Orange Pixel’s Stardash Gets It’s Final 10 Flipped Levels
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It’s been quiet here at the App Shack, but that is the sign of a long and arduous week. Thankfully there has been a break in the onslaught, and we are back with an exciting interview with Rodeo Games (the brains behind the Hunters series). With Hunters 2 releasing this week, hopefully this article gets you excited for the game if you aren’t already. Watch for our review soon.
Initials stand for Ben Murch, Adam Clixby and Richard Brooks.
BM: We were all friends before Rodeo formed. Laurent was my next door neighbour when I first moved to Guildford. Adam, Rich and I all worked together at Codemasters. Then two things happened. Firstly, the App Store appeared, which empowered people like us to make and publish the games we wanted. Secondly, Laurent and I got stranded in Vegas for an extra week when the whole volcano ash cloud thing happened. In between all the gambling and drinking, we outlined what to do and hit the ground running with Adam and Rich when we got back!
BM: I really hope not! The Hunters universe is pretty bleak. A sort of morally bankrupt place where killing people is seen as a means to get paid! Private corporations running things though, that seems more believable. You can already see the current world going that way a little now, and you can imagine someone like Branson landing on Mars and claiming it in the name of Virgin.
BM: Haha, good spot! It was originally in there for a joke, because that Hunter had 100% accuracy when we were testing the game. Then we just got attached to the name. It seems to fit for some reason.
RB: From a technical point of view, using a top-down camera allows us to do a lot to make the game look as good as it does. It means we can keep the fidelity of the graphics really high.
BM: Yes, our choice of viewing angle is mostly based on the nature of the game. Top down is the most effective for turn based strategy. The whole up close and personal view could be cool for kill-cams, but the amount of work we’d have to do to get it in the game wouldn’t be worth the payoff!
AC: Absolutely. The daily contract system is something we really liked about the first game – and something we got a lot of positive feedback about. By getting a new set of contracts each day, you really want to keep coming back – it keeps the game feeling fresh.
Something else we’ve included in Hunters 2 after a lot of requests is a ‘hardcore’ mode in which your hunters are permanently removed from the game if they are killed on a mission. It makes for some very tense (and cowardly) play!
BM: We’ve also totally revamped the talents system. It’s now more dynamic and personalised than before. Each hunter has access to general talents and two specialist trees. Figuring out which combinations work for your style of play is really cool.
– What do you guys have planned for after Hunters 2? Will there be a third installment?
BM: We do have something really really awesome lined up, but we can’t talk about it just yet.
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We have been looking forward to both of these releases and were caught off guard when they appeared in the NZ AppStore this morning. Call of Cthulu: The Wasted Land is a turnbased strategy/ action roleplaying game set in World War I. Shogun is a classic bullet hell shoot em up inspired by Japanese arcade games. Both will come out at 11:00 p.m. U.S. time. Here is the info from each respective iTunes page:
We created this game as a tribute to the old-school manic shooters (aka bullet hell) but enhanced with a modern, touch based game-interface and easy to read graphics.
The first mission is free, others are available via in-app purchases.”
The App Store is finally starting to pick up speed and tonight the flood gates are opening as tons of quality titles are launching simultaneously. Check out the fine selection below.
– Ship and weapon balance changes! Many players have noted that building lots of missile frigates provided a much larger benefit than building larger ships. Ships have been adjusted to bring these more in-line, allowing greater variety in strategic thinking. Please see the forums for a full list of changes.
– Lots of user requested new features!
* Colonists in transit between planets of different star systems now appear as “transporting” icons on the destination planet
* Defending spies now have a change of reporting enemy spy activity in your empire.
* When an item built is reported in the sitrep, the next item in queue for that planet is also listed in the sitrep
* Weapon and system listing in the ship designer are now sorted such that newer technologies are at the top of the list
* Combat at a system now prevents the planets at that system from transporting colonists off of those world. If you want to engage in scorched earth tactics, you will need to do that before your opponent reaches your colony.
* Added “clear all” and “upgrade all” buttons to the race and ship designer
* Added a cancel button to the research dialog
– Lots of bug fixes!
• 2 Brand New Levels: SantaVille and Beanstalk
• New character: Yeti
• New Game Mode: Emperor
Plus many other tweaks:
• The SantaVille level introduces a new Capture the Flag mode, while the Beanstalk adds a new endless jumper mode
• You can now unlock any level at anytime
• You can switch to any of the game modes at anytime, to fully complete each one of them
• You can compare your scores to your Game Center friends, right on the loading screen
• Chinese localization
• Bull and Panda character fixes
• Achievements fixes
• plus many more
√ Stuck? Want some inspiration? Help is here. We’ve linked every level to a video walk-through recorded by one of our best players. Watch and learn, then play like the best.
√ Other minor game improvements and fixes.
And much, much more in this ENORMOUS Death Rally update!
+ IAP: Christmas themed Santa characters added!
I think we all can agree that this August has been an awesome month for game releases and many of my favorites have gotten sequels that drastically reinvented themselves. There have also been alot of other unique releases that deserve mention as well. Ladies and Gentlemen this is..The Best of the Best!
Pocket RPG-(Crescent Moon Games) 0.99
Though released on the iPad before the iPod, this Wednesday it was made Universal. Pocket RPG is now fast becoming our favorite game with three different characters and tons of exploring and looting to do you’ll be spending all your free time with this amazing game. App Store Link
Mega Mall Story-(Kairosoft) 3.99
If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to be the manager of a mall then this game is for you. It puts all the elements of business and turns them into something extremely fun. You can build shops, invest in the surrounding community and expand your very own mall. Pick this one up today! App Store Link
Jetpack Joyride-(Halfbrick) 0.99
There’s no doubt about it that Halfbrick has done it again. This has got to be one of the best releases all summer. Do whatever you have to do to get this game. You won’t regret this purchase. This is truly a fun and addictive game. By addictive I mean you will literally be hooked on this game for hours and hours and hours… well you get it. Go download it now! App Store Link
Edge Extended- (Mobigame) 0.99
Based off of the success of the very first Edge Mobigame went and made a sequel to that game. This definitely feels like a true sequel and is true to the originals length and complexity. To read up more on this game check out our Review of it.
App Store Link
Contre Jour- (Mokus) 0.99
A blend of game and interactive art this breathtaking puzzler is one of the most innovative games we have ever seen. With a blend of Cut the Rope, Angry Birds, and other games mechanics you’ll surely be entertained! App Store Link
Infinty Field-(ForzeField) 0.99
This is the first dual stick shooters that has actually stuck on my device for more than a week and is perfect for those few fleeting moments you have during your bathroom breaks and when your teacher is looking the other way. All in all I highly suggest you try this game out for the low asking price of 0.99. I promise you wont be disappointed. App Store Link
Temple Run- (Imangi) 0.99
Endless runners are a well done genre in the App Store but this game takes a turn where few other dare to go….3D. You are frantically running away from the angry temple guardians who feel you violated the sanctity of their temple. By swiping you jump, turn and slide around all sorts of obstacles and passages. The replayabiltiy is off the hook and I have once spent 2 hours straight playing the game. I highly recommend you try this for the low cost of 0.99. App Store Link