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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.
  • A “Marvel”ous opportunity: Glitchsoft talks Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    A “Marvel”ous opportunity: Glitchsoft talks Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past

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    It's hard to get too excited about mobile games that are movie tie-ins. They often seem perfunctory, like they were rolled off an assembly line, and if the movie in question is based on a comic book, that only leads to disappointed fans.Good thing, then, that the upcoming Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past is no movie adaptation. Though its May launch on iOS and Android is no doubt intended to coincide with the May 23 release of the X-Men: Days of Future Past film, it's going to one-up Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence and company when it comes to staying faithful to the classic story from the Marvel comics.That means Kitty Pryde will be doing the time traveling instead of Wolverine. It also means settings and backdrops taken right from Uncanny X-Men #141 and #142, and the pop culture buffs at Glitchsoft, the Canadian studio developing the game, wouldn't have it any other way.
  • Brave Frontier Review
    Reviews
    • Android
    • iOS
    Brave Frontier Review

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    There's something to be said for the classics. Actually, there's a lot to be said for them, or they wouldn't get to be classics in the first place. Brave Frontier definitely has its sights set on giving mobile gamers nostalgic feelings of the JRPGs of bygone days, with some collectible card game bits sprinkled in for good measure. That's a sound strategy, and the result is fun enough to be worth the free download.Every good RPG needs a land to save, and in the case of Brave Frontier, it's called Grand Gaia. This magical locale is home to hidden power for those who can vanquish its strange creatures, but it's been sealed off by some fallen gods.That's where you come in. As a Summoner with immense promise, you've been granted access to Grand Gaia via Lucius' Gate. With a guide named Tilith to introduce you to core concepts like summoning units, fusing them together to make them more powerful, and leading them into combat, it doesn't take long to get started on setting things right.
  • Google Play Games is about to get a whole lot better
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    • Android
    • iOS
    Google Play Games is about to get a whole lot better

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    Google has always had the tools to make mobile gaming on Android devices into a force to take on iOS toe-to-toe, it's just been a question of having the will and awareness to put them together in a way that makes sense for developers. With the now-underway Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco as a backdrop, that time may have arrived.On the same day it's sponsoring a Developer Day at GDC, Google is introducing a range of improvements to the Google Play Games service intended to make it even more attractive to designers and players alike. Chief among them are game gifts, roping in Google+ to allow in-game items to be sent to anyone in a person's Circles, and the option for direct multiplayer invites through the Play Games app.The Google Play Store is getting 18 new categories to aid in discoverability, something Google Play Games lead product manager Greg Hartrell told Polygon was sorely needed."We've never had a role-playing game category," Hartrell said to Polygon. "There isn't a music game category. And if you're into those types of games, you're relegated to using search right now, or relying on it being recommended to you."
  • More layoffs at PopCap
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    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    More layoffs at PopCap

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    Earlier today, Gamefront had an anonymous source claiming PopCap Games, maker of the Plants vs. Zombies titles, had suffered a round of layoffs. Parent company Electronic Arts wouldn't comment on the source's number of 30 jobs lost, but did provide the site with a statement from PopCap GM and co-founder John Vechey confirming that some people had been let go:"The changes we made today at PopCap were painful and we're sorry to lose some of our friends and colleagues. But it was also necessary in order to stay on course with our future plans for mobile games, live services, and new IP. PopCap is a studio that made its name building great games that the world can fall in love with, and that's what we'll continue to do."This isn't the first time PopCap has suffered a reduction in headcount since it was purchased by EA in July 2011. Fifty employees were laid off from North American locations in August 2012, and the company's Dublin studio was closed a month later.
  • An Angry Birds RPG? That should be EPIC
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    • Android
    • iOS
    An Angry Birds RPG? That should be EPIC

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    Having already tackled the worlds of physics-based puzzle games, kart racing, animation, plush toys and more, you'd think there were few frontiers left for Rovio left to conquer with the Angry Birds brand. And apparently, you'd be wrong.The next game in the seemingly unstoppable franchise is on the way, and in a move sure to make people everywhere do double takes, it's a turn-based RPG with a crafting system. Angry Birds Epic is its name, and the always fortunate folks in Canada and Australia will be able to play it this week before it invades iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8 devices worldwide later this year."It sounds like the crafting will tie in with the game's monetization, as TechCrunch's Darrell Etherington says players will be able to use in-app purchases to help make weapons and armor. A bigger question might be what birds would even use to make gear. Can you grab an old hubcap to use as a shield or fashion really pointy sticks into arrows?
  • Game of Thrones Ascent mobile dated: Winter is coming (this spring)
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    Game of Thrones Ascent mobile dated: Winter is coming (this spring)

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    Back in January, Gamezebo's interview with Disruptor Beam CEO and founder Jon Radoff revealed that Game of Thrones Ascent was headed to mobile. The big question was when, but the company kind of answered that today: early spring, close to the time when Season 4 of the TV show gets rolling on HBO.Disruptor Beam isn't going it alone either. Following up on a partnership formed for the popular web version of the game, it's teaming with Kongregate to bring Game of Thrones Ascent to both iOS and Android."Since the early stages of the game's development, our intention was always to release Game of Thrones Ascent on mobile devices," Radoff said in a press release. "Now that we have had great success growing users and revenue across web platforms, we are excited to be bringing the game to mobile players. That's what we've seen first-hand with Kongregate, and why we are excited about partnering with them for our mobile release, continuing to build upon this vast and passionate community of players."Kongregate is best known as on online games portal, but it did announce a $10 million mobile publishing initiative last year. It's also owned by GameStop, which should help when it comes to marketing the arrival of Ascent on mobile devices.
  • If… Review
    Reviews
    • iOS
    If… Review

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    Obvious moves aren't that interesting. So when it came to light that EA founder Trip Hawkins had a new startup working on a game to teach kids social and emotional learning (SEL), it raised some eyebrows. Well, mine anyway, and possibly Dwayne Johnson's. Now that game, If…, is live, and it's no less intriguing in the way it blends high production values and dedication to its mission to create a viable alternative to much of what school-aged children might otherwise play on their iPads.The story of If… (the title is inspired by a Rudyard Kipling poem of the same name) unfolds on a planet called Ziggurat where anthropomorphic dogs and cats once lived together in harmony. But something has happened to upset the balance, and it's up to your child's customized canine character to get to the bottom of it, starting with a special town called Greenberry. Your guide is named YouDog, a mentor figure who's one part Yoda, one part Mr. Miyagi and one part man's best friend.Other characters follow through the portal to Greenberry in short order to help you with the literal rebuilding. This is the least compelling part of the gameplay, requiring the simple gathering of several resources to restore buildings to their former glory.
  • The House of Mouse just got a whole lot smaller; Disney Interactive lays off 700
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    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    The House of Mouse just got a whole lot smaller; Disney Interactive lays off 700

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    In the corporate world, even long-awaited good news doesn't mean there isn't bad news for some people in the organization.That was the case for Disney Interactive, which despite turning a profit in the last quarter of 2013 on the strength of Disney Infinity nevertheless laid off 700 employees this week, or just over a quarter of its total workforce. Along with the job cuts, the division is closing several offices in the U.S., plus one each in South Korea and India.As you might expect with such a drastic reduction in headcount, Disney Interactive will simply develop less games moving forward, relying on partnerships with outside studios instead. It also may avoid big ticket purchases, as many media reports are spinning the company's latest move as a referendum on its 2010 acquisition of Playdom.