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Microsoft announces Game Room for Xbox 360
This one leaked out a bit ahead of schedule along with the rest of Microsoft's big CES announcements, but Robbie Bach has now gotten fully official with Game Room for the Xbox 360, which promises to recreate the old school arcade experience for you (and your avatar). Set to launch "this Spring," it'll initially give you access to thirty classic arcade games, which you'll be able to buy once and play on both your Xbox 360 and your PC. The real action seems to be on the Xbox 360 though, as that's where you'll be able to challenge your friends to a "show down," although there unfortunately doesn't seem to be any betting of Microsoft points instead of quarters. Head on past the break for a quick promo video.
PSN survey hints at upcoming subscription-based features
Sony's European team has sent out a survey to some of its UK PSN members asking them yet again about possible subscription models for the service. The survey is run by a market research company called Ipsos, and appears to offer up a list of possible member benefits for a few different plan tiers, along with pricing for each. The benefits range from more tame ideas like exclusive and early access to content to more interesting options like "free title trials" (first hour of a game for free), user-to-user challenges, "token wagering" and a service called "catch-up TV." Oh, and since it's Sony we're talking about, there's even a listed option for "cloud storage space for games." You can find the full list of possible features after the jump. The price options differ from plan to plan, but they go as cheap as £2.99 (about $5 U.S.) up to £14.99 (about $25) for monthly fees, with annual fees also listed for 55% less than you'd pay month to month (so around £19.99 up to £99.99, or $32 to $160). Note that just because all of these things are on a survey doesn't mean that Sony has them up and running -- it only means that they're testing the water in terms of what UK members are willing to pay for certain features. But you can just add this to the growing mountain of evidence that Sony is planning some sort of premium subscription service. [Thanks Marc and everyone who sent this in!]
Our favorite iPhone games of 2009
The first full year of the App Store is coming to a close, and so let's take a look back at our favorite games of 2009. Note that these aren't best-selling, most important, or even the best games of the year -- we'll leave those lists to other sites. But these are our favorite games -- the games we played this year that we feel stand out as our favorite experiences on the App Store. The list begins after the read more link below, and be sure to agree, disagree, or share your own favorite games as usual in the comments.
Apple updates patent for magic wand remote
Apple has updated a patent that they already held featuring a sort of a Magic Wand -- a remote control for operating a media system by controlling an on-screen cursor. That might sound familiar if you own a Wii -- even the pictures look very similar to the way the Wiimote currently works. And the pictures tell us something else: not only does the patent itself mention a "media system," but the user interface looks very similar to the current Front Row interface on the Apple TV. So it's likely that if Apple is updating this patent, they're working on a new remote to control their set-top box. But that doesn't mean it's the only thing they'd use a motion controller for -- I speculated a long time ago that Apple might want to put their now substantial App Store library into play on another platform, and a motion controller would go a long way towards replicating the touchscreen and accelerometer capability of the iPhone. Of course, this patent only means Apple is playing around with these ideas, not actually releasing hardware based on them. But it just shows that they're thinking along the same lines in terms of improving the browsing and interface experience.
AlphaBattle: Word fun needing GUI tweaks
For just $0.99, AlphaBattle [iTunes link] from Redwind Software offers fun word-based game play. Letter tiles appear on screen, scrolling from the top and from the bottom. It's up to you to make words from those tiles in order to clear rows before the collide against the middle and end the game for you. You can play the game in several modes with 1-, 3-, 5- and unlimited-minute gameplay. Each game offers one or more "save" buttons at the bottom, which can be used to shuffle, stop, or clear rows off the board -- extending the game past the inevitable deadlocks. The idea is clever and the gameplay challenging. All in all, this is a game with an excellent idea and good bones. Unfortunately, the actual execution does not live up to the promise. Let me tell you a few reasons why.
Fieldrunners updated to 1.3, offers two new maps as in-app purchases
Touch Arcade has word that one of 2008's best iPhone games (our 2009 list is coming out this week), Fieldrunners [iTunes link, $2.99], has released an update (1.3), in which they've released two new maps available as in-app purchases, and they've included OpenFeint 2.4 functionality, with messaging, chat, and everything else the in-game social network portends. The two new maps are called Skyway and Frostbite. Skyway boasts a metal floor with a few holes in it, which limit where you can place your units in the tower defense classic. Frostbite is a snowfield with a base in the middle to defend from attackers on all sides. Seems like both offer up some interesting twists on the gameplay -- they're 99 cents each (a fact that has the most recent iTunes reviews up in arms), but if you ask us, two bucks for new content is cheap, especially if you're a big Fieldrunners fan already. The update itself is a free download for paid users, though, so if you want that OpenFeint functionality, hit up the App Store and load the game up yet again.
Das Cube for iPhone
Das Cube [iTunes link, $1.99] is a simple little iPhone game that comes with a pretty impressive pedigree: it's made by one of the creators of Aquaria, Mark Johns of Space Barnacle, and features music by the composer of Canabalt's crazy addictive soundtrack. As you can see in the video above, it's got more in common with the iPhone post-apocalyptic running simulator than the underwater adventure: your job is to move a little ball that can smash together a series of abstract shapes that then explode into points. That's pretty much it -- as the game gets tougher (there are two difficulty settings, though I found the "Brutal" setting to be only a little tougher than the "Easy" setting in the first few minutes), more blocks drop, and while you can shake the iPhone occasionally to help you clear the screen, if you go too long without matching pieces, your game is over and the high scores are calculated. It's not quite as simple or addictive as Canabalt -- the controls feel a little floaty, and sometimes the ball you push around will squeeze in between the blocks. A few times while playing, it seemed to me that the easiest way to win would be to just swirl the mix around, and sure enough, when I just rolled the ball around the screen, I eventually got blocks to crash together randomly. But by the time I hit around 60,000 points or so (you can tweet your high scores, just like Canabalt), I found a little more precision was required, but even then, the controls are anything but sharp. Still, Das Cube is an amusing little mix of music and graphics. Unfortunately, there's no free trial, but what you see above is what you get: smash shapes together to groovy techno tunes. If that appeals, you can pick it up for $1.99.
OnLive shows off UI and iPhone use in marathon tech demo (video)
Sure, OnLive has already done live demos of its "cloud gaming" service, but it never hurts to get another comprehensive 48-minute video on the subject. In a presentation at Columbia University, CEO Steve Perlman goes over the nitty gritty of how game streaming works, the OnLive user interface (11:53), an inevitable Crysis Wars demo (16:35), Brag Clips (17:49), and of course the iPhone app (19:31). Though cellphone integration is still limited to primarily spectating and social networking functions, PCs and Macs can get gaming via a 1MB browser plugin, or you can grab the microconsole streaming box for your TV, which Steve suggests might be given away for free with OnLive subscriptions. If you have any more unanswered questions, check out the audience Q&A at 33:14, and the full vid awaits after the break.
iPhone games review roundup
The big-time gamers over at Joystiq have picked up the iPhone game review pace lately, and here's a sampling of what they've tried lately. iPhone Top Gun game takes highway to the postmortem Top Gun on iPhone is one of the device's many hidden treasures. Not only does it have cool, After Burner-esque gameplay, it's also got one of the best easter eggs of all time (as you can see... Ridge Racer: Accelerated comes to iPhone It appears the recently unearthed Ridge Racer: Accelerated trademark pointed to an iPhone entry in the long-running racing series. The title is now available on the App Store (try iTunes if you're... Battleship now syncing on iPhone Adding to its growing roster of Hasbro board games retooled for board-less play, EA has christened the iPhone / iPod touch version of Battleship on its maiden voyage to the iTunes App Store. The... Also of interest: 360 Live iPhone app now free
Zangeki no Reginleiv just assumes you don't need all those limbs
Zangeki no Reginleiv, everybody! No, we didn't just wish you happy holidays in Russian -- that's the name of Nintendo's upcoming Japanese release (it basically means "Dynamic Slash," or "Dynamic Zan") that's not only its first Cero D-rated ("M") title ever, but also developed by Sandlot, the folks behind 2007's action gem-in-the-rough Earth Defense Force 2017. As you can see in the new trailer (posted for your viewing enjoyment after the break), the game features Norse heroes doing some MotionPlus-enabled hacking and slashing that results in screen-filling sprays of blood and dismemberment. Good, good times. It's highly unlikely we'll ever see this one show up here in North America -- Nintendo of America and mature games don't usually mix well. But you can still grab your Wiimote, watch this trailer while waving your arms around, and dream.
Epic shows off Unreal Engine 3 running on iPhone / iPod touch
There's certainly plenty of good looking iPhone games available these days, but things could be about to get quite a bit more interesting, as Epic has now demonstrated its Unreal Engine 3 (the same one used for games like Gears of War 2) running on the iPhone 3GS and 3rd gen iPod touch to our friend Anand Shimpi of AnandTech. Unfortunately, it hasn't also announced any games or licensees that will be using the engine, but it seems like it has at least managed to get it running remarkably well on the hardware -- albeit in a somewhat limited demo, as you can see in the video after the break. What's more, Epic also reportedly said that it would be showing off the engine running on "another mobile platform entirely" at CES next month, but didn't drop any further hints besides that. Video after the break, and hit the read link for the full scoop.
Gamefly updates GameCenter iPhone app
GameFly (which is sort of a Netflix for video games) sent along word that they have updated their free iPhone app called Gamecenter [iTunes link]. Not only does it work as an official app -- you can update and add to your queue straight from the app, which is definitely nice, as you can go carry it around a game store an add titles at will -- but the new update adds lots and lots of game information that's even useful away from GameFly. You can browse games on all of the major systems, and check out user ratings and screenshots along with video of nearly all of them. It's pretty well done, especially for a free app. The app also includes game news from Shacknews as well, which is a nice bonus, but hopefully by now you've got your own way to get any news you need on the iPhone. If you're a GameFly member, this one's a no-brainer, and even if you're not, there's enough per-game content (and quick access information) in the app that it's definitely worth a look.
An app with everything but sales
TriplePoint PR's site has a post on their blog about Orbital [iTunes Link], an iPhone game released a while back that I presume is one of their clients. Obviously, they've done their job: we're talking about the game, which is $.99US or available in a lite free version [iTunes Link]. But they've also provided us with a little insight into just how things are going in the app's release, and the picture they paint says "not well." Oh, sure, it's been reviewed well, there's a little bit of buzz about it, and the game itself, says the firm, is good (trust them at your own risk, but they sound like they really do enjoy it). So what's the problem? It's not selling. To be fair, it is selling. They've sold less than 100,000 units, they say, and even half of that is a nice chunk of sales. But apparently that's not a success, and they're wondering why. Piracy is their first guess -- we've heard before that piracy can be a huge issue, even on cheap apps. They say the game had an 80% piracy rate in the first week, which has since dropped down to 24%. I'm not convinced piracy can be blamed completely -- there's no guaranteeing that all pirates would have bought a real copy anyway. But certainly there's something going on here -- you can have a terrific app that's well-reviewed and buzzworthy, and if it doesn't end up in the right place at the right time, it still won't be successful (or at least as successful as you want). Everyone is still working to unlock success in the App Store, but with over 100,000 products on the shelves, it has become increasingly more difficult for the good apps to stand apart.
Outnumbered presents an interesting twist on iPhone multiplayer
Veiled Games sent word of their new game, Outnumbered [iTunes link], on the iPhone app store, and it seems intriguingly different. It's basically a multiplayer arcade game, which pits two iPhones or iPod touches against each other via Bluetooth. One player takes over the role of the O.N.E., a singular robot armed with weapons and special attacks, and the other player controls M.A.N.Y., which is a top-down view where you can control waves of attacking units and robots. The two players duke it out, with the first controlling his robot around the arena, and the second overseeing the armies and buying new units with collected currency. When the single robot is dead, players switch sides, and whoever earns the most points while fighting (for attacking, moving, or a few other criteria) wins the game. Interesting idea. Of course, you'll need a friend with their own iPhone or iPod touch to do all of this, and you'll have to be in the same room, as the connection only works (so far) over Bluetooth. If you're still confused as to how it all works, there's a nice tutorial video up (although that voice gets to be a bit much after a while) that explains how the game goes down. Most of the big iPhone titles we've seen this year mostly focus on single player gaming, so it's cool to see an attempt like this to try something that more than one player can share. Outnumbered is available in the App Store [iTunes Link] right now for 99 cents, and a lite version (that will allow a second player to play along, although one of the two players must own the full version) is due out soon.
Warrior Epic MMO releases iPhone tie-in
This is an interesting trend: Warrior Epic, an MMO game by True Games, has announced that they've released an iPhone app [iTunes link] version for free, featuring "a small portion of the strategy, role-playing and battles found in the online MMORPG," kind of like a taster for the actual PC game. The game itself isn't a 3D action game like the full game, but rather a "stat game," much like many of the minigames being released on Facebook and other social platforms (in fact, Warrior Epic is releasing this game as a Facebook game as well). Unfortunately, the only real tie between the games seems to be having the same name and being set in the same universes -- we don't have any characters to test, but it doesn't seem that you can transfer your actual characters or items from the PC game across to the iPhone. But this will be a trend to watch -- two other major MMOs have started work on official iPhone apps, and of course the 800 lb. gorilla of the MMO world, Blizzard, maker of World of Warcraft, has shown a strong interest in the iPhone as a platform, even though they haven't quite released any games on it yet. In the future, you can probably expect to see platforms like the iPhone host access (if limited) to your favorite persistent online games even while you're away from your computer. Should be exciting.
Best iPhone games of the year picks start to roll in
Gamasutra wins the award for being the first (that I've seen) to pick awards for their best five iPhone games of the year, and the list is respectable, if a little short for such a huge set of possibility. Unfortunately, they don't win any TUAW points for going with Skee-Ball over our preferred Ramp Champ, but Rolando 2 was a worthy sequel to a worthy game, Edge (now Edgy) and Eliss are both great games (too bad you can't play the former, but the latter was underrated for sure), and Space Invaders Infinity Gene deserves to be on almost any end-of-the-year iPhone game list. Good picks in there for sure. DigitalTrends also has a long list, though strangely, they tend to stick to big names and brands. There are a few gems in there -- Spider, UniWar, and Vay may be a couple good choices that you haven't heard of yet. And here's another top 10 list with some repeats from the ones above and a few more nice picks. I guess with the end of the year upon us, we'll probably have to choose TUAW's favorites of 2009, too, eh? Stay tuned.
How reputation governs the game
Ravius over at Kill Ten Rats ruminates on the importance of reputation in these very social games that we're playing with each other, and it resonated with me in terms of a few different things going on in World of Warcraft right now. We've talked lots before about ninjas and how that back-and-forth works -- in that case, karma is directly driven by what other people think of you, and of course that's seen more weakly in lots of other places around the game, including guild recruitment, your friends list, and just the general server at large. Ravius talks mostly about the negative reputations we earn, and certainly that's a powerful motivator for a lot of people. But positive reputation is also a strong force in this game -- I'm interested to see how we deal with earning and keeping positive reputation in the new Dungeon Finder and eventually the Battle.net system. Gone may be the days when you build up a good reputation by saying "remember me if you need a good DPS" at the end of a run. It'll be interesting to see what methods we replace that one with.
Edge becomes Edgy, here's a quick review
I wrote the review below several weeks ago, but when I went to post, the app didn't appear. I asked and the developers explained a name kerfuffle that landed the app in limbo until today, as reported by BetaNews. It seems "Edge Games" didn't like the game being called "Edge" and to make a long story short, the same game is now called Edgy. Huzzah! Edgy is an action puzzler. Some dexterity involved, and you'll be scratching your head as you scoot around an isometric landscape of hazards and obstacles. You play a cube, apparently living life on the edge, constantly in danger of falling off. Edgy is a retro platformer, really, but beautifully rendered on the iPhone with some fun, 8-bit retro audio. It took a few months and about eight attempts to start enjoying Edgy. It isn't a bad game, but the controls can be tricky. I'm sure that's an appeal for some, but to me it was a turnoff for what I figured would be a very casual game. There are three ways to control your hero cube around a geometric world of right-angles and moving hazards. The three control mechanisms are: touch/swipe to move, tilt to move and use a virtual d-pad of sorts. I preferred the d-pad, honestly. Trying to swipe the cube to make it move was an infinitely frustrating experience and I'm not even sure why it is an option as it barely works at all. Maybe there's a trick to it, but there were no real directions so I've no idea. Tilt to move is fun until you get thrown off the side of your maze a couple dozen times because the accelerometer can be twitchy at times. This leaves the old fashioned "push buttons to move" mechanism we know so well, but it doesn't elevate the game to anything special. That said, Edgy is well-made and once you get the hang of what's happening is fun. It reminds me of Marble Madness, another geometric landscape featuring a ball instead of a cube. That game took a while to get used to, but once you did, it was mesmerizing. If you like puzzles and retro games you'll enjoy Edgy. And while I'd love to give you an iTunes URL, it appears the app is still not appearing in the US store. Check the official site for info. %Gallery-79918%
PS3 firmware 3.15 to add PSP Mini support, simplified console migration
Didn't the PS3 just get a firmware update? Something about posting all your hard-earned trophies onto your Facebook page? Yes, that sounds right. If you thought that was a big deal, wait 'til you get a load of this: According to the European PlayStation blog, yet another firmware update is imminent. And this one is pretty sweet -- seems that not only will console owners now be able to play PSP Minis, but if you've already bought a Mini for your portable and wish to play it on your PS3, you'll be able to download it to your console for free. Also included in the 3.15 update is a simplified utility for transferring data from one PS3 to another. Pretty great, right? Gamers, be sure to hit the source link for the deets.
HexoLight brings light shows to your videogame concerts
If there's one thing we're missing when we're jamming "Cool for Cats" on Rock Band, it's a Squeeze-worthy display of lights. That's all about to change, with the introduction of Rock Gear's HexoLight LED-lighting system, a flashing display of lights to the beat of your tunes. If transforming your living room (or bedroom, or dorm room) into a place that even Jools Holland would be proud to step into is high on your list of priorities, the HexoLight -- which boasts an audio sensor to sync up to the beat and is compatible with nearly any stereo source -- is probably something you're going to want to check out. HexoLight is available today for prices starting at $30. Full press release is after the break.
