Author Archive for ChiffaN
A project manager in a major telecommunications supplier, an iPhone junkie and lately - a TMA editor. Love long walks on the beach and my wife, who is the most beautiful girl on the face of this planet. You can also follow me on twitter for all things iPhone and project management (and some personal stuff as well): http://twitter.com/ChiffaNe
Touch Detective in Review – Cute, cudly and odd freemium adventure
Looking at the adventure genre on the iOS I can safely say that it has matured quite a bit. Over the last couple of years, we have seen both adaptations of classic PC titles, like Broken Sword: Director’s Cut (TMA Review) or The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, as well some all original ones created specifically for the platform – 1112 episode 01 / 02 / 03 and HECTOR: Badge of Carnage Ep1 (TMA Review) being the most noteworthy. The latter has even been picked up by Telltale and brought to almost all modern platforms, which quite a feat for a mobile release. And this family of games has quite recently been joined by Touch Detective, an original detective adventure.
Versailles 2 in Review – A trip to 17th century France in the palm of your hand!
The court of Louis XIV (no, not our Louis) is arguably one of the most romantic times in the history of France. Intricate plots, hidden agendas and devious politics rule when the King of Spain is at death’s doorstep. Join me in this unique opportunity to experience all the merits of old France and the court of the legendary Sun King in Versailles 2.
Another World – 20th Anniversary in Review – Just go through the looking glass, Alice!
It’s hard to imagine modern video games without the polygons. Building blocks of almost all 3D graphics engines, they are everpresent in the industry. But not many people know that one of the first games to use them was the legendary Another World on the Amiga back in 1991. Revolutionary in both graphics and gameplay approach it has sold over a million copies and been ported to many platforms. And now 20 years later a re-mastered edition has found its way to the App Store: Another World – 20th Anniversary.
Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy in Review – A charming classic adventure goes iOS
Few people in the adventure gaming community have not heard of Benoit Sokal, the man behind one of the best adventure games of all time – Syberia. While the story of Kate Archer has yet to reach the iOS platform, one of his early and very highly acclaimed games has. And I’m not talking about the disappointing adaptation of Paradise aka Last King of Africa (TMA Review) and Last King of Africa 2 (TMA Review). Rather, it’s his first adventure ever – the legendary Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Anomaly Warzone Earth HD in Review – Who’s the bad guy now?
Every once in a while, a game along and makes me truly admire the deviousness of the mind of its creator. The Tower Defense genre, though still relatively young, has probably seen everything but the kitchen sink in terms of gameplay variations. Top and side-view, fixed and open path, lacking in anything but the pure tactical placement of towers and the complete RPG package, rivalling some desktop roleplaying titles. We’ve even had elements of CCG thrown in. Well, Anomaly Warzone Earth HD is the proverbial kitchen sink, turning the genre upside down and inside out.
HECTOR Ep2 HD – Senseless Acts of Justice in Review – Our lovable distasteful detective is back!
Last summer an indie adventure took the App Store literally by storm. With HECTOR: Badge of Carnage Ep1 (TMA Review) Straandlooper, a British studio previously known only for their animated flicks, snatched a boatload of glowing reviews and even nabbed themselves a lucrative (probably… hopefully…) deal with Telltale, the pioneers of episodic adventure games. The entire adventure community had held its breath for nearly a year in anticipation of the sequel, which was finally released a few weeks ago in HECTOR Ep2 HD – Senseless Acts of Justice.
GoodPlayer – Movie Player & Downloader & Streaming Media Player in Review – All-round best in class movie player with streaming
For the longest time, one of the most frustrating issues with the iPhone was its inability to play anything other than pre-converted MP4 video. Of course, this has changed with the introduction of the iPhone 4 and a number of apps by 3rd party developers have arrived on the platform ever since. That said though, a glaring issue still has been streaming support. I have reviewed AirPlayer (TMA Review) – the only contender I could find some months ago and was appalled by it’s horrible performance, both connected to the TV and not. Then, I came across GoodPlayer – Movie Player & Downloader & Streaming Media Player…
Z The Game in Review – Sometimes war is just a videogame
Not long after the triumphant march of Command & Conquer and Warcraft across the video games battlefield, one of the iconic developers of the era — Bitmap Brothers — released a unique spin on the RTS genre. Letting go of such traditional constraints as resource management and building construction, it pioneered the Action/Strategy genre with the unique and witty Z The Game.
Mad Wheels in Review – Aaaand, they’re off!
One of the iconic cartoon shows constantly aired on the Cartoon Network when I was growing up was Hanna Barbera’s Wacky Races, where racers were pitched against each other in various road rallies across North America. Most remarkable of course were the vehicles, armed with dastardly and clever contraptions and used by the participants to gain the lead, often by questionable means. Well, anything new is just old well forgotten and this same basic idea is exploited in Mad Wheels.
Companions in Review – All for one and one for all!
When the iPad first arrived on the scene many called it “just a big iPod Touch”. To which others often replied “Well, yeah!” Indeed even if in principal it IS just a big iPod Touch, the real estate of 9.7 inches is much much more comfortable to play with than that of the iPhone’s 3.5″. And it makes such games as Companions – a real-time tactical strategy/RPG game – possible.
