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Final Fantasy creator sees mobile success in download numbers
Hironobu Sakaguchi's name is credited with leading and assisting in the creation of many games over the years, from Final Fantasy to The Last Story, Chrono Trigger to Parasite Eve. The veteran designer announced his latest project in July, an action-RPG-puzzle game for iOS and Android called Terra Battle, before showing it off at PAX Prime earlier this month in Seattle. At its heart, Terra Battle is more RPG than puzzler, but it looked like a card game-style sidequest from a Final Fantasy entry more than anything else. In it, players slide card-like icons that represent their team of fighters to a battle grid, each with a mess of unique skills and abilities. One turn consisted of selecting a teammate, then gliding it on the grid, pushing teammates around before settling in a spot within four seconds. Depending on the enemies it was adjacent to and the fellow fighters it lined up with, it initiated individual and team attacks and spells. Within seconds, damage numbers, detailed character designs and ability names flashed on the screen in quick succession. The data stream was immediately overwhelming, then it evaporated from the screen. None of it made a lick of sense, yet the slide-and-move-on action was innate and enjoyable enough to encourage continued play.
Grow fighting power with gems, cards in Call of Challenger
Call of Challenger is an action/adventure game for iOS that uses the power of cards - for champions and powers - to build your fighting team, while still being fully interactive. The storyline is virtually the same one we've all heard before: a brave summoner (you) must embark on a journey to save a goddess and claim a treasure at the very end. Along the way, the summoner must win battles and unlock champions and various new powers to upgrade his fighting power. The game is free to play, but has many in-app purchase options. The game runs on all iOS devices running iOS version 4.3 or later. The beginning of Call of Challenger starts off a bit slow and confusing, but don't let this discourage you from playing because it improves after the first few battles. The summoner is placed on a grid-based map and you only get to see a small portion of it. Light illuminates the path you've traveled already, while everything that still needs exploring remains in the dark - a very clever design choice. Moving along this path introduces you to new people that will help along your travels, as well as enemies to battle. The game typically awards you cards after a victorious battle, but they don't play much of a role until a little ways in. Eventually you'll unlock Teemo, the first new champion. This is when cards start to come into play. A navigation menu will appear at the top of the game that lets you essentially pause the adventure to start using your cards and arranging your champions. If you tap a champion, buttons appear to evolve or upgrade the character. The champion card also displays a number of details like level, class and star ranking. The Arrange feature allows you to assemble a team of up to five different champions to fight at once. It's totally customizable, even letting you drag and drop champions into emphasized or deemphasized positions. Tapping "Upgrade" for any one champion shows you all the cards you've collected along the way to then apply to that champion. This becomes important for advancing in the game as giving champions new skills increases its ability to win battles when they become harder. However, adding cards to a champion costs gems, the game's form of currency. While gems are easy enough to earn to move forward in the game, it's even easier if you take advantage of the in-app purchases Call of Challenger offers. There are packages of gems ranging from $0.99 for 60 to a whopping $99.99 for 6,200. The fact that the $99.99 in-app purchase is more popular than the $9.99 one is pretty revealing about the addictive nature of this game. Graphics and performance are both solid. I experienced pretty much no lag or pauses performing variation actions in the game. The graphics are far from intensive, but they're pleasantly old-school. One small issue I had is the persistent border on the top and bottom of the iPhone version of the game. It seems to serve no other purpose than to fill in the gap that the larger-screened iPhone 5 created in 2012, but given how much time has gone by I'd prefer if the developers took better advantage of the bigger display by now. Call of Challenger is a fun action/adventure with seriously addictive properties. The more battles you win, the more cards you earn, the more gems you use up and ultimately the more gems you'll want to earn or buy. It's available for free in the App Store.
WWE SuperCard superkicks 1.5 million downloads
2K's free mobile trading card game WWE SuperCard has been downloaded over 1.5 million times, the publisher revealed today. In the game, players put together a deck of cards composed of WWE superstars, then pit their stable against other players in both exhibition matches and King of the Ring-themed tournaments. WWE SuperCard launched roughly a week and a half ago for iOS and Android. The publisher noted that over 82 million victories were recorded in exhibition mode, and that over 575,000 King of the Ring tournaments were kicked off since the game launched. Players logged in to the game for over 18 million unique play sessions, which averaged about 14 minutes each time. The free-to-play game allows players to purchase in-game currency that unlocks card packs, which range in price from $1.99 to $25, to acquire the game's 400-plus unique cards. 2K said it intends to update the game's roster and introduce new cards in the future. [Image: 2K]
EA banning FIFA Ultimate Team coin sellers from its online games
We're roughly one month away from the launch of FIFA 15, and EA Sports is reminding the series' fans that it won't tolerate cheating, especially in FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), the mode that continues to earn big bucks for the publisher. In a lengthy update on the official FIFA site, the publisher discussed the effects that coin and card-trading bots have on its FUT servers. In May, the publisher opted to de-activate trading in the FUT web app due to "the severe Transfer Market search issues caused by coin-farming bots," which caused the loss of in-game currency and athletes for other players. In turn, the makers of these bots sell the Ultimate Team goods on third-party websites (when they aren't phishing for account information on social networks). Whether buying or selling these items, EA considers these folks cheaters, and has already taken action in the past: "Since February 2014, we've banned hundreds of thousands of FIFA 14 accounts for coin selling and buying," it said.
2K launches WWE card game for iOS, Android
2K unveiled a new game today that puts pro wrestling and trading cards in the same ring, WWE SuperCard. The game is available now on iOS and Android via Google Play for free, and has players building teams of WWE superstars to compete against other players' decks in exhibition and King of the Ring matches. The card battler features somewhat humorous animations in which two trading cards twirl and body slam one another after a simple comparison of their power, charisma and other skills. Developed by Cat Daddy Games, WWE SuperCard also features the combining and training of cards in order to build players' stables of wrestlers, in addition to paid card packs. By purchasing in-game credits at a minimum rate of 200 for $1.99, players can pick up Superstar Packs that offer one random card of "common" or "epic" rarity for roughly one dollar. The most expensive bundles are Epic Packs, which cost 2,500 credits ($25) and dish out one random superstar card of "epic" or "legendary" rarity. [Image: 2K]
Madden 15 cover vote starts, rookies packed into Ultimate Team
EA Sports kicked off its cover athlete vote for Madden NFL 15 during the first round of the NFL Draft last night, and is slated to end after four rounds of voting on June 6. The vote features just 16 candidates this year instead of the standard 32, which is an even more rapid decrease from Madden 25's two brackets of 64 football players. The first round's eight match-ups can be found after the break. The developers at EA Tiburon also celebrated the first round of the NFL Draft by inserting each of the first round's 32 draftees into Madden Ultimate Team card packs in Madden 25, starting today. It makes for a fine opportunity to check out the digital versions of each recruit without having to wait to play as them in Madden 15, which is due to arrive August 26 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Just don't trust Madden to predict which rookies will be picked by teams in the draft, it won't go well.
EA's Ultimate Team card sales grew 60% in the last year
Sales for EA's Ultimate Team modes in FIFA, Madden and NHL grew 60 percent year-over-year on a non-GAAP basis (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles), the publisher noted in its 2014 financial earnings report. Additionally, EA said its Ultimate Team services "generated more than $380 million" in fiscal 2014, and that Madden Ultimate Team alone saw a 90 percent year-over-year growth. First debuting for NCAA Football 14 and NBA Live 14 last year, Ultimate Team is a trading card-collecting game mode that's driven EA's digital revenue for a number of years in its other sports games, such as Madden NFL and FIFA. FIFA's digital revenue alone topped $145 million in the first half of the fiscal year, as the publisher revealed in late October. EA reported its fiscal 2014 earnings today, showing a net revenue of $1.12 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014, down from $1.21 billion during the fourth quarter last year. [Image: EA Sports]
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft arrives on iPad with zero compromises
When new games make the trip from PC to mobile it's usually a dumbed-down affair, but Blizzard's fantastic Warcraft-inspired collectable card game is anything but dumb in its iPad debut. In short, it's just as addictive, gorgeous, and slick as the version we played many months ago on Mac. You begin a game of Hearthstone by choosing a hero. This choice will dictate your overall strategy, letting you rely on your character's magic, weapons, or loyal minions to take out your adversary. Early on, your matches are chosen for you, sending you through a lengthy tutorial and story mode that pits you against many different styles of opponent. Matches play out on a single screen where your cards go up against those of your foe. Your hero has a set amount of life, and the cards your opponents play against you can harm either your hero or the minion cards you have previously played, depending on their strategy and any "Taunt" cards you have on the board (which must be attacked first). You'll grasp the rules and play style after just a game or two, but your long-term strategy will be ever evolving. At the heart of the strategy is your deck of cards, which can be customized to suit your battle plan. You can unlock card packs either by purchasing them or by earning gold through battle victories. A good strategy matched with a solid deck is crucial to besting the real-world opponents you will be matched with in the Arena mode, and you'll see an endless number of play styles as you gain experience. Hearthstone on iPad is just as good, if not better than its PC counterpart, and if you're an iPad owner who is already in love with the desktop version, you're going to adore it on a touchscreen. Dragging and dropping your cards onto the play field feels even better with your finger than it does with a mouse, and even novice players will have a blast. Hearthstone is free on the App Store and even if you don't want to toss in a few bucks for additional card packs, there's still dozens of hours of good fun to be had. Give it a shot, and you won't be disappointed.
Kids webcomic Dreamland Chronicles gets trading card game for iPad
Indie developer Protobird Games launched its Kickstarter project for The Dreamland Chronicles, a trading card game for iPad, Kindle and Android tablets this week. The game is based on the long-running, kid-friendly fantasy webcomic of the same name, and has players collecting animated trading cards featuring characters from the series. Protobird is seeking $35,000 by May 2 to fund the game, which features card battles in which players summon allies, cast spells and use items, similar to other popular trading card games. The game is in development for iPad first, and the project's $40,000 stretch goal unlocks the game on Android tablets. The developer plans to offer character customization features as well as multi-screen support, so players can watch their card battles play out on TVs. The project is led by Protobird Games CEO Scott Hyman and President Parker Davis, each veteran developers with credits in games such as Tony Hawk's Motion on DS, Tomb Raider and Red Dead Redemption. Both are also parents, and cite a partnership with Privacy Vaults Online (PRIVO) along with a planned series of parental controls to harbor safe online play for younger players. The duo self-funded The Dreamland Chronicles' development since late 2012. According to the Kickstarter page's reward tiers, the developer plans to deliver the game to backers in June. [Image: Protobird Games]
Card Table for iOS gives you a virtual deck of cards for any game
Now this is clever: Card Table (free) really isn't a card game. As the developer says, "It's every card game." What you get is a virtual deck of cards. Your iPad is the table, and an iPhone or iPod touch holds your individual hands. You can move cards between devices with a swipe, so you can see a card leave the iPad and slide over to an iPhone. It's nice for lots of card games like poker, blackjack, spades, bridge or any game that works with a 52-card deck. You connect with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and the iPad needs a Game Center account. There's no server in the mix -- everything passes between your iOS devices. That's all there is to it. You can shuffle the deck, choose the card backs and fronts, and set the positions of the iPhones around the table to match your physical locations. Card Table is a great little demonstration of what some creative thinking can do using the tools iOS provides. The only limitation I see is that the iPad always has to be the table. If you have two iPads one can't be the hand. That would seem a simple feature to add. The app requires iOS 7 or later, and it is optimized for the iPhone 5. Your device can be in portrait or landscape mode. Card Table is original, clever and useful. Give it a try if you are into card games.
How Hearthstone won over a skeptical Magic veteran
I started playing Magic: The Gathering in 1995. I've loved the game ever since a friend introduced me to it. I've played both face to face and online, in one-on-one tournaments and in 12-player free-for-alls. It's the only collectible card game I've ever committed myself to playing. Then along came Hearthstone. I received an invitation to the closed beta. I gave it a few hours and then I dismissed it. I had a long list of reasons. The game was too simple. I felt helpless during my opponent's turn. I couldn't protect my most valuable creatures by keeping them out of combat. I didn't have enough interesting cards to develop the quirky strategies that I prefer in Magic. A few weeks ago, on the advice of a fellow Magic player who had been playing Hearthstone nonstop since open beta, I gave it another shot. I tried to approach the game without my Magic prejudices. I soon discovered that Hearthstone has a lot more to offer than I first thought. Here's how Blizzard won me over.
Lara Croft: Reflections card game launches on iOS for New Zealand, Australia
Square Enix recently launched a Tomb Raider-based card game on iOS. Dubbed Lara Croft: Reflections, the free-to-play game has players dueling one another in real-time card battles, combining weapon cards to upgrade and evolve them and protecting their artifacts from thieving opponents. Reflections also includes group battles in which players work to defeat special event bosses. Lara Croft: Reflections is currently only available in New Zealand and Australia. The game is compatible with iPhone 4 and iPad 2 devices or better and requires a network connection to play. It launched just a few days after the original Tomb Raider's iOS port.
Last day to order CleverCards for Christmas delivery
Like holidays? Enjoy greeting cards? Crave personalization that you just can't get at your local stationers? Fire up your iOS device and get cracking; today, Friday the 20th, is the last day to order cards via CleverCards and get them delivered before Christmas. The CleverCards platform, which was renamed from its original CleverBug moniker in October of this year, is based out of Dublin, Ireland, but prints at more than 80 facilities worldwide. CleverCards digs into your Facebook account for friends' birthdays and photos, making it drop-dead easy to quickly customize a card with the perfect picture; the app will select popular pictures and pair them with card designs, or you can upload your own images on the fly. Whether you use the iOS app or the beta web version of CleverCards, you have the option of sending your custom card as a digital-only greeting free of charge. For printed cards, rates start at US$2.99 plus postage for a single unique card; the price goes down for holiday orders in bulk, when you get multiple copies of one design. Have yourself a merry little card-shopping opportunity!
Warhammer 40K: Space Wolf howls in on Q2 2014
HeroCraft's turn-based, card-focused entry into the Warhammer series, Warhammer 40K: Space Wolf, will start constructing a deck for battle in Q2 of 2014. The launch window comes with a new trailer which, despite being light on new details, offers a glimpse at unit types and attack animations for equipped Weapon and Use cards. Space Wolf's movement grid is also displayed as a unit straps on a Jump Pack to propel himself closer to his targets. Space Wolf will be free to play on the iOS, Android and PC, though the press release noting Space Wolf's Q2 launch curiously states it will also be available on "other platforms." We've reached out to HeroCraft for clarification and will update as we learn more.
Coin eight-in-one Bluetooth credit card adds security features, boosted pre-order availability
Judging by the millions of YouTube views since it launched just last week, there's quite a bit of interest in Coin. The Bluetooth-enabled swipeable lets you add in identifying info from up to eight individual credit, debit, membership, loyalty and gift cards, and comes along with companion Android and iOS apps that boost functionality. While the applications enable you to save detailed card info for online purchases, push additional payment methods to Coin and access the Bluetooth-powered leash that will send an alert if you walk away without your card, the device works independently as well. The company is announcing some additional security features today that should serve to ease at least some fraud concerns. Coin will include an "alarm" that tracks the number of times the card is swiped and sends an app alert if it suspects unauthorized use. It can also be locked to just one card before you hand it over at a store or restaurant, so a clerk can't accidentally (or deliberately) swap cards before swiping. Reps also responded to 50 questions on a new Q&A page, addressing additional security-related and function queries, including ATM compatibility (yes, it will work), photo ID storage (uh, no) and chip and pin support (not yet, but it's in the works). The firm is also releasing additional cards for pre-order, so if you want to get in before the price jumps to $100, there's still time to hand over 50 bucks (plus $5 shipping) at the source link below.
Google gives search a new engine and card UI for mobile, reveals new iOS search app
Google's feeling a bit nostalgic lately: in fact, today is the company's 15th anniversary. However, its look at the past is a fleeting thing, and Big G is very much focused on the future. To that end, Senior VP of Search, Amit Singhal just revealed a host of new features for search. First up, tablet and mobile users will be seeing a new card-based UI that's been making its way across all of Google's services, and has defined the look of Google Now since its inception. In addition to providing a consistent brand appearance, the new look arrives in tandem with an improvement to the Knowledge Graph that delivers an easier way for folks to drill down on answers to their queries. For example, when searching for a particular band, a card will pop up at the top with a list of songs that you can scroll from side to side. In another example, search answered a comparison query with an expandable, columned chart card that displayed pertinent info about the two things asked to be compared. Plus, you'll be able to see other cards with web and other results at the same time, instead of needing to navigate between pages to see all the results. In keeping with the updated aesthetics on Android, Google's also rolling out a new-look version of its iOS search app. The new app version will put users directly in a Google Now interface that'll feel familiar to Android users, and brings notifications, reminders and hotwording to Apple-philes. Furthermore, the search app is now cross-platform, so if you add a reminder in iOS, it'll show up on Android and vice-versa.
Apple quietly discontinues Cards app for iOS
Reports are trickling in that the iPhone 5 might not have been the only thing Apple discontinued today. It appears that Apple is in the process of discontinuing its Cards app. The app was launched in 2011 and allowed users to order physical greeting cards based on their photos. Upon launching the app today users are now greeted with the message "The Cards service is no longer available." The message appears on both iOS 6 and iOS 7. Users can still download Cards via its direct link to the App Store listing, but the app has already been removed from the list of apps made by Apple in the App Store. Update: The greeting card feature in iPhoto for Mac is still present and supported, but Apple has officially acknowledged that Cards for iOS is no longer operational as of September 10. Note that cards ordered through iPhoto use alternative shipping services such as FedEx, rather than the USPS shipping in the Cards app. [via MacRumors]
Target offering magic cards with Skylanders Swap Force pre-order
Activision has announced that Target will be passing out magic cards with pre-orders for the upcoming Skylanders Swap Force. Portalmasters who pre-order the game at Target will get an exclusive physical trading card that grants upgrades in the game when placed on the new Portal of Power. Swap Force's marquee feature is that it uses characters with two parts that can be mixed and matched, but these specially branded trading cards will work as well. There's also an ongoing deal (at all retailers) that grants a free "Lightcore Hex" Skylanders Giants character when you pre-order a starter pack. This Giants character, like all of the other characters in the series so far, can also be used to play through Swap Force content. If you're a parent of younger children, it's also something else for you to trip over.
European players locked out of resubscribing to SOE's EverQuest II [Updated]
It's not easy to be a European fan of Sony Online Entertainment of late. When the company announced that European services would be handed over to ProSiebenSat.1, there was a lot of pushback, but some of that was mollified by the promise that European players with existing accounts could continue to play on US servers with US accounts. Except that for some EverQuest II players, that option now appears to have been locked out via limited credit card options. Users have reported that when trying to add or change a credit card, several EU countries are no longer listed as valid choices for the country of origin, preventing players from using these cards. Since there are no account transfers for SOE players to migrate to ProSiebenSat.1 accounts, this could mean locking players out of years of work on characters. SOE has made no official response regarding this issue, but it runs directly counter to what has been stated in the past regarding access and account ownership. We've contacted SOE for a response and will update with any further information. [Update: Dexella on the SOE forums has posted that the studio is "looking into the EU/credit card issue now." Thanks to Erissei and Zjeven for the tips!]
Hearthstone's crafting turns lead into gold cards
It stands to reason that Hearthstone players are going to end up with a mountain of cards that are either worthless, uninteresting, or duplicates. Instead of putting them in a virtual bicycle's spokes so that it sounds like a motorcycle when you pedal, you'll have the option to craft cards into new (and hopefully better) ones. Blizzard sees the crafting system as a better alternative to trading between players, since trading can lead to a pile of cards that nobody wants as everyone chases the most popular ones. With the crafting system, players can simply disenchant unwanted cards for arcane dust and then use the dust to purchase the cards they desire. You won't be getting a 1:1 trade for cards via crafting. For example, common cards disenchant for five arcane dust but cost 40 to purchase, while legendaries disenchant for 400 arcane dust and cost 1600 to buy. Gold versions of all cards give more and require more arcane dust with the crafting system.
