In the gaming world, the classic action-RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic hardly needs an introduction, even a decade after its original release on the first Xbox. If you somehow haven't played KotOR before, or if you've already played it but feel nostalgic enough to do it again, then you're in luck. To celebrate May 4th, the game has gone…
Blek is a game for iPhone and iPad that relies on your imagination to solve its puzzles. The goal seems simple enough—hit all the colored dots without touching the black ones—but exactly how you accomplish this is up to you. Draw any line or shape with your finger, and it will repeat that motion in a pattern until the line leaves the…
Horn, a Zelda-like game for iOS, is currently being featured as Apple's App of the Week (today being Friday, April 18th, 2014). It had been on my wish list for a while, and when the price suddenly dropped from $7 to free, I leapt at the opportunity. I'm glad I did. This is a super fun and engaging game, with interesting characters,…
I've been a fan of Tim Schafer's games since I was a kid, especially Grim Fandango and Psychonauts. The guy is a fantastic storyteller whose games are often charming, humorous, and even a little strange (in the best way). Schafer's newest point-and-click adventure game for Mac and PC, Broken Age, proves that he hasn't lost his touch. There are two teenage protagonists…
Monument Valley is a new game for iPhone and iPad that was clearly inspired by the art of M.C. Escher. You play as Ida, a silent princess who must navigate and exit a series of seemingly impossible architecture by solving puzzles and avoiding the strange inhabitants of each world. Each level presents a structure that looks impossible to traverse, but by moving…
From the department of things that are both tools and toys: ToolChess is a handsome, handmade chess set with pieces fashioned from everyday nuts and bolts. The sets are crafted by a father-son duo, and the proceeds help sponsor kids at one of their local chess schools. These guys put some great presentation into their product—every chess piece is finished with a…
Tengami is a new game for iOS (universal) that places you in the role of a samurai who must explore a mystical pop-up book world. In this world, you are able to "page" through various backdrops and interact with the various elements on-screen. It sounds a little strange on the surface, but it's actually quite relaxing and enjoyable. The textures in Tengami…
Well this is certainly a blast from the past. Nearly a week ago, Square Enix quietly released Final Fantasy VI to the iOS App Store, and I only heard about it yesterday. This isn't just a basic port of the classic SNES game either, they've revamped most of the graphics and several in-game mechanics. Here's an example of the new character sprite…
Chances are, if you're someone who enjoys playing strategy games on iOS, then you're already familiar with Clash of Clans. Although I enjoyed the first few days of playing it, the only real way to have a good time is by using real money to purchase a bunch of in-game gems; otherwise, things just take way too long to build. As luck…
Occasionally, a well-designed puzzle game for iOS comes along that takes the tech community by storm. A while back it was Letterpress, and today it's a game called Threes! Like Letterpress, Threes! takes place on a grid, it uses red, white, and blue game tiles (each of which has a unique character personality and voice), and it has charming animations and sound…
Announced at CES 2014, the SteelSeries Stratus is a wireless controller designed for playing iOS games. The Xbox-like controller design will be instantly familiar to any modern gamer, right down to the twin analog sticks and four shoulder buttons. Up to four of these can be connected to a single iOS device for multiplayer games. Eli Hodapp of TouchArcade reviewed the Stratus,…
We've mentioned the game Machinarium in the past, but I think it's worth bringing up again, for three reasons: The first time we posted about it, the game was only available for the iPad. Now it's a universal app so you can enjoy it on your iPhone as well (although iPad is probably still the best experience). It made The Sweet Setup's…
I've always been kind of a sucker for geeky kid stuff. I grew up watching shows like Bill Nye the Science Guy and Beakman's World, and of course I had one of those Creepy Crawlers bug-maker kits. Now that I'm a dad, I like to keep an eye out for these same kinds of geeky things I can share with my son…
When I was in marching band back in high school, one of the ways my friends and I chose to pass the time during competitions (when we had nothing better to do than stand by the school bus and wait our turn) was play Hacky Sack in the parking lot. I still have one of my old hacky sacks from those days,…
There's not much I can say about a playing card deck because they're almost all the same. I just thought this one by Best Made Company was cool enough to point out because of the excellent artwork on its cards. Great stocking stuffer idea, and at only $8 it's not too bad a deal.
Super Squares is a simple and fun new puzzle game for iOS. To beat each level, you must find a way to connect each colored block with its twin and make sure every star on the grid has been "collected" along the way. It's easy to pick up the the basics, but there is some challenge added (in the form of brick…
Remember that Snake game that used to be on Nokia cellphones back in the day? Nimble Quest is an iPhone game that combines the mechanics of Snake with those of a 16-bit RPG. You choose a hero, hit Play, and it puts your character on an open field with enemies continually spawning across the map. Swipe in different directions to move your…
This Wednesday (July 10, 2013) is the 5th anniversary of the iOS App Store. There hasn't been any official announcement from Apple yet (Update: Now there has), but we've found that several popular developers are offering their top apps and games for free this week. If you've never gotten around to trying these out, now's your chance. We will try to keep…
There have been many Chess games available for iPhone since the App Store opened up a few years ago, but most of them aren't really designed with the iPhone's screen in mind. Rather than taking advantage of the available screen real estate, they're typically cluttered with ugly and unnecessary UI. Not so with Tall Chess, released only a few days ago. All…
At at event today in Redmond, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, the company's next-gen gaming console. The new system includes all-new innards, with deep integration with live TV, a more powerful LIVE system and a new Kinect sensor that includes very powerful voice controls. The controller is all new, too. The new console doesn't have a release date or price yet, but…