Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Michael McNally'
Bungie's First-Person Shooter Marathon Ported To iPad
Just two weeks after Daniel Blezek spilled the beans on his Bungie-authorized Marathon iPad port, the pre-Halo first-person shooter has been released today. On Bungie Day 2011! What a coincidence! Oh yeah, and it's free. For those who had their PC gamer blinkers on in the '90s, Marathon was a Mac-only first-person shooter trilogy, almost always compared to Doom. And though it didn't garner as much attention as Doom, it's still considered a seminal genre piece. There's no sign of an iPhone version quite yet, but we'll keep you posted on any goss.…
Build An Empire In Zynga's CityVille Hometown
Not content with farming, developer Zynga has turned its hand to urban life with CityVille Hometown, available now on the App Store for free. In the game, you're the architect of your own dreams. So long as those dreams involve a city teeming with houses and prosperous businesses that you've built from scratch. You can invite your Facebook acquaintances, too: once connected, you may snoop around their houses and ask them to help build your city. In that order. CityVille Hometown is in all good App Stores as of this moment, and it's free. Bonus!…
Edge Developer Mobigame Teases New Game
After finally securing the trademark in May to the term 'Edge' (in a video game context) following a protracted legal battle, French developer Mobigame has revealed that Edge Extended is heading to iOS this summer. Not to be considered a direct sequel to the block-puzzling mayhem that is Edge, Edge Extended will feature 40 levels and be a universal app. Details beyond that aren't forthcoming, so you'll just to settle for the paragraph above and the image on the main feed. You'll know more about Edge Extended as soon as we do. In the meantime, why not check out Mobigame's other titles: stealth fest Perfect Cell and delightfully naughty Trucker's Delight: Episode 1.…
Colourful RPG Tiny Lights Illuminates The iPhone
Tiny Lights is an intriguing-looking iPhone RPG, which has been co-developed by Fluid Pixel and Darling Dash. Oh, it's out now, too. In the game, you play as a group of Pikmin-esque tiny lights, all of varying colours and abilities, and all pottering about in a world basked in darkness. It's not some kinda' cutesy cakewalk, though. In addition to finding the pillars of power that have been stolen by the greedy light eaters, you must collect coins, find scrolls, make friends, and scrap with enemies. All before breakfast. Tiny Lights is available now for iPhone and iPod touch priced 99c.…
Chillingo's Swords & Soldiers Ready To Rock iOS Soon
Swords & Soldiers, one of the most critically acclaimed WiiWare games ever, is coming to iPhone in the next few weeks. The game's original makers Ronimo Games are on development duties again, while Chillingo deal with all the marketing and hype nonsense. In Swords & Soldiers, you side-scroll your way through the 2D, real-time world as one of three nations (the Vikings, Aztecs, or Chinese) looking to achieve bizarre objectives. The Vikings, for example, are on a mission to create the ultimate BBQ sauce. Wacky, huh? If that doen't whet your appetite, then there'll also be a customisable skirmish mode for further thrills and spills. Look out for Swords & Soldiers on iPhone over…
Angry Birds Seasons Dining Out On Summer Pignic sSon
Only days after it launched a new Mine & Dine update for the original Angry Birds game, developer Rovio has announced via its Facebook page that Angry Birds Seasons for iPhone will also be getting an update. The Finnish developer has kept mum with regards to detailed information on the Summer Pignic update, with only a couple of images shown on the very same Facebook page. When pushed lightly by users on Twitter, though, Rovio intimated that we'd see the next episode in the Angry Birds Seasons saga on 4th July. Looks like an Independence Day special for everyone's favourite frustrated fowl! Check out the Summer Pignic promo shots below...…
Juicy New Pomegranate In Fruit Ninja For iPhone
Quench yourself with the juicy news that Halfbrick's super popular 5-star melon-chopping iPhone game Fruit Ninja has been updated overnight. A new fruit, the pomegranate, has been introduced and is “a multi-slice bullet time fruit”, which allows you to rack up a massive points total at the end of every Arcade game and sporadically throughout Classic games. New music has also been incorporated into the game, along with the ability to view your friends' high scores. Since its release, Fruit Ninja has been downloaded more than 25 million times. And critically speaking, it's performed just as admirably: in fact, we loved it enough to rate it #9 in our Top 10 iOS games of 2010. Yo…
Fishlabs Warm Hearts With Ice-Cold Snowboard Hero Update
Snowboard Hero: probably the - cough - coolest type of hero you can be. German developers Fishlabs would be inclined to agree, since they dedicated an entire iPhone sim to this particular extreme sport. Rather kindly, Fishlabs have taken the time to update Snowboard Hero, debuting two more playable characters - Kurt and Monica - and two new tracks (one of which is pleasantly named Death Ridge). Uberboards have also been introduced, resulting in your character becoming statistically awesome as soon as he sets foot on them. The extra tracks, events, and achievements are all gravy in our view, considering that the limited number of courses was one of the few qualms we had with Snowboard Her…
Z2Live's Trade Nations Builds A Facebook Extension
Z2Live's Trade Nations, a social build-'em-up for the iPhone masses, has been given planning permission for several new extensions, including the ability to connect your account to Facebook. From there, you can invite your friends and acquaintances to be your Trade Nations neighbour. If annoying your 602 Facebizzle pals in this way isn't incentive enough to convert, then how's about the gaining exclusive access to the newly opened jewellery shop?! As for the game itself, try to think of Trade Nations as a mixture of SimCity, Age of Empires, and FarmVille...but called Trade Nations. Rather than, say, Age of SimVille. Whatever - the Facebook integration brings a whole new dimension to Tra…
DeathSmiles Upon Us In New Ways
DeathSmiles, the upcoming iPhone gothic shmup with arguably the most contradictory yet intriguing compound word name seen this week, is back on our radar with some fresh details from the developer. Bullet hell specialists Cave have revealed an additional game mode, a brand new character, and an absolutely off the chain soundtrack for this Xbox 360 port. In the iPhone-exclusive mode, you'll play as the curiously named Princess Tiara, battling your way through a plethora of evil witches haunting her otherwise pleasant kingdom of Gilverado. Cave haven't announced a release date yet for DeathSmiles, but it will be posted on the company's website soon. One thing is for sure, though, if Cave…
Plants vs Zombies Sprouts New Updates In iPhone Garden
PopCap have updated their 5-star strategy game Plants vs Zombies with a whole host of new features that will quite literally have you soiling your plants. For starters, a new Zen Garden has you collecting, watering, and fertilising the fruits of your labour, with coinage rewarded should you prink and preen to a satisfactory level. You can then spend that money on some lovely plants and traps, or even new mini-games such as the considerately named Zombiquarium and Zombotany. Beyond this update, Game Center integration is soon to be upgraded and will throw in with some extra unlockable achievements. More news on those refreshes when we get it - until then, you can pick up Plants vs Zombies…
EA Release Golden Oldie Dragon's Lair 2 On iPhone
EA's Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp, the 1991 laser disc do-or-almost-certainly-die game, is out now on App Stores worldwide. Unchanged from the original, this epic adventure charges you with directing the protagonist Dirk the Daring all the way through time and space to reach and rescue Princess Daphne. EA has retained the 3, 5, and infinite lives options, for you will (undoubtedly) perish over and over and over again (repeat to fade). Dragon's Lair 2 is available to download right this second for $2.99. Let's hope it fares better than its 3* iPhone predecessor. In celebration, leeeeet's...dooooo...the...Tiiiiime...Warrrrrp...agaaaaain. Ahem.…
James Pond Is Back and On iOS From 30th June
James Pond, the smooth and so-fish-ticated (sigh) super agent, will be swimming onto iPad and iPhone from 30th June. James Pond in the Deathly Shallows - a pun-tastic nod to Harry Potter's latest escapade - will invite you to rid the sea of pollution by navigating around a series of deadly underwater mazes. En route there will be a barrage of nasty starfish, barracuda, and jellyfish, but gladly you'll be armed to the tiny teeth with your trusty bubble gun. James Pond in the Deathly Shallows will mark the first outing in a brand new series of James Pond titles, which will hopefully contain the same gameplay and infectious soundtrack that has helped earn it over two million sales since 1990…
10tons Of Peabrained Puzzling On iOS Now
Prepare for sickly-sweet cuteness on a scale only witnessed by those who played Yoshi's Story on the N64. Joining Hands, out today on iOS, is Finnish developer 10tons's first game since their rather less cutesy but still rather good Grim Joggers. In this canny puzzler, however, you're asked to rearrange pea-like creatures so that they're all holding hands. "Why?", I hear you ask. Well, the Peablins believe that by joining forces in this way, they will be protected from the bogeymen. There are roughly 90 levels to get on with, and more coming soon across all iOS platforms. Joining Hands is available to buy now for $2.99 on the App Store.…
Zenga Release Social Hangman Game Hanging With Friends
Breaking Noose! Social gaming behemoths Zynga have released Hanging With Friends onto the Canadian App Store. Based on the classic children's game Hangman, you have to correctly guess words one letter at a time in order to save a man from being hanged. And they said Mortal Kombat was a bad influence? In this modern rendition, there is a hefty portion of social features to make things more chortlesome, including the ability to play up to 20 concurrent games against your existing contacts. Instant replays also mean that you can have a good old laugh as you watch your opponents struggle and squirm to work out the partially revealed phrases. Hanging With Friends is out now in Canada for 99c…
