Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Peter Willington'
Hands-on with Illusion of L'Phalcia, the JRPG where your best friend is a speaking Leopard
To a large extent, you know what you're getting with a Kemco JRPG. It's likely to be a good quality, retro-inspired adventure featuring anime visuals, a good soundtrack, and a decent battle system to boot. What you may not be expecting is a talking cat who fights alongside you for scraps of food. But that's what you get with Illusion of L'Phalcia. Here's my hands-on.…
Surviving in Minecraft: Pocket Edition, Episode 3 - Getting Murdered
Despite the rather grim title, I did enjoy most of my time with Minecraft: PE this week. I made lots of progress with my little mine, created new types of tools from even better materials, built a furnace, and even found a hidden underground cave. But there was also murder by some stupid jerk that creeped up on me. See the highs and the lows, in the video below. Missed an episode? Not to worry: see the entire series here.…
MinecraftSnuggle up with this trailer for The Sleeping Prince
The setup for The Sleeping Prince is classic fairytale stuff: Sydney Slime is up to no good in the Kingdom of Cloudreach, and it's up to Prince Perilous to save the day. The problem is, Prince Perilous just will not wake up. Therefore it's your job to save the day by flinging his limp body through Slime's castle, whilst besting foes and solving puzzles in this physics-based platformer. The Sleeping Prince is out of Signal Studio, them folks what made the well-received Toy Soldiers on XBLA, so we're quietly confident this one will be worth keeping an eye on. Stick with AppSpy for more on The Sleeping Prince, which will be available Thursday the 11th of September on iOS.…
Learn how to play Monster Hunter Freedom Unite with AppSpy - Part 6
With a significant victory puffing wind into our sails, James, Harry and myself are eager to get stuck into the Monster Hunter Freedom Unite action in this episode. We fight rare forest Congas, go giddy for the mushroom gold rush, and test our mettle once again against the land shark. How do we get on? Find out by clicking play on the video below. Missed the last episode? You wally, click here.…
Learn how to play Monster Hunter Freedom Unite with AppSpy - Part 5
So yeah, I wuss out a bit in Episode 5 of our Monster Hunter Freedom Unite series. I told fellow MH compatriots Harry and James that all I want to do after the string of shocking defeats we've been experiencing, is to head into the wilds and pick Mountain Herbs. But things really heat up when the AppSpy / Pocket Gamer crew meet with what would become our nemesis. The mighty Congalala: a pink monkey with a bad case of wind. An epic battle ensues, and this is how it unfolds... Need to catch up on the last episode? Click here.…
Genre Busters: the best Pokemon alternatives on iOS
It's abundantly clear by now that, were Nintendo to release (or re-release) a Pokemon game on iOS or Android, the company would clean up. So many people want to catch a Porygon on their mobile that other games companies have realised that there's a hefty profit to be made from filling that JRPG-lite hole in the market, and have gone ahead and created games heavily inspired on the premier monster battler. But which games are worth your time, and what's less use than a Magikarp? Find out below, in video form. Not got a full hour? Scrub through to the various games on our list using the ever-so dandy links below. 1. Mighty Monsters2. Monster Legacy3. Beastie Bay4. Micromon And a big tha…
These 8 Soccer Physics goals will make you shout 'What? I don't believe what I'm seeing! Martha? Martha! Come in here and see this'
Soccer Physics is easily my favourite game of football on mobile. Easily. The chaotic blend of physics gone rogue, pitch conditions changing rapidly, and super simple controls ensures that even non-soccer fans enjoy its absurd fun. I've had a scour of Everyplay to bring you the best, most over-the-top replays of Soccer Physics goals I could find. Here are my favourites; There's a darn good reason this is the most watched Soccer Physics video, it's got everything: physical comedy, high tension, and an epic goal. This player manages to lose an entire member of their team before conceding a goal. What a wally. This guy just cannot even. Jammiest goal ever? Yeah, probably. This…
Hands-on with Berry Rush, the ever-so sweet auto-runner starring Strawberry Shortcake
I have a soft spot for cute games, and it doesn't get a whole lot more cute than Berry Rush. The game has you running over rainbows, decorating cupcakes, and flying a gigantic pink butterly. That butterfly. Man. Berry Rush is a three channel auto-runner featuring Strawberry Shortcake, and as such it's not going to be for everyone, but it's well put together and I think kids (and parents of kids) are probably going to dig it in a big way. …
This Kitty Powers' Matchmaker trailer is the most fabulous thing you'll see today
We don't get many dating sims through the doors of AppSpy all too often, and they're almost never fronted by "video games' most outrageous drag queen". So of course we're going to show you the incredibly saucy new trailer for Kitty Powers' Matchmaker. Ostensibly a dating game with a drag queen diva twist, it's up to you to run a successful dating agency: set up dates with clients, help them through any Dating Dilemmas that may occur, and keep your business profitable. The humour is camp and good-natured, and multiple hours of play are promised by developer Magic Notion. And in case you're concerned this game's going to be a bit shallow in the gameplay department, the team has previousl…
Hands-on with Smarter Than You, the game where lying to your friends allows you to kill them quicker
Smarter Than You is a game for liars, cheats, and vagabonds. It's also very very cool. I got my hands on an early build of the game so I could bring you some first impressions of this title in which you need to fib through your teeth in order to stand the best chance of winning matches against your friends.…
Hands-on with Battle Riders, the dark and gritty game of vehicular combat
If you remember the likes of Carmageddon, Twisted Metal, and Vigilante 8 with a certain fondness, then Battle Riders is right up your wreckage-filled street. It's a car combat game with big weapons, fast cars, and a very aggressive AI. With its detailed car models and desolate tracks, it's also quite the looker, and its crunchy metal soundtrack will have you throwing up the horns every now and then too.…
Hands-on with Mikey Boots, where shoes with jet propulsion are expectedly awesome
In this follow-up to Mikey Shorts and Mikey Hooks, our eponymous hero is back for another round of time trial-focused platforming action, this time with jet boots. From my relatively short amount of time with the game, it's pretty clear that it's a quality release, with tight controls and a visual style that's reminiscent of classic British and European PC games. See how much fun flying about with rockets strapped to your feet is by clicking play on the video below.…
Hands-on with Etherlords, the next generation of mobile card battler
Don't let its slick presentation and focus on strong dialogue and storytelling fool you, Etherlords belongs in the same genre as far more basic-looking games like Rage of Bahamut. Currently only available on mobile in Denmark, I'm really impressed by what I played of Etherlords during its soft-launch, and I think you will be too when it goes global in the next few days. Click play to see early gameplay footage.…
Hands-on with Valiant Hearts, the Catch-22 of video games
Or maybe that should be “the M.A.S.H. of video games”? Either way, Valiant Hearts mixes comedy and tragedy in much the same ways as those two satirical works of anti-war fiction. At one moment you're saying a tear-filled farewell to your family, the next you're pootling about in your underwear, and then you're watching your friends get cut down by machine guns. Here's one final quick look at Valiant Hearts, before it's available worldwide.…
Hands-on with Gemini Strike, the free-to-play shmup from Armor Games
You don't often see free-to-play shmups, so when Gemini Strike came along I knew I had to take a darn good look at it. The F2P stuff isn't half bad, and it doesn't feel too grind-heavy in its opening hour, which is a relief. If there's a weak area, it's the presentation. It just doesn't have the pomp and flash of the best shooters out there, which is a bit of a shame. Still though, the controls are solid, and the action well-balanced for all levels of play, so take a look at the video of Gemini Strike below and see if it's your sort of thing.…
