Home » Articles and Reviews by 'James Gilmour'
Get ready to explore The Room Two on December 12th
Fireproof Games has just confirmed that The Room Two will be heading to iPad on December 12th. After winning widespread critical acclaim - not to mention a BAFTA award - for their gorgeously spooky logic-puzzler The Room last year, the dev team started work on what they describe as the "difficult second album". Despite the warm reception the first game received, the creative minds responsible for the indie hit were more than aware of its limitations. "We know our first game had many weak points," explains Fireproof Games' Barry Meade. "It was on the simplistic side, it took place in an overly confined world, it ended quiet abruptly, and above all else, it was too damn short." The dev d…
See a giant floating skull bleed in the first trailer for Hero Siege
There's no shortage of top-down hack-'n'-slash games on iOS, especially ones with retro visuals. However, we do have to give the first trailer for dungeon-crawling gore factory Hero Siege props for cramming so much carnage into two minutes. The video wastes no time with pesky details like back story or character motivation, and cuts straight to the gratuitous blood-letting. Rats, skeletons, a giant death mask which hovers eerily in mid-air - all are remorselessly slashed to ribbons within the first 30 seconds. Check it out: The game's helmed protagonist isn't some psychotic wading through a cloud of red mist, though. In fact, he's performing a public service by saving the kingdom…
Robot cover-shooter Epoch.2 scraps launch price, now 50% off
Fans of hiding behind vertical surfaces with guns clasped purposefully in their hands might have noticed Epoch.2 popping up on the App Store last week. The chromed cover-shooter picks up the hydraulic baton from its 2011 predecessor. It features the same swipe-to-conceal, tap-to-target mechanics as the first game, but has been upgraded with a fresh story and some shiny new weapons. In celebration of its launch, Uppercut Games has decided to lower the price of Epoch.2 to £1.99 / $2.99. That's a 50% cut, if you're counting. Anyone who's on the fence should probably check out our hands-on with Epoch.2, which you can find below. The price drop is only temporary, though, so bear that in…
See the first Cut the Rope 2 teaser trailer
Zeptolab has just released the first teaser trailer for monster-feeding sequel Cut the Rope 2. Despite being the fourth Cut the Rope game in the Russian developer's ongoing mobile franchise, the team has labelled this latest episode the "first true sequel". The teaser trailer (below) shows the series' ravenous protagonist Om Nom dangling from a rope as he is carried off into the sky, surrounded by his beloved candies. We still don't know much about the Cut the Rope 2, but both the trailer and clues from Zeptolab's PR department suggest that Om Nom will be leaving the confines of his boxes and exploring new environments. However, we have just learned that the game's full title is…
Stealth Inc. Review
Stealth Inc. is a platform puzzler with a cruel sense of humour. Like Portal's Chell before him, your little clone is trapped inside a testing facility filled with laser turrets, sentry robots, and spinning saw blades. It's up to you to guide the goggle wearing lab rat through a series of wickedly constructed death mazes, hacking into computer terminals along the way to open the exit. Being a port of a PC and console, the controls have been paired down a bit. It's definitely a little…
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Epoch.2 | Hands-On
For the most part, cover-based shooters have traditionally been a console experience. Ever since Gear of War popularised the magnetic wall mechanic, joypad jostlers have been inundated with third-person blasters which have you spending half the game bent double behind a pile of rubble like an arthritic bricklayer. However, in 2011, Uppercut Games brought a variation of this popular subgenre to the App Store. The game was called Epoch., and it condensed the popular cover-based shooting mechanic to a touchscreen-friendly tap-and-swipe system. We rather liked it, with our reviewer taking a particular shine to the innovate interface. Today, Epoch.2 rolled onto iOS. Our review is incoming, bu…
Get a cheap scare courtesy of Papa Sangre II sale
Those creepy buggers over at Somethin' Else have just cut the price of audio-powered survival-horror game Papa Sangre II. To the casual observer, Papa Sangre II might be a bit of a tough sell. It's a game which harnesses the power of your imagination, trading in flashy 3D visuals for some weird noises and a virtual compass. However, whack on some headphones, close your eyes, and follow narrator Sean Bean's instructions, and you'll step into a beautifully conceived soundscape full of lost memories, brain-sucking insects, and zombie ducks. Usually, this unnerving experience would set you back £2.99 / $4.99. For the next few day, though, that entry barrier has been l…
Can Gameloft's GT Racing 2 deliver 'the real car experience'?
2013 is the year of the mobile racing sim. We've had EA and FireMonkey's freemium hit Real Racing 3. We've also taken rival mobile racer 2K Drive for spin. Now, Gameloft is throwing its oil stained hat into the ring with another freemium rev-fest: GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience. With a title like that, you'd be forgiven for thinking that GT Racing 2 was all about taking the kids to school, getting stuck in traffic, and breaking down on the M27. Of course, what the game actually offers is yet another chance to hop into a licensed supercar and belt around Laguna Seca. You'll have no shortage of events to work through - over 1,400 according to Gameloft - during which you'…
Gulp down Super Lemonade Factory Part Two for free right now
Teamwork-based platform sequel Super Lemonade Factory Part Two has just gone live on the App Store. Following in the wacky footsteps of the 2012 original, this second adventure reunites pixel-art pals Andre and Liselot. Utilising each character's individual skills, you must once again guide the duo through a series of hazardous, spike-filled environments. Speaking to Pocket Gamer, Super Lemonade Factory Part Two developer Shane Brouwer cites Master System II games as his biggest influences - specifically Alex Kidd. "Alex Kidd in Miracle World was bundled on the Sega Master System II, and part of that game and its level designs will influence everything I do," explained Brouwer. Having…
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas | Hands-On
Few indie games have generated as much buzz as Oceanhorn. Two years in development, Cornfox & Bros.'s Zelda-esque action RPG has been turning heads and widening eyes since the first screenshots appeared online. As of midnight tonight, Oceanhorn will go live on App Stores worldwide. However, if you can't wait till then to see the game in action, you can watch me play through the first 15 minutes in the video below. Be sure to check back soon for the AppSpy review.…
Star Wars: Tiny Death Star | Freeplay
If you still have love in your heart for the 'Wars, then it can't have escaped your attention that Star Wars: Tiny Death Star came out last week. Developed by Tiny Tower creator NimbleBit, it's essentially a reskinned version of the popular tower management game, only with stormtroopers and ewoks and stuff. As it's one of those long-term investment games that don't lend themselves to traditional reviews, I thought I'd do a quick freeplay video to show you what Star Wars: Tiny Death Star has to offer. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as hotel proprietors. …
See Katniss run in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Panem Run
With The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ready to set box office records ablaze next week, we were wondering when the inevitable tie-in iOS game would be annouced. No sooner had we turned our thoughts to Katniss and her trusty bow than we received arrow of knowledge right through our heads. As it turns out, the The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Panem Run will come dashing onto the App Store later this month. Though developer Reliance Games hasn't officially confirmed the game's genre, the teaser poster suggests that it will be a 3D endless-runner in the style of Temple Run. Well knock me down with a mockingjay's feather. According the Lionsgate, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Panem Run wi…
Sorcery! 2 Review
Part two of Steve Jackson's Sorcery! series has no time for altruism. If anything, the second chapter of Inkle's interactive repurposing of the '80s gamebook series is openly contemptuous of do-gooders. I'm exploring the cityport of Khare, wandering through its cruel streets trying to reach the North Gate, and continue my quest to retrieve the Crown of Kings. The interface from the first chapter is back, complete with its handsome 3D map, alphabetical spellcasting system, and turn-bas…
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FTL: Faster Than Light coming to iPad next year
Starship simulator FTL: Faster Than Light is set to warp onto the App Store in early 2014. The space-based sim, which has you stewarding your own spaceship around a randomly generated universe, achieved cult status when it arrived on PC last year. Now, developer Subset Games has announced that it has redesigned FTL's interface to suit touchscreen devices. Before you get too excited, iPhone owners, I'm sorry to report that this is an iPad-only deal. Explaining the decision to exclude the iPhone from its release plans on the FTL site, the team said: "It's just not possible to achieve the quality of gameplay we want on such limited screen space." The iPad version of FTL will also in…
Oceanhorn to weigh anchor on the App Store this Thursday
It may have taken two years, but the day is nearly upon us. On Thursday, the much-anticipated Zelda-esque adventure Oceanhorn will finally go live on the App Store. We were impressed by the top-down 3D adventure title when we saw it in action at Gamescom (see trailer below). Though its influences are obvious to anyone with a working knowledge of the Zelda franchise, Oceanhorn's polished graphics and attractive art style have a charm all of their own. Even the soundtrack has pedigree, composed as it is by Final Fantasy tunesmith Nobuo Uematsu, in collaboration with Kenji Ito, whom you may recognise from his work in Puzzle & Dragons. Developer Cornfox & Bros has managed to generat…
