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Philips' Hue lights sync up with an Xbox One game
You can get Philips' Hue lights to change color when you're watching movies, so it only makes sense that they should also put on a show when you're playing games, right? Frima certainly thinks so. The studio has just added Hue syncing to its Xbox One platformer Chariot, adding an extra level of atmosphere to your adventures. When enemies attack, your bulbs will turn red; when you wander by blooming plants, the living room might go green. This isn't the first time that we've seen Hue gaming experiences, and it's definitely not a cheap trick when a starter Hue kit typically costs $200. However, this is probably the easiest way to ramp up the atmospheric effects while you play. Here's hoping that more games experiment with lighting in the future.
Frima Studio's independent thinking in a 350-person company
Given just how big the world of iOS development is, it's hard to find a truly unique gaming company. Each has its own approach, but I find most companies fall into two categories: The young, small firms eager for a hit and the huge companies working with iOS's smaller scale. Frima Studio is a unique mixture of the two. With 350 employees its no small firm. Frima has done work-for-hire on traditional video games for years, releasing collaborative titles across brands and properties. But there's a small team of three developers within Frima Studio who are working on original games. The company describes this group as "an indie game company working inside a big corporation." You'd be be forgiven for thinking that the studio's first iOS title, A Space Shooter For Free, was the work of one developer. However, Frima's original games team begs, borrows, and all but steals company resources to complete its titles. "If we want to make our games, we need to say to the biz dev guys that we already have the money," Frima's IP manager Jerome Dumont told me. Originally released with Sony as a PSP mini game, A Space Shooter for Free (formerly A Space Shooter For Two Bucks) has over a million players on all of its platforms. That's earned Frima the opportunity to work on more original games, like the one Dumont showed me called Nun Attack. Nun Attack is exactly what you're thinking: Cartoon-style, heavily-armed nuns fight off the bad guys. Due later this year, Nun Attack looks great. It's essentially a clone of the very popular BattleHeart. Given that game's age, I'm happy to have a new tactical RPG to look forward to. The build of Nun Attack that I saw is simpler than BattleHeart, and includes an interesting overworld map to explore, several mechanics to play with (think dodging bullets) and gesture-driven abilities, which Dumont calls "miracles." The game will feature four upgradeable characters with strengths like ranged attacks, healing powers and other usual, fantasy-style abilities. Frima isn't sure how the title will be monetized yet. A Space Shooter for Free is funded by in-app purchases of a virtual currency, and while that seems like a distinct possibility for Nun Attack, Frima wouldn't commit to it just yet. Even at this early stage, the app looked quite good. Frima's in an interesting place in terms of being able to do some indie thinking with some larger resources, and that should put it in a nice position to develop for iOS going forward.
Daily iPhone App: A Space Shooter (for free)
A Space Shooter (for free) used to be a space shooter for a few more dollars, but the developers decided instead to bring it down a freemium level, which means you can pick up this quality arcade title for free. Not only does the game offer plenty of solid shooting action, with lots of enemies and pickups, but there's a surprisingly good story here, too, told through cutscenes full of pretty funny (though occasionally grating and even a little racy, I'll admit) dialogue. But the shooter action is fun. The game does suffer a little bit from the issue that all iOS shooters seem to have, which is that your finger often gets in the way of seeing just where your little ship is supposed to be. But fortunately the game uses a health meter rather than a one-shot kill, so while you might still clip the occasional enemy, you'll probably be fine anyway. There's full OpenFeint and Game Center integration, and in accordance with the freemium model, there are plenty of in-app purchases to make if that's what you choose to do. But A Space Shooter for free is a solid iOS game, and of course the price is just right.
Frima $5 PSP Minis bundle entertains, reveals terrible truth
If you're looking to have some bargain-priced fun with your PSP as you wait for its successor, we might point you to a new Frima bundle on the PlayStation Store that includes five PSP Minis games for just $5. They are: A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks! Young Thor Widgets Odyssey Widgets Odyssey 2 Zombie Tycoon We're sure there was a lot of excitement in the Frima offices when the "Awesome Summer Minis Bundle" was compiled, and we wish the dev the best. But it must have been a sobering moment to look at all the games together like that and realize "Hey, you know what, guys? We're not very good at making up names for things."
A Space Shooter for Two Bucks gets a straightforward trailer
Next week, PlayStation Plus members will be able to get Frima's newest Mini -- A Space Shooter for Two Bucks -- for free. (We hope we don't have to explain what non-members will have to pay.) A new trailer gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Review: Young Thor
We've never reviewed PlayStation Minis here at Joystiq, but we're branching out for Young Thor, an impressive game that's one of the best values $5 can get you on the PlayStation Network. A side-scrolling brawler, Young Thor is instantly accessible, but with enough depth to avoid making the experience too repetitive. While it's tempting to simply mash the Square button, developer Frima has done a good job of scaling the experience, introducing new enemies that demand new strategies. My own play style evolved as I learned to add more jumps and dodges while chaining Thor's lightning magic into combat. There's also a rudimentary XP system that boosts Thor's basic stats. However, don't expect to use your XP in any novel way. You can't customize your character, nor do you learn any new moves. The leveling seems to exist for the sole purpose of encouraging replays. Somebody out there will want to achieve a level 100 character, right? %Gallery-96998%
Zombie Tycoon reanimates PSP minis movement today
Just when we were really starting to wonder, Frima Studio dropped a note on PlayStation Blog to cease our concern. A new PSP mini, Frima's Zombie Tycoon, will be released later today as part of SCEA's weekly PSN update. Zombie Tycoon breaks a four-week dry spell for minis releases in North America and is the first new mini since the massive PSN update that coincided with the launch of PSP Go on October 1. [Correction: Zombie Tycoon is the first new announced mini since the October 1 update. There have been a few mini releases that have appeared on the PlayStation Store despite not being mentioned in SCEA's official release listings.] "Let's be clear, Zombie Tycoon isn't a port from a phone game, it's a whole new strategy game designed specifically for PSP," executive producer Martin Brouard proclaimed on the European PlayStation Blog. "This unique tale of intrigue and betrayal spans over 10 challenging levels, allowing you to attack humans AND the places they call home." Zombie Tycoon isn't priced like a phone game, either. At $7.99 (£3.99/€4.99), this particular mini is on par with previous minis' costs, which have been the topic of much discussion. Perhaps you'll form a value judgment of your own after checking out the Zombie Tycoon trailer posted after the break.
