Kingdom Rush is one of the best, most polished tower defense games available. It has a charm that’s a step above most other mobile games, plus, it’s just plain fun. You defend your exit with a cavalcade of towers and upgrades, along with a hero that you can direct around the field. The unique tower upgrades and the changing landscape help keep things feeling fresh even after you’ve killed your thousandth gnoll. I’ll be honest: I’ve sunk tons of time into the previous two games, so the same thing will probably happen with this one. Check out the trailer below, then download the game on iOS or Android! Read more…
If you’ve been aching to take your Pokemon game on the road without all the hassle, it looks like the Pokemon Company has your back. At the Pokemon World Championships a display has popped up showing an iPad running the game. It appears to be based on the current free-to-play game available on PC and Mac, ported to iPad. With the popularity of Hearthstone, it definitely seems like card games are enjoying a digital renaissance, so it’d be cool to see Pokemon ride that wave as well. No news yet on when it’ll release, but hopefully it’s not too far away. Read more…
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies was one of my favorite games last year. It combined great characters with an engaging story that keeps you hooked, trying to figure out the true culprit in each murder mystery. Now, it’ll have an even wider audience! The game has already come out on iOS in Japan, but Capcom has now confirmed that the iOS version will see a release in the US as well – in gorgeous HD. Huzzah! WE’re also getting the Ace Attorney Trilogy HD release on the 3DS this fall, so it’s a good time to jump into the series if you’ve never played it before! Read more…
A little surprise in the last few days: Hitman GO hit iOS devices recently, and it caught my eye, mainly because it has such an unconventional and cool style. It looks like little models and figurines being moved around a wooden board, complete with tilt-shift effect. You still hunt down a target to eliminate, but instead you’re moving along various paths etched into the board and must plan your moves accordingly. The devil is in the details here, as all the little flourishes and movements reflect real figurines. I’ll have to check it out later, because it definitely looks like a unique game. Watch the trailer below and download it here! Read more…
Yes, true believers, you can now get the most addictive digital card game on iPad, so you can play anytime. Say goodbye to your family and productivity as you whittle away the hours building the perfect deck and battling foes online. I’ll be honest, I haven’t played Hearthstone yet, but I’ve seen plenty of my friends really get into it. I’m not sure if I want to take the plunge just yet. Then again, it is free-to-play… No, no, not yet. But soon! Until then, I’ll just watch the trailer and marvel at the gorgeous playing animations and excellent art. Download the app here or watch the launch trailer below! Read more…
It seems like every month there’s a new indie darling showing up. I’ve got to say, though… Monument Valley really swept me away. It’s a gorgeous (and I do mean gorgeous) iOS puzzle game in which you guide a princess named Ida through complex geometry that remind you of M. C. Escher’s artwork. Impossible shapes and moving parts that defy physics re the name of the game here, and it all flows incredibly well. It also has some fantastic sound design. I highly recommend it! It’s available now on iOS, and will be coming to Android soon. Check out their official site here to grab it or watch the trailer below. Read more…
Here’s a snappy and addictive new title for you iOS devices: Threes! It’s a surprisingly simple game by Asher Vollmer that requires you to match numbers together. Two “3” cards make a “6” card, two “6” cards make a “12” card, and it keeps building from there. Soon you’re sliding “96” together and swiping around the board in a hypnotic state. Each card is adorned by adorable faces (illustrated by Ridiculous Fishing and Hundreds artist Greg Wohlwend) to some insanely catchy music (by Jimmy Hinson). Just wait until you get the pirate card with an eyepatch. It’s worth it. Check it out here! Read more…
Have you heard of this “walking dead” thing? If you’ve been living under a rock, The Walking Dead is a critically acclaimed comic series by Robert Kirkman that has been adapted into a very successful TV series on AMC. Last year, Telltale Games released a episodic adventure game called The Walking Dead: Season 1 that went on to win untold Game of the Year awards based on its strong design, writing, storytelling, and characters, despite competing with games with far bigger budgets. If you haven’t played it yet (or its short expansion 400 Days), go do that now before even thinking about watching what many fans have been waiting for: the reveal trailer for Season 2. Read more…
In what is surely not a shock, Apple has announced the next version of their smartphone, the iPhone 5S. Coming in white, black, and now a slightly-trashy gold, the iPhone 5S looks mostly the same as the iPhone 5, just like the iPhone 4 & 4S before it. There’s a silver ring around the home button with a fingerprint ID scanner for security, but the main changes are under the hood. The new A7 processor reportedly makes this phone twice as fast as the previous one, while OpenGL ES 3.0 improves the graphical capabilities. There’s also the M7, a motion co-processor, used for motion-sensing apps. Read more…
The headline says it all! Well, actually, the headline just gives you basic details. Here’s the real meat: Kingdom Rush is one of the best games on iOS. And that’s saying something, given how saturated the tower defense market is. Kingdom Rush does a bunch of little clever things to keep the game fresh and exciting, like adding heroes that can move anywhere on the battlefield, unique map layouts, and an upgrade system. Best of all? Buy the game, and that’s it. No microtransactions needed. The option is there if you want to buy extras or make the game ridiculously easy, but why would you do that? It’s a great package, and Kingdom Rush Frontiers, out June 6th, looks to be more of that same goodness. Trailer below! Read more…
After many delays and pushing the game back for unknown reasons, the Ace Attorney Trilogy HD will finally arrive on iOS in the US this week. The official release date is May 30th. The first two cases are free to play, and after that the first game is available for $5.99, and the second and third are $6.99. You can also grab everything in one go for $16.99. While that is a lot for an iOS game, getting all three on the Nintendo DS (especially if you have to hunt down the slightly rarer games can cost you $90 or more. I’m not quite sold on the way they’re HD-ing the sprites, as everything’s outlines seem to be a bit wonky, but I’m ready to give it a shot. Read more…
There’s been a recent iOS game making, ahem, waves, in the gaming community, called Ridiculous Fishing. It’s a great combination of solid mechanics and beautiful art, and under the guise of a simple fishing game, it turns into a surprisingly clever and addictive blast of entertainment. After dropping your lure down, you try to gather as many fish as possible on the way back up, and then blast all of them out of the air with your various guns and weapons. It’s also had quite a storied history involving drama, rip-offs, and the complexities of clone games on the App Store. But this one is the real deal, and oh so much better. Even the soundtrack is great! Check out the trailer below and get the app here! Read more…
Who says iOS doesn’t get some amazing games? Simogo has been putting out some fantastic work on the iPad and iPhone, and with their latest release, Year Walk, I have to say that I am officially a fanboy. Year Walk is centered around Swedish mythology, in which men would wander into the forest of 19th century Sweden in hopes of seeing the future. This “Year Walk” allowed them to see visions… although it appears things are a bit more sinister than they first appear. The art is gorgeous and the sound design top-notch – wear headphones and play in the dark for the full, spine-tingling effect. And don’t forget to download the Companion App too! It may have some important secrets hidden inside it. Watch the trailer below. Read more…
Ever wanted to be a commander of your own ship? The guys at Warballoon do, and that’s why they’re making Star Command, a new game for iOS, Android, PC, and Mac. They’ve posted a video recently, showing off them playing through a few missions in the game, managing their ship and battling against invaders. It has a cute artstyle, and reminds me a little bit of Game Dev Story. The game will apparently be coming out “when it kicks ass,” which seems to be a good indicator for any game’s development. Man, is it just me or are there way more space and spaceship sim games popping up suddenly? Read more…
Earlier today, my wife was enjoying her latest obsession, NimbleBit’s Pocket Planes for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Similar to their previous free-to-play management sim Tiny Tower, you use bitizens to grow your business but rather than building floor after floor of shops, instead the game focuses on transporting passengers and cargo between destinations for income, allowing you to unlock more planes, and so forth. Any way, while she was playing through the game, she noticed that a piece of cargo she had to transport, labeled “Time Machine,” resembled a certain blue police box. Just to make sure she wasn’t crazy, we snapped a photo. Look familiar? Any way, I’m told the game is fun and addicting, though, I can’t imagine how. If time management sims are your sort of thing, check out the app for free and be mindful of the in app purchases, as you can easily rack up a hefty bill if you’re not careful!
There are so many awesome gadgets out there, many of which I can’t afford. The latest to catch my eye is a portable, projection-based Bluetooth keyboard for iOS and Android devices. The Elecom TK-PBL042BK — catchy name, I know — is a self-contained, rechargeable unit that projects a red wire-frame keyboard onto the surface of your choice. The keyboard itself comes with adjustable brightness settings to save battery life, and features up three levels of sensitivity, clocked up to 350 characters per minute. There’s even a mouse-mode built-in. Impressive, isn’t it?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 14, 2012 in Videogames
If you’ve been following the site, it’s no secret that I’ve been looking forward to playing BioWare’s Mass Effect 3. Critics have praised the game and while some gamers have voiced concerns regarding everything from day-one paid downloadable content to the doctoring of stock, royalty free photography, I’m still enjoying my experience for the most part. I admit that I’m not a very social gamer but due to BioWare’s new interactive “Galaxy at War” system, you’re almost forced to deal with the multiplayer aspect just to improve your single-player campaign’s ending. Fortunately, there are a couple workarounds for those of you with an iOS device. More after the jump.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 14, 2012 in Videogames
Set for release later this week, Square Enix unveiled latest trailer for Chaos Rings II. As some of you may recall, Chaos Rings served as Square Enix’s first major title for the iOS and Android platforms, praised for delivering a fully-developed, traditional Japanese role-playing experience. Some reviewers have even cited it as one of the best titles the company has developed in recent years — though, I’m sure that’s open to debate. Read more…
This has been a long time coming, but now they’re finally here. Starting today, Marvel will be releasing its digital graphic novels via Apple’s iBookstore. So far there is over sixty titles available from their catalog from popular titles like X-Men, The Avengers, Spider-Man and more. I know many of you are still comic book purists and have to physical copies, but for those of you who’ve embraced the digital age, this should provide a welcome alternative. Marvel’s promising new releases each week, as well as free previews for each graphic novel, including an extended preview for New Avengers Volume 1. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 28, 2012 in Design, Tech
Some of us use it for work, others just to craft memes for their favorite image boards, but one thing is for certain, Adobe Photoshop has easily become a staple of internet culture. Until recently iOS users have been forced to contend with Adobe’s Photoshop Express which, as I’m sure many of you know from their browser-based version, comes with an extremely limited toolset, missing features like multiple layers, advanced adjustments, filters and more. The complaints haven’t gone unnoticed. To provide a tablet alternative, Adobe recently released Photoshop Touch. Read more…
New iOS game PSA time! Out now on the App Store is Beat Sneak Bandit, the latest game from Simogo. It’s a fantastic little puzzle game that also has a little rhythm game mixed in with it. The aim is to collect as many clocks as you can while staying in time with the beat of the music. It starts simple but ramps up and becomes really involving. And if you’ve ever wanted to play an interactive Saul Bass opening, this is probably the closest you’re gonna get. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 16, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
When it comes to mobile gaming, I’m always in the market for a decent control interface. Recently I wrote about Ten One’s Fling Joystick which allows you to stick an analog nub to your favorite tablet or smartphone. While it’s a great alternative to fussing with a touchscreen interface, it has its shortcomings such as a lack of buttons, and so on. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives such as ION Audio’s iCade series. Read more…
Following last month’s announcement of the latest installment in Capcom’s Ace Attorney series, and the release of Ghost Trick for Apple’s iOS, Japanese fans were pleasantly surprised to hear that the first three titles from the series would also be released in HD. While Capcom USA hasn’t made any announcements regarding the localization of either Ace Attorney 5, or the HD iOS collection, some recently posted screenshots show just how beautiful the games can look in high definition.
This has got to be one the most unique Smartphone accessories we’ve come across yet. Introducing the XAPPR pistol, a $30 peripheral that fits most Android and iOS devices. You’re probably wondering how it works. First you mount your phone to its stand, then the device connects to your phone with the trigger sending its signals via the headphone port. Currently, there are only a few apps that support the device, most of which require the use of augmented reality. It works well with iOS titles likeSpray’Em, or AR Warsand AR Invaders. There’s also an Android app, ATK, currently in open beta that supports it. If you’re interested in picking one up, you can currently pre-order one from the official website via Paypal, but it won’t be ready to ship ’til June.
