Genres

Every so often, I find myself browsing through the catalog of games available on the iOS App Store. Most of the time I find nothing that particularly catches my eye, and I move on to other things. Other times, there's Tekken Card Tournament. Now for most people, it's the "Tekken" part that catches the eye. Not so in my case. As you may be aware, I'm frequently suckered in by the addition of cards to any type of game. Often recasting a popular franchise with a whole new set of mechanics turns it into a bewildering mess, but Tekken Card Tournament ...

Nearly five years since the release of the smash-hit arcade game Castle Crashers, indie developer The Behemoth has finally released their long-awaited third title, BattleBlock Theather. The game, which has been perpetually delayed since its initial reveal in 2010, was launched on Xbox LIVE Arcade in April 2013.

Arcade style beat 'em ups are becoming fashionable again in the gaming scene. Many have either bought new gameplay concepts to the table or have been clever reimaginings of old franchises. The Sacred series, which are action RPGs in the vein of Diablo, has decided to join in on the brawler craze with its latest instalment – Sacred Citadel.

There are thousands upon thousands of developers and publishers selling their games and apps in Apple's mobile marketplace - but there's only a few handful of those companies whose every release piques the interest of hardcore iOS-heads. Illusion Labs is definitely one of these companies, the minds behind App Store classics like Touchgrind (and Touchgrind BMX), Labryinth 2, the memorable puzzle-platformer Blast-a-Way - and their latest creation that quietly released earlier this month, an addictive little platformer called Mr. Crab.

Papo & Yo is a puzzler platformer, but only on the most superficial level. Players do push blocks around and jump over things, but Papo & Yo will also force players to wrestle with emotional issues like childhood abuse, alcoholism, and poverty in the Third World.

There aren't a great many titles on the Vita that feel specific to that platform. Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a decent game that manages to shrink the Uncharted world into a portable package, but those with access to the PS3 trilogy would likely prefer to play those. Gravity Rush is not only exclusive to Vita, but it's entire gameplay structure feels custom made for the device, from the beautiful graphics to the unique gameplay.

NetherRealm Studios certainly announced their arrival in 2011 when they revitalized the Mortal Kombat series, simultaneously bringing the game back to its roots and expanding on the traits that made the original trilogy so great. Since then, they've been fairly quiet, releasing the Mortal Kombat Kollection on consoles, and developing Arkham City: Lockdown for mobile devices the same year. Two years later, they've returned to both consoles and handhelds, with Injustice: Gods Among Us a digital brawler focused on iconic DC superheroes and villains.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel, the new digital expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic, injects new life into the game a few months after its first anniversary. Players have had a love/hate relationship with SWTOR since launch, yet the game retains a loyal fan base while the overall user count steadily increases over time. There are so many things about this latest Star Wars MMO that players love, and yet SWTOR lags behind its competitors in a number of important areas. Rise of the Hutt Cartel delivers more of what makes the game exceptional, and makes attempts ...

It wouldn't be a Nintendo console launch without SOMETHING for the Mario fans to play. The Wii U has New Super Mario Bros U, and like everything in the New Super Mario Bros series, it's a fun jaunt through the Mushroom Kingdom, with the potential to play with friends and take out Bowser as a team.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss was the first game shown on the Vita, and with good reason. The graphics are excellent - not a million miles away from what we've come to expect from the PS3 entries in the series - and the gameplay just seems to scream "look, the Vita can do it as well." All of the attitude, humour and gameplay favourites return from the home console iterations of the franchise, so all in all, Golden Abyss should be at least as good as the original Drake's Fortune.