rolando 2
Latest
Ngmoco cancels Rolando 3, says it can't fit into a free-to-play model
Here's some unfortunate news out of Ngmoco: The company tells IGN that while there was a Rolando 3 (the second sequel to the very popular and excellent rolling iPhone platformer) in progress, the game has been essentially canceled, and will never see release in its current form. Why? The second game wasn't exactly a sales success (though Ngmoco's Neil Young admits "it's done fine"), and it was that lack of a big splash that made Ngmoco turn the corner into "freemium," or the model of releasing free games that offer in-app purchases for premium content. They've had a lot of success with their Eliminate Pro shooter, and they want to adapt that model for all games: get a few hits for free, spend some real money on in-app purchases for the rest. And apparently when they couldn't bring that model over to Rolando 3, they scrapped the title. That's a real shame -- not every game on the App Store has to be a runaway hit, and Rolando 3 seems like a perfect candidate for the "slow burn"; release it at a price of $5 or $6, and just let it sit there as an example of great gaming on the iPhone (and the upcoming iPad). But Ngmoco has made their decision, and Rolando 3 is no more. They say the series isn't gone for good -- if they can figure out a way to do "freemium" with Rolando, we could see the roly poly guys on the iPhone again. You'd think that paying for a level or two at a time would work just fine, but who knows what Ngmoco's reasoning is on this. If I get a chance to talk with them at next month's GDC, I'll ask. [via Joystiq] Update: Reader Zyber sent us a petition he's started to try and get the game released. Online petitions aren't exactly proven to be effective, but we'll throw our support behind it just the same.
Rolando 3 canceled, but the franchise lives on
After the not-exactly-phenomenal commercial reception of Rolando 2, iPhone developer ngmoco decided to swap to a free-to-play model for all its future titles. It's a model which led to the development of the extremely competent iPhone shooter Eliminate, but the new business model also led to the unfortunate death of the third installment in the Rolando franchise. The developer's co-founder, Neil Young, explained to IGN, "we said to ourselves, 'Look. If we can't make the game free-to-play, we're not going to release it.' And Rolando 3 as it was envisioned at that time was not a free-to-play product." However, don't think you've seen the end of the Loco Roco-esque platformer. Young later confirmed that "at the appropriate moment we'll deliver a new Rolando experience that takes full advantage of everything we've learned from the free-to-play world." Sounds like we'll eventually get a new Rolando and, better yet, it won't cost us any Rolandough.
Best iPhone games of the year picks start to roll in
Gamasutra wins the award for being the first (that I've seen) to pick awards for their best five iPhone games of the year, and the list is respectable, if a little short for such a huge set of possibility. Unfortunately, they don't win any TUAW points for going with Skee-Ball over our preferred Ramp Champ, but Rolando 2 was a worthy sequel to a worthy game, Edge (now Edgy) and Eliss are both great games (too bad you can't play the former, but the latter was underrated for sure), and Space Invaders Infinity Gene deserves to be on almost any end-of-the-year iPhone game list. Good picks in there for sure. DigitalTrends also has a long list, though strangely, they tend to stick to big names and brands. There are a few gems in there -- Spider, UniWar, and Vay may be a couple good choices that you haven't heard of yet. And here's another top 10 list with some repeats from the ones above and a few more nice picks. I guess with the end of the year upon us, we'll probably have to choose TUAW's favorites of 2009, too, eh? Stay tuned.
Devs quickly move to new models after in-app purchase change
It was just yesterday that Apple announced they would allow free apps to enable in-app purchases, and developers are already jumping on the "get the app for free, buy the content later" business model as quickly as they can. ngmoco came out swinging, as Touch Arcade reports, with both a free intro version of Rolando 2 out for purchase, with later chapters of the game as add-ons. They've also been working on a shooter called Eliminate, and we're now told that title will be free as well, with extra content to buy later. The creators of Urban Rivals, an app that is based on a virtual trading card game, have let us know that they too plan to go the free-with-microtransactions model as soon as their app is released, and though we haven't actually heard from Tapulous, Andrew Lacy told us outright that the only reason Tap Tap Revenge 3 had a 99 cent price tag on it was because of Apple's limitation, so we'll expect that app to go free as soon as it can. Clearly, there's a drive for this model on the developer side, but the question will be just how much this echoes with consumers -- certainly the "download a trial, buy more later" model has worked well on other platforms, so we can expect it to work here on the App Store as well. But on the other hand, just as when the App Store first opened for business, it's a very "wild west" moment -- everybody and their brother is offering up in-app transactions, and they're all of varying prices and quality. My guess is that we'll see a few "hits" -- a few free apps that everybody buys content for (Tap Tap Revenge 3 is a good guess; considering that because you know most of those songs, there's much less guessing on what the quality of the transactions will give you). At the same time, there will likely be apps that everyone agrees aren't worth the in-app purchase (it's the old story of "horse armor" when Xbox Live started doing microtransactions). Until we find a good balance, where quality meets price, odds are that it'll be tough for consumers to know just what's worth it, and thus tough for developers to convince them that their content is.
Rolando 2 out now on the App Store
Just in case you haven't yet heard, ngmoco has released Rolando 2 out into the App Store for the premium price of $9.99. The game's subtitled Quest for the Golden Orchid (in this one, you're rescuing a relic rather than a prince), and though it's not cheap by App Store standards, but on the other hand, it's as quality a game as you'll find on the iPhone. We were big fans of the first one, and the second one ups the ante with a brand new 3D look (though still the same great 2D gameplay), and lots more types of Rolandos to roll and jump and fly and drive around the more than 45 new levels. It's fair to say that if you liked the first one, you'll love this one, and if you've never tried rolling a Rolando around, this is a perfect opportunity to start.There, unfortunately, no lite version of the second game yet, but there is a version of the first one to try, and there are lots of movies to watch over on ngmoco's site, so you can probably get the idea from there. If you're interested in gaming on the iPhone at all, Rolando's on the short list no matter what your tastes are.
Rolando almost removed from App Store
This weekend, ngmoco announced plans to remove the original Rolando from the iPhone/iPod Touch App Store, to allow the sequel to launch on July 1 without competition from its own predecessor. However, in response to a fan outcry, the company has decided not to delist the platformer.Before the announcement of the change of plan, Offworld's Brandon Boyer speculated that the delisting was designed to create "artificial scarcity" for the title, and enticing one final rush of downloads before the game disappeared -- and then making the title available once again when the sequel's sales dropped.In addition to canceling the removal of Rolando, ngmoco has reinstated Topple to the App Store, a game that had also been removed to make room for its own sequel.
Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Trailer
Everyone's favorite rolling-based platformer is back! No, not that one. Not that one either. The iPhone one. Rolando. Publisher ngmoco has updated its website with a new trailer for Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid. Not content to merely bring the rollin' and smilin' to a new tropical setting, developer Hand Circus seems to have added a hint of an extra dimension to the game! Rolando is as blissfully side-scrolling as ever, and the sprites remain 2D, but the game is now embellished with 3D environments and a new camera system. What will Hand Circus do for the third Rolando game? [Via What They Play]
Rolando 2 gets a website, regular info updates
Rolando creator Simon Oliver must be a busy man. Aside from the two currently in-development Rolando sequels -- Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid coming in June and Rolando 3 in November -- the developer is also posting regular updates to publisher ngmoco's new Rolando 2 website. Promising new character and environment reveals as well as tours of "exciting new gameplay" on the site, we imagine Rolando fans like us might make this a stop on their daily stroll down internet street. Though we can glean little from what's currently on the site, it seems Rolando 2 players will be encountering a tropical island theme when the game arrives on iPhone this summer. The prospect of that thrills us just as much as it does you -- does that mean we get to take a boat?!
GDC09: Rolando sequel, sequel to Rolando sequel announced
LocoRoco-esque phone tilt-em-up news now, with developer ngmoco efficiently announcing two sequels to the iPhone's beloved Rolando. You know you've made it big when you become a trilogy -- complete with subtitles!According to IGN, Rolando 2: The Quest for the Golden Orchid will arrive sometime in June, followed by the currently unsubtitled Rolando 3 in November. The news echoes comments made earlier by the game's creator, Simon Oliver, who modestly promised "more activity on the Rolando front" for the remainder of the year. Aside from the pair of follow-ups, ngmoco also plans to release a pack of 20 new levels for the original game.If you're unfamiliar with all this Rolando business, check out our review of the game that got the ball rolling on the rolling ball game.
