Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Dave Flodine'
Mikey Hooks Launches (and swings) next week
Those who recall our 'best of 2012' list will know that Mikey Shorts was one of my favourite games of last year. Ever since the swinging based sequel has been announced, I've been excited to check it out, and next week I'll finally get the opportunity. In the meantime, tide yourselves over with the trailer. The game will cost $2.99. We'll see if it can keep the same flow of gameplay while adding Hook Champ mechanics.…
A Ride Into The Mountains Review
His family trusted with watching over an ancient relic, Zu notices a meteor smashing into the nearby mountain. He grabs his bow, mounts his trusty steed and goes to investigate. A Ride into the Mountains is essentially a side-scroller. You control Zu's horse by tilting your iPhone or iPad left, right, up, and down. To ready your bow, you swipe back on the screen with one finger. The strength and direction of your shot depends on how far you've dragged your finger back, and which direc…
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Sky Tourist Review
When the day to day grind gets a bit too much, a vacation the perfect way to unwind and put all our worries in perspective. As we adults often lack the innocent imagination of children, most of us wouldn't consider taking a trip outside our own galaxy. Well, that's exactly what Sky Tourist's protagonist Petey did, and it's your job to keep the little tyke safe. Petey travels through through distant planets in a unique way: he is suspended on a rope by two rockets located on either sid…
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Sine Mora Update adds new Control Options
Our review of the iOS port of Sine Mora was quite glowing, but one aspect that we took issue with was the virtual joystick control scheme. Well developers Digital Reality Software Kit have taken the criticism to heart and have added touch controls in their latest update. These controls can be fixed or floating (wherever you place your finger) and add a lot more fluidity to the movement. Of course now there's the issue of obscuring incoming bullets, but in a game when getting hit decreases your time instead of killing you, it's a little more tolerable. Along with the control options, they have balanced aspects of the game as well as improving the visuals (possibly by tweaking the perfo…
BLOODMASQUE Review
Ninteenth century Paris is certainly an interesting place to set a videogame - especially when its streets are crawling with vampires. You see, in Bloodmasque's alternative history, vampires control the earth, ruling over humanity with an iron fang. The only people that can stop them are a small resistance movement of half-breeds. This is where you come in. The game a mission-based riff on the Infinity Blade formula. You accept missions, travel to locations around Paris, explore them,…
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The Question
Hey there loyal Appspy readers. It's Monday (or approaching Monday if you live in the northern hemisphere), and as there's usually not much news that breaks over the weekend, I thought we'd try something different this week (and see if it's well received). I'm going to pose a question to you about iOS gaming. The point is to foster some discussion on the topic in the comments (remembering to keep it civil, and respectful of course). On Friday I will answer the question myself, and if it turns out to be something the community enjoys, we can repeat the whole process next week. Ready? Of course you are! This week I thought i’d start broad. What is your favourite iOS game, and why? M…
Puddle sliding its way into the App Store on August 1st
Puddle is a game made by a bunch of students that was picked up and distributed by Konami for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Since then it has been ported to everything imaginable, and finally is making its way to iOS. You guide a number of different liquids with different properties through environments via the iPhone's tilt controls. It's almost like it originally designed with the iOS in mind. The trailer explains more about the visual mood and variety. As mentioned in the title, it will released on August 1st, and will launch half off it's original price at 2.69€.…
R.TYPE Review
R-Type, the side-scrolling classic shoot em up from 1987, was ported over to the App Store a couple years ago. However, it was removed earlier this year due to licensing issues. While the legalities were being ironed out, the developers thought it would be a good idea to make a few adjustments. Now that it's returned to the App Store, it's time to see what's changed. If you're new to the blaster, here are the basics. You take control of a spaceship, which you must guide through a seri…
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Expander Review
There are some games which don't waste time explaining things. Often, this is the hallmark of a bad game, as many of people will give up on a potentially enjoyable experience due to confusion and frustration. Bit Pilot and Endless Road are examples of games in which potentially addictive gameplay is buried beneath odd controls and punishing difficulty. Now, it looks like Expander is set to join their ranks. In essence, Expander is an endless-runner starring an expanding block. Moving…
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Dropchord er... dropping on July 31st
A while back we announced a new game from DoubleFine being created for mobile (and the LeapChord, which is a kinect-esque controller for your PC or Mac). We now have a release date and it is next Wednesday. Below is the launch trailer, and while it's still a bit vague how this rhythm game will play, it certainly looks engaging in both gameplay and presentation. The game will cost $2.99 at launch. Look for our review shortly after release.…
Butterfly in the Sky? Whales need to eat
I must admit that the title for the upcoming butt-stomper Butterfly Sky invoked images of the intro to Reading Rainbow (which I spent quite a lot of my early years watching). Mechanically it doesn't look like there's too much to set it apart from the pack of endless runners and fun action games, but the art style does give it a certain charm. Have a look at the trailer. Butterfly Sky is out on the App Store August 8th.…
Futuridium EP Review
Futuridium EP casts you as a lone pilot lost in a dimensional loop. Destined to travel to and fro across a series of small flat surfaces, you must avoid obstacles and shoot blocks to open the a dimensional gate to get to the next area (which is hopefully one step closer to home). It's sort of like Starfox by way of Sliders. You control your craft by dragging your finger around the left side of the screen. It's a suprisingly sensitive system, with small gestures sending your spacecraft…
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Expander released today
Well today as in Australian time. It might still be the 22nd of July for a lot of our readers. Regardless, have a look at the trailer of this very interesting take on the endless runner. Combining what looks to be clever use of pinch mechanics, and some great perspective, this looks to provide some for those who enjoy chasing high scores. We'll know more when we get our hands on it…
PAC-MAN DASH! Review
You'd be hard pressed to meet someone who hasn't at least heard of Pac-Man. One of the original videogame icons, his legacy persists to this day, largely thanks to his fans, and his revival in games such as Pac-Man Championship Edition. With Sega chucking Sonic onto the auto-runner bandwagon, it's not surpise to see Namco pushing out their spherical star towards the genre. Thing is, while Pac-Man Dash! does approach the genre in an interesting way, it may be too little too late. The a…
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Halfbrick Announce Colossatron: Massive World Threat
Even though Fish out of Water was a little under the high expectations bar set up by releases such as Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja, we're always interested to see what Halfbrick studios have in store for the App Store next. Colossatron: Massive World Threat is their new upcoming game. A trailer is out for it, and you should watch it right now. It looks to be some twist on the game of Snake, only with a giant multi-tiered cyber-dragon. A great little sense of humour is present if Colenol Mustache is anything to go by. Even though we don't have much to go on, it's looking interesting, and I for one am looking forward to learn more. You'll know when we do.…
