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Horde of Orcs updated, Flick Bowling released by Freeverse
Two big updates from our friends at Freeverse in the past few days. First off, Horde of Orcs, their extra-shiny (and funny) version of Desktop Defense, has gotten a big update to 1.1.4, and now features an in-game news system, two new maps, more helpful in-game tips, and "major performance improvements." That last note is of most interest to us -- I had a little trouble getting the game running smoothly on my mini, and can't wait to try again and see how it runs now. You can pick up the full version of the game for $24.95 over on Freeverse's site, or try out a free demo there.And even more exciting, Freeverse has released another iPhone game: Flick Bowling brings the iPhone's touchscreen interface to one of my favorite games (after all, I did grow up in the very city that hosts the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame). With a bunch of different characters, locations, and even a choice of bowling balls to choose from, odds are that Flick Bowling is probably the best bowling game on the iPhone (though it may only one of a few, if not for long). The app is available in the App Store right now for $4.99. Once again this is a place where a demo would help us, but until Apple gets its App Store game back together, it's all or nothing. If you do decide to take the plunge, let us know how it is.
Hands On: Big Bang Board Games for iPhone
I love Freeverse's Big Brain Bang Board games for Mac so I was super excited to hear that they'd ported them over to the iPhone [iTunes link]. And sure enough, many of the great features that make the software such a winner on the Mac are there on the phone: the snarky avatars (yes, you can tap them), the adjustable gameplay levels, the great graphics, and so forth. But like many other developers out there, Freeverse has overlooked one big design principle. That principle is: Fingers big; iPhone small. Failing this reduces the game from "must have" to "your mileage will vary". The iPhone is not a desktop machine. Software needs to be re-imagined not just re-platformed. Developers need to re-design around the hardware and human factors that limit the platform. And it's there that Freeverse made some mis-steps, particularly in sizing. A couple of the Big Brain Bang games are practically unplayable. Backgammon is the worst offender, both in landscape or portrait play. Although Freeverse has done an amazing job minimizing interaction issues on a tiny screen (the legal plays are highlighted in blue and can be tapped), some game spots are nearly untouchable, leading to a dozen taps or more to advance one move in game play. Late in the four-in-a-row game, it's almost impossible to drop your pieces at the two ends of the board due to the height of the stacks. The problems comes from two sources: first, Freeverse retained its gorgeous 3D graphics in the port. That means that board areas suffer from perspective -- they lose pixels to style. Second, the platform itself only has so many pixels to offer. It's a tiny screen and we interact with fingers not styluses. Freeverse needs to redesign some of those games to make sure that the thumbfingered as well as the nimble can play. So that having been said, what works? Obviously, the flexible game play the big winner. Big Brain Bang offers Backgammon, Tic Tac Toe, Chess, Checkers, Reversi, Mancala, and 4 In A Row. Chess, Checkers, and Reversi remain the most playable and enjoyable. The audio design matches the desktop experience, which will appeal or not according to taste. Finally, Freeverse loaded up the package with options that allow you to adjust playback difficulty. So there's a lot of win in the package, even if you might be disappointed with some of the specific play features. Big Brain Bang Board Games[iTunes link] costs $7.99 and can be played on both iPhone and iPod touch, although the latter requires headphones or an external speaker to experience the sound effects. %Gallery-32063%
Winners in the Back-to-School giveaways
If you entered one of our snazzy back-to-school giveaways in August you might want to check your email (and junk mail folders) today. We've sent confirmations to everyone who won. Congratulations to you, randomly-selected recipients!Here's a look at what we gave away: Ten licenses of Searchlight, the OS X and iPhone search tool Three copies of Bento, a personal database solution A big bag of goodies from Dr. Bott A Dymo DiscPainter 200 premium disc conversions from Ripstyles A bunch of games from Freeverse We'll update this post with the winners once everyone has responded.
Wingnuts Moto Chaser also updated
I mentioned Super Monkey Ball this afternoon, but I neglected to mention Freeverse's update last week to Wingnuts Moto Racer -- now named Moto Chaser -- to version 1.1. The update adds new music tracks and pause functionality, as well as moves the "punch" button to the right side. The default difficulty setting is also lower. All the changes were made with feedback from users, with the exception of the name: that was due to an unspecified copyright issue. Our own Mike Schramm noted the app as one of his favorites for the iPhone. The updated Moto Chaser is now $5.99 for new users, and free for registered users. Freeverse lowered the price from $9.99. It's available in the App Store.
Win a bunch of games from Freeverse
Rounding out the last of our back to school giveaways, we'd like to give you a shot at wasting time. School can't be all about studying and learning, can it? Of course, if you happen to be in school for game design this could actually be homework... Plus, if you don't win, there's always Jared and SimStapler. The point: we want you to have fun.Big thanks to Freeverse for the prize package, which includes your choice of a Freeverse iPhone game (Wingnuts Moto Racer and Sudoku iPhone are currently available), plus the following games: Hordes of Orcs, Kill Monty, Neon Tango and Big Brain Games. That should give your Xbox 360 a break.To enter, tell us your favorite non-videogame game from your childhood (like chess, Parcheesi, Risk, etc.). The other rules (same as always) are below. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, leave a comment telling us your favorite game (not a video game) from childhood. The comment must be left before August 24, 11:59PM Eastern Time. You may enter once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing. Prizes: One iPhone game (up to $10), Hordes of Orcs ($24.95), Kill Monty ($19.95), Neon Tango ($24.95), Big Brain Games ($29.95) Click Here for complete Official Rules.
Big Bang Sudoku
Many months ago, I posted about the free web-based iPhone Sudoku. Today, Freeverse released its native iPhone port of this game. Part of their popular Big Bang series, iPhone Sudoku retails for $4.99, offering expanded game-play and multiple language support (English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese). It's a big step up from the web based version. You don't have to struggle with screen scrolling. The game items fit nicely on the screen. There many new features available. You can save and resume games. You can disable the "Show incorrect moves" cheat. You can enable and disable the onboard timer, and so forth. Unfortunately, I was unable to test the software on an actual iPhone so I don't know if the same touch location issues I experienced with the web version have translated to the native version. It's easy to use the mouse and cursor to play the game with its 9-by-9 grid. I can't tell if this will translate to fingers and the touch screen, but you'd sort of assume that it would--otherwise Freeverse would look pretty silly selling an unusable game. Another thing I couldn't judge directly was audio. Freeverse has added some spiffy sound effects to the game but there was no way to test that out. I listened to them in QuickTime after hacking my way down into the application bundle and they included reasonably non-annoying feedback snippets. You can disable sounds in the in-game options if that kind of thing bothers you. All in all, it felt like the equal of any other game currently retailing for $4.99 in the iTunes store. It promises a lot of satisfying game play for Sudoku enthusiasts with a well-designed interface. Freeverse's Big Bang Sudoku is available from AppStore for $4.99. It runs on both the iPhone and iPod touch. Here is the QuickTime version of the above video.
Marathon 2 map pack thrown up on Wednesday
Yes, we know, you've been clamoring for more multiplayer maps like an irate, "plz sir can I hav sum moar" Oliver Twist. You yearn for more of Bungie's first-person shootery, dreaming of running and gunning down corridors you haven't been through countless times already. It'll genuinely make your day to see new downloadable content pop up on the Xbox Live Marketplace, but until a new Halo 3 map pack is announced, that day is still quite a ways off. But here, have some Marathon 2: Durandal stuff in the meantime.For 250 MS Points (an awkward $3.125), the Jjaro Map Pack will net you 12 new multiplayer environments, playable in King of the Hill, Kill the Man with the Ball and Tag modes, and two achievements worth a combined 30 gamer points. If the game's infamously sickening motion doesn't make you throw up, be sure to grab the content just in case Marathon gets thrown off Xbox Live Arcade.
Marathon DLC (Jjaro Map Pack) hitting tomorrow
We here at X3F love our old-school FPS's just as much as the new-school ones, and at a price of 250MSpts, the upcoming DLC for Marathon 2: Durandal looks to get us back into the archaic swing of things. The new Jjaro Map Pack will hit the Marketplace tomorrow and includes twelve multiplayer maps, two Achievements (worth 30pts total) and three new multiplayer modes (King of the Hill, Kill the Man with the Ball, and Tag). For those obsessed with such things, the Achievement details can be found after the break. Oh, and according the post at 360sync, the devs will be Live and playing on the night of release.
Wingnuts Moto Racer for the iPhone
Our friends over at Freeverse have been working on a racing game (undoubtedly going to be one of a few released by different companies) for the iPhone called Wingnuts Moto Racer, but various NDAs, game mechanics secrets, and developer confidentialities have kept them from being able to talk about it too much, with us or anyone else. Still, demand has apparently pushed them to release something, and so they have posted this heavily-edited- with-red ink "review" of how the game plays.It sure sounds like, as expected, you use the accelerometer to drive, and while their intern says that it controls beautifully, of course he'd say that -- he's their intern. The art looks good, though -- there's a highway at sunset, some Oriental and Forest style racing, and even a Miami-style tropical cityscape. Unfortunately, that's the extent of news here -- no idea how many tracks or vehicles there are, or if there are any other iPhone-specific innovations.Not that the game still doesn't look like fun -- it does, and if you're a racing game fan, you'll definitely have plenty of games to choose from in the early days of the App Store. But NDAs aside, we'd sure like to hear something new about Freeverse's iPhone games.
Marathon: Durandal DLC video blowout
Looks like 360Sync decided to turn the drip feed of Marathon: Durandal DLC info into a full torrent. There is now video of seven more maps in addition to the two that were revealed already. According to 360Sync, they also have video footage of one more, making ten maps so far. Here are all the maps currently revealed: Duality Thick and Chunky Melatonin Mime Target Fortress Lh'owon Arena Mars Needs Women Vulcan Beyond Thunderdome Not only that, but Bruce Morisson, project lead for Marathon at Freeverse, has left a comment stating there are "several" more to be included with the upcoming DLC. That's a lot of maps. Check out video of all of the maps revealed so far embedded above. Once the first video is over, the next will automatically load (alternately, you can skip to the next video using the navigation buttons). [Thanks, StLouisRibs]
New Marathon maps and achievements on the way
It's kind of strange when you think about it. Here we have Marathon, a very old game getting DLC thanks to the magic of Xbox Live Arcade. 360Sync got a look at the new DLC (complete with new achievements) including some super spiffy videos. The first video, embedded above, shows off the map Duality (originally from the Marathon series and remade as Gemini in Halo 2). Fun fact: Duality was named for a game being created by Double Aught, a company comprised of former Bungie employees. Duality the game, sadly, was never released. The second video (embedded after the break) showcases "Thick and Chunky." The primary feature of the level is the large lava pit in the center, which also happens to be where the hill is located in King of the Hill mode. Ouch.We're not sure how many more maps could wind up in the upcoming DLC. Keep your eyes on X3F for the latest on what to expect and details on when the DLC will be available.
TUAW visit forces Freeverse to pack up, move to Brooklyn
No one escapes the TUAW visitation. Our methods are fear, surprise, and a fanatical devotion to the Apple! Under the best of circumstances, management can use our Reaper-like presence to convince everyone they need to get the hell out of Manhattan. In the case of Freeverse Software, the Exodus moment arrived. The entire crew has packed up their East Side offices and headed over to Brooklyn's fashionable DUMBO district.We wish the Freeverse crew well in the new office -- with luck, those line extensions (like Airburst and Marathon:Durandal for XBox 360), iPhone games, new apps built on legendary engines, and killer vector graphics tools will keep on pumping out of the shop once the river has been crossed. We are particularly eager for an iPhone version of Jared. A couple of months back, president Ian Lynch Smith and marketing director Brian Akaka were kind enough to show us around the old shop and let us take a few pictures for posterity before the move (gallery below). If you have questions about any of the mystery objects in the pictures, let us know and Brian can clear up any confusion. As for other independent Mac software developers? If you're in NYC, Denver, Philadephia, Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Knoxville or the UK, let us know when we can visit. We promise not to poke you with a soft cushion. %Gallery-19290%
Freeverse reveals Airburst screens
The folks at Freeverse, developers behind the XBLA port of Marathon 2: Durandal, shot over two screens of their upcoming revamp of the classic title Airburst.Announced as an XBLA exclusive in October, Freeverse hopes to bring back the excitement of the 2001 Mac OS release. Developed by partner studio, Strange Flavour (who created the original), gamers can expect HD inverted pong-action, injected with insane color.%Gallery-18204%
Freeverse working on Flick Sports for iPhone
Freeverse wrote today to tip us off about this webpage that describes their new Flick games for iPhone; the games are going to be written using the iPhone SDK as soon as soon can be. These games will use the iPhone's accelerometer to create Wii-like interaction for baseball, motosports, bowling and so forth. The page shows a number of mockups of the games in progress, and Freeverse's PR folk assure us the games are going to be released as soon as possible. There's more details of the games in action over at Freeverse's site. Let the games begin!
Freeverse's Kill Monty nearly half off
Freeverse Software, makers of great Mac games like Wingnuts and the Burning Monkey series, have announced that Kill Monty is available at a 45% discount this weekend only, bringing the final price down to $10.95US. Kill Monty is fun, addictive and ten bucks for the rest of the day! You can't go wrong. Note that this goes beyond their one-day-only leap day sale.That's great, but Mac gaming is still in a sorry state. From EA's backpedaling to the puzzled looks from Windows users ("You don't have [insert title here] yet?"), Mac users are out in the cold, despite an apparent demand in Mac games -- the demo version of Tomb Raider Anniversary has been downloaded over 100,000 times according to publishers Feral Interactive. I play Warcraft and Peggle, and I'm anxiously awaiting Spore. Other than that I use my PSP. I'm happy enough with my small library of games, but I believe I'm in the minority.How about you? Are you a satisfied Mac gamer?
All Freeverse games and apps 20% off today only
Freeverse has sent along the heads up on a sale they're having today only. To celebrate "Leap Day" (yes, we're only having this twenty-four hour period today because it's a Leap Year), they're selling everything they got for an extra 20% off whenever you use the code "leapyear" during checkout.What could you buy? Well, you could grab their 3D Desktop Defense-like game Horde of Orcs for a mere $20, pick up Neon Tango (a flashy Asteroids-like shooter) for the same price, or grab Wingnuts 2, which isn't too bad a bit of pick-up-and-play shooting fun, for $24. You could also grab any of the apps they sell for the sale price, too: they've got Comic Life Deluxe for $24 and the award-winning Lineform for $64 after the discount.Yeah, 20% ain't too huge, but hey it's only Leap Day, and if you've been waiting to grab some of this Freeverse 'ware this makes today the perfect time to do it.
Current and future gaming on the Mac
MacNewsWorld has a pretty good in-depth overview up about Mac gaming: where it's at and where it's headed. The basic story is that the three things that have historically held Mac gaming back behind PCs (the technology differences, the OS, and the smaller installed base) are slowly disappearing. With Apple's switch from PowerPC to Intel, the introduction of Boot Camp and increasingly easy development in OS X, and the growing popularity of the platform, gaming is actually bigger on the Mac than it's ever been.But there is still a huge obstacle, and that is DirectX. Though there are ways around it (Freeverse actually mentions the Unity engine in the article), many developers are stuck developing in DirectX, and that leaves the Mac platform out of the loop. And there really isn't anything comparable to it in OS X, either. Graphics hardware remains a problem, but that just harkens back to the biggest problem of getting games on the Mac: support from Apple. Some developers say that there aren't games on the Mac because Steve doesn't want them there, and until Apple shows evidence to the contrary, PC will always be the gamers' platform of choice.[Via IMG]
Freeverse's Neon Tango continues the shape shooter tradition
Freeverse has release a new arcade shooter for the Mac called Neon Tango, and upon first glance, it looks a lot like Geometry Wars (which I've played many, many times late into the night on my Xbox 360). But then again, Geometry Wars looks like Asteroids, which looks like Space War, and so on, all the way back, so the only thing that really matters here is how it plays; fun's fun. Freeverse brags that Neon Tango has "state of the art OpenGL graphics," a techno soundtrack put together by someone named "Digital Droo," and lots and lots of various shapes throughout 50 stages for you to shoot with your little ship avatar.The game is currently available as a trial download over on their website, or you can get the full version for $24.95. Looks like fun.
Freeverse updates Big Bang Board Games
If you're a fan of the Big Bang suite of board games, you'll be happy to learn that Freeverse has released a fully Universal version of the seven-game package, with performance improvements, sleeker graphics and greater stability. The new version now offers tighter iChat integration so you can better taunt your opponents invite friends to play against you. The updated package weighs in at a hefty 400MB once installed and offers the same games you've come to love: 4-in-a-Row, Backgammon, Checkers, Chess, Mancala, Reversi and Tic-Tac-Toe. The package costs $25 (free for current owners) and you won't feel like a Blue Moon if you buy it. It offers lots of re-play as these games are classics; my kids love them.
Lineform 1.5 update lost in the Macworld shuffle
Chalk this one up to bad press release timing: we neglected to note the release of a major update to Freeverse's Lineform vector art application, announced on January 14 (otherwise known as Steve's Eve). The new version includes full Leopard support and adds hooks for drawing tablet pressure sensitivity, plus many smaller feature and performance updates.Lineform 1.5 is $79.95 either direct from Freeverse or in convenient boxed form via Apple or Amazon. The 8.1 MB demo is downloadable as well. If you're a forlorn Freehand veteran or facing off sticker shock for Illustrator, take a look.
