Review: Darkest Hour: a Hearts of Iron Game (PC)

Darkest Hour: a Hearts of Iron Game is, without doubt, the most complicated strategy game that this writer has played.

Looks like a big game, right?

Review: Jason vs Zombies (iPad)

Let's face it, pitting Jason Vorhees against hordes of zombies is a genius idea. Zombies are cool, Jason is cool. Killing zombies with Jason = even more cool.

And, for a one man effort, Jason vs Zombies is admirable. It's not brilliant, it's not essential, but it's decent fun, and the fact it was able to be sold at all is a glowing reflection on the opportunities the Apple App store provides to up-and-coming developers.

Kill them zombies.

Review: Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (PSN)

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is not a good game. Don’t be fooled that it’s technically competent and is the first PSN RPG to feature four player co-op; it’s a soulless, dull hack and slash that was done better by Diablo back in 1996.

"Don't judge a book by its cover" works both ways

History Egypt Engineering an Empire headed to iPad

One of the better PSP Minis, History Egypt Engineering an Empire is headed to the iPad!

It’s already available on the iPhone as well, but the iPad, in glorious high resolution, should be a good fit for this “Civilization/ Heroes of Might and Magic Lite” style game.

Reiner Knizia's newest iPad game; ClusterMaster

Reiner Knizia's games work well on the iPad, as we've already seen with Through the Desert and Samurai. So ClusterMaster should turn out just as well.

This is a game that challenges you to fit coloured shapes onto a grid - you'll need to place the shapes efficiently while also building clusters of the same colours. The game features both timed quick games and as well as longer play modes. There are four modes in all.

It's the fourth time developers, Tribeflame, has partnered with Knizia, including the brilliant Through the Desert.

Ragnarok Online goes free-to-play, but VIPs get all the fun

One of the more popular MMOs out there, Ragnarok Online, has joined the league of MMOs that has gone free-to-play.

How the hell did Ar tonelico Qoga get through the Australian censors?

A recent release into the Australian market, Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel has proven once and for all that the Australian censors are inconsistent to the point of genuine insanity.

Is this the most pointless game manual of all time?

If you've picked up the Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars on the 3DS, you might have opened the box to be welcomed by this:

The Blobs! goes splat on iOS devices

Cute puzzle games are a dime a dozen on the iOS platforms, so it will be interesting to see if the newest entrant, The Blobs, can stand out.

The game features 120 levels, and started life out as a 80s style "mercury maze" homage. You'll be moving the Blob around by tilting your device - and this means the iPhone will probably be the more comfortable platform.

The game looks very cute indeed.

Jason vs Zombies launches for all iOS devices

What would happen if Jason (as in, the lunatic in a hockey mask) found himself killing zombies? If that sounds good to you, indie game, Jason Vs Zombies should be just your thing.

You'll be killing the brainless monsters across five levels, 15 missions, and with eight weapons to unlock.

It's a basic shooter, with more planned for the near future - such as Game Center integration, more zombies, and more weapons.

Gory.

Theory: Lego's Ninjago Spinjitzu Scavenger Hunt is a stroke of genius

Lego’s new iOS App, Ninjago Spinjitzu Scavenger Hunt, is the perfect example of how a traditional toy or game vendor should be using modern video games to enhance their own brand.

PopCap's new venture is not about profitability

PopCap has branched into more experimental projects, launching a new label, 4^th & Battery, to allow small teams to get creative. 

And the highest quality iPhone game for March was...

According to the Steel Media Quality Index, the top quality iPhone game for March was Final Fantasy III.

The Quality Index makes use of some 55,000 scores from Websites such as 148Apps, Pocket Gamer, and Know Your Mobile, as well as Steel Media's own metric.

Final Fantasy III's rating was 8.9, followed by Tiny Wings (8.8) and Hot Springs Story (8.6).

Review: Nano Rally HD (iPad)

Remember the Micro Machines games? The top down little racing games where the courses are household objects? That's the kind of game Nano Rally channels, and for a $US0.99 game, it does a good job at that.

This is how all bedrooms look, right?

Review: Trainz Simulator (iPad)

Trainz Simulator has shot to #2 on the Australian iPad paid Apps store for games, following a huge price discount, down to a little more than a $1. It's also an Australian production, coming to us courtesy of N3V Games.

If you've ever wanted to be a train driver... here's your chance

Seven of the best strategy games that you can download

Strategy games are a difficult beast – they need to strike a balance between accessibility, and requiring you to use your brain matter. When they get it right, you’ll find near-endless gameplay in testing out new strategies, playing with different units, and testing your mettle against online opponents.

When they get it wrong, it’s an unmitigated disaster. So what are some safe strategy game choices? Here’s seven – one for each console and PC – where you can’t go wrong… even if they’re not necessarily the most obvious first choice.

Final Fantasy V PSN-bound

Here's some great news - Final Fantasy V is coming to the PS3 and PSP courtesy of the PlayStation Network.

In recent years, V has become something of a challenge to come by - unlike Final Fantasy 1 - 4 there's been no remakes or ports to the major consoles since the GBA. It's been skipped - because from Final Fantasy VI onwards, the games become easy to access again.

Now, we're promised new CG cinematic sequences to go with the classic gameplay.

Review: 3D Twist & Match (multiple platforms)

3D Twist & Match is one of those simple games that is maddeningly addictive. By rotating a variety of objects in a 3D space, the goal is to get them to fit a shadow outline.

It doesn't look like much, but looks are deceiving

3D Twist & Match headed to European DSiWare

The 3DS might have been launched, but that hasn't prevented developers and publishers from playing with DSiWare.

Review: Monster Trouble HD (iPad)

I'm not sure when the real time strategy genre expanded to include tower defence games, but that's apparently what happened, because the promotional material of Monster Trouble claims on numerous occasions that it is a "RTS" game.

Don't be fooled though, it's not. What it is is a true tower defence game, with a bright and colourful fantasy setting, and some half heated attempts at humour. It doesn't always work, but in HD on the iPad, it's a pleasant enough experience.

It's a pretty game. Unfortunately, its also of a lower quality than other tower defence games

PewPewPewPewPewPewPewPewPew is released on XBLA Indie Games

It has a truly indie name, and PewPewPewPewPewPewPewPewPew, available from the XBLA Indie Games, sounds like a worthy indie title to support.

It's a cooperative space shooter with a twist - it's microphone controlled! Any Xbox compatible microphone will work, according to the developers.

So, instead of tiring your thumbs out, be prepared to lose your voice with this game!

Theory: What game retailers need to do to survive

It’s no secret that games retailers are facing some serious threats in the near future from digital distribution. Slowly but surely, a consumer's games spend will go into these more convenient and often less expensive shopping experiences, and that will cannibalise into the retailer’s own sales.

Indeed, it’s not just games retailers that face these threats. All kinds of retail, from fashion to food and technology now needs to compete against online shop fronts that can offer cheaper products to the end customer.

Review: History Great Battles Medieval (PC)

History Great Battles Medieval (PC), as the name suggests, takes you on a journey back to medieval times. Specifically back in time to the 100 Years War. The premise, that you take control of the armies of either the English or French and attempt to recreate history has been attempted many times before although nothing memorable for this particular period. Until now.

The game has a grand scope - as you'd hope for something taking place over 100 years

April edition of the Digitally Downloaded magazine is now live!

We have a 48-page magazine this time around. The new issue features content that you don't see on our Website - including a full, six page interview with Matrix Games, the publishers behind Larry Bond's Harpoon and Combat Command.

There's also a full report on the Nintendo 3DS - what rocks, and what doesn't? We even step away from the world of digital downloads briefly to review three of the retail launch titles.

There's an interview with the hobbyist behind the excellent RPG maker project, Legionwood: Tale of Two Swords, in there too.

We've got reviews on a wide range of games, from Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy on the PSP, to the clever Tactical Soldier Undead Rising on the iPhone.

We hope you enjoy it!

To read it over at Issuu, click here: http://issuu.com/MattSainsbury/docs/digitallydownloadedapril