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Nick Tylwalk enjoys writing about video games, comic books, pro wrestling and other things where people are often punching each other, regaardless of what that says about him. He prefers MMOs, RPGs, strategy and sports games but can be talked into playing just about anything.
  • Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff hits mobile April 10
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    Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff hits mobile April 10

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    Isn't it surprising that Family Guy has made it past the 200-episode mark without an official mobile game? TinyCo has been working with the voice cast from the long-running animated show and the brand experts at Fox Digital Entertainment to rectify this oversight, and the fruits of their labor will be available to all next week when Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff launches for iOS and Android on April 10.Using the latest, particularly destructive donnybrook between Peter Griffin and Ernie The Giant Chicken as a backdrop, the game asks you to direct the Griffin family and their friends in an effort to rebuild Quahog. If that sounds like it'll have builder elements, you're probably on the right track.
  • 11 bit studios puts the shoe on the other foot with Anomaly Defenders
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    11 bit studios puts the shoe on the other foot with Anomaly Defenders

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    Well, now we've done it. By we, I mean humans, and by done it, I mean we've taken the fight directly to the aliens responsible for invading Earth in the Anomaly series of tower offense games from 11 bit studios. For the final installment, Anomaly Defenders, there's only one thing left to do: flip everything around.Not only will you be playing as the aliens this time, you'll be doing so in what 11 bit calls the "first ever Reverse Tower Offense game." You may also know it as tower defense, but perhaps that's just a matter of semantics.In any case, you'll have to master eight types of towers, each with their own strengths and weaknesses against different human units. Research in various tech trees will allow upgrades to the damage, armor or critical hit chances of your towers, and since the humans are determined invaders, you'll have to make tactical decisions in real time instead of sitting there and letting your towers do all the work.Without learning from what 11 bit assures us will be repeated failures, the aliens will die, and apparently we care about that now. Anomaly Defenders is coming for smartphones, tablets and PC later this spring, and if you still need a reason to be properly motivated to fight against your own species, the first trailer should put you in the proper frame of mind.
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review
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    Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review

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    If hope springs eternal, then very few places see it sprout as often as in the garden of mobile games based on super hero movies. Gameloft is trying again with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, learning something from its past missteps but still not hitting the mark with something that's as awesome as it seems it could be.As the movie by the same name hasn't been released in the U.S. yet (lucky overseas audiences!), there's no way for me to tell you if the game contains spoilers. What I can relay is that New York is under attack by multiple criminal conglomerates with acronyms for names, and Cap has to lead S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into the fray to set things right. Presumably, the Winter Soldier is also involved at some point.It's easy enough to put Steve Rogers' legendary skills into action, tapping on enemies to attack them hand-to-hand or swiping to target them with a thrown shield. Just like in the comics, Captain America can make some nifty tosses that ricochet off surfaces and hit multiple targets. There's an option to use a virtual thumbstick and attack button instead, but only masochists would want to do that.
  • Evil Genius Online Review
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    Evil Genius Online Review

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    To be blunt, Tears for Fears got it wrong. I wouldn't want to rule the world in its current state. It's just too much hassle. Now if I could do it in the style of a James Bond villain, well, that's a different story. Evil Genius Online helps you do just that, assembling an army of henchmen and an array of cool gizmos fit for global domination. It's all done with a wink, helping elevate what is otherwise a pretty average social game experience.If that opening paragraph gave you thoughts of Gru from the first Despicable Me or the Monarch from Venture Bros., you're on the right track. That's if you didn't play the original Evil Genius, the PC game released back in 2004. In any case, Evil Genius Online gives you an abandoned government silo, an ambitious assistant named Penny Foxworth and a couple of Minions to get your career as a criminal mastermind underway.
  • Would you play an Animal Crossing iOS companion app?
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    • iOS
    Would you play an Animal Crossing iOS companion app?

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    On a scale of one to 10, the news that an Animal Crossing game was coming to mobile devices would probably break right through and head for the teens.Alas, it appears mobile gamers will have to settle for mild enthusiasm. Series mastermind Katsuya Eguchi recently told Joystiq that while he could see Animal Crossing mobile apps that would give players an extra way to manage some aspects of their towns, he doesn't think smartphones and tablets would be a good fit for a full game.While everyone knows Nintendo has been steadfast in its decision to avoid bringing its IPs to mobile, Animal Crossing would be a brand that could make a smooth transition. The name alone would probably cause a launch day stampede to the App Store and/or Google Play. 
  • The Collectables Review
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    • iOS
    The Collectables Review

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    Crytek made a mobile game. If you don't know why that's significant, it's because Crytek is known for graphically rich console/PC games like Far Cry and Crysis, and just the thought that its CryEngine technology was coming to small screens in the tactical action game The Collectables sounds like one of those "so crazy it just might work" ideas. It's an admirable debut effort; one that suggests you could see more from Crytek on your smartphone or tablet going forward.Since I've never been one to shy away from the obvious, let's start there: The Collectables is one sharp-looking title. Dapper even, if you can use that word for a video game. From the first time the chopper drops off your team of mercenaries until the last (of many) bullets is fired, there's nothing but superbly rendered characters and backgrounds and buttery smooth animations.The gameplay isn't up to that same ridiculously high standard, but it's not bad either. A simple tap will direct your fours merc where to go, or you can tap and drag them individually. The action takes place in real time, and there's no need for targeting since your soldiers will fire on any target in range. Occasionally you can use cover to your advantage, but often you'll find yourself just gloriously blazing away at enemies while on the run. Think less X-COM, more 20th Century action movie. Also, The Expendables, which had to be an inspiration.
  • Is Wall Street wary that King is going to be a one-hit wonder?
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    Is Wall Street wary that King is going to be a one-hit wonder?

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    This quote from ever colorful CNBC personality Jim Cramer after King Digital stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange earlier today should give you a hint:"It's a Stephen King horror story," Cramer said. "It might be Misery, it could be even Cujo."While there are plenty more (and better) puns that could be made from comparing the King IPO to the works of the master of horror, it's clearly not been a good first day for the company best known as the developer of Candy Crush Saga. After pricing its stock at $22.50 a share, King Digital has seen its stock price fall to as low as $19.08 in its first morning of public trading. As I write this, it's currently at $20.06 a share, down 10.8 percent on the day.
  • Card Hunter, the ultimate faux-tabletop experience, is coming to tablets
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    Card Hunter, the ultimate faux-tabletop experience, is coming to tablets

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    Blue Manchu's Card Hunter, the browser-based, RPG-meets-CCG-meets-tabletop game with a sense of humor and a Richard Garfield pedigree, is really good. So good, in fact, that I sometimes wish I could take it with me when I'm not by my laptop.DropForge Games must have read my mind. The relatively new Seattle studio funded by Wargaming.net (yes, the World of Tanks folks) is helping Blue Manchu by developing and publishing a mobile version of Card Hunter made with tablets in mind."The number one request from the Card Hunter community has been 'when will this be on my tablet?'" Blue Manchu founder and CEO Jon Chey said in a press release announcing the deal. "The game's design screams out for a tablet experience."Indeed it does, as the turn-based, tactical battles feel like they'd transfer to touchscreens without too much trouble. It's also already built on a free-to-play model, enhanced with a sensible option to pay for more content.