Home » Articles and Reviews by 'James Gilmour'
History walks on four legs in remake of strategy classic M.U.L.E.
If you've played a mutliplayer strategy game during last 15 years, then chances are you've been indirectly affected by the influence of M.U.L.E. One of the first titles to allow four players to compete on a single system, M.U.L.E. didn't break records commercially. However, its merging of real time and turn-based strategy gameplay did pave the way for many of the tactical multiplayer games we enjoy today. Now, the folks at Comma 8 Studio have taken it upon themselves to remake M.U.L.E. for iOS devices. Check out the trailer below: As in the original, M.U.L.E. Returns requires you to manage economic considerations and fend off foes while you attempt to colonise a planet. To achieve all t…
Land, ho! Ubisoft to release Assassin's Creed Pirates on December 5th
Get ready to haul anchor, hoist the mainsail, and prime the cannons: Assassin's Creed Pirates is coming to iOS next week. A spin-off to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, this seabound adventure puts you in control of a sleuthing seadog named Alonzo Batilla. It's up to you to maintain Batilla's vessel and look after your crew as you sail across the Caribbean in search of the answer to an ancient - and probably profitable - riddle. Though the character interactions are handled via crude text bubbles, you will get the chance to steer your ship and do battle with other pirate vessels in real time. Early impressions are promising, with the game comprising loads of different combat mini-games…
Revisit the past today in Square Enix sequel Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Square has released its 2008 epilogue game Final Fantasy IV: The After Years onto the App Store. Originally released for mobiles in Japan, then later in episodic form on the Wii, the game picks up 17 years after the events of Final Fantasy IV. Over the course of 10 chapters, you will take control of numerous characters and complete mini-quests in an effort to once again save the world from evil. Like the DS remake (and subsequent iOS port) of Final Fantasy IV, this version of The After Years boasts newly-created 3D visuals. However, though the visuals gave been modernised, the series' turn-based combat system remains unaltered. The game comes with the predictably high price tag of £…
EPOCH.2 Review
Epoch. was Uppercut Games' answer to the question "how do you get a third-person cover shooter to work on a touchscreen?" The solution the team hit upon was to ditch floating joysticks altogether, and use an entirely gesture-based system to let you spring in and out of cover, target enemies, and launch special attacks. The sequel, Epoch.2, is very much a retread of the first game. It's got a bigger campaign, more weapon and upgrade options, and some new robotic enemies and bosses to t…
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No objections: buy entire Phoenix Wright Trilogy for £2.99 / $4.99
Capcom has temporarily lowered the price of the Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy HD as part of its Thanksgiving sale. Though the app itself has always been free to download, it only gave you access to the first chapter of the first Phoenix Wright game . To unlock all three games (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Justice for All, and Phoenix Wright - Trials and Tribulations) you needed to pay around £14 / $17. However, if you want to go toe-to-toe with crime in a highly stylised courtroom while wolfing down your Thanksgiving turkey, you'll now be able to play through the entire trilogy for only £2.99 / $4.99. Though we were slightly taken aback by the re-…
Galaxy on Fire: Alliances | Hands-On
Galaxy on Fire: Alliances may not be the sequel you were expecting. In fact, it's not really sequel at all. Rather than creating another instalment of third-person ship-to-ship combat, developer Fishlabs has decided to take the series in another, more strategic direction. The result is a free-to-play game based around resource management and social co-operation, where you must unite with other players from around the world to form international armadas capable of bringing the universe to its knees. The open beta for Galaxy on Fire: Alliances went live in 14 countries today, including New Zealand and Canada. I went hands-on with the game earlier today. Here is the result: Incidentally,…
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Panem Run | Hands-On
You all knew it was coming. Where a blockbuster movie franchise passes, an endless-runner tie-in is sure to follow. Following in the well-worn footsteps of Brave, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and Despicable Me 2, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire now has its own Temple Run-inspired mobile game. Below you will find a short video showing the game in action. In truth, you could probably close your eyes and imaging playing Temple Run while being chased by bees and it would do the same job. Still, I am duty-bound to supply you with footage of new games, and supply I have. Now you have to do your part. It'll only take five minutes, and then we can all forget this ever happened.…
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse magically appears on the App Store
Disney Interactive has just released its re-imagining of '90s Sega classic Castle of Illusions for iOS devices. Rather than simply tart up the original Mega Drive for the App Store, Disney has decided to port this year's PSN and XBLA release Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse onto iPhone and iPad instead. Though it shares the 2D original's castle setting and rodent lead, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a 3D platformer which constantly shifts perspective. Sometimes you'll be guiding the mousekateer from right to left in traditional platforming fashion. Now and then, however, the camera will shift to an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective or fixed angle. The cons…
Invade the Atlas Mountains against the clock in Call of Duty: Strike Team update
Activision's hybrid shooter Call of Duty: Strike Team now features even more ways to kill a dude from another country, thanks to the game's latest update. If wading through enemy territory with only a side arm and a flak jacket between you and a permanent dirt nap isn't exciting enough for you, then you might enjoy Strike Team's newly-added Beat the Clock mode. This mode has you blasting baddies against the clock, with every fallen hostile adding valuable seconds to your timer. Players who have reached XP level 16 will also find an extra map available to them. Set in the Altas Mountains, this combat zone can be explored in Time Attack and Survival modes. What's more, the dev team has i…
Jetpack Joyride developer lets you play with its huge snake in Colossatron: Massive World Threat
Jetpack Joyride developer Halfbrick Studios has taken to YouTube to warn us of an incoming threat to our national security. According the video (below) a giant mechanical snake called Colossatron is tearing up capital cities, laying siege to skyscrapers and soldiers alike with a terrifying arsenal of space-age weaponry. Luckily for us, this massive metal serpent is merely a character in Halfbrick's lastest iOS project Colossatron: Massive World Threat. You will take control of the titular snake, and have to conquer earth's military defences while increasing your own firepower. To boost your weapons' capabilities, you need to reconfigure the snake's modular 'powercores', aligning d…
Tricky sequel Touchgrind Skate 2 rolls onto the App Store after midnight
I don't know about you, but I like my modes of transportation to have an engine and some nice, comfy seats. However, if you're one of those 'active' types who enjoys belting around concrete parks on a piece of wood nailed to a set of shopping trolley wheels, then you might want to check out Touchgrind Skate 2 when it appears on the App Store later tonight. The sequel to the popular Touchgrind Skate expands on the original game by offering a choice of skateparks in which to practise your stunts. As before, you pop these tricks by placing two fingers on the deck and using a combination of well-timed taps and flicks. There's also the option to record your best moves and share them onl…
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf Review
Gamebooks may be a niche market, but it is amazing how many people have fond memories of them. Relying on people's nostalgia for the '80s has worked for many gamebook publishers, and now Joe Dever, author of the infamous Lone Wolf series has thrown his hat into the fray with a new four part saga. With the release of Steve Jackson's excellent Sorcery! earlier this year, however, Lone Wolf has its work cut out for it. It's an interesting take on the genre, but one which creates as many p…
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Saddle up for new Kairosoft sim Pocket Stables
Management sim maestro Kairosoft has just released its latest mobile timesink onto the App Store. It's called Pocket Stables, and it's all about running a hairdressing salon. Just kidding - it's about horses. The game puts you in charge of a ranch, and tasks you with training up your thoroughbreds to competition standard. Once you've got your fillies in fine fettle, you'll enter them in races. If any of your horses turn out to be the next Seabiscuit, then you'll unlock more races, and be entered into global tournaments. A quick glance Pocket Stables confirms that Kairosoft is up to its usual pixel-art tricks again. However, previous efforts Game Dev Story and Grand Prix Story prov…
Shadowrun Returns expansion Dragonfall confirmed for iOS
Cyberpunk RPG Shadowrun Returns will receive a brand new campaign in 2014, developer Harebrained Schemes has confirmed. Set in the anarchic state of Berlin, the Dragonfall expansion will explore a mysterious event which took place when the Awakened world was in its infancy. As well as added a full-length campaign to Shadowrun Returns, the dev team has promised to deliver a selection of new characters, weapons, and enemies. At present, the PC and Mac versions of Shadowrun: Dragonfall has been confirmed for January 2014, when they will launch with a price tag of $14.99. However, a report by Polygon states that the iOS version is expected to follow later. We broadly approved of Shadowrun…
Oceanhorn ™ Review
It's fair to say that many action-RPGs released in the last 15 years have been influenced in some way by the Zelda franchise. However, few games wear their inspiration as proudly as Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas. Stop me if you've heard this one: You're a young boy with a mysterious backstory who is sent on a perilous quest. You're armed with a sword, shield, and bow, and must explore forests, deserts, and caverns in search of keys to unlock doors. Along the way you'll chop up…
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