Arcade Sushi » Fred Topel

Blake J Harris Talks Moonwalker, ROB the Robot and Dishes on 'Console Wars'

Fred Topel — Tue, 13 May 2014 19:46:05 +0000

We had a chance to talk with Blake J. Harris about his new book, 'Console Wars,' and delved a bit deeper into the battle between Sega and Nintendo.

10 Best iOS Movie Games

Fred Topel — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 18:20:35 +0000

We all know most video games based on movies suck. Frankly, it's a wonder we found 10 of the Best iOS Movie Games for this list. These picks all represent their movies faithfully, and they cover a diverse selection of gaming genres. Plu...

10 Best iOS Sports Games

Fred Topel — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:10:01 +0000

I was never much of a real life athlete, but I did always enjoy a good sports game. They were easy to pick up and play, and console versions got so sophisticated it was an exhilarating challenge. Compiling this list of the 10 Best Sports Games for iOS, I'm now convinced that the mobile versions are superior to even the next generation console equivalents...

Pudding Monsters Review

Fred Topel — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 18:10:25 +0000

Oh, boy. As if my thoughts weren’t already cluttered with bird slingshotting strategies, Hairy spinning tactics, robot/girl lineups or hot dog dropping timing, now I’ve got an all new weird puzzle game to tap and swipe. I was just getting settled down too. Find out what new puzzle game has me fretting again.

Ravensword: Shadowlands Review

Fred Topel — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:16:50 +0000

iOS may be rendering console and PC gaming obsolete. Arcade and puzzle games have been an easy fit for handheld devices, but as developers transform even the most complex video games to iOS ports without sacrificing any quality, perhaps even improving some aspects, is anyone going to keep their Xbox anymore? Find out what new RPG has me unplugging my PS3.

Santa Rockstar Review

Fred Topel — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:41:03 +0000

Back when Rock Band and Guitar Hero were thriving, they would always offer some bonus tracks for the holidays. They would have a Christmas carol or two, maybe even a band like Weezer rockin’ Christmas covers. Now the original Christmas rock game comes to iOS for your tapping, rocking pleasure.

Freeze! Review

Fred Topel — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:18:49 +0000

Remember that game Labyrinth where you had to move a marble through a maze, and you could tilt the board four ways to avoid the holes? This new game is kind of like Labyrinth, only less fun and more irritating. Find out what game has me spinning around in frustration.

Writer Rumble Review

Fred Topel — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:47:27 +0000

Boggle has made a huge comeback thanks to iOS games. Boggle was the classic board game where you shake up a bunch of dice with letters on them, and form as many words as you can by connecting them horizontally, vertically and diagonally. What else could you add to the Boggle formula? How about fighting?

300 Dwarves HD Review

Fred Topel — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:19:37 +0000

Tower defense is one of those gaming genres where you can really just keep switching the skin and the bad guys, and if you like the genre you’ll be happy with the game. Think about it, that doesn’t work for puzzle games, first person shooters or even side scrollers. Those formats still require the individual physics or level designs to make them fun, but with tower defense you just need some tower types and enemies and you start building away. With that in mind, this latest tower defense game is just another tower defense game.

Desert Stormfront Review

Fred Topel — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:39:52 +0000

Real time strategy games first crossed my path when I was a freshman in college. Command and Conquer was the big new game and the PC savvy gentlemen in my dorm introduced me to the multiplayer battles via our school’s brand new ethernet. Let me tell you, we were the popular ones. The iOS version of Command and Conquer is still pretty faithful, so the latest RTS game from a competitor is facing an uphill battle with me.

Race of Champions World Review

Fred Topel — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 16:14:56 +0000

Handheld systems have radically changed the world of racing games. It used to be you had to steer with a directional pad or joystick, or one of those big steering wheel add-ons that never really worked like a real steering wheel. Now tilt controls make driving games simple and sensitive. Find out about the latest iOS racing game to take advantage of tilt controls below.

Littlest Pet Shop Review

Fred Topel — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 15:57:50 +0000

Thanks to iOS, I’ve gotten really into farming games in a way I never thought I would. I don’t usually pay for the in-game upgrades, I just patiently wait for buildings to build and characters to complete their tasks, usually over several hours. You can just check in every few hours and see what you’ve built, and assign your characters new tasks. Games like Simpsons Tapped Out, Gnome Village and Tiny Tower give you plenty of entertainment without buying extras, because there are a ton of things you can build and jobs you can assign people. The latest farming game to be released for iOS isn’t quite as exciting.

Mystery Detectives: Blackwood and Bell Review

Fred Topel — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 23:22:22 +0000

Remember all those “find the hidden objects in a picture” puzzles? You’re all probably too young to remember Highlights magazine, but they always had one in the back. Well, now there’s an iOS game that’s all about finding hidden objects in a photo, and it’s complicated to the nth degree. It’s also a farming game and it’s freemium so you could end up spending all your money on it.

Arranger Review

Fred Topel — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:59:03 +0000

I’m usually not the guy who reviews long, in depth adventure games for Arcade Sushi but one new game had a hook that seemed right up my alley. I love music games so anything music related should work for me, plus this one has a ton of mini-games throughout it. So it’s really a more casual game, only you play the mini-games to collect objects for quests. Find out what new adventure game got me hooked on its rhythm.

Atomic Frogs Review

Fred Topel — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:49:14 +0000

I’ve figured out the formula to iOS games. Pick an adjective and then pick an animal. The adjective will automatically make the animal sound funny, mainly because you never think of describing most animals with any adjectives at all. They’re just animals. I’m going to invent Rebellious Llamas, but until then, find out what the latest adjective animal is inside.

Real Boxing Review

Fred Topel — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:45:55 +0000

You don’t need to be a sports fan to enjoy boxing games. You only need to be a Rocky fan. Stallone gave everybody a point of reference for fisticuffs in the rings. I guess Scorsese and De Niro helped too. Or maybe there’s just something inside all of us that likes to wail on other dudes. We checked out the latest boxing game that lets you do just that.

Beat Gather Review

Fred Topel — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:36:10 +0000

Music gamers are always on the quest for more songs. We’ll buy extra download content and add our favorite songs to our playlists, just to get new music and new challenging note patterns to play. Even the biggest Guitar Hero or Rock Band library had finite choices, so iOS music games have opened the floodgates with more content. Now Konami has created the ultimate iOS music game. It seems Japan has had it for a year, and it's been out for Android but the iOS version is a huge win for Konami.

10 Best iOS Music Games

Fred Topel — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:10:49 +0000

We've always been big fans of music games on consoles. There have been music games for all tastes on consoles and in arcades. If you weren't a fan of Dance Dance Revolution (or just couldn't grasp the choreography), surely you rocked out with Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Even the hand...

Duck & Roll Review

Fred Topel — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 21:23:10 +0000

New music games don’t have to reinvent the wheel as long as they offer good songs, but iOS music games have experimented with different ways players can tap their screens. Games like Guitar Hero and Michael Jackson: The Experience modified their console experience, while games like Taptap and Symphonica put their own twists on tapping games. Now there’s a game that combines the mobile tapping genre with all the weirdness of fringe games you can find in the App Store.

SongPop Adds Alanis Morissette and Enrique Iglesias

Fred Topel — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:45:01 +0000

SongPop has added Alanis Morissette and Enrique Iglesias playlists to the music trivia game. This new content comes courtesy of The Collective, the entertainment management, media and content company who made the deal with SongPop creators FreshPlanet according to a press release today. Here's why adding these artists to SongPop is huge news: