Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Dave Flodine'
Bloom Box Review
When AppSpy first noted about the arrival of Bloom Box, we noted that the name was rather similar to the Wii game Boom Blox. The comparisons don't stop there however as both games are based around triggering chain reactions - something for which we gamers seem to have a soft spot. After all, it's undeniably satisfying to watch a successful chain of explosions (or in this case blossoming), especially when you've invested time and effort into the preparation. Bloom Box is about blooming…
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Titan: Escape the Tower remade for iOS
There's a growing trend of remaking old game titles for the iOS platform, especially from the Commodore 64 and Amiga. Titan: Escape the Tower, is an update of the gameplay in the original Titan, released in 1989. From the trailer about to be linked, it looks like what would happen if the Arkanoid paddle could move through a series of labyrinths, trying to get the ball to safety (or at least using it to protect itself). The game releases this Thursday, and is looking to be an enjoyable and somewhat unique experience.…
Little Luca Review
Little Luca has received comparisons to Bumpy Road. This is largely because it's a game that put the player in control of the environment, rather than the protagonist. However, while Bumpy Road was an endless runner, Little Luca is a three star physics puzzler with a retro, pixel art aesthetic. Luca is a ball that is trying to replace all the stars in the sky. The goal of each level is to collect the three stars, while trying to reach the black hole that will transport you to the next…
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Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy HD Review
It's been over two years since Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was released on the App Store, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the next two chapters in this trilogy ever since. Well the good news is that And Justice For All and Trails and Tribulations have arrived as part of the Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy HD. The bad news is that while the graphics have been sharpened up, there are a few niggling issues that do bring the whole experience down a little. The games ar…
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'Bridgy Jones' Engineers its way onto the App Store This Week
The bridge builder has always been one of the foundations of the physics puzzle genre (how ironic), but aside from a handful of flash games, low key iOS releases and World of Goo, it's never really had too much of a mainstream presence. This Thursday's release of Bridgy Jones won't likely change that, but it is looking to be a fantastic physics puzzler experience if the trailer is anything to go by. Take a look for yourselves. It looks to contain intuitive touch controls for building and deleting your structures, and I saw a little bit of Angry Birds-esque flinging in there too. Intriguing if nothing else. Look for our review sometime after the release.…
Leviathan: Warships' new Update Trailer
You might remember the original trailer for Paradox Interactive's Leviathan: Warships. If not, it featured smooth music and the sultry tones of a new entrant into the land of voiceover supremacy. Well now with their 'Jazzy Update', the voice is back, and just as amusing. The update itself just adds smooth jazz music as an option while you're engaging in naval combat, but the video is worth a watch just for the entertainment value. I about lost it when the boat puns started. Check out our review of the game here.…
Terraria Heading to iOS Soon
Back in 2011 on the PC, Terraria was released. At the time it looked like a 2D Minecraft with more of a focus on combat. Earlier this year it got ported over to consoles, and now finally it looks to be on its way to iOS. Now with the complexity of the game, the control scheme needs to be fine-tuned, otherwise this release will be dead in the water. Appparently the game has been redesigned with the touch-screen in mind. We'll know when the game is released. For now, have a look at the launch trailer for the console version.…
1968 Review
The year is 1968. A full year before Apollo 11 makes its historic moon landing, NASA sends an automobile to the orbiting chunk of rock, and makes a shocking discovery: it's full of cheese. The old saying was right. As the astronaut behind the wheel of this lunar vehicle, you need to collect as much cheese as possible and reach the flags at the end of each stage, all in low gravity conditions. The thing is, gravity - however low - shouldn't be this unpredictable. The car drives well en…
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Champs: Battlegrounds offers a head to head Tactical Experience this Summer
From the press release, this sounds like an attempt to create a small scale MOBA (games like League of Legends) on the iOS platform, but instead of a team of individuals working together, you hand pick a team of champs and take their unique abilities into battle against another team. Have a look at the trailer and see what you think. Look for this to be released in the next couple of months.…
Quell Memento Review
It's worth noting that, sometimes, all it takes to create a more poignant gaming experience is attention to presentation and transition. We're not talking about the actual visuals and soundscape of a game, but what lies in-between. In Quell Memento, you explore the memories of the last occupant of a house based on the remnants of what they've left behind. As you wipe the dust from pictures, you peer closer at glass puzzles that hold special significance. In solving the puzzles therein…
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'9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors' Releases on Japanese iOS
999 is a very interesting game that I only completed earlier this year myself. I can recommend it to any fan of visual novels and locked room puzzles, and seeing it's just been released on the Japan iOS store with an English port coming in Quarter 4, it will be much easier for those who wish to play it to do so. Here's the thing though, they've removed the locked room puzzles to focus more heavily on the visual novel aspects. To this end they've created a more comic book style presentation, and a flowchart system similar to the one in the game's sequel Virtue's Last Reward (which I shall be playing whenever I finally grab a 3DS). For those unfamiliar with the game, here's the tra…
Combo Crew Review
Long time fans of Appspy will have heard a particular criticism time and time again: the unwelcome shoehorning of traditional control schemes onto touchscreen interfaces. Though the implementation of these controls have improved, developers that actually design around the strengths of the iPhone and iPad are far and few between. However, for Combo Crew, The Game Bakers have decided to create a classic beat em up while trying their best to craft an original control scheme that plays to…
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Poker Night 2 iPad Review
The Inventory is a strange place. It's a kind of nexus point for pop culture characters from multiple mediums to converge and play games of high-stakes poker. The first entry in the series was quite successful, offering a poker experience seasoned with the kind of hilarious dialogue that comes with such a varied and wacky group of characters. The sequel follows suit. Brock Samson from The Venture Brothers, Claptrap from Borderlands, Sam from Sam & Max, and Ashley Williams from Army…
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NarcoGuerra
Gamethenews, the company that tried to bring Endgame: Syria to the App Store and had to settle for Endgame: Eurasia, has now created a game based on the US War on Drugs and the Mexican drug cartels in their new game NarcoGuerra. It's essentially the game of Risk, which raises the interesting notion of using tried and true game mechanics to tackle more serious and pertinent issues. Have a look at the trailer for a little more understanding. The game is out now for the price of $0.99.[App Store Link]…
The Executive
From the developer behind Pizza vs Skeletons comes a beat em up in the boardroom. The Executive has you defending your company against werewolves, and as this teaser trailer will show you, the game has an interesting visual style and some slick animation. The game is not slated for release till next year, so while it seems a bit cruel that we'll have to wait, we at least know a little of what to expect when it finally arrives.[Source - Toucharcade]…
