cup fever sweeping the globe, EA has decided to bring the biggest football tournament around to FIFA 14 on iPhone and iPad. The new update will let you take control of your favourite World Cup contenders in their officially licensed national kits. If that wasn’t enough, EA has even redesigned the FIFA 14 menu icon, and reskinned the ball to let you take the Adida Brazuca for a kick about. You will also be able to compete in the new Matches of the Week mode. If your FIFA 14 skills are as blunt as the AppSpy team's, however, that will just mean losing spectacularly with more people watching. Both the update and the game are free, so anyone itching for…
New pachinko-inspired Super Monkey Ball will be bouncing onto the App Store this summer
Sega has another Super Monkey Ball in the works: a pachinko-inspired mobile game called Super Monkey Ball Bounce. This new installment of the trapped simian simulator pits AiAi against the evil Prof. Boscis once again. To prove yourself top banana, you'll need to guide the mini monkey through pachinko inspired boards clearing all of the pegs en route. The game’s 120 stages will span environments that range from icy mountains to bubble volcanos. As you beat boards, you'll unlock seven characters from the franchise, such as MeeMee, Baby, and GonGon. Once released you will be able to play as these additional monkeys, and make use of their unique abilities. Super Monkey Ball Bounce&r…
The Boom Beach Diary - Week 6
We're a full six weeks into The Boom Beach Diaries, and it's only now that I'm starting to get really aggressive. With plenty of seriously meaningful upgrades having been made in the last seven days, and a brand new unit unlocked to cause maximum destruction, this episode highlights how destructive my army has become. You can see how my battle tactics have bettered and my Homebase improved in the video below, and once you have, don't forget to check out The Boom Beach Community over on Pocket Gamer.…
Genre Busters: Terrific Tower Defence - live on Twitch (5pm UK | 9am Pacific | 12 noon Eastern)
Get ready! Our second episode of Genre Busters will be starting over on Twitch in a short while. Today, James and Alex will be covering the perilous world of tower defence games. As incoming foes desperate to reach the end goal attack, the chaps’ll be emptying their arsenal in the hopes of toppling their foes. We’re after veterans of the App Store to come and join us over on Twitch for the show. Regale us with your tales of hard-fought battles that you almost didn’t survive, and tell us which your top tower defence game of all time is. As usual, we’ll end the Genre Busters ceremony with a vote to declare the most terrific tower defence game that’s ever graced…
Dragon Coins Review
Upon hearing that Dragon Coins was free-to-play game with a Pokemon-style focus on monster collection, we were tempted to run screaming from our phones with our hands clasped tightly around our wallets. After digging a little deeper, however, we discovered a tactical RPG with coin-dozer combat that offers more than enough of its touch-based fun for free. Dragon Coins combat will be instantly familiar if you have ever visited a seaside arcade. A field of coins meets you as you sta…
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Peter Molyneux’s Godus has been soft launched on the New Zealand App Store
Peter Molyneux’s 22Cans has just soft launched Godus, the Populous creator's latest god sim, on the New Zealand App Store. Asking you to omnipotently rule over the settlers of an island, Godus initially puts you in charge of only two people. By caring for them and editing the landscape to suit their needs, they will begin to populate the island and allow you to grow in power as their civilization develops. This god simulator first launched on PC last September, but is only now making its way to iPad and iPhone. Adding touchscreen controls to the geometry shifting gameplay should be an ideal fit, allowing you expand or erode the landscape with a simple swipe of the screen.…
Run through Atari's latest version of Haunted House on iPhone and iPad
As nothing smacks of innovation quite like converting an old IP into a mobile auto-runner, Atari and Kung Fu Factory have released a re-imagining of Haunted House. Don't expect a Retina-port of the 1981 survival-horror though: the game has been updated with cartoon silhouette animations, and gameplay centred on swiping a path through spiders, traps, and other assorted haunted nasties. As you play, you can grab power-ups and coins, building bridges over obstacles, and get the chance to level-up your character. The game is F2P, so there are IAPs to utilise or ignore, depending on your preference. As it stands, the action looks smooth enough, and the soundtrack peppy and in-keeping with the…
Table Tennis Touch Review
Table Tennis is part of videogaming lore. From helping to popularise gaming with Pong back in 1972, to Rockstar's Table Tennis for the Xbox 360, the tabletop sport has a long and gloried history with gaming. Now, developer Yakuto has brought Table Tennis Touch to iPhone and iPad, a game that delivers one of the most faithful interpretations of the sport we have seen. The controls are simple and intuitive. Swiping upwards towards an approaching ball will return it, while jerking the p…
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Tile-matching puzzler Darkin aims to chill as well as thrill
Developer Ten Foiled Hats has just released its vampiric match-three puzzler Darkin on iPhone and iPad. Ostensibly taking inspiration from Dungeon Raid, the German dev team has taken Fireflame's classic and updated it with several new features, a new aesthetic from the Tim Burton stable of kooky, and a little more polish. It's an interesting entry in the slew of match-three currently clogging up the App Store. When we looked at it on Twitch, we noted it had far more flexibility and strategic gameplay than other match-three games, with an interesting Puzzle & Dragons-esque feel and a health-system standing in for timers. Players can choose between attacking enemies, bagging hearts to…
Frantic twitch puzzler Hyper Square is on the App Store now
Hyper Square, a frantic twitch based puzzle game from Team Signal, is out now on the App Store. The gameplay revolves around swiping squares into portals to make them disappear. While the basics may seem easy, however, Team Signal adds increasingly more complex layers of mechanics, requiring you to resize and rotate tiles against the clock before flinging them into the requisite portal. Hyper Square’s vibrant aesthetic keeps the gameplay visually interesting and exciting, while also managing to increase its sense of urgency with its pulsing lines and colours. Despite this it remains quite minimal, ensuring that even at its most fraught you are able to follow what is going on.…
Ace auto-runner Rayman Fiesta Run updated with new levels and Nightmare Mode
Ubisoft has just released an update to the highly-rated Rayman Run Fiesta, giving you a sizeable chunk of new features to spice up an already superb game. When we reviewed it back in November, we said: "Even more impressive than its excellent predecessor, Rayman Fiesta Run is a fiercely entertaining kaleidoscope of colour, wit, and wonder." Now that kaleidoscope has been updated with 16 additional levels, three new costumes to be unlocked, and a brand new boss battle. What's more, Ubisoft has added Nightmare Mode, an ironman challenge that sees you try to fight through 36 levels without dying. So prepare to get really familiar with the starting level. If you haven't already nabbed it, yo…
Free-to-play match-three puzzler Godzilla - Smash3 spotted in the App Store ocean
With the new Godzilla movie on the horizon, we were expecting a monster of a game to emerge from the ocean of the App Store. Not to disappoint, developer Rogue Play has unleashed Godzilla - Smash3, a free-to-play match-three puzzler. Never ones to run from danger, we have thrown ourselves headlong into the game’s monstrous maw. Taking control of the massive reptile, we advanced on the worlds cities, wiping out all manner of military defences. The top of the screen shows Godzilla’s path of destruction in full 3D, allowing us pick and choose our targets. You must control his attacks by matching coloured shapes on the grid beneath. This match-three gameplay follows a similar st…
