The TouchArcade Show - 179 - Only $9.99 a Month Posted: 31 Oct 2014 05:03 PM PDT
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TouchArcade Game of the Week: 'Drift'n'Drive' Posted: 31 Oct 2014 04:32 PM PDT The idea behind the TouchArcade Game of the Week is that every Friday afternoon we post the one game that came out this week that we think is worth giving a special nod to. Now, before anyone goes over-thinking this, it doesn't necessarily mean our Game of the Week pick is the highest scoring game in a review, the game with the best graphics, or really any other quantifiable "best" thing. Instead, it's more just us picking out the single game out of the week's releases that we think is the most noteworthy, surprising, interesting, or really any other hard to describe quality that makes it worth having if you were just going to pick up one. These picks might be controversial, and that's OK. If you disagree with what we've chosen, let's try to use the comments of these articles to have conversations about what game is your game of the week and why. Without further ado… Drift'n'DriveSometimes I'm taken aback by an unassuming little iPhone game that I've never even heard of prior to it starting to download on my device, and doesn't look like much from screenshots alone, but somehow smacks me right in the face and gets me hooked instantly. This week that game is Drift'n'Drive [$1.99]. On the surface it looks like another retro-inspired top-down racer, like thousands of others on the App Store. But the thing that sets Drift'n'Drive apart is an advanced physics system that makes racing a total blast, as well as a really interesting career progression that provides lots of tense moments.
The physics system in Drift'n'Drive is fast and loose, and feels decidedly more modern than the visuals and presentation would have you believe. It reminds me a lot of the Reckless Racing series. In fact, I described this game on our podcast this week as Reckless Racing meets Super Sprint meets Spy Hunter. It's a fantastic combination. I also love how as the Career mode progresses there are more and more AI opponents to race against. Towards the end it becomes a massive mess of vehicles, adding to the fun and mayhem. Speaking of that Career mode, the way you earn medals in it is very cool. There's the standard come in 1st/2nd/3rd for gold/silver/bronze, but if you win a race three times in a row you can actually win a Platinum medal. Going one step further, if you win seven times in a row, you can earn the top medal, which the game calls the Raritarium medal. Having to win so many consecutive races in a row can be stressful, in a good way, because the closer you get the more scary it becomes to blow it on one little mistake. Since races happen so quickly, it never feels tedious to have to win so many in a row or retry many times over in search of that Raritarium medal. Also, as you move on in the Career mode, the number of consecutive wins you need for that medal increase. It's tense stuff, folks.
There's all sorts of other little touches that make Drift'n'Drive such an exceptional little game. The randomized nature of the tracks. The fact that hazards like cones and tires that line the tracks each have their own physics built in, so they provide a more dynamic challenge. And to top it all off, I haven't even touched on the excellent upgrading system that features new parts for your vehicle that have both positive and negative effects, forcing you to make strategic choices on how to upgrade rather than simply buying the next thing in line. It's all very awesome, so if you happened to see Drift'n'Drive launch earlier this week and didn't think much of it based off of its basic, retro visuals, be sure to give it a second look as it quickly became my favorite iPhone game of the moment. |
Posted: 31 Oct 2014 04:00 PM PDT Another solid week under our belts, friends. We've got a really great action game that uses swipe controls in a way that actually doesn't suck, a tower defense game that somehow manages to feel fresh, an awesome to a sequel to an already good puzzle game, and a spin-off of one of our favorite games ever? Sign me up. Here's the list of our best reviewed games this week:
 Ghost Blade , $4.99 [Review] - Ghost Blade is without question the finest example of stylish action available on iOS to date, and an essential pick-up for any fan of action games. It has a few rough edges, with the tutorials dragging on a bit too long, a weak localization that makes all the extra story details you can uncover less meaningful, and the odd enemy attacking from off-screen, but these relatively minor gripes are easily outweighed by the sheer depth and fun of its combat system. No, it's not Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden in your pocket, but it's still an outstanding effort for what appears to be a small, new developer. If this is what they made on their first try, I simply can't wait to see what they do for an encore.
 Sleep Attack TD , $2.99 [Review] - If you think you're all Tower Defense'd out, be prepared for the tables to turn. Ayopa Games have set their sights on a time honored genre that is, to be honest, usually pretty outdated. Sleep Attack TD is their first foray into tower defense. Our forums have been buzzing about this game for good reason. With the bright asthetic Ayopa is known for and some very unique gameplay, Sleep Attack brings some much needed defibrillation to a category of games that seems to be in constant danger of completely flat lining.
 Super Glyph Quest , $0.99 [Review] - Simply put, if you enjoyed Glyph Quest but found there wasn't enough substance to satisfy, you're going to love Super Glyph Quest. If you missed out on the original, this sequel surpasses it sufficiently to render it redundant, so you might as well start here. It may be a variation on a relatively tired theme, but it's a solidly-constructed one with a good sense of humor and a few interesting hooks of its own. Its difficulty balancing is a little bit out of whack, but even if you have to take to some grinding, it's fairly minimal and it just means more puzzling fun. The gameplay doesn't present a dramatic change over the previous game, making this more of a Turbo Champion Edition or something, but full-fledged sequel or not, for a few bucks, it's hard to go wrong here.
 Tilt to Live: Gauntlet's Revenge , $2.99 [Review] - Sure, sometimes developers can give reasons for why they want to charge more money for something that are utter poppycock. Granted, I've known One Man Left since 2010, and I take them at their word that Tilt to Live: Gauntlet's Revenge was becoming too big and too separate to be just an add-on to Tilt to Live 2. But in playing it, I think the position is really quite justified. This is pretty much its own game, only filtered through Tilt to Live's aesthetics and controls. And it winds up being this challenging gauntlet that's well worth checking out. Additionally, we reviewed a few other games this week. As always, you can dig into all of our reviews by clicking here. Alternatively, you can hit up specific scores by using these links:
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Halloween Update Roundup: 'Trials Frontier', 'Lion Pig', 'Jack B. Nimble' and More Posted: 31 Oct 2014 03:30 PM PDT Today is Halloween, and as is usual with holidays or seasonal events, there's no shortage of iOS games that have updated with special content to commemorate the occasion. There are far too many Halloween updates to list them all individually, and even Apple themselves have reserved a special Halloween section in the App Store to highlight many of them. Be sure to check that out, but for this particular feature I've focused on three Halloween updates to games that are personal favorites of mine, and might otherwise have flown under the radar. Check 'em out, and if there are any other Halloween updates that have caught your eye be sure to shout them out in the comment section. Have a safe and happy Halloween! Trials Frontier
Ubisoft and RedLynx launched Trials Frontier in April of this year, and it's received a ton of update love in the months since then. This latest is Halloween themed, obviously, and features a "Wrath of the Pumpkin King" quest line. There will be plenty of pumpkin smashing, and rewards in the form of Halloween bike skins. There's some freemium shenanigans that you have to deal with in Trials Frontier, which is annoying, but this is far and away the best trials game available on mobile, and with all the update love it gets there's always something new to do. Lion Pig
Lions are the King of the jungle, and pigs produce the food of the Gods: bacon. Put them together and you get… Lion Pig. This quirky platformer launched only a couple of weeks ago, but developer Selosoft has already cranked out an update with new content in the form of new levels, a Halloween costume for Lion Pig, and all sorts of Halloween decorations. It also introduced an alternate control method making the game much more enjoyable to play for me personally, so if Lion Pig snuck by you when it launched be sure to check out the updated version. Jack B. Nimble
Jack B. Nimble launched just over a month ago, and looked to bring a nice twist to the auto-running formula. There's a nice simplicity to the game that reminds me of Canabalt, but developer Sean Noonan has interjected an interesting candle-whipping mechanic, inspired by the Castlevania series, into all the running and jumping that fits in perfectly with the gameplay and ties into the scoring mechanic. It all comes together into a wonderful little package, made even better with the latest update that adds a brand new level, a Halloween color palette, a Jack O. Lantern playable character, and more. This is one game that will only get better over time. |
Whitaker Trebella Announces His Third Game, 'Piloteer' Posted: 31 Oct 2014 03:00 PM PDT Whitaker Trebella has just announced his third self-developed title, Piloteer, is in development. People praying for his next game to not have a 'p' title after Pivvot [$2.99] and Polymer [$2.99] will find themselves plenty peeved by the persistent p-usage. Details are rather light, as he's just announced the game's title and a bit of art, but we do know the game is coming to mobile. And his Twitter feed is full of 3D work in Blender, so it's quite possible that we can expect that.
Trebella has made a nice name for himself as a developer with the well-regarded Pivvot and Polymer, his first two games. Long-time iOS gamers will recognize him as a composer who got his start doing music for Tilt to Live [$2.99 / Free / Free (HD)], before doing the soundtrack for Super Stickman Golf [$2.99] and countless other games, along with learning how to make his own titles, though he's still contributed music to recent games, like the Noodlecake-published Mmm Fingers [Free]. With Piloteer being seemingly character-driven, this could be a huge departure indeed from his previous games, but it should be worth keeping an eye on in the coming months. But with another "P" game from him, here's another great P-thing, the pumpkin dance. Is the mysterious pumpkin dancer Whitaker Trebella himself? Well, he hasn't denied it. So on that note, here's one last pumpkin dance, but remember: it's always pumpkin dance time in our hearts.
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Horipad Coming Soon to Japan, North America Release Also Imminent? Posted: 31 Oct 2014 02:24 PM PDT Looking forward to Hori's entry into the MFi gamepad market, the appropriately-named Horipad? Well, it looks like you'll be getting your hands on it soon enough. Hori announced today that the controller will release this November in Japan for 7,980 yen (~US$71.17). Hori's Twitter account has also indicated that an announcement for the US will be coming in a few days. This does jibe with what we saw a month ago when Amazon Canada listed the Horipad. That listing is still there, with a release date of November 11th and a ~ CA$65.21 price (US$57.81), so it's quite possible that it could indeed become a reality very soon.
The Horipad will feature an extended MFi profile with analog sticks placed like the DualShock, and will have a rechargeable battery, which will be recharged with a mini-USB port rather than the now-common micro-USB. It will also come with a phone stand, instead of using a clip like the MOGA Rebel or the Mad Catz CTRLi. Still, especially if it winds up being at or around $60, this could be an extremely attractive MFi controller option, and hopefully it does make its way stateside soon. |
We've got a special guest this week who I'm totally not going to spoil, you're just going to have to listen to the podcast. We kick stuff off with some wrestling chat, so if that kind of thing grinds your gears just skip forward to about fifteen minutes in. After that, we talk about a ton of iOS games and go over the news of the week, it's a long one too.
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