Games for the weekend: Duck Life
A quirky little racing game where you have no control over your duck during the actual race, you instead train your duck to be the best little athlete it can be before each race begins.
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A quirky little racing game where you have no control over your duck during the actual race, you instead train your duck to be the best little athlete it can be before each race begins.
Finding out that the afterlife was not what he expected was more than General Akamoto could handle. Fighting for his death in a tactical, turn-based war was not what he had in mind.
When a puzzle is not just a puzzle, and a story is not just a story, then whatever it is just might be an app created by that crazy adventure that is Simogo.
The real challenge for any size thief is finding all of the hidden treasure that is out there for the taking. This weekend’s Tiny Thief will have you searching high and low.
Get your swiping finger in shape this weekend because this weeks game is all about action. EPOCH.2 is a first rate action shooter that you will not want to miss.
Seeing how a battle’s outcome is affected by one pilot’s decision to bank left rather than right is one thing. Realizing how a series of such events can impact an entire war is a lesson only Sid Meier can teach us.
Just when you thought there were enough games inspired by the game that is Minecraft, along comes a refreshing take on the genre. A new physics based racer titled Blocky Roads.
Put on your hard hat and roll up your sleeves, its time to get to work this weekend. Take over a family construction business and in the process learn how to operate some heavy machinery.
Leave your yuppie-dom behind this weekend and search for your inner beard as you take on some amusing redneck puzzles in what can best be described as an endless puzzle game.
Those aliens just keep trying to take over the planet, and in Dead Space, you get another chance to fight back.
Traveling from planet to planet with little more than a little boy’s dream to be a great scientist some day, Little Galaxy proves to be a fun endless jumper with just enough physics to keep things interesting.
In a world where an endless runner meets up with a puzzle game, you find that your imaginative use of colors will paint your path to freedom.
Running down a long dark corridor for the first time, clearing a room full of monsters, and collecting loot after you win. The basic formula of what makes a classic dungeon crawler fun to play.
Worm your way out of tough battle situations with Worms, a turn-based military strategy game featuring our creepy crawly friends.
The third installment of the Infinity Blade series does not disappoint, and should be a great showcase for the iPhone 5s.
It’s not rocket science, but it’s not a walk in the park either. SimpleRockets allows you to control a rocket, orbit the planet, and return home safely on your iOS device.
Forage for materials, hunt for food, and fend off enemies in Junk Jack X, a survival game for iOS.
If you like your games puzzling, frustrating and rewarding, you might just like The Room, an iOS game where everything you need is hidden in plain sight.
Zombies are everywhere these days, and sometimes it’s better to take them on from the air. Zombie Gunship blends accurate shooting and battlefield strategy as you try to save the world.
This hero of this week’s game is Mikey, who must jump through a series of obstacles to save his friends.
With its stunning graphics and realistic gameplay, starting an online career as a professional jet ski racer could not be more fun.
Take a step back in time this weekend with these four classic arcade shooters for your Mac, iPhone or iPad.
This week’s game is a side-scrolling runner that will drive you, well, bananas. The irony in the game is that the one thing that will kill you is the same thing you desire most.
Game creator James Vaughan has been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to bring the agency’s work to the attention of gamers and educate people about the spread of disease.
Tilt your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch to guide your zombie fish around its 2D tank, collecting points and other fish.
The ghost racer concept allows you to race against your Game Center friends, even when they are not online at the same time you are.
The real-life battlefield game is translated to a turn-based iOS game that can be played solo or with multiple players.
At a place where the grotesque and creepy meet raw steampunk theatrics, Mr. Bulb, the hero of the game, must use his energy to destroy the enemy.
Recent recipient of an Apple Design Award, Ridiculous FIshing is, well, a ridiculous but really fun version of a physics-based fishing game.
Keeping track of the monster combinations you have already bred in order to expand your inventory of unique monsters in your Monsterpedia is the real challenge in the game.
A follow-up to the original Gravity Guy iPhone and iPad game that flips physics on its head yet again.
Inspired by the real world YouTube sensation of the same name, this game uses clouds, buildings, trucks, balloons, fences and even flying saucers as obstacles to sinking the perfect shot.
A carnival-style shooting game that resembles Fruit Ninja — except the targets are trolls, not fruit.
An arcade-style game that is more challenging than it may first appear. If there were such a genre for side-scrolling puzzle games, this game would define it, except for one minor detail: it’s vertical.
Striking a balance between the three different strategies is essential as this game progresses. With no in-app purchases to bankroll a fully manned ship, you must earn a series of tokens as you travel through the galaxy by completing a series of missions.
This week’s game looks like a simple puzzle game but is really about learning complex patterns.
In what plays out as a roller derby style of fighting, you can either race ahead and avoid the fight entirely, or lag behind and take your opponents out one at a time.
This is a great game if you are looking for a platform-based, arcade-style game and, of course, 1980s cartoon heroes.
Block Fortress is a mix of tower defense and first person shooter style games where you must create your own fortress to defend.
What makes this 3D puzzle game truly amazing is the fact that you can create your own levels from photos in your library or ones you take in the game with the camera.
Vector is a side-scrolling runner that mimics the street gymnastics of parkour. The opening cut scene looks like it’s take right out of Apple’s famous 1984 commercial.
Lili has a clever female heroine, large 3D environments to explore from a third-person perspective, and a serious search and find element to it.
Don’t be fooled by the cuteness of this game, it is only a disguise: there is some serious gameplay hidden here.
Flick Champions brings eight different sports games in one app, and each has its own style of game play. Play football, soccer, hockey, tennis, golf, basketball, archery or bowling alone or with friends.
What helps this game stand apart from other role-playing tower defense games multiplayer games is its co-op mode.
The different styles of controlling your vintage fighter planes will appeal to novice and more experienced flight simulator aficionados alike.
One of the most popular games in the iOS App Store is a stress-releasing game with an often silly and ultimately morbid twist.
You don’t steer, you don’t brake, you don’t even step on the gas to accelerate. Instead you use a cable attached to various towers situated around the race track to pull your car to victory.
If you happen to be in bed with the flu this weekend, like many of us, this game may be just what the doctor ordered.
Based on the fakelore story Slender Man invented on the Something Awful forums back in 2009, Slender Rising is the best adaptation yet on the iOS platform.
A remake of the classic side-scrolling fighting game Apple II arcade title, Karateka uses a combination of visual and musical cues for a unique take on an iOS touch-based fighting game.
Cubemen, a combination real-time shooter and tower defense game, is one of the few games available in Apple’s App Store that has managed to implement multiplayer gaming across different platforms, iOS, Mac and Steam.
Bastion is an adventure-based role-playing game in which the main character, known as The Kid, unravels what has happened to his world following the Calamity. In this world you travel from place to place collecting artifacts in an effort to rebuild the Bastion.
Anything you can do in this continuous side-scrolling game to stay on your skis and well ahead of the avalanche is a good thing. Because as soon as the avalanche catches up with you, the game is over.
If you find that the supplied courses of this game are too easy, or too hard, you can always design your own course. The best user-created courses are selected and made part of the “official” game in upcoming releases.
As a follow-up to Tank Hero, Tank Hero Laser Wars is a puzzle game with a twist. You control an armored tank equipped to remove all enemy tanks from the battlefield. But the battle takes place in a locked room.
The graphics of the game are stunning. It is amazing how much action is happening on one screen all at the same time. It’s a great game to get you adrenaline pumping and your fingers punching this weekend.
Galaxy on Fire 2 is a third-person, flight-based shooter that works well on all Apple platforms. You can save your game’s progress to iCloud so you can continue playing out the adventure from wherever you choose.
Deer Hunter Reloaded is a first-person, sharp shooting game that places you on the hunt for big game. The iOS and OSX game’s 3D graphics and realistic sound effects make this an authentic hunting-simulation game.
Up until now, the only way to run Lord of the Rings Online on your Mac was via a program like Codeweaver’s Crossover or running it in Boot Camp. But last week Turbine released a native Mac client for the game.
Pocket Planes is a simulation game where you decide how passengers and cargo are moved from airport to airport. Starting out small and efficient, you quickly learn how fast things can get out of control as you strive control the world, one airport at a time.
The physics in the game seem to be very real and is consistently applied throughout the game. Take some time this weekend and teach yourself through trial and error the basics of bridge building with Bridge Constructor.
The cut-out graphics are bright and cheerful, as are the sound effects and music score. The controls are responsive and easy to learn. Kumo Lumo is fun little game that is sure to lure you in for an hour or two the first time you play.
AirAttack for Mac, iPhone and iPad brings old-school arcade-style gaming into the modern handheld age with a top-down air combat shooter you can touch. What really sets this game apart from others in this genre is it stunning 2D-graphics and assortment of responsive gameplay controls.
It is the weaving in and out of each different mode of the game that keeps you engaged and the gameplay fresh in Horn. The story unfolds at a welcome pace and there are plenty of hidden elements in the village to award the curious adventurer.
Blizzard, being the fine souls they are, have released a Mac version of the latest WoW expansion at launch. The storyline is better than previous expansions, the design is eye-catching, and there are some more creative quests this time around.
While OS X satisfies almost all my computing needs, when it comes to gaming I’m forced to use Boot Camp more often than not. So, when I find out a recently released Windows game has an OS X client available already, you had me at hello.
This Risk-like strategy game has been available on Mac OS X but is now on iOS. If you are not at first impressed by the custom game maps, you will be by the level of control you have over the in-game artificial intelligence.
Pocket Trucks is a side-scrolling physics-based racing game that looks as if it is taking place somewhere in Toy Story. Your vehicle looks like something you’d find in the toy aisle, while the course is more of a puzzle than a traditional race track.
Osmos is an iPhone, iPad and Mac physics-based puzzle game that obeys Isaac Newton’s laws of motion as well as Henri Dutrochet’s osmosis. If the exacting adherence to physics doesn’t impress you, the stunning graphics and subdued original soundtrack will in this long weekend’s top pick.
Games for the Weekend is a weekly feature aimed at helping you avoid doing something constructive with your downtime. Each Friday we’ll…
Despite its playful appearance, this game is true to the shooter genre and will certainly have you on edge from the first moment you pull the trigger. And once you have mastered the art of killing zombies, you can try your hand at going head to head with other online players.
Hunters 2 is a turn-based space strategy game with a whole lot of attention to detail. As a follow-up to Rodeo Games’ first game, this edition builds on all of the features that made the original Hunter game such a great success.
What really draws you in is the speed of the 3D environment, the detail of the in-game elements, and the nostalgic familiarity of the gameplay. This may well be one of the games you keep on your device longer than just a weekend or two.
True to the theme of paper airplanes, your online battlefield is situated in the most common of surroundings: Tabletops, sandboxes and even the front lawn. Your weapons are also fit for such playful activities as spitting spit balls, shooting rubberbands, and setting off firecrackers.
Tentacle Wars is a real-time strategy game where your fingers are the only weapon to fight off a deadly alien disease. With an original game soundtrack and graphics optimized for a Retina display, you will become immersed in biological warfare at the cellular level.
Trainyard is an iOS puzzle game that excels on all levels. You can play in a few minutes as you stand in line or wait for a meeting to begin. It’s Retina-display ready and the developer has taken the time to create a color-blind mode.
Paper Monsters is a classic 2D side-scrolling platform game by Crescent Moon Games and Robots Vs Wizards for iOS devices and the Mac. The graphics are what make this game visually stunning to behold.
Where fantasy-based, castle siege, catapult-style games are concerned, there aren’t too many deviations out there. In fact the genre is quite cliché. But Catapult King gives the category a fun, new perspective.
Is this the defining console game for the iOS platform? LostWinds2: Winter of the Melodias gets really close, thanks to its attention to gameplay detail, stunning mixture of 2D and 3D graphics and a rich story line.
Aiko Island is a physics-based puzzle game that may be familiar to you once you start playing since it incorporates so many elements from several other physics puzzle games. This game relies heavily on colors to play, and even has a bonus color-blind mode.
Monstaaa! is a gravity-based puzzle game that plays like a cross between a 2D labyrinth game and Cut the Rope. It’s an interesting and playful twist at navigating an object through a maze of obstacles that attempts to cross over from puzzle game to platform game.
Defender Chronicles II: Heroes of Athelia is a tower defense strategy game with a character-based RPG element that allows you to take complete control of the players that defend the realm. With five levels of difficulty on each campaign, everyone can have fun playing.
Rope’n’Fly 3 – From Dusk Till Dawn is a side-scrolling physics game where the main character swings between buildings with little more than his momentum to aid him. With it you can begin to experience what it’s like to fly through a metropolis as a Spiderman-like superhero.
Fortress Under Siege is a medieval tower defense game that starts out a little like SimCity as you plan out and build your kingdom, progresses into a more typical Plants vs Zombies strategy game, with a dash of Battleheart troop customization thrown in for good measure.
This game is not anything like playing a game of pool. Remember back to the time you first stepped up to a billiard table, grabbed the nearest pool ball, and sent it crashing into the other balls — that’s a more accurate depiction of Magnetic Billiards Blueprint.
Lunar Racer is a side-scrolling 2D racing game set in space. Your lunar race car is customized to drive on the various moons within our solar system. So what’s the catch? In this racing game you don’t even steer!
I Dig It adds an element of strategy to the classic arcade game Dig Dug. You manage a digging machine that sets out to mine for minerals and other artifacts — only this time it’s up to you to enhance your digger and keep it operational.
Sky Gnomes is a unique social racing game for iOS devices where you customize snow machines driven by gnomes. Powered by snow, it is more difficult that you would think to catch the power-boosting snowflakes as you hurl garden gnomes towards the ground.
Swordigo is a great fantasy-based game that brings all the great aspects of legendary action-adventure games to the iOS platform. There are a few similarities between Swordigo and Nintendo’s original Zelda series. A quest, a map, a hero and a sword. What more does one need?
Fairway Solitaire combines two traditionally single player games into one unique experience: playing golf with a deck of cards while keeping score in solitaire with par being the expected number of cards one has remaining at the end of the game.
Ticket to Ride was one of the earliest games we looked at for this weekly feature, and it’s still a favorite. An update released Thursday upgrades the graphics for the new iPad’s high-resolution display, and makes the game more accessible for color blind users.
League of Evil 2 is the type of game that defines the handheld platform gaming genres: Evil scientists bent on world domination and a cyborg hero with boundless strength and ability. What could possibly go wrong?
Crazy Hedgy is a motion-based 3D platform game for iOS that plays more like a marble maze than that other hedgehog-themed console-based game. Only this gyro-controlled little Hedgy has some skills that no rolling marble can match.
Death Worm is PlayCreek’s iOS rendition of the original independent gaming classic by JTR. Not to be confused with the 8bit Super Mega Worm, Death Worm is a graphically sharp game of eternal carnage that fully supports the iPhone’s Retina display.
This week’s edition features a tower defense game with a sci-fi theme based on the Age of Sputnik, Buck Rogers and a Martian race in need of women. Unstoppable Gorg is a well-polished and detailed game that sets itself apart from other tower defense games.
Beat Hazard Ultra is an asteroid-style, shoot-from-the-middle, space arcade game for iOS that can satisfy the most extreme, old-school Galaga addictions. What makes Beat Hazard Ultra stand out is the fact that game play is set to your own music library.
Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword is one of those games you just have to try out based on the title alone. With its straightforward gameplay and nearly endless level-ups, this game has more to offer than its modern update on that nostalgic alien soundtrack “Woo-EE-Euh.”
In this week’s edition: Bloons 2 ($0.99 Universal) is the latest in a series of highly addictive games by Digital Goldfish featuring a dart-throwing monkey with a thing about popping balloons.
With Chillingo’s iOS title Storm in a Teacup, we get classic side scrolling platform mechanics, with graphics and charm that are anything but traditional. For just $1.99 on the Mac App Store, and $2.99 on both the iPhone and iPad, this game is a bargain.
I’m a simple man, and at times I like simple games. At its core, Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunter ($0.99 until Oct. 24) is a simple game. The object is to defeat various monsters in an arena setting, and it does a good job of delivering that.
This week we bring you the first game I’ve seen that takes full advantage of what iOS 5 and iCloud can mean for gaming: Scribblenauts Remix. In addition to being a fun puzzle game, Scribblenauts also takes syncs saved games across iOS devices using iCloud.
I’d hate to live in the fictional condo depicted in Monsters Ate My Condo. It’s a vertical matching game where the goal is to sacrifice floors of your condo to monsters to ensure the tower doesn’t collapse, and it plays a little like Tetris meets Bejewled.
At $7.99, ShadowGun is one of the pricier titles I’ve recommended. But it’s well worth the price of admission for graphics alone. Add in a unique cover system (at least as far as iOS games) and universal support, and we have a winner for this week.
Ace Striker for iPhone lets you take to this skies in virtual versions of historic battles. It’s a top-down shooter with a retro vibe that lets you unlock upgrades through in-app purchases. It’s simple, and the graphics aren’t dazzling, but it’s also a lot of fun.
I’ve never really tried side-scrolling runner games on iOS, which is a shame since Defender was one of my favorite arcade games growing up. But Jetpack Joyride, the latest entry in what seems to be a crowded field broke me down, and I’m glad it did.
Crimson: Steam Pirates is the first iOS app from the studio that brought us Halo. It’s a strategy game that shares almost nothing in common with Halo, except of course for the solid pedigree and uncanny ability to provide hours of fun.
“Dem bullets sure are pointy,” one Grunt cautions when he’s hit. When the next volley takes him out, he dramatically proclaims, “Yer… Gonna… Miss me.” High on fun and short on seriousness, The Great Little Wargame for iPhone and iPad is this week’s featured title.
At first Ticket to Ride for the iPad seems complex, but after a brief orientation period, it’s actually rather simple. It’s also engrossing, and requires some quick strategic thinking with one eye constantly on the clock. Check our explanation of the game’s mechanics and fun factor.