Archive for July, 2010
‘Archetype’ Gameplay Trailer and Retina Display Resolution Screenshots Released
A couple weeks ago we first caught wind of Archetype, an online first person shooter by iPhone developer which is comprised of veterans of LucasArts and the creators of both Shift [99¢] and Ivory Tiles [99¢] for the iPhone. Much like ngmoco's Eliminate [Free], Archetype is said to work over WiFi, 3G, and also EDGE connections. Players will rank up as they play, earning experience and winning medals along the way.
The main differentiator between Archetype and other similar online shooters is that Archetype will be playable with up to ten players at once, in teams of five, with an assortment of six different weapons to choose from. We're anxious to see how the game works, and likely won't have to wait too long as per the the game is launching in "early July" for $2.99.
For more information on the game, including a few hands-on impressions from a few people who managed to snag the game early, . I'm not entirely sure how MunkyFun is going to be able to provide a solid 5v5 first person shooter experience that will even play well over EDGE, but needless to say we're going to be keeping a very close eye on this game to give it a try once its released.
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‘Tap Tap Revenge’ Developer Tapulous Acquired by Disney
this afternoon that iPhone startup has been acquired by Disney. With meager beginnings on the App Store between the photo sharing app Collage [Free], their Twitter client Twinkle [Free], and the original Tap Tap Revenge [$1.99], Tapulous later went on to releasing additional licensed Tap Tap games with music from bands ranging from Metallica to Coldplay, and even Justin Bieber.
It's hard to say what this means for the future of Tapulous, as being owned by Disney presumably now gives them access to Disney's amazing library of music owned by the Disney Music Group. This includes soundtracks to Disney movies, and other bands covering a wide spectrum of music from They Might Be Giants to Miley Cyrus and an amazing amount in between. We'll have to wait and see if this means more individually licensed games, additional DLC for Tap Tap Revenge 3 [Free], or other potential games we can't even imagine yet.
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‘Physics Gamebox’ Review – Two Classic Flash Cannon Games
In late May we posted a gameplay trailer of Physics Gamebox [99¢] which just hit the App Store recently and is packed with iPhone ports of two extremely popular Flash games originally created by . Included in the Gamebox is and , both freely playable on in any web browser sporting the Flash plugin.
Likely the most recognizable game out of the Physics Gamebox is going to be Ragdoll Cannon, which actually has been a free Flash game quite a long time before Backflip Studios' Ragdoll Blaster [$1.99] landed on the App Store. Gameplay is practically identical, right down to the art style. In Ragdoll Cannon, you touch the screen to launch ragdolls to hit a box marked "HERE". Just like Ragdoll Blaster, you can either play Ragdoll Cannon valuing accuracy and precision and attempt to clear levels in as few ragdolls as possible, or you can just go to town spamming ragdolls to your heart's content until one of them manages to run in to the target.
200 levels are included for Ragdoll Cannon, and there is a good difficulty curve which didn't take long before I found myself stuck on a level hopelessly spamming ragdolls trying to figure out what to do. Thankfully, in these instances, you're able to skip forward up to five levels so you're never really ever stuck in the game… Unless of course the five levels you can skip to you're also incapable of solving.
The second game in Physics Gamebox, Roly-Poly Cannon, is actually much more fun than I was expecting it to be. It uses an identical control system, where you tap on the screen to aim and fire bombs with the power controlled by how far away from the cannon you're tapping. Instead of shooting ragdolls at a target, you're firing bombs at enemies on screen. Killing all the bad guys on screen often requires the clever use of other bombs that are already set up on a level, and an additional layer of complexity is quickly thrown in with good guys that you don't want to blow up.
Only 100 levels are included in Roly-Poly Cannon, but they seem to be much more complicated on average so it wouldn't surprise me if you got just as much (if not more) playtime out of this half of the game, especially if you find yourself getting in to clearing levels using as few bombs as possible. Just like Ragdoll Cannon, if you find yourself stuck, you can also skip ahead up to five levels in Roly-Poly Cannon.
Forum members are having a lot of fun with the game per responses in the , and I've had a great time so far playing through levels in both Ragdoll Cannon and Roly-Poly Cannon. If you were among the millions of people who have downloaded physics games like Ragdoll Blaster or its sequel, Angry Birds, and other similar "shoot things at other things" games, Physics Gamebox should be an easy purchase.
Something to look forward to in the future is the fact that the original creator of these games, Johnny-K, has created quite a few sequels and level packs for both Roly-Poly Cannon, Ragdoll Cannon, and other similar cannon games. Hopefully these will eventually also be released, either as separate game boxes, updates, or DLC addons. Or, at least, I've got my fingers crossed.
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‘Aqueduct’ Review – Pipe Fitting Meets Sliding Puzzles
Aqueduct is a new puzzle game from developer Kieffer Bros. that combines the concepts of pipe connecting games like Pipe Mania with classic that have been around for ages. It's a really clever idea and Aqueduct manages to pull it off with a style and simplicity that's perfectly suited to the iPhone. The result is a beautiful game with a ton of brain-taxing content that lends itself well to just a few minutes of play or hours upon hours of puzzling goodness.
The underlying goal of Aqueduct is to connect a starting valve piece to an ending drain piece using various segments of pipe. The type of pipe segments available are predetermined, so rotating them to fit isn't part of the equation. Each game board is laid out on a grid, so each piece must be moved and dropped onto a square of the grid. Sometimes stationary segments are placed on the grid that you must connect to (but not always) on your way to completing the pipe to the drain. Various other elements enter the game like conveyor belts that will move your pieces if not blocked properly, switches that will open gates, or moveable pieces of the grid that act like bridges to get segments across gaps.
Aqueduct features over 140 levels grouped together in 5 different sets. The first set of 23 levels basically serves as a tutorial and gently guides you through the various elements described above. It's easy to breeze through this portion of the game, but once you start in on the second set of puzzles and beyond, difficulty ramps up appropriately. Some of the puzzles are serious mind benders, and the solutions can be so clever you can't help but grin when you finally figure one out. What's really cool about Aqueduct is how it retains the characteristic of a slide puzzle and forces you to use what free space you have to maneuver the pieces around. Sometimes there's only just enough room to move the pipe segments where they need to go, and beyond thinking logically how the pipe fits together you must think spatially as well.
Aqueduct has a captivating visual style, using a hand drawn colored pencil look that's really appealing. The ambient music is similarly enjoyable and non-intrusive, and gives you something nice to listen to while you play. There's no time limit or scoring of any kind, just the goal of making a completed pipe in each unique situation you're given. It reminds me a lot of Blocked in it's elegant simplicity, although some would argue that it's missing features like high scores or social network integration. For my money, I prefer Aqueduct how it is.
One thing that can be frustrating is how each level is only unlocked one after the other, so if you get stuck on one you won't progress until you finally figure it out. Still, Aqueduct is a fresh take on two classic formulas with hours of content that should please the puzzle fans out there.
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‘Star Wars: Battle of Hoth’ Tower Defense Due July 15th
Like you, we are waiting with cautious optimism about the upcoming Star Wars: Battle of Hoth tower defense game that we previewed in May.
Star Wars: The Battle for Hoth takes place on the snow covered planet of Hoth during the massive assault on the Rebel Base at the beginning of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. If you've seen the movie (and if you haven't you should really stop reading this and fix that) you probably can guess the objective of the game: Defending the shield generators from the Imperial forces.
THQ Wireless has that the game will finally launch on July 15th with an iPad version coming in August. The game will debut at $2.99.
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‘1942: First Strike’ First Impressions – Disappointing Controls
When bringing up the topic of vertical shoot 'em ups, it's nearly impossible not to mention Capcom's seminal 194X series. Since the original 1942 was released way back in 1984 the series has spawned a number of sequels and has been ported to practically any system you can think of, minus the iPhone. That changed tonight however as 1942: First Strike is now available on the App Store.
1942: First Strike is said to be inspired by the game 1942: Joint Strike that graced the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network a couple years ago. While those games were slightly mundane gameplay-wise, they at the very least showcased some excellent 3D high def graphics that really brought the classic franchise into this new generation. This is not the case here. The iPhone version features tiny plane and enemy sprites and boring backdrops. It's colorful, but not very interesting. The music is really quite excellent, but the sound effects lack any substance and destroying enemies is met with a whimper rather than a boom.
I could excuse the disappointing graphics if the gameplay was entertaining, but sadly this isn't the case either. The major fault of 1942: First Strike is in the controls. The gameplay area is fairly wide, which makes the screen scroll left or right when you fly in those directions. The sensitivity in the scrolling is just way off and creates a totally disorienting experience. If a row of enemies is coming towards you, and you need to scoot just a smidgen over to line up your aim, likely that will send the playfield scrolling too hard and your plane slamming right into enemies or incoming fire. Adjusting the sensitivity or using tilt helps a tiny bit, but not really. It's just not something I could get used to, and it ruins a game that requires high precision.
Even if the controls worked better, there's nothing here you haven't seen before. Enemy attack patterns and your own special weapons are all garden variety, and if not for the controls, the game would likely be too short and easy. There are a couple things to like about the game, though. As mentioned the music is well done, as are the different menu graphics. Some nifty full motion cutscenes are shown prior to beginning levels or fighting a boss, although they seem to repeat often.
None of these good marks outweigh the bad though, and at best 1942: First Strike feels like a Java game that might have impressed on mobile 5 years ago. It's unfortunate and surprising that such a beloved franchise received such poor treatment.
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Freebie Alert: ‘Soul’, ‘Spinzizzle’, and ‘Rebounce’
While there are tons of these daily free game sites out there, it's not often that the stars align resulting in three games of this caliber all being free at once. Standard freebie disclaimer is in place of course, with these games likely returning to their regular price very soon. Don't waste any time before snagging these.
Soul, Normally $1.99 – An iPhone adaption of a critically acclaimed XBOX Live Arcade indie game, Soul puts players in control of a soul escaping the body of a dead man. You must then use tilt controls to guide the soul out of the maze-like building to heaven. Gameplay isn't anything we haven't seen before, as the game is basically just a tilt controlled marble game with a whole lot of atmosphere.
Soul has some great art and sound design, but the random screaming doesn't take long to start to get annoying. Regardless, this is a really cool game, and at the current sale price of free, there's not much to not like about it.
Spinzizzle, Normally 99¢ – Yeah there are a ton of matching games on the App Store, but Spinzizzle is definitely one of the better ones. You control a wheel filled with colored balls that you must rotate to make as many matches as possible. Once three or more balls line up, they get locked in to place and you can keep rotating the wheel to get even more matches.
I really liked Spinzizzle when I reviewed it, and I've recommended it to quite a few people who have asked me to suggest some matching games that offer a little more than your typical match three.
ReBounce: Evolved Breaking, Normally $1.99 – We first discussed ReBounce on episode #10 of our podcast, then later went on to review the game, and admit we liked it a lot more than we initially expected. In ReBounce, you bounce a golden puck around on the game board, eliminating chains of orbs with each bounce. The game definitely has a Peggle feel to it, and the multiple game modes provide lots of variety.
If you like games with bouncing mechanics, clearing huge sections of objects on screen (intentionally or unintentionally), and online leaderboards via OpenFeint, look no further than ReBounce.
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Mobile 1UP’s Free iPhone ‘Lemmings’ Port Live Blog Met with Sony Cease & Desist Letter
Last week we posted about , which was met with tons of enthusiasm both on our forums and in the comments of the actual story along with some very understandable skepticism that this unauthorized port would even see the light of day. Originally published by Psygnosis in 1991, the Lemmings franchise became part of Sony Computer Entertainment when Psygnosis was sold to Sony in 1993. Since then the game has been ported in one form or another to every Sony console, and with Sony's latest targeting the App Store, their reaction to Mobile 1UP's Lemmings isn't entirely surprising.
Citing , the cease and desist letter sent by Sony is on the Mobile 1UP blog. This isn't entirely bad news, as even though the iPhone port of Lemmings is on hold for the time being, Mobile 1UP has posted that they're going to try to open a dialog with Sony in attempt to arrange distribution rights to legally bring Lemmings to the App Store. Unfortunately, the licensing costs involved likely means Lemmings will no longer be free as originally intended.
We'll keep a close eye on the drama between Mobile 1UP and Sony, but in the meantime, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that a real Lemmings game makes it to the App Store sooner or later.
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Post-Apocalyptic Open World 3D RPG ‘Xenome: Episode 1′ Hits App Store July 8th
Judging by the excitement drummed up by the Aralon: Sword and Shadow post from a few days ago, we've got a sizable fan base of people who absolutely love open world RPG's. Developed by , Xenome: Episode 1 takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where players take the role as "The Scientist", emerging from 250 years of cryostasis in the center of the Silica Flats. In total, there are five square miles of in-game terrain to be explored, filled with missions to take, monsters to slay, and experience to earn.
Xenome features a main plot line, as well as plenty of missions and side areas and as you're making your way through the game you'll be able to tweak your character's various abilities and stats while equipping yourself with the over 500 in-game items. Xenome is controlled using a set of virtual joysticks which control your movement as well as the in-game camera with an array of on-screen buttons that handle things like jumping, attacking, and your various special abilities.
The has a countdown timer currently ticking for the game's release, and the developers are planning on releasing all kinds of snippets of lore and other information on the in-game world over the next week as it counts down. We'll take a closer look at the game when it's released, but if you're a fan of open world RPG's and have gotten tired of the fantasy setting that's become somewhat prevalent in the App Store, keep your eyes peeled for Xenome: Episode 1 next week.
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