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Apple unveils iPad Air and iPad Mini 2
It isn't be a new year without a new SKU of Apple products, and for those of you looking for an improved iPad, you now have a choice between the iPad Air, and the second generation of the iPad mini. The iPad Air is 7.5mm thick (which for our American readers is about a third of an inch). It also supposedly weighs only one pound. It uses the A7 chip architecture and boasts advanced wireless capability. It comes with an improved smartcase and looks to be an option for those who feel the iPad is too cumbersome a tablet. It will be available November 1st for US $499. The second generation of iPad mini, meanwhile, has a 7.9 inch screen with a resolution of 2048 x 1536. It also contains the A7 c…
Baboon has you protecting animals against monkeyshines
Baboon casts you as the titular creature. Armed with a box and arrow, it's your job to protect these animals against the threat of poachers. Have a look at the trailer to see for yourself. While the gameplay doesn't seem that engaging, there's something about the presentation and the gameplay that intrests us. I kind of want to see how bizarre the game gets. Baboon is out on the App Store now for $2.99. Part of the proceeds go to the Colorado Wildlife Sanctuary. No reports on whether they allow their baboons to run around with archery equipment. [App Store Link]…
Terraria 2 should launch on iOS alongside PC version
In the fight for the title of best 2D craft-'em-up on iOS, there are two major contenders: Terraria, and Junk Jack X. As you have probably noticed from AppSpy's ongoing series The Junk Jack X Files, we've taken to Junk Jack X in a big way. Developed from the ground-up for touchscreen devices, it features a slightly more intuitive interface than Terraria's, and more refined movement controls. However, the fight for mobile supremacy is not over. Terraria creator Andrew Spinks is preparing the battleplan for a second volley, revealing that Terraria 2 should arrive on iOS around the same time that the PC version is launched. Speaking to Pocket Gamer, Spinks said: "I am wanting to code Terra…
Dead Space talent behind F2P shooter Lawless
Publisher DeNA is having a stab at merging third-person shooting and free-to-play mechanics in upcoming gallery shooter Lawless. This 1990s-based blaster is the result of a team-up between two studios: Scattered Entertainment (responsible for freemium FPS The Drowning), and EightPixelSquare (founded by members of the Dead Space: Extraction team). According to Scattered Entertainment head Ben Cousins, Lawless will be "an intense skillful game designed as an ode to classic 'light gun' shooters and filled with the retro Californian feel of '90s bank robber movies." As you can see from the trailer (above), you'll be discharging rounds into law enforcers as you attempt to complete heists in…
LEVEL 22 Review
You have to feel for poor old Gary. After a night out on the town, he discovers that not only has he overslept, but that if he's caught arriving late, today might be the end of his career. The goal of Level 22, then, is simple: travel to the twenty-second level of the company building without being spotted by anyone. It's a task that would test the skills of Solid Snake himself. We'll have to make do with Gary, though. Given the stealth genre is usually obsessed with spies and ninjas,…
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EA is developing a mobile version of Battlefield
Get ready to step back into the line of fire, military shooter fans: EA is currently is working on a mobile version of its Battlefield series. During an interview with the New York Times, head of EA's mobile development Frank Gibeau revealed that his team is in the process of bringing the console shooter franchise to smartphones and tablets. "We are working on a mobile game of Battlefield that will be high-end and high-performance," Gibeau said. Having pointed out that Battlefield's Commander Mode also supports tablet-based play, Gibeau touched on another aspiration for the Battlefield series: cross-platform play. "We're embarking on something no one has ever done before - to get these g…
Ring Run Circus Review
Ahh, to be a performer at the circus. Dazzling the crowds with death defying acrobatics; dealing with dangerous animals; getting into a very small car with a lot of men. These days circuses don't have the pull they once had, though. However, puzzler-racer Ring Run Circus is making an effort to recreate their magic in the form of short levels with three-star rewards. Cast as a circus performer, your goal is to find the key to unlock a door and escape a set of rings. Tapping the left si…
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Sorcery! Part 2 due out in November
When Sorcery! was released back in May it set a mighty high bar for all future gamebook releases, not only because of its innovative combat and spell system, but its visual flair, and the ability to return to any previous choice at any time. In addition to the release of Part 2 in November (titled Kare: Cityport of Traps), an update to Part 1 has gone into effect, allowing players to transfer their saves over to the new adventure. This sequel boasts double the content of its predecessor, and more complex story branching. Fans of gamebooks should be mighty pleased that November is right around the corner!…
A sequel to Sid Meier's Ace Patrol arriving before Christmas
The original Ace Patrol is a bit of a strange beast. In our review we were intrigued by a turn based approach to air combat, but the whole experience felt a little too disjointed. Well the sequel, Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies, is on its way sometime this fall (for those in the northern hemisphere), and will be tackling the battle between the US and Japanese that took place over the Pacific during World War II. The series has a host of fans, who will no doubt be gleefully anticipating this release. It's also be interesting to see what game changes have been made to the turn based dogfighting. Unlike its predecessor, Pacific Skies will be offered at a premium price point, w…
Papa Sangre II lets you put Boromir in your ears
The sequel to sound-based horror game Papa Sangre is hoping to make a big bang when it manifests on the App Store this Halloween. Like its predecessor, Papa Sangre II lets you step into the afterlife, and challenges you to escape using only one of your five senses: sound. Using your thumbs to tap out your character's footsteps, you must guide yourself around the Land of the Dead in complete darkness. To help you work out where you are, the game pipes 3D-emulating binaural sound through your headphones, allowing you to orient yourself by judging the distance and direction of objects in the environment. If that wasn't spine-tingling enough, developer Something Else has enlisted the vocal t…
The blue blur is back in Sonic 2 Remastered next month
SEGA is porting a couple of its better Sonic games over to iOS this winter - namely Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed. Fans of the spikey-haired rodent may already own the first mobile version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which appeared on the App Store back in 2010. However, if the revamped version of Sonic the Hedgehog is anything to go by, this enhanced edition of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will bring some control improvements, and iron out a few performance-related creases. If racing is more your bag, then you'll be pleased to hear that the sequel to the refreshingly decent Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing will also be gracing the App Store in December. We pra…
Neurokult Review
Playing Neurokult is a stressful experience. Not stressful in a bad, 'the kids need new shoes and I spent my last paycheck fixing that leaky pipe in the water closet' way. The good kind of the stressful, where you're trying to keep 20 neon plates spinning as you dash barefooted between them on a moving electrified conveyor belt. Behind its computer chip aesthetic and hacker terminology, Neurokult is colour-matching puzzler. Each level presents you with a wall of coloured discs travell…
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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
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…
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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…
