Tag: Death Rally »

What? You think you are going to finish first? That's not what my maxed out gatling gun says! Oh, yeah!!

Well, with Death Rally, this type of intense and action-packed racing is now, once again, available for free. Even if the gatling gun isn't your weapon of choice, there are plenty of other weapons for you to engage in battle with. If you haven't yet, check it out! Or, heck, wait till it goes free again next time.

Remedy's Death Rally is celebrating Easter with a semi-appropriate update, along with other features. To celebrate the holiday, Easter eggs providing battle modifiers are now spread throughout the game's various multiplayer tracks. As well, daily play rewards have been added to this version 2.3 update, granting more free battle modifiers for the more consecutive days that a player plays.

That's not all! Did you buy the new iPad? Are you sick of seeing the game scaled from original iPad resolution? Be sick no more, as the game now is optimized for the iPad 3rd generation. A new Dukematch mode has been added to the multiplayer mode, adding a destruction derby arena where everyone has weapons, and all must try to take down the venerable Duke Nukem himself.

As a bonus for these new features, Remedy has seen fit to drop the price of in-app purchases on weapons and cars for the multiplayer mode in celebration of Easter, because that's what the holiday is really all about, right? Buying big guns to take out everyone else on the road?

Note that this update appears to either wipe out players' progress, according to several angry comments on Facebook and App Store reviews, and in my tests, content that was previously unlocked was not, due to an apparent issue with IAP not being properly unlocked on the update, so updater beware.

Part One: Games 16 - 25
In what was another fantastic year in the world of iOS apps & games, we are here to bring you the fifty titles that we, the staff of 148Apps, thought were the best of the year. Here are the gaming titles 6 - 15 in our Best Games of 2011:

15. Temple Run: There are typically two kinds of endless games: the horizontal endless runners, and the vertical endless jumpers. Well, here's the third kind: running into the screen, moving left to right, making swift decisions to avoid obstacles or turn in the correct direction. The originality was well-appreciated, and the game is quite fun, to boot. With its shift to free to play, it also serves as one of the best examples of how to do this business model in a fair way.

14. Scribblenauts Remix: When the first Scribblenauts game came out on the Nintendo DS in 2009, I immediately thought that with the need to type things in, and constant touchscreen usage, that it would work perfectly on the finger-friendly capacative touch screen of iOS devices. I am proud to report 2 years later that I was right. The puzzle platforming game where the items can be created from a vast dictionary of items, and modified with a series of adjectives, is as entertaining as ever, and is right at home on iOS.

13. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing - When Sega puts their full effort into a project, the quality really comes through. It's a serviceable kart racer with the standard weapons and powerups available, with great controls and a useful turbo boost mechanic. That it's on iOS gives it a lot of points where on other platforms it might just be another fun kart racer, but the fact is that this is a really good game, with top of the line features for iOS, even with a fun online multiplayer mode, which is something that is still always cool to check out on the platform. As well, the Sega fan service is part of the fun, too - racing through a Jet Set Radio series level while piloting a rocket piloted by a ChuChu from ChuChu Rocket feels more special than racing any Mario character at this point.

12. Whale Trail: 2011 was a great year for endearing protagonists and endless runner games. Whale Trail was one of the true gems of the year, as it was a beautifully-designed game: the art was top-notch, the music composed by Gruff Rhys helped create a magical and whimsical world, and the gameplay was forgiving, but rewarded precision. The new challenge mode adds a new wrinkle to the game, as it provides short challenge levels that focus on skillful navigation of set levels, instead of randomly-generated endless levels.

11. Super Crossfire - When I was helping to compile this list from 148Apps' writers, one title kept recurring in the lists: this Chillingo-published shmup. It was one of my favorites as well; being able to flip sides in this Space Invaders-esque game that also boasts super attacks was an ingenious twist. The controls worked very well for a touch screen, the upgrade system was simple but provided a great way to feel more powerful as the game went on. It's a time-tested genre with some modern twists, and it works perfectly.

10. Dead Space - EA did the smart thing in bringing this horror shooter to iOS. They built the game for the platform - they optimized the controls and gameplay to work even with the touch screen involved. This is something that even games designed for the platform fail to keep in mind, and Dead Space just about nailed it. It became a must-play for fans of the franchise by being an original story, as well; it also managed to create a scary atmosphere even on a 3.5 inch screen, though playing on the iPad was definitely quite the experience.

9. iBlast Moki 2 - Each little puzzle in this game is like part of a delicate machine. The solution may be to move a bomb just a couple pixels to the left, or to set it off a 20th of a second later. When this game gets going, it requires the kind of planning, and intellectual approach that a game like Angry Birds, which does rely a lot on the physical act of using the trebuchet to launch the birds, cannot provide. There is nothing quite so satisfying as watching the little Rube Goldberg machine I've constructed of bombs launching fuzzy little creatures around succeed just as I planned, after so many tweaks. The fact that the game also comes with a level editor so robust that Godzilab themselves made all the levels in the game with it is just icing on the cake.

8. Death Rally - Oh, look, it's an isometric racing game with combat. How novel, said the liar. Well, it's free, I might as well check it out. Hey, this is pretty fun. These upgraded weapons are pretty cool. I can race against Duke Nukem? How cool. I really want to beat the Adversary, but I need to race him perfectly. Just one more run, and I've got him. Okay, that was challenging, but I finally did it! Well, that was a novel use of a few minutes...wait, where did my afternoon go? Didn't I have things I was going to do? Whoops. Guess I'll just play some more.

7. Jetpack Joyride: My first extended experience with this game was the day I had to report for jury duty. That day was long, as I had to go through an extensive jury selection process for an important trial. I had plenty of downtime outside of that, and pretty much all of it was spent playing this game. One session turned into another, and then another, and then just one more to try to collect the coins to unlock that new jetpack, or that new outfit. It was some of the most fun any person has ever had on a day where they've been selected for a lengthy trial.

6. NBA Jam: The problem with bringing a lot of retro titles to iOS is the touch screen. Virtual buttons and joysticks are something that people still have problems with, but I myself have gotten used to them and just want people to stop griping about them. However, there is one glaring problem: any game that uses more than 2 buttons that need to be pressed regularly run into issues. The lack of muscle memory for where physical buttons are makes this a hassle. NBA Jam solved this by using a sliding mechanic - there's a turbo button in the bottom right corner, pass button to the left, shoot button above. Sliding from turbo to pass or shoot when needed was simple, and it solved the three-button issue in a way that allowed this game to work its magic on iOS. And really, because the game had both been out of regular circulation in gaming for long enough to feel fresh again, and because its core mechanics were just fantastical enough to work without much tweaking in the modern day, this was just a ton of fun to play on iOS.

Come back on Friday to see the games we selected as the top 5 games of the year 2011.

Fans of the combat racing game Death Rally already know that this is truly the game that keeps on giving.  After snagging tons of acclaim upon release, the title has seen a remarkable SEVEN free updates.  Move over Rovio, because Remedy Entertainment is gunning for the crown of best fan service.

Here is a laundry list of some of the new features included in this well timed holiday present:

• ROAD WARS MULTIPLAYER: Experience the complete multiplayer campaign. Unlock cars and weapons by destroying your opponents. Advance your career. Claim the crown.


• FRIENDS PLAY: Round up your friends on your own Friends Game Channel. Use auto match and never get lost.


• BATTLE MODIFIERS: Turn the odds in your favor. Use Shotgun Blues to make your auto machine gun shoot shotgun shells, or start your race using nitros with Quick Start.


• WAR PAINT: Unique paint job for Shrieker and Vagabond that brings these cars' performance to a whole new level!


• NEW RANK SYSTEM: From Roadkill to Battle-Hardened Captain, track your progress more accurately than ever before on your way to becoming the Adversary. Carry your shield with pride!

Easily the most remarkable piece of this announcement is the addition of a complete campaign focused entirely on multiplayer content.  This kind of support, especially in the arena of multiplayer gaming, is rarely seen this far after a launch.  Plus, all of the added features such as the new ranking system and battle modifiers show an added dedication to keeping the game as balanced as possible.

If you have yet to check out Death Rally, it is well worth a look.  In celebration of the update the game's price has been dropped to ninety nine cents, so now is certainly the opportunity to take advantage.  Fire up the throttle and gear up for one hell of a race.

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There's a second update ahoy for owners of top down street racer, Death Rally, and it brings with it some great new features.

Besides the usual mixture of bug fixes and minor improvements, there's a new track, Eureka, which offers slippery thrills galore with an icy theme and unique camera to boot. You can now collect track parts in order to unlock new levels which makes for a great touch. There's an in-app purchase on offer too with the 'Shadow Man' out to help your progress.

Most interestingly of all is that of the new backup system which means you can restore your game progress based upon your Game Center information. It's the kind of feature I, and no doubt many others, would like to see in more titles ensuring you can continue your game regardless of which device you switch to. Particularly convenient considering Death Rally is an universal app, working on both iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad.

The update is available now for all previous owners of Death Rally, otherwise the app is priced at $2.99.

Remedy Entertainment, best known for the Max Payne series of videogames and Alan Wake, recently unleashed Death Rally to the app store. Death Rally is a top-down, combat racing game, and is actually a remake of the company's first title from 1996. It features a single-player career mode where you can earn money to upgrade vehicles and their accompanying weapons. The core goal is to win races by any means necessary, including wrecking your opponents. There are a few cameo appearances along the way by John Gore of Minigore fame, Barry Wheeler from Alan Wake, and videogame legend Duke Nukem himself, all as boss racers.

From the onset, Remedy released Death Rally as a universal app, and has promised regular, free updates. It has since quickly climbed the app store charts, and the first update has just arrived short of two weeks. Along with bug fixes and other technical enhancements, version 1.1 includes:

New car:
-Unlock the power of the Wraith, a fast and furious NEW SPORTSCAR!

New weapons:
-STRIKER: Dish out massive damage with a weapon that fires multiple rockets!
-LASER SIGHT: Aim and destroy the enemy with more accuracy than ever!

New challenge:
-ALL NITRO CHALLENGE: Do you feel the need for speed?

Remedy has hinted at more updates to come very soon. Besides new tracks and cars, the addition of multiplayer has been promised (both local and online), as well as an appearance by a certain Mighty Eagle. The game originally shipped with 5 vehicle and 5 weapon types, all of which can be upgraded, as well as 5 core track types that are rotated and re-used throughout.

For anyone interested in the original PC game, Remedy has issued a free, re-release of it that has been tailored to run on modern hardware. You can download it from the Remedy Entertainment website.

Death Rally:
If you have fantasies at night of driving around in post apocalyptic worlds Mad Max style, your desires are about to come true in virtual form. With a massive top-down single player racing campaign, unlockable cars and weapons, and plenty of explosions, this game will school any Sunday driver. There is no trick too dirty to win the race at hand. He with the biggest gun really does win.

Tactical Soldier – Undead Rising:
You must lead your squad in this tactical turn based game to uncover the deep dark secrets that lurk in an army research base. The game boasts a 7+ hour story driven campaign that will test your skills in zombie annihilation. The inclusion of Game Center support gives you plenty to brag about as you clear missions in record time. Remember; double tap to ensure those zombies are truly dead.

Drop The Chicken:
It is up to you to guide a chicken through crazy puzzles in this physics based puzzle game. Nothing is ever this simple though. Fans, bombs, saw blades, and more await you at every turn. There are even hidden bonus stages to be found while playing through the game. This is great fun that anyone with a few moments can easily sit down and enjoy!


Maha:
If the official Twitter client has finally driven you insane, Maha is here to save your sanity. Maha separates itself from the sea of Twitter clients by allowing you to fully customize the entire client. That’s right; you can tune the client to your unique taste. Great features like an in-app browser, geotagging, unlimited account handling and more round out this great app.

The Video Cookbook:
Got an urge to cook, but have no idea where to start in the kitchen? The Video Cookbook includes 120 easy to follow video recipes created by current industry professional chefs. The app also includes a glossary to aid you in all the technical jargon, a favorites section, and measuring conversion to get you cooking with skill. Skip the Ramen tonight.