Home » Articles and Reviews by 'James Gilmour'
Pimp your ride with Real Racing 3's new customisation options
Real Racing 3 now has new cars, new achievements, and a bevy of car customisation options thanks to the game's latest update. If you were a little tired of staring at the plain, unadorned bonnet of your Porsche, then this update is an answer to your ride-pimping prayers. The new update adds a comprehensive customisation suite to the free-to-play racer, letting you personalise your rims, and apply racing stripes and other aesthetic flourishes to your vehicle. Speaking of vehicles, developer Firemonkey has just invited Aston Martin into its virtual garage. This means you can now take a ride in a V12 Vantage S, a Vanquish, or the classic DB9. You can also pledge allegiance to a manufactur…
The Walking Dead: Season Two continues this Thursday on iPhone and iPad with A House Divided
Season two of The Walking Dead: The Game will continue on iPhone and iPad this Thursday, when the second episode, A House Divided, appears on the App Store. It's been nearly three months since developer Telltale brought us back into Clementine's harrowing world with All That Remains, the debut episode of the multi award-winning adventure's second season. While we felt it was a tad short, the first episode reassured us that the point-and-click adventure still has the power to shock. Most importantly of all, the conflict between characters remains the focus of the game, with the gore and horror serving as garnish for the meaty drama. You'll be able to download the new episode on Thursd…
The Bomb Bird is back in latest Angry Birds update
The Bomb Birds is back in Rovio's original feather-flinging sensation Angry Birds, courtesy of a brand new update. The latest content pack, which bolts 15 new levels onto the explosive Short Fuse episode, marks the game's 34th content update. I don't know about you, but that statistic makes us feel very, very old. As well as adding new levels, the update re-introduces us to the Bomb Bird, and his volatile Shock Wave power attack. If you haven't seen this high voltage special move in action, check out the Short Fuse trailer below. You can download the Angry Birds update for free right now.…
Tiger Style slashes price of excellent bontanical adventure Waking Mars
Sci-fi botanical adventure Waking Mars is currently on sale on the App Store. One of our favourite iPhone and iPad games from 2012, Waking Mars is a unique game about exploring the caves and plant life that lie beneath the Martian surface. Taking control of a scientist named Liang, you must use your jetpack to spelunk through the red planet's hidden caverns, and uncover the secrets of its alien ecosystem. It isn't long before you find yourself trapped underground. To escape, you'll have to learn to identify and cultivate plants in order to unlock areas, heal yourself, and eventually find your way back to base. We loved Waking Mars's elegantly simple controls, complex interactions, and…
Historical strategy game Tank Battle: East Front 1941 trundles onto iPhone and iPad
Hunted Cow has released another instalment in its ongoing WWII-era Tank Battle series. This time, the dev has shifted its focus from the conflict in North Africa to the Eastern Front - specifically, battles which took place during 1941. Tank Battle: East Front 1941 lets you take command of either the Russians or the Germans, and assume control over 44 different types of tank. It's your job to direct your units around the game's hex-based maps, and defeat your enemy in a series of turn-based skuffles. If you tackle the German Blitzkrieg campaign, then you'll be directing Parnzer 38ts and Wurfrahmen 40s across the map. Side with the Russians, and the BA-10 and Shturmovik will be at your disp…
Marvel announces X-Men: Days of Future Past game for iPhone and iPad
Glitchsoft is currently working on mobile game based on classic Marvel comic series The Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past. While we imagine the timing of this iOS project will have a lot to do with Bryan Singer's upcoming movie X-Men: Days of Future Past, it looks like the game will have a lot more in common with the comics - at least visually speaking. According to the press notes, the game will take the form of a 2D side-scroller, and deliver a "combat-focused experience." Considering Glitchsoft is the same developer which brought us entertaining cartoon side-scroller He-Man: The Most Powerful Game in the Universe, it comes as no surprise that team's latest project will follow…
Moga teases its first Bluetooth compatible iOS 7 controller
It looks like peripheral manufacturer Moga is primed to launch its first wireless iOS 7 controller. Though the the company released its Moga Ace Power controller only last year, it didn't take advantage of your iPhone or iPad's Bluetooth capabilities. Instead, you had to plug the controller into your unit's Lightning port to get it working. However, the newly-released teaser image of Moba's latest controller (below) clearly shows a Bluetooth symbol on the controller's chassis, suggesting that this new joypad with be totally cable-free. As you can see from the image, the pad - which we understand will be called the Moga Rebel - uses the classic Xbox configuration of two asymmetrical thumbs…
Disco Zoo Review
Nobody tell PETA, but we have been playing Disco Zoo. And though the animals we're caring for my be digital, we're probably sure in breach of a welfare guidline or two. It isn’t that we don't love them - we do. Disco Zoo's pixel art menagerie is adorable. The problem is that they only generate money for the zoo when awake. As a result, our animals haven’t slept in nearly two days – which can't be good. In our defence, the money is for a good cause – liberating…
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Activision is working on a new Tony Hawk's game for mobile devices
Activision is currently working on a mobile version of its Tony Hawk's skating franchise. The news came from the mouth of Tony Hawk himself, who was speaking to Bloomberg about his career as a professional skater. In-between being quizzed about his YouTube channel and Twitter followers, Hawk was asked about his fondness for videogames. This lead to Hawk addressing his own skate sim franchise, and revealing a new game is being developed "for mobile" this year. "We've never had our own game in that space, so I'm excited to provide one finally," Hawk said of the mobile-only game. Though it's nice to see Activision tailoring the Tony Hawk's franchise specifically for the mobile platfrom, we'…
Enormous isometric RPG Avadon 2: The Corruption coming to iPad later tonight
Isometric RPG Avadon 2: The Corruption is scheduled to go live on the App Store at midnight tonight. This gigantic tribute to the role-playing games of old comes equipped with retro visuals, complicated inventory management systems, and mini-maps aplenty. As for the game's plot, it's your standard fantasy fare: world on the brink of civil war, one lone defender against the forces of darkness, etc. We suspect you'll spend more time juggling item menus and equipping enchanted rings than worrying about the nuances of the story, though. One more thing: it'll probably be tough. The first game in the series, Avadon HD, offered a challenge as old-skool as its graphics, and we expect Avadon 2: Th…
Demonrock: War of Ages | Hands-On
Crescent Moon is preparing to release Demonrock: War of Ages on the App Store tomorrow. Set in a fairly traditional fantasy universe of elves, dwarves, and orks, the game turns the tower-defence mechanic on its head, getting you to charge towards you enemy's stronghold along a linear path. Sometimes you need to capture your foe's base. Other times you simply need to slay everything on screen. Either way, you'll be peppering goblins with arrows and battering warlocks with clubs over 40 levels before you can say "one ring to rule them all." See how I got on with Demonrock: War of Ages in the hands-on video below. You'll be able to download Demonrock: War of Ages from the App Store from m…
God of Light | Hands-On
I've noticed a distinct illumination theme running through this week's new App Store releases. First we had Primal Flame with its match-sparking mechanic, and now we have the God of Light shining its reflected beams into our eyes. This pretty puzzler is all about boucing a ray of light off mirrors, in order to redirect the beam through a series of gems, and towards a goal. Not only is God of Light easy on the eyes, it also comes with a suitably moody soundtrack from noteable trip-hop artist Unkle. Check out how I got on with God of Light in the hands-on video below.…
Chair slashes the price of gesture-based brawler Infinity Blade III
Infinity Blade III, the most recent entry in Chair's gesture-based fighting series, has just had its price slashed significantly on the App Store. Though it doesn't deviate too far from the swipe-powered combat which has defined the franchise, Infinity Blade III brings a few new features to the table. For starters, protagonist Sirus has been teamed up with new warrior called Isla, adding another upgrade tree to climb. The devs have also structured the game around a linear narrative, though that hasn't removed the necessity for low level grinding and repeating levels. However, as you can see from our video review, we were largely impressed with the titan-trouncing showdowns of Infini…
Autumn Dynasty Warlords | Hands-On
Autumn Dynasty was a cracking example of how effectively manipulate the RTS formula to fit mobile devices. The option to select troops by painting brushstrokes upon the game's environmental canvas was ideally suited to touchscreen gaming. The act of micromanaging your army and conquering neighbouring realms was exciting and intuitive, and the painterly, Okami-esque visuals helped the game stand out from the crowd. Now, developer Touch Dimension has returned to the feudal franchise with Autumn Dynasty Warlords. The team has put out some impressive sounding stats about the stylish sequel, including the promise of a non-linear campaign, and over 100 hours of gameplay. How do these boas…
Hijack military drones in upcoming hacking sim Stratolith
Whether it's Obama's foreign policy or the new RoboCop movie, talk of military drones is croppping up everywhere. I guess it was only a matter of time, then, before someone made a mobile game which lets you order your very own drone strikes. That game is Stratolith, a "hardcore" hacking sim from Ambi-On creator Winning Blimp which is coming to tablets this year. Though still pre-production, Stratolith has already captured our imagination. The team has published some preview screenshots show retro-looking radio equipment, and nautical scanners. From the look of things, the game involves hacking into drones remotely by hijacking the radio signals controlling them. By twiddling knobs and m…
