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The battle for exclusive games has come to smartphones
It's like Sega and Sony all over again. We don't mean the hardware arms race (although that's certainly happening), but how the smartphone world's two top players are now fighting over the most popular games... and their sequels. Gaming is one of the top money-spinning app categories on smartphones and tablets and according to a WSJ report, both Apple and Google are trying to get popular games and their developers on their side. The companies promise headline placement in their respective online stores and prominent ads around the app portal, in exchange for exclusivity, or at least a lead. This was apparently the case for Plants Vs. Zombies 2 last year, where Apple got a two-month lead over the Android version -- and it's not the only one.
Cut the Rope 2 will debut before year's end
If you've been following the various iterations of Cut the Rope over the past few years, you might have been wondering if developer ZeptoLab would ever treat us to a proper sequel. Well worry no more, as Cut the Rope 2 is now officially headed our way before the end of the year. According to a press release by ZeptoLab, the new title will "re-imagine the universe" of the previous titles, and yes, main character Om Nom is indeed featured prominently. Along with the announcement of the sequel, the company revealed that the several versions of Cut the Rope have topped 400 million downloads worldwide. According to ZeptoLab's estimates, players are now cutting ropes at a whopping 42,000 per minute. The company (curiously) didn't reveal what systems Cut the Rope 2 will debut for, but given that the original game made a name for itself on iOS, it's a good bet that iPhone and iPad owners will be able to cut the new ropes when the game debuts this holiday season.
Mozilla details apps for Firefox OS: Facebook, Cut the Rope, Nokia Here and Twitter confirmed
We've only just stepped into Mozilla's press arena but the Firefox creators handed a rich press kit as we did, detailing a fair chunk of what we're expecting to see over the next hour. One of the more noticeable announcements focused on Firefox Marketplace, detailing HTML5 apps you might have heard of before. Along the predictable likes of Facebook and Twitter, games like Cut The Rope will also make an appearance on the new mobile OS, as well as Where's My Water, Disney Mobile and EA game titles. There will be support for cloud file storage through Box too, as well as a mapping app from Nokia Here. Yes, the Finnish phone maker will be bringing its location clout to Firefox OS. SoundCloud, Pulse News, Time Out and Airbnb have also signed up for the new operating system. Want to know more? Check the PR after break.
Starbase Orion, Heroes and Castles, and Cut the Rope get big updates
This week saw three big updates for excellent apps now available on iOS. Starbase Orion is the first one I'll mention -- it's a really great take on the "space 4X" genre (similar to Civilization or Master of Orion) that's instead designed to run on a touchscreen. The 1.1.8 update is a big one, not only celebrating the app's one-year anniversary, but also adding an all-new tutorial (to make the game a little more understandable early on), as well as lots and lots of tweaks to starbases, weapons and ships. Some of the tweaks actually increase costs rather than make the game easier, but hardcore strategy players probably won't mind that much. Starbase Orion is US$7.99, which may seem high, but it is a really impressive title especially for fans of turn-based management strategy. And if you already love the game and want to support it more, developer Chimera is currently running a Kickstarter to bring the title over to Android, PC and Mac. Foursaken's Heroes and Castles is a much newer app, but it's a just-as-exciting mix of tower defense and action. It's been updated to version 2, bringing in lots of bugfixes from the community, and adding a lot of new content: New heroes, new skins and two new modes -- one that will have you playing 1v1 against another player online, and a second that pits you on the side of evil, trying to bring down the towers you'd usually protect. Heroes and Castles is well worth the purchase if you haven't picked it up yet -- it's $1.99 right now. And finally, old favorite Cut the Rope has picked up another update in time for the Chinese New Year. The Lantern Box offers 25 new levels to play through, and a new flaming paper lantern element to play with. Just like all of Cut the Rope's other updates, this one is free, so go and grab it right now. It seems unlikely that you haven't bought the game already (since everyone has), but just in case, it's only 99 cents.
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.
Pudding Monsters is newest game from Cut the Rope creators ZeptoLab
ZeptoLab is a Russian developer most famous for creating the enormously popular Cut the Rope series on iOS, and today the company has announced a brand-new game, called Pudding Monsters. There's a quick teaser trailer down below, and while it doesn't yet show any real gameplay, you can probably guess what this new physics-based puzzler's about: Cute little monsters moving around a level towards a goal. According to ZeptoLab, the cute little creatures can be glooped together, and there will be different types with different abilities as well. At any rate, we'll see the game when it arrives in just a few weeks, on December 20. It's worth noting that while Chillingo published the original Cut the Rope game, ZeptoLab has chosen not to go with Chillingo for this title (nor did it partner up with Chillingo for the Cut the Rope: Experiments spinoff, either). That's an interesting choice -- most developers we've heard from really appreciate Chillingo's support. For example, 11 Bit Studios is sticking with the publisher for a few different games. But whatever the reason for its choice, ZeptoLab is going it alone on this one, and if the trailer below is any indication, the game will probably be just as cute as Cut the Rope (though the editor in me winces at the title of the video -- maybe ZeptoLab could use an extra English proofreader). And, ZeptoLab certainly hopes, it's just as popular.
Windows Phone 8 gets Pandora Radio, Cut the Rope, Urbanspoon and more (update: full list)
Microsoft knows that Windows Phone 8 is only as successful as its apps. To that end, it's blowing the doors open in terms of major app support. It's not only promising a Windows Phone version of Pandora Radio for early 2013, it's offering ad-free listening for the first year. How's that for strong out-of-the-box content? On top of this, Microsoft is vowing a slew of new apps and games that had previously only been available in the Android or iOS camps, including Asphalt 7, Cut the Rope, Temple Run, Urbanspoon and Where's My Water. By the time the expansion is done, Microsoft hopes to have 46 out of the 50 most popular apps onboard, making any platform switch that much gentler. Instagram is a notable omission -- still, it's a big leap in terms of equality. Update: If you need even more detail, Microsoft has posted a wider list of new apps as part of its official Windows Phone 8 launch post. If that's not enough, you can catch a video overview of the platform after the break. For more, check out our Windows Phone 8 event liveblog!
Cut The Rope, Beat The Traffic, Angry Birds Space and more updated today
We've already heard about some big updates on the App Store this week, but this regular Thursday is also full of them -- some of the App Store's biggest apps are getting big chunky updates to use or play with. Here's a rundown for you. Angry Birds Space has a Mars Curiosity rover-related update out, with 20 new levels on Mars, and a new astronaut pig. Sounds fun! Cut the Rope also has new content, with new Spooky Box levels, and a feature called superpowers, which have you chasing after a new star on all levels to date. Doodle Jump has gotten its "biggest update yet," featuring a new ninja theme to play with, as well as new objects to help you jump farther and faster than ever, and new mechanics and obstacles as well. As previously mentioned, Facebook finally got its upgrade to a full app instead of just an HTML 5 skin, and it's much faster than it used to be. ProCamera HD has launched, bringing the versatile and powerful camera app from iPhone to iPad. The ingenious little Mission Alarm Clock (that requires you to complete "missions" to turn off your alarm every morning) has updated with a new UI and a new mission to complete. Vintagio is an app that we recently posted about -- it's an update of MacPhun's Silent Movie Director. And of course the TV Guide app was updated with things like celebrity watchlists and curated channel listings. Finally, the bill management app Chronicle in the Mac App Store was updated for both Retina Display compatibility, as well as support for Mountain Lion, and a whole new, great looking interface. All great apps, all updated with even more great features. All of these updates are available for download for free in an App Store near you.
Twitter app, Cut the Rope, SpellTower, SpellCraft School of Magic all updated
We don't usually cover every single update that arrives on the App Store, simply because there are so many apps out there and so many developers working hard all the time. But a number of very popular apps have updated recently, so here's a few big apps with lots of new content to see. The official Twitter app has been updated, specifically the iPhone version. The update allows you to use swipes to gesture around the app, copy and paste the links and text in actual tweets, and many other performance improvements and polishes. It's not a huge update, but it's worth downloading when it shows up in your iTunes or App Store update screen (though let me tell you, if you haven't experienced Tweetbot yet, you're missing out on a great alternative to the official app). Cut the Rope Experiments has gotten its Bath Time update, with 25 new levels, a new playable character, new achievements, and a new leaderboard to play with. It's a solid and highly anticipated update. Zach Gage's great SpellTower word game is getting a big update, which will include both a new multiplayer option and a few other game modes. Multiplayer will work across different iOS devices, too, so you can play with an iPad against players on iPhone, or vice versa. SpellCraft: School of Magic is getting updated to version 1.1 later this week (never mind -- it's out right now). It's a big update for the freemium title that adds lots of new customization options and spells, a healing spell that players can actually grow and craft (so they don't need to use or buy potions all the time), and a new plant that translates directly into gold. There are also some performance improvements and bug fixes included as well. That's four great apps made even better by their developers. If you've purchased them in the past, download away.
Cut the Rope and Where's my Water getting toys, more content
The New York Toy Fair is on this week, and so collectors and toy buyers alike are hearing about all sorts of new products. And given that the iPhone is one of the largest brands around, it's probably no surprise that iOS-based game properties are very popular this year. Disney's Where's My Water is the latest iPhone game to get toys made for it. There are plush dolls coming soon of the main alligator character, as well as rubber duckies modeled after the duckies you collect in the acclaimed physics puzzler. And Cut the Rope's Om Nom Nom already has a plush made of himself, but there's even more on the way. Mattel has signed a deal to provide a board game based on the popular iPhone title, and it will apparently interact directly with the Cut the Rope app on your iPad as you play. Jakks Pacific has signed a deal to bring the game to your TV, with a dedicated toy that plugs in with the game pre-installed. And we can't leave the game itself out: There's an update coming (actually for the Cut the Rope: Experiments spinoff) called Bath Time, that adds some water-related puzzles to the mix. It's a sign of just how big Apple's App Store has gotten that these iPhone developers are able to spin properties off the games on this platform. Certainly both of these games have a lot going for them (EA owns Chillingo, which publishes Cut the Rope, in addition to Disney's Where's My Water), but the fact that these toys are being made at all speaks to how big the audience for these games is.
Mattel Apptivity hands-on (video)
Mattel thinks it has the secret to succeeding where so many others have failed in bridging that divide between the virtual and the physical -- and it might be right. While plenty of other toy companies have tried pairing hunks of plastic with apps in the past, Mattel has gone the extra mile, incorporating its recognizable brands and partnering with top tier developers. Later this year the company will launch Apptivity, a line of toys made from conductive plastic that interact with iPad games -- some which you're already quite familiar with, like Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja and, of course, Angry Birds. The games will get an update when the toys hit the market with new features and play modes specifically designed to utilize the physical pieces. Other brands, including WWE, Batman and Hot Wheels will also be part of the first batch of toys designed to be played with on your iPad screen.None of the apps or the toys themselves were quite ready for prime time yet, but Hot Wheels, WWE, Fruit Ninja and Cut the Rope were all at least playable. The Apptivity mode in Cut the Rope and Fruit Ninja are pretty intuitive, but it took a bit of practice to get the hang of Hot Wheels. We had trouble finding the sweet spot on the screen that kept our car speeding along while leaving room to see upcoming obstacles. The line of toys will launch exclusively in Apple Stores in May with Hot Wheels (which will cost $20), followed by the rest in July. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break for a few more impressions.Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
Cut the Rope gets ported to HTML5, gets chronicled on the way
Outlined during Microsoft's CES keynote earlier this week, gaming app Cut The Rope has had its journey to the world of HTML5 published for the masses. Tying together features like CSS3 styling and canvas-rendered graphics, the blog post details in cheery technical detail how creators ZeptoLab and Pixel Lab (not related) transferred the game from Objective-C to Javascript. Check the game for yourself down at the source and expect to see some extra levels designed especially for the browser platform. We'd love to play through those new levels, but we're all a little busy here...
Daily iPad App: Tiny Places HD
Tiny Places is the latest title from Big Fish Games, which typically releases games on PC (mostly casual stuff like find-an-item and puzzle games), but lately has been making a big push on iOS as well. What's interesting about Tiny Places is that it borrows from from iOS games rather than Big Fish's PC catalog. Specifically, from Cut the Rope. Tiny Places is similar to Chillingo's other physics title (the one that's not about angry birds), in that it features a cute little protagonist trying to reach a goal in a colorful 2D level while using real-time physics to move around. In this case, you play as a chameleon who uses his tongue to hang from various objects, trying to collect "starflies" while moving towards a hole in the wall that kicks off the next level. To start, you can fling the little chameleon around, but as the game progresses, there are other objects to interact with. Tiny Places is harder than Cut the Rope as precise, airborne is required. Especially if you want to get all of the stars and extras, you'll need to make some pretty tough jumps. But resetting the level is quick and easy, so the game encourages replaying to get things just right. The polish isn't quite as good as Cut the Rope, but if (like me) you've already run through all of the levels of that one, Tiny Places offers a worthy alternative and a fun time in and of itself. The iPad version is US$1.99 while the iPhone version is just a buck, and there are free versions of each to try out as well. Tiny Places isn't a classic, but if you enjoy physics games, the many levels on display here (with lots of updates to come, according to the app itself) will provide plenty of entertainment.
Cut the Rope: Experiments brings some new twists to the popular property
Besides Doodle Jump, if there's one game I could never get sick of playing on my iPhone, it's Cut the Rope. In the game, you use your finger to "cut" ropes that release candy that (hopefully) end up in a green little creature's big mouth. Other fans of Cut the Rope will be pleased to learn that the sequel was released last week. Cut the Rope: Experiments retains all the things you loved from the first one: challenging puzzles, realistic physics, and that cute little green creature, known as Om Nom after the sound he makes, that loves candy. But the game adds several new features, such as the Professor who is trying to figure out how Om Nom arrived in a package outside his house. The Professor provides running commentary as you play through 75 new levels and some added game elements like suction cups and rope shooters. The farther you advance the more the back story of Om Nom will be revealed through hidden photographs and animations. Despite the added story line elements Cut the Rope: Experiments retains all the fun an playability the first one did and is recommended for anyone who loves feeding candy to little green monsters. Cut the Rope: Experiments is US$0.99 in the App Store.
Cut the Rope update, plush toys coming soon
The video below highlights an upcoming update for the popular Cut the Rope title on iOS -- Chillingo is bringing 25 new levels to the title, complete with some new game mechanics and features. Cartoon creature Om Nom will be able to be fed various types of foods, not just the candy he so craves, and as you can see in the video, there are some new bounce pads to deal with and a few new drawings to find and collect. Finding those drawings can apparently unlock prizes, like the chance to gift the game to a friend on Facebook. The update is version 1.4, called Toy Box, and should be available in the game soon. And there are also some plush dolls coming, as you can see above. Om Nom is portrayed in a few different moods and sizes, and all of these toys will be out sometime in October. I don't usually go in for stuffed toys, but I will say this: that's one cute little fella.
GetJar gets Cut the Rope exclusive, candy-craving monster makes Android debut
We played this addictive gem of an award-winning app on a friend's iPhone last year and actually considered cutting our friendly ties to Android just to get in on the action. Small wonder then that creator ZeptoLab caved in to pressure from the iOS rival's community, making Cut the Rope a one-week GetJar exclusive. It's a tactic we've seen competitor Amazon tackle before -- one that should help boost this Silicon Valley-based app store's visibility. String-slicing fiends can get to feeding their inner hungry, hungry Om Nom now, and give a much needed break to those over-slung simulated fowls. [Image courtesy iTunes App Store]
Best App Ever winners announced, Angry Birds wins big
148Apps' own Jeff Scott just handed me an actual piece of paper here in the Macworld press room, and on it there are all of the Best App Ever winners listed. You can read the full list online in PDF form, but we'll spoil a few of them for you. Best App Ever for 2010? None other than a little app you may have heard of called Angry Birds. Sure, it's not a choice too far off the reservation, but you have to admit that in terms of exposure and playtime, there was no real equal. Chillingo and Clickgamer also walked away with the most wins -- Angry Birds showed up on the list seven times in its various forms, and Cut the Rope also nabbed an award for Best Puzzle Game. Flipboard is the most award-winning non-game app of the bunch, picking up three awards, including Most Innovative App and Best Visual Design on the iPad. And Spacetime Studios' Pocket Legends, a full-featured iOS MMO that has received relatively little press so far, picked up three wins as well. There are lots and lots and lots of excellent apps in the various awards and their runner-ups and honorable mentions -- it's been a terrific year for the App Store, and in its third year running, the Best App Ever awards are a great indicator of what's popular and well-made out there.
Cut the Rope holiday version now available
Chillingo has joined the holiday fun with Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift edition. The holiday version of Cut the Rope is a universal app, separate from the regular app, and offered free of charge. If you have somehow missed Cut the Rope, do yourself a favor and check it out. In addition to the holiday edition, there are both free "lite" versions and regular versions ($1 for the iPhone version, $2 for the HD iPad version). It's a lot of fun and offers plenty of challenges. "Om Nom" might be the cutest cartoon character since Little Cindy Lou Who (who was no more than two). I keep hoping for a holiday version of Plants vs Zombies, but I guess I'll have to hope for "maybe next year." [via Touch Arcade]
Determining Game Center's current popularity
The always insightful Stuart Dredge over at MobileEntertainment has crunched some numbers on Game Center's actual popularity. Since Apple's own gaming social network on the iPhone launched, I've heard lots of different things from developers in terms of how they're implementing and using it. Some developers jumped in head-first, bringing all of their apps on board quickly, while others have only brought one or two apps on board at a time, opting instead to wait and see what their users are into. And some developers haven't even started on it yet, instead waiting to see how adoption works. So, in order to get something resembling hard numbers, Dredge took the reported sales of a few popular App Store apps, and then he compared those to the number of players listed as playing them in Game Center. You can see the top few examples above -- keep in mind that this is a picture painted with a roller rather than a fine brush; it was just created to give an idea of what's happening rather than exact figures. But there are some conclusions to draw -- a title like Angry Birds, with over 6 million players, is only seeing about a quarter of those users using the Game Center integration. At the same time, a newer title like Cut the Rope has a majority of its players using Game Center. In other words, Game Center is still in the early adopter stage -- the mass market of iPhone users hasn't yet jumped on board. But users who seek out and find the latest and greatest apps (and Cut the Rope is a hit that's only a few weeks old) are signed up and playing on Game Center already.
TUAW's Daily App: Cut the Rope
At every one of these gaming shows (it's GDC Online this week, which I'm at for TUAW), there's usually a "game of the show" that emerges. It's something, either on the show floor or demoing behind closed doors, that everyone starts to talk about. The buzz starts at parties and in the hallways, and then it carries over into panels and starts to crop up in those casual discussions about "what you've seen this week." But so far, the game everyone's talking about this week isn't even on display at the show. Epic's Mark Rein even recommended Chillingo's newest title, Cut the Rope, to me. It's a brand new game that's already making a huge splash this week (as of this writing, it was number two on the App Store paid list), and it's all the rage among app developers and journalists here at GDC. The phrase being passed around is "Angry Birds meets Fruit Ninja," and those comparisons are apt. The idea is that you guide a little piece of candy, by cutting ropes and manipulating other items in the environment, to a cute little monster that's hungrily trying to eat it. Cut the Rope has the cute characters of Angry Birds and the fun, tactile interaction of Fruit Ninja all wrapped up into one extremely polished and shiny package. For only US$0.99, you get four stages full of levels, three stars to collect in each level (to add replayability), and to top it all off, Game Center integration for achievements and leaderboards. The iPad version is $1.99, but there's also a lite version on that device to check out. I'm not even that big of an Angry Birds fan, but I found myself giggling as I pulled off Cut the Rope's little puzzles. I was very charmed by Om Nom, the little monster who just wants that hanging candy. Cut the Rope has just barely gone live, and this is an app that is already getting into people's heads.
