Home » Articles and Reviews by 'James Gilmour'
FIFA 14 | Hands-On
With FIFA 14 hitting the App Store virtual shelves yesterday, we thought it only right and proper that we make video to give you guys a peek at what you can expect from the game. Unfortunately, that job fell to me, a man whose knowledge of football and football games is on a par with a moth's understanding of string theory. Or my own understanding of string theory. However, rather than crumble beneath the weight of my sporting ignorance, I decided to boot up the game, grab a microphone, and push on regardless. Here is the result:…
Riddick: The Merc Files | Hands-On
The Riddick movie franchise is notable in gaming circles. Not because the movies themselves are masterpieces - Pitch Black was passable B-movie fodder, while The Chronicles of Riddick was a puffed-up, overblown bore. No, the Riddick movies are interesting because they spawned that rarest of beasts: a video game tie-in which is better than its source material. Released on the Xbox in 2004, Escape from Butcher Bay, not only served as a prequel to the ill-fated flop that was The Chronicles of Riddick, but actually overshadowed its Hollywood counterpart in almost every regard. So it was with quiet hope that I picked up my iPad to play the Riddick: The Merc Files, the latest video ga…
News Wrap-Up | 20th September 2013
Having only just gotten Asphalt 8: Airborne out the garage door, Gameloft is trying to get us back behind the wheel again with it upcoming winter release GT Racer 2. Subtitled "The real car experience" we naturally assumed the game will involve dropping the kids off at school, before getting lost on the Basingstoke ring road, and then accidentally running over a badger. Judging by the trailer, though, it looks like this'll be another sim racer in the mould of 2K Drive and Real Racing III. The finished game should feature 67 cars from 35 different manufacturers, though the footage focuses exclusively on Mercedez models. You'll also get real tracks, plus single-player and multiplayer mode…
Angry Birds Star Wars II Review
You like Star Wars, right? Well, you did before they did those three rubbish films. Maybe the new one will be good. I hear the Star Trek bloke's doing it. He knows about... stars... And Angry Birds! You like Angry Birds, right? With the flinging and the smashing and that pause before the level ends when you're waiting for everything to stop moving. Yes, you guessed it: The birds are back and the force is with them once again. Angry Birds Star Wars II delivers another instalment of b…
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Infinity Blade III Review
So here we are again. Infinity Blade has returned for what may be its final episode of slashtastic god-battering action. The world is bigger, the weapons are more plentiful, and the RPG elements have been applied with a little more vigour. There's even a more traditional linear structure, which funnels your warriors through specific stages and locations in a set order. But, while the beast may have grown and visited an armoury, its beating heard remains unchanged. Infinity Blade III i…
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Grand Theft Auto Face-Off
In case you haven't seen Twitter today (or Facebook, or the news) Grand Theft Auto V came out on consoles this morning. While Rockstar did release a companion app for iOS called iFruit which lets you tap into your GTA V experience via Rockstar's Social Club, it's not a GTA game in its own right. However, the past few years have seen no less than three classic Grand Theft Auto games arrive on the App Store. Question is, which one is our favourite? Let's find out, shall we? …
Where's My Water? 2 Review
Where's My Water? 2 is a difficult game to play. Not because the earth-filled maps are especially tough to negotiate. Or because the physics are broken or unpredictable. No, Where's My Water? 2 is a difficult game to play because it doesn't want to be played. At least, not in the manner you or I might be accustomed to. Things start off promisingly. The water-funnelling gameplay of the original title makes a strong return, along with the revival of shower-loving protagonist Swamp…
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News Wrap-Up | 13th September 2013
Apple officially revealed the shiny new iPhone 5S and the colourful iPhone 5C to the world this week, marking the beginning of another week of news reports showing cold Apple fans camping on a dirty street with a faraway look in their eyes. However, it was the game Apple used to show off its swanky new A7 processor which had us pitching tents of our own. You'd best start flexing your swiping finger, because Infinity Blade III is due out next week. The newest instalment in Chair's wildly successful action RPG franchise, Infinity Blade III offers two new playable characters whom you will guide through no less than eight new game worlds. And, with each of these worlds containing more square…
Where's My Water? 2: How many levels can you play?
As you probably already know, Where's My Water? 2 is now available on the App Store. This time out, Disney has decided to make the water-based puzzler a free-to-play experience. This means you can download and play the game without having to spend a penny. However, to stop you blowing through it all in one go, the developer has included an energy system which locks you out of the game when the bar is empty. We thought we'd find out how many levels of Where's My Water? 2 you can play before your energy runs out. Check out the video below for the results. Note: We started with a full energy bar. Repeating a level after failing also drains energy. Energy can be replenished by crossing ba…
Free-to-play sequel Where's My Water? 2 out now
Disney has just released the first proper sequel to its insanely popular alligator cleaning sim Where's My Water? It's called Where's My Water? 2, and you can download it free from the App Store right now. As with the first game, you have to use your finger to dig a path through the earth in order to channel water into Swampy's pipes and out of his shower head. This time, however, each of the levels (of which there are over 100) has a series of additional challenges to tackle. These include finding and capturing a Mystery Duck, or trying to complete the level upside-down. Swampy is also joined by his old pals Cranky and Allie. Allie needs steam to power her pipe organ, while…
Star Wars Force Collection | Hands-On
Hey, you there! Yes, you! Do you like popular sci-fi movie franchise Star Wars? How about collectible card game Rage of Bahamut? If you answered 'yes' to those two questions then we may have the card game you're looking for. It's called Star Wars Force Collection, and it's Konami's lightsaber-filled take on the collectible card game genre. If you have any experience with these types of game, you know that they are pretty open-ended, making them a bit tricky to review. So instead of rushing to judgement, I decided it would be better to show you 10 minutes of the game in action, and let you decide for yourself. Enjoy, and may the force be etc.…
2K Drive | Hands-On
As you may already know, 2K released its very own answer to EA's Real Racing franchise at the tail end of last week. It's called 2K Drive, and it's a freemium game with a premium price tag. Actually, that not strictly true. You see, reports suggest that it was designed to be a free-to-play experience, but was transformed into a premium release at some point during production. It still has all the currencies and stuff, only you don't have pay money for them anymore. Well, you can. But you don't have to. We don't think. Anyway, as it's a big-old game that'll take a little time to properly assess. However, in the meantime, here's a hands-on video to tide you over till the review…
Rayman Fiesta Run coming to iOS this autumn
Ubisoft has just released the first trailer for the follow-up to its glorious iOS auto-runner Rayman Jungle Run. It's called Rayman Fiesta Run, and it looks dead spicy. Early reports suggest that developer PastaGames has stuck pretty close to the winning formula it used for last year's App Store hit. You must guide Rayman through a series of exquisitely drawn, but very hazardous environments. As the running is handled automatically, the key to success is choosing when to jump, and when to batter enemies with your gloved, detatchable fists. Though we're clearly on familiar ground with this sequel, you should expect to encounter a few new features. For example, consumable power-up…
Ubisoft reveals debut trailer for Trials Frontier
Trials developer RedLynx has just released the first full trailer for upcoming iOS stunt racer Trials Frontier. Concocted as a loose tie-in to its yet-to-be-released console sibling Trials Fusion, this free-to-play racer takes place in an even more distant future, and features even more stylised visuals. Though the decision to make free-to-play variations of premium properties usually raises a few hackles, RedLynx chief Tero Virtala believes it's the best way to get people playing. "We want a lot of players to play this game," Virtala told Eurogamer, "and more people are likely to give Trials a try if it doesn't cost them to test it out." Judging by the trailer (below) the game wil…
Call of Duty®: Strike Team Review
When is a first-person shooter not a first-person shooter? When it's also a tactical third-person RTS. In an apparent effort to give iOS gamers a Call of Duty game which harnesses the full potential of the touchscreen interface, UK developer The Blast Furnace has tried to capture the best of both worlds: a fully-fledged Call of Duty FPS which also let players command their squad from a drone's-eye view. The result is a Call of Duty: Strike Team, a game which tugs you in two different…
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