In this issues we get hands-on with COGS, have a brush with Gamevil, get brutal with Battle Blasters, swap lasers for sandals in Spartacus, and shred the slopes in SnoShred, and more…
We got our hands on a preview build of Cogs, the anticipated PC to iPhone puzzler from Lazy 8 Studios and published by Chillingo.
Cogs is a puzzle game where players build machines from sliding tiles. Sliding tiles you say? Yes, initially we thought that too. There are tons of sliding puzzles out there for iPhone and, more often than not, offer nothing more than a way to see pictures of women in bikinis, or, in Dave’s case, pictures of Robert Pattinson. But Cogs takes this tried and tested formula of sliding puzzles and twists it by adding moving machine parts, Pipemania style pipes full of steam, and presents it all in mind-bending multi-sided 3D. If a sliding puzzle was a wheel, consider it re-invented!
Each level requires you to complete a broken machine. This could be as simple as arranging all idle gears into a position so they activate a golden gear, power a propellor, or cause pegs to strike a bell. Later levels included pipes carrying steam, which you must align to fill balloons to lift the machine. My particular favourite level early on is the Jack in the box. After aligning the tiles on a multi-sided box the cogs all begin to turn and activate a crank, and, to the sound of ‘pop goes the weasel’ out pops Jack! It’s a nice little touch and illustrates the charm this game oozes. While the early levels are easy enough, later levels can really push the old grey matter. A few in particular require you to not only ensure that the tiles are correctly positioned on one side, but that they are in the correct position on the flip-side. While pipes and cogs may look correct on one side, it could all be a jumbled mess on the other.
Thankfully the controls are very well implimented, ensuring that the majority of hair pulling is put down purely to your brain power alone. A single finger swipe will flip tiles around the puzzle, while two fingers together rotates the puzzle in 3D space, allowing you to get a good view of the problem at hand.
The game is a looker too. It’s common that puzzle games can lack the graphical flare that other genres such as racing and first person shooters often have in spades. Much like Zen Bound however, the developer has treated us to some great visuals, backed up by some beautiful music. It has a strong industrial feel about it, but from a bygone Victorian age. This is not just apparent in the puzzles themselves, but seamlessly integrated into the user interface too.
When it is released later this month Cogs could become the Zen Bound of 2010…. although Secret Exit might have something to say about that, what with Zen Bound 2 being on the horizon.
Check out video of the game in action below.
It didn’t quote make our Best RPG of 2009, but Zenonia certainly gave us hours upon hours of classic RPG joy, and impressed us enough to earn a nomination. Well, Zenonia will no doubt rule our lives once more with Gamevil announcing details of the sequel… Zenonia 2: The Lost memories. Gamevil promise even more hours of fantasy action and story, along with new classes of Paladin, Magicians, Warriors and Shooter. But the biggest news is the addition of online multiplayer, allowing pit your characters against those of your friends. Look for a release in Q1 this year.
Gamevil are offering not one RPG this quarter, but two. Their PR rep sent us a video link to a trailer for what they are calling an “artistic” RPG with “Unique ink and wash painting. Vanquish: The Oath of Brothers will be released in Late February, and if the art style of the trailer is anything to go by… we are in for one heck of stylish game. Those of you looking for Okami on iPhone, might just get what they wish for with Vanquish.
Described as “an odd-ball rhythm game”, Thumpies from developer Big Blue, is a music game crossed with juggling. They communicate through rhythmic patterns which you must decipher. New thumpies can be unlocked by collecting butterflies… check out this odd but intriguing game, which is due for release in February, in the video below:
Spartacus: Blood and sand has been released by Artificial Life for $4.99. We broke the news back in July of 2009, but now it’s finally here. Based on the upcoming TV series of the same name, the game sees you pitted against gladiators in arena style battles as well as WiFi and Bluetooth local multiplayer. Check out the video below.
With a selection of poor quality snowboarding games out there for iPhone and iPod Touch, it’s about time a decent version of the sport was released. Well there’s hope yet with the announcement of SnoShred.
Pitched as a fast paced, action packed, thrill-ride. SnoShred is from the same creative force as the hugely successful CoolBoarders series, and is entering its final phases of development. Its initial single-player release features three runs across realistic mountain environments. The launch version will be available soon and tracks Sparky and Trixy in their quest to conquer the mountain. Scheduled monthly updates include new mountains, runs and riders.
The developers Blue Energy Labs have gone to great lengths to ensure the features of SnoShred replicates the snowboarding lifestyle: “we are currently working on key licensing agreements within the snowboard industry as well as with outside industry partners, bringing an additional layer of realism to an already high quality experience”.
Battle Blasters is a futuristic arcade style fighter that pits you in 1-on-1 gun-blasting death matches. Featuring six characters, each with their own unique fighting style, abilities, and special weapons, you will need to determine your opponent’s fighting style, avoid their attacks and unleash your own devastating specials and combos to succeed.
Battle Blasters’ features include:
• Built with original artwork, unique character designs, and live recorded audio,
• Campaign Mode – Battle your way through fearsome opponents across three difficulty levels. Unlock Supreme difficulty to compete against the elite Battle Blasters fighters.
• Multiplayer – Engage your friends in intense 1-on-1 battles on the same device
• Quickplay – Hone your skills against any fighter in the Battle Blaster tournament
• Facebook Leaderboards – Post your high scores to Facebook Leaderboards to compete against your friends and other Battle Blasters fighters across the world!
It’s out now for $2.99.
We talked about B-Boy brawl back in November 2009. Now we can tell you that the finger based break dancing game is due for release February 2010. Now called B-Boy Beats it mixes the likes of the Tap, Tap and Guitar Hero style game-play with hip hop beats and breakdance moves where your fingers are legs and your legs are… errr…. legs!
The developers have created a developer diary which you can see below:
In case you missed them, here’s some highlights from the week’s reviews…
Plushed
… a unique idea with wonderful music and charming visuals
Pig Rush
… it is immediately graspable and the visuals are inviting to the more casual crowd
Paperboy
… keeps you away from glorious, glorious victory long enough that you can continually play it without getting bored
Bird Strike
… if you are in the market for a quick pick-up-and-play experience and are strapped for cash after the holidays, then I can highly recommend you give Bird Strike consideration.
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010
… is to some extent a breath of fresh air bringing a new gesture based control system that works
Labyrinth 2
… “If all the games on the App Store were this good, I wouldn’t leave my house”
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Labyrinth 2 is awesome.
“This is Sparta…cus”
Well played.