Games

I think we often tend to romanticize things from our past, as evident when we try to go back and watch a TV show or movie we used to love or play a game that was once the “best game ever.” Such is the case with Karateka Classic ($0.99). Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed playing through it again, especially since I don’t recall ever beating it the first time around. But games have advanced so much since then, I have a feeling someone not fueled by nostalgia wouldn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I did. Still, it’s a nice example of a game that has clearly influenced many developers since its inception.

I don’t know what it is about remote control toys that make them so much fun. I guess it gives you a sense of power. On the box it says for ages 14+. Trust me. This is a big boy toy too.

First off, I want to say the Helo TC Assualt ($59.99) is the easiest remote control helicopter I’ve ever flown. Some are so delicate they're no fun to fly because they're always crashing. But this one is a pleasure to drive.

Griffin has a whole stable full of remote control toys, and I love it. Today let’s take a look at the little Moto TC Racer ($39.99). It’s a small remote control race car measuring about 6-inches long. It’s sort of a motorized Tonka toy.

This one is just for iPhones and iPod touch devices. It comes with a controller, which you wed to your iPhone/ipod with a 3.5mm cable. Then you download the free app from the App Store. Turn the volume up full blast, and the dock will start sending infrared signals to the car.

You also will need four AA batteries for the controller dock, which are not included.

I have a couple of mini reviews, one news item, and a game preview for you this week. Goldenoid 3D builds on the old brick breaker clones with 3D awesomeness; Sledventure is a snow fort sliding/smashing block buster of sorts. You can grab them in the App Store for less than a $2 (a free ad-injected version of Goldenoid also available). Plus in this edition, some news on a new Kingdom Rush edition, and a YT preview of Cubemen 2. Let's dig in, shall we?

Among the App Store’s myriad games, it’s all too easy to overlook some of the greats. Game Centered features roundups and in-depth reviews of the best in iOS games and related gaming news.

This has been a very exciting week in the world of iOS gaming, and we have a lot of news to cover including:

* New games hit the App Store, including Superman: Man of Steel, Gangstar: Vegas, and Musyc;

* iOS 7 reveals Apple’s plans for further domination of the gaming industry;

* Hot new iOS games debut at E3 2013;

* Apple announces 2013's App Store Design Award Winners.

It's great when you find a cool driving game, 3D shooter, or aerial fighting challenge to rock your iPad. But all three in one game?!! What some might call an overreach, I call a more action-packed game! Fire & Forget The Final Assualt ($1.99) is a Mad Max-like combat racing speed run that builds on the old 1980s Amiga franchise solidly, updating it for iOS and adding the ability to fly... Sweet!

I guess this is where I’m supposed to start my glowing review of yet another G5 hidden object game. I actually have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by Special Enquiry Detail- Engaged to Kill HD (Free, $6.99 full with in-app purchase) as I wasn’t a big fan of the first version. It’s been so long I can’t pinpoint what’s different this time around, but I do know the exploits of detectives Turino and Lamonte have now clicked with me, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the adventure. This game lives up to the quality we’ve come to expect from G5 much more than certain other recent hidden object titles. Plus, the murder mystery angle gives it a different flavor than other offerings from this company.

Game Centered features roundups and in-depth reviews of the best in iOS games. Among the App Store’s myriad games, it’s all too easy to overlook some of the greats. Each installment of Game Centered will take a close look at a select few worthy of special recognition.

In this installment of Game Centered we’re taking a look at some of the new Blockbuster role playing games recently arriving in the App Store. Honestly, each one of these awesome games deserves its own in-depth review. I will assuredly get to that in future posts, so stay tuned! But for now, enjoy this brief introduction to these stellar iOS RPGs.

Folks around these parts been sayin' thar's a new mech game in town, goes by the name of iMech Online. Well, I'm here to tell ya I seen it with my own two eyeballs! You'll want to be a-strappin on your pulse cannons, because this one is gointer to be a wild, mech-blasting ride!

iMech Online is finally in the App Store—free and full of cool 3D blow em up action—nearly a year after it was announced at the 2012 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.

It is a testament to the health of the App Store ecosystem that indie games like iMech Online can flourish. But I digress... What I like about iMech is less about fancy 3D Retina visuals that can eat half a gig of device storage (iMech comes in at a leaner 136M), and more about its tried and true game-building principles, namely:

I’ve long been a fan of strategy games, but the more engrossed I become in mobile gaming, the less I have the desire to play a game where one “round” or “mission” takes a half hour or longer. Thankfully, some mobile developers understand that, resulting in strategy games like Totems ($2.99). They may be simple in mechanics and short on play time for an individual match, but they still provide a sufficient mental challenge and sense of accomplishment when you win. In the case of Totems, I also like the whole tribal animal theme.

I've been on a gaming hiatus as of late but am back in the swing of it with two great casual gaming titles just in time for Memorial Day. Can Knockdown 3 is a recent release by Infinite Dreams, the latest in its ball-throwing puzzle genre. Hyper Breaker Turbo (projected late-May release date), is an indie brick-breaking game coming soon to the App Store. Without further adieu, let's dig into some block-busting, can-smashing goodness.

Can Knockdown 3 ($0.99)

Can Knockdown 3 adds to the already popular series, each of which offers some variation on the old carnival game of throwing a ball at a stack of cans. The experience is just as realistic as Can Knockdown 2, with spot-on ball flying and can bouncing physics. The concept is to "throw" by quickly finger swiping the ball toward the targeted cans, knocking as many down as possible in the fewest throws. 

New apps are arriving in the App Store at such a rapid pace it can be a real challenge to find the stellar entries. This week we'll take a look at a handful of newly released, noteworthy apps worthy of special mention.

1. The Loop (Free)

This new subscription-based magazine is the brainchild of longtime Apple journalist and reporter Jim Dalrymple. He will publish The Loop magazine twice a month, and it will cost $1.99 per month. The Loop magazine app is not just a spin-off of the Loop’s website online. This stand-alone app will feature articles written by some of the great authors in the field of Apple journalism, with all if the articles being written exclusively for the magazine.

While Dalrymple doesn't officially work for Apple, it's safe to say he has his finger on the pulse of the company. 

Sometimes a sequel to a sub-par game is so close to the original, you wonder why the game developers bothered. Other times, the sequel is so far removed from what made the first one popular that no one cares. Then there are games like G5 Entertainment's Youda Survivor 2 HD (Free, or $6.99 In-app purchase for full game). While mechanically it doesn’t seem much different than its predecessor, it’s so easy to get into and so hard to put down that you won’t care. I’m not sure what makes the style of game play so catchy, but whatever it is, the developers behind the Youda Survivor series have pretty much perfected it.

After seeing A Knight's Tale the movie, I seriously wanted to get in a time machine and go back to the Middle Ages (though I'd likely end up a lowly field peasant instead of a knight)! It would be awesome to see knights with swords clashing, gleaming armor, damsels in distress and well... jousting! Jousting has to be the coolest sport ever, am I right? Think two medieval maniacs thundering toward each other set on knocking the other into oblivion! Want some of that action today in modern times? Get the most excellent Knight Storm (Free) now!

1. Pulse (Free)

My favorite news aggregate app just received a welcomed update this week. The new version of Pulse makes sharing articles even easier and simpler.

In the previous versions of the Pulse app, you could share with Facebook and Twitter as well as via email, one at a time. Now, however, after LinkedIn's recent purchase of Pulse, you have the added ability to share articles via LinkedIn, or with all three social networks with just a couple of taps. In addition to adding the sharing feature, the new update also allows for sharing via SMS. Now sharing via Pulse couldn't be easier or more comprehensive.

I’ve never been much for online gaming. I’ve not wandered the countryside of Britannia nor visited the realms of Azeroth. Even when Star Wars — one of my all time favorites — went multiplayer online, I couldn’t bring myself to join the dark side. As I get more and more engrossed in mobile gaming, however, I’ve come to appreciate the concept of multiplayer causal gaming. Developers have managed to find a way to let me play against other humans and still fulfill my desire to be a solitary game player.

In fact, I’m finding myself spending more time engaged in multiplayer battles within a few games rather than the many pages of high quality apps that fill my iPad. As a result, when the fine folks at iPhone Life asked if I would consider sharing my views in a semi-regular column on the state of gaming, I decided the perfect topic for my first installment would be “online games for people who hate online games.”

Have you ever tried to buy a toy from one of those machines in the front of a grocery store only to have it get stuck or refuse to come out of the machine at all? If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the toy as it’s making its way to the delivery spout, Cling! ($0.99) is here to answer those questions for you. Get ready to take on the journey of one ambitious octopus with sticky legs as it tries to make its way to freedom and the hands of a boy who will love it for at least a few minutes before losing it. Just make sure to bring your nerves of steel with you, because some of the levels in this game will demand it.

Critical Missions: SWAT ($2.99) from Critical Force Entertainment is a killer of a combat first-person shooter, especially if your thing is stalking through virtual settings (armed to the teeth) in order to blast in-game bots (or your online buddy's bots). The game physics are quite realistic, and the 3D scenes and graphics excellent. I did not go bananas over the control aspects, but after a few test runs started getting a better hang of it. Several modes of play are available: endless singular stalking/blasting or various team matches. Critical Missions: SWAT is a single bloody-minded combat game best enjoyed with a side of Foo Fighters at extremely high volume! 

But can it stand up to the most excellent Trigger Fist (Free) (reviewed previously here)? Inquiring shooters want to know... Here's how the two shake out in a side-by-side comparison!

Game Centered features roundups and in-depth reports of the best in iOS games and related news. Among the App Store's myriad games, it's all too easy to overlook some of the greats. Each installment of Game Centered will take a close look at a select few worthy of special recognition.

I almost always prefer a good indie game over franchise games from a big publisher. I like to see the little guy win (in and outside of games), so any news forwarding that agenda is worthy in my book.

Chunky Pig, a marketing company for mobile game development (started by games industry veteran Nick Malaperiman), kicked off a contest at GDC to give game developers a chance to get their iOS game ideas noticed by premier publishers in the business (and even win an iPad mini). Enter the contest at Chunky Pig, or read below for the full press info on the event.