Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Alex Beech'
Trials Frontier receives a new island in its latest update
Redlynx’s free-to-play iPhone interpretation of its Trials franchise, Trials Frontier, has just been given a huge update that adds an extra track-filled island to the game. This new landmass is named Reaper’s Finger and is not for the faint of heart. Designed for fans of the game who have been demanding more challenge, the six tracks contained on it are intended to test all of your skills. Another huge addition to the game is control customisation. The already responsive interface now allows you to reposition its four control buttons anywhere around the screen. This should let experts carve an extra few seconds off their time or - if you’re anything like us - help you g…
UpdateAlphabeats is dropping rhythm-based word puzzles on the App Store now
Alphabeats is new music-inspired word-puzzler from Red Dragon, and is now available on iPhone and iPad. Alphabeats mixes Scrabble with Guitar Hero, asking you to create words from letters that appear in time to music. To create a word you must drag your collection of letters around the bottom of the screen, trying to collect the next letter in sequence while avoiding unwanted ones. With the audio playing a key role, it makes sense that developer Red Dragon has searched for the right music to suit the game. They seem to have had a clear vision in what they wanted, with the soundtrack supplied by a number of electro / chiptune artists including Big Giant Circles, ABXY, and Disasterpeace.…
Spooky point-and-click adventure series Blackwell out now on iPhone and iPad
Blackwell is a classic point-and-click adventure series from Wadjet Eye, the first three parts of which have just materialised on the App Store. Rosa Blackwell has a relatively normal life. That is, until her aunt dies and she inherits Joey Mallone, a spirit guide that has been in her family for generations. Joey is a classic '40s film noir private eye, who just so happens to grant Rosa the power to communicate with the dead. You take control of both Rosa and Joey. Traveling through New York City, it is up to you solve supernatural mysteries by talking to the ghosts and spirits that fill the world. Point-and-click controls guide the duo around the game's 2D environments, which pro…
Modern Combat 5: Blackout release date is declassified
Gameloft has revealed the release date of Modern Combat 5: Blackout, and it's just two weeks from now: July 24th. This military first-person shooter's single-player campaign has you following Phoenix, a soldier who becomes embroiled in a plot that has him traveling the world from Venice to Tokyo. A handful of Spec Ops missions are also on hand for those of you playing alone, letting you take on a collection of short burst missions on the go. Multiplayer modes focus on fast-paced squad battles. Modern Combat 5 adds the ability for you to form persistent squads with friends, alongside just jumping into games with random teams. With four different classes to choose from, and a range of game…
Entire catalogue of Tin Man Games Gamebook Adventures on sale today, Catacombs of the Undercity going free
Tin Man Games has just slashed the price of its entire catalogue of Gamebook Adventures, including offering Gamebook Adventures 5: Catacombs of the Undercity for free. It seems 3 Magic Shots approached the publisher and asked it make one of its apps free as part of a daily deal. Looks like Tin Man Games has decided to go one step further: to celebrate its first ever free app it's also cutting the price of the whole Gamebook Adventures series. While the usual £3.99 / $5.99 price tag is great for fans of the choose your own adventure genre, it may be a little steep for newcomers, so with a healthy 66% price cut (and a free game to boot) this should give people on the fence the c…
Sonic Jump Fever is leaping onto the App Store this Thursday
Sega’s spiky blue hero is about to make yet another journey to the App Store, in upcoming free-to-play leaper Sonic Jump Fever. In fact, Sonic Jump Fever is a revamp of the 2012 game Sonic Jump, which thrust the speedy hedgehog into vertical leaping levels akin to Doodle Jump. This new free-to-play take on the concept has you focus on leaderboards and score attacks. You must race against the clock to scale each level's dizzying heights - collecting coins along the way - as you try and beat your friends' highscores, and compete on the Game Center leaderboards. It is free-to-play of course, so you can expect plenty of purchasables to help your ascent. We just hope that this won…
OTTTD just got even more OTT with new endless mode and enemies
The wonderfully fast-paced mix of RTS and tower defence that is OTTTD just got even more bombastic with a brand new update. OTTTD was never short on challenge, but this update bolsters the toughness with a new endless mode. Containing five missions, this mode has you holding back unending swarms of walking eyeballs and floating sharks in an attempt to make your mark on the leaderboards. If five endless missions weren’t enough, the campaign has also had an overhaul. Another five missions have been added here also, along with 20 new enemy types to test your mettle. To help you in your ongoing war, Herocorp has sent in additional supplies. A tactical field guide offers you a com…
MONSTER HUNTER FREEDOM UNITE for iOS Review
When starting Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iOS, it helps to know what you're getting into. It promises you the chance to bring down monstrous creatures in a fantasy equivalent of big game hunting, but it makes you work for every moment of enjoyment. Before heading into the field you have to familiarise yourself with the basics. As a port of a PSP title, there are a lot of controls crammed onto your touchscreen. The result is confusing mash of context dependent virtual st…
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Plague Inc. to receive Dawn of the Planet of the Apes update
Ndemic Creations superb viral outbreak simulator Plague Inc. is about to receive another update, this time featuring content from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The simian flu featured in the movie kills humans, while also making apes smarter. This disease adds a new layer to the plague-spreading gameplay, because - on top of trying to keep the virus one step ahead of a cure - you will also be able to actively sabotage mankind's efforts to stop it by guiding your new primate pals. Communicating with your superior-simian friends as they spread the disease, you can guide them to smash research labs or keep them safe from detection while you try to crown them the new rulers of the pla…
The Angry Birds are going to South Hamerica in the latest Seasons update
Those Angry Birds are at it again, this time with another huge update to Angry Birds Seasons. This latest embiggening of the aggressive avian’s adventures sends the flock to South Hamerica to take on 24 new levels. These new missions have you firing your birds over mountains to try and stop the evil piggies from stealing treasure. The mountain range - probably called the Hamdes - is filled with ancient statues, relics, and rope bridges for you to smash your way through as you attempt to bring down the savage swine by solving the game’s physics-based puzzles. The 24 standard levels are accompanied by three bonus stages, providing you are skilled enough to unlock them. Angry…
Civilization Revolution 2 Review
Civilization Revolution 2 has a single goal: rule the world. How you set about achieving this easier-said-than-done task is open to interpretation. You could decide to control Gandhi in his march to military domination, or guide Bismarck to a religious victory, rewriting history with a selection of taps. Though Revolution 2 is based on previous Civilization games, there are added nuances to this new version. Fortunately, a tutorial walks you through the basic controls, showing yo…
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Hitman GO update sends Agent 47 to the airport in new chapter
Square Enix Montreal’s fantastic Hitman GO has just received an additional chapter in its latest update. The Airport chapter adds a whole new set of missions to the this turn-based take on the Hitman franchise. As with previous chapters, the Airport is broken up into a number of diorama-like stages that have you moving past various security measures en route to your unfortunate mark. This setting brings with it a host of challenges to overcome. These include moving walkways that rapidly move you through extended locations, and high alert guards that can monitor two paths at once. IN addition to these new obstacles, Agent 47 now has an additional trick in his arsenal: patience…
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake Review
It was great being a kid. We could talk to our dog in the street without people thinking were crazy, and on our birthday we could eat cake for breakfast without feeling guilty. Its this sense of wonder and delight that Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake instantly awakens - except, as the name suggests, there will be no cake because monsters have stolen it. Taking control of a young boy named Niko, you follow your trusty dachshund Bazooka in search of your missing cake. The innocent story s…
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Skylanders Battlegrounds is free on the App Store
Skylanders Battlegrounds - Activision's iOS version of its hugely Skylanders franchise - is currently free on the App Store. This iOS interpretation of Skylanders’s uses a mix of turn-based movement and real-time combat. A hex-based grid provides an overworld map, letting you move one hexagon at a time through the world. Landing on a hexagon either opens a chest to net you gems, or begins a battle dumping you into the game’s battle system. In combat you simply trace a line from your Skylander towards enemies to engage them. Its a simple system, but thanks to the interesting characters and their range of attacks there is enough to keep younger players happy. The real focus of…
Final Fantasy creator goes free-to-play with his next game Terra Battle
The acclaimed designer and director of the Final Fantasy franchise, Hironobu Sakaguchi is going free-to-play with his upcoming mobile RPG Terra Battle. Coming from a translated Famitsu article, information on Terra Battle is still a little sparse. While it is being built around a free-to-play model, it is designed to be completable without having to spend any penny - providing you have the patients and time. In the article Sakaguchi also cryptically states that he is hoping to work in collaboration with other game creators on the project. Though it is unclear exactly what this means we would not be adverse to paying for guest director quests that spin-off from the main tale. As wel…
