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'Jetpack Joyride 2' debuts as an Apple Arcade exclusive
A 'Jetpack Joyride' sequel has arrived, but you'll need Apple Arcade to play it.
Get the real 'Fruit Ninja' on the VR platform of your choice
This is Fruit Ninja. There are many like it, but this is Halfbrick Studios'. And while it's been imitated over and over for regular apps as well as VR, there's only one original. It's headed for VR via the HTC Vive and several other platforms later this month.
The crapification of great iOS apps
I love physics-based games, and Fish Out Of Water by Halfbrick Studios is one of the best. Well, I should say it was one of the best, and for well over a year it brought a smile to my face on a daily basis. Today, it's simply not the same game it was, and despite having paid a buck for it shortly after its App Store debut, the game is now free and absolutely littered with crap. Let's rewind a bit to April of 2013: Fish Out Of Water launched on iOS and, having adored past Halfbrick games, I picked it up without a second thought. It's a fantastic physics game where you throw some cute little fish and attempt to amass the most distance and the highest number of skips. You can compete against other players on the leaderboard or just try to outdo yourself while completing the seemingly endless number of in-game challenges. When I had a free moment or two to burn I'd play the game every time. A few tosses, a couple good scores, a handful of minutes of enjoyment, and back in my pocket it would go. I even spent some money on "gem" packs that gave you some in-game perks. You didn't need these perks to have fun, but it was a bit of variety that I didn't mind. All told, Halfbrick probably made about US$15 off of me -- $1 for the game and probably $20 in in-app purchases, minus Apple's cut, yada yada yada -- and I couldn't possibly have been happier with the game. When I upgraded to the iPhone 5s in late 2013 I simply never got around to re-downloading the app and spent my spare minutes each day playing a variety of other games. Today, thanks to a random tweet that caught my eye, I remembered how much I loved that game and decided to download it once again. Big mistake. To my dismay I discovered that Fish Out Of Water -- along with all of Halfbrick's apps -- has jumped between free-to-play, $1, and $2 pricing since June of this year. After over a year as a paid app, Halfbrick sacrificed the experience that paying customers had been enjoying in order to monetize the new users who downloaded the app without paying. This is the way free-to-play games work, of course. You can't give a game away for free, so you have to try to make your money back somewhere else. You have to taint the flow of the game from one round to the next by pushing ads for other games in front of everyone's eyes: You have to litter the gameplay itself with distracting ads that dirty the game's lighthearted nature (and actually cause the game to lag and appear choppy until they leave the screen): And you have to beg users for reviews in order to stay competitive on the free-to-play App Store charts: In short, you have to ruin the game, and that's just what has happened to Fish Out Of Water. Congrats, free-to-play demons, you have successfully turned a fantastic iOS game into an app that I have deleted and will never again bother with. You win.
Art faces its harshest critic - an enraged bear - in Bears vs. Art
Does a bear destroy art in the woods? It does if it's the star in Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja developer Halfbrick's free-to-play mobile puzzle game, Bears vs. Art. The game, currently available for iOS in Canada and Australia, tells the - ahem - tail of a bear whose habitat is destroyed to make way for art installations, which the bear then vows to destroy. Unfortunately for him, there are puzzles in place to keep him away from such priceless creations. He'll have to dodge lasers, spikes, navigate portals and more if he really wants the art to Van Gogh away. No word on when Bears vs. Art will be coming to regions other than Canada and Australia, other than "soon," according to the game's trailer. [Image: Halfbrick]
Jetpack Joyride devs unleash Colossatron on Dec. 19
Halfbrick Studios will launch its next game, Colossatron: Massive World Threat, on December 19, the developer announced in a new trailer. The game was first announced in July at PAX Australia for iOS, though the Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride developer's latest announcement now includes both Google Play and the Amazon App store as the game's other destined platforms. Colossatron gives players the ability to smash through cities as a giant robotic snake, thwarting resistance efforts from one General Moustache and his army. Halfbrick promises a "chaotic campaign, epic boss fights, devastating weaponry, survival challenges" and other features in the mobile game. No price was listed for the game.
Jetpack Joyride creator unleashes Colossatron this year
Halfbrick Studios, developer of the mobile hits Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja, announced that its next release Colossatron: Massive World Threat will launch this year for iOS platforms. Announced earlier this year, Colossatron puts players in control of a huge robot snake (from space, of course) that grows in size and destructive capacity as players attach like-colored body segments. At the same time, players must also fend off attacks from surrounding enemy vehicles, making it necessary to chain together color combinations to form new and unique weapons. Colossatron will hit the App Store by the end of 2013.
GamePop console offers unlimited mobile games on your TV for $7 a month
2013, the year of the mobile game TV console, marches on with a new contender: GamePop. Created by mobile company BlueStacks, the GamePop console allows users to play mobile games on their TV using the included controller, iPhone or Android smartphone. The twist on other similar consoles like Ouya and GameStick is that GamePop uses a subscription model akin to Netflix. For $6.99 a month, users get access to the entire GamePop library, which currently sits at 500 games according to BlueStacks. Those who pre-order the console this month will get it for free with a paid subscription to the service. BlueStacks tells Joystiq that there is no commitment or contract, with the only caveat being that customers must return the console if they cancel their service within one year. So, essentially, you're getting the console for 12 payments of $6.99, plus $10 shipping. We asked if users will still be able to access their downloaded games after canceling their service, but BlueStacks says that info is "TBD." BlueStacks is touting big name developer support in the form of Halfbrick Studios (Jetpack Joyride, Fish Out of Water), Glu Mobile and others. BlueStacks will be sharing 50 percent of its subscription revenue with developers, "apportioned by usage," and developers will retain all revenue derived from in-app purchases. GamePop is slated to launch this winter.
Tank Tactics: The prototype that almost ruined Halfbrick
After Fruit Ninja was finished, the guys at Halfbrick spent almost two years shipping updates. Finally ready to do something new, Halfbrick started doing prototypes. It would be a simple game that everyone at Halfbrick could play competitively.This is when Tank Tactics was conceived. Halfbrick chief creative officer Luke Muscat showed off the first version, made of graph paper and little paper squares, at GDC. He quietly set up the game in a corner of the Halfbrick offices, gave everyone an action point and went back to his desk. Three hours later, commotion ensued – the entire game board was a graveyard.
Halfbrick tries for a 10 with Fish Out of Water
Halfbrick Studios held a media lunch at GDC to show off its brand-new original title, Fish Out of Water. It's the company's first since the very popular Jetpack Joyride arrived a few years ago (the Australia-based studio is also known for making Fruit Ninja). As we'd previously heard, Fish Out of Water is more casual than Jetpack, and it boasts the same great polish and beautiful work that fans expect from Halfbrick. In Fish Out of Water, the main mechanic simply has you throwing fish. You're presented with a school of various creatures, all with different shapes and sizes (and all adorably named -- the big whale is called "Micro" and the fastest one is called "Rocket"). To play, you grab one with a finger, pull it out of the water, and fling it off to the right as fast as you can. That fish flies through the air, and the game tracks number of skips on the water and total distance traveled. A high toss will likely earn more skips, and the type of fish you throw affects that as well. For example, Rocket is big on skipping, but the dolphin simply jumps in and out of the water rather than skipping across it. Distance is affected by fish type as well, and both stats are also affected by the weather. The game runs on a clock up in the left corner which ties in to your real local time wherever you play the game, and different weather conditions, like sun or rain, will affect your skips and jumps as well. During the course of a round, you can throw three different fish, and then you're judged on your throws by a line of crabs, who are also very adorable. They put up numbers (and each crab is also named and has a favorite piece of the game: Skippy Steve really enjoys it when you score a lot of skips), and the average out of 10 is your final score for the round. That's the game: Throw fish, try to score as best you can during the three throws, and then the crabs will boil down your score into one number out of 10. It's not super-hard: Even in my first few throws, I was able to pick up an 8.5 and an 8.7. But to score a perfect 10, you'll need to put a little bit of strategy into the game, picking exactly the right fish for the right weather conditions, and even choosing fish based on which throw you're doing. You can use a big whale for the first throw for distance, for example, and then choose a fish that splits into multiple fishies to ramp up your skip score. As you skip along the water, you also score coins that both give you a speed boost to use (with a strangely placed button along the top of the screen) and also allow you to buy various upgrades and cosmetic items for your fish. And finally, you can collect gems as you play, which can be assembled together into crystals that give you various abilities like double skips or an automatic 10 from one of the crabs. The crystals system is actually pretty complex: You can pair up two colors to try and form a specific crystal, or experiment a bit. One of the most powerful crystals is a black crystal, which sends a huge school of fish out to join the one that you throw. Just like Jetpack Joyride, the game is very social as well. Players can join "leagues," which award trophies every single day for the highest scorers in each league. Leagues also win prizes on their own, so there are lots of rewards to go around for all players involved. Fish Out of Water will launch at a price of US$0.99, which feels a little fishy on Halfbrick's part: The company has had a lot of success at turning their Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride games into freemium titles, and it's a bit surprising that they're not embracing freemium right away with this one. Still, as good as the game looks and plays, you can't blame them at all for charging a little bit out of the gate -- even at a buck, this looks like a terrific game. It is more casual than Jetpack Joyride even. After you throw the fish, the game is more or less hands-off, as you sit there and watch your fish skip along to victory or defeat. And that casual approach may leave a few hardcore players out of the boat on this one. But not to worry, Halfbrick told us at GDC this week. The company has quite a few more titles in progress, including some games that are a little more complicated and deeper than this one. So if Fish Out of Water doesn't quite float your boat, just wait a bit and we'll see what else the company is working on soon. Meanwhile, you can get ready to go swimming with this one fairly soon.
Halfbrick teases a new game called Fish Out of Water, more coming at GDC
Halfbrick Studios has posted a quick teaser for a brand-new game on its website, but here's all we know. It's got something to do with fishing. As you can see above, the creators of Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja have something wet and colorful planned for their next title, but outside of a fishy pun (and a title, "Fish Out of Water"), they're keeping the title submerged for now. The buoy floating by says the game will be fully revealed in six days, which means the company will be telling us all about the game at a meeting during next week's Game Developers' Conference. Which is convenient, since TUAW's already got a meeting with them all planned and ready. It's hard to believe it, but Halfbrick hasn't released a completely new game since Jetpack Joyride, which originally appeared on the App Store way back in 2011. So Fish Out of Water, whatever it is, should be exciting to see.
Jetpack Joyride sells over a million copies on PSN
Fruit Ninja developer Halfbrick announced today that its other baby, Jetpack Joyride, has been downloaded over a million times on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. The portable PlayStation version of the game has also recently received an update that integrates Twitter support and "performance upgrades."Jetpack Joyride is currently available on... wait, let's try this another way. Jetpack Joyride is currently not available on Xbox 360, Nintendo systems and most brands of toasters.
Fruit Ninja Kinect gets the chop in today's Xbox Live Countdown to 2013 deal
Tapping in to that long-held Yuletide tradition of throwing fruit around and trying to slice it mid-air, Fruit Ninja Kinect and its add-ons are splattered all over Xbox Live's Countdown to 2013 Xmas Day sale. Halfbrick's produce-pruner has its price chopped in half today to 400 MSP, while its four DLC packs - namely 8-bit Cartridge, Art Box, Space Capsule, and Storm Season - are down by 50 percent to 80 MSP each.Four other games also got price cuts in their stockings today. Carrying on the Kinect-ified ninja theme, Mini Ninjas Adventures is 50 percent off at 400 MSP. Also discounted on this merriest of days are Rock of Ages (75 percent off at 200 MSP), Hydro Thunder (67 percent off at 400 MSP), and another Kinect game in Leedmees (75 percent off at 200 MSP).
Jetpack Joyride free on PSN in NA on Monday, today in Europe
Halfbrick's Jetpack Joyride will become a free download on the PlayStation Network beginning today, December 21, in Europe and Monday, December 31, in North America. The game was previously available for $3.99 as a Mini for PSP, PlayStation Vita and PS3.Jetpack Joyride on PSN includes everything found in the game's 1.3 update. Fly, Barry Streakfries, fly as long as you can!
Halfbrick's entire iOS game lineup is free today only
Prolific and popular iOS game developer Halfbrick Studios is getting a jump on the holidays by offering up its entire catalog of mobile games for free today, December 17, only. The list includes well-known names like Fruit Ninja, Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots and Age of Zombies. You can find all of the fabulous freebies on Halfbrick's App Store page In other free game news, Chillingo is making 15 of its titles free for an undetermined amount of time. The list includes Orc: Vengeance, Madcoaster, The Last Driver and 12 more. Chillingo's App Store page has them all. Of course, with the Christmas and New Year holidays fast approaching, it's likely that even more publishers will be making their games free or drastically reducing their prices. Keep an eye on TUAW or follow us on Twitter to find out when that happens. [Via TouchArcade]
Jetpack Joyride now on Android for free
Jetpack Joyride is finally making the rocket-assisted jump to Android. In fact, the game is available for Android devices right now on both Google Play and the Amazon App Store. Even better, the scientist-crushing, coin-grabbing action game is free on either service.You can watch the Android launch trailer above. You might think that it's exactly the same as the launch trailer that was released last year, and you'd be right, except now there are some extra logos at the end.
Luxembourg software company suing EA, Square Enix, several others over patent infringement
What do Notch, John Riccitiello, Yoichi Wada, and Phil Larsen all have in common? A likely lacking fondness for Luxembourg-based software company Uniloc, who filed lawsuits against Notch's Mojang, Riccitiello's EA, Wada's Square Enix, and Larsen's Halfbrick recently (among others), contending that all the companies infringe on a networking patent held by Uniloc.The patent, US patent number 6,857,067, says that Uniloc has rights to a "system and method for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data," and Uniloc contends that the aforementioned corporations are infringing on that patent via Android-based games. In the case of EA, it's Bejeweled 2, and in the case of Square Enix, it's Final Fantasy III that's cited – if the game at any time communicates with a centrally owned server to legitimize its license, Uniloc contends that it violates the patent.Uniloc has a history of patent litigation over software. The company sued Microsoft in 2003, eventually winning. It has since filed suit against many, many other software manufacturers for other alleged patent violations.
Jetpack Joyride goes to the dogs
Man, Halfbrick's just not giving up on Jetpack Joyride. We just recently had a huge gadgets update for the game that added all sorts of tweaks to the jetpack action, and now here's another big update, out today, that gives Barry Steakfries a canine pal to run around with. Flash the Dog is coming to the update, and as you can see in the trailer below, he's cute as all get out. Flash will help grab coins and break piggy banks for you, and he'll even ride along, both in his own little jetpack, and by hopping on the various vehicles Barry can acquire during his run. There are a few new other gadgets as well, including headphones that remix the game's music, and a "turbo boost" gadget that will add rings to hit for an extra burst of speed. Jetpack Joyride was a really high quality game when it first launched, and Halfbrick has really gone above and beyond the call of duty with all of these updates since then.
Jetpack Joyride arrives on Facebook for free
Jetpack Joyride has followed in the steps of Halfbrick Studios' Fruit Ninja and is now playable in a free version over on Facebook. The new game is very similar to the iOS version. In fact, it's strikingly similar, given that there aren't any really new social elements, and even the gadgets (just arrived on iOS) are implemented and ready to buy in the store. In fact, while Fruit Ninja was a nice solid port with some original features, Jetpack Joyride seems a little more of an afterthought unfortunately. Still, it's fun, and it's completely free. I like it, and even though it's not quite as fitting as the Fruit Ninja port, it's still Jetpack Joyride. So if you can't pull out your iPhone to play at work, maybe you can do it on Facebook.
Jetpack Joyride's 1.3 update lands Thursday
The version 1.3 update, which adds weird new items like the gravity belt, coin magnet, and X-Ray Specs to Jetpack Joyride, will be delivered to iOS this Thursday, April 26. Like the game, the update is free.With version 1.3 finally careening our way, Halfbrick revealed all 15 new items included, along with their functions. That information is listed after the break. And start saving up your in-game currency for a device that freezes you solid. It's helpful ... apparently.
Jetpack Joyride adds attractive coin magnet in next patch
Halfbrick has been teasing gadgets and gizmos aplenty for Jetpack Joyride's upcoming version 1.3 patch, with its latest animated short featuring the irresistible "Coin Magnet." The free update will be available this month and adds 15 gadgets to keep Barry Streakfries flying for as long as possible.
