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Need For Speed World takes off July 27th
Fast cars. Expensive gas. Gaudy spinners. Fuzzy dice. A lead foot. Radar detectors. EA is set to provide all of these and more when Need for Speed World launches next week. A release date of July 27 has been announced, and will be available via digital download for all hot rod enthusiasts. Of course, if you can't wait to settle into the driver's seat, you can get into the game today by pre-ordering the Need for Speed World Starter Pack. Apart from the benefit of early access, pre-orders will get their hands on exclusive cars, be fueled with double XP, and have the ever-so-elite "VIP" tag added to their driver profile from now on. The Starter Pack also includes an allowance of NFSW's in-game currency for a shopping trip if one so desires. A trial of the game will become available next week as well, offering a free sample of NFSW up through level 10 to any and all who mosey by. EA is obviously crossing its fingers that NFSW will go the distance and not break down on the side of the road like Motor City Online, but so far, things are looking up for this title.
First Look: Ramp Champ adds carnival fun to your iPhone
If you've seen Kevin Smith's Dogma, you know that a key character ends up incapacitated for much of the film as a consequence of his/her unusual obsession with the carnival game Skee-Ball. The whole uncomfortable situation could have been avoided with an iPhone or iPod touch and the new app from the Iconfactory and DSMediaLabs, Ramp Champ. The game brings the sounds and skill of classic carnival ball-toss challenges right into your pocket with a great deal of style and fun. The $1.99 Ramp Champ app [iTunes link] provides four separate levels of ball toss challenges, ranging from three rows of clown targets to a rather familiar garden of bitmapped icons. Each level provides scoring & prize opportunities for knocking down the clowns, fish, invaders or icons; if you match one of three bonus conditions for the level (including, on the icon garden board, tracking down the elusive dogcow), you'll get an award for your excellent performance. After each session of tossing, you collect prize tickets that you can turn in at the app's gallery of virtual stuffed stuff -- fuzzy dice, anyone? Aside from the four levels that ship with the app, there are four more levels (featuring unicorns, ninjas, teeth and tiki!) that will be available for in-app purchase at $0.99 per 2-level pack. Beyond the straightforward-yet-addictive game physics (you may find your thumb aching after a while as you press a little too hard to flick the ball), the biggest draw of Ramp Champ is how stunningly pretty it is. Although we are often spoiled by the visual effort and consistency of Iconfactory projects, the team has really outdone itself with Ramp Champ. Every corner of the screen is participating in the carnival look and feel of the game; even the sound and music design feels 'right.' For such a simple game, it's surprisingly immersive. While the game is a visual delight, unfortunately it shares a characteristic with many other 1.0 iPhone apps; it's a wee bit crashy, at least in my first day of playing. The app documentation suggests a device restart to clear out memory before trying to play. As Touch Arcade points out, the flick-to-toss gameplay is similar to the ad-supported app Paper Toss; if you find it hard to control the ball rolls in that game, you'll probably be challenged/frustrated by RC as well. Here's a screenshot gallery from Ramp Champ. %Gallery-70921%
