Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Dave Flodine'
The Winners of the Indie Pong Developer Challenge
Well the Indie Pong Developer Challenge is over, and here are the winners! In third place with a prize of $15,000 is Fong by Eppy Games In second place with a prize of $37,500 is Pong Tournament by Madruse Games And finally the winner, in first place, with a prize of $50,000 is Pong World by zGames All three will be availabe on the app store for purchase, and it's nice to see those that won were some of the more interesting and unique entires in the competition. It's be neat to see this kind of content for other classics in videogame history.…
SolaRola Review
I know what you're thinking. It's a game where you roll around. That much you have spot on. However, contrary to what may be going through your head, you are not rolling around a jazz musician or a creature powered by sunlight. No, this is the story of Wiz and Waz, intrepid space explorers who find themselves crashed on an alien world, and have to find the necessary parts to get home, and then continue their jobs of exploration, collection, and eventually saving the galaxy. Now…
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App Wrap Up (Tuesday Edition, 7th August, 2012)
For those of you who enjoy the App Wrap Up column, there will be one tomorrow as well. There's been a slew of titles, and i learned my lesson the last time i tried to cover them all in one installment. As always, we have not tried the games in question. We are only speculating on them based on their trailers and that it looks like there is something interesting to offer. Without further ado, let's begin. Getting Buckets (5 Balloons Interactive Inc.) A basketball themed endless runner where you're collecting buckets. I'm sure there's something i'm missing here, but it's visually pleasing with a host of power ups to keep things interesting. I think it could be worth a play.[App Store…
BLAZING STAR Review
There are many game systems that while having a decent collection of titles, just never gained widespread market appeal and withered because of this. Luckily thanks to downloadable services, re-releases, remakes, and the App Store, a lot of the best games of these systems can be played by a whole new generation of fans. One such example is the Neo Geo Home System, and the subject of the current review, Blazing Star. Released in 1998, what we have here is a classic side-scrolling shoot…
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cartoonyYou Have an iPad, You have a Gaming Table
besides having a delightful title, porTable is an app for the iPad that gives you a table for playing games like cards and dominoes with more games to be added in future updates. Watching the trailer, you see that it has some clever physics, and just playing around with the cards and dominoes could be fun, but the real joy is at the end when you add you own iPhone into the mix for games like Poker. [App Store Link]…
Shellrazer Review
Shellrazer is a classic tale. Boy turtle loves girl turtle. To get to girl turtle, boy turtle has to trek through goblin infested lands. To aid this endeavor, boy turtle is equipped with a gunner, and on his journey stacks on additional help providing offense, defense, and a multitude of upgrades. At least that's what we got out of the few comic book panels that led us into this game of wanton goblin massacre. The game begins with a machine gunner who has two control options, using ei…
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Sometimes a Humorous Trailer is all you Need
Toybox isn't being released till August 23rd, but they have a trailer out to drum up interest for the game. The trailer is... well... have a look for yourself. The game itself which is briefly shown at the end is a combination of a match three title and a shoot em up. If the humour of the trailer is interjected into the game as well, we could have an enjoyable release to look forward to at the end of the month.…
Splash !!! Review
As strange as some of the scenarios created for these physics puzzle games are, it's amazing how many of them make the gameplay that follows more bizarre when all they were trying to do was create a context to explain everything going on. In Splash you control a panda riding atop a bubble that can be filled with water. The goal of each stage is to collect the rubber duckies strewn about, and deliver them safely to the wading pool. The reason for all this is that the panda has lost his…
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App Wrap Up (Midweek Edition, 1st August 2012)
Well we're in the last month of winter (or summer if you like across hemispheres), and then the big releases start happening in the console and PC space. We're sure to see some heavy hitters in the App Store as well but for now here's another App Wrap Up to tide you over with some games that may be worth a play based on their trailers. Let's take a look! Neon Run 21 (Neon Games LLC) I don't gamble much, but when i do, Blackjack or 21 is my game of choice. This is a puzzle game based around the card game, but it really doesn't seem like too much of a puzzle; you're just playing multiple hands at the same time and need to make each one count by the cards you get. If the cards are set…
Depth in Simplicity: The Making of Jetpack Joyride
Ok, for those of you who are interested in game design, for those of you who love Jetpack Joyride, or for those of you who have an hour to kill and find the idea of a post mortem discussion on a released game interesting, stop what you're doing right now and click this link. Luke Muscat of Halfbrick Studios talks us through the game's inception to completion all courtesy of the GDC Vault, placing this recording up in their free section. It's an interesting and informative watch if nothing else. Now if you'll excuse me, i shall continue watching this myself.…
Tentacle Wars Review
Tentacle Wars isn't just content about giving us a fresh take on the real time strategy genre by taking place at the microscopic level, battling against invading cells. No, you also happen to be waging this war inside the body of an alien organism that takes its inspiration from the fever dreams of H.R. Giger. Based on the popular flash game, this mobile version brings a back and forth game of cellular conquest straight to your iPhone and iPad, where positioning and reinforcement are k…
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Synesthetic Review
Since music can muster such a visceral reaction in us of like and dislike, when a game comes along that allows us to interact with music, it is usually received favorably. If it's a game like Guitar Hero which has a set track list, the game can be lauded or decried based on if the list resonates with fans of those songs, but games like Audiosurf and Synesthetic, which allow the player to use their own music collection favor much better, also because these games are tied to playable ver…
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Mad Cows Review
So we've had Angry Birds, now we have Mad Cows. What's next? Perturbed Kangaroos? Confused Marmosets? Well let's stop giving designers ideas and delve into a pretty blatant Angry Birds clone. Oh yes there are some differences, including the addition of a multiplayer component, but this is the type of game you've seen and played many times before. You have six animals to choose from. Each have their own levels, and each have a special ability. It's interesting because instead of having…
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Paper Airplanes Arrive Later this Week
Armor Games' paper airplane hit Flight is coming to iOS devices on August 2nd. Trying to get a lonely girl's letter to Santa, you upgrade your plane to be able to stay in the air longer and longer. Quite simple with addictive gameplay through the upgrades and interesting locales. If you've given the flash game a try, you'll most likely agree that this would be a fun mobile diversion.…
Retro Graphics of a Different Sort
This Thursday, Kid Vector releases in the App Store. A 2d platformer envoking retro art and music, but the one difference is that while most retro games go for pixel art, this one has vectors! Doesn't look like much is new gameplay wise, but as long as the controls are solid, it should satsify the itch of platforming fans.…
