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Rage of Bahamut is Giving Almost All of its Events the Axe

Posted by Rob Rich on July 3rd, 2015
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: BETTER THAN IT LOOKS :: Read Review »

The App Store isn't what it used to be back in 2012, so it's not unexpected to see some games changing their structures with the times. Now we can add Rage of Bahamut to that list with the recent announcement that the game is severely cutting back on the number of events it holds.

Topple 2, the ngmoco:) Classic is Coming Back!

Posted by Jeff Scott on May 6th, 2013

We recently ran into Barry Dorf, Senior Director of Third Party for DeNA, previously ngmoco:). Dorf mentioned that we just might be surprised what we saw in the App Store this week. And surprised we are indeed. The ngmoco:) classic iOS game Topple 2 is getting re-released!

You may or may not remember ngmoco:), so a little history first. ngmoco:) was the first game development studio set up purely for iOS game development. Heavily funded by the iFund, and founded by industry veteran Neil Young, ngmoco:) was a studio created before its time. Unfortunately, its games were critical successes, but relative sales failures. This was when the market was considerably smaller and focused only on paid games. ngmoco:) tried to make the switch to free to play games with Rolando 2--the first game to take advantage of in-app purchases on iOS. But that was not enough to make the ngmoco:) model a success. In came DeNA from Japan, looking for a US foothold. ngmoco:) was the perfect fit and was absorbed into the company. Initially ngmoco:)/DeNA US released a few games that did well, but not amazing. These were great games, now pulled from the App Store like GodFinger, We Rule, etc. Those have all been archived. Recently the majority of the games released by DeNA in the US have been English versions of games popular in Japan. Rage of Bahamut is an example of an extremely successful import. In my opinion, these are less interesting games, but obviously money makers.

Topple 2 is the now-classic block stacking game first released by ngmoco:) way back in what could be considered the golden age of iOS gaming. All of the early games from ngmoco:) were interesting, designed well, unique, and all sported a very touch-centric control scheme. But these early games are, if nothing else, a huge part of the short history of gaming on iOS. So it's great to think for a moment that those classics may be updated and re-released for modern iOS devices and playable by the now 400+ million iOS gamers. An iPad version of Star Defense or Rolando would also be amazing.

We spoke with Barry Dorf about the updated classics.

148Apps: So, Topple 2 is coming back?! That's fantastic. What lead to it being revived from the archive?

Barry Dorf: At DeNA we always strive to delight consumers. We saw an opportunity to bring back Topple 2 from the archives and provide fans a fun gameplay experience while also introducing new players to the game.


148Apps: ngmoco:) has some fantastic games in the portfolio. Some of the first big iOS games from 2009-10. I would even argue that the ngmoco:) games were ahead of their time and that could be why they didn't make amazing amounts of money. We'd love to see more of them come back, updated for the new screen sizes and for the iPad. Any chance we'll see Star Defense, Rolando, Dropship or any of the other classics too?

Barry: How come you didn't mention MazeFinger and Dr. Awesome? :)

But seriously...

DeNA's portfolio of games is pretty amazing. We're going to wait and see how Topple 2 does before we consider reviving more titles. We encourage everyone to download Topple 2 and give us a reason to revisit bringing back other games.


So there you have it, the classics may live on. Hopefully we will all enjoy this updated game from the early days of iOS gaming. Let us know--do you think it was a game before its time, or does it seem dated now? What other ngmoco:) classics would you like to see come back?

Take a look at this video of the original Topple 2 trailer. We'll let you know when Topple 2 hits the App Store; it could be as early as today.

Rage of Bahamut Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary With New Infographic

Posted by Andrew Stevens on March 22nd, 2013
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: BETTER THAN IT LOOKS :: Read Review »

Rage of Bahamut is a free-to-play fantasy themed card game and is celebrating its one year anniversary by releasing an infographic featuring all the accomplishments it had over the past year. Some of the facts listed in the infographic include: Over 10 million players worldwide forming 93 thousand teams. Over 172 million cards have been collected in one month alone while a total of 10 million PvP battles have been fought. It spent 202 days as a top 10 top-grossing game in the app store and has accumulated over 2 million Twitter mentions.

Click to see the whole graphic

Favorite Four: Card Games

Posted by Jennifer Allen on March 18th, 2013

Card games are one of the oldest methods of gaming out there, so it's no great surprise that they've converted well to modern technology such as our beloved iOS devices. The App Store is overflowing with different card games, ranging from typical solitaire games to trading card titles. We've taken a look at our four favorite card games out there, at the moment.

Fairway Solitaire
Fairway Solitaire is a modern interpretation of the classic card game of Solitaire. Free and backed up with some very tempting in-app purchases, it offers a huge number of different solitaire games, all based around the game of Golf Solitaire. There's even a glimpse of a story through a mischievous gopher out to cause havoc on the gold course. Even better, there's regular new content thanks to a new courses each day. It should keep both puzzle and card game fans happy for many, many hours.

Rage of Bahamut
It's far from the prettiest of card games out there, but Rage of Bahamut has proven to be quite the phenomenon. It's even hooked the site's Rob Rich since he reviewed it last year. A trading card game full of mystical creatures and magical items, there's a surprising amount of strategical depth to it. Just don't expect it to use iOS's graphical prowess to its full potential.

Assassin's Creed Recollection
Moving onto a card game that does use some of the graphical potential of iOS devices, Assassin's Creed Recollection is ideally suited for fans of the Assassin's Creed world. A war between the Templars and Assassins is brewing in this real-time card game, with plenty of information about the titles available to unlock. There's a story mode, too, offering hours of intriguing missions and political battles.

Full Deck Pro Solitaire
Returning to traditional card gaming, Full Deck Pro Solitaire is a solitaire game that dispenses with all the bells and whistles that Fairway Solitaire comes with, sticking to pure cards. A variety of different games are available within, such as Klondike 3 Card Pyramid, Spider, Golf and Freecell. There's an extra pack to buy, too, including my all time favorite variety: Grandfather's Clock. Those after the classic one player card game experience should revel in this.

Ghouls, Ghosts, and Goblins are Invading DeNA’s Mobage Social Games Network!

Posted by Rob Rich on October 30th, 2012

While all the little kiddies are out gathering candy - assuming they aren’t out on the East Coast because that would be fairly dangerous given the current circumstances - it can be tough figuring out what the rest of us can do with our time. Sure there might be the odd Halloween party and there’s always sitting around waiting for trick-or-treaters. But what’s a person to do with their downtime? Why not take to the App Store and sample a bunch of new Halloween content that’s just been added to a number of DeNA titles?

Blood Brothers - The most recent “gather creatures and strengthen/evolve them” game to come from Mobage is having a special Grave of Kings event. Players can nab some event-only familiars (complete with jack-o-lantern masks) until November 1st. Or until the special raid boss event ends. Which will also be on November 1st. So yeah.

Deity Wars - Starting now and continuing through October 31st players will be able to participate in a special live event to try and earn both rare cards and the expected Halloween-themed in-game items. Nothing like mixing a few ghosts and goblins with gods, right?

Fantasica - Guard your dreams! A bunch of Halloween nightmares have been let loose and players must band together to fight them off. The special event runs through the 31st and will give us all the chance to win some special loot and cards. I feel like I should reinstall this just so I can ogle the new characters because I love the artwork so much.

Kingdom Wars! - Get your hands on some limited time Halloween Edition Dungeon card packs and hopefully bring a ghost, witch, or other nightmarish monstrosity into the ranks. “Mwahahahahaha!!!” and all that.

My Monster Rancher - Rather than focusing on special event monsters (although there are those, too), My Monster Rancher is tossing lots of special prizes and costume items into the pot cauldron. Witch hats, pumpkin heads, and more await!

Ninja Royale - This Halloween a bunch of vampires chose the wrong ninja to try and snack on. In addition to the special themed drops a special jack-o-lantern clan, CARVER, has been added. Seriously though, of all the human prey to hunt why would vampires want to go after a ninja?

Pocket Planes - We’re all familiar with ferrying bitizens back and forth to earn some cash. We’re also accustomed to hauling a bunch of the little pixel people and their gear to special destinations for specific purposes. Now we can fly lots of ghouls, candy, and whatnot around until the 31st. Let’s make sure these bitizens have a Halloween they’ll never forget!

Rage of Bahamut - Granted I’m used to special events in this CCG but I’ve yet to take part in any that were holiday themed. This time it’s going to be the Manor of Illusions, complete with plenty of special items and cards to earn. I suppose it’s time to start stockpiling more cure waters.

Tiny Tower - Not even Tiny Tower is safe from the horrible spirits roaming the App Store. Granted the ghostly costumes have been available for bitizens to wear for quite some time but now there’s a special Halloweed-themed mission to complete. And you can dress them up and start haunting your tower’s floors now through the end of the month.

New App: War of Heroes

Posted by Rob LeFebvre on October 18th, 2012
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad

Team up with your favorite Marvel heroes in this digital card game on DeNA/ngmoco's Mobage social games platform--the same folks who produced Rage of Bahamut. I got to see the game at PAX this year, and it looks to play similarly, but with Marvel Heroes and an original Marvel storyline.

The game consists of more than 200 types of cards featuring heroes and villains from the Marvel universe; players recruit classic Marvel characters into their decks, such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Punisher, Captain America, Black Widow, The Hulk, Thor, Dr. Strange and many others. By evolving and fusing characters’ powers and abilities, players build stronger teams capable of challenging the most dangerous foes. New Marvel characters and events tied to the Marvel Universe will be added to the game on a regular basis, ensuring a continuously evolving gameplay experience.

The Portable Podcast, Episode 157

Posted by Carter Dotson on October 2nd, 2012

Please excuse the popping sounds throughout the episode, the recording software was a very bad boy for mysterious reasons and has been sent to bed without his supper.

On This Episode:

  • 148Apps Senior Writer Rob Rich finally reveals the question plaguing everyone's mind: just why are people playing Rage of Bahamut, anyway?
  • Recent releases including God of Blades' fantasy world and the flawed energy system of A Space Shooter Blitz are discussed.

  • Episode Cast:

  • Host: Carter Dotson
  • Co-Host: Rob Rich, 148Apps
  • Music:

    How to Listen:

    Apps Mentioned in this Episode:




    Rage of Bahamut Tops the Charts. A Couple of Charts, Actually.

    Posted by Rob Rich on June 14th, 2012
    + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
    Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: BETTER THAN IT LOOKS :: Read Review »

    Back when I first reviewed Rage of Bahamut, I knew that I really liked it. I just had no idea how many other people would be every bit as enamored with it. Turns out a whole lot of people think it’s awesome, because the free-to-play CCG with the ingenious approach to duplicates has hit Number One. Number One on Google Play and the App Store grossing charts.

    It’s a well-deserved honor as far as I’m concerned. The browser-based card game gone portable for mobile platforms offers a wealth of cards to gather (700+) and almost constant special events to keep the community engrossed and involved. Holy Wars have just wrapped up (my Order ranked in the mid-3000’s, which isn’t too bad), leaving lots of players with a bounty of rare cards. And of course, those that aren’t rare can be used to upgrade those that are.

    Reaching the top spot in the App Store as well as keeping said spot for six consecutive weeks on Google Play is no simple feat. It implies that a lot of people are playing. And if that many people are having such a grand old time collecting, trading, and evolving some gorgeous (and powerful) cards on their mobile devices, it stands to reason that it just might be a game worth checking out. And if someone were to check it out, I wouldn’t take offense if they were to use my referral code (lhs90348) at the end of the tutorial to get some extra cash and a special rare card. Just a thought.

    Rage of Bahamut Review

    + Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
    By Rob Rich on May 22nd, 2012
    Our rating: starstarstarstarblankstar :: BETTER THAN IT LOOKS
    It's got one heck of an ugly and not very intuitive interface, but Rage of Bahamut is still an unexpectedly great CCG.
    Read The Full Review »

    FREEday 5/18/12 - "FREE Your Mind for the Journey"

    Posted by Rob Rich on May 18th, 2012

    Free games again? Man, I’m really starting to get tired of--who am I kidding? Games! For free! Isn’t that awesome?? This week we’re a little all over the place with genres and content. Something for almost everybody, and it’s all free.

    The Sandbox - Come on now, this one shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s a shockingly impressive sandbox (har-har) game that allows players to grow their own environments, and even simple machinery, or destroy it as they see fit. Lots of elements to unlock that play off of each other in interesting ways and a virtually limitless potential for creation make it a must-have even without accounting for the whole being free thing.

    Pawns Unleashed - I’m more than a little excited for Dragon’s Dogma, which is due out in less than a week (!!!). Of course I plan to use this location-based treasure hunter fill the (admittedly small) gap, but it can certainly keep people busy even after the console release.

    Cuboid Free - I’ve always wanted to check out this game, but never got around to downloading it from PSN. Now that I can try it on my iPhone for free, I don’t really have an excuse to avoid this cube-turning puzzler anymore.

    Quest of Magic: An Adventure in Azoth - Dungeon crawlers? Yes. Free dungeon crawlers? Oh absolutely. A free dungeon crawler made in Mac Gamemaker? Well, it’s a bit questionable but I’m open to just about anything. Especially if it’s free!

    Rage of Bahamut - Gotta love a free-to-play iOS collectible card game. Especially one with gorgeous artwork and daily updates. Having a choice between single and multiplayer is just the icing on a very delicious-looking and affordable cake. Mmmmm… cake…

    Witch Wars - The App Store is no stranger to match-three games, but this is a match-three game about witches. Witches who fight each other. Although what interests me most is the promise of constant character unlocks, multiple modes, and individual (and upgradable) skills that help to set each witch apart.