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More iOS App Store anniversary goodies: Angry Birds Star Wars, Dead Space, KOTOR and more
Apple's celebration of the iOS App Store's five year anniversary continues with more free/discounted games with which to smudge up that capacitive touchscreen. In addition to the stuff that was made free yesterday, Chopper, Peggle, Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, Flight Control and Angry Birds Star Wars are now available at no cost. Moreover, the iPad version of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic has been discounted to $5, though its mysterious monetary adjustment may not be directly related to Apple's festivities. As a result, there's no telling how long that particular discount will last. Jump past the break for all the applicable iTunes links.
Flight Control Rocket sequel out now
This game appeared for the first time relatively quietly at GDC, but it's now available on the App Store, so check out the sequel to one of the App Store's most popular games ever, Flight Control. The new one is called Flight Control Rocket, and though I was told that it was put together by the Australian studio Firemint (that EA purchased not too long ago), there's no mention of them in the app listing at all. Their influence is also sort of missing in the game itself -- Flight Control's relatively subtle theme and feel have been replaced with a very freemium model and some very flashy (and relatively complicated) graphics. Instead of just guiding different colored planes into runways, the sequel has you pushing lots of different spaceships of all shapes, sizes, and abilities, into docking ports, assisted by robots with their own abilities and lots of XP to earn. But don't take my word for it: Flight Control Rockets is out now, for an initial price of 99 cents. It's fully updated and ready to go on the new iPad's Retina Display. Let us know what you think of EA's new direction with the series.
Get your Doodle Jump and Flight Control on as the Android Market sale continues into day 7
On the seventh day of the Android Market sale, your true love should give you Super KO Boxing 2. Or Flight Control, or Flick Soccer, or any of the other seven apps available today for ten cents. If you haven't been following along the past week, Google's been celebrating its ten billionth Android app download by offering a ten-day sale, and today's offerings -- ten in total -- are rife with games and a couple returning favorites. Everything you see in the above screenshot is available for a dime, so head over to the source link if there's something you've been pining for, or if you're just trying to collect the whole set.
iOS games get so, so real in this bizarre music video
Aussie indie pop group Hey Geronimo were interested in promoting their latest single, "Why Don't We Do Something?," so they made this terrifying montage of iOS games acted out in real life, you see. We're not exactly sure how this happened, but we can't say we're sorry it did.
NintendoWare Weekly: Urban Champion, Flight Control
During a convention like Gamescom, with news flying out in all directions, you have to bring your A-game if you want to get attention. Nintendo of America has brought ... Urban Champion. Specifically, the 3D Classics remake of Urban Champion, available today on the 3DS eShop. Nintendo also mentioned that a new Jason Derulo video will premiere on Nintendo Video today, if that's something you want to see and hear. WiiWare finally gets its port of air-traffic control puzzler Flight Control, so if you don't own any smartphone or a DSi, you can now see what all the fuss was about.%Gallery-131006%
EA agrees to buy Firemint, devs behind iOS hits Flight Control, Real Racing
Electronic Arts continues to chase the mobile market, today announcing an agreement to purchase Firemint, the Australia-based developer behind iOS hits like Flight Control, Real Racing and, notably, "an attractive future slate of games." Flight Racing, anyone? While it may be true love, EA and Firemint aren't ones to kiss-and-tell; the purchase price isn't being disclosed. EA isn't just buying Firemint, however. The developer recently purchased fellow Australians Infinite Interactive, the devs behind the popular Puzzle Quest series. For its part, EA recently purchased a company called MPP, a "leader in high quality cross-platform development and porting of games for smartphones." We don't know about you, but we detect a faint whiff of synergy. Oh, here it is: "The added technical expertise of MPP, combined with the creative talent of Firemint and our EAi studio teams, fuels EA's leadership in delivering top selling, high quality games across mobile phones and smartphones, tablets and future digital interactive entertainment platforms," EA Interactive's Barry Cottle said in a press release. This courtship has ostensibly been going on for some time. Before it struck it rich on the App Store, Firemint labored in the EA Mobile mines working on the Madden NFL 3D series, a 2006 mobile release of Need for Speed Most Wanted, and something called The Sims DJ. You can't say Firemint hasn't paid its dues.
GDC 2011: Firemint's Agent Squeek
Australia's Firemint is perhaps one of the most popular developers on the iPhone. Firemint's games, Flight Control, Real Racing and Real Racing 2, can be found in any Apple Store, and likely on most iPhones, too. The company's founder, Rob Murry, and his new acquisition, Infinite Interactive's Steve Faulkner, were in San Francisco last week to show off the third original IP that Firemint is creating for iOS, another line drawing game called Agent Squeek. In Agent Squeek, you control a mouse on the screen by drawing a line for him to follow, and the goal of each level is to collect various cheeses while trying to avoid hungry cats. But while the game starts out easy, the complexity quickly ramps up, and you can do things like psyche cats into chasing you before dodging the other way, or you can even build gadgets from blueprints that you find.
Firemint sells 3 million copies of Flight Control
Firemint has shared some sales figures about Flight Control over on its blog. The now classic line-drawing game was recently listed in the top paid apps of all time on the App Store, and so Firemint decided to reveal a little bit about how many copies it's sold and when. The grand total is exactly 3,881,634 copies as of their posting. The game currently sells for 99 cents, but that doesn't mean Firemint pulled in $3.8 million as Apple takes its 30 percent share as well. Firemint has also posted the chart above, showing when the most copies sold. Interesting to see that the Game Center patch gave them the biggest spike in sales, though don't forget that Flight Control was one of the first games on the service as it went live, something that certainly encouraged extra downloads. The new maps and the Retina Display support patches also gave big bumps. iOS developers, take note: big feature updates sell apps. Christmas boosts sales as well, as we've discussed here in the past. What's most interesting about those bumps, I think, is that they're basically the same size -- Christmas is turning into a pretty predictable spike in iOS sales for developers. We saw a lot of "planned" releases and discounts last holiday, and I bet we'll see even more as time goes on. Of course this is only one app on the store, but it's one of the biggest apps of all time, and probably a good representation of a lot of bestselling apps. Thanks to Firemint for sharing!
iPhone developer Firemint buys Infinite Interactive, makers of Puzzle Quest
Wow. Color me surprised on this one -- I've been joking around lately about iPhone company acquisitions and buyouts, but here are two companies that never occurred to me. Firemint, creators of the popular Flight Control and Real Racing 2 games on iOS, has outright purchased Infinite Interactive, the company behind a bevy of console and handheld console titles, including the very popular (and personal favorite of mine) Puzzle Quest series. Game designer Steve Fawkner founded Infinite Interactive and first met Firemint's Rob Murray in 2003, and according to the press release, he even got Murray's feedback on the first Puzzle Quest title. Fawkner will go to work for Firemint, presumably making his own games as well as helping to adapt Firemint's popular games for other platforms. What a deal. All we have so far is the official press release (both companies are based in Australia, so this news arrived on their time), but we'll look at contacting Firemint later on this week to ask about the reasoning and timing behind the deal. Infinite Interactive isn't a huge company, but the fact that Firemint straight up acquired them is just as impressive as the possibilities for these two more and more experienced developers to be working together. This could have interesting consequences for Firemint's games both on and off of the iOS platform.
Firemint releases free, ad-supported Flight Control to App Store
Firemint confirmed today that it is launching a free, ad-supported version of its popular Flight Control game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app has received the rubber stamp of approval from Apple and should appear on the App Store in the upcoming days. The free version has the same gameplay as the paid version but limits several salient features. Multiple maps are not available in the free version, but you can play on the original map without any time or score limits. Multiplayer, both local and online, are missing from the free version as well. The free version does support the iOS Game Center leaderboard and includes a limited number of achievements. If you choose not to use Game Center or are running an earlier version of iOS without Game Center, you can still post your achievements to Firemint's leaderboard. In the end, the free version is a nice alternative for those who want to try the game before they hand a dollar over to Apple and Firemint for the full version. It is also a chance for Firemint to compare two revenue models -- paid and ad-supported -- to see which generates the most cash.
Review: Flight Control HD for Mac
Firemint's Flight Control has long been one of my favorite iPhone games; it was one of the first apps I bought. When I first heard the game was being ported to the Mac, I wondered how well the game's control scheme would work. Flight Control's gameplay seemed tailor-made for the touchscreens on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and I wasn't sure the game would translate well to a more traditional point-and-click interface. Flight Control HD for Mac came out on Steam last week, and since then, I've been putting the game through its paces. Many hundreds of crashed aircraft later, I can say that while the gameplay suffers a bit in translation to a non-touchscreen platform, overall the experience is still worth the US$4.99 asking price. Click "Read More" for the full review.
Firemint's Flight Control HD coming to Mac App Store
The dust hasn't even settled in the wake of Apple's announcement of the Mac App Store, but one well-known developer is already on board. Firemint, creator of Flight Control for the iPhone/iPod touch and Flight Control HD for the iPad, has announced it will bring Flight Control HD to the Mac via the Mac App Store. As a matter of fact, according to Firemint, Flight Control HD is already running on the Mac. Firemint may be the first company to publicly announce support for the Mac App Store, but it's unlikely to be the last. As Erica noted earlier, a centralized hub for app distribution on Mac OS X is something many developers will find very attractive, in spite of the more restrictive environment as compared to the free-for-all market that exists now. Many developers won't find the Mac App Store to be a good fit for them and will stick with traditional distribution channels, but developers like Firemint may find their apps reaching a much larger audience than before. [via Mac Rumors]
Windows Phone 7 review: Flight Control
Ahh, the fun of having one of the most stressful jobs in the world. Flight Control puts you in the shoes of a flight controller, having to manage landing planes and helicopters on a variety of landing strips while avoiding (you guessed it) crashes. It's a simple concept that needs no explanation, as evidenced by the total lack of an in-game tutorial. It's easy to grasp, but difficult to master. I didn't even make it to ten landings on my first attempt at the game! There are many reasons behind Flight Control's rapid proliferation across platforms-- iOS, Android, PlayStation Move, and more. The simple drag-and-drop interface works perfectly with these devices, and the premise is immediately understandable. However, developer Firemint's classy design is what helped it succeed in the crowded App Store. The visuals are easy to read, the style is charming, and the music is oh-so-perfect. This is a game that will make you smile, even if you do accidentally kill hundreds of people in a horrific plane crash. There are a number of levels, each with a distinct look and tarmac layout. However, they all play out essentially the same. Once again, this is a game meant for players that want to chase high scores. Other than a few Achievements (like one which requires you to crash three planes at once), rarely does the game offer you something new or different to do. But perhaps Flight Control doesn't need to offer anything new. It's certainly addictive enough to make the hours pass on by. See also: Windows Phone 7 launch games reviews hub This review is based on a retail Samsung Focus provided by Microsoft and AT&T.
Games updated for Game Center (soon)
As you might have noticed if you've added a few friends in Apple's new Game Center service, the backbone social components are working great. But where, exactly, are all of the games? Developers have actually had access to Apple's service for quite a while now -- it was introduced to them under NDA way back at WWDC. But for some reason, Apple seems to be waiting on approving Game Center-enabled games. Fortunately, they're coming, probably as soon as Apple can approve them. Touch Arcade forum member Project-79 has been keeping track of which games have said that they'll be Game Center-enabled. As soon as updates roll out for games like Field Runners, Flight Control, Super Mega Worm and Angry Birds, you'll be able to jump in and earn achievements with them. Keep in mind that some of the best games on Game Center are still to come: Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter 2 was leaked via a Game Center screen, and of course we're all waiting to see what Epic Games' Project Sword looks like, ever since it was shown off with full GC functionality at last week's Apple event. There are games coming for Game Center, and they should be here soon. Update: Apparently Ms. PAC-MAN is the first game to get updated with Game Center support. You might want to wait, though -- we've heard it's not a very good version.
Flight Control coming to PS3 on September 15
There have been a lot of console adaptations brought to the iPhone, but sending games the other way hasn't been as common. Firemint is changing that, however -- they've announced that they'll be bringing iPhone superhit Flight Control to the PlayStation 3 as a downloadable title, and the game will even support the new Move controller, so you'll be able to draw flight paths in the air with a motion control wand (or you can use a regular dual stick controller if you'd rather do that). The game will also bring 1080p support, as well as a four-player drop-in/out mode and an exclusive map named "Metropolis." Flight Control HD will be available on the PSN on September 15th. I'd be interested to see some other iPhone-specific titles make the jump to major consoles as well -- with the onset of Kinect and Move, translating the iPhone's touch controls to the television should get a little easier. We'll likely see a few more big iPhone titles (Angry Birds? Doodle Jump?) head across from Apple's platforms to more traditional gaming outlets in the future.
Flight Control HD lands on PSN Sept. 15 with Move support
Having already soared onto millions of iPhones, iPods and iPads (and maybe like a couple dozen DSis), Australian developer Firemint's casual "plane landing game," Flight Control HD, is officially set for arrival on PS3 as a downloadable title on September 15. We first learned of the port last month, when it was revealed as an upcoming title by Sony Computer Entertainment Korea. The PS3 version of the game will run at 1080p resolution and feature support for two heavily hyped technologies: PlayStation Move and stereoscopic 3D. Though it supports Sony's motion controller for guiding aircraft to a safe landing via "line drawing" gameplay that spawned an entire genre on iOS devices, Flight Control HD will also support old-fashioned DualShock 3 control and will bring to PS3 a four-player, drop in / drop out co-op mode, as well as an exclusive "Metropolis" map with changing day/night cycle. Flight Control HD for PS3 will also arrive in the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia on September 15, followed up by an October 21 release in Japan. This post may also be used as a flotation device in the event of a water landing.
Sony Korea outs Move-compatible Flight Control and new PS3 racer
In announcing a September 15 launch for PlayStation Move in its territory, Sony Computer Entertainment Korea (intentionally?) slipped out the identity of two new PS3 titles, both with Move support. The first will be familiar to anyone who's browsed the iTunes App Store in, well, ever. It's a downloadable version of the popular "line drawing" casual strategy game Flight Control from Firemint, which has lifted off from iDevices and DSi to land on the PSN store ... at some point. (No date was listed.) Also new and included in the "supports Move" category, Ignition is a Blu-ray Disc based racer from Hungarian developer Nemesys. The game was actually unveiled this time last year, was supposed to arrive in fall 2009 and doesn't have a publisher to speak of -- but hey, who needs that when you have looks? Check out screens of the game below and see for yourself. (While we try and find out who's actually releasing it.)%Gallery-98031%
TUAW's Daily App: Fare City: Taxi Mania
Fare City: Taxi Mania is an excellent little line drawing game that has you directing taxis around a city, picking up fares and dropping them off as quickly as you can, all while trying to keep cabs from hitting each other. The game's just as addictive as Flight Control, but instead of just guiding planes into home base, you're constantly juggling cabs and fares for as long as you can. And the game has just been updated to version 2.0, adding a new game mode called Crazy Cabs and new in-game tutorial to the already very polished, full-featured title. There's also a free version out to try now, but honestly, with the paid version currently 50% off at just 99 cents, there's really no reason to avoid it. Fare City is a great first title from developer Mike Woods over at Finkly Interactive. We'll have to keep an eye out for what he's up to next.
Flight Control rated for Wii
Firemint's air traffic control game Flight Control, currently available for handhelds like the iPhone and DSi, appears to be moving to the big screen -- and no, we don't mean the iPad. (That already happened.) We mean the even bigger screen: your TV. Australia's OFLC media review board has rated a Wii version of Flight Control, which would most likely point to a WiiWare release. This would be the first home console version of the game, and also the first not to use a touchscreen interface. Thanks to these altered controls, Flight Control for Wii could be either novel or annoying to fans of previous versions. [Via Gamerbytes]
App Store leak hints at iPad versions of Plants vs. Zombies, Worms
Looks like you early iPad adopters will have something good to play -- PadGadget noticed yesterday that Apple's App Store listings accidentally included a few unannounced iPad launch games in their store listings, even though the games aren't available for download yet. A few games, like Flight Control HD and Labyrinth 2 HD – both high definition iPad versions of their iPhone counterparts – had already been announced by their respective developers but there were at least two big titles on the list that gamers might appreciate: Plants vs. Zombies HD and Worms HD. Yup, looks like both PopCap's popular topiary tower defense game and the old fightin' invertebrates are coming to the iPad on day one. Of course, this could just be a slip-up on Apple's end -- these could be placeholder names, or they could just be testing the app store for iPad titles. But considering the popularity of PopCap's titles on the portable platforms, odds are very good that as soon as you get home from the Apple Store on iPad on April 3rd, iPad day, Tall Nut and all of his other buds will be ready to play. [Via Touch Arcade]
