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App review: Abstract strategy game StackEm plunks down some fun
A clone of the award-winning game Gobblet (which was given the Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada Gold Star Award --don't tell me you haven't heard of that prize), Shawn Grimes' StackEm is a colorful, simple twist on Connect Four that is well worth looking into as a two-person endeavor on your iDevice. The app as it is today (version 1.8) doesn't offer much to the single player -- the AI makes ridiculously stupid plays -- but for just $0.99 on the App Store, you can get a very good abstract strategy game for two that you can play in just a few minutes anywhere on your iPad or iPhone. Read on to see if StackEm might be something worth investigating for you. %Gallery-101744%
Mega64 reveals the fourth iteration of Kinect hardware
Are you impressed by the Kinect's powerful motion-sensing capabilities? Baby, you ain't seen nothing yet -- the guys from Mega64 somehow managed to reach through a fold in time and retrieve the fourth version of the device. Unless -- ah, yes, of course. It's a joke. Pretty sneaky, Mega64.
XBLA's Hasbro Family Game Night adding Pictureka!, Connect 4x4 and Jenga
EA's Hasbro Family Game Night collection on XBLA will receive three new titles this summer: Pictureka!, Connect 4x4 and Jenga. It's relatively easy to imagine how the Xbox 360 interpretations will work with Pictureka! and Connect 4x4. Pictureka! is a hide-and-seek visual game, whereas Connect 4x4 is a twist on the classic title, which supports more players and includes a "super squares" mode with power-ups on the board. As for Jenga -- and its real-world repercussion of creating a mess once your block tower topples -- EA might just capture some of that Boom Blox magic in HD. Although, we still posit that playing Jenga on a computer screen is about as suspect as clothed Twister.
The Queue: Irrelevant
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's (almost) daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.Embedded video has absolutely not relevance to anything in this edition of The Queue. Why did I use it? Because I like the music. Do I really need more of a reason than that? Nope! Now let's jump into the questions. Some of them came from right here on WoW.com, and others came from Twitter.Lavoz asked..."With Cataclysm, the blood elves will finally have access to the warrior class. Is there any information as to what order they will belong to? Will they be a part of the Blood Knights, or will we refer to them as Spellbreakers?"
GDC09: Upcoming EA iPhone game list fully revealed, screens and info on Tiger
Just before the deluge of GDC 2009 news started this week, Travis Boatman, VP of worldwide studios at EA Mobile, confirmed the upcoming release of a veritable smörgåsbord of EA franchises coming to the iPhone. Today, we have confirmation from Meghan Rathman (representing EA) of the exact titles on the way to the iPhone/iTouch as well as a handful of screens from Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Unfortunately, according to Ms. Rathman, the rest of the games in development are "still too early" and don't have screens. Considering the turnaround time on iPhone/iTouch games though, we're willing to bet you'll see those shots by the end of the week pretty soon!The full list of games we received from EA is as follows: Tiger Woods PGA Tour, The Sims 3, FIFA, Madden NFL Football, Spore Creatures, Mystery Mania, Wolfenstein RPG, American Idol, Connect Four, Battleship, Need for Speed, RISK, Monopoly and Clue. Differing from reports at the GDC Mobile event earlier this week, we're seeing the addition of The Sims 3 and Need for Speed. In turn, we're losing the first SSX in two years, Red Alert, NBA Live 10, American Idol, Star Trek. But hey, Tiger Woods!The press release from EA on Tiger Woods PGA Tour tells us that the game is of the "touch" rather than of the "shake" variety, comes with achievements and offers a way to compare achievements with your friends. Of the key features listed, notably missing is "playing against friends wirelessly," though it does promise the ability to "affect your ball spin direction" using your finger. Those are comparable features, right? We'll keep on EA and let you know as soon as we find out more on their upcoming iPhone/iTouch assault.%Gallery-48706%
GDC09: EA quietly announces iPhone versions of major franchises
Of the many GDC 2009 announcements taking place this week, we were most shocked to see EA sneakily introducing some of the company's most popular franchises to the Apple device some are calling the newest gaming platform -- the iPhone. Travis Boatman, VP of worldwide studios at EA Mobile, made the announcement at GDC Mobile, naming SSX, Wolfenstein RPG, Red Alert, FIFA 10, Madden 10, NBA Live 10, American Idol, Spore Creatures, Clue, Risk, Mystery Mania, Connect Four, Battleship, Tiger Woods and Star Trek, according to reports from Patrick Klepek (former MTV Multiplayer writer) and Shacknews. While most of the titles are the to-be-expected EA mutliplatform titles like Madden 10 and NBA Live 10, the SSX series will be getting its first update in two years according to this announcement. Also of note, Wolfenstein RPG is of no relation to the just released Wolfenstein 3D for the iPhone; rather, it makes up half of the two iPhone games id Software is purportedly working on. Details are unfortunately scant at the moment but we've reached out to EA for comment.On a personal note, we'd like to extend our personal "WHAT THE HELL?!" regarding Risk being announced for the iPhone and still not hearing a peep on it coming to XBLA/PSN. Seriously, EA. What the hell?![Via Shacknews]
This Wednesday: Hasbro Family Game Night matches with XBLA
If you, like young Mikey, love matching rows of similarly colored checkers but can't stand being around other people and all their germs, your salvation will arrive this Wednesday in the form of Connect Four, one of the first offerings in Xbox Live's Hasbro Family Game Night series.Other games arriving today include Scrabble, Yahtzee and Battleship with Boggle, Sorry! and Sorry! Sliders coming later in the year. All the titles will be playable in a virtual game room that, in some way, incorporates Avatars. If you'd like to play beloved family games as you replace your friends and loved ones with digital simulacra, you can expect to pony up 800 ($10) a piece. (Yeah, you read that right. A piece.)%Gallery-42087%
Hasbro Family Games to release mid-March, include Avatar support
Nestled in a press release announcing the inclusion of Yahtzee in Hasbro Family Game Night (something we already knew) is confirmation that four Hasbro games will be releasing on Xbox Live Arcade sometime this March. Scrabble, Connect Four, Battleship and Yahtzee will be the first four Hasbro titles made available when Xbox Live's special Family Game Night Destination launches next month. Boggle, Sorry! and Sorry! Sliders will release later this year. The press release also confirms Avatars will be supported and that each title can be purchased individually for 800 ($10). If that wasn''t enough information, we're told the Family Game Night Destination lets players launch Hasbro games from their own customized game room. This uniquely decorated space accommodates Mr. Potato Head, can be shared with friends and sounds to be somewhat inspired by Home. %Gallery-45867%
Scrabble is XBLA bound, Hasbro channel coming soon
After it was first rumored nearly a year ago (along with Monopoly), EA has announced that Scrabble is indeed heading to Xbox Live Arcade. The company also announced the creation of a brand new Hasbro Family Game Night "channel" in Xbox Live Arcade. The channel will serve as a "digital game closet," according to EA Hasbro general manager Chip Lange, where players can quickly access various Hasbro games without leaving the channel. Players will be able to "earn virtual trophies, furniture and themes" to decorate their closets by playing Hasbro games. In addition to Scrabble, other titles planned for the service include Sorry!, Sorry! Sliders, Battleship, Connect Four, Boggle and Yahtzee. The Hasbro Family Game Night channel is set to debut this spring, though no specific dates have been given for any of the individual game releases. Oh, one more thing: No Monopoly mentioned, folks. Sorry. [Via Joystiq]
XBLA receiving Hasbro game channel; EA's Scrabble coming to handhelds, consoles
Electronic Arts announced today that Scrabble will make its way to the DS and PSP in March, and to Xbox Live Arcade at a later date. Beginning in spring, XBLA will not only receive the perennial wordsmith board game, but also Boggle, Battleship, Yahtzee, Connect Four, Sorry! and Sorry!Sliders. In a very interesting development, XBLA will also receive a branded "Hasbro Family Game Night" channel. Chip Lange, general manager of EA Hasbro, says it'll allow players to easily find family-friendly digital board games. We only wish that Microsoft would extend such a courtesy to the high-quality European board games that are also available on the service.
Joystiq hands-on: Hasbro Family Game Night
Stepping into Electronic Arts' "EA3" event last week, we made a beeline for ... Hasbro Family Game Night, passing up the likes of Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, Mercenaries 2, and Tiger Woods Golf 2009: Busted Knee Edition along the way. We know, we know. But who can resist the lure of Battleship, Connect Four, Yahtzee, Boggle, Sorry and its new sibling Sorry Sliders? (Answer: you maybe; not us.) %Gallery-26011%
Family Game Night is fun for the family
Remember when your family used to put one night of the week aside to play board games, so that you'd grow closer to one another amongst bouts of innocent fun and mayhem? Yeah, neither do we. Hasbro does, though, which is why the company is bringing six of its most popular board games to the Wii, in one small package. Called Family Game Night (not to be confused with Wii Fanboy's Game Night), this title includes the following classics: Connect Four Yahtzee (not the one that curses a lot) Battleship Boggle Sorry! Sorry! Sliders (who wants to tell EA and Hasbro that this doesn't count as a "sixth" game?) We know that going digital is the wave of the future, but is anyone else slightly against the entire "board games turned video games" genre? Call us old-fashioned, but when we cheat at Battleship, we want to cheat with style -- not by looking at a TV screen. If you think differently, though, keep an eye out for Family Game Night, which will hit European Wiis this fall. [Via press release]
EA announces Hasbro Family Game Night for Wii, PS2
Electronic Arts has finally revealed the fruits of its recent partnership with board game evangelist Hasbro, announcing Hasbro Family Game Night, a collection of classic board games for the Wii and PlayStation 2. Shipping this fall, the game will include a wide assortment of Hasbro properties -- six in all -- from Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, and Connect Four to Sorry! and its more recent incarnation in Sorry! Sliders. Purists will be happy to know that they'll be able to play the classic games as they remember, though EA notes that new versions will also be included as well for those looking for a different way to play. In addition, the collection will let players build and decorate a virtual game room, earn trophies, and play various mini-games once they tire of sinking each other's battleships. However, even with support for between two and four players, we doubt the compilation will have us tossing out our boxed favorites just yet, though at least with this game we know we'll never have to go searching though couch cushions for missing pieces before we can play.
Make's coverage of RoboGames 2006
Having already blown our entire travel budget attending CES, E3, and various other important events in sunny locations, we weren't able to scrape together the funds to hit up this year's annual RoboGames festival in San Francisco, but luckily Make magazine/blog has filled in the void by providing some excellent coverage. Formerly known as the ROBOlympics, the event has grown to over 20 categories and demonstrations, covering some of the same territory we saw at the Eastern Canadian Robot Games -- such as sumo wrestling, fire-fighting, and line-following -- but also throwing in a little RoboCup-style soccer football, a new 3-on-3 hockey tournament, and even a trio of so called Tetsujin events in which otherwise unathletic individuals sport hydraulic mech suits which enable them to perform amazing feats of speed, strength, and dexterity. Besides sponsoring a display table among the likes of Lego and NASA, Make also has its Media Maker Bre Pettis filing daily videocasts and flickr photosets from the scene, featuring such Engadget faves as Vstone's Robovie-M, Kondo's KHR-1, and HiTec's Robonova as well as several other non-competitive models like Mark Sherman's snakebot and a rig that can play and seemingly defeat children at Connect Four. You can follow the links below to get a feel for all the action, and stay tuned to Make because Day 3 coverage is only starting to trickle in.Read- RoboGames siteRead- Make @ RoboGamesRead- RoboGames Day 1Read- RoboGames Day 2
