Home » Articles and Reviews by 'James Nouch'
Vizati’s Mind-Bending Rotational Puzzler Is Now Free For A Limited Time
Vizati, the mind-bending rotational puzzler from Different Pixel, is free to download for a limited time. The game has you using touchscreen gestures to rotate, flip, and shake a magical cube in order to connect coloured blocks. These are the 'Vizati' you were wondering about, I imagine. There are two modes on offer - Arcade and Story. While Arcade offers a pure puzzling experience without any distractions, Story mode introduces a narrative accompanied by some rather charming hand-drawn art. With exactly 100 levels to test your brainbox, and Game Center support to compare your scores, Vizati gives you plenty of puzzling bang for your buck. Or, for the time being, plenty of bang for no b…
Super Crate Box Updated With New Unlockable Characters
Super Crate Box, the manic indie platformer which we gave a solid 4/5 to in our review, has finally received the update which was promised for it last week. The update was submitted to Apple by developers Vlambeer once the game's playerbase had collected a total of five million crates. The "5,000,000 crates update", as Vlambeer are calling it, adds five new characters for you to unlock, including familiar faces from popular indie games and iOS titles. You can also now select which character you want to play as from the game's Stats menu. Vlambeer have also made some tweaks to the controls: Jump & Shoot is now possible, and the option to switch the A and B buttons around has been adde…
Tiny Tower Attracts 1 Million Daily Active Users On iOS
Tiny Tower now attracts over 1 million daily active users each day, who tot up more than 10 million play sessions each day, according to the game's developers NimbleBit. This freemium title, which tasks players with micromanaging an ever-expanding tower of residents and businesses, has proven a hit with reviewers and customers alike. We here at AppSpy awarded the title a noteworthy 4/5, while Apple even named it their iPhone game of 2011 in the US. These activity figures, which came from a tweet by NimbleBit co-founder Ian Marsh, show that the 1 million daily active users of Tiny Tower load the game up on average ten times per day. Impressive stuff. If you're looking for a brand-new com…
Developers Of Acclaimed Cave Story Make App Store Debut With Azarashi
Studio Pixel, the developers behind the acclaimed freeware PC adventure game Cave Story, have made their App Store debut with the release of Azarashi. This curious title challenges your reflexes as you work to prevent seal keychains from dropping off the screen. But, if you try to stop them too soon, "bad things will happen!" Perhaps 'curious' isn't a strong enough word, actually... Azarashi may be a rather simplistic title when compared to Cave Story's sprawling 2D adventure, but it looks set to deliver accessible and high score-chasing gameplay, which is apparently "fun and safe for the whole family". Always good to know. Azarashi is available to download now from the App Store, and…
Update Promised To Super Crate Box Once Community Collects 5 Million Crates
Vlambeer's PC freeware hit Super Crate Box has finally been released for the iPhone, bringing its acclaimed mixture of frantic platforming and crate collection to mobiles for the first time. The game has you frantically jumping around a 2D single-screen arena, eliminating enemies as you go, in an effort to grab as many crates as possible. For each crate you collect, you earn a point and your weapon is randomly swapped for another from the game's over-the-top arsenal. Vlambeer, the indie developers behind the game, have said that as soon as the Super Crate Box userbase has collected a total of five million crates, it'll "get an update of the game ready to roll out". At the time of writing…
Kairosoft’s Pocket League Story Brings Zany Soccer Management To iPhone
Kairosoft have brought yet another one of their ultra-addictive management titles to the iPhone, with Pocket League Story available to download now from the App Store. Pocket League Story has you managing a soccer team as you pass, shoot, and tackle your way to the top of the league. So, you're in charge of recruiting and training players for your squad, as well as deciding tactics when matchday rolls around. Kairosoft's past form on the iPhone is excellent - we here at App Spy awarded Venture Towns 4/5, while Hot Springs Story managed to snag a coveted 5/5. Pocket League Story is available to download now, and if you dribble your way to the App Store, it can be yours for $2.99.…
Icebreaker Hockey Is Free To Download For A Limited Time
NaturalMotion Games's arcade ice hockey title Icebreaker Hockey is currently free to download for a limited time. The recipient of a mighty fine 4/5 from this very site, Icebreaker Hockey has you deking and spinning your way past fierce opposition players, before lining up a power shot to beat the goaltender. On the other hand, you may mess up somewhere along the way and get brutally barged into a Plexiglass wall for your troubles. It's a game of heroic victories and hilariously exaggerated defeats, then, as you work your way through the increasingly stiff opposition provided in Challenge mode. There's no word on how long this promotion is set to last, so hockey fans will want to get the…
Rockstar Discount Grand Theft Auto Titles On iPhone
Rockstar Games, developers of the Grand Theft Auto series, are discounting their iPhone releases as a Christmas gift to gamers. That means you can pick up the open-world classic Grand Theft Auto III, which we awarded a perfect 5/5 in our review last week, for a mere $2.99. While GTA3 was originally released on the PS2, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was developed especially for portable devices. It, too, picked up 5/5 in our review, and it's currently available for $5.99. Finally, Rockstar's music creation app Beaterator is also available at a reduced price. Co-produced by the rapper Timbaland, this fancy bit of software is available for $1.99. Rockstar fans have until 29th December to…
Sponsored Feature: iQin Mobile On Kung Fu Fox
How exactly do you stand out in the ultra-competitive physics-puzzler category on the App Store? By making your game's protagonist a kung fu-loving fox, of course. That's developer iQin Mobile's answer, at least, who have just released a new version of Kung Fu Fox on iPhone. Tony Zhang, lead developer at iQin Mobile, spoke to us about the game's influences, innovations, and weapons. Zhang believes two of the most instantly appealing parts of Kung Fu Fox are its controls and its drawing mechanic, which are both simple to pick up but tough to master. "All you have to do is draw a line to shoot a weapon and kill the enemies - it is that easy," Zhang says. "The little Kung Fu Fox also lea…
Top-Notch Puzzler Aqueduct Updated With New Levels. Some Free, Some Not.
The Kieffer Bros's puzzler Aqueduct has been updated, adding new level packs to the game. One of these packs is free, while two more are available as in-app purchases. Aqueduct, which we awarded a strong 4/5 in our review last year, has you playing plumber as you work to restore the flow of water to an abstract aqueduct. The first level pack, called the Butterfly Chapter, is aimed at novice players, and is free as part of the update. The Rooster and Snake Chapters, meanwhile, are slightly more advanced, and are available as in-app purchases, priced at 99c each. All three level packs feature Game Center achievements for you to unlock, too. Also available for purchase is the Master Key, wh…
SilverTree Media’s Dreamy Shooter Sleepy Jack Arrives On iPhone
Sleepy Jack, the latest game from the developers of the acclaimed platformer Cordy, is now available for the iPhone. Previously exclusive to Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, Sleepy Jack sees you control the eponymous lad in a journey through his toddler subconscious. As you fly through Jack's dreams and battle the twisted inhabitants of his bedroom toy box, you're armed with a toy ray gun to shoot down his nightmares. It's a surreal shooter of sorts, then, and now that it's arrived on the iPhone, there's support for both Game Center and OpenFeint included to handle your achievements. Sleepy Jack is available from the App Store for the discounted price of 99c. It's a limited-time offer, so a…
Cave’s Arcade Shoot-‘Em-Up Bug Princess Arrives On App Store Tomorrow
Japanese shoot-'em-up developers Cave are bringing Bug Princess to the App Store tomorrow. Originally released in 2004 as Mushihimesama in Japan, this insect-themed shooter has been updated and optimised for the iPhone's touchscreen, while support for Game Center and OpenFeint means that you can compete for leaderboard dominance. Like Cave's other releases, Bug Princess's manic bullet-hell gameplay may not be for the faint of heart. Cave's previous efforts - ESPGALUDA II and Mushihimesama BUG PANIC - both scored a perfect 5/5 on AppSpy, however, so the company's reputation for delivering high-quality hardcore shmups precedes them. Bug Princess is already out on New Zealand's App Store, s…
Jelly Defense Receives New Levels and Leaderboards In Christmas Update
Christmas is almost here, and what better way to celebrate than with new levels for an iPhone tower defence title? Okay, so there are plenty of better ways to celebrate, but owners of Jelly Defense, which we awarded 4/5 in our review, will definitely want to help themselves to this free festive update for the game. The update adds two wintry levels of tower defence gameplay to the title and one endless level that promises to be a tough Christmas cookie. New leaderboards are also included, as well as a 'new and cozy' music track to accompany your campaign of Jelly warfare. Minor tweaks to gameplay and performance enhancements round out the package, while the mandatory difficulty hike that…
Tongue-Tied Brings Physics-Based Platforming To iPhone On 15th December
Tongue Tied, the intriguing debut iPhone title from Mojo Bones, will be released on December 15th. In this physics-platformer, you play as Mick and Ralph, a pair of unfortunate pooches who find themselves in an unusual predicament. Yes, they're tongue tied. That is to say, they have been tied together by their long elasticated tongues. Your task, then, is to guide these canine chums through 50 challenging levels - in search of the 'Wonderbone' - by stretching and firing them at the most appropriate moments. Game Center support, a variety of unlockables, and tons of perilous obstacles combine to form quite the comprehensive package. Tongue Tied will be available from the App Store this…
First Touch Soccer Developers Working on Free-To-Play Follow-Up: Dream League Soccer
The developers of First Touch Soccer, now a fully independent studio called First Touch Games, have announced that they're hard at work on a football follow-up: Dream League Soccer. Based on an updated version of the engine found in the 5/5 First Touch Soccer, this new game is a free-to-play title, which will allow footy fans to build their own team to compete against some of the world's top clubs. First Touch Games's director, Charles Chapman, promises this about the new game: Improved visuals, gameplay, and loads more. Dream League Soccer as a free to play game is a new direction for us, and something we're excited about. It's not a demo, or a cut down version of another game, it's all…
