Home » Articles and Reviews by 'Glen Fox'
Race around the world on your very own customisable yak in Mutant Lab's latest game Yak Dash
I learned something new today that brought me instant joy: yak racing is a thing. It's particularly popular in Tibet but it also happens in Mongolia and Northern Pakistan, apparently. You won't have to travel quite so far to try it for yourself, thankfully, as Mutant Labs latest mobile game is based on the sport. You and your yak will traverse the globe competing against fellow yak racers all while collecting apples to maintain the yak's energy levels and coins to purchase cosmetic items. It's all kind of reminiscent of Ski Safari. Yak racing seems kind of silly to me and Mutant Labs have totally embraced that sillyness in all aspects of the game. The visuals look like they're pulled strai…
Yak DashPlarium has launched the mobile successor to Facebook MMO Stormfall Age of War
Plarium has dragged its popular Facebook-MMO Stormfall: Age of War right on to mobile and given it a brand new title, Stormfall: Rise of Balur. The new game in the medieval RTS franchise hasn't simply been cobbled together and chucked onto mobile, though. There's a whole new and optimised user interface designed for playing in portrait, streamlined action menus, and, most importantly, new game mechanics and buildings. The visuals have also been given something of a boost, which is good to hear considering that the first title appeared back in 2012. That means a brighter displayer and much more activity happening on the screen than before. Stormfall: Rise of Balur …
Check out this video tutorial to help prepare yourself for intense combat in The Witcher Battle Arena
CD Projekt Red is currently preparing for the global launch of its first ever mobile title, The Witcher Battle Arena. It's a MOBA built from the ground up with mobile in mind, which means shorter battles, smaller teams, and the same rich and detailed visuals that the series is well-known for. There will be eight playable characters from The Witcher universe to choose from when the game launches and two different arenas to sling spells and swing axes in but you can safely expect more of both to follow shortly after launch. The Witcher Battle Arena has already soft launched in Sweden and Canada, which means we're getting very close to a global launch. If you're a fan of&n…
Blast apart stealthy space cowboys in Space Marshals, available now in the App Store
I thought I'd seen everything but cowboys in space - that's new. The thing is, it kind of makes sense. If we ever do achieve space travel, I imagine it would be very similar to the wild west, and you'd definitely need some space marshals to sort all that intergalactic crime out. Space Marshals is a tactical stealth title in a similar vein to the original Metal Gear Solid with Team Fortress 2-style cartoon visuals. It's also quite reminiscent of the old school Desperados stealth-action games, for those lucky few who played them. Check out the trailer below for a look at the game in action, and if you fancy doing some intergalactic marshalling yourself follow th…
Bowling Central combines the Wii Sports bowling experience with obstacles, and it's out soon on iOS
There are certainly a few bowling games on iOS but the trailer for Bowling Central poses the question: why aren't they more popular? Bowling Central mixes up the usual flicky bowling gameplay by allowing you to hook it up to your TV via AirPlay Mirroring and play it in almost exactly the same way as in Wii Sports. There are also obstacles to avoid, requiring you to time or curve the bowling bowl expertly in order to hit the pins at the end. Bowling Central will be available in the App Store on 15th January but in the meantime you can more than make do with the trailer below.…
Re-live your childhood dreams of being a superhero right on your iOS device with Playworld Superheroes
Ever wanted to be a superhero? Who hasn't! Now you can do just that right on your iPhone or iPad with Playworld Superheroes which is headed to the App Store later this January. You begin as a child in a treehouse where you craft your own virtual superhero outfit from a variety of different materials, before flying out into a fully 3D world to dish out justice to the world's villains. Alternatively, you could just have a nice fly around. Check out the super cute trailer below for a first look at Playworld Superheroes.…
The 12 best Nintendo alternatives on iOS - who needs Mario, Link, and Samus anyway?
It's a well known fact that Nintendo aren't likely to publish their titles on platforms that aren't their own any time soon. Sure, we may get minigame advertisements of their larger counterparts, or even companion apps for console games, but don't hold your breath for an official release of Pokemon on your iPhone. Don't despair though, as the App Store does contain some pretty decent alternatives to most of what Nintendo has to offer. Perhaps they won't ever match the feel of a fully fledged Nintendo title but, in their own way, they more than make up for the company's lack of presence on the platform. Here then are AppSpy's top 12 best Nintendo alternatives on the App Store. 1.&nbs…
Turn your phone into a skateboard with Gyro Skate, out now on iOS and Android
When I was but a wee lad, myself and the other kids would play with finger skateboards. These were miniature versions of actual skateboards that you - you guessed it - used your fingers to ride around with. Nowadays, the kids are using their phones for pretty much everything, so it makes sense for an app to be released to turn your mobile into a skateboard, right? Right?! It turns out Gyro Skate is actually a pretty cool app. You choose a trick based on a few different difficulties, then the app will show you a video of how exactly to flip or spin your phone to do the trick. You then have a go yourself, with the app using the gyroscope in your phone (just make sure yours has one) to…
7 brand new IPs coming to iOS and Android in 2015 that you need to know about
2014 was an excellent year for iOS and Android and that was largely down to an avalanche of incredible exclusive titles such as Monument Valley, World of Tanks Blitz, and Hitman Go. The trend looks set to continue in 2015 with an exciting batch of games already announced. This year could even do one better than the last too, as a fair few of these titles are brand new IPs altogether, which is exciting when you consider that last year's biggest games tended to be ports or mobile versions of already established IPs. Here then are seven of the best of these brand new IPs that are headed to iOS and Android later in 2015... 1. Project Phoenix - Eagle-eyed AppSpy viewe…
Taichi Panda is an iOS action RPG featuring a massive panda, and it's out later this month
You know that feeling you get when you see something and instantly realise that it's been missing from your life? Well, apparently an overweight Tai Chi master panda beating up hordes of other bipedal animals in a beautiful Asian setting has been missing from mine. Taichi Panda is the game that gave me this realisation. It's an iOS action RPG due out later this month and it features two other playable characters: a barely dressed female treasure hunter named Lauren Catcher and an overly muscular fella named Lulandore. The panda Tai Chi master's name? Pan Da... but why don't we all ignore that terrible pun and check out the action-filled trailer below?…
The most exciting PC and console franchises headed to mobile this year
There was a time when the prospect of console-quality gaming on mobile appeared to be as far away in the future as jetpacks, hoverboards, and space travel. Well, not anymore, folks as we've already had some pretty epic-looking games hit mobile just last year and in 2015 the trend looks set to continue. Below we have our top list of the very best PC and console franchises that are set to hit our mobiles and tablets this year. Prepare your festively-battered wallets, AppSpies. If the list below is anything to go by, 2015 looks set to be an expensive year for the dedicated mobile gamer. 1. Need for Speed: No Limits - The very first mobile exclusive Need for Speed. Expect it to look…
Drive yourself crazy in the colourful and atmospheric buggy racer Stunt Rush, out now on Google Play
Stunt Rush is an arcade stunt racer in which you drive, jump, spin, and twist your way around a psychedellically coloured world of tagliatelle roads and blocky obstacles. It looks like what (I can only imagine) playing Mario Kart on hallucinogenic drugs would be like. It's certainly one of the best looking mobile racers we've seen, and is an Android exclusive right now which is a real rarity. I think it's fair to say that this is one of the more creative stunt racing games we've recently covered but don't take our word for it, check out the trailer below. [Google Play link]…
AppSpy's Best Games of 2014 - Glen's Top 5
I'm going to lead in to my top 5 list with some incredibly unsettling news - I was without a mobile device between June - November 2014. Unfortunately, my Nexus 7 2013 popped its clogs a little earlier than expected and the morale to the story is that I should have got warranty. Always. Get. Warranty. Without further ado, here's my Top 5 finest mobile games of the year (that I got a chance to play). Rival Knights I'm not even going to lie, Rival Knights would have featured in my list regardless. Why? Because it's the very perfect example of a 2014 mobile game - and it allows me to finally live out my dream of being Heath Ledger in that movie about knights with big sticks. It looks fa…
Money Mine: Clicker is a tap-happy Wild West mining simulator built by gamers, for gamers
Apparently, it takes a whole village to raise a singular child - we're assuming they mean to raise it well, of course. That philosophy has helped Soft Design to ensure that their latest game, Money Mine: Clicker, is the best that it possibly can be after. After listening to and working closely with the community, Soft Design has just announced a full reset of its game on iOS and Android with the feedback in mind. Money Mine: Clicker is, essentially, a tapaholic's dream. Set in the Wild West during the gold rush period, you'll be charged with running and growing your own township. To afford the many new buildings and upgrades on offer, you'll need to enter the local mines and tap on the vari…
AppSpy's top 8 festive iOS updates for 2014
In the aptly-put words of Noddy Holder: "IIIIITT'S CHRIIISSSTTMMAAAASSSS!", and that means an avalanche of festive iOS updates. We've rounded up the very finest of these updates to bring you this list so you know exactly what you should be playing. Or, if you're more of a Scrooge-type, exactly what you should be avoiding. We'll leave it in your hands! Asphalt 8: Airborne This update will give your Christmas lunch competition in the 'meatiness' stakes. There are 11 new cars, three new Christmas-themed tracks, a new location, and new tokens that you can collect to exchange for new cars, boosters, and upgrades. We're a little bit gutted that Santa and his reindeer didn't feature as a new…
