Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Andrew Nesvadba'
DevilDark: The Fallen Kingdom Review
Despite their brutishly simple style, Action-RPGs remain steadfastly appealing; being able to dispatch hordes of enemies and then sifting through the chunky remains for useful items seems to push all the right kind of buttons for many gamers. DevilDark: The Fallen Kingdom by Triniti Interactive attempts to cash in on this simplicity, but it pulls its punch a little too much, making for a less than compelling title. While there are no specific classes, players can find themselves beati…
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challengeFriday News Wrap-Up 13 April 2012
Another week, another Wrap-Up... except for that last Friday. I was too busy gorging myself on pre-Easter candy and slipping in to a sugar-coma; I assure you, the headache I received was more than enough punishment for not having something prepared. However, lets cut to the chase.This is the Friday News Wrap-Up for the 13th of April, 2012. Spellsword - Glorious arena platformingWhile Muffin Knight may have beaten Super Crate Box to the punch on the iOS platform (and subsequently forged its own path), the base concept of arena-based platform combat is a simple, but addictive one. I'm glad to see more developers trying their hand at this burgeoning genre. Spellsword by Everplay is l…
Crow Review
Despite what your intuition may tell you, simplicity - nay, 'elegance' - is very hard to pull off when designing a game, especially when you're trying to convey a deeper meaning and experience. Crow by Sunside Games strips back the rail shooter and while its individual parts may seem simplistic, getting the full story will require dedication and skill. The titular crow is sent from another plane of existence to act as a vessel of vengeance, eventually getting caught up in the struggle…
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Max Payne Mobile Review
Much like when Rockstar released GTA3 for the iOS platform, I feel the best thing I could say for most gamers is that Max Payne Mobile lacks almost nothing of the original PC and console releases. In fact, while later games may have refined the bullet-time shooting mechanics, the game looses almost none of its fun-factor and charm. Poor Max is at the center of a conspiracy that first claims the life of his wife and child and eventually comes to a head years later while working as an u…
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Nightfall Review
As much as I profess a love for board games, I must admit my preoccupation with video games keeps me out of the loop (as it were) when it comes to upcoming or popular titles. Nightfall, an aggressive deck-building card game from Alderac Entertainment Group, has gathered a strong following since its release last year - so it's no surprise to see Playdek, the iOS developer who brought out releases for Food Fight and Ascension, pushing this title out the door as well. Those familiar with…
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Top 3 iPhone Games for March 2012
I'm honestly a little surprised that I didn't receive more death-threats for not having a Top List up for March by now, but I can only assume people were satiated by the immense amounts of candy they're likely to have recently consumed. In any case, the delay was necessary to catch up to all the releases that came out at the month's end, so now we have a definitive list of titles to choose from. What's my personal pick of the month? You'll just have to wait and see...This is AppSpy.com's Top 3 iPhone Games for March, 2012. Swordigo (Touch Foo / Ville Mäkynen) $1.99 Univ.Swordigo was a bit of a dark-horse, promising little more than a simple Action-RPG platformer, but deliveri…
Saturday Morning RPG Review
It's easy to feel conflicted about Saturday Morning RPG by Joystick Labs and Mighty Rabbit Studios - in particular, it wears its inspirations on its sleeve and proudly waves a joyous flag in support of all things classically cartoonish from the 80s. While you don't need a first-hand crash-course in pop-culture to enjoy its offerings, without them it's that much harder to ignore its flaws. However, lets start out with the good: the first chapter is entirely free to play - you're at no…
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Epic Astro Story Review
Over time, that spark; that special something; that novelty, if you will, of a Kairosoft 'sim' game started to wear off, even despite refinement of the genre from its rough beginnings on the iOS with Game Dev Story. Seeing the same elements again and again brought an ugly sense of deja vu, but Epic Astro Story breaks the cycle, daring to re-purpose ideas we've seen before to create something novel once again. At first the player is greeted, almost like an old friend, to the familiar l…
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Bug Princess 2 Review
There are shooters and then there are bullet-hell games. Yes, we've said it before, but CAVE's long-running obsession with placing players against impossible odds is well known to iOS gamers now, but even amongst fans there's a game that remains utterly daunting. Bug Princess 2, the 2006 Arcade sequel to the classic original, takes no prisoners thanks to its ridiculously scaling up modes of difficulty. By almost all other accounts, Bug Princess 2 is easy to pick up thanks to its famil…
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Rinth Island Review
When discussing a puzzle game, there's something we often forget to mention - almost a caveat of sorts. While some people happily avoid the genre entirely, those that do enjoy the odd brain-twister can be fickle and no matter the praise a game receives, it will forever remain unappealing to them. Rinth Island by Buzz Monkey and Chillingo is not immune from such fickleness, but while it's possible to find some aspects of the game unappealing, it provides such a huge amount of varied con…
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Violet Storm Review
It's not always easy to make your mark in the big-bad world of twin-stick shooters - especially when you present yourself in the usual neon-coated, explosive clothing so-often used in the genre. By all appearances, Violet Storm by Sad Cat Software looks the part of a typical twin-stick shooter, but does its eschewing of limited environments and one-hit-deaths mix things up in the right way? To jump straight to the answer: while unexpected and novel at first, the removal of these bound…
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Cordy Sky Review
There was a time when endless vertical jumpers roamed the App Store like an apex predator, devouring the spare change of those who came near them. It certainly helped that titles like Doodle Jump provided regular content updates, mixing things up and providing an ever-more-complex challenge in the process. Now it's much harder for a game in the genre to stand out, but Cordy Sky by SilverTree Media has gone for a triple-threat whammy of making their game look gorgeous; providing simple,…
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Fibble Review
Crytek, better known for developing 3D game engines that push computers to their limits, have finally dipped their toes in to the casual gaming scene with Fibble. I say casual because it has all the hallmarks of a relaxing puzzle title, from it's excessively 'cute' presentation; simple drag and tap control scheme; and relatively limited amount of content... however it's anything but a simple game. You play as Fibble - a rubbery, bouncy alien attempting to find his crew and repair his…
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Friday News Wrap-Up 30 March 2012
This week started out like any other - Monday I was full of energy, Tuesday I suffered from a bout of being unable to get out of first gear and well... the rest of the week is an honest blur of work, mixed with the occasional break to play League of Legends (...yes, I'm addicted). To cap things off, the news this week is well... exciting is the only way to describe it, so lets jump right in.This is the Friday News Wrap-Up for the 30th of March, 2011. Bug Princess 2 - CAVE just got seriousIt seems we can't go a month without saying something about the Japanese bullet-hell specialist CAVE, but considering how iOS devices have become almost the defacto home of insane shooters, it's h…
Bitter Sam Review
Bitter Sam by Moon Active seems to be desperate to defy conventions - its main character seems manically depressed, there's no three-star system in sight, and the almost morbid way in which you can fail a level is a shock the first few times it occurs. And yet, despite this, Bitter Sam is unabashedly cute, funny and fun. Sam's life apparently wasn't doing so well even before a scientist captured and decided to drop him down a deep hole. He'll need to avoid spiked platforms, spinning b…
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