Month: January 2018

Impressions: Sky – Candle In The Wind

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Since the servers went live today at 11am (east coast of Australia), I’ve been counting myself lucky to be among those invited to test Sky, as it really is a beautiful gift to gaming from the studio that brought us Journey.

As with Journey, thatgamecompany has created an experience that begs screenshots, and I thought it’s time to come down from the clouds for a time, charge my iPhone, and share some of the rarefied air this studio is capable of conjuring.

All the shots over on page 2, and the one above, were taken in-game on my iPhone 5S (I know, I’m really overdue for an upgrade). This current test build is, unfortunately, not playable on Apple TV, and after spending a few hours with it, I’m convinced that the big screen is where Sky will truly shine. It’s almost a pity to cage it within a small screen only a few inches large.

But beggars can’t be choosers, and I’m happy to have gotten this glimpse. With the taste I’ve already had, I’m actually tempted to leave it at that, and save any further discoveries for the big screen. We’ll see. The servers on this test build won’t be open for long, maybe I should enjoy as much of it as I can while it lasts.

Mash the page 2 button below for a screenshot essay on Sky as I’ve seen it so far.

We’ll Know A Lot More About Sky This Weekend. We’ll Have Played It.

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A very welcome surprise landed in ATVG’s inbox this morning – an invitation to play a test build of thatgamecompany’s highly anticipated follow up to Journey – Sky.

Those of you who were quick to sign up to the email registration on the studio’s site a few weeks back, will have also received your invitations via email, with thatgamecompany promising another email with further instructions to come within 24 hours.

Exciting times.

Hit the page 2 button below for more.

Trials Frontier’s Dakar Rally Challenge Is Brutal, But Fun

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Update: Hmmm, my apologies for the late call on this update, but it seems what I thought was leg one, is actually leg six. Legs one through five are actually expired. No wonder I’ve been finding it such tough going. Sorry folks. Enjoy the remainder of leg six!

Original Story: When putting together ATVG’s Best Apple TV Games of 2017 list, I had a tough decision to make.

Trials Frontier could easily be described as a physics-based 2D platform game, due to its reliance on momentum, and the mechanic of shifting your rider’s wait forward and back. Braking, and sometimes going backwards to the left, is often just as important as barreling forward at breakneck speeds.

Then again, you’re on wheels, within a game full of speed trials. Hell, there is even a black and white chequered flag at the end of each stage.

In the end, I went with putting Trials Frontier into the racing category.

The point of this is to make it clear that the key to success in Redlynx’s Trials Frontier, is knowing when to stop, and this week’s free Dakar Rally update will give players plenty of practice doing just that.

Hit the page 2 button below for more.

New Screenshots From Oceanhorn 2: Knights Of The Lost Realm Revealed

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Wow, has it been 12 months already? Well, almost. We posted this story way back on the 29th of January 2017, revealing the studio behind Oceanhorn 2 was targeting Apple TV as one of its platforms.

While iOS has so far been the only confirmed platform for day one release, I reached out to Cornfox & Bros. today to get confirmation that Apple TV was still safely within its crosshairs. The reply I received was encouraging, as are the new screenshots unveiled today depicting one of Oceanhorn 2’s central locations – the city of Capital.

Hit the page 2 button below for a peak.

Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade – On-Rails Shooter Out On Apple TV

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Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade was used live on stage by Apple back in 2015 to show off the iPhone 6’s new 3D Touch feature, exemplifying how it could be implemented to enhance gaming.

Freeblade recently found its way onto the Apple TV platform, and despite a couple of flaws, it’s an excellent on-rails shooter that digs deep into Apple’s Metal technology to get some nice graphical meat onto its bones.

Hit the page 2 button below for more.

New Release: Peregrin – Size Doesn’t Matter

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After our final look in the rearview mirror at ATVG’s 2017 Pile of Shame, this week’s new release – Peregrin – seemed like a wonderful way to bring us back to the present, as Apple TV gaming continues to evolve into 2018.

This visually stunning puzzle adventure snuck onto the Apple TV platform this week, wishing gamers on the platform a Happy New Year, and providing a new and interesting set of challenges to kick off proceedings.

Hit page 2 for more.

Shinier Things – ATVG’s 2017 Pile Of Shame

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Pile of Shame – these three words that have wormed their way into the games industry’s vernacular, have become an apt and succinct way of voicing a very first-world problem. Ever since games started to have endings, players started to accumulate an ever-growing list of unfinished games.

We’ve all been there. Excitedly setting out on a brand new adventure, loving it, but soon being distracted by another shiny game, glinting in our peripheral vision and causing us to wander from our path.

We thought what better way to start the new year than with one last look back at 2017, at ATVG’s list of much-enjoyed, but horribly under-played games. We’ve mentioned them before, even written some glowing early impressions about some of them, but time is finite and there is always something new to grab our attention.

So Happy New Year to readers both regular and new. You can check out ATVG’s Best Apple TV Games Of 2017 to get back up to speed, and hit the page 2 button below for a look at a few games we wish we would’ve played more of, and definitely-probably-hopefully will in the future.