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Memorial Day brings lots of great sales on iOS games
Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Here in the US, most of us are celebrating a three-day weekend that also serves as the start of summer, which means BBQs, poolside hangouts and lots and lots of time in the sun. Oh, and it means one more thing these days: iOS game sales (all prices USD)! Card game maker Playdek has an awesome sale on, including Ascension (and its IAP), Nightfall (and its IAP), Penny Arcade: The Card Game and Fluxx all for just 99 cents each. You should definitely pick up one or all of those -- Nightfall is complicated, but it's probably my favorite. Puzzlejuice is on sale for 99 cents; it's a really brilliantly designed word puzzle game. EA Mobile has a huge sale on, featuring more than 55 games either 99 cents or free. Some choice picks: Tetris Blitz, The Sims 3 for 99 cents, Need for Speed: Most Wanted for 99 cents, and NBA Jam also for just under a buck. Plague Inc is down to just 99 cents. High Voltage's great Zoombies: Animales de la Muerte just recently appeared on the App Store, but it's already on sale for 99 cents. The great board game adaptation Small World for iPad is down to just $2.99. This is an especially good deal, because the game's about to get a big update for free. WELDER is on sale for free. So is Pocket Heroes and Angry Birds Space. I didn't think AVP Evolution was that great a game, but it's only 99 cents right now. Penumbear is an excellent and beautiful platformer that's only 99 cents as well. Adventure Bar Story, which is a bar simulator set in a fantasy RPG world, is on sale for free. The excellent puzzle game Sporos is free. There's plenty of games for you to play, and we'll probably see even more sales go on over the rest of this weekend. Stay tuned for more updates on app and game sales, and you can always follow us on Twitter at @TUAW for up-to-the-minute sale tips!
Daily iPhone App -- Zoombies: Animales de la Muerte is cute, arcade fun
Zoombies is a fascinating little game. It's made by a company called High Voltage that is probably best known for the Conduit shooter series, though they've been making licensed games for years (I remember visiting the studio for a tour back when I lived in Chicago -- they were based out in the Hoffman Estates suburb back then). Zoombies is a title that's been in development there for a while -- it was first considered for the Wii, then possibly for Xbox Live Arcade and finally has seen release on Apple's iOS. It's easy to see why High Voltage was trying to make this game as a motion control title -- the idea is that you're a kid trying to fight an army of invading undead zoo animals ("Zoo-mbies," get it?), and you are armed with a weapon that you can toss according to a line you've drawn on the screen. Control on the Wii or Xbox would probably have been more direct, but on the iOS touchscreen it means you swipe your finger around, and then the weapon will follow your path. This creates some interesting timing issues -- you want to throw where an animal will be, not where they are. And once you've thrown your weapon, you can't throw it again until it finishes the path, which requires you to keep things as compact as possible. Zoombies' real charm, however, is in the tone and the art style. The whole game, as you can tell by the subtitle, is done in a joyous sort of Mexican mariachi style, and it just oozes fun. The animals are menacingly cute, the kids are great and every level has plenty of "skull goals," which are super satisfying to complete. Even if you don't like that core line-drawing mechanic, this game is totally charming anyway. Clearly, this was a labor of love for High Voltage, and you can tell they had a lot of fun making the game. Zoombies is available for US$2.99 on the App Store now, though there are a lot of in-app purchases included, so I wouldn't be surprised to see that price come down sooner if not later. Still, $3 is cheap, so if Zoombies interests you, you might as well grab it right away.
Sci-fi shooter Gyrostarr targets WiiWare
It's Monday morning, and right on schedule, WiiWare has popped out yet another offspring, this time care of developer High Voltage. And while the company continues to preach the high-end merit of Nintendo's console, its latest aims to keep things small and shooty, just how we like them. Check out the trailer after the break. Gyrostarr (High Voltage Software, 1-4 players, 700 Wii Points): Think of it as Tempest, only, you know, not. High Voltage's love affair with the Wii doesn't begin and end with The Conduit, as the developer this morning dropped its "sci-fi" shooter Gyrostarr onto the service. Offering 50 procedurally generated levels and both motion-sensitive and traditional controls, the game promises to give up to four trigger-happy players plenty to shoot at and items to collect, while aiming for that next elusive warp gate and just one more manic stage.
High Voltage details The Conduit, plans Q1 2009 release
Developer High Voltage has announced plans to have its upcoming Wii-exclusive FPS The Conduit on store shelves in the first quarter of 2009. Built upon the company's impressive Quantum 3 engine, The Conduit promises a mature theme and "some of the best visuals seen to date" for the Wii, as well as both single and competitive online multiplayer gameplay. The game also feels like one studio's attempt to prove a point, namely that the Wii is more than just a platform for casual games and shovelware. Says High Voltage chief creative officer Eric Nofsinger, The Conduit aims to provide players with "the kind of title they imagined back when the platform was first announced." Still lacking a publisher, the studio notes companies have been beating down the door since the game was first revealed, but that High Voltage is still hunting for a "perfect partner," one we imagine with bedroom eyes and excellent insulation.
Phoenix Wright, step down. Capcom's bringing Harvey Birdman
The popular DS lawyer-ing game, Phoenix Wright, proved to be a fan favorite around the world. Now, Capcom is trying their hand at yet another lawyer game, but it's going to be unlike anything you could've ever expected. Capcom and Cartoon Network are teaming up to bring Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law to PSP (and PS2). We're hoping that Harvey Birdman will have all the fun of Capcom's other series, but with a hipper, edgier tone.Unfortunately, details and screenshots have not yet been released. Although the premise has us a excited, we can't help but look at developer High Voltage's track record, and get a little worried. (The Family Guy and Leisure Suit Larry games don't really offer much street cred.) Capcom better get this one right, or it won't be too long before PSP fans are screaming "Objection!" ... for all the wrong reasons. [Via Joystiq]
