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The Morning After: Thursday, April 13th 2017
Despite its newly christened console, Nintendo is keeping the 3DS alive with a slew of new games in addition to new Switch titles (that's what the pudding above is about). Meanwhile, the New York Auto Show shows us a mix of cars we do and do not want, and our Buyer's Guide gets updated for Spring 2017. You need to buy things, right?
Daily iPhone App: Pudding Monsters brings Cut The Rope charm to a new franchise
ZeptoLab is a Russian developer best known for their extremely popular iPhone game Cut The Rope, and its many spinoffs and other platform versions that have made their way out into the world. The company's latest game is Pudding Monsters, and while it's not a direct sequel to Cut the Rope, the new game is definitely heavily influenced by the old: This is a very cute puzzle game starring some charming monsters, and some simple physics mechanics that slowly stack up into more and more complex challenges. The cute monsters here are the Pudding Monsters, a globby group of eyeballs, basically, that scoot around a 2D plane when swiped, only stopping when they hit an obstacle or one of their friends. Any monsters that touch together fuse into a bigger monster, and then that monster slides around. On each plane, there are star spots that you need to align the monsters over, and that's the challenge: Slide all of your monsters in the right ways so that the stars align. That all may sound complicated, but like Cut the Rope, it's much clearer and easier when you actually do it. Plus the quick restart options for each of the game's 75 levels mean that even if you mess up, you can jump right back in and try again. Personally, I think I like Cut the Rope's rope physics a little bit better, but this game is just as charming and fun as Zeptolab's first big hit. Unlike Cut the Rope, it's not published by Chillingo (which is sort of a strange decision -- usually devs who publish with Chillingo stay with that company), so it might not reach the highest heights of Cut the Rope's success. But the game is great, and for just US$0.99, it's well worth picking up, especially if you're a Cut the Rope fan. There are both standard and HD versions for the iPhone and the iPad, so the game is weirdly not universal. But either one you choose is a good time.
Kraft vending machine teases children with adult-only pudding dispenser (video)
We've seen odd and law-swerving vending machines before, but none as meanspirited as Kraft's collaboration with Intel that only gives pudding samples to adults. The unimaginatively titled iSample denies the youthful its sweet nectar by taking a facial scan and determining dessert deservedness based on biometric data, like how far apart your facial features are. Part experiment, part publicity stunt, Intel is trying out technologies that could recommend products based on age. The company also claims it may retrofit the technology into existing machines to let companies study who's buying its products; Kraft is clearly in it just to deny children some pudding. To see if you have spent enough time at the fountain of youth, head down to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium or New York's South Street Seaport, and take your place in the line of parents ordering one for their progeny. Check the promo video after the break to see the machine wiping disappointment all over the kids' little faces.
Spiritual Guidance: Going to the dark side
Silvermoon City records show that Dawn Moore was born and raised by a loving fire mage and holy priest. Fox Van Allen? He crawled out of an ethereal sludge and was raised by warlock cultists. Dawn once saved some puppies and bunnies from a burning zeppelin while simultaneously defeating Undermine drug lords. Fox? He tried to eat those same bunnies. Each Sunday in Spiritual Guidance, Dawn brings you information on how to walk, talk, and dance like a holy or discipline priest. Fox brings you trollish recipes for gnome genocide. Dawn Moore: the choice is clear. [Paid for by priests for Dawn Moore - nsfw] It's about that time in a major content patch when things start to slow down. We've run all the 5-mans we can stomach, and in Icecrown Citadel we're starting to really close in on our goals as the 20% buff and our accumulated gear help to fill in the gaps of what we need to succeed. As this happens, your wish list of equipment is undoubtedly getting smaller; maybe you're done gearing up, or are just waiting for a few more pieces to drop. Maybe you're cursing my name for reminding you that you've had the most terrible luck at getting that wand, cloak, or whatever to drop. But regardless of where you are, I'm certain you've found yourself thinking, "hmm, I could use that for offspec." Like most classes, priests are starting to think about where to go next. Do I gear out an alternative healing set? Should I collect more spirit items for Cataclysm? Do I spend my extra badges on PvP gear? (Dawn says yes! But that's another article.) How about honing out skills in that other healing spec we don't like quite as much as our favorite? Oh, and then of course, there is always the sweet seduction of the shadows. Today, I've put together a little guide for healing priests who want to dabble in the darkness of the shadow tree. While there are notable differences between the styles of playing holy or discipline, the switch to shadow is more than just tossing on some hit gear and taking a trip to the trainer. But before we get started though, I have a small task for everyone.
Pudding Media eavesdrops on internet calls, displays relevant ads
Pudding Media, a California-based startup, is opening up a beta test of its internet calling service, and while calls are said to be completely free, there's most definitely a catch. Users making the call will be presented with advertisements that actually relate to the conversation taking place, as the company's speech recognition software picks out key words and beams in ads based on what you're yappin' about. Notably, the company actually seems quite interested in licensing its technology out rather than becoming "an independent provider of ad-financed internet phone calls," and while we're sure hordes of privacy advocates will be none too pleased with the setup, those without issue can head on over and give it a try today.[Via Yahoo]
