Latest Articles

The LEGO Star Wars series coming to iOS in 2014

News By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
The LEGO Star Wars series coming to iOS in 2014

Mobile gamers are no strangers to the charms of the LEGO games. Both the LEGO Harry Potter and LEGO Batman: DC Super Heroes franchises found their way onto the App Store, and did a pretty good job of recreating the humour and action of the console games. However, if you've been itching for developer Traveller's Tales to port the LEGO Star Wars titles over to your iPhone, then prepare to have your itch well and truly scratched. According to a report from Star Wars fan site Jedi News, Disney has given the go-ahead to bring the plastic adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Obi-Wan Kenobi to Apple phones and tablets, with iOS versions of the original LEGO Star Wars games set to appear ne…

Batman: Arkham Origins Review

Review Warner Bros. By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
Batman: Arkham Origins Review

The Batman found in NetherRealm's latest iOS brawler Batman: Arkham Origins is not the Batman with which you might be familiar. Sure, he's got his flying fists of vengeance, and a utility belt packed with batarangs and gadgets. And yes, he dishes out violent justice to a neverending procession of Gotham's most sociopathic. However, this Batman has limits - limits placed upon him by Arkham Origin's freemium structure. Unlike the driven, relentless crime fighter depicted in DC's comics…

Watch The Video Review Watch The Video Review

Dead Trigger 2 | Hands-On

Feature By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
Dead Trigger 2 | Hands-On

Dead Trigger, developer Madfinger's visually arresting entry into the zombie-shooter sub genre, was one of the surprise hits of 2012. As anyone who has ever typed the letter 'z' into the App Store's search bar will know, zombie games are ten-a-penny on iOS. Like the undead hordes that they portray, these games continue to shamble relentlessly towards us, with every fallen, bullet-ridden carcass immediately replaced by five more.  There was something about Dead Trigger, however, that managed to cut through the swathe of deadite-blasters and plunge a pipe wrench into the heart of mobile gamers everywhere. On October 23rd, Madfinger will release Dead Trigger 2. We've just got our hands…

Get Machinarium: Pocket Edition for your iPhone now

News By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
Get Machinarium: Pocket Edition for your iPhone now

I know we gave you a heads-up about the iPhone version of Machinarium last week, but if any game deserves to be repeatedly pushed to the front of your mind, it's this one. Machinarium: Pocket Edition is an iPhone-optimised version of Amanita Design's beautiful point-and-click adventure. Released on PC in 2009, it tells the story of a young robot who must travel across a wasteland to the strange city beyond in search of his girlfriend. Packed with brain-testing puzzles, an collection of eccentric robot characters, and gorgeous, rust-addled environments, Machinarium is a genuine delight, and one of the best point-and-click adventures in recent memory. If you already have Machinarium on i…

Step into Dungeons & Dragons: Arena of War now

News By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
Step into Dungeons & Dragons: Arena of War now

Free-to-play specialist DeNA has just brought classic RPG property Dungeons & Dragons to iOS. You can leave your character record sheets and d20s where they are, though. This particular journey into The Forgotten Realms is less involved than your average D&D campaign, focusing less on character development, and more on the clanging of steel-on-steel. Arena of War is a top-down "battle roleplaying game" which puts players in charge of a small group of adventurers who are just itching for a fight. There are quests to tackle, powers to unlock and equip, and massive monsters to defeat. Your average Saturday evening in Krynn, then. Also, if you're an ardent fan of D&D mythos, yo…

FIST OF AWESOME Review

Review I FIGHT BEARS LTD By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
FIST OF AWESOME Review

Ever had one of those days where your hand suddenly grows to twice its usual size, develops the power of speech, and goads you into fist-fighting an army of bears? Well, unsuspecting lumberjack Tim Burr (I see what you did there) is having one of those days. Luckily, the star of nostalgia- powered pixel-art beat-'em-up First of Awesome is taking this development on the chin, still managing to crack wise while he punches the suddenly enormous bear population of earth into submission.…

Watch The Video Review Watch The Video Review

Profitable match-3 hit Puzzle & Dragons out in the UK

News By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
Profitable match-3 hit Puzzle & Dragons out in the UK

It's one of the most profitable games Japan has ever produced. It features cute monsters battling one another in colourful explosions of violence, and it's become this year's interactive obsession for many handheld gamers. Believe it or not, we're not talking about Pokemon X & Y. The creature battler in question is none other than match-three hit Puzzle & Dragons. After a lengthy wait, it has finally come to the UK App Store, thereby giving us western-types a chance to see what all the fuss is about.  Developed by GungHo, this colour-matching cash cow charges you with gathering a team of collectible beasties together, before heading into a dungeon and facing the nasties insi…

Rabbids Big Bang Review

Review Ubisoft By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
Rabbids Big Bang Review

In Rabbids Big Bang, your rabbid astronaut spends an awful lot of time drifting through space hoping to bump into something interesting. Though we're actually talking about the mechanics of this space-based physics puzzler, this description neatly sums up our state of mind as we coasted through level after level, waiting for something exciting to happen. You take control of two rabbids. One of the floppy-eared psychos has a baseball bat, the other a spacesuit. The batter's sole purpos…

Watch The Video Review Watch The Video Review

The Junk Jack X Files: Case 4

Feature By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
The Junk Jack X Files: Case 4

Once again, AppSpy editor James Gilmour (@Metal_Slag) and Pocket Gamer handheld editor Peter Willington (@xeroxeroxero) continue their adventures into the world of 2D craft-'em-up Junk Jack X. This week, James gets bored of waiting for Peter to return to homebase, and decides to lead a rescue party of one to recover him.  Will Peter and James be reunited? Can the pair survive another night without bedding or shelter? Will they actually achieve a single worthwhile goal in this entire series? Find out in The Junk Jack X-Files: Case 4. Previous episodes of The Junk Jack X Files: Case 1Case 2Case 3…

Try your luck at Dice Jockey

News By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 5 months ago
Try your luck at Dice Jockey

The joke in the headline was made because dice are most commenly associated with gambling or board games (which often is gambling without the thrill of money being involved). Dice Jockey has timed and puzzle modes, but the general idea is that by rotating die, you line up dice of the same number, creating chains to either solve the puzzle or keep the game going a little while longer. The trailer will give you a better idea. This looks a little confusing as you seem to have to be familiar with where the numbers on a die are situated in relation to each other, but after a few levels and rolling the dice back and forth, you'd probably get a good grasp on the concept. The game is ou…

This trailer for Crowman & Wolfboy certainly presents a mood

News By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 5 months ago
This trailer for Crowman & Wolfboy certainly presents a mood

...and that mood is primarily, "Damn, those are some creepy costumes!". Crowman & Wolfboy are on a journey to find humans while trying their hardest to escape the darkness. What gameplay is shown in the trailer is intercut with the aforementioned creepy costumed characters, but the whole ensemble is quite good at evoking a growing sense of unease and dread. Watch the trailer for yourself to see what we mean. The game is out on the App Store today and will cost $2.99. It looks like there's some interesting tandem moves between the two characters, and that alone might be worth a play of this macabre escape from shadow. [App Store Link]…

Batman: Arkham Origins | Hands-On

Feature By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
Batman: Arkham Origins | Hands-On

With the Caped Crusader polishing his baterangs in preparation for his big console comeback Batman: Arkham Origins, developer NetherRealm has been hard at work creating the obligatory iOS tie-in. As it turns out, this iOS version of Batman: Arkham Origins actually has more in common with Injustice: Gods Among Us than its console cousin. It's a one-on-one brawler which puts the Dark Knight centre stage, and then chucks an assortment of Gotham's most sociopathic at his predictably scowling face. As it's only just arrived on the App Store, I thought I'd show you the first few levels to give you an idea of what to expect. Check back soon for the full review. …

Real Racing 3 update adds new track and Ferraris

News By James Gilmour, 10 years, 5 months ago
Real Racing 3 update adds new track and Ferraris

They're fast, they're red (or sometimes yellow), and they're now available to drive in Real Racing 3. No, we're not talking about the go-karts from '90s TV show Fun House. We're talking about Ferraris, three varieties of which have just been added to EA's free-to-play racer. Update your iOS app, and you'll be able to get behind the wheel of the FF, the F12belinetta, and the 458 Italia. Mama mia. To accompany these blistering new rides, developer Firemonkeys has thrown in a brand new track: Spain's Circuit de Catalunya. The update feature list also includes the addition of Time Trial Ghost Challenges, and the option to "personalise your racing experience" by customising your HUD. You can…

Pandemic: The Board Game Review

Review TWIN SAILS INTERACTIVE By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 5 months ago
Pandemic: The Board Game Review

A viral epidemic is, I'm sure you'll agree, a pretty sizeable catastrophe. In Pandemic: The Board Game, no lees than four deadly viruses are spreading their way across the globe. It's up to four specialists to find the cures before these infections become uncontainable and wipe out humanity. One player can control all four specialists, or four players can work together around a single iPad. The game's rules are pretty simple and easy to understand. Each turn consists of four possible…

Watch The Video Review Watch The Video Review