Everyone wants a spouse with a good goblin voice.

On This Episode:

• Carter chats with Josh Presseisen of Crescent Moon Games to talk about Ravensword: Shadowlands, the studio’s new open-world RPG. Topics include the long development time of the game, just how big the world is, and the game’s voice acting, including a much better role for Josh’s wife as compared to the original. As well, we talk published title Last Knight, along with some of the titles that alternative label Forest Moon Games is publishing as well.

Episode Cast:

• Host: Carter Dotson
• Guest: Josh Presseisen, Crescent Moon Games

Music:

• “Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)” by The Eternal – Download on iTunes here:
• “Nanocarp” by The Eternal

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Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

$6.99

Ravensword: Shadowlands

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-12-20 :: Category: Games

Way back in 2009, Crescent Moon Games released an open-world RPG named Ravensword: The Fallen King. After years of titles developed and/or published by the studio, including various other RPGs, it’s returning to its big original hit, and it’s promising to be bigger and better than ever. Meet Ravensword: Shadowlands. Releasing on December 20th, it’s not only going to contain a massive open world, with numerous quests and things to discover, rivaling even console and PC open-world games, but it could be one of the best-looking games on the platform, as evidenced with my time on a near-final build.

The first hours of the game set the tone that this is an open world, and once the opening tutorial scene is finished, it’s open season. A town with dozens of buildings and giant detailed landscapes are immediately available. Want to go on the main quest, to discover what happened to the main character after the battle of Heronmar? Sure, do it. Want to mess around and join a guild, and help random citizens, affecting the character’s reputation? Do that, too. The game won’t say anything about it. In fact, doing a lot of side quests and exploring is highly recommended, because there’s plenty of tough foes that will come in the way, and the game prefers trial by fire. Spoiler alert: trolls and bears are a lot tougher than goblins and deer.

Weapon-based combat is simple: tap the attack button to use a weapon, tap on an enemy to target it, and hold down on attack to raise the shield. It does mean that shielding is not necessarily the most intuitive thing, but it does keep the controls from being overly-complicated. Magical items can add a third button for special attacks, and weapons and items can be set as quick use buttons at the bottom of the screen. In general, the best way to raise a stat like shielding or a weaponry type is to use it, or train it at a guild.

The game is going to be absolutely packed with content, if the sense of scale is anything to be believe: anywhere visible on land may actually be accessible in the game. Even many of the NPCs feature voice acting (usually for their first line), and a voice actor who worked on the Elder Scrolls series provides many of the NPC voices.

iPhone 5 owners are in for a treat: the game looks absolutely stunning, and only stutters occasionally in towns, for example. The build I have is “near-final” so it may or may not be sorted out, though the game is generally quite smooth. The draw distance is unparalleled as well.

Playing Ravensword: Shadowlands for several hours already, it feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface of this game, and there’s still mountains of content to discover. Between the vast landscape to uncover, and stories to unfold, this game could take a long time to truly discover all it holds.

Josh Presseisen, founder of Crescent Moon Games, is taking a big leap by launching a second publishing label for new types of games that he and his company thought were really interesting, but didn’t fit with its portfolio. Thus, Forest Moon Games was born. Titles published by Forest Moon promise to be an eclectic bunch, but according to Josh Presseisen, “the label will focus on casual, 2D, experimental (some 3D), pixel and retro games. This was largely influenced by many of the submissions I received at Crescent Moon Games, that didn’t fit the style of Crescent Moon.”

Crescent Moon is largely known for its specific style of games both in their look and play style. They primarily boast 3D graphics, and play with some core gamer elements, though titles like Paper Monsters and Mutant Storm are of course very different when compared with each other, yet still published by the same company. However, there’s often a visual style between the games that is shared, that gives them a kind of cohesiveness that other publishers like Chillingo lack.

However, don’t expect all of Forest Moon’s games to look the same. Josh Presseisen claims that “Forest Moon Games will have a consistent quality but not sure share the same look as Crescent Moon.”

Games start launching this fall under the Forest Moon label. They include Invader Eliminator from Underground Pixel, known for Holiday Havoc and Pastry Panic. Relic Rush is another pixel art game from Jason Pickering, an action-puzzle game. 300 Dwarves from Nimbi Studios will feature hand-drawn graphics, non-linear progression, and of course: dwarves. J.A.M. from Neptune Interactive promises to be a “shoot-em-up with style.” There are 6 titles planned for this fall, and more in the future.

The selection process is quite simple for Josh Presseisen: “I am picking the ones that I like the best. I get a lot of submissions, so I do have to sort through them and see which fit with my vision for the new label. If a game is fun, polished, and interesting or unique – then it has a good chance of fitting in on Forest Moon.”

This is hardly the end for Crescent Moon either, as Josh Presseisen plans on continuing to publish games under that label. These include Topia, The Last Knight, and a couple of followups to previous popular titles.

Crescent Moon’s titles have always been noteworthy because they have had a polish to them that often does come from having an outside publisher that can step in to the process, and Josh Presseisen is often very hands-on with the visual work that he brings to the table. It will be interesting to see what gamers will get with new titles from the same braintrust, but with a different goal.

From the first moment video game consoles began to appear in homes across the world, there were people who longed to take the experience with them wherever they might go. And as rapidly as technology might improve, it’s still not easy to replicate the console experience on a handheld device. But it is possible, even on gadgets that weren’t created with video games as their primary function. With that in mind, we present an iOS title that many of us here at 148apps believe is worthy of being called a console-quality game.

*NOTE: “Console-quality” refers to the quality of the experience, not just the graphics. This is about the depth of gameplay, content, and in some cases how accurately it portrays the ideals of its console counterpart.*

The Backstory
An unlikely hero with a tragic past. A mystery to unravel. Revenge to be had. After some fiddling with avatar creation Aralon: Sword and Shadow begins with a bit of a foggy back-story about the main character’s father and indications of political corruption. Players work their way through a few tutorials masked as quests – thankfully no “kill the rats in the tavern cellar” tasks – then set out on their quest of discovery and redemption. And what a quest it turns out to be.

The Gameplay
Aralon: Sword and Shadow is the very thing many iOS owners have been clamoring for; an open-world fantasy RPG. Enemies, treasures, and hidden areas are strewn throughout the land just begging to be defeated, found, and explored respectively. There are plenty of skills to learn and master, many of which depend on a character’s class. Factions are available for joining. Potions can be crafted from plants and other items harvested throughout the environment. Quests of all sorts can be found and taken just about anywhere. There are even a number of side tasks such as fishing to keep players distracted. In essence; it creates one of the most expansive, content rich worlds ever seen in an iOS game.

How Does It Play?
Aralon: Sword and Shadow is a fantasy RPG set in a massive fully-explorable world, with day/night cycles, mounts, few boundaries, and is playable in first or third-person. It sounds quite a bit like an Elder Scrolls game, doesn’t it? Well it kinda is. Virtually every aspect of Aralon’s gameplay is reminiscent in some manner of Bethesda’s acclaimed series; from the traversal to the crafting. The land may not be quite as large or borderless as those found in Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim, but the spirit of exploration is certainly comparable.

Touch controls and hardware constraints aside, Aralon: Sword and Shadow basically is an Elder Scrolls game for iOS devices. The world is huge and full of secrets, there are lots of items to acquire and enemies to vanquish, and most importantly it’s incredibly easy to spend hours doing non story-related tasks. And honestly, I can’t think of a better game to call a console-quality iOS game.

$4.99

Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-12-16 :: Category: Games

Get hooked!

On This Episode:

Episode Cast:

Contact The Show: Email | Twitter

Music:

“Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)” by The Eternal – Download on iTunes here:

How to Listen:

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

$0.99

Slingshot Racing

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-05-24 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Are You Quick Enough? 2 Pro - The Ultimate Reaction Test

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-06-05 :: Category: Games

Hearts alive!

On This Episode:

Host Carter Dotson and Josh Presseisen of Crescent Moon Games discuss the publisher’s role in the games they release, as well as some of their recent titles. As well, they discuss the free-to-play trends in iOS games, along with the ways that Crescent Moon titles implement in-app purchases.

Who We Are:

Music:

“Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)” by The Eternal – Download on iTunes here:

How to Listen:

Apps Mentioned on This Episode:

$2.99

Raid Leader

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-09 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Paper Monsters

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-01-26 :: Category: Games

$2.99

Ravensword: The Fallen King

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-11-17 :: Category: Games

FREE!

$0.99

Deadlock: Online

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-07-21 :: Category: Games

Random Musings of the App Store

New iTunes brings fresh App Store

Among the goings-on at the 9.9.09 Apple event was the release of iTunes 9.0 which included a redesigned App Store. To sum up the changes in one word – “clutter.” It seems as if Apple has challenged themselves to fit as many app icons on one page as possible. There are some nice changes, but they are masked by the overall clutter. Top 100′s are now top 200′s, though looking over the lists now causes eye damage. There is now a top grossing app list, though it is hidden at the bottom of the page and used in conjunction with the top volume list making it confusing for all. Tabs at the top of iTunes are nice though the drop down App Store categories are initially hard to find. One of the new iTunes is the ability to organize iPhone app icons from iTunes. Though it’s not perfect, this new feature is infinitely preferable to organizing on the iPhone itself.

Gameloft clones

Gameloft is really wearing thin on me with their clones. GTA is more of a genre now, so I was ok with Gangstar, but with their COD4 clone (Modern Combat) and Soul Caliber clone (Blades of Fury), I’ve had enough. These games certainly show off the iPhone as a gaming platform, but there comes a point when I just can’t get excited about exact clones of existing games. These aren’t rough clones either, they’re almost indistinguishable. Gameloft is a talented developer, but in order to start making memorable games, they’re going to have to show the creativity involved in creating games like Sway and Gomi, two indie darlings. For now though, all the upcoming Gameloft games are clones, including a Diablo clone, a Mario Kart clone, and a Halo clone.

Exciting upcoming games

In contrast to Gameloft, here are some trailers for some games I’m really excited about. Enjoy!

iBlast Moki:

Hybrid: Eternal Whisper:

Ravensword: the Fallen King

Well, you were all horribly wrong, but sf49lu wins the $15 gift card for being the most detailed in his wrong predictions. Congratulations, Chris will email you your winnings as soon as he stops watching football.

Apps of the Week

Sadly, there were no apps good enough to be deemed worthy of this award. Blades of Fury was lacking, Madden was disappointing, and I haven’t gotten a chance to play Dexter yet. See you all next week!