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Kairosoft's Hot Springs Story and Pocket Academy Now $1.99
If you're a frequent user of the App Store, you'll have noticed that it only takes a sniff of a special occasion for iPhone publishers to start slashing prices. With Thanksgiving quickly approaching in the US, Japanese developers Kairosoft have decided to offer both Hot Springs Story and Pocket Academy at the discounted price of $1.99. The latter of these titles tasks you with taking over a floundering school and turning it around by constructing new classrooms, forming extracurricular clubs, and attracting eager students to your revamped institute. Hot Springs Story, on the other hand, charges you with creating a relaxing spa, where teachers can come and unwind after a long day teach…
Bag It! Review
I consider my time spent in retail as a sort of front-loaded penance for the rest of my life - anyone who has had to grind away time dealing with humanity on a piecemeal basis will appreciate how it either makes or breaks you, turning you in to a social wizard or a raving lunatic ready to set people on fire. These days self-checkout machines are passing the frustration back to the customer as they attempt to quickly scan and safely pack away their groceries before being yelled at from…
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Gamebook Adventures 7: Temple of the Spider God Review
Most of us who grew up in the 1980s remember the 'Choose your own Adventure' books, but how many remember the 'Fighting Fantasy' series? It was a style of choose your own adventure that involved using dice to roll up a character with stats, and then during the game, dice rolls were required for skill checks and combat. Success or failure would change the outcome of the story, and the outcome more often than not was death. Temple of the Spider God is a tale that takes this style of gam…
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XIII - Lost Identity Review
If you're not familiar with the comic series XIII, it's an intriguing story (not dissimilar to that of The Bourne Identity) and has been kicking around since the early 80s. The Franco-Belgian classic has been given a video game conversion already, but now iOS gamers can get a taste of this spy/conspiracy story for themselves with XIII - Lost Identity. Publisher Microids already has a history on the App Store, so it's no surprise to see the game taking on aspects of their earlier work…
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Angry Birds Rio Gets 15 New Levels In Smugglers' Plane Update
Throughout the course of Rovio's Angry Birds Rio, we've followed the franchise's famous birds through jungles, across beaches, and over airfields. Thanks to another update to this bestselling game, the fiery's fowls' journey has been extended by another 15 levels. This new epsiode - which is entitled Smugglers' Plane - also features a fresh selection of golden fruit to seek out and collect. And if you're at all familiar with the physics-based title, you'll know that these are rarely found in plain sight. You can, of course, still use the Mighty Eagle to easily blast through any levels that prove to be a tad tricky, providing you've splashed out on the 99c in-app purchase. You can grab R…
Bullet Time HD Review
Free games tend to fall in to one of two categories if you excuse the usual subset of 'trial' games from the mix: They're either incredibly polished and ready to bite down on your wallet at every opportunity they gets, or they're a cheap attempt at harvesting ad revenue with simple and overplayed clones. Now that I've made my overly simplistic generalization for the day I can only point a finger in disgust at Bullet Time HD for one major reason: It has contributed to ruining gamer's e…
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INC Review
The story behind Inc is something about corporate bosses transferring their souls into robots and you needing to rescue a doctor. It didn't seem to matter once play started up and your character is jumping through pixelated vistas tagging beacons and obtaining stars on levels for a job well done. Inc uses on screen buttons. There is a left and right arrow to move, and a jump and attack button. Each level requires you to activate three beacons and make it to the end. If you beat the ti…
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Extraction: Project Outbreak Review
One thing that never fails to amaze me about having so many developers trying their hand at breaking in to the iOS market is seeing the creativity that comes from adversity. One of the defining features of the platform is its touch screen, but it can be as much a curse as a boon. Twin-stick shooters have reached an almost amicable middle-ground of 'it works, but isn't perfect' situation, but developer ShortRound have broken out of the box with their latest work for publisher Chillingo…
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Friday News Wrap-Up 18 November 2011
Additional Links:War on Terror Teaser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRRG5SgsCkgBeat Sneak Bandit Teaser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hORt7ZgQqMSimogo - http://simogo.com/Game Book Adventures - http://gamebookadventures.com/Pah! - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pah!/id423321842?mt=8Blueprint 3D Review - http://www.appspy.com/blueprint-3d-review…
Sponsored Feature: Evileggplant Studios On Straw Hat Legacy HD
Freshening up the tired endless runner template is no easy task, but Evileggplant Studios believe their latest title Straw Hat Legacy HD has managed it. A platforming game with distinct Heian-era influences, it's a title that looks to offer something different in an overcrowded genre. Wael Ouaijan, CEO at Evileggplant Studios, spoke to us about Straw Hat Legacy HD's stylistic influences, the developer's future plans for the game, and why it isn't just another endless runner. So, what exactly does Ouaijan believe the game offers that you can't find anywhere else on the App Store? "Straw Hat Legacy HD is unique in providing players with a free form (non-linear) platfo…
Update To Physics-Based Puzzler daWindci Floats Onto App Store
For the second time in three months, one of the great masters of the High Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci is about to receive a mention on these pages. They - whoever they may be - don't call AppSpy the 'most culturally enlightened iPhone site on the planet' for nothing, you know. With a clear nod to the esteemed Italian polymath, developers Reality Twist have designed a masterfully meditative physics-based puzzler for Apple's mobile by the name of daWindci. In essence, you must pilot a hot air balloon via the iPhone's multi-touch display through 45 separate levels, searching for valuable items and circumventing electric fields along your expeditions. Those already seduced by the combinati…
Poker Pals Review
Poker has taken the world by storm for quite a few years or so and there are plenty excellent poker titles available for your iPhone. Words With Friends took Scrabble and made it into a very popular online game. Aspyr Media has decided to combine the two and this is how we have Poker Pals. Yes, this is a turn based poker game played on a board. You play your hand, and then your opponent can use the hand you placed to create their own hand. Once the board starts filling, points can be…
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Minecraft – Pocket Edition Review
Like so many others I have spent my time with and enjoyed playing Minecraft on my PC. While there are debates about whether it is a 'game' in the strictest of terms, there's no denying the sense of satisfaction that comes from setting a goal and working your way towards it. However, Minecraft - Pocket Edition... ... well there's no other way to say it other than "it's simply the free java browser version for your iOS device of choice," and this alone wouldn't be so bad, but it's also…
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Elder Sign: Omens Review
It's hard to be a fan of board games and not be aware of US based publisher Fantasy Flight Games; not only have they worked with some of geekdom's most treasured franchises, but they've delved in to the dark depths that is the Lovecraftian Mythos and produced some truly chilling games. One of their latest is a standalone card game dubbed 'Elder Sign' and iOS gamers can now get their hands on a digital version tweaked for the platform under Elder Sign: Omens. The premise is a simple on…
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Mad Rush Review
Noop always wanted to be a galactic racer like his father, and now that the evil Mr. Storm is trying to attack Earth, he has a chance to make his dream come true... by farting! It turns out that the propulsion system of galactic racing is of a more organic variety. Mar Rush has you versing a number of racing opponents. To move on, you need to win all three race types; diehard, slalom, and nitro. All are variations on the same idea. When the flag turns green, press the fart button whic…
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