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Joe Danger Infinity | Hands-On
The iOS version of Joe Danger is a cracking little stunt racer, and a prime example of how to successfully adapt a console game for a touchscreen device. Joe Danger Infinity, which is due to hit US and UK App Stores tonight, keeps its predecessor's acclaimed controls and physics intact, but shrinks Joe down to miniature proportions. Now roughly the size of a salt shaker, Joe has to perform his extensive array of jumps and stunts on the top of kitchen surfaces and pool tables. He has 96 new races to tackle, and 15 vehicles to collect, including a firework and a specially modified duck. Hello Games is also teasing "infinite gameplay," though we haven't yet encountered an endless mode during…
Archangel | Hands-On
Though better known for creating the Unity engine, the company behind the game development tool is about to publish its very first game on the App Store. Titled Archangel, the game is to be released under the Unity Games banner at midnight tonight. It has been created by first time developer Black Tower, and is set to bring a healthy dose to tap-based dungeon-crawling action to your touchscreen. Taking control of an armoured angel, you have to battle your way through a series of isometric environments. You'll launch fireballs, perform gesture-powered special attacks, and level-up your divine warrior in true RPG fashion. At least, that what I'm told will happen. The first four levels (the…
World War Z goes free-to-play, existing players short on ammo told to 'use the store'
First-person zombie shooter World War Z has just gone free on the App Store. What's more, it looks like the price drop is permanent, and will change the mechanics of the movie tie-in for current owners. World War Z's apparent shift to the free-to-play model comes as part of the latest update. As well as alerting us to the price drop, the changelog on the game's App Store listing contains this disclaimer for anyone who has already purchased the shooter with real money: "For users who have previously purchased the game, you will notice that ammo is more scarce, but if you are careful you'll still be able to make it through the game." However, the folks at Paramount Digital have some advice…
See Glu Games upholding the law in the debut trailer for RoboCop
After a lengthy soft launch on the Canadian App Store, it seems that free-to-play peddler Glu Games is preparing to release its movie tie-in shooter RoboCop onto iOS devices worldwide. As you might expect, the titular cyborg won't be protecting the innocent with hydraulic hugs, or upholding the law by giving criminals a stern talking-to in the style of a Daft Punk sample. No, as you might expect, this is an all-guns-blazing affair. In fact, a cursory glance at the debut trailer (below) reveals more than a few similarities with another gun-tastic Glu Games title, Frontline Commando. I'll be going hands-on with RoboCop in the very near future, and will let you know when a concrete release d…
Super Stickman Golf 2 to receive Super Meat Boy course, chat support, and more on Thursday
Noodlecake is teeing up to update its crazy golfing sequel Super Stickman Golf 2 with a decidedly meaty chunk of free content on January 9th. You see, alongside a new turn-based chat feature which will let players insult each other's trousers mid-stroke, the popular putting sim is set to receive a new level based on the extremely gory twitch platformer Super Meat Boy. "What would such a thing look like?" I hear you cry! Well, it'll look a lot like this: Beyond the result of this unlikey collaboration, the Super Stickman Golf 2 team is adding three more new courses to the game (see the trailer below). What's more, if you have earned enough virtual dough, you'll be able to make your ball…
Cut the Rope 2 Review
It's taken Om Nom four games to escape the confines of his various cardboard prisons, but Cut the Rope 2 finally sees him out in the wild, and making new friends. These extra characters and their unique abilities help to define Cut the Rope 2 as more ambitious puzzler with a slightly broader scope. However, the additional gameplay permutations - and new in-app purchase system - also run the risk of diluting the simple but potent formula which made the original game so compelling. The…
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Republique | Hands-on
The future is a terrifying place. At least, that's the assessment I've made based on every science fiction novel and Hollywood movie ever written. Whether it's murderous robots, overpopulation and drizzle, or a full-blown nuclear holocaust, it seems that those Orange adverts were fibbing about what lies ahead for the human species. The future isn't bright - it's darker than a black hole's broom closet. Republique's vision of the future comes from the Orwellian school of paranoia, constant surveillance, and Big Brother. The game is a stealth-based strategy adventure which sees you liberating a young woman called Hope from the clutches of a totalitarian regime plucked straight from the pages…
Vertically-scrolling sequel Mega Jump 2 leaping onto iOS next week
Vertical platforming sequel Mega Jump 2 is preparing to bound onto the App Store next week. Following on from the enormous success of its Doodle Jump-style predecessor Mega Jump, this second adventure removes the glass ceiling from little red monster Redford's once level-based world, allowing him to jump endlessly upwards and chase greater and greater high scores. Rather than have you simply rack up the points, however, the new Adventure mode will give you tasks and challenges to accomplish as you propel Redford up the screen. Developer Get Set Games has also decided that its rouge protagonist was getting a little lonely leaping all by himself. To combat this, the team has expanded the…
Ambitious sci-fi MMO Universe Rush materialises on Kickstarter
If like me you're a little weary of the Kickstarter model - perhaps you've been burned by unfulfilled promises or disappointing products - then you might find it tough to drum up enthusiasm for yet another video pleading for the contents of your bank account. However, if you only watch one iOS-related Kickstarter video today, we suggest you pick the one promoting intergalactic MMO Universe Rush. It's this one, incidentally: There's no denying that $100,000 is a lot of cash to ask for, especially for a something as difficult to start-up and sustain as a massively-multiplayer online game. However, it's equally impossible to ignore that fact that Universe Rush's sci-…
Teaser trailer for cave-based shooter Heavy Rockets surfaces
There was a time when all a gamer needed to have fun was a small arrow and some flying pixels. It seems that the team behind minimalist shooter Heavy Rockets remembers those halcyon days, too. Don't believe me? Have a glance at the clean lines and low-fi Asteroid-aping avatar presented in the teaser trailer below, and tell me you don't detect the faintest whiff of nostalgia. According to the Markus and Jukka, the two man crew behind Heavy Rockets, the game will feature two modes of play. Race mode has you guiding your rocket through a series of subterranean levels in as quick a time as possible. However, if you're in the mood for a bit of ship-to-ship combat, then the "last man fly…
Miniature sequel Joe Danger Infinity racing onto the App Store this Thursday
Fearless stuntman Joe Danger is set to return to the App Store in pint-sized form this week, courtesy of Hello Games's new stunt racer Joe Danger Infinity. According to a report on sister site Pocket Gamer, the dev team behind the acclaimed motorbike racer Joe Danger has revealed that the follow up, which sees stunt rider Joe being shrunk down to toy-like proportions, is to come careening onto iOS on Thursday. The game will have you guiding teeny-tiny Joe across kitchen tables, over toy trucks, and through stacks of dice in his ongoing mission to do the best stunts that a small man in a helmet and goggles can do. Rather than offering a selection of short levels, Joe Danger Infinity…
simian.interface | Hands-On
Tilt-based puzzler simian.interface is a game with blocks and no tutorial. While that sentence might not sound like a shining recommendation, I consider both of these things to be a plus when it comes to games. You see, when a developer can eschew a hold-up-to-look-up text tutorial in favour allowing players to learn through exploration, it's generally a sign that somebody on the team has their head screwed on right. Also, blocks are cool. Obviously. I went hands-on with simian.interface earlier today. You can't see me doing any actual tilting in the video below, so just picture a bald guy handing upside-down from a bannister waving an iPhone around like he's trying to swat a…
Jet Car Stunts 2 Review
While there's no shortage of racers on the App Store, there aren't many which can claim to be as downright brutal as Jet Car Stunts 2. Like its 2009 predecessor, it's a game about precision. In fact, almost every other aspect of Jet Car Stunts 2 seems to have been streamlined to force players to zero-in on the game's unapologetically raw racing core. The visuals are clean, crisp, and simple, serving only to give you a strip of virtual tarmac to aim for. There is no background music, j…
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New Kemco RPG Chrome Wolf offers quests, tragedy, and tanks
Japanese developer Kemco has released its latest JRPG adventure Chrome Wolf on the App Store today. Given Kemco's impressive back catalogue of retro role-playing games, we're stunned it still has any original names left in its fantasy game title sorting hat. Luckily, the latest rummage did manage to conjure up something new, even if the game's visuals and story are somewhat familiar. As you can see from the trailer above, Chrome Wolf's 16-bit style closely resembles recent Kemco releases Chronus Arc and Destiny Fantasia. Here, however, each soldier's ability and weapon sets are defined by eight available classes, allowing for a range of approaches and tactics in battle. A tan…
KemcoSteelSeries Stratus iOS controller promises full gaming control in a tiny package
Apple's first officially licensed wireless controller to work with the iPad, the SteelSeries Stratus, became available to preorder in the US today, priced at $99.99. At just 11cm long, the controller is narrower than any iPhone, but still manages to squeeze in all of the features of a larger pad. This means you will have access to two analogue sticks, a d-pad, four face buttons, and four shoulder buttons, allowing for a variety of control options. Connecting to your device via Bluetooth rather than the Lightning port, the SteelSeries Stratus is compatible with the iPhone 5 (and newer models), 5th gen iPod touch, iPad 4 or later, plus any iPad mini. Importantly, SteelSeries reports that…
