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Gamesalad supports iPad game development
The folks over at Gamesalad have announced that they're releasing iPad functionality on their super-simple game development platform. They've already offered an iPhone development service for just 99 dollars, and now their system will export games directly to the iPad in the same type of way. I've never actually used their app, though we did get to see in action on the floor at Macworld earlier this year. It seems super simple -- you just drag and drop sprites onto a 2D field and set up different behaviors for each one. If you've been itching to make a game, but aren't quite ready to dive in to punching out code, this might be a good place to start.
American McGee's Crooked House, Zenonia 2, MLB World Series 2010 out now
Here are a few games of note that have shown up in the App Store recently. Game developer American McGee made his debut on the iPhone without much fanfare in the form of a game called Crooked House -- it's a puzzle game based on an old nursery rhyme that's as dripping with atmosphere as most of McGee's titles. If you're a puzzle fan or just want to see what an experienced game developer has done with Apple's platform, it's worth a look. Zenonia 2 also showed up on the App Store recently -- it's the sequel to an action RPG from the iPhone's earlier days, and it adds in some character customization, a much larger world, and even some asynchronous multiplayer. And finally, Major League Baseball is following up their extremely successful game-watching app with... a game. That's right, MLB Advanced Media has turned out an official baseball game, featuring all of the official rosters and ballparks (of course), along with a multitouch pitching feature, World Series and seasonal gameplay. Unfortunately, the reviews are middling on the game itself, but it looks like MLB is investing big in iPhone applications, considering the success of their previous app. The game is on the App Store for $6.99, no free version yet.
Yoga Natal game appears on GAME retailer's Xbox 360 release schedule (update: Amazon UK too!)
Time for some more salacious prognostications about the future, courtesy of the wily folks over at vg247. The team there claims to have obtained internal documents from UK video game retailer GAME that lists the release dates for forthcoming Xbox 360 titles. The listing is headlined by new iterations of Crysis, Call of Duty and Metal Gear Solid, but the highlight for us gadget junkies is at the very end: Yoga Natal, scheduled for an October release. Now, even if this doc comes straight from the horse's mouth, game release dates are notoriously prone to fluctuation, so let's not read too much into that October date. What's intriguing is that Microsoft does indeed seem intent on creating specialist games for its Natal experience, and it may be that they'll all include Natal in their titles to make compatibility abundantly clear. Or this may be just a big bad April 1-related hoax, we'll live either way. [Thanks, Matt R.] Update: We've now also discovered a pulled Amazon listing for Yoga Natal, and we've stashed a screenshot of its Google Cache version just after the break [Thanks, Ian].
First look: Ambrosia's Mondo Solitaire and Aki Mahjong for iPad
Ambrosia Software CEO Andrew Welch kindly sent over these sneak peaks at two of their upcoming iPad titles, namely Mondo Solitaire and Aki Mahjong. As you can see, both titles have been written exclusively for the iPad to take advantage of the larger screen size. I haven't personally played either game on the iPhone but after watching these videos, I'm definitely looking forward to trying them out -- especially the solitaire app. I think the table-based pick-the-game interaction is a little inelegant but the actual card play looks appealing. As for the Mahjong game, which follow in the Read More section, it addresses my biggest issue with iPhone-based tile games, namely size. Game play is going to be so much better than on the cramped iPhone screen. Although there are several excellent Mahjong offerings currently on App Store, I never felt comfortable using those games with so few pixels. Both card games and tile games will really benefit from the iPad's better geometry and it's ability to approximate real-world sizes of these tangible objects. How will these to play in real life? These videos give a taste of what's to come.
Valve calls for Steam for Mac beta testers
Several readers tipped us off yesterday that Valve has put the call out to Mac beta testers. To be considered for the Steam for Mac beta you simply need to go to the Mac beta page and log in using your Steam account user name and password. If you don't have one, you can quickly register. Once logged in, you'll be shown a questionnaire form detailing what kind and how many Macs you own, if you own a PC or gaming console, and how many games you've purchased in the last twelve months. After that, you'll need to upload a text file of your System Profile information so they can get a complete idea of your Mac setup. "We are going to conduct a closed beta for testing of the Mac client and Mac versions of Valve games," Valve wrote on its website. "Participants will be selected to provide broad coverage of testing criteria. Please be honest in your answers as we need to test all types of users, systems, and software configurations." Valve first teased about Mac games coming to Steam in a series of Apple ad-inspired images at the beginning of March with the official announcement just days later. Steam for Mac is a huge win for the Apple platform as gaming on the Mac has always been seen as one of the Mac's weakest links. Steam for Mac will be released in April.
More iPad games revealed
It looks like the crafty folks over at MacRumors have figured out how to snake their way into the not-yet-public listing for top revenue iPad apps. Now, we've got a flood of information coming out about software for the device that's not coming out for another week or so. As you can see above, quite a few rumored and revealed games are already charting on the iPad store, and it looks like prices are running from $3.99 to $9.99. "HD" appeared to be the preferred nomenclature for iPad games yesterday, but "for iPad" is in there as well. It also looks like Enigmo for the iPhone will be Enigmo Deluxe on the iPad. MacRumors says that some of the "released" dates on this listing go back as far as March 19th, which is presumably when Apple started approving iPad apps. We've spoken to some of the developers whose games were revealed, and they are not very happy with the leaks. A few other details are showing up, presumably from App Store descriptions linked off of this top revenue list, but we've confirmed with at least one developer above that all of those details are still pending and not yet confirmed. It's no surprise that Apple wanted to be on top of getting apps out on the iPad store before the device's launch, but they've inadvertently revealed some of their developers' hands prematurely. Update: 9 to 5 Mac has a full list of the App Store chart. It's not yet clear where all of these shots are coming from, but it seems like they're being taken in the dev kit's iPad simulator, which is supposedly still under developer NDA.
Review: Reiner Knizia's Topas
We don't mind it when iPhone versions of board games differ from their realspace counterparts, but the Topas app ($2.99) takes the basic ideas behind Reiner Knizia's 2009 game Topas and twists them into a mash-up of Tetris, the standard line-up-three-of-a-kind video games, and dominoes. The dominoes thing was in the original, but the video game vibes are all new. Is this a good thing? Well, it kind of is. We like the variety that the app brings to basic Topas, but we don't understand why it was apparently impossible to carry over original gameplay from the physical card game. Even the game mode that comes closest to the card game version – weakest link, which is very similar to the card game's solo play – changes one minor rule. As to why, we have no idea. Still, Topas offers a decent amount of challenge and fun in an attractive package – maybe slightly overpriced in the App Store's admittedly low-cost ecosystem – for people who like their puzzle games to sparkle. Keep reading to find out more about how Topas works and doesn't work as an iPhone game. %Gallery-88891%
Survey: Working on the go will be top iPad use case
A new survey by Sybase says that 2,443 of adults with a mobile phone, when polled, claim that their number one use case for an iPad would be working while out and about. 52.3% of those polled say they would work from a device like the iPad, 48.2% said they would use it to watch movies and television, and 35.4% said that they would use it to play games. Those are some interesting numbers -- we've already heard that a full third of potential iPad users would use it to read books (though of course for some people, reading books would be considered work), and we've even heard that 44% of the iPhone apps being tested so far are actually games. So basically, no one has any idea what we'll be doing with our iPads when we actually get them. No, my guess is that people suspect that they will use an iPad for working, but in practice, they'll use it more for what Apple expects them to use it for: games and consuming media. It could also be that "work" apps take longer to develop on the iPad, which would explain why we're seeing games made when most users believe they'll be working. But of course, we'll have to see -- it's possible that we may not know the main use for the iPad yet, as even Apple seems to be torn on what the real focus of the computer will be. [via AI]
iPad games leak out, include Plants vs. Zombies HD and Worms HD
Whoops -- somebody at Apple accidentally jumped the gun on sending a few iPad titles to the App Store. A few HD titles have snuck into iTunes' web interface a little early, and while we already knew that some of them were on the way to the iPad (Flight Control HD has already been announced, and NBA Hotshot HD was rumored), there are a few interesting new names in this list: Ammoin HD Azkend HD Flight Control HD Grind HD Labyrinth 2 HD NBA Hotshot HD Numba HD Plants vs. Zombies HD Sparkle HD Worms HD Plants vs. Zombies HD? Worms HD? Yes please. Looks like Apple is already working their way through the iPad application process, and a few apps are already approved and ready for launch on April 3rd. If this list is any indication, there will be no shortage of games to play on your new iPad. Update: 148Apps has a few more of the leaked listings. [via TA]
Apple gains 19% share of portable gaming market, 5% of everything
Flurry's got lots of new data this week -- earlier, we heard that 44% of apps coming to the iPad are going to be games, and now they're saying that Apple is making huge headway into the gaming market overall. According to the latest numbers, the iPhone OS has nabbed 15% of the mobile game market away from bigger handhelds like the Nintendo DS and the PSP, and the iPhone itself has actually claimed 5% of the worldwide video game market. That's pretty astounding. In just a few years, the iPhone has picked up a sizeable amount of share in one of the biggest markets in the world, and Apple has done it all while actually selling the device as a smartphone. What's even more amazing is that Apple has done all of this without actually making a single game themselves (Update: Reader Sunny reminds me that they made one). Video game console manufacturers have long had to deal with the relationship between first-party and third-party games -- Nintendo, especially, has struggled with getting their third-party software up to snuff. For Apple, however, there is no first-party; they just open up the App Store and let the sales fly. Of course, that drum beating you hear in the distance is the iPad. While Apple has, again, focused on productivity and media rather than gaming, there's no question at all that a bigger touchscreen can, and will, create a whole new experience for gamers. The iPhone has come a long way in the past year and a half, but I'd expect the iPad to take an even bigger bite out of the game industry after all is said and done. [via iPhone Savior]
Nintendo 3DS to come with '3D control stick,' vibration, and Sharp's parallax barrier 3D LCD?
You had the hard news for breakfast, so how's about some less official, but still pretty robust, fodder for brunch? Asahi in Japan offers the first word on how the 3DS achieves its 3D-ness by suggesting that the new portable game machine with feature a parallax barrier LCD from Sharp. The tech has apparently already been deployed in a few cellphones over there and is described as "unsuitable" for large-screen TVs. This is corroborated by Nikkei, which suggests that the screens on the new device will be smaller than 4 inches diagonally, placing it closer to the DSi than the 4.2-inch DSi XL / LL. Other news from the latter source include so-called 3D control stick(s), though it's not entirely clear whether this'll be anything massively new or just a pair of analog nubs for us to push around. Either way, Nintendo is said to have secured patents for the new control methodology in Japan late last year. The Nikkei article also mentions improvements in WiFi transfers and battery life, as well as a new vibration function. Now that we've got all that out of the way, can someone please tell us if this thing has Tegra inside or not?
Flurry data: 44% of apps tested on the iPad are games
Sunday night on the Talkcast, we pointed out that we didn't know exactly which developers were getting those test iPads to play with. However, we might know just which apps they're testing. According to Flurry Analytics, who have (somehow) been watching traffic from the iPhone OS 3.2, 44% of the apps being tested on the iPad right now are games. Entertainment apps (which seems like a broad category) falls into second place with 14%, and then the list evens out around there -- social networking claims 7% of the apps, sports 6%, travel 5%, and so on. It's not completely clear where this data comes from -- presumably, Flurry is finding web traffic somewhere that's marked as coming to or from an iPad. Of course, that doesn't guarantee that these numbers are legit. Some apps are more likely to send traffic than others, and all we see here are percentages, as Flurry hasn't released actual numbers. "Games," as we speculated last night, probably means that bigger companies like EA and Gameloft have test iPads to try out, and "social networking" probably means that Facebook and possibly Foursquare are testing their apps. "Sports" could mean that MLB is testing its app, and so on. It looks like gamers who have an iPad on day one will at least have plenty of game titles to choose from. The iPhone's App Store took a little while to get rolling with some hit apps, but developers and Apple seem to be doing everything they can to ensure that there are some popular downloads in the iPad's App Store right away. [via TheAppleBlog]
Nintendo announces 3DS -- the glasses-free 3D successor to the DS
Whoa, now this is a whopper coming (almost) out of nowhere. Nintendo has just slipped out a press release in Japan informing the world that all-new 3D-capable portable hardware is coming, with a full unveiling set for E3 2010 this June. Tentatively titled the 3DS, this glasses-free 3D wonder is pitched as the successor to both the DS and DSi, and will use a "compatible cart" that should ensure backwards compatibility with your vast library of favorites from the older consoles. Nintendo expects to launch the 3DS into retail "during the fiscal year ending March 2011." Update: Unofficial reports from Japan suggest the 3DS will have a parallax barrier 3D LCD from Sharp, a vibration function, and a "3D control stick." Read about it all here.
SimCity Deluxe coming soon to iPhone
An updated version of the the preferred game for those who want to create cities and watch them prosper or founder is coming to the iPhone this summer. SimCity Deluxe from EA Mobile will have a user interface that improves on the current Sim City offering, with enhancements that make it look a bit more SimCity 4 on the PC. SimCity has been popular on the iPhone since it was released in 2008 The game includes different seasons (with appropriate disasters, of course) and 7 starter cities just waiting for you to run them into the ground. The new version will sport improved frame rates, and the ability to modify terrain with a touch and swipe of your finger. These type of games go way back. I remember playing Santa Paravia which was a similar, but considerably more primitive economic simulation, way back when it was on the TRS-80. Ah, memories. The new SimCity Deluxe will work on the iPhone and iPod touch, and I reckon that you can count on an iPad version as well. [via Slide to Play]
Six Ngmoco iPad titles revealed
In his panel at GDC last week, Ngmoco's Neil Young dropped the news that his company was going all out with their freemium business model -- not only are they releasing twenty iPhone titles by the end of this year, but they're planning on having six iPad titles ready to go right away at launch. Touch Arcade has done a little digging, and they've come up with what they think the six iPad titles will be. Here we go: GodFinger We Rule (both of these were previewed last week) Flick Fishing (probably re-created as a freemium app) NBA Hotshot (also likely remade into Ngmoco's model) CastleCraft (an MMO strategy/wargame) WarpGate As you may have noticed, two of those are Ngmoco originals, and four of those are Freeverse titles that were either planned for the iPad or are being remade for the new platform; again, presumably free-to-play, along with microtransactions and freemium resources in the Ngmoco mold. That's definitely a sizeable library going into the new platform, and if Ngmoco really does have these ready to go on April 3rd (and I don't see any reason why they wouldn't -- even if they haven't gotten one of those test iPads from Apple, their model is designed to release early and make updates quickly if needed), then they'll be positioned to grab iPad app space very early on.
Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app
The idea behind Set, the now-classic card/puzzle game, can be mind-numbingly difficult to explain. Some people just can't wrap their heads around the "all the same or all different concept." Of course, some people get it right away. For both types, the new Set app [$2.99] for the iPhone and iPod touch is a fine challenge, even if it's not perfect in all aspects. Here's the gist of the game: each card in the 81-card deck has between one and three images on it. These images come in three shapes (diamond, oval, and squiggly), three colors (red, green, and purple), and three levels of shading (solid, lined, and empty). Every possible combination is available on one single card. The goal is to find sets from a collection of cards laid face-up on the table. A set is any three cards where each of these four features are, independently, either all the same or all different? So, a single red solid diamond, a single green solid diamond, and a single purple solid diamond make a set (in that example, the number, shading, and shape features are all the same while the colors are all different). Also, a single empty purple squiggle, two lined green diamonds, and three solid red ovals make a set. Got that? Good. If not, click through the gallery of images from the app starting here to see how the game's designers explain things. If you want to give Set a try for free, you can try an online daily puzzle here, or download the very limited lite version of the iPhone app here. For learning the game, the app's tutorial is tremendously helpful. Keep reading to find out more about how the game works, or doesn't, on the iPhone. %Gallery-88525%
New Square Enix RPG coming to the iPhone this year
A job posting on a Japanese developer's site has hinted that Square Enix will be releasing a brand new RPG on the iPhone sometime later this year. Media.Vision has posted that they're seeking to fill a number of positions related to building an RPG on Apple's platform in conjunction with Square Enix. The Final Fantasy Ring fansite says that the game will be called Chaos Ring, and will by produced by the same team that made the popular Wild Arms console series. FFRing also says (via Japanese translation) that the game will be a 3D title, and it will feature a storyline concerning five pairs of warriors who fight to the death for the right to eternal youth. Each game stage will consist of a ring of battles with a boss in the center, and some choice in how the player takes on enemies -- more challenge for more risk. It sounds intriguing. Square Enix has been seeing some success with its older titles on the iPhone, and we know it's got a few original titles already in the pipeline for Apple's platforms. It'll be great to see what they can cook up for the App Store. [via TA]
Windows Phone 7 Series gaming, all up in the club (video!)
So... look. Sometimes you find yourself in a Vegas club at 3AM, holding a Windows Phone 7 Series testing device loaded up with a working copy of The Harvest, and you shoot what might be world's shakiest video of the gameplay using a nearby Nexus One. It's practically a rite of passage in this town, right? Video after the break. Update: Also, sometimes you find yourself in a Vegas hotel the day after the Vegas club, nursing your brutal headache and desperately seeking a second opportunity to film that hot unreleased game with a better camera. Video of that is after the break, too.
Student-made Xbox 360 laptop channels the Heck out of... well, you know
Few can build 'em like Benjamin Heckendorn. Fewer still bother to try. Two college kids managed to do a bang-up job anyhow building this fully loaded, Jasper-juiced Xbox 360 laptop. With a built-in 17-inch Gateway monitor, keyboard, functioning Xbox Live camera and Wireless Network Adapter, this brick hits all the right notes -- yet remains remarkably stylish for a learn-as-you-go student project. If you agree, you can read a remarkably detailed account of how they built it at the source link, see a proof-of-completion video after the break, or even further their education by purchasing the mean machine on eBay for your very own.
GDC 2010: Hands-on with Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse
Last month at Macworld, Telltale Games announced that they'll be releasing their games day-and-date on both Mac and PC at the same time. Last week at GDC 2010, they announced a brand new season of Sam and Max, and also the news that, on April 15th, the first episode of The Devil's Playhouse will be available on both Mac and PC (as well as the PSN, if you're into that sort of thing). I got a chance to see the game at GDC, and while the version I saw was running on the Playstation 3, I can promise you that they said we'd get Sam and Max, and that's exactly what we're getting. Like the other games in the series (which aren't on the Mac quite yet, but are coming soon), The Devil's Playhouse (the first episode is called "The Penal Zone") is a cartoony point-and-click adventure game featuring the legendary Freelance Police duo. We played through an initial sequence that had the two going up against the evil General Skunkape and his spaceship, armed only with Max's ability to travel through phonelines, some silly putty that will let him change into a potted plant (or a bazooka), and the help of an alien brain in a jar. Just like the rest of the series, Sam and Max features item-based puzzles with plenty of absurdity and humor.
