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Expander Review

Review Josef Ortner By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Expander Review

There are some games which don't waste time explaining things. Often, this is the hallmark of a bad game, as many of people will give up on a potentially enjoyable experience due to confusion and frustration. Bit Pilot and Endless Road are examples of games in which potentially addictive gameplay is buried beneath odd controls and punishing difficulty. Now, it looks like Expander is set to join their ranks. In essence, Expander is an endless-runner starring an expanding block. Moving…

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Dropchord er... dropping on July 31st

News By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Dropchord er... dropping on July 31st

A while back we announced a new game from DoubleFine being created for mobile (and the LeapChord, which is a kinect-esque controller for your PC or Mac). We now have a release date and it is next Wednesday. Below is the launch trailer, and while it's still a bit vague how this rhythm game will play, it certainly looks engaging in both gameplay and presentation. The game will cost $2.99 at launch. Look for our review shortly after release.…

Butterfly in the Sky? Whales need to eat

News By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Butterfly in the Sky? Whales need to eat

I must admit that the title for the upcoming butt-stomper Butterfly Sky invoked images of the intro to Reading Rainbow (which I spent quite a lot of my early years watching). Mechanically it doesn't look like there's too much to set it apart from the pack of endless runners and fun action games, but the art style does give it a certain charm. Have a look at the trailer. Butterfly Sky is out on the App Store August 8th.…

Issue 8 of swipe magazine out now on the App Store

News By James Gilmour, 10 years, 8 months ago
Issue 8 of swipe magazine out now on the App Store

We know you like browsing the web for iOS gaming info. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this sentence. However, if you want to stay up to speed on all the latest App Store-related news, reviews, and previews - even when you're offline - we recommend you download the latest issue of Steel Media's free iPad-friendly digital magazine swipe. Why should you bother? Well, in addition to featuring reviews of iOS games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Kingdom Rush: Frontiers, and Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, swipe features an in-depth breakdown of this year's E3 trade show. You'll also get a ton of XCOM: Enemy Unknown content, including a review, and a guide to help you keep the world fr…

Futuridium EP Review

Review Mixedbag Srl By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Futuridium EP Review

Futuridium EP casts you as a lone pilot lost in a dimensional loop. Destined to travel to and fro across a series of small flat surfaces, you must avoid obstacles and shoot blocks to open the a dimensional gate to get to the next area (which is hopefully one step closer to home). It's sort of like Starfox by way of Sliders. You control your craft by dragging your finger around the left side of the screen. It's a suprisingly sensitive system, with small gestures sending your spacecraft…

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Expander released today

News By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Expander released today

Well today as in Australian time. It might still be the 22nd of July for a lot of our readers. Regardless, have a look at the trailer of this very interesting take on the endless runner. Combining what looks to be clever use of pinch mechanics, and some great perspective, this looks to provide some for those who enjoy chasing high scores. We'll know more when we get our hands on it…

PAC-MAN DASH! Review

PAC-MAN DASH! Review

You'd be hard pressed to meet someone who hasn't at least heard of Pac-Man. One of the original videogame icons, his legacy persists to this day, largely thanks to his fans, and his revival in games such as Pac-Man Championship Edition. With Sega chucking Sonic onto the auto-runner bandwagon, it's not surpise to see Namco pushing out their spherical star towards the genre. Thing is, while Pac-Man Dash! does approach the genre in an interesting way, it may be too little too late. The a…

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Sine Mora Review

Review HandyGames By James Gilmour, 10 years, 8 months ago
Sine Mora Review

Sine Mora is a game about time. In this beautiful bullet-hell blaster - just like in real life - it's a commodity you never seem to have enough of. As you guide your futuristic aircraft through the near constant barrage of neon bullet-sprays, you'll find yourself glancing not at an energy bar, but at a timer. Every time you get shot in Sine Mora, valuable seconds are deducted from the clock. Let the timer reach zero, and it's game over. The only way to win time back is by destroying e…

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Halfbrick Announce Colossatron: Massive World Threat

News By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Halfbrick Announce Colossatron: Massive World Threat

Even though Fish out of Water was a little under the high expectations bar set up by releases such as Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja, we're always interested to see what Halfbrick studios have in store for the App Store next. Colossatron: Massive World Threat is their new upcoming game. A trailer is out for it, and you should watch it right now. It looks to be some twist on the game of Snake, only with a giant multi-tiered cyber-dragon. A great little sense of humour is present if Colenol Mustache is anything to go by. Even though we don't have much to go on, it's looking interesting, and I for one am looking forward to learn more. You'll know when we do.…

RAVENMARK: Mercenaries Review

Review Witching Hour Studios By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
RAVENMARK: Mercenaries Review

About a year and a half ago Witching Hour Studios released Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion, a turn-based strategy game striving to bring the spirit of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars to the App Store. It featured some rewarding gameplay for strategy buffs, provided you were willing to meet it on its own terms. Ravenmark: Mercenaries does a lot better at easing a new player into its mechanics through a narrative-laced tutorial. That said, while the core game is relatively easy to pick up,…

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Beat Blocks is Powered by your Music Library

News By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Beat Blocks is Powered by your Music Library

Now of course the upcoming Beat Blocks isn't the first game to turn your music library into a game, with Audiosurf, and Beat Hazard being popular releases with that feature, but it does seem to be the first game to forego the action and opt for a puzzle experience... well if you consider match-3 games to be puzzle games of course. Releasing as a free game, you will be able to play three of your own library tracks before the game requires a payment of $0.99 to continue. It looks to be a solid match-3 experience, and the inclusion of levels based around your favourite songs is always a draw. We'll see if the game delivers what it promises on July 22nd. In the meantime, ha…

Pacific Rim Review

Pacific Rim Review

Pacific Rim is a silly, but enjoyable summer blockbuster that involves giant robots punching giant monsters. Obviously, a movie tie-in game was inevitable, and the core concept of Jaegers vs Kaiju is perfect video game fodder. The developer of Pacific Rim on iOS decided to emulate the gameplay of Infinity Blade, which again is a really great fit for the combat-heavy subject matter. It's just a pity the execution failed live up to its potential. If you're familiar with Infinity Bl…

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Deus Ex: The Fall Review

Review SQUARE ENIX By James Gilmour, 10 years, 8 months ago
Deus Ex: The Fall Review

Shoot or sneak? Hack or attack? Immobilise or kill? These are the choices you are confronted with throughout Deux Ex: The Fall. Taking its lead from the console-based Deus Ex: Human Revolution, this iOS spin-off sticks very close to its heavily augmented gold-tinged roots. On the plus side, this means you get a some stellar visuals, and narrative-driven campaign featuring missions which can be completed using either aggressive or non-aggressive tactics. On the downside, it means you ha…

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Angry Birds Star Wars II Announcement

News By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Angry Birds Star Wars II Announcement

So not only are Rovio hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice with another mash up of birds and pigs in a galaxy far far away, but the upcoming September sequel to this well reviewed extension of the Angry Birds franchise introduces a bit of a twist; Rovio are taking on Skylanders. This means toys. It also mean platforms upon which to place these toys. They're called 'telepods', but they function the same way as the Skylanders portals. Buy the licensed toys, use the telepods to transport them into the upcoming game. It's a shrewd marketing ploy, but only time will tell if it's at all successful. In the meantime, have a look at the trailer. It's got a wookie bird.…

Sprinkle Islands Review

Review Mediocre AB By Dave Flodine, 10 years, 8 months ago
Sprinkle Islands Review

What is it about the world of Sprinkle Islands that causes flaming garbage to plummet down on top of the landscape? It happened in the first game, and now in this sequel to the waterbased physics-puzzler, the combustible garbage has ruined the tropics. As a result, your little blue firefighter has to hose down the burning environment to keep this vacation hotspot pristine. Obviously it's a little more nuanced than that. Not only do you have to accurately redirect your water cannon, bu…

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