News By Kay at 13:03 on 03/09/2010 - 1 comment
Tags: iPod Touch, Bullet-Hell, Cave, Shooter, iPhone
In recent months famed Japanese vertical shoot'em-up developers Cave have ported two of their arcade classics to iOS devices to great success - the major caveat being that only the newer iOS devices are powerful enough to run them. This, I'm sure, has annoyed a great deal of older iPod Touch/iPhone owning shooter fans starved of anything comparable on the App Store.
If you're one of those disgruntled fans, then Firi Games' latest project is just the thing for you - a manic bullet-hell shooter, clearly inspired by Cave's efforts over the years, by the name of Phoenix. It's due out sometime this month and, as the beta video below demonstrates, seems to run as smooth as silk even on the very first generation iPhone:
Fortunately, that's not the only thing that will make the game stand out. Unlike most shooters, instead of featuring a set amount of fixed stages, Phoenix will have one long randomly generated level complete with 'AI Director' - so enemies, weapons and power-ups will change in real-time, adapting to the player's skill level. The focus then is to try and destroy as many enemies and survive as long as possible, with integrated worldwide leaderboards available for healthy high-score competition. My interested has definitely been piqued, and I'm looking forward to giving Phoenix a try once it hits the App Store.
Epic Games brings Unreal Engine to iPhone
News By Richard Horne at 20:02 on 02/09/2010 - 1 comment
Tags: Epic Games, Epic Citadel, Project Sword, Unreal Engine 3, All style and no substance
Epic Games today revealed its new Epic Citadel app for the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. Available for free from the iTunes app store the app shows off the capabilities of Epis'c Unreal Engine 3. Which on the iPhone is no mean feat.
Players can navigate through a fictional castle using the touch screen as well as experience stunning visuals and special effects in an environment inspired by the company's newest title Project Sword.
“Project Sword” is the codename of the all-new action role-playing adventure game exclusively for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch developed by Epic’s critically acclaimed studio, Chair Entertainment, creators of the Xbox LIVE Arcade games of the year “Undertow” and “Shadow Complex.” Scheduled for release later this year, “Project Sword” will bring unrivaled visual fidelity and a highly accessible gameplay experience to the iOS platform.
“This is a testament to the sheer power of iOS devices as up until now, Unreal Engine 3 has typically been used to create high-end gaming experiences on game consoles and computers,” said Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps. “And we’re not just keeping it to ourselves. We're putting Unreal Engine 3 technology into the hands of game developers all over the world, and we can't wait to see the apps they make next.”
Epic Citadel was apparently created in just eight weeks by a small team of Epic's programmers, artists and testers.
And while there's no real game there, it's proof positive, were it ever needed, of just quite how powerful Apple's touch-screen devices are. Of course, games like Archetype have proved that just because you can shoe-horn an FPS onto the iPhone doesn't mean that you necessarily should with controls being an on-going concern.
Still, quite the demo for nowt innit?
Fallout: New Vegas - All Roads iPhone App now available
News By Richard Horne at 19:50 on 02/09/2010 - 1 comment
Tags: Fallout New Vegas, All Roads, Graphic Novel, Bethesda Software
Bethesda Software, working in conjunction with Dark Horse Comics, today announced the first details of its new iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad graphic-novel app for iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad.
The preview for Fallout: New Vegas - All Roads gives you a sneaky peek at 12 full pages from the forthcoming complete graphical novel that will be made included in the collector's edition of the retail game.
"All Roads introduces the world of New Vegas, a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis, and a tells an intriguing tale of loyalty and violence that leads right up to the beginning of the game."
All Roads is written by Chris Avellone, the game's senior designer and is tightly integrated into the story of New Vegas apparently even containing in-game mission clues. The artwork meanwhile has been drawn by Jean Diaz and Wellinton Alves of Incorruptible and Shadowland: Blood on the Streets fame respectively.
Fallout: New Vegas is due for release on the 19th of October.
Cave releasing Dodonpachi Resurrection lite
News By Richard Horne at 18:57 on 02/09/2010 - 0 comments
Tags: Dodonpachi Resurrection, Cave, Bullet-Hell, Shmup, Lite Version
CAVE today revealed that it's releasing a lite version of its popular shooter Dodonpachi Resurrection for the iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad.
Due for release on the 3rd of September, the lite version of the game allows you to play the first stage in its entirety as well as experience both iPhone mode and Arcade modes.
You should remember that Dodonpachi is only compatible with the iPhone 4/iPhone 3GS and the most recent version of the iPod Touch supporting OS 3.1.3 and up.
You can buy the full version of Dodonpachi Ressurection for $8.99/€6.99/£5.49 using the link below.
Nelson Tethers Puzzle Agent comes to iPad
News By Richard Horne at 08:17 on 02/09/2010 - 0 comments
Tags: Nelson Tethers Puzzle Agent, Telltale Games, Professor Layton, Puzzle Games, Graham Annable
Telltale Games has released Nelson Tethers Puzzle Agent on the iPad at the bargain price of $4.99.
This adventure/puzzle compendium is delightfully drawn and animated by popular illustrator Graham Annable and voiced by Doug Boyd and sees you taking on the role of hapless FBI Puzzle Research Division Nelson Tethers.
For those of you without an iPad or iPhone, the game is also available on Steam and WiiWare.
Look for a review shortly.
Chinatown Wars iPad release imminent
News By Richard Horne at 08:06 on 02/09/2010 - 0 comments
Tags: Grand Theft Auto, Chinatown Wars, Rockstar Games, GTA, HD
Rockstar Games today announced that the iPad version of its hugely popular Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars HD will be released on the 9th of September for $9.99.
The is essentially the same as the DS/PSP/iPhone version but with refined controls for the iPad's increased resolution, as well as improved graphics for its larger screen.
Look forward to our review once we've spent some time with the behemoth.
Glu Mobile working on LOTR: Middle-Earth Defense
News By Richard Horne at 08:09 on 01/09/2010 - 0 comments
Tags: Glu Mobile, Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth defense, Tower Defense, Realtime Strategy
Glu Mobile this week announced to TouchArcade that it's working on a whole raft of new iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad games.
Chief among them is Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Defense. Yep, another bloody tower-defense game on the iPhone. However, with high production values and 18 levels set across 7 key battles from the entire movie-trilogy, much like the recent Battle for Hoth Star Wars tower defense game, this has every chance of being fairly decent.
With 16 unit types including hobbits and other hero units - expect the usual - each with their own special powerups, for example Gandalf can summon a hail of fireballs there looks like being plenty of variety on offer. Barriers are also central to a successful strategy as they can be employed to both block and re-direct enemies towards your key defenses.
Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Defense is due for release in early December.
Moto Racing GP - iPhone Review
Review By Drew Bower at 10:41 on 30/08/2010 - 1 comment
Tags: Moto Racing GP, Darxun Games, Superbikes, iPhone, Arcade Racer
Having previously reviewed Darxun Game’s first iPhone racing game Xtreme Quad Racing I was curious to see how they had progressed with their latest iPhone racer Moto Racing GP. Whilst not being overly impressed by Xtreme Quad Racing, I gave plenty of encouragement and thus was hopeful of seeing lots of improvement. However, after playing the game I am sorely tempted to copy and paste my previous review and simply substitute any reference to bikes with 4 wheels for those that use two…
But I’ll try to write something different!
Let’s start with positives, as there are actually quite a few. Firstly, the game looks great. Bikes and riders are modelled well and look very realistic. As are the tracks which help give a true Superbike Grand Prix feeling. Most impressively is how the two are combined as the game shifts along at a tremendous pace. The bikes are seriously fast – almost perhaps too fast for accelerometer controls. The highly paced action leaves little option but to wildly slam your rider into corners in order to keep up with the other riders.
This links to a disappointing similarity to Xtreme Quad Racing, where the fast pace, accelerometer controls and highly skilled CPU bikes, leads to a quite evil difficulty level. Even playing on easy, one or two mistakes often end up with not simply losing the race, but being lapped by all three opponents. Now that can’t be right! And needless to say, constantly losing heavily does not encourage repeat plays.
Playing Moto Racing GP is an entirely frustrating experience and quite disheartening. There is certainly a fun arcade racer waiting to spring out here, as there was with Xtreme Quad Racing. But Darxun Games just needs to spend a little more time fine tuning the mechanics of the game to strike a better balance between speed and control. I really hope they do, because they have done the hard part in getting the game to run smoothly and obviously spent time making everything look impressive.
iPhone classic 'Saucelifter' could be coming to other formats
News By Phil May at 08:21 on 27/08/2010 - 0 comments
Tags: Saucelifter, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Other formats
It's a personal favourite iPhone game, meshing together cool polygon graphics with absolutely perfectly balanced controls. Saucelifter seems to be one of those games that stays put on my iPod Touch while other apps and games are played and deleted pretty quickly.
Now it seems Paul "Madgarden" Pridham has been locked away in his shed knocking up versions of Saucelifter for other formats.
He's remaining tight lipped (for now, but once I've got the thumbscrews on 'im I'm sure he'll crack) so we've no idea what specific formats he's tweeting about, but rest assured, if this ever makes a PS3 or Xbox Live port, you owe it to yourself to pick it up on day one.
Stay tuned (because you DO tune your web browser in like an old crystal radio, right?) for more info.
Hit iPhone game Angry Birds makes the jump to the Playstation platforms
News By Phil May at 15:21 on 26/08/2010 - 2 comments
Tags: Orville, Big Bird, Octavia, 3rd and Bird, ANGER
A rejigged version of gigantic-selling iPhone game Angry Birds looks set to make its PSN store debut next month. With improved graphics and tidied up controls, Angry Birds PS should be an interesting addition to the store and another great cross-conversion for the PSP Minis collection.
Other iGames like Fieldrunners have already successfully leaped across to the Playstation Portable.
Up for some bird-based destruction? Keep 'em peeled on the store where the title's expected to cost around £2.99.
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