iOS games - page 4

Stagehand flips the platform game formula on its head

By

stagehand-twitter
This ingenious "reverse platformer" is one heck of a game.
Photo: Stagehand

To achieve maximum success, iOS game developers need an idea that’s both reassuringly familiar and strikingly new. That’s exactly what Stagehand delivers: The new platform game employs a clever twist on the popular endless-runner genre, with a sprinkle of ’90s classic Lemmings thrown in for good measure.

Stagehand is a game that looks like a side-scrolling platformer, but instead of controlling the character, you move the stage,” developer Matt Comi told Cult of Mac. “We call it a ‘reverse platformer.’ The protagonist, Frank, runs and jumps all by himself. It’s the player’s job to make sure he doesn’t run into walls.”

Flappy Bird creator drops addictive new iOS game

By

Flappy
Get ready for Ninja Spinki Challenges!!
Photo: Dong Nguyen

Remember Dong Nguyen, developer of wildly popular mobile game Flappy Bird, who reportedly made $50,000 per day before pulling his creation from the App Store? Well, he’s back with a brand new game called Ninja Spinki Challenges!!

While it’s unlikely to match the success of his earlier title, the new game certainly shares Flappy Bird’s frustratingly hard, simplistic and addictive DNA.

Week’s best Apple deals: Accessorize your gadgets on the cheap

By

iphone and ipad accessories
You've got the Apple gear. Now it's time to accessorize.
Images: CASEFORMERS, iNK Stories, Logitech

Whether you received the gifts you wanted over the holidays, or had to return something and treat yourself, you’ve probably gotten the Apple gadgets you want by now. Take this time to accessorize the ones you’ve got.

We found cases, keyboards and more for this week’s roundup best Apple deals.

Best Mac and iOS games of 2016

By

best mac and ios games 2016
2016 might have sucked overall, but not for games.
Image: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac When it comes to games, Apple trails behind Microsoft and the broader PC market. Though Cupertino’s hardware often sports cutting-edge specs, the fact is that gaming was never really the intended use for Apple machines.

Why this is, and whether it should prevent top titles from gracing Mac screens, is enough for its own article. Luckily, things are changing: From sprawling strategy games to genre-bending first-person titles, 2016 gave Apple fans a harvest of great titles for Mac and iOS alike.

Enjoy greater game control with this iOS gamepad

By

GameSir's M2 GamePad is the company's first iOS-dedicated hand controller.
GameSir's M2 GamePad is the company's first iOS-dedicated hand controller.
Photo: GameSir

It didn’t take Super Mario Run and its nearly 3 million downloads on day one in the iTunes Store to recognize how serious iOS users are about gaming.

App developers submit hundred of games each day to Apple for iTunes and with a dizzying number of iOS games available, there is an equally impressive number of accessories companies making gamepads for mobile games.

One, GameSir, will debut its first iOS-centric hand controls at next week’s CES in Las Vegas after five years of developing gamepads that have been well received among Android users.

Rocket League clone brings supercharged soccer to iOS

By

Turbo-League-iOS
Turbo League is the game you've been waiting to play.
Photo: Zero Four Games

Rocket League is undoubtedly one of the finest and most enjoyable games to grace the current generation of consoles, but it’s yet to make its way to mobile. Soon we won’t need it, because Turbo League for iOS promises to be just as good.

Pokémon GO finally gets an Apple Watch app

By

News of an Apple partnership with Nintendo and Pokémon Go for the Apple Watch seemed to draw the most excitement from Apple fans on Twitter.
We got a glimpse of Pokémon GO for the Apple Watch during the iPhone 7 event.
Photo: Apple

Pokémon GO is finally ready for Apple Watch. The iOS game, one of 2016’s biggest breakout hits, got an update today that includes the long-awaited Apple Watch app.

According to the game’s maker, Pokémon GO is a perfect match for Apple’s wearable.

Super Mario Run copycats invade Android

By

Super Mario Run on iOS
Super Mario Run clones are already bounding onto the Google Play store.
Photo: Apple

Super Mario Run, Nintendo’s first major game for mobile, is already a huge hit on iPhone, but Android users will have to wait until 2017 to get their fingers on the real deal.

However, a ton of Super Mario Run clones are already springing up on Google Play — trying to steal Nintendo’s thunder.

Week’s best Apple deals: Get iPad Pro at Black Friday prices, Goat Simulator for free!

By

iPad Pros at Black Friday prices? Goat outta here!
iPad Pros at Black Friday prices? Goat outta here!
Photos: Apple, Acoustic Research, Coffee Stain Studios

Christmas is almost here, and if you’re still shopping for gifts, you only have a few days left before express-shipping fees kick in and brick-and-mortar stores get stingy with discounts to take advantage of your need.

Before that happens, check out some of the best iPad, iPhone and game prices we’ve seen all year, in this week’s roundup of the best Apple deals.

Brain-teasing iPhone puzzler is Tetris with rings

By

Dropa
It's like Tetris crossed with that fingerprint pattern used for setting up Touch ID.
Photo: Midnight Tea Studio

As much as I like the kind of long, winding, RPG-style games you can get lost in for months at a time, I’ll always be a sucker for a great mobile puzzle game.

That’s exactly what developer Midnight Tea Studio offers with its new game Dropa! Pitched somewhere between Tetris and that fingerprint pattern you have to fill in when you set up a new Touch ID profile, it’s a game that’s sure to keep you busy during the holiday season.

Check out the trailer below.

Week’s best Apple deals: Get an Apple Watch for just $209

By

It might be time to snag a deal on the first-gen Apple Watch.
It might be time to snag a deal on the first-gen Apple Watch.
Photo: Apple, Pixelbite

As often happens, the best Apple deals we’re seeing this week are on refurbs and older-generation devices.

If you don’t demand the latest/greatest, you can definitely score a bargain on an iPad Air, Apple Watch and other Apple gear in this week’s roundup of best Apple deals.

PinOut, Civilization VI and other awesome apps of the week

By

Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

With Apple’s earnings call and Thursday’s Mac event, there was plenty of serious business in the world of Apple this week. That’s why we’re choosing an all-game lineup for this “Awesome Apps of the Week” installment.

Plus, when the titles are this good, it’s hard to ignore them! Check out our picks below.

Telltale’s eagerly anticipated Batman game finally hits iOS

By

wallpaper-2
Check out the gorgeous, rotoscoped-style artwork.
Photo: Telltale

Promising to take you inside the “fractured psyche” of Bruce Wayne, a gorgeously animated new Batman iOS game plunges players into a branching narrative that features plenty of DC Comics’ favorite Bat-characters.

The first episode of Batman: The Telltale Series — from Telltale Games, maker of great iOS titles like Tales from the Borderlands and The Walking Dead — lands today, and it looks like another story-driven winner. Check out the trailer below.

Cloud Raiders comes to Mac, and its high-flying action never looked better

By

Cloud Raiders for Mac
Cloud Raiders, a visually stunning and endlessly addictive base-building strategy game, is now available for Mac.
Image: Game Insight

This post is brought to you by Game Insight.

If you’re a fan of base-building strategy games, there’s a good chance you’ve been playing Cloud Raiders on your mobile phones and tablets in the last few years — but you might not know that Cloud Raiders recently made the jump to the Mac App Store. We’ve been playing it on Mac, and as a geeky crew of gamers, we’re impressed.

Today in Apple history: App Store hits 10 million downloads

By

App Store
What was the first app you downloaded on your iPhone?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

July 14: Today in Apple history: App Store hits 10 million downloads July 14, 2008: Apple crows that its newly opened App Store hit a massive 10 million downloads in its first 72 hours.

“The App Store is a grand slam, with a staggering 10 million applications downloaded in just three days,” Steve Jobs said in a statement issued eight years ago today. “Developers have created some extraordinary applications, and the App Store can wirelessly deliver them to every iPhone and iPod touch user instantly.”

Defend the planet with indie music in Loud on Planet X [Reviews]

By

Blast aliens while you dance a little on Planet X.
Blast aliens while you dance a little on Planet X.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

I’ve been smashing aliens with multiple eyes for a good while now, and the fantastic indie-flavored soundtrack of Loud on Planet X has invaded my brain.

A mashup of rhythm games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero with lane-based tower defense games like Plants vs. Zombies, Loud on Planet X will scratch that music game itch, getting you to tap your way to victory while getting to play as your favorite indie band, like Tegan and Sara, CHVRCHES, Lights, Purity Ring, and Little Dragon, just to name a few.

iPad port of magical miniatures game should be the next big thing [Reviews]

By

Bring all the fun of an analog board game to your iPad.
Bring all the fun of an analog board game to your iPad.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If I ran the world, Krosmaster Arena, a fabulously fun and deep strategy game that started out as a board game with delightfully sculpted miniature figures, would be topping the charts right alongside stuff like Clash Royale or Angry Birds.

Of course, I don’t, but I’m hoping each one of you reading this tries it out on your iPad so you can experience the joy of playing it digitally.

Tile-based puzzle game sends you sliding into adventure [Reviews]

By

Stencilsmith
Stencilsmith combines strategy, farming, mining and battle in a minimalist package.
Photo: Nicolas Sepi, Jr.

If role-playing games take too long, and you don’t think Threes is violent enough, Stencilsmith might be your jam.

It’s an endless puzzle title that has you sliding tiles around to harvest ore, craft weapons, and fight monsters, and it manages to do all of those things with beautifully simple and elegant style. And while everything looks pretty basic and charming, you’ll find after a while that you have way more to keep track of than you thought, and that’s when its ridiculous difficulty will start to gnaw at you like one of those wolves that always shows up on the board when you aren’t quite ready.

But it’s all great fun, and you should definitely check it out.

Grayout filters word puzzles through a broken mind

By

Graybox
Have fun sorting all of this out.
Photo: Neven Mrgan

Every once in a while, a game hits the App Store that contains such a bizarre concept that it only makes sense once you start playing it. And sometimes, that’s a good thing, but usually, it isn’t so much. Luckily, Grayout, a text-based game from developer Neven Mrgan, falls firmly into the first category.

The problem is that the mechanic that plays out across Grayout‘s 90-plus screens makes it incredibly difficult to describe. But we’re professionals here, so let’s give it a try.

Lego Jurassic World’s killer feature: dino poop [Reviews]

By

Lego Jurassic World dino fight
You also get to play as dinos, if that's a bigger draw for you.
Photo: WB Games

Developer Traveller’s Tales’ Lego games series has a long history of making even the crappiest of blockbusters charming and enjoyable. It all started with its very first title, Lego Star Wars — which provided a more entertaining version of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker than the movies did — and it continues to this day with Lego Jurassic World (out now for iOS after a console and PC debut).

It probably helps that fully three-quarters of Lego Jurassic World‘s content has nothing to do with the latest, dumb film entry but is, in fact, levels re-creating the awesome 1993 original and those other two movies that weren’t quite as good. But because it’s a Lego game, it’s fun, humorous, and clever, even when the source material isn’t.

March into fun with these hot new iOS games [Reviews]

By

March yourself right into fun.
March yourself right into fun.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

There’s nothing better than kicking back and playing an iOS game that respects your time, money and energy. Games that keep you entertained without costing you too much (especially at first) can be a great way to spend your time, whether you’re chilling on the couch at home, on the subway home after a long day at work, or waiting at the dentist’s office.

Here are all the hot new iOS games we found ourselves playing this month.

12 amazing iOS games definitely worth downloading

By

Here are 12 awesome iOS games, old and new, we think are definitely worth a try!
Here are 12 awesome iOS games, old and new, we think are definitely worth a try!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailOn a recent episode of The App Factor podcast I got into (or rather, confessed) how many apps were on my iPhone prior to me having to start from scratch and install the OS and apps fresh (for what it’s worth, it was 750+ apps).

While I try to use my iPhone and iPad for a number of things including writing, catching up with friends and more, a lot of times I’ll want a quick fix or even an in-depth game to play.

After having to install apps from scratch and picking up a new iPad Pro, a few games made the cut while I thought what I really wanted to install and play. Here are a wide variety of games that I love. From new games to classics, these are some of my favorites.

9 classic iOS games to keep you entertained this weekend

By

Games iOS
Gaming's good on iOS, but couldn't it be better?
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailThere are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of games available in the App Store. I’ve played tons of them over the years. Some of those games eventually ended up getting deleted, or moved to the last few pages of my games folder, where they remain for long car or plane rides.

However, there are a few games that have remained on my iPhone or iPad’s Home screen for literally years now. Even long after their launch, I still launch these games regularly, play them, and thoroughly enjoy them.