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Unofficial Dominion on iOS now, official version later
I'm a big fan of Ascension, the iOS app that replicates the real-life deck-building card game of the same name. But when it comes to more self-contained deck-building card games where you build a deck as you play, as opposed to collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering, there's really one big name out there, and it's Donald X. Vaccarino's game Dominion. It's a great game that like Magic: The Gathering has been begging for a solid iPad/iOS port ever since Apple's platform first took off. That hope is coming true in more ways than one. There's already a version of Dominion available on iOS for US$1.99, but apparently it's unofficial yet (temporarily) approved. It may be strange to see a paid app that's unofficial and actually uses the art and IP of the game, but apparently Rio Grande is cool with that, because it has an official version coming out as soon as "a few weeks" from now. It's granted temporary licenses to developers to release their own versions of the game as long as those versions are down and gone by the time the official release arrives. Personally I'll probably wait for the official version, especially since it sounds like the wait isn't that long. But it's good to hear that one of the best card games around is coming in virtual form to Apple's tablet. As for Magic: The Gathering? Wizards of the Coast, the ball's in your court. Wizards has said it's releasing a reference app for Magic on iOS, but there are still no plans for an official version of the game itself. Meanwhile, Kard Combat is it.
CPU Wars and c-Jump: the nerdiest card and board games ever
Board games and card games are kind of dorky to begin with. And there are plenty of titles out there that hold a special place in the heart of the nerd (just ask one about Settlers of Catan). But, there is a line, a line which even the nerdiest amongst us might not care to cross. For example, c-Jump -- a board game that teaches the basics of programming. Some of the spaces you'll land on in the course of your journey down the mountain include "goto jump;" and "switch (x) {". Then there's CPU Wars, for the three people out there that think Magic: The Gathering is too mainstream. In this card battle game you pit CPUs from throughout history against each other and attempt to collect all your adversary's processors. You can order c-Jump through ThinkGeek for $25 and pledge cash to CPU Wars over at Kickstarter. You'll find a video of the card game after the break.
Daily iPad App: Seahaven GT
Seahaven GT ($0.99) offers a simple iPad adaptation of Free Cell solitaire. I first encountered Seahaven GT a few years back and thought it was a terrific implementation of a basic card game. It is fun to play and has really satisfying interaction elements. Then a few months ago, I noticed it had disappeared from the App Store. So I pinged Dave Hardin, its developer to see what had happened to it. Turns out that life had interfered with his iOS work and he had pulled the app for the time being. It wasn't until mid-October that crises cleared up and Hardin was able to re-introduce the app back to the store. Now that it's returned, here's your opportunity to pick up the game. It only costs a buck and offers a good value for the money. Seahaven GT is not a particularly shiny adaptation. It doesn't have tons of bells and whistles or any special effects. What it does have is solid game play. I have played this game a lot and it just...works. When you drag cards around, they do what you expect them to. When you double-tap them, they make sensible hops up to the free cells. When you reach the end of a game, the app knows it and provides a pleasing animation / sound effects. There is a lot to be said for apps that are unspectacular, whose joy comes through the actual game play rather than the ornamentation around them. If you're a card game enthusiast, give Seahaven GT a try. I'd love to see Hardin given the opportunity to develop more card games (hint *Spider* hint) if this re-launch takes off.
iPad apps: defining experiences from the first wave
There are now over 1,348 approved apps for the iPad. That's on top of the 150,000 iPad-compatible iPhone programs already available in the App Store. When Apple's tablet PC launches, just hours from now, it will have a software library greater than that of any handheld in history -- not counting the occasional UMPC. That said, the vast majority of even those 1,348 iPad apps are not original. They were designed for the iPhone, a device with a comparatively pokey processor and a tiny screen, and most have just been tweaked slightly, upped in price and given an "HD" suffix -- as if that somehow justified the increased cost. Besides, we've seen the amazing potential programs have on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and webOS when given access to a touchscreen, always-on data connection, GPS, cloud storage and WiFi -- but where are the apps that truly define iPad? What will take advantage of its extra headroom, new UI paradigms and multitouch real estate? Caught between netbook and smartphone, what does the iPad do that the iPhone cannot? After spending hours digging through the web and new iPad section of the App Store, we believe we have a number of reasonably compelling answers. Update: Now includes Wormhole Remote, TweetDeck, SkyGrid, Touchgrind HD, GoToMeeting, SplitBrowser, iDisplay, Geometry Wars and Drawing Pad.
Off the Grid reviews Zombie Fluxx
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column about card games, board games, and everything else non-digital. I'm a little late for Halloween, but that shouldn't mean I have to miss out on all the spooky fun. Luckily, Looney Labs have sent along Zombie Fluxx, a standalone expansion to their ever-popular card game with the ever-changing rules.Zombie Fluxx isn't just a clever re-skinning of the original, but rather a new set of rules and cards built on to the existing mechanics. The base game remains the same: 2-6 players amend and append the game's starting rules, while attempting to win by collecting Keepers to meet the conditions of the goal, which is constantly in a state of, well, you know.This time around, Looney Labs have included some new mechanics to spice up the gameplay. Zombies enter the fray as "Creeper" cards. Unlike the helpful Keepers the Creepers can actually prevent players from winning, as some goals dictate that a player needs to be zombie-free to claim victory. Unlike all other cards, Creepers go immediately into play once drawn, rather than into the player's hand, making every draw from the deck a possible immediate zombie encounter.
Off the Grid reviews Chrononauts
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor. Looney Labs -- makers of Fluxx and those bizarre Icehouse pieces -- are once again in their element with Chrononauts, a time-traveling card game that is almost too clever to work. Almost.Unlike other games, it's the complexity of Chrononauts that saves it from mediocrity. With a heady central "timeline" mechanic, and a 44-page booklet of rules that reads like an operations manual for the Flux Capacitor, it would be pretty easy for the crunchy game to fold under the weight of its own ambition. Luckily for Looney, time travel was never meant to be easy, and it's too damn fun hopping through history to allow a little bit of complexity to get in the way.
Pink Godzilla Dev Kit back in stock, prettier than ever
Shortly after Joystiq reviewed Pink Godzilla Dev Kit, the game went out of stock (Coincidence? We think not!). In the interim, Pink Godzilla Games have been working on a brand new version of the video game-themed card game, with higher quality printing and packaging, and some slight tweaks to the rules. The brand-new, revamped version of PG Dev Kit is now available for purchase, either at the funky Pink Godzilla game store in Seattle, or online.For the un-initiated, Pink Godzilla Dev Kit is a card game about developing video games. Published by the video game store (and ping-pong players) Pink Godzilla Games, the game features a central "game development" mechanic, and parodies a variety of existing video game properties.
Off the Grid interviews Cheapass Games' James Ernest
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor.We've been paying a lot of attention to James Ernest over the past few weeks. As the founder, president, and lead game designer at Cheapass Games, he's responsible for a slew of analog games, including Diceland, Enemy Chocolatier, Kill Doctor Lucky, and many others. Despite his busy schedule, Ernest was able to answer a few questions for Off the Grid, and allow us to pick his brain on a variety of topics.Let's talk a bit about your history. How did you start doing game design? What brought you into the field?There's probably a fine line between "designing" and "making up" games. I've been making them up forever. In high school I actually designed a chess variant as a key plot element in a fantasy novel. It's not so much a chess variant as a "game you can play with chess pieces," since all the pieces have different moves and different names. I was so interested in making sure the game worked that I spent most of my time testing the game, and not much time working on the novel. I eventually published the game as "Tishai" through Cheapass Games, first as a stand-alone title and later as part of a Chief Herman collection. The novel is, well, pretty much nowhere.From what I understand, you left Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast to start Cheapass Games. What sort of work were you doing at Wizards, and what prompted the change? I did work for Wizards of the Coast in various jobs from 1993-1995, but it was never the job I wanted. There was a round of layoffs in 1995 and I volunteered to be among them. At that point I'd designed one CCG that Wizards had optioned (they never published it), and I was building up a collection of original games that I was pretty sure I'd never sell, either to Wizards or anyone else. So I took some of those games and a couple of new ones, and started Cheapass Games in 1996.
WoW TCG: Interview with Mike Hummel, Senior Game Designer
Mike Hummel has been playing collectible card games since the beginning. As leader of the R&D team at Upper Deck, he created the Marvel/DC VS system, as well as worked on Yu-gi-oh, one of the most successful CCGs of all time. And he's one of three main designers behind the World of Warcraft card game. So when I asked for a demo game, and he sat down to play across from me, I was suitably intimidated.It didn't help that I had never actually played the game before. But Hummel knows card strategy in and out (he should know this card game-- he made it), and so I followed his instructions as I laid down my first quest cards and resources. I took his advice in choosing my first allies and playing my abilities. I was given a Warlock deck to start with, and it became a classic PvP duel when his Druid dropped into Cat Form and started ripping me apart.
Off the Grid reviews Give me the Brain!
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor.James Ernest's games are nothing if not creative. Give me the Brain!, from way back in 1997, is a card game set in a fast-food joint, which just happens to exclusively employ zombies. Oh yes.Each player acts as one such undead employee, as all players compete to be the first flesh-muncher to leave at the end of the workday. At first glance, it's a simple card game concept: the first player with no cards remaining is the winner. The catch is the brain -- there's only one of them between all of the players, and you're going to need it to get a lot of the jobs done.
On Sony's love for pirates, Stargate and card games
Still on the topic of card games, it's really become tough keeping track of them all. You have your TCGs (the card game), CCGs (collectible card games), and CSGs (constructible card games), not to mention the CCGs of Star Trek: TNG (The Next Generation). Probably. Whenever we sit down to play a card game, whether it be Magic: The Gathering, or the World of Warcraft card game, or even Go Fish, we get bogged down by certain rules. Printed instructions like, "Must tap to save before using. Tap once to use, or double tap to reuse. Rinse wash repeat," usually lead to arguments, fist fights, and games abandoned halfway through.Not so with Sony Online Entertainment's new deck of PC-based card games. %Gallery-3066%
This Wednesday: Soltrio Solitaire shuffles onto XBLA
As with the wildly popular Uno, Xbox Live Arcade is once again becoming a safe alternative for those that love card games but are utterly terrified of coming into contact with actual cards. This Wednesday, May 16th, sees Soltrio Solitaire sliding onto the service, offering "a collection of 18 compelling solitaire games" at 800 MS Points ($10).We feel particularly compelled to tell you about the game's "Voyage Adventure" mode, which has you traversing a map and playing different versions of Solitaire to unlock new card designs. Naturally, no Xbox Live Arcade game is complete without mutliplayer options, and so Soltrio Solitaire defies its lineage by providing two-player cooperative and competitive modes. Why not grab a friend and spend a quiet afternoon playing virtual cards? It's not like there'll be anything else to play.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Off the Grid reviews Fluxx
Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor. Rules are awesome. If you're a fan of games, this is an inescapable truth for you. Every game you play is comprised of a set of rules, ranging from elementary to near-incomprehensible. If it's a digital game, the rules are there; you just can't see most of them. If it's an analog game, though, it becomes your job as a player to know the rules. How else are you supposed to play?Certain clever game designers have recognized the sheer importance of rules in game design, and have even recognized design itself as a sort of game. The result is games that are about rules – games that make and break their own rules as they're played. The most well-known of these rule-based games is Richard Garfield's Magic: The Gathering. But we're not dealing with that right now.The most accessible of these rule-based games, however, is a little family game called Fluxx, designed by self-proclaimed hippy Andy Looney over at Looney Labs.
PSP Fanboy review: Warhammer: Battle for Atluma
When I first heard of Warhammer: Battle for Atluma's pending release on the PSP, I got really excited. I've never played a Warhammer game, but I am a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and have been waiting for a good collectable card game for the PSP for a long time.Unfortunately, it looks like I may be waiting a little longer for that game.Now don't get me wrong, Battle for Atluma isn't terrible game, but I don't think it's going to win over many newcomers to the Warhammer universe.
Nerds rejoice - Warhammer screens & video released [Update 1]
You know you're a pretty big nerd when screens of card-based battle games get you hot and sweaty, but I've kept my eye on Warhammer: Battle for Atluma ever since I got wind of its development. But now that I've seen what the game looks like, it just makes me want it all the more.While it's plain to see Warhammer isn't pushing the PSP to its limits in the graphics department, the cards do show some nice artwork and the game seems straight forward enough.You better get ready, because the game's coming out Nov. 14. Now I just need to find someone else as nerdy as I am to play some wireless multi-player![Update 1: IGN just posted a video revealing how incredibly boring this game looks. You sure you still want this, Chris? - Andrew]
Namco Bandai officially announces Warhammer
Last month, we reported that Warhammer would be coming to the PSP, but just recently Namco Bandai has officially announced it plans to ship Warhammer: Battle for Atluma, a card-based battle game, this fall."One of the more compelling card-based games to date, Warhammer: Battle for Atluma goes beyond simple player interaction and encourages an inclusive sense of community among players through head-to-head battles, card collecting, trading and strategy sessions," said John Whitmore, Director of Internal/External Development at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. "This unique dynamic coupled with the strategic, fast-paced nature of the game certainly sets Warhammer: Battle for Atluma apart from other games in its genre."While the press release didn't offer up any new gameplay information, it did mention the game will be rated "T" for teen, and the title's developer is JV Games, which has most recently developed James Bond 007: Nightfire for the Gameboy Advance.
World of Warcraft TCG: Armor Cards
This TCG preview tells all there is to know about "armor" cards by showing off the Deathdealer Breastplate card. This article doesn't seem give us as much new game information as yesterday's preview - armor works much as you might expect it to work if you play World of Warcraft. The more I read about it, the more it sounds quite like the Azeroth I know and love, only without the need for an internet connection - and I'm all for that. Again, WoW TCG news has a nice summation of the information given in the preview.
UNO gets patch love for matchmaking
Thanks to the thunderous celebration and endless trumpeting that accompanied Microsoft's announcement of XBLA Wednesdays, not many became aware of an UNO patch sheepishly arriving on the scene. The update fixes a rather glaring fault in the game's ranked matchmaking system -- the glaring fault being that it didn't actually work. The update (downloaded automatically next time you play) also addresses "other bugs" and improves theme deck support. Though the game remains a Joystiq favorite and is amusingly inexpensive, developer Carbonated Games still deserves a specially designed + 32 card for letting these errors slip through. We might have been more forgiving had the game supported voice recognition. Seriously, it just has to recognize one word. Just UNO.[Via GameSetWatch]
Dos XBLA Uno screens
Uno (see the "no power brick required" edition in the pic above) inspires fond childhood memories for most of us, and summer camp night terrors for a psychologically scarred few. We already knew the card game classic was headed to Xbox Live Arcade. Now Xboxic has dos (that's "two" in Espanol) Uno screens grabbed from the debug version of Live. Couldn't they have included Kool-Aid stains on the cards for maximum accuracy? The screens come from gameplay footage posted at Xboxyde, but somebody got worried about their NDA and yanked the video.
