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iOS Gaming June 2016 | Be still my growing backlog, summer is here

Matt Frost

Member
Ad block suddenly started working again? Didnt for a few weeks and today is back as before

Madridista, please remove that avatar. Is a symbolof corruption and a left over of the dictatorship Spain had, eith scandals like that Plaza LaLiga president guy or Bernabeu
 
Disappointed but not surprised about the space marshals 2 delay. Dues Ex GO sounds amazing though, wonder what kind of game would be next on square's GO initiative.
 
Man, besides Heroes of Loot 2, this is a pretty weak week

Curious as to how either of those would translate perfectly to the GO format but maybe Square has a more creative mind then me.
I could see the grapple hook being a mechanic for JC GO, and I could see Life Is Strange working really well. Since the GO games are focused on turn-based movement, being able to rewind enemies back to a turn while you stay in the same place, or keep the item you grabbed, could make for interesting puzzles
 

MrCheez

President/Creative Director of Grumpyface Studios
Hey GAF!

Wanted to share a sneak peek at Teeny Titans, our next mobile game with Cartoon Network. It's a collectible character battle game where you hunt for, train, and battle a plethora of DC heroes and villains (including a few obscure ones).

No IAP, and we've come up with a new real-time RPG battle system that is really unique and a ton of fun. It's also really long (good 12+ hours on average)... this game is essentially our take on Pokemon.

Check it out:

TeenyTitans_RobinVSRaven.gif


TeenyTitans_TerraIntro.gif

Coming later this month! I can't wait to see what people think, as we're super proud of this one.
 

Pachimari

Member
Just bought Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions for iPad! And man is this game good! I also like the controls, that I can slide and confirm anywhere on the screen. Makes it much easier to hold the iPad while playing.
 

Emarv

Member
Hey GAF!

Wanted to share a sneak peek at Teeny Titans, our next mobile game with Cartoon Network. It's a collectible character battle game where you hunt for, train, and battle a plethora of DC heroes and villains (including a few obscure ones).

No IAP, and we've come up with a new real-time RPG battle system that is really unique and a ton of fun. It's also really long (good 12+ hours on average)... this game is essentially our take on Pokemon.

Check it out:



Coming later this month! I can't wait to see what people think, as we're super proud of this one.
I like all the words you just used. I'll check it out for sure.
 
Epic Flail is out. Man, this game has been a long time coming. I first played an early PC alpha back in 2014

$1.99, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/epic-flail/id1016304304

screen640x640.jpeg


Epic Flail
Epic Flail is also an alpha/early game. It's the kind of simple but addictive games that I love and hell, one of the few gladiator games on PC that I can think of. Epic Flail is a very simple game, in terms of controls. Using the arrow keys, you aim the direction of your dash and a button press sends you slashing in that direction. An enemy your path? Heads will roll and bodies will get bisected. The flying blood and body parts, accompanied by a few moments of slow-mo, makes each kill very satisfying

The simple controls turn the arena combat into twitchy mid-air chaos, as your enemies become more challenging, with armor and shields and various weapons. The game has a really cool lives system, where you collect armor and weapons that you've knocked off of enemies. It's fun and fast and there's also a special arena mode to unlock. The developer plans to expand Epic Flail with bosses, a story, lots of physic contraptions, and more complex levels
 
Picked up Block Havoc. It's certainly flashy and the concentric patterns look cool, and it feels fun to deftly rotate and twist between them...but it's missing that certain something. Of course given that it's essentially Super Hexagon x Duet, I had to download those two again and get re-addicted.

Playing those and then trying Block Havoc, it feels like it's missing that extra oomph, that little extra design/hook/flow that makes its inspirations such classics. It feels too reactionary, which is odd to say because those games are all about lightning-fast twitch reactions, but Super Hexagon and Duet had a flow to them, that combined with the music and visual, helped you get into the zone where it's part reaction, part instinct. The patterns in SH smoothly flowed together; it didn't feel jarring to shift direction to get into position for the next wave of hazards. And the rotation doesn't feel as elegant or fluid as Duet's.

While Block Havoc seems to just throw lots of wild patterns at you, without the elegant style of Duet or the fluid flow of Super Hexagon.

So it's a fun arcade game, but it's not as satisfying as others
 

nampad

Member
Is there a clip for the phone? I'm intrigued by this controller...

You can use the Nyko Xbox One clip with the Nimbus though it is not perfect:
https://afterpad.com/review-using-the-nyko-xbox-one-clip-with-the-steelseries-nimbus/

If you like the Xbox style layout, the PXN Speedy is perfect for you:
https://afterpad.com/pxn-speedy-the-afterpad-review/

I use the Speedy myself and it is quite good. I have read a lot about MFI controllers and the PXN gets praise everywhere. It is only second to the Nimbus, which does not have a built in clip.
 

heringer

Member
Heroes of Loot 2 is... kind of boring?

And how there is barely any loot in a game called Heroes of Loot? Eh.

Only striking out with iOS games lately. Romanging Saga 2, Star Nomad 2, Heroes of Loot 2. I need to be more careful with my purchases.
 
Heroes of Loot 2 is... kind of boring?

And how there is barely any loot in a game called Heroes of Loot? Eh.

Only striking out with iOS games lately. Romanging Saga 2, Star Nomad 2, Heroes of Loot 2. I need to be more careful with my purchases.
Did you ever play the original?
Heroes of loot 2 is basically the first one but with everything improved on and quite a bit of new stuff added. If you never tried the first one(or didn't try space grunts for that matter) then I can see that you probably won't like this genre of games.
 

heringer

Member
Did you ever play the original?
Heroes of loot 2 is basically the first one but with everything improved on and quite a bit of new stuff added. If you never tried the first one(or didn't try space grunts for that matter) then I can see that you probably won't like this genre of games.

Nope, never tried the first one.

I do like the genre, I just don't think the game is particularly very good.
 

awp69

Member
FWIW, I played the first Heroes Of Loot and thought it was just OK. I bought the second based on how much better everyone was saying it was. And it is certainly improved but still can't say I'm all that excited about it.

As far as similar takes on the genre, Wayward Souls is still far and away the best on mobile.
 
FWIW, I played the first Heroes Of Loot and thought it was just OK. I bought the second based on how much better everyone was saying it was. And it is certainly improved but still can't say I'm all that excited about it.

As far as similar takes on the genre, Wayward Souls is still far and away the best on mobile.
Downwell is an action roguelite too, tangentially in the same genre as Wayward Souls
 
FWIW, I played the first Heroes Of Loot and thought it was just OK. I bought the second based on how much better everyone was saying it was. And it is certainly improved but still can't say I'm all that excited about it.

As far as similar takes on the genre, Wayward Souls is still far and away the best on mobile.
Eh, if we're really going to compare HoL2 to WS I would say that I prefer HoL2 more. WS is a good game but I like that there's more to do and find in HoL2. WS is a little barebones in comparison.
 

awp69

Member
Anyone play Never Gone since the update? Dev said it was supposed to balance some of the major grind and make it more approachable. Wondering if it's worth my $1 yet.

Been meaning to get back to you on this. I'm not sure if a lot was done but it does seem a little more balanced. The outfits are still way expensive and would require major grind, but there were some armor items that I either don't remember being there or they were dropped significantly as I was able to buy the entire set with the 100 gems you start with.

Potions are also now only 50 coins (believe they were 150).

I haven't yet finished the first chapter so I can't say for sure how it will get. But I have progressed further than I was.

It's a fun game and has great atmosphere and graphics. Even has full voice acting now.

I'd say it's worth a go for $.99 especially, even if you play it for a few hours and the grind gets too difficult.

I'll update here if I find I'm hitting what is more of a paywall.
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
Been meaning to get back to you on this. I'm not sure if a lot was done but it does seem a little more balanced. The outfits are still way expensive and would require major grind, but there were some armor items that I either don't remember being there or they were dropped significantly as I was able to buy the entire set with the 100 gems you start with.

Potions are also now only 50 coins (believe they were 150).

I haven't yet finished the first chapter so I can't say for sure how it will get. But I have progressed further than I was.

It's a fun game and has great atmosphere and graphics. Even has full voice acting now.

I'd say it's worth a go for $.99 especially, even if you play it for a few hours and the grind gets too difficult.

I'll update here if I find I'm hitting what is more of a paywall.

I probably should have said that I bought it. Already have a ton of hours into it. Really really happy with it.
 
I started replaying 999 on iPad since this week's Hearthstone tavern brawl is boring and think I'll finish it in a few days before replaying VLR. No way Im replaying 999 on DS with puzzles.
 
Next week is looking pretty weak unless there are last minute surprise releases. Maybe there will be compelling enough games shown at E3 and WWDC to satisfy us for the week though.
 
Next week is looking pretty weak unless there are last minute surprise releases. Maybe there will be compelling enough games shown at E3 and WWDC to satisfy us for the week though.
Hoping we get at least a full Deus Ex GO trailer

Bethesda will probably reveal some mobile tie-in for something after successful Fallout Shelter was
 
Hoping we get at least a full Deus Ex GO trailer

Bethesda will probably reveal some mobile tie-in for something after successful Fallout Shelter was

Their big focus will be Dishonored 2. Not sure how that can have a companion or anything. Maybe they will properly show off elder scross legends as the iOS game.
 
Bethesda will probably reveal some mobile tie-in for something after successful Fallout Shelter was
Wonder if they could do something interesting with a mobile Elder Scrolls similar to Fallout Shelter. Wasn't a big fan of it personally, but Im always open to companies using their IPs in cool ways (like Sqeenix with Hitman, Tomb Raider, and Deus Ex GO).

Maybe a trade management game style game set in Skyrim where you have to deal its routes and avoiding dragons and stuff.
Or they could make something very similar to Fallout Shelter but make it building a city instead of a Vault.
 
Their big focus will be Dishonored 2. Not sure how that can have a companion or anything. Maybe they will properly show off elder scross legends as the iOS game.
Elder scrolls legends is probably the mobile game that they will show off, which is a shame, cause imo we really do not need any more competitive card games.
 

awp69

Member
I probably should have said that I bought it. Already have a ton of hours into it. Really really happy with it.

Yes, I finished the first chapter last night and it definitely has been rebalanced for the better.

Great hack n slash with a Devil May Cry feel and Castlevania style estetics. If it keeps up and remains challenging but fair, the dev deserves far more than the measly $.99 they are currently charting. The artwork and voice acting alone had to cost a fortune.

And for those who don't know what we are referring to, it's Never Gone.
 
Hyperburner is definitely coming out this month. You guys are going to love it. It's probably the best arcade/evasive action IOS game I've played in a while. To be fair, I've been playing beta builds on and off for like a year, but it has a level of polish and variety you don't often seen in these games. The levels are divided between different-themed sci-fi areas, and each level has both a hand-crafted version and an endless version you can play at two different speeds

The speed and tension is excellent, really captures that claustrophobic "trench run" feel as you swoop and speed inside tunnels and through crowded space-lanes
 
Some impressions from some recent games.

Cat Knight Story

A superb meat boy inspired auto runner with almost as much charm. Controls may take a second to get used to the first time around since you tap to jump regularly but can press down to jump continuously and you will have to use both interchangeably to complete levels. Once you got the controls down though it feels like you're playing a reskined SMB platformer. If you want to play the game without any interruptions it'll cost $0.99 to remove adds and $1.99 to unlock unlimited checkpoints. I bought both and don't reget it. Only criticism I guess I have is that the game is pretty short. 12 levels total and after about 40 minutes with the game I'm already on level 11 right before the final boss. Give it a download and see if you like it, I have enjoyed my time with it so far even if it is short.

Heroes of Loot 2

If you enjoyed either the original heroes of loot or space grunts then you're going to enjoy this one. Controls are slick with a virtual thumbstick on the left side and only two buttons on the right side. All dungeons are procedurally generated just like the first one. Improvements onto the original formula include quests, boss fights, secret rooms, new weapons, and collectable ruins to improve class abilities for future playthroughs. There might also be other permanent progression perks since I've yet to figure out what the bar at the bottom of the menu screen indicates. Devs are fixing bugs and adding small improvements already so a plus to them for quick updates. Overall I would highly recommend this game to fans of roguelikes or dungeon crawlers.

Epic Flail

Oof, where do I start with this one. I like the idea of the game and I'm sure it would be a lot of fun on another platform but the touch controls here are bad. The game requires you to have precision when facing multiple opponents but the virtual thumbstick never seems to agree with you. Pulling off diagonal and vertical slices is incredibly hard to do even though it's required many times to defeat mid-air opponents. I also did not like the placement of the controls, unlike most platformers that put the characters slightly above the virtual controls the characters in this game are smackdab at the bottom of the screen which leads to many moments where you're trying to adjust your thumbs to see the characters. Sorry, but I can't really recommend this game. Maybe the dev will update it someday to fix the controls.
 

awp69

Member
So Shawn Musgrave did an article over on TA noting that 3 of the 4 Chaos Rings (CR3 is still available) games are gone from the App Store (fortunately still available via purchase history) as well as a handful of other SE games. Sounds like they will not return.

I guess the only issue with CR games were some issues with the voiceovers.

It would be nice if Apple somehow could do like Windows does and have a way to run older games in "compatibility mode" or something. The CR games, BioShock and others that have been broken are not cheap games so it makes it harder and harder to want to pay for games that have a high price tag.
 
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