Category: Video games

Review: Ammo Pigs: Armed & Delicious – Vegan Friendly

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I was tempted to go with:

Review: Ammo Pigs: Armed & Delicious – See How The Sausage Is Made.

But brevity is king when it comes to headlines, so here we are.

While working on its bigger, meatier title – Moon Raider – Cascadia Games started tweeting earlier this year about the possibility of an Ammo Pigs reboot. Floating the idea out into cyberspace – the modern equivalent of thinking out loud – interest was gauged and the decision was made: A new version of the 2015 iOS title was on the way.

Fast forward to a few short months later, and judging from the tweets Cascadia’s owner and founder Chris Jorgensen has been making post-release, sales of the Ammo Pigs remake have added up to time well spent.

What about from a gamer’s perspective though? Is it worth your hard-earned?

ATVG thinks so.

Continue reading “Review: Ammo Pigs: Armed & Delicious – Vegan Friendly” →

Teslagrad Coming To Apple TV Early November

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Answering a knock on the door in the dead of night, a woman has a blanketed baby thrust into her arms by a desperate father, after which he hurries off into the rain and dark.

Fast forward a few years, and the woman watches from her window as the grown boy – as his father once did – escapes into the night, evading capture from red-cloaked authorities.

Teslagrad’s opening cut-scene provides an intriguing set-up, all told – as is the entire game – through beautiful, wordless animation.

Originally released by developer Rain Games back in 2013 on PC, Teslagrad has since sold more than 1.6 million copies across the various platforms and consoles, and is now  poised to make the leap to Apple TV and mobile devices in November. Last night ATVG spent some hands on time with this indie puzzle-platforming hit on PS4, playing through the first couple of hours to see what Apple TV gamers could expect.

If the ATV version is faithful to the original, you’re in for a treat.
Continue reading “Teslagrad Coming To Apple TV Early November” →

From The ATVG Bunker: Entering Dark Mode

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Hello patient Apple TV gamers, it’s been a while. September 12 seems like another era, but here we are, back in the bunker.

Time has been short, and as I’ve lamented in the last couple of months, real life has not been conducive to writing about gaming. But if all continues to go according to plan, that should change right about…now.

ATVG has settled into an all new bunker – cords have been plugged in, internet has been connected, updates have been downloaded, schedules have been cleared, and games have been released. All of this adds up to the fact that there are things we need to talk about.

And in the world of gaming – yes, even Apple TV gaming – there are always things to talk about.

So what’s on the agenda?

Games of course. Also: Is Apple TV gaming dead? Is it dying?

In ATVG’s humble opinion, the short answer is no. Gaming is not Apple TV’s primary function, and that folks, is kind of what makes it indestructible. It’s a little like a super power.

Oh, and what about Mojave’s Dark Mode? Nice.

Hit the continue button. Now.

Continue reading “From The ATVG Bunker: Entering Dark Mode” →

Upcoming Smash Anarchy Released Nearly 12 Months Ago

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Well this is awkward.

After doubling back to check on and update this list of upcoming games I posted way back in April 2017 – in order to make sure I hadn’t missed anything – I quickly realised I’d missed something.

One of the upcoming games on the list – Smash Anarchy – has been out since October 2017.

October 2017!

Is it any good?

After just now burning through 10 levels and the first boss, I can confidently say yes, it is.

Continue reading “Upcoming Smash Anarchy Released Nearly 12 Months Ago” →

Ammo Pigs: Armed and Delicious Hits Apple TV 20th September

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If Kurt Vonnegut and George Orwell were alive and well, and made video games, well, that would be really weird, and they probably wouldn’t have made Ammo Pigs: Armed and Delicious.

But when you have weaponised pigs trying to free their brethren from the tyranny of an oppressor named Slaughterhouse A.I., it’s hard not to at least mention those two literary giants.

Nods, winks, and references aside, ATVG received word overnight from Cascadia Games’ Chris Jorgensen that Ammo Pigs will release on the Apple TV platform on, yes, the headline was correct, September 20th.

For some screenshots, the trailer, and more words, hit the Continue button below my very patient Apple TV-gaming readers. (And as has often been the case lately, my apologies for the long time between posts.)

Continue reading “Ammo Pigs: Armed and Delicious Hits Apple TV 20th September” →

Apple TV Gaming News Roundup – Pigs, Viking Comics, Paint Buckets, & Chernobyl

Alright, gather ’round Apple TV gamers, it’s time for a quick catch-up.

If you missed ATVG’s last shotgun blast of news, then…you’re welcome.

Between then and now, there’s also been lunar wish fulfilment, BrightRidge impressions, a Reader Rabbit revival, a look at what Apple TV and Nintendo Switch have in common, and Gameloft’s road map for Asphalt 8.

And now that you’re all caught up, here’s the news:

Continue reading “Apple TV Gaming News Roundup – Pigs, Viking Comics, Paint Buckets, & Chernobyl” →

Gameloft’s Vision For The Future Of Asphalt 8

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Asphalt 9: Legends is now a thing, meaning Asphalt 8: Airborne is no longer the latest instalment in Gameloft’s racing franchise.

Gameloft unfortunately haven’t revealed any plans to bring Asphalt 9 to Apple TV, so where does that leave fans of Asphalt 8?

Today Gameloft posted a release which attempted to answer that question.

Continue reading “Gameloft’s Vision For The Future Of Asphalt 8” →

Apple TV To Nintendo Switch – 7 Games That Made The Leap

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Seeing Picomy’s excellent 2D platform game – Heroki – hit Nintendo Switch just over a week ago made me think: What other games have made the leap from Apple’s digital-only console to Nintendo’s latest hardware offering?

In ATVG’s recent article on Apple’s rejection of Valve’s Steam Link app, I mentioned what I perceive as a philosophical similarity between Apple and Nintendo, with each company finding success following roads less travelled. There is also, however, a much more tangible common ground shared by Apple TV and Nintendo Switch.

Being able to play a game on the console that’s connected to the big screen of your lounge room, turn it off, grab your mobile or tablet, boot up the same game and continue where you left off still feels like magic to this writer. While Apple and Nintendo have arrived at that killer feature via different roads, it’s a fascinating common bond that gamers on both systems share, and a feature that will no doubt be taken for granted across all platforms one day.

So in continuing this theme of common bonds, shared ground, and killer features, here’s a handful of titles that found their way from Apple TV to Nintendo Switch.

Why?

Well, firstly, it’s interesting watching games migrate from platform to platform, like herds searching for greener pastures; National Geographic meets cyberspace perhaps.

Secondly…why the hell not?

Continue reading “Apple TV To Nintendo Switch – 7 Games That Made The Leap” →

Reader Rabbit: Jumpsmarter – From Apple II To Apple TV

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Edutainment. Say that word to a lifelong gamer and watch for the eye-roll. That mashed-up word – which can actually be found in the Oxford Dictionary of English – is the verbal embodiment of adults trying to pull the wool over the eyes of kids.

As a kid in the ’80s, I remember learning the value of buying low and selling high not from Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, but from a game on my TRS-80 called Lemonade Stand. I also remember my parents thinking Maths Invaders was a good idea, but it never took me long to find my way back to the trusty old Atari – shooting aliens with bullets instead of numbers was much more satisfying.

Starting life on the Apple II, Reader Rabbit was part of the edutainment software vanguard, vying for the attention of children alongside Mario and Sonic. After a long, righteous life, it seems fitting that the character should find his way to the big screens of 2018 via the tech-giant’s more recent hardware – Apple TV.

This latest incarnation of Reader Rabbit, developed by Dashalope Games and published by Games4Kids, should be a much easier sell for parents to make – all it’s really trying to teach, is how to play 2D platform games.

Continue reading “Reader Rabbit: Jumpsmarter – From Apple II To Apple TV” →

Impressions – Nimian Legends: BrightRidge

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In ATVG’s roundup of recently released Apple TV games, I first called Protopop’s open world game a walk-em-up, with games such as Firewatch and Gone Home in mind. It can be argued that these two games are excellent examples of a reimagined point-and-click genre, with the static backgrounds of the ’80s and ’90s replaced with more immersive and interactive worlds to explore.

But after dipping my toe a little deeper into Robert Kabwe’s world, I called it an RPG. Entering one of BrightRidge’s story modes – Love & Tin – I found my character armed with a bow, a quest line to follow, and the warm and welcoming BrightRidge Inn. Classic RPG tropes.

Now, having finished Love & Tin, I’m taking door number three, and from here on I’ll simply call Nimian Legends: BrightRidge an adventure.

Third time lucky.

Continue reading “Impressions – Nimian Legends: BrightRidge” →