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'NBA Now' game offers a quick basketball fix on your phone
If you're a big enough basketball game fan that you can't wait to get home before shooting hoops, there might be a solution in sight. Gamevil has released NBA Now, a game for Android and iOS that's designed to be played with one hand. Rather than take direct control of players, you serve as a general manager trying to create an all-star team and steer games from the sidelines. Accordingly, everything is designed to be played one-handed -- there's always a vertical view of the action with abstract on-screen controls. It won't be as involving as the latest console hit, but you can play while you're waiting for the bus.
ArcheAge is going mobile
Sprawling, beautiful, messy sandparks like ArcheAge aren't usually the sorts of games that translate well to mobile platforms, but apparently that's exactly what's happening. A press release published today declares that XL Games has teamed up with GAMEVIL to make a mobile ArcheAge a reality. Global game publisher GAMEVIL has partnered with development company XL Games to release a mobile version of the widely successful MMORPG ArcheAge. [...] In addition to receiving praise in Korea, ArcheAge has also amassed over 2 million players in North America and Europe after being released in these regions in September 2014. By adapting this online game into a mobile RPG, GAMEVIL and XL Games hope to let even more gamers around the world enjoy ArcheAge. [...] The mobile version of ArcheAge will combine XL Games' development with GAMEVIL's service to provide the ultimate mobile MMORPG experience. It appears to be a standalone adaptation rather than some sort of crossplatform tie-in, but we will be very disappointed if we can't plant vegetables, gank noobs, and yoink housing plots on our phones as in the MMORPG.
Patent troll Lodsys sues Gameloft, Disney and more for using in-app purchases
A company named Lodsys has filed suit against a number of mobile game developers, including Gameloft, Gamevil, and Disney, claiming that they're infringing on patents describing the technology behind in-app purchases. Lodsys is well known for its patent battles, previously filing suits against a number of smaller iOS developers, which forced Apple to get involved to say that it had already licensed Lodsys' patents and any other claims were superfluous. That case is scheduled to go to trial later this year.The new lawsuits all name one specific title from each company: Gameloft is targeted for the in-app purchases in Real Soccer 2012, and Disney's suit mentions Where's My Water? [pictured]. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has also posted about the lawsuits, calling Lodsys a "patent troll" and asking for legal help to fight the company.
TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Skipping Stone
Skipping Stone is a new title from Gamevil for the iPhone that's about as simple as it gets. You play a rock (excited yet) that is skipping along a stretch of water, and your job is to tap along on the screen to keep the rock going for as long as possible. It's very simple (and can get repetitive, if you happen to have the somewhat manic music up), but like the superior Tiny Wings, it's strangely compelling anyway. Not only are you jumping the rock at a certain rhythm, but various sea creatures will also come along and mix things up a bit, so you might have to tap more quickly or wait for more time to pass. I think it's a fun game that's worth the US 99 cents that you can buy it for right now, but those looking for a more complex experience will have to look elsewhere. Even with the extra power-ups that you can get (and/or buy with in-app purchases), the game's really just a tapping rhythm title at its base, so anyone who needs more than that won't find it here.
TUAW's Daily App: HYBRID 2: Saga of Nostalgia
Gamevil's new action RPG HYBRID 2 is an excellent game, but it's not one that I would recommend for just anyone to pick up. We've spotlighted plenty of great casual games and apps here on the Daily App, but HYBRID 2 doesn't fit in that category. If you've never played a Japanese-style action RPG, you'll probably get lost right away. There is a pretty solid tutorial for the combos, but soon after that, the game quickly falls into the kinds of tropes that only someone who loves old school RPGs can deal with; there's a convoluted plot in which the world has to be saved from a supernatural threat (again), jerky controls with lots of stats to oversee and upgrade, and even lots of typos and some Engrish in the menus. Don't get me wrong -- HYBRID 2 is actually a lot of fun. If you've played the first one, you'll automatically know what to do, and even if not, you can skip right past the cutscenes and get right into the excellently stylish 2D fighting and rewarding level grinding. Once you actually wrap your head around it (and your fingers around the less than trustworthy D-pad and virtual buttons), there's some great hacking-and-slashing action to be had, with hundred-hit combos earning XP and loot all the way through the quest-based storyline. The game is worth the US$4.99 for the right person. If the action sounds good to you and you aren't about to let a cluttered interface and clumsy story get in the way, have at it. Everyone else will probably have to wait for Dungeon Hunter 2 to get their action RPG on.
Ngmoco buys Stumptown Game Machine, EA and Gameloft report revenue growth
A few news items from the business side of iPhone games this week, courtesy of the folks over at Mobile Entertainment. Ngmoco has purchased developer Stumptown Game Machine, creators of their popular Touch Pets Dogs release. Unfortunately, there's no information on how much the deal was worth, but it's a pretty obvious pickup for Ngmoco, which is working on building a stable of freemium titles and developers to produce them. My money's still on an Ngmoco/Booyah deal at some point, too -- Ngmoco has the money to pick up a few other smaller developers thanks to funding, and Booyah has the app and the dedicated users that Ngmoco wants. The two companies have already collaborated with a MyTown promotion on Ngmoco's We Rule, but I can see it going farther eventually. Elsewhere, EA Mobile reported a big growth in profits over the last quarter, up 12% year-over-year. The company attributes revenues to the iPhone and, soon, the iPad -- EA had two of the top three grossing titles as the iPad launched in Need for Speed and Scrabble, even though those sales will count towards next quarter's profits. While indie games have found their own place on the iPhone, many of the biggest titles are still produced by larger studios like EA. Gamevil also saw a nice jump in profits (up a whopping 99% from last year), and also credits its growth to the App Store, supported by Android and other mobile phone markets. Zenonia and its sequel were drivers there, along with sales overseas and the company's Baseball Superstars title. Lots and lots of sales coming out of the App Store, and I'm sure a new phone in June won't hurt things at all.
Old school iPhone RPG Zenonia 2 to be submitted to Apple this week
Were you aware that you're about lose all of your free time, ever, regardless of what your actual physical location in the world might be? Well, you might be spared if you don't possess an iPhone, as that's the platform targeted by the sequel to the surprisingly deep, Diablo-esque RPG Zenonia. Developer Gamevil recently informed us that Zenonia 2 will be submitted to Apple for App-roval "by the end of this week," whetting our appetite with a new (admittedly sorta creepy) trailer. With tons of different items and equipment, new classes and customizable UI, it looks like it will fix the problems we encountered with its predecessor. Except, of course, the problem of how we won't be able to do anything else but play Zenonia 2 in public situations.
