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NYC: Come play SpyParty with Chris Hecker at NYU
Back at PAX, game developer Chris Hecker had his innovative project, SpyParty, on hand for showgoers to try out. Justin loved it, and now those of us in the Northeast who couldn't make it to Seattle earlier this year will be able to get our hands on it, as Hecker is holding an open play session today at New York University's Game Center (not to be confused with Apple's virtual Game Center). From 1–7PM, Hecker will host the hands-on session in the Game Center's Open Library at 721 Broadway, followed by a talk about the game wherein he'll ask for player feedback and discuss development. He'll also be interviewed by Game Center director (and Drop7 creative lead) Frank Lantz. Hecker says this will be "the last playtest for awhile," so we'd suggest jumping on the chance while you can. And if all that wasn't enough to entice you, yes, refreshments will be served. Head past the break for all the specifics (and the gorgeous full-size art for the event).
Ben Gilbert11.18.2010
Rage: Mutant Bash TV brings id Tech 5 to iOS
We saw id games' newest title, Rage, demonstrated earlier this year on an iOS device, but now there's more details and specifics on just how it's coming to iOS. It's not a straight port of the PC and console shooter -- rather, id is calling it Rage: Mutant Bash TV, and releasing this version of the game as an original, on-rails shooter. IGN has some video of the game running, and it looks pretty great. While the on-rails part means that you don't control movement at all, the camera controls and shooting gameplay look like a lot of fun. Of course the graphics look terrific -- Epic Games' Infinity Blade will apparently have some competition for the best-looking next-gen game on iOS. And while there's no word yet on what kind of Game Center integration we'll see (or, you know, price or date), apparently the game will have a "TV Out" option, allowing you to output the video to your television if you've got the appropriate cables for your iPad or iPhone. Sounds good -- we'll keep a look out for this one and let you know when it's out.
Mike Schramm11.15.2010
Space Miner Blast and Trade Nations lead the freemium charge
Freemium isn't just for Ngmoco anymore -- the model of "free with in-app purchase" has been spreading across the App Store for a while, and because "free" opens up a developers' audience to so many more people. Here are two more titles that have taken the freemium route. First up, Space Miner was chosen as our Daily App a while back -- it's a very cute, well-written arcade/sim title that has you flying around collecting ore from asteroids to build up your uncle's space mining business. Now, Space Miner Blast brings the title to the freemium realm -- it's a free download with ads, and you can pay for premium ships to both boost your abilities and get rid of the ads. There's also Game Center integration and full Retina Display graphics, so even if you haven't tried the Space Miner series before, this one's worth a try. Trade Nations is also making some waves lately -- it's a city-building game in the vein of Farmville and We Rule, with a little more mature art style than either of those. You can create jobs for your own villagers, and even participate in an online marketplace, where prices for goods rise and fall according to supply and demand. Seems like fun -- the whole thing is driven by Mojo-style in-app purchases that just shorten the amount of time it takes for a project to complete. Freemium as a concept is really coming into its own on the App Store, and the more quality titles we see that use this model, the more customers and audiences grow accustomed to how it all works.
Mike Schramm11.10.2010
Some Game Center-enabled iPad games appearing on App Store already
iOS 4.2 isn't quite out yet, but 9to5Mac has already spotted some Game Center-enabled iPad games out on the App Store. Big Bad Sudoku Book is an iPad app that's apparently good to go already, presenting the Game Center icon with its listing. Of course, without the actual firmware, there's not much to do with any leaderboards you top or achievements you earn -- for those, you'll have to wait until the actual iPad firmware to arrive (which it should soon, at some point this month). But given that Game Center is integrated with an iTunes account, achievements earned on your iPad should show up on your iPhone, and eventually vice versa. It will be interesting to see, once the service is all rolled out across both platforms, if multiplayer works between the two devices as well, or if there are any other little quirks involved in using Game Center in both places. As long as there are Game Center-enabled titles showing up right now, there probably isn't much longer to wait.
Mike Schramm11.03.2010
App Review: Neuroshima Hex is good, about to get a lot better *UPDATE
The new board game app that's based on the 2006 tabletop game Neuroshima Hex is a lot of things. For a cardboard hex-based game that's reproduced in your pocket, Neuroshima Hex is gorgeous. The artwork is wonderfully clear on a Retina Display, and the part-apocalyptic, part-1950s sci-fi style graphics are very fitting. The gameplay combines tricks from a miniatures-based war game with abstract strategy titles. The music and sound effects are also well done, adding to the tension and mood of the battles. Given that the tabletop version of the game runs about US$30, and the app sells for $2.99 [this review is for Version 1.01], there's very little reason to not check out this app if you're at all interested in the theme or board gaming on your iPhone. Need another reason? The developers say that a universal version of the app with a higher price tag ($4.99) will be coming soon. Want to know more? Read on for what you seek. %Gallery-106462%
Sebastian Blanco11.03.2010
Project Sword becomes Infinity Blade, coming to iThings this holiday
Project Sword, the technologically impressive game you've been using to show off your new iPhone 4 to friends, family and Charlie Chaplin, is set to become a full game this holiday. Dubbed "Infinity Blade," the Chair-developed "action-RPG sword fighting adventure" will be available for iPhone 4, iPad and iPod Touch. Infinity Blade will feature single-player battles within ye olde castle environments and will gradually grant you experience, improved stats and more powerful items. It will be expanded to support a multiplayer mode (and Game Center) via free updates after launch. According to Epic Games, the Unreal Engine 3-powered demo landed in the hands of over one million people, lured in by the promise of what the company calls "triple-A mobile gaming." How much are people willing to pay for triple-A mobile gaming? Epic has yet to announce a price, but it'll have to be careful not to build a costly moat around its spot on the App Store. %Gallery-106517%
Ludwig Kietzmann11.02.2010
TUAW's Daily App: iSlash
iSlash is a nice puzzle-type title that reminds me of Fruit Ninja, but is probably the old arcade game Qix. You're presented with a shape on screen with a few samurai stars bouncing around inside it, and your task is to slash, with your finger, parts of the shape off, while keeping all of the stars inside a certain area. You've got to slash off up to a certain percentage of the shape to move through the levels, and while the first few are easy, the shapes get tougher later on. It's good fun. You don't have to trust us -- since the app was released, it's seen over 500,000 downloads from all over the world. Additionally, the developers are already updating it. They've added Game Center support for leaderboards and achievements already, and while there are over 70 levels now, they promise even more to come. The game's available for US$0.99, or there's a lite version to try out if you're not willing to shell out the buck.
Mike Schramm11.02.2010
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.
Mike Schramm10.18.2010
GDC Online 2010: OpenFeint after Game Center
The last time I spoke with the folks at OpenFeint, we were all waiting for the arrival of Apple's official Game Center app and wondering what effect it would have on third-party social networking platforms for App Store apps. Now, of course, Game Center is out. And despite the dire predictions of onlookers, OpenFeint is still rolling right along. The network continues to offer functionality to developers above and beyond what Apple's official solution provides, and it provides cross-platform services even outside of Apple's purview. OpenFeint's VP of Marketing, Eros Resmini, met up with me here on the floor of the Game Developers' Conference (going on this week in Austin) for a quick chat about what he thought of Game Center's launch, how OpenFeint is doing with Apple's official network up and running alongside of it, and what's next for the service and the network. Click "Read More" to read our interview.
Mike Schramm10.07.2010
YouTube options, iPad multitasking animation, Game Center flagging coming in iOS 4.2
9to5Mac has been digging through the brand new iOS 4.2 beta, and they've found a few new features hidden in the mix. First up, the build offers some new YouTube uploading options -- you can now choose to make your uploaded YouTube videos public, unlisted, or private upon upload. Honestly, I've had hit-or-miss luck with uploading to YouTube straight from my iPhone, but it's nice to know the process is being worked on. Maybe we'll have some optimization come along with the new options. Second, as you can see above, the iPad has gotten itself a brand new multitasking animation. Instead of just pulling up whatever app you're switching to, it'll actually spin the windows around (this functionality is already up and running on the iPhone, but now it'll be available on the iPad as well). And finally, last but definitely not least, it looks like iTunes will be getting some Game Center indicators -- you'll be able to see directly from the App Store listing when an app is compatible with Apple's official Game Center features. That last one is a big one, given that Game Center integration seems to be selling games lately. It's unfortunate that we probably won't have any other icons like that. It would be cool to browse the App Store and instantly see whether a game is compatible with OpenFeint or Plus+, or whether it has local or online multiplayer or just leaderboard functionality. But Apple's probably not interested in that other stuff -- it's just selling Game Center integration for now. You can look forward to all of these features in iOS 4.2, which is scheduled to come to the public in November.
Mike Schramm09.29.2010
StarDunk going to a free demo model
StarDunk is one of my most favorite apps recently, ever since I covered it back for Daily App a little while ago. It's an amusing little 2D basketball game, made even more impressive by the fact that it juggles online multiplayer across the world -- as you throw baskets, you're also playing in real-time against other users, and competing with various powerups and stunts for as many points as possible. The game was also notable for being one of the first titles integrated into Game Center, back when that service first arrived on the iPhone. But the app hasn't been doing as great as it could be, according to developer Godzilab -- first, they had some issues with piracy, and now they're saying that the game's just not selling as many copies as they'd hoped. So the game has gone free -- kind of. You can pick it up right now in the App Store for free, and play ten games without paying a single cent. Once you've played those games, then you have the option to buy the whole app via in-app purchase for $2.99. That's not exactly freemium (it's more of a demo version), but at least players will be able to get a feel for the game and how it works before laying down their three bucks. Personally, I still recommend the game -- I bought it on my own and still enjoy a quick game (even though I usually land in the middle of the rankings). But if you've been waiting for a chance to try it out, definitely take advantage of the new model.
Mike Schramm09.25.2010
NimbleBit: Over half a million playing Pocket Frogs, "3-4%" buying in-app purchases
I've been playing NimbleBit's freemium Pocket Frogs game since it was released last week, and apparently I'm not the only one -- Ian Marsh tells TUAW that the game has been downloaded by half a million people so far. The company is also seeing 200K daily active users, and while Marsh couldn't share exact stats on how many people have taken advantage of the game's in-app purchases, he estimates that 3-4% of the active users have bought stamps or potions in the game. Over on Twitter, he says that the 99 cent charges are the most common, making up half of the total purchases. But the $29.99 optional charges make up 8% of the purchases, and actually contribute to 49% of total revenue. In other words, just a few people are responsible for half of the game's total revenue -- the freemium model hard at work. Marsh says that NimbleBit is working on updating the game, too. They don't plan to increase the size of the in-game frog "catalog," since the whole point of the game is to have the player make decisions about which frogs to keep and breed, but they are working on something tentatively called the "Frogodex," which would passively track every frog ever collected by players in the game. They're also considering integrating Game Center in terms of leaderboards and achievements in the future -- they originally decided to go with Ngmoco's Plus+ system because it "provides a number of services crucial to social game developers which Game Center does not," including backing up game data and doing things like browsing your friends' frog habitats. And finally, Marsh says the company has been overwhelmed by all of the positive feedback, and the feature request list "is growing faster every day." The next big update they're planning, he tells TUAW, will be "a rare new pattern color mutation" that he thinks people will like. And he also tells us to look out for "exclusive surprises in-store for upcoming holidays." Sounds like NimbleBit has a nice freemium hit on their hands, and we'll look forward to updates in the future.
Mike Schramm09.20.2010
What's new (and gorgeous) in iOS 4.2 beta
If you're as excited as I am about the iOS 4.2 beta being released, you probably spent the majority of Wednesday paging through all of the tech blogs and/or neglecting your responsibilities as an adult. For those of you who aren't able to experience Apple's latest firmware until November, I've rounded up all the tastiest morsels and topped them with a delicious set of screenshots. iOS 4.2 beta has some great new features for all three of the main touch devices, meaning that you can expect the following on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad come November: AirPlay: Demoed by Steve Jobs at the keynote on September 1st, AirPlay gives the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch the ability to stream music to the Airport Express and movies, photos, and music to the new Apple TV with the touch of a button. AirPrint: As wireless printing has been one of the most commonly requested features of the iPad since its launch, it's no surprise that Apple has once again put pressure on the netbook market by granting consumers' wishes for full over-the-air printing from Safari, Photos, Mail, and more (provided you have a printer that is part of the admittedly limited compatibility list). Your print queue can be managed from a new "Print Center" icon that appears in the multitasking bar. The biggest surprise? You'll be able to print from your iPhone and iPod touch, too. Changing fonts in the Notes app: In what designers and artists may hail as the greatest single advancement ever made on the platform, Apple has given users the option to change the font that the included Notes app displays. Your choices now include Apple's original "Marker Felt," the equally ugly "Chalkboard," and the wonderful, majestic king of typefaces known as "Helvetica." 'Find In Page' Search in Safari: A small but incredibly useful feature makes its debut on all devices in iOS 4.2 beta. 'Find In Page' appears below the Google Suggest search results when the user activates the search box, and it works quite similarly to Safari for Mac. Follow the gallery link below to get a closeup look at iOS 4.2, or click "Read More" to see the rest of iOS 4.2's new features that are specific to the iPad. %Gallery-102504%
Josh Helfferich09.17.2010
TUAW's Daily App: Fruit Ninja
We've covered Halfbrick's later game Monster Dash here in this space (and it's a good one -- I'm still giving it the occasional run-through on my iPhone), but their great Fruit Ninja title has never actually been given this particular spotlight. Let's fix that now. Fruit Ninja is a simple but well-polished title that has you hacking up fruit by slashing your finger across the iPhone's touch screen. It's only a buck on the App Store (the HD version on iPad is US$4.99), and if you haven't bought it yet, you'll find a fun pick-up-and-play game that looks great and runs smoothly. If you have bought it (and considering that a few million people did, you probably have), then there's good news for you, too. The game just got a free update that added Game Center integration to the mix, and Halfbrick included network multiplayer, which is something we haven't seen a lot of yet. Load up the update, open up the game, and you'll be able to jump in and play with anyone, or send one of your Game Center friends an invite directly. And Halfbrick says more updates are on the way, including a "Secret Banana" mode and more Game Center functionality. So, if you haven't given Fruit Ninja a shot yet, now's a great time to do it.
Mike Schramm09.17.2010TUAW preview: NimbleBit's Pocket Frogs
Since I got my new iPhone 4 a few weeks back, I've been playing more games than ever on Apple's little handheld. I just recently got back into Ngmoco's We Rule. It's probably the pinnacle of the "freemium" genre on the iPhone so far. It's free to play, very social, and very much based on timed "check-ins," where you set crops to grow and then come back in a few hours to harvest them. It puts in little blips of gameplay that move you towards a larger progress goal. The only problem is that We Rule isn't all that fun; it's a bunch of clicking and grinding. So, lately I've been wondering when someone would add a fun freemium game to the App Store. It would have to be something that was social and progressive and all that that entails, but it would also need to have a game component that was actually fun to play. Enter NimbleBit! They're following up on their great froggy platformer DizzyPad with Pocket Frogs, a freemium title that actually adds some fun to the equation and shows a lot of potential as well. %Gallery-102063%
Mike Schramm09.14.2010
Is Game Center limited to 500 friends?
Rene Ritchie at TiPb recently noticed that Apple's new Game Center seems to be capped at 500 friends, which another user was able to confirm. After receiving 500 friend requests*, Rene noticed they stopped coming in. He figured that was the end until he saw a tweet from fellow Game Center user MuscleNerd: "So much for my not-so-secret plan to break GameCenter! They're capping my friend count at 500 (as soon as I delete 1, I get 1 new request)." After some testing, Rene confirmed the same thing. As soon as one request was deleted, another popped up. So, if you've got a lot of requests waiting beyond 500, you won't see them. As Rene correctly points out, most people won't have this problem as 500 is a heck of a lot of friends. Still, it's something to keep in mind lest would-be friend number 502 thinks he's being ignored. *I know 9 people. Including my children.
Dave Caolo09.14.2010
Namco talks Game Center
It's funny -- right in the middle of all of the fervor during the Game Center launch this week, the first company to the fore didn't happen to be one of these big new startups that's making headway in iPhone gaming. It turned out to be Namco, as one of the oldest brands around, Ms. Pac-Man, became the first title on the App Store to support Game Center. Now, of course, there are a few more games that support Apple's service (and more every day), but Macworld has a great look at what's coming next from Namco. Turns out Namco's planning to go all-in on both iPhone and Game Center -- in addition to bringing a sequel to the Time Crisis on-rails shooter, it will bring a hidden object, ghost-catching game called Mishap; Gaijin Games' great Bit Trip HD (already a hit on Nintendo's WiiWare); and of course Puzzle Quest 2 very soon. There's no official release dates or prices yet, but all of those should be out in the next few weeks. With full Game Center integration, there will be plenty of achievement-chasing and leaderboard competition to be had, no doubt. We'll look forward to all of those releases soon.
Mike Schramm09.11.2010
Sega bringing Chu Chu Rocket, others to iPhone soon
Sega America hosted an iPhone gaming event earlier this week, and the lineup of titles they've got coming to the App Store this fall is a gamer's dream: Chu Chu Rocket (my favorite Dreamcast game!) is coming to iOS, along with classic side scrollers Gunstar Heroes and Altered Beast, Sonic the Hedgehog Episode 1 (the brand new 2D version of Sonic), and a free-to-play strategy/RPG MMO called Kingdom Conquest. TouchArcade was there at the event, and they say that Chu Chu Rocket is all you hope it will be, the new Sonic looks excellent, and Kingdom Conquest sounds like an intriguing mix of genres. Card battling, empire building, and RPG questing all built into one Sega-published free-to-play title? Chu Chu and Sonic already have their pedigrees, but it doesn't sound like you can go wrong with that last one. What a lineup from Sega for this year -- I'm actually more excited about their iPhone releases than I am about anything they're bringing out on consoles or any other platform. Unfortunately, there's no mention of Game Center in any of these previews, but all of the games seem to have multiplayer of some sort, from 1-4 players over both Bluetooth and wifi. So it's probably a pretty good presumption that they'll be Game Center-enabled in some way. So lots to look forward to in the next few months. Should be fun.
Mike Schramm09.10.2010
PopCap making 25% of business in mobile space, sees future in social gaming
PopCap's Dave Roberts spoke with TechFlash recently, and revealed that about 25% of the company's profits are coming from the mobile division. You'd think that the iPhone would be a huge part of that (and it is), but it turns out the iPhone isn't alone -- Java/BREW versions of the games are also very popular for older wireless phones. In that sense, PopCap is a different iPhone game company -- rather than depending on Apple and the App Store for profits, it's a true cross-platform developer. Roberts says the company is aiming for social gaming next -- Zuma Blitz is going to be the next big push, and PopCap is very tuned in to the relationship between the iPhone and Facebook. "Our customers love it," Roberts says about combining iPhone games with Facebook stats. "It is really sticky. It gets people excited about playing." It'll be interesting to see what PopCap does with Apple's Game Center -- presumably, they'll include the functionality in their games sooner rather than later. Finally, Roberts says that a lot of casual game companies have come and gone in mobile gaming, but PopCap has endured, mostly because they simply work hard on making great games, and selling those in as many places as possible. "We've made more money on mobile gaming than probably any other company except for EA, just by doing our thing," he says. And as anyone who's enjoyed a Plants vs. Zombies marathon will tell you, we're glad they did.
Mike Schramm09.09.2010
Games updated for Game Center (soon)
As you might have noticed if you've added a few friends in Apple's new Game Center service, the backbone social components are working great. But where, exactly, are all of the games? Developers have actually had access to Apple's service for quite a while now -- it was introduced to them under NDA way back at WWDC. But for some reason, Apple seems to be waiting on approving Game Center-enabled games. Fortunately, they're coming, probably as soon as Apple can approve them. Touch Arcade forum member Project-79 has been keeping track of which games have said that they'll be Game Center-enabled. As soon as updates roll out for games like Field Runners, Flight Control, Super Mega Worm and Angry Birds, you'll be able to jump in and earn achievements with them. Keep in mind that some of the best games on Game Center are still to come: Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter 2 was leaked via a Game Center screen, and of course we're all waiting to see what Epic Games' Project Sword looks like, ever since it was shown off with full GC functionality at last week's Apple event. There are games coming for Game Center, and they should be here soon. Update: Apparently Ms. PAC-MAN is the first game to get updated with Game Center support. You might want to wait, though -- we've heard it's not a very good version.
Mike Schramm09.08.2010