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More Rolando rolling out in 2009
Hand Circus's Rolando is one of the iPhone's breakout hits (IGN called it the iPhone's "killer app" in their review), so it's no surprise that the developer would want to follow up the Loco Roco-esque puzzle-platformer in some way. Creator Simon Oliver told Pocket Gamer that plans are in the works for more Rolando content of some kind. "I can't say too much about this now, but you'll see some more activity on the Rolando front in 2009," Oliver said, "and I've got a couple of new game ideas bubbling away at concept stage right now."This could mean some kind of new version of the first game with added content, or a sequel, or even a game on another platform -- although Rolando's success on the iPhone platform will probably inspire Oliver to stay there. Whatever the details of the content, this is great news for people who like rolling little circular guys around.
Illusion Labs wants you to Sway with them
Illusion Labs is probably best known for their first app, iPint, but have been making splashes since then with interesting apps that make great use of the iPhone's features and touchscreen. I tried out their Touchgrind app, and while it was a fascinating demo of how to combine an in-game physics system with the sensitive touchscreen controls, it was a little too tough for me to use (you have to really be a skateboarder, since the app really is a fingerboard, basically).But Sway looks much more casual, and still puts the touchscreen and tilt abilities to great use. Like Rolando, it's a cartoony, physics-based platformer, but unlike Rolando, the mechanic here isn't rolling, but swinging. You swing the little characters around, and then use the touchscreen to grab onto various parts of the environment while exploring it.Very intriguing. Like Touchgrind, the controls might be a little too sophisticated to appeal to all players (it looks tough coordinating which hand is which and exactly when to grab and let go), but we'll have to see how it works out -- if it starts out in an accessible way, Sway might be really impressive. Illusion Labs didn't tell us a price yet (their two other paid games are $5 and $7), but the game is set to hit the App Store soon.
2008 Best iPhone App Ever winners announced
The voting only went underway a while ago, but they've just announced the winners for the 2008 Best App Ever awards, celebrating (according to 148apps.com and the people they got to nominate and vote in their contest) the best iPhone apps of last year. As I said for the voting, you can probably take most of this with a grain of salt, but there's no question that there are some awesome apps in here, and probably at least one or two you'll be interested in checking out if you haven't yet.Shazam won big in the "Best Overall", "Most Innovative," and "Best WOW" categories, and that is well worth it: Shazam is super reliable and works great as a "music recognizer." Rolando picked up "Best Game Graphics," and "Best Game Controls." Fieldrunners also picked up two awards for "Best Strategy Game" and "Best Long-play Game."Unfortunately, the much-despised (by me) Ocarina won three total awards, including "Best 99 cent app" (I would have chosen Koi Pond over that one easily and that's one where Weightbot was made to win), but feel free to ignore me and my iPhone app crankiness. There are lots of great iPhone apps here (especially when you dive into the nominations), and overall, we're looking at the best of a terrific first year of iPhone development. Onward to 2009!
iControlPad goes into production
I'm not so convinced any more that the iPhone really needs buttons or a d-pad (Rolando makes do with just touchscreen controls, and even a game like Tatomic uses "buttons" well on the touchscreen), but especially for retro gaming, they'll really help. So it's probably good news that the iControlPad, which we posted as a concept a while ago, is now real. The picture above is the final prototype before production (though the final product will apparently be black rather than white).Of course time (including a little playtime) will tell whether it works or not -- Engadget thinks they need some official Apple support, but all they'll really need is developer support in the App Store (they say they already have strong support from the jailbreak folks). And of course that depends on lots of things: how it sells out of the gate, how easy it is to implement the buttons, and whether there's a need for extra controls on the iPhone as well. We'll keep an eye on this one -- it'll end up just another silly iPod accessory, or a must-have add-on for iPhone gamers.
TUAW goes hands-on with Rolando
It's no secret that we've been looking forward to Rolando probably more than any other game on the App Store, and now that it's here, we can safely say it doesn't disappoint. From the beginning, Rolando has shown tons of potential as a completely original game that shows off just why mobile game developers should see the iPhone as a dream platform, and creator Simon Oliver has brought that potential to bear in an amazing puzzle/platformer.There's almost nothing to not like here -- the graphics are colorful and run perfectly, the writing is simple and witty, and the gameplay is not only fun from the beginning, but creatively builds itself over time. Just like any great platformer should, every single level delivers a new way of thinking about the tools you're given, and even when you've conquered the whole game, there are multiple reasons to go back and play again.TUAW got a copy of the game a few days ago (it's out on the App Store today for the first time since its announcement back in July), and since then we've saved Rolandos aplenty, worked our way through most of Rolandoland, and been charmed endlessly by the App Store's first real, original classic.%Gallery-39617%
TUAW Interview: Rolando's Simon Oliver is ready for release
So today, on the release of one of the first games that really got us excited about the potential of the iPhone as a gaming device (yes, you can buy it right now if you want), we sit down again with Simon Oliver for an exclusive interview, this time to talk about the road he's traveled over the past few months, and how far both he and his game about little rolling "Rolandos" has come. He talked with us about the Ngmoco partnership and how it helped him as a developer, the viability of Rolando as a $9.99 game, and the future of both what he's working on and what the App Store needs as a gaming platform.
New Rolando trailer says release in December
Last we heard from Rolando, perhaps the iPhone game we're most excited to play, ng:moco had announced that they were still aiming for a release date of "Holiday 2008." And now it's looking like that holiday is Christmas rather than Thanksgiving, because over on their site, they've put up a new video for the game, and they're now saying there will be a "December" release (strangely enough, Touch Arcade's URL for the story says "December 12th" at the time I write this, but that could have been just an error on their side). Oh well. At least we've got the new trailer, which shows off some more of the way gameplay works, including the 2D physics, the great colors and art, and the use of the touchscreen to not only control characters, but sometimes rearrange and manipulate the game world. Rolando continues to look impressive (rumor has it that it'll come with a $9.99 price tag, but hopefully we'll get a demo to try out first). We've waited months for the game already, so a few weeks probably won't be so bad, right? [via Touch Arcade]
Ng:moco's Young aims to create an early EA for the iPhone
Touch Arcade has an interview up with Neil Young. Just like you, I was only slightly disappointed to learn that it was the Neil Young formerly of EA who recently formed ng:moco, quickly becoming one of the most high-profile iPhone game houses, not that other one. But only slightly, because also like many of you, I'm looking forward to Rolando and the "over a dozen" other games ng:moco is releasing on the App Store, and I'm interested to see what ng:moco has to say for themselves about the little iPhone game empire they're building.Unfortunately, TA didn't get a price or a strict release date out of Young for Rolando, but he does say that the game's shaping up well -- he even says creator Simon Oliver "could be the first Miyamoto of the iPhone," which, even if an exaggeration, is an interesting idea. They also discuss the plan behind ng:moco, a company which, like EA in the earlier days of PC gaming, aims to bring together publishers, designers, and promotion and sales all under one big roof. And the volatile issue of iPhone App pricing comes up, but I agree that the big balance on price always seems to be quality -- looking at a system like the Xbox 360's marketplace, you can justify almost any price for a game, as long as the user has an experience that feels worth what they paid.And finally, they hit on the iPhone's competitors, and it sounds like Young thinks Android phones have a ways to go -- the difference is not in the hardware (touchscreen, size, and so on), but it's in the usability and interface, and in those arenas, Young says, Apple still has the edge. Very nice interview with a company that seems destined to play a big part in the iPhone gaming market.
NGmoco announces new games, will publish Rolando
Ngmoco, the strangely-named iPhone gaming startup that's one of the recipients of the iFund, has announced their first three planned games for the iPhone.First of all, they're planning to act as publishers for the Rolando game we've been so excited about, a puzzle platformer with touch and physics elements. That could be one reason for Rolando's delay, actually -- hopefully the new partnership will end up being worth the wait. And they have two other "fast apps" in progress -- one is called MazeFinger (and it does what it sounds like, lets you run your finger around a maze), and the other is Topple, a block-building game that looks like it has some physics in there as well. Both of the smaller games were apparently conceived by Ngmoco, and then passed off to iPhone developers, while Rolando, of course, was created by handcircus.MazeFinger and Topple are scheduled for this month, and they should be priced to go at 99 cents. Rolando now has a date of "Holiday 2008," and there's no price quoted yet. But Ngmoco is definitely making a strong play for getting some premier games in the App Store -- we'll be watching to see how these do and what else they've got planned.
Rolando's not dead after all
Well color me surprised -- after almost a month with no activity, the handcircus blog has sprung back into action. I was getting worried that the great-looking iPhone game Rolando was on the brink of becoming vaporware, since we were expecting it back in August, and we hadn't heard a peep since then. But no, apparently the game (which looks like an intriguing mix of Loco Roco and Kirby's Canvas) is still being developed, and is still heading for the App Store. Which is great -- we'd rather have it "when it's ready" rather than not at all.In the meantime, the developer's been getting some attention already, nabbing some facetime in Design Week and speaking at a conference, too. We'll stick with what we said before -- that we're ready to wait -- and refrain from telling you guys to get a move on, but trust us, those conference visitors and magazine editors don't want the game nearly as much as we do. Time to finish it![via Touch Arcade]
Apple positions iPod touch as a gaming device
Today might be remembered as the day that Apple finally, officially entered the handheld gaming market. During the "Let's Rock" event this morning in San Francisco, Phil Schiller took the stage to do an extended demo of a few upcoming games for the iPhone and iPod touch. He first demoed Spore Origins, a game that only recently has arrived on the iPhone's App Store, made by EA as a mobile version of the popular PC/Mac game. Real Soccer, above, was shown off as well, and finally EA's Need for Speed rounded out the pack.It's a shame that Apple chose to spotlight games from giants like EA rather than some great games from actual iPhone developers, like the much-loved Aurora Feint or the upcoming Rolando. But the most interesting thing about the presentation today wasn't even the games they showed off -- it was the fact that Steve himself called the iPod touch one of the best gaming devices on the market. Apple appears to be positioning the iPod touch as not just a music player with a multitouch screen, but an actual gaming and media device for this holiday season. That would be a smart move -- with a few more quality games in the App Store, Apple could move the touch away from its own product lines (the other iPods and the iPhone), and step up to start taking on older gaming handhelds like the PSP and DS.
Rolando: A different iPhone game
Here we go. You guys sounded really jaded on the comments for the kart racing game, so here's an iPhone game that might actually break some new ground. It's called Rolando -- Simon Oliver is the developer, and he sent us a tip and the trailer above, and if you're looking for some fun and innovation in iPhone gaming, here you go. It looks kind of like a cocktail of LocoRoco, Lemmings, Kirby's Canvas and Katamari Damacy all mixed together with some iPhone originality for good measure. With a mix like that, you can't go wrong.Simon tells us it's a "physics-based platform/puzzler.". He says that there will be four different worlds in the game, with ten levels each, including boss levels and bonus stages, and while it's not seen in the video, there might be a little accelerometer action as well. There are a few different versions of the little circular guys, called Rolandos (the King Rolando, with the crown in the video, has to be moved around by the others, for instance), as well as various implements throughout the levels that can be controlled directly. Simon's aiming to get it in the App Store by August, and while pricing hasn't been finalized, he's thinking $9.99 sounds good.Don't like kart racing on the iPhone? As long as we can get a few good original games looking as good as this one does, you may not have to worry.
