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Zynga picks up four more mobile gaming companies
Mobile/social game giant Zynga has made four more acquisitions in mobile gaming, having already picked up quite a few iOS and mobile development companies in the past. This time around, the biggest pickup is a company from Germany named Gamedoctors, makers of the very popular ZombieSmash title. Page44 Studios is the second purchase. They did work on the also very popular mobile version of World of Goo (though Page44 isn't the actual developer of the original game; that's 2D Boy). Hiplogic and Astro Ape Studios are the last two purchases, each with their own libraries of a few mobile titles. Zynga is building up quite a library of mobile developers and their titles, though we're not actually sure why yet. Most of the developers Zynga has acquired haven't actually put many other titles out on the App Store. Presumably all of these developers are working on something, and Zynga will probably use its new acquisitions to expand its social expertise into the mobile space as well, but the company's strategy hasn't become clear. Stockholders are waiting on that strategy. The company had its IPO late last year at $10, but since then the stock has foundered and sits at just below $9. If Zynga wants to get that stock price rolling, Wall Street will want to see some action out of all of this spending.
Popular smitage game ZombieSmash receives major update
When we anointed ZombieSmash as one of our Daily Apps last month, we mentioned that the game was about to receive a major upgrade -- and it just did. Adding a second campaign of carnage and smiting, the newly updated software offers an additional 30 levels (or "days") of gameplay, basically doubling the original game. On sale now for just US$0.99 (iPhone) and $1.99 (iPad) at the iTunes App Store, you can crush, explode, squish and otherwise wreak havoc among the rampaging zombie hordes. In my play-through, I was a little disappointed there weren't more basic tower defense strategy elements built into the gameplay, but I found it a delightful diversion. (For rather bloody limb-by-limb dismembering values of "delightful," that is.) The update provides 25 new Game Center achievements, improved "zombie spawning," bunny zombies (for an Easter easter egg), an enhanced soundtrack and more.
TUAW's Daily App: ZombieSmash
Our own Michael Grothaus really enjoyed ZombieSmash when it came out around this time last year. Last week at GDC, I had a chance to speak with Matthias Hoechsman, creator of the game and CEO of gamedoctors, about the title. An upcoming update, which is due out in just over a month, will essentially double the size of the game, bringing 31 new days of stages to play through. Since it's at a prison called "Camp Nowhere," there will be new zombie types to take down and new weapons to kill them with. The update is adding a few new social features as well, including the ability to tweet and share killshots, showing friends how you take out the last zombie in each wave. ZombieSmash will finally get a long-awaited Retina Display update and Game Center integration as well. The update isn't out yet, but the game's available right now for US$1.99 on the App Store. There are already 31 days of waves to defend against, plus an Endless Siege mode and a Sandbox mode to just play around with. If you pick up the game right now and play through a level a day, you'll be ready for the big update right around the time it hits. Seems like a good deal to us.
New games flood App Store before impending holiday release freeze
The App Store is in constant danger of new release bombardments, sure, but many companies adhere to a regular, weekly bombing run beginning each Wednesday, through the wee hours of the night (UTC), dropping their new iPhone and iPad games on Apple's marketplace while many of us are snoozing. Last night was no exception -- actually, scratch that. It was exceptional! Pending the start of the "iTunes Connect Holiday Shutdown" next Thursday -- a six-day lockout period when developers will be unable to release or update apps, including games -- an army of companies, armed with their big holiday releases (for little iDevices), launched a massive attack on the App Store last night. What began as a few warning shots yesterday grew into a full-on assault, led by Gameloft's crisp clones, NOVA 2 and Shadow Guardian, and Square Enix's surprise (and apparently rushed) port of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Even Sega couldn't resist launching a few more classics in Altered Beast and Sonic Spinball. And what's this ... Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3? Hey, if Street Fighter IV worked ... Pursue our complete list of new release highlights after the break, and then make double-sure "Santa" knows you've been good enough for an iTunes gift card this year.
Hands-on with Zombie Smash!
I've been playing with a beta of Game Doctor's Zombie Smash! for three weeks now and I can honestly say it's the most fun I've ever had on my iPhone. ZombieSmash! is a "Survival Comedy" game featuring undead-themed castle defense and entertaining, physics-based gameplay. The game casts players as Joey, a lone survivor pit against a herd of writhing, unrelenting zombies. To defeat the undead masses players must use their fingers to flick and smash the zombies until they're un-undead. The game features six "species" of zombies, each with their own skills and abilities. Picking up and smashing zombies together, or flicking them into the air only to see their bodies crumple on the ground is fantastically entertaining thanks to the rag doll "SplatterEngine" used in the game. In addition to your fingers, you can acquire over 20 special weapons from the in-game store. The weapons can be purchased using the star points that you collect when defeating a zombie. Besides the standard collection of guns, you're able to purchase land mines, grenades, wrecking balls, liquid nitrogen containers, and even a friggin' asteroid. In addition to the 31-night Campaign Mode, the Endless Siege and Sandbox modes lend towards the re-playability of this game when you just need to do some zombie smashing to relieve your frustrations. The game is also helped by its original soundtrack which was composed by famed game music composer Chris Hülsbeck who scored many Commodore 64 games. ZombieSmash! goes on sale today for $1.99 for iPhone and iPod touch running OS 3.0. %Gallery-88336%
