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id Software co-founder Tom Hall joins Diner Dash dev PlayFirst
Tom Hall has signed on with PlayFirst, the publisher of GameLab's downloadable hit Diner Dash. Hall was a co-founder of id Software, and later worked on Duke Nukem, Deus Ex, Anachronox and other highly regarded video game franchises. Hall will serve as principal designer at PlayFirst, and is drawn there by "the fast-paced and creative atmosphere of mobile gaming," he says in a GI.biz post. Though he is better remembered for his past contributions, Hall's recent experience involves stints at mobile and social gaming studios KingsIsle Entertainment and Loot Drop.Before joining PlayFirst, Hall attempted two Kickstarter campaigns with no success: the "old-school RPG" Shaker with Brenda Brathwaite and the Worlds of Wonder create-your-own-platformer project. [Image credit]
Diner Dash dev PlayFirst hit with layoffs after social games fail
PlayFirst, developer of mobile and social games like Diner Dash and Chocolatier, is going through a period of "restructuring." According to Gamasutra, this includes an unspecified number of layoffs at the studio, which had over 100 employees. The company's stated focus on the saturated social games market has not been successful. PlayFirst shut down all its Facebook efforts, including the social adaptation of its previously successful Diner Dash franchise. Gamasutra also reports that other social games veterans who joined PlayFirst have since left for Playdom or Zynga. The bad times haven't deterred PlayFirst. A representative for the company stated, "Our future plans are to continue to focus on the mobile casual gaming space."
Tons of iPad app releases on the App Store now
Embargoes on every app in the iPad's app store broke this morning, and there's almost too many new iPad apps to write about. But worry not, dear readers -- we've sifted through the flood of press releases in the inbox this morning, and we're here to bring you the brightest and best iPad app news we've heard so far. Board game maker Days of Wonder is releasing Small World, a virtual board game for the iPad, for just US$5. Telltale Games craftily dodged telling us about any development for the iPhone or the iPad at Macworld this year, but they've gone ahead and released the latest episode of Sam and Max on the platform anyway, as a $10 app. SugarSync has released a version of their remote data sharing app for free on the iPad. Diner Dash has gone "HD" with Diner Dash: Grilling Green, a new $5 version of the game "designed from the ground up exclusively for the iPad." See Here Studios has a 3D storybook called The Wrong Side of the Bed available for $2.99. You'll need red/cyan glasses, but you can actually order them (with free shipping in the US) inside the app itself. Chillingo has launched a lineup of fourteen different apps (which is probably the most we've seen from any single company so far) including Cogs HD, Minigore HD, and Sword of Fargoal Legends. Impressive launch lineup. Zen Bound 2 has finally arrived as an iPad app -- it features those revamped graphics for $7.99 on the new device. Freeverse has four different apps running, including Flick Fishing HD and their new game CastleCraft, a freemium MMO. Smule has released Magic Piano, a virtual piano/game/musical experience that's launching for $2.99. Lots (and we mean lots) more iPad app releases after the break. What a launch lineup this thing has!
NintendoWare Weekly: WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase, Ogre Battle 64, Metronome
WarioWare D.I.Y. isn't the only new WarioWare out this week. Well, it sort of is, because WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase is basically an extension of the DS game, but Showcase also has a load of new microgames on its own. Joining Showcase on the Wii is, believe it or not, a Nintendo 64 game on Virtual Console! And on DSiWare ... a metronome and an instrument tuner? See the full list after the break. %Gallery-86452%
European Nintendo downloads: Ogre Battle 64, Diner Dash, Art of Balance
The latest Hanabi Festival has deposited another high-quality import into the European Wii Shop: Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber. Should you be less enthused by strategy and more into reflexes, you can get your fight on in Fatal Fury Special, also available on Virtual Console this week. On DSiWare, you're treated to a trio of Game & Watch games from Nintendo, along with yet another GTA-type game. Ogre Battle 64 (Nintendo 64, 1 player, 1,200 Wii Points) Fatal Fury Special (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points) Art of Balance (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Diner Dash (WiiWare, 1-8 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Game & Watch: Chef (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 Wii Points) Game & Watch: Judge (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 Wii Points) Game & Watch: Mario's Cement Factory (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 Wii Points) Super Yum Yum: Puzzle Adventures (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points) Gangstar 2: Kings of LA (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Star Wars Cantina: your own wretched hive of scum and villainy, in your iPhone
THQ's new Star Wars iPhone game somehow manages to involve neither Death Star runs nor lightsaber battles, opting instead for the challenge of serving drinks to the intergalactic jerks in the iconic Mos Eisley Cantina. In the Diner Dash-like Star Wars Cantina, you must serve the correct drink to the impatient aliens in the cantina in pursuit of a daily quota. If you ever wondered whether the employees at the bar got tired of listening to Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes all day, well, now you'll know. The whole thing is presented in a sort of painted look that we find impressive. It'll be in the App Store soon. As for iPhone games that do involve lightsaber battles, THQ also has a Bluetooth-enabled lightsaber duel game on the way! [Via Kotaku]
Diner Dash dashing to WiiWare March 29
Attention would-be restaurateurs: Hudson has announced that Diner Dash will arrive on WiiWare March 29. This will mark the first time that the game has been available on WiiWare outside of Japan, where it was released last month. For those unfamiliar with the title, Diner Dash tasks players with running a restaurant. This entails seating customers, taking orders, placing orders, serving food and cleaning tables. You have to manage all of these tasks in real time, so it gets pretty hectic pretty fast. The WiiWare version features new controls and a new multiplayer mode as well. The press release doesn't mention a pricing, though we'd imagine it will share the Japanese price of $10.
TUAW Smackdown: iPhone time management games
Time Management games challenge you to run some kind of business operation while balancing your resources against the demands of customers. In the following write-up, I tested five popular time management App Store games to see how well they delivered the fun and strategy of challenging yourself against time. As you'll see, not every game delivered the same level of fun and overall gameplay. Here's how they stacked up. At $2.99, Sally's Spa is our absolute favorite of the time management games we tested for this write-up. In this game, you run a virtual spa, providing steam baths, massages, manicures, pedicures, and more. You aim to keep your customers happy and radiant (literally) by dragging them from one station to the next, applying spa services, and balancing their needs against your limited resources of time and equipment. As your salon earns money, you re-invest into improvements such as hiring employees to automate some of the stations and upgraded equipment to provide higher levels of satisfaction. The challenges grow more sophisticated over time (although I could have done without the whole eyebrow tweezing service that appears late in the game), as you attempt to perfect your spa-fu.
Japanese Nintendo downloads: Super Famicom Wars, Diner Dash
Nintendo of Japan totally skimped on the digital releases this week. It's actually a bit disconcerting to see a list of releases without a huge DSiWare education or sudoku contingent. If you happen to want to play things on DSiWare (and if you read Japanese) there's a new Jake Hunter adventure, as well as another fascinating cheapo GG Series game, this time featuring a big drill. On Wii, an Advance Wars predecessor is up, as well as Diner Dash, which arrives on WiiWare in Japan first. Super Famicom Wars (Famicom, 1-4 players, 800 Wii Points) Diner Dash (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points) GG Series: Drilling Attack! (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Detective Saburo Jinguuji: Portrait of the Deceased Child (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
European PSN releases for January 14
Unless you're like, a huge UNO fan, or a staunch supporter of speedy restaurant waiters, there's not a huge glut of exciting stuff in this week's European PSN releases. Still, there's a bunch of games on sale, Rock Band got a metric ton of new tracks, and Guitar Hero 5 saw the rhythm game debut of Vampire Weekend. Click past the jump for the full release list! Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Diner Dash, Gyromancer
This week brings two casual games to Xbox Live Arcade. For puzzle fans, we have Gyromancer (1200, $15), an RPG take on PopCap's Bejeweled Twist. For those who prefer something a little more manic, there's Diner Dash (800, $10), which tasks players with running a restaurant and keeping customers happy. If you've ever dealt with real customers before, you'll know that keeping them happy is harder than it sounds. See both games in the latest episode of XBLA in Brief. Download the trial version of Diner Dash Download the trial version of Gyromancer [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly. [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
This Wednesday: XBLA takes you out for Diner and a Gyromantic date
Xbox Live Arcade shows a belligerent disregard for productivity this week, hosting a pair of light puzzle games that are sure to weigh heavily on your mind during working hours. Why not have a go (and then just one more) at Gyromancer, the gem-shifting collaboration between Square Enix and PopCap? The cost of entry is 1200 ($15). If it's a cohesive concoction of puzzles, RPG elements and item collection, your departure is likely to be at no point.PlayFirst is also serving up an XBLA version of Diner Dash for 800 ($10). The culinary-themed time management game should be an ideal snack in between gorging on Dragon Age: Origins, Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and ... hmm. How good are you at time management?
Diner Dash serves XBLA on Nov. 18
With the rough time a downloadable title can have finding success in the fourth quarter, it's probably a good thing that Diner Dash could likely give a plate-dropping damn how successful it ends up being on the console after it arrives on November 18th. The casual title by PlayFirst is already a hit in realm of personal com-pu-ters, having sold over five million copies.The XBLA version of Diner Dash naturally includes HD-ified graphicals, along with a new multiplayer mode that includes support for up to eight players. The game will allow direct control over protagonist Flo, or the "traditional control scheme," which involves "point-and-click style with hotkeys." All the best to Flo in opening up her diner in the midst of the triple-A retail season ... she's going to need it.
Zoo Publishing announces four new DS titles
Zoo Publishing has revealed it will release four new Nintendo DS titles developed by PlayFirst, based on properties acquired from Empire Interactive earlier this month. Casual titles Diner Dash: Flo on the Go, Wedding Dash, Chocolatier, and Dream Chronicles are all scheduled to hit stores this holiday season. Of the four, the most recognizable to gamers would be Diner Dash. In the latest edition, Flo (No, not that Flo) has decided to take a vacation; however, her undying work ethic has driven her to wait tables in five new tropical restaurants. Excuse us, Flo! You work too hard.
Spend Mother's Day playing games with mom
Don't panic: It's Mother's Day today in North America. We know it crept up on you, overshadowed by more significant holidays like Gears of War 2 Gameplay Footage Day and GTAIV Day Month. Luckily, Susan Arendt over at Game|Life has your back, with a list of excellent gaming gifts for moms of all types (or at least, all gaming types).Does your mom miss those classic card game nights around the kitchen table? Fire up UNO on Xbox Live Arcade. Is she a tad overprotective of her offspring? She might relate to BioShock's Big Daddies (yes, we get the irony). Does she dig cooking and adorably mispronounced English? Then it's Cooking Mama all the way.Of course, for moms who are less than avid gamers, there are also a plethora of excellent casual games out there. Titles like Peggle, Diner Dash, and Puzzle Pirates could prove to be perfect distractions for the mom with a lot on her plate. Happy Mother's Day to all the Joystiq-reading maternal units.
Betty Boop: Double Shift: new screens in color
In a shocking turn of events, DSI Games continues to work on a Betty Boop game despite the fact that linear time continues to move away from the 1930's. If time moved backwards, or perhaps in a cycle, such that we would some day approach the first half of the 20th century, we'd totally understand, but no. Betty Boop is continually losing relevance as we speak.As expected, Betty Boop: Double Shift features Betty dashing through a diner. For what it's worth, it includes ... a bunch of other cartoon characters we vaguely recognize but can't identify. But it's not all Diner Dash. There's an extraordinarily simple rhythm minigame as well!Keep in mind that DSI is also publishing Barnyard Blast, which more than balances out one or two projects like this.
DS Daily: Born free
There are a lot of games on the DS whose origins are in free online games. Some, like Diner Dash, Nervous Brickdown, and the upcoming N+ and WordJong, are good, or even great. Some are Elf Bowling 1&2. In every case of a free game getting remade as a DS cartridge, money is charged.Do you have any games based on freeware? Do you plan on getting any in the near future? Is compelling gameplay enough to warrant a purchase for a portable console, when the experience can be had for nothing on PC? Or do you require significant expansion and upgrading before you'd even consider it?Our personal view: even if a game costs nothing, that doesn't mean it has no value. We don't want to pay strictly for portability, but we're entirely willing to shell out for new content in a game whose progenitors were once free. Not Elf Bowling 1&2, though.
Betty Boop license snapped up
Destination Software has grabbed the video game rights to the popular cartoon character Betty Boop. They've announced a game called Betty Boop Double Shift, in which Betty runs a restaurant.Maybe Destination is at the forefront of a Betty Boop revival? Maybe the character is going to come back in a new cartoon or something? Or maybe the license was really cheap and a gimmick for a take on Diner Dash. Informal survey: who here has seen a Betty Boop cartoon? Who Framed Roger Rabbit doesn't count. There are a lot of them available for free at the Internet Archive, having fallen into the public domain.[Via Game|Life]
DS releases for the week of May 21st
Looks like it's pirates vs. ninja this week ... but we're pretty sure this time, it's gonna be alllll ninja. Pirates of the Caribbean may be all the rage when it comes to the theaters, but when it comes to gaming, our money's on Naruto. Of course, if you're looking to stay out of this particular conflict, there are plenty of other games for you to check out this week. Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom Diner Dash Marvel Trading Card Game Naruto: Ninja Council 3 The New York Times Crosswords Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End For the rest of the globe, check out the lists after the jump.
Worldwide PSP releases for the week of May 20
Another week, and luckily another set of game releases. Every Sunday we give you the 411 on what's coming out for the PSP worldwide. If a game is listed as coming out in a different country from where you live, don't worry. Your PSP can play games from any region. That gives every game on this list the potential to be in your future game library. We have some interesting choices this week, so read on! US Games Brooktown High Senior Year Diner Dash Legend of the Dragon Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End EU Games Crush Heatseeker Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Winx Club Asian Games Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Juiced Eliminator Release dates may always change, so you may want to call before heading to your local game shop. I totally want Bleach, but do any of these games interest our readers?
