Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Dave Flodine'
4x Board Game 'Eclipse' Recieving iOS Treatment
The 4x genre of videogames is one of those niche strategy sub genres that cultivates dedicated fans through complex and epic feeling gameplay (usually in a space setting). Think Master of Orion, or Sword of the Stars (though games like Civilization count as well). One thing that amazes me about the board game scene is the ability to take incredibly complex concepts and turn them into something you can easily sit down at a table with and play for a few hours. Now developer 'Big Daddy Creations' has taken this complex board game and allows the computer to handle all the book and piece keeping, leaving you only with the strategy to deal with. Here's a short video of the game…
First look at Badlands Multiplayer
So the more that is released about the upcoming ios game Badlands, the more intrigued I become. For instance, it has a competetive multiplayer mode on the same device (mainly for iPad use I would imagine as that would be hell to play on an iPhone). A video showcasing the mode has been unveiled so have a look! Looks like a blast, especially with the power-up the essentially multi-balls your little flying creature. Enough with the preview vids now. Let's get this game released!…
TNNS Review
After Ziggurat, it was going to be interesting to see what Action Button Entertainment came up with next. We're a little late to the party on this one, but with the release of TNNS (which is pronounced tennis), they seem to have cemented themselves as a maker of games with simple mechanics and premises, that reward an increase of skill from the player, while having very engaging low-fi presentation. TNNS is a variation on both Pong and Breakout, with a subtle change of control, and a r…
Watch The Video Review
Power Tapper Released January 21st
Anyone ever play Patapon on the PSP? I ask because Power Tapper looks to offer a similar game experience on the iPhone. You attack your enemies through the power of rhythm. The trailer will explain all! The art style is very minimalist, but the music and sound effects are pretty engaging, and unlike Patapon, the warriors aren't repeating the same words over and over again. Look out for this one next week.…
Repulze Review
You know, I kind of wish this game was terrible so I could call it, 'Repulze-ive', but as reviewers we never wish for games to be terrible, and this one isn't... so that's good! Repulze is a racer that takes many of its cues from Wipeout. It's got the sleek finned hover cars, it's got the pulsing soundtrack, and it has pretty impressive visuals. It also has a polarity mechanic, but we'll get to that later. Apparently you're a test pilot for these experimental hover cars, at the mercy o…
Watch The Video Review
Zen Training
The idea of zen gameplay has kind of blossomed with-in the last few years, but really you could probably trace the idea back to a game like Tetris. There are some games that just are meant to relax you as you play, because you can turn your brain off and just let your fingers do the work (and amazingly, a large number of these games are puzzle based, so the paradox is quite intriguing). Zen Training is that type of game, where you turn a tree around to catch the falling gems in their correct colour stone areas. Have a look at the trailer. The music also helps a lot to relax doesn't it? The game is released this week on January 17th.…
Phobia as a Game Concept
Well clustrophobia at least. Claustrophobic is a high score game that will be out in the App Store this Thursday. The thing that stands out in the gameplay video i'm about to show you, is how the level starts closing in on you, and how the sound design enforces this feeling. A great concept and use of a core idea if nothing else. Have a look for yourselves! [PKCLsoft's website]…
Metacritic top iPhone/iPad games of December 2012
_jpg_240x140_q85.jpg "Metacritic top iPhone/iPad games of December 2012")
Ok, so readers of the site will know that every month along with our own top of the month lists, we write up an article based on the Quality Index's top games of the month. They're an aggregate site that is part of the same media network as us, and often it's interesting to compare the lists to see if there's any crossover. Over time however, it seems their primary audience for aggregating scores has grown into a much different demographic than Appspy's audience. While this means that posting their findings is even more interesting thanks to this descrepancy, the list doesn't really speak well to our audience anymore. What's the solution then? Why to introduce a list from another aggregate…
Bouncy er...uh... Bouncing into the App Store on Jan 10th
That's this week. I dunno about the game personally. It's a trampoline game set in a post-apocolyptic wasteland. I guess the premise is enough just to warrant a look. Here's the trailer! I guess it's one way to keep yourself from going mad when the world is crumbling around you.…
Magic Orbz Review
Let's get this out the way. Magic Orbz is Arkanoid with lush 3D visuals and some very fun power ups. The only thing magic about the orbs in question is the amount of destruction they do, and as usual with this type of game, why they never travel where you want them to. Now don't get the wrong idea right off the bat, this game is not being maligned. We're just explaining the experience in its simplest terms before we explore further... so let's do that now. Now if you're watching our v…
Watch The Video Review
Car Jack Streets: Directors Cut Review
The original Car Jack Streets is lauded for being one of the first Grand Theft Auto style games to be released on the App Store, in this case emulating the top down perspective of the first two titles in that series. A little over three years later and the Director's Cut is released. What are the differences you ask? Increased frame rate, retina graphics, and achievement and leaderboard support. How does the actual game hold up after all this time, especially now that the GTA games the…
Watch The Video Review
QI's Top iPhone Games of 2012
I know I know, you're all waiting patiently for the Appspy Top Games of 2012 video. Well Andrew and I spent the afternoon discussing our picks and the video will be out by the end of the week. To hold you over however, the Quality Index has released their list, so let's take a look and see what their aggregating scores have to say. 1. Bastion2. Beat Hazard Ultra3. Interlocked4. Punch Quest5. Word Wonders: The Tower of Babel6. Stone Age: The Board Game7. Reckless Racing 28. Pizza Vs. Skeletons9. Final Fantasy IV10. Wimp: Who Stole My Pants? HD It's an interesting list to be sure. 2012 was no doubt an amazing year for games on the ios platfor…
'Endgame Syria' Rejected by Apple
Endgame: Syria is a game meant to explore and address the current armed conflict happening in that part of the world. Watching an interview with the designer should explain why this was made and the video shows a little about how the game works. The reasons for the rejection according the the press release are that Apple forbids games that quote, "solely target a specific race, culture, a real government or corporation, or any other real entity". The release believes that since the game, "explores a real news event and aims to show users the range of factions and peoples involved in the situation", it fell under these forbidden guidelines and was thus rejected. The designer Tom…
Raiden Legacy Review
If you're at all a fan of the shoot-em-up genre (which are affectionately referred to as SHMUPs), you are probably familiar with Raiden. Alongside such canonical luminaries as Xevious, and R-Type, Raiden is a heavy hitter in a genre known for crazy weapons and having the screen littered with bullets. This release though is something of a compilation, farming together all three titles of the offshoot Raiden Fighters series that developer Seibu Kaihatsu released in the mid to late nineti…
Watch The Video Review
Dropple. Review
For a long time now, games have taken advantage of what seems to be an innate desire to collect things, especially if those things are shiny or have a sense of value to them. In Dropple, you are collecting water droplets, and these water droplets are a currency that allows you to buy all manner of helpful items, from shields, to magnets, to the ability to rewind time. Did I mention that you're a giant water droplet yourself? There's definitely a possible analysis relating to our consum…
Watch The Video Review
