Games

Primal Flame – play with fire in this atmospheric arcade game

Many popular atmospheric games use the black, white, and gray color scheme to give you a dreamlike visual experience. The characters might be shadowed in black, while the backdrop is detailed with interesting illustrations.

In Primal Flame, players are surrounded by the dark with only the glow of their flame to show them the way. The backdrops are detailed with interesting illustrations, but it’s the foreground you have to watch out for…

Microsoft to make it easier to add Xbox Live functionality to iOS games

Software maker Microsoft last November released its companion free SmartGlass app on the App Store, giving Xbox One owners a way to connect to their console to browse the web, navigate the dashboard control content, access achievements and more, all from their iPhone and iPad devices.

But Microsoft isn't standing still.

According to a new report by The Verge, the Redmond giant is now looking to push the Xbox Live service cross-platform "in a big way" soon. For months now, Microsoft has been offering tools allowing third-party iOS and Android developers to integrate Xbox Live functionality into their apps and games.

But as games developers balked at Microsoft's required certification process, the company is now looking to "win back" their support by making Xbox Live "a lot easier" to integrate into apps and games...

Solve challenging physics puzzles with Enigmo: Explore

The 2-D puzzle games in Enigmo have been fan favorites since Pangea Software presented them in 2003. The original title launched a sequel in 2009 that feature not just 3-D graphics, but the puzzles themselves are 3-D.

Pangea handed off the series to another game company, Team Chaos, who recently launched the third title in the series on iOS in the form of Enigmo: Explore…

Tony Hawk working on new skateboarding game for mobile devices

Skateboarding legend and mogul Tony Hawk revealed last night that he's working on a new skateboarding game for mobile devices. During an interview with Larry King, Mr. Hawk said that the game will have swipe-based controls and is coming this year.

Unfortunately, very few other details are known about the game—we're not even sure if it's going to launch under the familiar 'Tony Hawk Pro Skater' branding—but given Hawk's track record, we're excited. We have a clip of the Larry King interview below...

Moga teases new MFi Bluetooth controller for iOS 7 devices

Moga didn't make a very good first impression in the iOS 7 controller space. Plagued by the typical new-category teething issues, the Ace Power launched to mostly negative reviews last fall despite its large built-in battery and dual analog joysticks.

But the mobile accessory-maker isn't going to let a little bad press get it down. This week, Moga began sending out a teaser image (seen above) for a new MFi controller. It looks a lot like the Ace Power, but with one big difference: a Bluetooth button...

Nearly one-third of new iOS games are Flappy Bird clones

It's been nearly three weeks since developer Dong Nguyen pulled Flappy Bird from the App Store, but its presence is still very much felt in the Top Charts. It seems every other day another clone of Nguyen's hit game pops up in the list of the most popular apps.

That's not too surprising though, considering that according to The Guardian, a big chunk of new iOS games are Flappy Bird clones. How big of a chunk? Well, looking at a group of 300 new games over 24 hours, the outlet says that one-third were FB knockoffs...

God of Light hits iOS: ingenious physics-based puzzlers featuring a ray of light

Playmous has unleashed a brand new iPhone and iPad game that every fan of physic-based puzzlers should download right away.

Now available in the App Store for your iPhone and iPad in exchange for $1.99, God of Light has you playing as Shiny, an extraterrestrial being that uses his unique ability to project light through the darkness. One just has to see this game in action in order to fully appreciate it.

In a nutshell, the player is tasked with directing rays of energy to reach Sources of Light to activate them and bring light back to Shiny's world. It's an insta-buy, if I ever saw one, here's why...

Warner Bros. launches new ‘Legends of Chima Online’ Lego game for iOS

Warner Bros. has released a new Lego game for iOS this morning called the 'Legends of Chima Online.' The studio has had staggering success with the Lego franchise—it even has a #1 movie out right now—so honestly, why wouldn't it continue to capitalize on it?

As the name suggests, Legends of Chima is an MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) that has you explore the vast and dangerous world of Chima ruled by animal warriors. You can play co-op or solo, and the game works across iOS, Mac and Windows PCs...

Twist your way through a labyrinth of rooms in Oquonie

There is a new trend in indie games now, especially with atmospheric cerebral types. Visually stunning bite-sized casual games that draw you in with interesting graphics and keep you in with innovative mechanics

Oquonie is one such indie game that features bizarre characters set in an illustrated black-and-white world that looks fantastic and offers more to players than just a nice pair of… well, you know…

Perloo is an unpredictable puzzle game

As puzzle games go, the flatter they are, the simpler they are. What I mean by that is, most minimalistic puzzle games are usually fairly simple and don’t require more effort than a bit of logical thinking. They are not traditionally multi-step and don’t usually make your brain turn to mush on the first go.

Perloo is a minimalistic puzzle game that defies logic and reasoning while providing an entertaining series of brainteasers that will keep you on your toes (or, should I say, fingertips)…

Autumn Dynasty review: literally draw your plans to send troops into battle

Real-time strategy games on iOS are some of my favorites. They remind me of Risk, which I played regularly as a kid with my older brother, who was not the least bit merciful of my three less years on the earth than him. Maybe his take-no-prisoners attitude when playing strategy board games has led me to the life of a game reviewer. Maybe he was just a big old meany.

Autumn Dynasty – RTS is a strategy game that lets you draw where you want to send your troops by making circles and lines on the screen. Dragging your finger has never created so much destruction…

How to play Game Boy games via mobile Safari, no jailbreak required

Following up last week's run of webNES comes a new mobile Safari-based emulator that allows you to play old school games on your iOS device without jailbreaking. The site is called Ben Midi’s Gameboy, and as the name suggests, it lets you play Game Boy games in-browser.

Unlike webNES, however, there's no way to add ROMs. This can be both a good and bad thing, depending on your preferences. It's good in that you can start playing one of 13 pre-loaded Game Boy games in seconds, but bad in that you can't add any games outside of those 13...