Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Dave Flodine'
Stratosphere - Competitive iPad Tower Defense
It may be the multiplayer component, it may be the minimalist look of the game... chances are it's the great pun for their title that got me interested. Using the larger play area of the iPad, players try to keep their opponent's armies at bay. As a TD game, it doesn't look like it does much new, but the local multiplayer aspect more than makes it worth a view of the trailer. It releases this Thursday.…
Table Top Racing out this Thursday
Watching this trailer, I get flashbacks to my youth and possibly too much time spent with Micro Machines 2: Turbo by Codemasters. Table Top Racing seems to capture a similar feel, but imbues it with a lot of the tropes of more modern kart racers. Not too surprising seeing that the designer was apparently one of the co-creators of the original Wipeout. Have a look at the trailer for yourselves, and if you like what you see, Thursday is not too far away at all.…
Infestor Review
Ravenous Games are the makers of the League of Evil games. Infestor has a very similar button layout and almost the same visual style. It wouldn't be a leap of logic to assume that this is another crazy gauntlet of platforming finesse served up in iOS ready bite-sized levels. This game takes a different path however, sacrificing twitch platforming skill for a more slow-paced thoughtful approach. Well when I say thoughtful, I mean it in loose terms. Let's just say that this puzzle platf…
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Dream of Pixels Review
Dream of Pixels is a deceptive title. When one expects a damning expose on the single-mindedness of retro games and those who cling feverishly to nostalgia explored in game form, one does not expect a spin on a gaming classic. We're joking of course. What we have here can be best described as 'reverse Tetris', but that really doesn't do it justice. It's as good a starting off point as any though, so let us commence! There are multiple game modes that are unlocked through different mea…
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Tin Man Can Review
There's something to be said for 'trial & error' gameplay done right. Games like Limbo and Another World are good examples. The player learns not to do something by being killed for their curiosity or their lack of reflex, but the checkpoint system of the game is lenient enough to allow the player to safely pursue their natural curiosity and exploratory drive. It's a nice balance, and one that Tin Man Can misses completely. Not only because every death sends you back to the start…
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Ski Safari: Adventure Time Review
Back in May of 2012, Defiant released Ski Safari, an endless-runner focused around riding animals. It was a surprisingly focused offering which stood out from its peers, so it's not so surprising that a hot property like Adventure Time would want to bend the game's addictive core to its own purposes. Ski Safari: Adventure Time is exactly what you might expect a combination of Ski Safari and Adventure Time to be. The core gameplay remains the same: escape the avalanche by riding animal…
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Black Shark HD - Helicopter Simulation
Simulation games are for a certain type of player. Now I'm the first to admit I am not that player, but I can understand the appeal of getting to realistically fly a commercial or military grade aircraft in the safety of your own home. Black Shark HD puts the player in the cockpit of a Russian Ka-50 Attack Helicopter and allows free-flight mode as well as combat missions. The developer has some experience creating simulation games with his previous release, Apache 3D Sim. Here's the trailer. Sadly if you like the look of what you see here, you'll have to wait. The game doesn't release until February 27th. It's something to look forward to at least.…
Noble Nutlings Review
Boomlagoon, the makers of Noble Nutlings have received a lot of buzz thanks to being a company sporting ex-Rovio employees (you know, the developers behind Angry Birds). Before Angry Birds was a hit, Rovio had released many other games for mobile platforms - obviously these did OK for the company as they stayed in business, but what we're saying is it can take a lot of tries before hitting on something that really resonates. Keep this in mind for the review. Each level of Noble Nutli…
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ZENONIA® 5 Review
If nothing else, it has been an interesting experience reviewing Zenonia 5. The last game in the series played by this reviewer was the first, and it's interesting to see what's changed and what has stayed the same. In this latest installment there has been a war brewing between the rich and the poor, so much so that it has attracted the attention of demons. You start off as an apprentice in a small town that has dreamed of this conflict, and embark on a journey to try and put things r…
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Mushroom Wars Heading to iPad this Week
Already a massive hit on the Playstation Network, Mushroom Wars, originally released on that platform in 2009 is heading for the iPad this week. It looks to bring accessible real time strategy to the tablet platform through a cute vaneer and gameplay featuring hundreds of little units that overwhelm the opposition. Here's a trailer. The game is released on January 24th.…
Little Amazon Review
We come back to this time and time again, but if you design your game towards encouraging people to spend money on In-App Purchases, it should at most be a gentle nudge, and you should most definitely not have your entire game feel like a hampered grind. Little Amazon sadly falls in this latter category. Lily is trying not only to flee the clutches of the evil demon Gruul, but is trying to save the entire kingdom by running faster than she's ever run before. In a neat addition, the sto…
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Wake the Cat Review
See the cat. See the cat dream of yarn. Let's make the cat's dreams come true! See the yarn? Roll the yarn. Roll the yarn towards the cat. Don't let those hyper-dimensional portal slippers or gravitational fields get in the way. Let's make the cat's dreams come true! If our intro hasn't given it away, Wake the Cat is both a simple concept and a perplexing one. Each level consists of a small overhead view of a portion of the house, and of course the object is to roll the yarn towards t…
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Roar Rampage
Ok, see that image alongside this article? That alone sparked my interest in this game that will be released on the App Store February 7th. The start of the video is a bit ho-hum and made me think, "Oh, a Rampage clone?", but then this concept is taken and twisted into its own thing. Have a watch of the trailer and tell me that doesn't at least look fun for a play or two. I mean tell me you wouldn't want to grab an ICBM and whack a building to destruction with it... yeah, that's what I thought.…
Swing King Review
Being a monarch must be taxing. Oh I’m not talking about the day to day turmoil of settling disputes and playing politics, but more when you're trying to smooch your girl-frog and some evil black furball comes along and kills the mood by sucking all the stars away. That transgression cannot stand! So in Swing King, you set off trying to collect all the stars back by flinging yourself from anchor point to anchor point, trying to reach the saddle of your flying unicorn before final…
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Zen Training Review
One of the ways to think about zen is that it is the path towards enlightenment. It is training your mind to relax and be at peace. Anyone who meditates or has unsuccessfully tried to meditate will know how difficult shutting your brain off can be. That's why it's been so interesting to see games capitalize on this concept. In the news post for this game on our site, I mentioned Tetris as a game you can play without any brain power whatsoever. In fact, games like Tetris, Zen Bound, Pat…
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