Review By Drew Bower at 19:49 on 26/01/2012 - 0 comments
Tags: G5 Entertainment, Playrix Entertainment, Hidden Object, Casual, Pirates
We’re almost at a point where G5 Entertainment could create a hidden object game using their vast array of titles in the genre as the hidden objects. The latest to join the ever growing list is Spirit of Wandering: The Legend, a game originally developed for PC by Playrix Entertainment.
Spirit of Wandering – The Legend follows the tale of a female pirate captain who loses her crew – including Jack, the love of her life – during an attack by the infamous ghost ship the Flying Dutchman. The crew isn't dead, but imprisoned in the spirit world. The captain must use her compass and Jack's magic orb to get them back.
To do this, you must of course find many objects hidden amongst the scenery. In a slight twist to the norm items are shown in silhouette form as opposed to the traditional text list. Whilst this does add a little more challenge it can be rather frustrating when presented with a blank square or circle. A square could be a picture, box, table or pretty much anything especially as the silhouette is often a rotated view of how the object is actually hidden. Still, it does eliminate any language problems that can arise in other HOG’s and would perhaps make it easier for a younger player to enjoy.
In another deviation from the traditional way of handling things, the item lists are split into five smaller groups of five or so objects each. Finding the mini-list leads you on to finding ‘cherished items’. These can only be found with the use of Jack’s magic orb and is activated by touching the icon in the lower left corner. This displays the orb on screen which you must move around like a cursor to find the cherished object. The orb’s outline will glow with flames the closer you are to the object until you can see your target slowly flashing. Once you’ve found the cherished item, another set of regular objects appear and the routine starts again.
If you get stuck looking for an object, you can whip out your trusty compass to help locate it. However, use of the compass costs a hefty 50 pieces of gold each time you call upon it. I like this system because it encourages you to avoid using a hint rather than simply waiting for ‘free’ hints to replenish over short periods of time. Thankfully your gold supplies can be restocked via bonus levels at the end of each chapter. Here you are let loose in a room chockfull of shiny gold coins and treasures with 90 seconds to grab as much as you can. It's a bit like one of those money booths, only with less wind and more clutter.
Graphically, Spirit of Wandering is perfectly acceptable with some nice water effects however some areas do seem a little bland. This isn’t helped by the fact that someone at Playrix must have a pot fetish – there are loads of them – and also make things very confusing when trying to work out which handle or spout variation equates to the current silhouette. I also encountered a couple of situations where seemingly identical objects existed on the same scene but of course only the specific one the game is coded to accept will do. One final gripe on the graphical side of things concerns the bold Spirit of Wandering banner that is constantly overlaid at the top of the screen. It really shouldn’t be taking up such valuable real estate on a small iPhone screen! On the plus side, the background music is very atmospheric and really adds to the experience.
Spirit of Wandering is an above average HOG although it was just missing that certain something to help push it into full recommendation territory. Fans will lap it up and casual observers won’t be disappointed but it probably won’t entice many new admirers to the genre.
Chillingo Thursday sees stunt hamsters vying with zombies and nazis for your attention
News By Phil May at 13:36 on 26/01/2012 - 0 comments
Tags: Hank Hazard Stunt Hamster, One Epic Game, iOS, Chillingo, Hobo Humping Slobo Babes
Move over Joe Danger, there's a new stunt sherrif in town with this week's Chillingo Thursday and a couple of neato releases for your iPhone. It will probably help if you read this article in the dulcet tones of Dave Lamb. Or it may not. It's entirely up to you but here goes.
So Stunt Hamsters you say? Step forward Hank Hazard. He's small, dewy eyed, furry and the star of Red Rocket Games' clever little puzzle-come-race game. Swiftly blast through each of the levels in your hamster ball, stopping from time to time to shout "Armageddon!" at the top of your voice.
Hank Hazard: Stunt Hamster (on iTunes, Universal, 69p)
What do you get if you cross Zombies with Nazis and Aliens? No, the answer is not "the average collection of stars for a Hollywood Red Carpet Event", the real answer is One Epic Game from developers Grip Digital. Complete with a slightly saucy script, retro graphics to die for, and plenty of action arcade style stuff, One Epic Game looks...well, epic!
One Epic Game (on iTunes, Universal, 69p)
Tune in next week when you'll see our intrepid heroes brave the queue of the local Greggs armed with slimfast milkshakes and bars of soap.
Square Enix brings award winning web game Koozac to Smartphones
News By Phil May at 09:10 on 20/01/2012 - 0 comments
Tags: Koozac, Square Enix, Puzzle Game, iOS, Android
The award winning web gaming sensation Koozac is coming to smartphones and iOS courtesy of Square Enix. Notching up an impressive 15 million plays online and snagging a Channel 4 “Best International Interactive Viral” award, Koozac has been described as an addictive cross between Tetris and Sudoku.
The concept of KooZac is simple: position the falling blocks on top of each other to hit the target number and complete the set amount of combinations to finish each level. KooZac has proven to be a compelling game that appeals to gamers of all levels, and has been played in over 150 countries.
With updated graphics and game modes, Koozac looks set to hook in a whole new audience when it releases in Q1 2012.
Keep an eye out for a launch date announcement soon.
Letters from Nowhere – iOS Review
Review By Drew Bower at 18:13 on 19/01/2012 - 2 comments
Tags: G5 Entertainment, Hidden Object, Awem Studio, Casual, Letters
Another week and it’s time to get those magnifying glasses and night vision goggles out again as G5 Entertainment are back with their latest hidden object game. Originally developed by Awem Studio for PC, Letters from Nowhere follows the story of Audrey in the search for her missing husband. Worried about his sudden and mysterious disappearance (and seemingly not being one for going out on an all night bender), she immediately races to the police, who are less than helpful. Then she begins to discover mysterious letters that will help her unravel the mystery and the whereabouts of her husband.
The game begins with a nice comic strip style intro with the voice of Audrey narrating. You are then plunged into the first location and the simple controls are explained. As usual, it’s a case of pinching to zoom in and out and tapping the listed items to find them. Also hidden amongst the scenery are three postcards that will add bonus points to your score. Finding objects quickly and without a duff poke in between will combo up your score as well as earn you Game Centre achievements.
Earning big bonus points allows you to purchase various tools to help you find items quickly and gain even bigger scores. Purchasing an item results in it being hidden inside each of the currently available locations and must be found to use. The four items to purchase are: a thermometer that will glow hotter or colder depending on how close you are to a hidden object; a Jack-in-the-Box worth 10,000 bonus points; a camera that will flash and briefly illuminate six objects and finally an artists’ palette that turns the list of objects into mini pictures of what they actually look like.
The locations themselves are all nice enough to look at and more importantly remain sharp when fully zoomed in. It’s slightly disappointing that occasionally some scenes are visited more than once but at least each time you are looking for a different set of items and there are an impressive 48 locations to visit. Objects are never hidden too fiendishly but still require a steady eye to pick out without resorting to randomly jabbing at anything that looks a bit odd.
On one stage of each level, Audrey will be tasked with finding a rune that will in some way tie in with the storyline. Upon discovering said rune, you are presented with a simple puzzle to complete. These range from piecing together a torn newspaper (sadly not Geoffrey Durham 'The Great Soprendo' magician style) to matching pairs of cards. None of them are particularly taxing, but it’s nice to take a break from using hawk-eye vision.
The main problem that I had with playing Letters from Nowhere is that it isn’t massively engaging. The storyline is perhaps too daft to take serious and sadly isn’t fanciful enough to be exciting. So you’re left with basically finding random objects through 11 levels which may soon become rather tiresome. The addition of buying and using bonus items helps to inject something extra, but it’s not enough to enhance the overall experience beyond being a 'solid' hidden object game.
Chillingo Thursday Time with a side order of fries and a penguin
News By Phil May at 13:16 on 19/01/2012 - 0 comments
Tags: Order up! To go!, Greedy Penguins, Chillingo, iOS, Chillingo Thursday
If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit, join our newsletter. Or something like that. If you like a lot of iPhone game information on a Thursday, you know where to come.
So to start off our regular Chillingo Thursday Round-up let's fire up the grill, clean the deep fat fryer filters and spread some lardy love with Order Up! To go!, an iOS conversion of the popular Wii game.
Using gesture-based controls to cook up a storm (a flick of the finger beats Delia any day), you'll soon be whipping up some tasty treats courtesy of Supervillain Studios. Think there's no such thing as a free lunch? Think again!
Order up! To Go! (on iTunes, Free)
Time to p-p-p-pick up a penguin with Chillingo's next release for today. Greedy Penguins tasks the player with feeding the fish-obsessed feathery fiends in a race to unlock new items and solve each tricky little penguin-shaped puzzle. It's fast and frenetic stuff, perfect for a spot of family gaming.
Greedy Penguins (on iTunes, 69p)
Stick a fork in me, I'm done. That's all for this week. Tune in again next week for more Chillingo goodies.
Pinball Arcade coming to iOS devices soon
News By Richard Horne at 21:36 on 16/01/2012 - 2 comments
Tags: Pinball Arcade, Farsight Studios, Williams Pinball Tables, Gottlieb Pinball Tables, Pinball Wizard
We iike a bit of Pinball here at AATG, in fact, we can't get EvilAshChris to stop banging on about Zen Studios' Pinball FX 2. And so that trend looks set to continue as Farsight Studios, the team behind the fantastic Williams and Gottlieb collection announced that it's bringing the wonderful Pinball Arcade to iOS, Android, Mac, PC, 360, PS3, Vita and 3DS.
Launching early 2012 (so anytime now) with 4 tables initially available and 2 new tables each and every month, that's quite a promise to have to live up to.
Check out the video below and marvel in its shiny realistic goodness.
Chillingo Thursday Part 2: Zombies and Illegal Racing getting jiggy with your Apples
News By Phil May at 13:13 on 12/01/2012 - 0 comments
Tags: Chillingo, Zombie Wonderland 2, Race Illegal High Speed 3D
Here's the second part of our Chillingo round-up for today.
First up, the sequel to the rather tasty Zombie Wonderland. Zombie Wonderland 2: Outtatime is a cheeky dig into all things undead. Bigger weapons, more crazy characters and zombies, big beautiful brain-eating zombies. Could it possibly be better?
Zombie Wonderland 2: Outtatime (on iTunes, Universal, 69p at launch then moving to £1.99)
Next, let your obsession with Paul Walker (or Vin Diesel if you like 'em chunky) carry you away to a land where illegal street racing is the norm, and high octane cars battle it out on the asphalt. Race Illegal High Speed 3D moves from iOS to Mac.
With an extensive career mode, quick-play arcade mode and plenty of opportunity to pimp your ride, it's time to put the pedal to the metal (or the finger to the capacitive screen and go racing.
Race Illegal High Speed 3D (on iTunes, Mac, £1.99)
Chillingo Thursday Part 1: Give yourself a Woody with Woody Woodpecker
News By Phil May at 12:15 on 12/01/2012 - 0 comments
Tags: Woody Woodpecker, iOS, Tintash, Universal, Morning Wood
Oh there are so many gags you could make, so many puns you could drop about Woody Woodpecker but we'll keep it clean (we won't even make a mention of Chilly Willy) and drop the news that Chillingo / Universal / Tintash are releasing Woody Woodpecker for iOS.
It's a race against time as Woody speeds his way through various levels of platform-race-style gameplay. Imitating the art style of the classic Walter Lantz cartoons (and featuring other characters from Lantz' back catalogue of slightly subversive and dodgily named heroes) it all looks very slick and smooth. Not afraid of being haunted by that chilling(o) laugh the little feathered fiend utters? Then dive right in.
Woody Woodpecker (iOS, Universal App, 69p)
Activision releases new CoD: Elite iOS App
News By Richard Horne at 22:23 on 11/01/2012 - 0 comments
Tags: Call of Duty: Elite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, iOS, Stat Tracking, Custom Classes
Love it or hate it, Activision's behemoth Call of Duty franchise is here to stay. Now some raised an eyebrow when it first announced its premium subscription package titled Call of Duty:Elite, while many of you jumped feet first and signed on the dotted line at the first opportunity. But Activision, in fairness, has kept to its word and continued to produce outstanding quality in support of its billion dollar franchise, and this week was no exception as it released its Call of Duty:Elite app for free on iOS devices.
"But what is it?" I hear you cry. Well given that it's completely free, perhaps the best response is to urge you to download and try it yourself, but for those of you that don't yet own an iOS device, or quite simply can't be arsed, well I'll break it down for you.
Call of Duty:Elite for iOS lets you access your Call of Duty account in the palm of your hand. Whether that's viewing a summary of your entire Modern Warfare 3 career, checking out your recent matches, editing your in-game classes or viewing your weapons, perks and game challenges, it's all there.
Sure you've been able to view detailed stats, including the amazing heat-maps on the Call of Duty website for some time now, but being able to create new classes as well as edit existing ones on your phone/iPod when away from your console is a fantastic touch.
The ability to filter all outstanding challenges by XP including how quickly you'll be able to unlock that XP is also a neat touch. But perhaps my favourite addition is that of the prestige calculator which tells you, based on your previous playtime, how long until you reach your next level of prestige. It also lets you specify the number of hours you're likely to play per day and then tells you how many days/weeks/months it'll take you to reach a specific level or rank.
You can say what you like about Activision's cynical marketing of the premium paid subscription, but as a totally free addition this is one that's well worth your attention.
Canabalt says "Can I bolt?" on the Commodore 64
News By Phil May at 08:44 on 10/01/2012 - 6 comments
Tags: Canabalt, C64, Paul Koller, ROM, Retro
You've still got it haven't you? Now and again you still get it out to stroke it and play with it and hark back to better times when it was nice and new and shiny. No not that, you filthy moron, I'm talking about your Commodore 64. It might have taken on the colour of cold hot chocolate mixed with fag ash, and your tape player might've died a death a very very long time ago but here's the good news - you can still buy new games for your C64 and you don't even have to worry about mangled cassettes.
Canabalt, the game that set iOS alight a couple of years back, can now be purchased in a real box for your really old box. As you can see from the screenshots, Paul (why are all C64 retroidheads called Paul, eh?) Koller's sublime conversion of the iOS classic is the real deal.
For around 20 quid (yes, I know), you can nab a couple of different versions of the game. One with a SID mix of the original game's music (which has to be heard to be believed) and one with some hastily patched-in indie game music instead.
Either way it's a win win. For some reason you could almost imagine Julian Rignall and Gary Penn giving this one the thumbs up from their stannah stairlifts.
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