2D action RPGs are always a popular genre. People (myself included) love the simplicity of fighting, looting, leveling, upgrading and crafting. BeerDeer wants to offer players more than that, hence the creation of Nyrthos. It’s still every bit all of those things I’ve mentioned, but it adds a new element to the mix: player influence. It’s not something as pedestrian as choosing from a dialog bog and seeing a good or bad event unfold, however.
In Nyrthos, the exploration of the world and availability of new areas is driven by the player base. One example given is that there might be a broken bridge that can be fixed once enough wood is gathered. If enough players decide to commit to the cause, the bridge will be repaired and the area beyond accessible to everyone. Similarly, players can found and manage their own village. They have a great deal of influence on the game world, and thanks to that the possibilities are practically endless.
Nyrthos will be entering open beta in the very near future (Q1, 2012), and anyone interested in taking a look can sign up on the official website. Pricing and release info are still non-existent at this point, which is to be expected, but we’ll do our best to keep everyone up-to-date.
Sarge and his partner Trysh have been contracted for a dangerous job. They have to disable a beacon hidden aboard an human ship that, if activated, could prove disastrous in the ongoing war between the United Terra Initiative and the alien Nova Imperium.
Sounds rough, right? But hey, a guy’s gotta pay his bills somehow. There’s never a dull moment in the life of an interstellar mercenary.
Sarge is the newest iOS release from Avalinx. Over six stages of hand-drawn 2D brawling, players will control the eponymous merc as he wades fist-first through hordes of alien foes in his quest to save the planet Zephyr… and get paid in the process.
The visuals are all hand-drawn, and from the trailer it appears that the fully-voiced story has a quirky sense of humor to match the cartoony presentation. There is nothing about that last sentence that is in any way unappealing to me.
Hurry up, though. Because while Avalinx is releasing Sarge for the very agreeable price of free, they’ve stated that it’s only for a limited time. So punch that time clock and start racking up an alien body count already.
The team over at PowPowGames has announced the release of its first iPhone game, Rocket Boy 2D. The colorful side-scroller offers over 35 guns and more than 70 items to collect and use across three worlds. What sets Rocket Boy 2D apart from other titles of this type, however, is its RPG-esque leveling system which calculates stats and damage leading to unlockable content and powerups.
As the enemies, which range from aliens to zombies, get tougher the leveling up process allows you to equip more powerful weapons and skills in order to remain competitive. Rather than just blindly moving to the next available gun, users can choose which areas they wish to enhance in order to defeat the more challenging levels later in the game.
The control system also sounds interesting, using a mixture of the accelerometer for moving the character and touch input to aim and fire a weapon. As you would expect from the name of the game, the hero is also the proud owner of a jetpack which is controlled by the user’s thumb.
From what we’ve seen so far, Rocket Boy 2D looks like a fun arcade game with some interesting takes on the genre and, should the control system work as fluidly as promised, will likely become an addictive time waster for your iPhone or iPod touch.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted January 11th, 2010 by Bonnie Eisenman Our Rating: :: SIMPLY FANTASTIC
Canabalt is a daringly simple platformer with frantic gameplay and a wonderful attention to detail. The sensation of movement is exhilarating, and like Doodle Jump, it's the simplicity that will keep you coming back for more.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted December 3rd, 2009 by Bonnie Eisenman Our Rating: :: FANTASTIC MUST-HAVE
MiniSquadron is a phenomenal, whimsical 2D shooter with well-honed controls and personality to spare. It's addicting, to put it mildly, and who doesn't like blowing stuff up? This is a must-have.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted April 1st, 2009 by Bonnie Eisenman Our Rating: :: AVERAGE
Radio Flare is a musical side-scrolling shooter with a soundtrack that dynamically morphs as you play, responding to your actions. While I love the audio and believe that its spot as an IGF finalist in Audio Achievement is definitely deserved, the core gameplay ultimately failed to hook me.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted March 27th, 2009 by Bonnie Eisenman Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Bounce On is a great 2-D platformer and loads of fun. Instead of a plumber in red overalls, you're Bounce, a sentient red bouncy ball on a quest to return to your owner's pocket. It's cute, polished, fun, and has a perfect difficulty curve that will keep you playing this one for quite a few hours.
This week at 148Apps, Tweetbot was on a roll, a new storybook app joined the fold, and - oops - apps broke the Super Bowl. There's more to read, so get to it!
2D action RPGs are always a popular genre. People (myself included) love the simplicity of fighting, looting, leveling, upgrading and crafting. BeerDeer wants to offer players more than that, hence the creation of Nyrthos. It’s still every bit all of those things I’ve mentioned, but it adds a new element to the mix: player influence. It’s not something as pedestrian as choosing from a dialog bog and seeing a good or bad event unfold, however.
:: SPECIAL
Sarge and his partner Trysh have been contracted for a dangerous job. They have to disable a beacon hidden aboard an human ship that, if activated, could prove disastrous in the ongoing war between the United Terra Initiative and the alien Nova Imperium.
The team over at PowPowGames has announced the release of its first iPhone game, Rocket Boy 2D. The colorful side-scroller offers over 35 guns and more than 70 items to collect and use across three worlds. What sets Rocket Boy 2D apart from other titles of this type, however, is its RPG-esque leveling system which calculates stats and damage leading to unlockable content and powerups. 
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