Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Richard Brown'
Sponsored Feature: Testing games with AppXpert
AppXpert is a new iPhone application that gives you the chance to win rewards for testing applications. We spoke to the team behind the concept to gain some insight into how it all works. "It's simple, really," the development team tells us. "First off, you join our community by downloading the AppXpert application. Then, every day, you receive a push notification telling you that a new investigation has just become available. "You register for the investigation, test out the application, and reply to a questionnaire. Within 24 hours, you'll be credited with 20p on your AppXpert account." Once you hit $5, you can cash in via PayPal. Or if you have the patience, you can get an Amaz…
Sponsored Feature: Mobe Labb on Wars Online for iOS and Android
'Online'? 'Defend'? 'Kingdom'? After seeing these three words in a game's title, you might be forgiven for thinking you've seen all it has to offer before you've even downloaded it. Mobe Labb, developer of Wars Online - Defend Your Kingdom, is adamant, though, that this isn't the case with its latest effort for iOS and Android. Mobe Labb marketing director Andrej Osipov spoke to us about how he thinks his company's game smashes other entries in the genre, how important the online component of the title is, and how the game changes according to the season. While Mobe Labb's game mixes action, strategy, and tower defence, Osipov assures us that Wars Online - Defend Your Kingdom is…
Sponsored Feature: EnSight Media on waking up with Radio Alarm Clock
Waking up on time is so important - you don't need me to tell you that, though. It's likely you use a set tone or a panicky spouse to help you rouse from your slumber, mind, rather than a sound you actually want to hear. EnSight Media's latest app Radio Alarm Clock helps to make waking up as enjoyable or bearable as possible, though, offering several radio stations and tones to choose from. Manchul Ko, CMO of Ensight Media, spoke to us about how his company's app stands out in a crowded market, how easy it is to use, and why it shows how the sound of smooth jazz is popular (almost) worldwide. Accessibility is essential in an app like Radio Alarm Clock, and fortunately it's as simp…
Sponsored Feature: MonTowers, the number one game in Japan, is now free
Any game where you capture monsters and battle them can be a hugely engaging and addictive experience - as anyone who has played a Pokemon game can attest. Nintendo's well-loved franchise looks to have yet another contender for its crown in MonTowers ~Legend of Summoners~, Japan's #1 iOS game. After its launch, MonTowers quickly became Japan's #1 game and currently has over 500,000 players. Considering it has attracted over 20,000 combined iPhone and iPad reviews on the App Store, it's safe to say MonTowers is a resounding success. The companies behind the game - YD Online and Buffstone - are hopeful that it'll soar up the App Store charts in the West much like it did in Japan.…
Sponsored Feature: China Wireless Arts on Armed Beasts
Shoving weaponry into the hands of cartoon animals such as rabbits, dogs, and lions might sound a desperate move - but publishers China Wireless Arts are keen to emphasise that Armed Beasts is much more than just an amusing concept. The overhead shooter throws in a range of enemies, locations, and mission objectives to keep you interested after the thrill of a bull firing a chaingun has long since worn off. Wendy Don from China Wireless Arts spoke to us about how the game has a range of locales to explore, weapons to sample, and what the multiplayer options involve. AppSpy: What does Armed Beasts offer that no other overhead shooter on the App Store can? Wendy: Armed Beasts is a 3D gam…
Sponsored Feature: Nevosoft on My Kingdom of the Princess III
My Kingdom for the Princess III is the latest iOS release from Russian developer and publisher Nevosoft. If you're not familiar with the My Kingdom for the Princess series, the game contains a unique mix of simulation, strategy, and time management. It also recently featured as a new and noteworthy release on the US App Store. In My Kingdom for the Princess III, you are required to destroy any obstacles you're faced with, rather than just build to make progress. We spoke to Ekaterina Zholobova, head of mobile marketing at Nevosoft, to find out what the influences on, and inspirations for, My Kingdom for the Princess III were. "Sergei Korshun, the project's author and lead develop…
Sponsored Feature: MobileMediaCom on Toons Summer Games 2012
When MobileMediaCom developed their latest release, the goal (pun intended) was to produce an iOS game that was popular, of international stature, and that could relate to current events. It made perfect sense, then, to develop a game based on the upcoming Olympic Games. MobileMediaCom have undeniably got into the spirit of things for Toons Summer Games 2012 - a vibrant and fun game where you can play as various cartoon animals, compete in numerous athletic events, and participate in multiple game modes. We spoke to Philippe Moyal from MobileMediaCom about the team's thought processes during the development of the iPhone and iPad title Toons Summer Games 2012. By deciding to have c…
Sponsored Feature: beActive on Collider Quest for iOS
Collider Quest isn't your run-of-the-mill iOS title. Rather than simply being a standalone puzzle-action game, it's actually one part of beActive's futuristic multiplatform Collider World project. Alongside the Collider Quest game, beActive plans to immerse gamers in the Collider World 'universe' via a web series, comic books (also available as apps), a story prequel on Wattpad, and even a film (which is due for release this autumn). We spoke to Nuno Bernardo, beActive's CEO, to find out which films, TV shows, and games acted as inspiration for Collider Quest. "We were inspired by the work of J.J. Abrams and the sci-fi post-apocalyptic movies like the Terminator series, where the w…
Sponsored Feature: Playbean on Astrowings 2 - Space Odyssey
Touchscreen devices shouldn't really be able to handle fast-paced 2D shooters, but the fact bullet-hell titles from developers such as Cave and Llamasoft have worked so well on iPhone and iPad mean we're more than happy for logic to be defied. Developer Playbean believes that its latest iOS title, Astrowings 2 - Space Odyssey, is one of the better shooters on the App Store, and the game boasts a large number of levels, difficulty settings, and upgrade options to back up that claim. Song In-Hyeon, project director at Playbean, spoke to us about how Astrowings 2 - Space Odyssey has been developed to appeal to a wide audience, what shooters inspired its creation, and what the future holds for…
Sponsored Feature: Kaimai On Spaced Invaders
As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." We imagine that's what went through the mind of Kaimai's main director Peter Lau when he began crafting Spaced Invaders, a modern twist on the arcade classic Space Invaders that's been entertaining coin-op fans since 1978. Lau spoke to us about how his idea came to fruition; respecting a classic; guest appearances; and his ambitious plans for a sequel. AppSpy: Can you tell us a little bit about Spaced Invaders? Peter: The game is set in three different stages and each stage has five levels. The first stage is set in a warehouse, the second in a nightclub, and the third is set at an outdoor festival. You play as a DJ, whos…
Über-Popular Facebook Shooter UberStrike Being Ported To iOS In 2012
CEO of Cmune Ludovic Bodin announced today at the Social Gaming and Virtual Goods World conference that Unity3D shooter UberStrike, previously only playable on Facebook, will be arriving on iOS in the near future. With its 1 million+ players gladly indulging in the simple thrill of charging around a tropical island and gibbing enemies like it’s 1995, UberStrike has become one of the most popular free-to-play games on The Social Network. Already ported to the Mac App Store with chart-topping results, Bodin believes it’s time for the FPS to make its mobile debut. An iPad version of the game has already been spotted in Cmune’s official forums, so it’s clear iOS develo…
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…
16 New Levels Available To Download In Cube-Puzzler Edge
If you'll pardon the pun, please, readers, developers of Edge Mobigame appear to be on a bit of a roll lately. Firstly, they finally obtained the trademark to the term 'Edge' in May after one of the longest and most bitter legal disputes in mobile gaming history. Secondly, they released Edge Extended, a pitch-perfect iPhone sequel to the aforementioned cube-shifting puzzler. It's good to see, however, that Mobigame haven't forgotten their roots throughout this purple patch, as the company have just issued an update to the isometric brainteaser Edge. For those of you who found the pace of the 48 levels that comprise the Edge Challenge too easygoing, news that 16 additional stages of great…
More Levels and Level Editor Objects Promised In Update To Bike Baron
If you go down to the Facebook woods today, you're sure of a big surprise. A big Bike Baron surprise, no less. Creators of this 5* Trials HD-esque stunt racer Mountain Sheep posted on Mark Zuckerberg's social networking site recently that Bike Baron would be imminently exiting the studio's pit lane. Bike Baron update was submitted to Apple for review! Will bring new levels, new level editor objects and much more. And why should that be of interest to you? Well, Mountain Sheep's daredevil motorcyclist was not only selected as one of AppSpy's picks of the month, but it also finished top of the Quality Index's October pops. You can't argue with that kinda industry acclaim. Can you?…
