Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Dave Flodine'
The Answer
Hey there loyal Appspy readers! Not much of a response this week, but we did have those site issues over last weekend. I do want to thank Taekon and DarkScience for their replies. I had completely overlooked the possible positives of the push notification, or more specifically, why they were created in the first place. For many of the games I review, push notifications will appear regularly as long as the app is on my phone. It’s not exactly the concept itself that annoys me, but rather at the start of every app with them, it gives you an option to turn push notifications off. I always do this, and even so, these games will always notify me to keep playing, to return. Perhaps it&rsqu…
Orborun Review
If I was describe Orborun using one of those 'it's x meets y' comparisons, I'd say Orborun is Super Monkey Ball meets Tron. By that I mean that you guide a spinning ball though a futuristic neon blue environment, not that you control a banana-crazed Jeff Bridges. In fact, your rotund robotic pal is trying to reach the end of each stage by rolling along tubular platforms, trying to collect as many points as possible without falling into the abyss below. Each stage starts with a choice…
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Gentlemen...Ricochet! Review
Air hockey, mini-golf, snooker: These are games for the common man. A true gentleman requires something more discerning for his sophisticated palette. That is where Gentlemen...Ricochet! comes in. Not only does it allow you to mingle with the upper crust in the town of Smallbridge, but also acquire a handsome sum of tokens, and even a monocle if you're lucky. The gameplay of Gentlemen... Ricochet! is simple. You must flick your token to the end zone, using objects in the environm…
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Site issues
Hey there loyal Appspy readers! You may have noticed that the site has been acting a little wonky the last few days. We moved servers over the weekend, and are still ironing out some issues so ask that you be patient. The site is easily navigable, and the only problem left seems to be displaying the images for our news stories and features. On the plus side, when those images appear again, you'll know the site is back to normal and better than ever. Thanks, and happy apping!…
Drop that Candy sweetening the App Store tomorrow
Physics puzzlers are a dime a dozen, but every now and then, one intrigues even though it doesn't seem to be doing anything all that different. Drop That Candy is such a game. Have a watch of the trailer, and perhaps you'll see where I'm coming from. It might be the charm of the cute little creature down the bottom, it might be the combination of a match-3 mechanic in the world of physics puzzlers, and it might even be the gravity reversing contraption a ways into the video, but there's something there. Whether or not it makes for a game that can rise above the rest in its genre remains to be seen.…
Help Me Fly Review
Every now and then you play one of these iOS puzzle games where everything just fits into place. Funnily enough, Help Me Fly is a game about connecting puzzle pieces so that everything fits into place. The aim to use building blocks to help the grounded pilot of a toy plane to connect his aircraft to a battery so he can jump start his plane. Each level features a different selection of blocks arranged upon a grid. Using these pieces, you create a power link between pilot and battery,…
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Shadow Vamp Review
When the trailer was released for Shadow Vamp, we at AppSpy were quite excited. The concept of rotating an island to cast shadows from buildings in order to help a vampire get back to his crypt was not only new and novel, but also looked like a lot of fun. Well now that we've gotten our hands on the game, we can tell you that while the core concept is still delightful, sadly its execution leaves something to be desired. To move your sun-shy vampire around you use the analogue stick o…
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Dead Effect Review
Out in the cold depths of space, the hibernation pods open on the ESS Meridian. Groggy and confused, you make your way out to find that the ship is under attack from a virus that has turned the crew in flesh eating monsters. Having brought the communication systems online, you receive guidance from an eccentric doctor as you explore the vessel, and try to find out what the hell has happened. We're not the only ones getting a System Shock 2 vibe here right? Dead Effect is a pretty sta…
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The Question
Hello there loyal Appspy readers! It’s another Monday and it is of course time for another question. Many games on the App Store want you to play them, and ever since the inclusion of push notifications in 2009, they have been able to tell you that. Now for some games this might be a blessing, reminding you that you haven’t spent time with it, or indicating that something you may have been waiting on has been finished, but other times, it can be quite annoying (especially if you’re expecting a message and it’s just one of your games talking to you). I would like to expand on this conversation this week so my question to our readers (should we call you guys Appspites…
The Inner World trailer
Adventure games have certainly found themselves an accepting home on iOS, and when games are made with the amusing intrigue of The Inner World, it's hard not to take notice. Have a look at the trailer and see for yourselves. No release date has been announced, but we'll let you know when that changes.…
The Answer
Hey there loyal Appspy readers! I’m not sure if this week’s question was either too easy to answer, or too difficult, but I’m definitely happy with the responses! We had a couple people excited for both Oceanhorn and Device 6, and a conversation broke about about the upcoming Modern Combat 5, and the series in general. Geosam brought up Runner2, and that being one of my favourite games of the year so far (when it was released on PC), I am certainly looking forward to that. However, I think that the game I might be looking forward to the most was one of the game trailers that came out the same day as the iPhone announcement last week. That game is Rayman Fiesta Run. Rayma…
GT Racing 2 announced
Fans of racing games usually fall into two main categories, and then split off into many sub categories from there. These are the simulation racer, and the arcade race. In the realm of arcade racing Gameloft has done pretty well with its Asphalt series, but now they are returning to the simulation side of things with GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience (yes that is the game's name). Have a watch of the trailer. It's not really a trailer these days without a dubstep break is it? The game looks impressive visually, and is reported to feature sixty seven cars, and a collection of real world tracks in both single and multiplayer. We'll see how it stacks up against current contemporaries…
iOS7 increases its wireless download limit to 100mb
Sometimes it can be a real hassle to retrieve your iPhone cable to transfer a bunch of new games and apps. Apple has become aware of how many people like to download on the go over the years, increasing the limit of how much data can be transfered bit by bit (heh). For the last year the limit has been 50mb, and while this has been great, the games and apps available are always becoming larger, and more robust. This calls for additional download capacity. That must be why with their latest iOS update, Apple have increased the over-the-air download limit to 100mb. This will alleviate some of the pressure from those on the go who wish to engage in some new app grabbing. Of course at home, you…
Transport Tycoon hitting the App Store in October
For those of you who fondly remember 1994's Transport Tycoon, you might be interested to hear that it has been designed for touch screens and is releasing on iOS on the third of October. From the mind of Chris Sawyer who started with this humble franchise before moving onto the Rollercoaster Tycoon games, this port has been made with much deliberation on how to transfer the rich simulation gameplay of the PC version onto the iOS. There's also a trailer! A word of caution: the tycoon games usually whittle the hours away. Approach at your own risk!…
Orborun out in the App Store tomorrow
Orborun starts off deceptively as looking like just another runner, but this robot has a special power; he can roll! Have a look at the trailer and see for yourself. I'm getting a Super Monkey Ball vibe from what I see here, and that's a good thing (I love that game). Apparently Orborun is more about chaining together tricks for a high score, which should lend some replayability and leaderboard chasing to its ninety levels. We'll be looking to review this one as soon as we get our hands on it.…
