As you may or may not know, I had a somewhat nasty bout of tonsilitis last week, resulting
in a missing episode of Friday News Wrap-Up, but fear-not for I have return-ed. More importantly
we've got a lot of ground to cover so lets jump straight in to the Friday News Wrap-Up
for the 26th of August, 2011!
Ok, this is a bit of a tease as Kairosoft have announced the iOS version of Grand Prix
Story, but much like their other releases it's likely to be a Japanese store only title
for the foreseeable future. If the recent titles are any indicator though, I doubt we'll
be waiting for too long, which is great because this looks like a fun twist on the usual management
formula from the developer.
It may be a bit early to count the chickens before they're hatched, but Galaxy On Fire
has been an immensely popular title with fans of open-ended games (even despite its lukewarm
critical reception), so the addition of a multiplayer component may be the first step
towards an EVE-alike title on the App Store. Few details are available, but the title is
focused on player versus player combat in an arena-like multiplayer-only game.
While it still looks a bit like a tech-demo for a concept that's yet to be fully realized,
there are some hints at gameplay in this world-creating god-sim beyond making pretty islands. For
those of you who have played From Dust the controls seem quite similar and no doubt the
touch-controls will be far better suited to the task. You can keep an eye on Glenn's blog
for more details.
It seems the free ride is over for those who enjoy a spot of online twin-stick shooter
based team combat, but the jump to the paid-for model is not without some benefits. Two new
maps have been added in to the mix and online matches are much easier to gauge with 'ping'
meters giving you an indicator of the best games to join to prevent some of the awkward
lag issues that can ruin a match. Should you make the purchase you'll also be awarded with
four unlock points, which is good 'cause there's a bunch of new weapons including the .44 Magnum
to play around with.
Here's something to chew on: Theme Park for iOS, yes THAT Theme Park may not be the game
we remember it to be. That isn't to say it isn't going to look the same, but hints at
Gamescom have pointed towards the game being Freemium, along with tap-based mini-games
to improve your park. Until we get a closer look at the game being produced it's hard
to get upset (who knows, it may actually be a decent freemium game?), but it's not a good
sign when reps at Gamescom fail to understand what is meant by 'can we change the salt levels
in food?'.
We're still waiting on more details with regards to the latest game in Gameloft's premier shooter
series Modern Combat, but the third title is certainly looking every bit as gorgeous
as you'd expect. If nothing else it goes to show just what can happen when Gameloft put
their resources behind something. Small tweaks that may excite fans include customizable
controls, meaning online play can be made tighter - and speaking of which there should
be six levels with six game modes on launch, so expect some heavy competition when this
game goes live in 'Fall 2011'.
File this one under 'not sure if want' because like many Sonic fans I feel like I've been
burned too many times to get prematurely excited. With that said, Sonic CD was one of the few
titles I was unable to complete due to not having the money to fork out for said expensive
addition for the Mega Drive/Genesis and I look forward to finally correcting this gap
in my gaming history. The release is purported to have several improvements including widescreen
graphics, achievements and the like and will be hitting most major console platforms including
Android, iOS and Windows phones later this year.
Sadly I'm not above a bit of nepotism, so it goes without saying that when some local
developers contacted me for a shout-out I took the chance to check things out. Pot Smash
by Minimega is basically a short collection of mini-games all involving, well, pot smashing.
Initially players can test their observation skills by matching 3 pots, but unlockable
modes including a Typing Of The Dead style game and word-finding game help to flesh things
out. Once you reach the magic number of pots smashed you'll also get a zen-like 'smash
everything' mode that's basically the equivalent of popping bubble-wrap. It's simple and doesn't
provide a lot of lasting entertainment, but it's easy to get hooked, at least until you
unlock the final zen mode.
Of course I owe everyone two games of the week, so to be fair I've crunched things for
the last fortnight and come up with the following specimens that are worthy of anyone's iPhone,
iPod Touch or iPad.
This may seem like a bit of a cop-out, but NyxQuest already managed to prove itself on
the Wii before hitting the iOS platform, yet it feels perfectly at home given its touch-based
controls that blend with the platform gameplay. Its true charm is the way in which new features
are consistently added in to the mix, giving you a chance to then master them before moving
on, keeping you hooked until the end.
The teasers for SPY mouse promised something fun and unique and thankfully it wasn't just
a load of hot air. While it's certainly possible to blitz your way through the game, it's much
harder to execute something as simple as remaining undetected, especially when other restrictions
prevent you from using items that keep you safe. There's a puzzle element to the timing-based
gameplay that's extended towards multiple boss-fights that have you switching up to
action-based gameplay without a second thought, making SPY mouse a fun and well-rounded experience
suited to iOS devices.
And that's all for this week - we'll have more reviews and news hitting our site soon,
but until then keep an eye out for more competitions on our Twitter and Facebook feeds. Also don't
forget to subscribe and like if you're keen on keeping track of our constant stream of
content! Until next week, enjoy the weekend!