PIXEL GRAVE

Joe Danger returns with Joe Danger Touch. Leaving the Xbox and PS3 in the dust, does this exclusive iOS version match up to it’s dangerous older brothers? Unlike the PS3 and Xbox Joe Danger games, Joe auto accelerates and it’s up to the player to tap on key objects or hold to duck and release to jump. There are a number of other methods to move and manipulate Joe and as the game progresses and you’ll discover that you need to really concentrate and at times use two hands to fully complete some levels. It does get a bit fiddly later on, making the game almost unplayable in a slouched or casual position, but the overall experience is very smooth and the game uses the touch controls well. Aesthetically the game is stunning and runs incredibly smooth. The characteristic approach, the same as the Xbox and PS3 versions, holds it’s graceful presence beautifully on the iPad screen and at times I found myself pausing the game just to get a close up look at the comical and magnificent worl...

From the creators of the Majesty and Elven Legacy series (yeah, me neither), comes Warlock : Master of the Arcane. This game seemed to apparate itself onto Steam quite discreetly and missed a lot of the spotlight by being released almost at the same time as Diablo 3 as well as Civ V recently going on sale. None the less, it's game play style and fantasy aesthetic encouraged me to take a look. Warlock : Master of the Arcane is a turn based strategy game much like Civilization. In fact, it's so much like Civilization V it could almost be seen as a mod, much like the 'Fantastic Worlds' expansion for Civ II. Though being a Civ fan and disliking the series by each addition and the boredom that comes as soon as your borders are met with each other civilizations, W:MotA tackles this by creating multiple worlds within a game and increases the most fun part - exploration. You begin by selecting a hero with unique perks and units, then other options such as the number of o...

I would have had this review finished a long time ago if it wasn't for something particular, but I'll get to that point later on. Wizorb is the name of the game and what it's about - that could be quite confusing when regarding just the name. Essentially it's block breaker in a retro 8 bit aesthetic but up to date by ... hmm, being released today? It's an innocent £2 on Steam for PC & Mac but has also been released on Xbox as an Indie game for, I dunno,  about the same amount of Xbox points as a sock for your avatar. The game takes place in a beautifully created nostalgic fantasy world in which you, the wizard, must turn into a ball and break blocks, monsters, chests, secret doors, bosses and more blocks, to rid the world of evil (probably). At the beginning of each level you see you, the wizard, but only for a split second before he's turned into an orb and his staff into some sort of bigger staff which is now horizontal. It's this panel / staff...

If there's anyone that really loves retro gaming it's PuppyGames. Though taking a retro aesthetic to all their games this one in particular also burlesques a retro arcade classic that everyone knows and loves and from this, they elevate and improve upon it. The premise is simple - Space Invaders. But these invaders are from Titan, are they're invading Earth, which you need to defend and then take the fight back to them, planet by planet (including the moon). You control your tank using the mouse (or keyboard if you're insane, as it's much slower), to weave among the enemy projectiles and hammer the ctrl or mouse buttons to shoot back and space to launch a smart-bomb. Though there's nothing smart about it, you just hit space and most of the enemies on the screen explode after a flash. As you shoot more enemies down you'll gain money which can be spent on upgrades such as shields, gun-power and even weapon attachments, giving you more projectiles to hurl ...

I keep telling myself, free games can't be good but I'm a huge fan of the original Tribes, I must have played that game for god, I don't know, ages. I got lovingly invited to the beta the day before it opened to the public and spent most of that day tweaking the .ini file as it ran for crap on the only preset options I could choose, reminiscing the day when I tried to move on to Tribes 2 (which I shamefully couldn't). Once playable the nostalgia came flooding back when I spawned with a disc launcher in my hands and vast a panoramic landscape to fly around in. much like a dog being let loose in an empty field, I enjoyed the freedom and smooth game-play until I hit level six and spent most of the time flailing in the air as my dead body came crashing to Earth like the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft. When you reach that level you begin to understand how good some of these players are and how essential teamwork, strategy and how to quickly stamp out the voice commands can b...

The sun is my guide but also my enemy. The blazing heat stabs at my blistered skin but I have to keep moving, I have to get back to America to hand a stranger a bunch of flowers … I can sense their eyes, they stare at me through the shallow vine, waiting to see if I hinder, take it slow and wonder into their path. A cub grows impatient and begins barking wildly, spinning in circles around my stout steed. Fashioning a heroic ‘stationary-jump’ before hammering the ‘get the hell out of here’ button to spark my trusty horse through the pack I dash out in a random direction forgetting my route and straying from the road. Either I was working it too hard or this horse isn’t as trustworthy as I thought. It buckles, screams and throws me off my saddle like a stroke of bad luck in Buckaroo. My face slams into the rough desert sharply, a snake nearby mocks me as it slithers away; whilst I slowly come to and get to my dusted, aching feet. As the orange-ashed world around me comes back int...

Trine is a charming fantasy platform with fantastic 3D visuals despite only being navigational in two dimensions. The canvas of the game is vibrant and glowing with true fantasy which draws in you in and keeps you continuing this pleasant and humorous tale. The puzzle elements aren't overly taxing and never angered or had me stumped for too long to discourage me from the game. The developers have cleverly combined three unique and individual characters into the players hands that can be switched between to fulfil specific challenges and tasks though the player is never given a concrete solution to each obstacle and can complete each encounter in their own way. The game is not too short nor too long and has replay value via Steam achievements and finding all the secrets within the game. One annoyance I did find was that if I had to quit the game mid mission then I would have to start from the beginning of that level when I returned; despite having passed numerous checkpoints I sti...