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All Halfbrick games free on App Store now
Go buy every Halfbrick game on the App Store, for your iPhone or iPad. We don't normally make such direct demands on our readers' finances, but as it turns out, this won't affect your finances much.For a "very limited time," all Halfbrick games on iPhone or iPad are free. That includes stuff like Fruit Ninja, Age of Zombies, Jetpack Joyride, and Monster Dash. Halfbrick games are among the most clever and addictive pastimes on the iOS platform. We'd recommend them even at nonzero prices!
Portabliss: Jetpack Joyride (iOS)
Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Jetpack Joyride. The free NES games in Nintendo's 3DS Ambassador Program arrived at an awkward time, because the standout of that group for me, Balloon Fight, is now getting overshadowed by the many jetpacks of Barry Steakfries. Like Halfbrick's Monster Dash before it (and Balloon Fight's "Balloon Trip" mode long before that), Jetpack Joyride takes the autorunning genre defined on iOS by Canabalt and adds a few kinks. Unlike Monster Dash, however, Jetpack Joyride is deep, with a mess of power-ups, vehicles, and mechanical and aesthetic additions. I was repeatedly taken aback by how fleshed out Halfbrick has made its latest iOS game, and repeatedly charmed by the studio's presentation. Nods to past Halfbrick titles abound (beyond the main character's return from previous iOS games), and the inclusion of an entire vehicle poking fun at the iPhone's most popular franchise lends an extra layer of levity to the already cheeky proceedings.%Gallery-131935%
TUAW's Daily App: Age of Zombies
Halfbrick Studios is quickly becoming one of the best-loved developers on the App Store. They made a nice hit with Fruit Ninja, and I'm still enjoying their Canabalt-style Monster Dash title. Now, they've brought their PSP mini title, Age of Zombies, to the App Store, and it's another good one. Originally created for Sony's handheld, and starring Barry Steakfries (the guy who's running around in Monster Dash, which this game has more or less been made into a sequel for), Age of Zombies is a dual stick shooter with the same old Halfbrick polish and a cool pixelated aesthetic. The action is fast but still friendly. You blast your way across five different worlds thanks to solid controls, a few witty lines from Steakfries and his dialogue, and a few weapons and power-ups to find on the way. Both Game Center and OpenFeint integration is included as well, along with a survival mode and a few other extras. The game is US$2.99 right now as a universal app. It's an excellent game -- maybe a little casual for most dual stick fans, but if you're a big fan of Fruit Ninja and/or Monster Dash, this one is right up your alley. I'm excited to see even more from Halfbrick Studios in the future -- it certainly seems like they're doing very well on the iPhone.
TUAW's Daily App: Monster Dash
Halfbrick Studios really made a splash with their iPhone debut, Fruit Ninja, and now they've followed it up with a little game called Monster Dash. It's a running game in the vein of Canabalt, but rather than dodging skyscraper jumps and bombs, you're fighting through pixelated monsters while sprinting along. The main addition to the game is a "shoot" button, so in addition to jumping obstacles and gaps as they come up, you can mow down enemies with various weapons, such as the (default) flameburster, uzis, and even a machine gun jetpack (that comes in handy when jumping). It's a lot of fun (as you'd probably expect if you've played either Canabalt or Fruit Ninja), and the game comes with Halfbrick's requisite polish, including excellent lush graphics and full OpenFeint compatibility. If there's a downside, it's too bad that Halfbrick decided to just stick with the usual arcade formula. It'd be cool if they tried for something a little less shallow and a little more engrossing. This is just a bunch of levels and a chance to rush for the high score; nothing else carries over from one game to the next. That's just nitpicking, though. Halfbrick has done another great job on this one and pushed the newborn genre forward with their own twist. It's well worth the 99 cents. And if you do buy it, try tapping on the title screen monsters just for fun.
Halfbrick follows up Fruit Ninja with Monster Dash chaser
Australian dev Halbrick Studios is running with the success of its iOS produce-slicing action game Fruit Ninja, releasing its latest game for the platform, Monster Dash, on the App Store late last night after introducing the world to it last week. Similar to Semi Secret Software's hit Canabalt, the title features similar "run for as long as possible while avoiding pits and walls" gameplay, with the addition of enemies and weapons. As its name suggests, the game's bad guys are mummies, vampires, zombies and the like, and weapons range from a shotgun to the clever (and deadly) machinegun jetpack, which propels you skyward while raining bullets on baddies below. We've been having a lot of fun with this polished $0.99 release. Hit the App Store link below to see more.
Fruit Ninja devs announce iPhone's 'Monster Dash' starring Barry Steakfries
Barry Steakfries, the deliciously-named hero of Halfbrick's PSP Mini Age of Zombies, is back in a new iPhone adventure. Monster Dash doesn't stray too far from Barry's skillset: instead of blasting zombies attacking him from all directions, Barry now runs endlessly forward, blasting every monster in his way across several different monster-themed landscapes. "Blast your enemies with the one shot Pacifier," according to the press release, "electro-charge your way to victory with Mr. Zappy, and look out for the ultimate in raining destruction – the Machine Gun Jetpack!" Monster Dash will barrel into the App Store on August 19. At that point, we'll see if Barry's personality (and anti-monster violence) will be enough to propel Monster Dash into the same kind of success seen by Halfbrick's last iPhone game, Fruit Ninja. Check out a (live-action!) trailer after the break.
