pocket god
Latest
Pocket God set to release 40th (!) content update
Bolt Creative has announced that it's planning to release its 40th content update for the popular Pocket God app, which will feature a mechanic where players can collect idols and battle them against gods, with more idols and gods in future updates to come. The update also includes a "Mafia skin pack" for in-app purchase, which will cosmetically change some of the game's graphics to be Mafia-related. But what's in the pack isn't quite as amazing as the fact that it's number 40. Nowadays, free-to-play games and in-app purchases are almost commonplace, but back when Pocket God started a few years ago, that definitely wasn't the case. Pocket God and a number of other titles have really paved the way on this model, where gamers can download a game for free or cheap, and then enjoy a steady stream of content updates from the developers, along with solid in-app purchases. Bolt Creative has grown Pocket God up into quite the successful franchise, and there's no question that all of these regular content updates have helped the app get where it is today. Very impressive -- here's to even 40 more!
Dungeon Raid, Puzzle Quest 2, Pocket God, Disc Drivin' get big content updates
A lot of developers are apparently doing some spring cleaning, because there have been a whole lot of updates for popular apps swept out the door this week. One of my favorite Daily Apps in recent memory, Dungeon Raid, got updated with a bunch of new features, including character classes, plus more achievements, abilities and items than before. Great game, great update. Puzzle Quest 2 (which I played on XBLA, but is also great on iOS) also got an update recently that adds online multiplayer through Game Center. Popular asynchronous racing game Disc Drivin' (another Daily App choice) got updated with new tracks to play through and some UI improvements. Bolt Creative sends word that Pocket God has been updated with yet another mini-game, featuring hovercar stunt racing. And finally, Egg vs. Chicken got an Easter update, which adds Easter eggs into the egg-throwing mix and allows you to unlock 12 new levels, including a new boss fight. Plus, just for you guys, we'll tell you that if you keep playing and collect more Easter eggs after unlocking everything, you'll get even more bonus content in the next update. That's updates aplenty for lots of great apps, so make sure you sync your iPhone or iPad soon and check out some of these terrific titles you may have wandered away from.
New games flood App Store before impending holiday release freeze
The App Store is in constant danger of new release bombardments, sure, but many companies adhere to a regular, weekly bombing run beginning each Wednesday, through the wee hours of the night (UTC), dropping their new iPhone and iPad games on Apple's marketplace while many of us are snoozing. Last night was no exception -- actually, scratch that. It was exceptional! Pending the start of the "iTunes Connect Holiday Shutdown" next Thursday -- a six-day lockout period when developers will be unable to release or update apps, including games -- an army of companies, armed with their big holiday releases (for little iDevices), launched a massive attack on the App Store last night. What began as a few warning shots yesterday grew into a full-on assault, led by Gameloft's crisp clones, NOVA 2 and Shadow Guardian, and Square Enix's surprise (and apparently rushed) port of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Even Sega couldn't resist launching a few more classics in Altered Beast and Sonic Spinball. And what's this ... Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3? Hey, if Street Fighter IV worked ... Pursue our complete list of new release highlights after the break, and then make double-sure "Santa" knows you've been good enough for an iTunes gift card this year.
ngmoco launches its first non-iOS game: Pocket God for Android and Windows Phone 7
Game publisher ngmoco has risen to the top in the enormously crowded iOS development space going all the way back to its breakout hit Rolando two years ago, while Pocket God -- from developer Bolt Creative -- has had its own share of success. Well, users of phones that aren't iPhones have reason to celebrate today on news that ngmoco has released its first non-iOS game this week, working with Bolt to port Pocket God over to Android and Windows Phone 7. The Android version is available right now for 99 cents while the WP7 port should be available "soon," so get in any last fits of productivity while you still can. Follow the break for the press release.
The Pocket God Update Song, by Jonathan Mann
Pocket God is still rolling along. It was one of the first big original iPhone games out there, and more than any other title on the App Store, Bolt Creative has been able to both keep the app popular with constant updates and content additions, and even license the app elsewhere in the form of comics (and presumably other media, if they can swing it). Here's another example of that -- Bolt posted this video of Steve Jobs' favorite new singer songwriter Jonathan Mann (he of the extremely awkward iPhone Antenna song played at the Apple event a while back) singing a new tune about the game and its fans' constant requests for updates and new content. The song was commissioned to show off the new Dance Pack content, which lets your little islanders boogie down for 99 cents. It's cute. We've heard this from the Doodle Jump folks as well -- one of the best things that App Store developers can do for their apps is provide a string of content updates, as those both keep current fans interested, and do well to drive new purchases of the app. Of course, it sounds like Bolt is a little stressed out over all the requests, but the app is doing so well that they have to be happy with it.
Pocket God comics out now for iPad, coming soon to stores
From iPhone app ... to comic book? That's where Pocket God is apparently headed. The extremely popular iPhone app has "inked" a deal to release a set of comics based on the little islanders. The books will be available on the App Store first, in virtual form, and they will eventually take the form of paper comics. There's an iPad app available now (for 99 cents) that features the adventures of Ooga, Noobie, Klik, and friends. (Wait, they have names? Now I feel bad about tossing them into that volcano.) The physical books, which will be released in September, will have four-page stories that can't be seen anywhere else. It's crazy to think that Apple's little software store has spawned a full-fledged franchise, and this isn't the last we'll see. TUAW has heard, off the record, that at least one other major iPhone app property is putting together a very large licensing deal, which (if it works) will bring a very popular App Store brand to more traditional media. We've seen lots of instances of major brands coming into the App Store, but some original properties on the iPhone and iPad are growing up into a life of their own.
Canabalt now universal, Godfinger now available
Here's two big updates to big games on the App Store lately -- first up, the much-loved Canabalt has now gone universal, so if you have an iPhone and an iPad and have already purchased the app, you can now play it in full resolution on your iPad. Of course, if you haven't bought the app yet, what are you waiting for? It's a classic one-button app, dripping with ambience, that's just $2.99 for both platforms. Ngmoco has released their second big freemium title worldwide -- Godfinger is now available on the App Store for both iPhone and iPad. I got to play an early build of the app at GDC, and it basically combines Ngmoco's We Rule social and persistent functionality with some Pocket God-style gameplay. In other words, it'll likely be popular. I'm a little surprised the app didn't come out sooner -- Ngmoco is supposedly planning to release twenty new titles this year. If that's still true, they better get a move on.
Macworld 2010: TUAW interviews Jeff Scott of Best App Ever
We've been livestreaming all day long from the floor of Macworld 2010, and our very first interview of the day was with Jeff Scott, both of 148Apps.com and the Best App Ever awards. Jeff just announced the Best App Ever winners (in all fifty-six categories) at the show last night, and he brought the list of winners to our booth today to discuss the winner of the 2009 Best App Ever (spoiler: it's Pocket God) and all the other winning apps. Additionally, we show off a little of the show floor around our broadcasting booth, and we chat about what we expect to see at Macworld and how it's changed in years past. Excellent interview, and thanks to Jeff for stopping by to help us kick off the livestream right. Hit the break to watch the video, and stay tuned all this week for more interviews and coverage just like this, as TUAW covers every single inch of the Macworld show floor at the Moscone Center.
iPhone game devs give us their thoughts on the iPad
With yesterday's announcement from Apple of its much hyped "latest creation" -- the iPad -- and the news that already existing iPhone applications (that means games too, folks) will be playable on the device, we started wondering how the developers of the world felt about this shiny new piece of gadgetry. So we asked a handful of our favorites -- Canabalt's Adam "Atomic" Saltsman, Pocket God's Dave Castelnuovo, and PopCap's Andrew Stein, just to namedrop a few -- to give us their reactions. "It's hard to say anything concrete without actually playing with the thing personally, but I'm optimistic about it continuing to open up video games to even more 'normal' people," Saltsman told us. "I'm hopeful that having a big multitouch space will help mediate the whole 'fat fingers on a tiny screen' problem." PopCap's Andrew Stein agreed, telling us "We'll certainly look at the unique capabilities of the iPad and work hard to utilize those in instances where they can make our games even more fun." Republic of Fun prez Mike Rasmussen sees things a bit differently, noting the opportunity in the upped horsepower of the device. "From a pure gaming perspective, I'm excited about the additional resolution and horsepower, and really interested to start understanding the 3D performance of the A4 [chip]." But even the most successful app developer on the market -- Pocket God creator Dave Castelnuovo -- seems a bit reticent of the iPad, telling us he sees "a lot of potential with the device," but his company is going to "wait to see what kind of acceptance the tablet will have" before moving forward with development. But that's not all! See the full reactions from a variety of iPhone game developers after the break. %Gallery-84102%
Considering parenthood? There's an app for that
In just a few days, a UK couple will welcome their "iPhone baby." After three years of unsuccessful attempts at pregnancy, the couple downloaded an unnamed fertility calculator app. The mother-to-be, who wishes to remain anonymous, entered her temperature and other information daily. The app then did the necessary calculations to determine when she'd be most fertile. Just two months later, the couple had a little one on the way. Since the Telegraph story doesn't name the app the couple used, we've gathered a few with similar functionality: Fertility and Pregnancy Calculator [iTunes link] Much like the app in the story, this one will help a woman determine when she's most fertile. After that, she can use it to track Jr.'s development. Free. iFertility [iTunes link] iFertility helps women track their Basal Body Temperature and adds an option to share logs with her doctor either via the app or email. $1.99 Fertility Foods [iTunes link] This ebook for the iPhone and iPod touch by Dr. Jeremy Groll presents a diet-based method of increasing ovulation and getting pregnant. Dr. Groll is an OB/GYN specializing in the treatment of infertile couples. This book is an Iceburg Reader book, which are very well done. $15.99 A Barry White album wouldn't hurt, either. As a parent of toddlers, I get much use out of Pocket God [iTunes link], which my 6-year-old loves, PicPosterous [iTunes link] for uploading snapshots to a family gallery and Pickin' Time [iTunes link], which both the 6-year-old and 5-year-old love. We even used Ambiance [iTunes link] for my son when we left his white noise machine at home while on vacation. Last week an iPhone app helped save a life, and this week it helped create one. The tablet better have some REAL magic up its sleeve in order to top that.
TUAW interviews OpenFeint's Peter Relan, Net Jacobsson, and Jason Citron
Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron are the folks with their names on Aurora Feint, but as Danielle told us in an interview a while ago, Peter Relan is the real mastermind behind the growing Feint empire. Not only did he put the two together in an idea lab, but he's one of the driving forces behind the OpenFeint enterprise. Under his oversight, the Feint folks have swelled to become one of the major forces behind iPhone gaming (and thus, behind the iPhone's app ecosystem itself).Netanel "Net" Jacobsson is a newer addition -- he's previously worked with Sony Ericsson on their mobile devices and Facebook on their own growing app empire, and now he's arrived at OpenFeint to help them use the lessons he's learned at the biggest online social networks around on their social software. Get the sense of how big this is yet? Relan, Jacobsen, and Citron all have pretty big ideas about where iPhone gaming is going, and as 3.0 comes down the pike and introduces a whole set of new features from Apple, they're in the best seat they can be in to do exactly what they want to do.TUAW sat down with the three last week, and chatted about iPhone 3.0 and why it's such a big deal for developers, how they're going to approach microtransactions (carefully), and what's coming next for OpenFeint now that they've rounded up a whole stable full of developers implementing their backbone. Click "read more" to continue.
Some Pacific Islanders offended by iPhone's Pocket God
The Brisbane Times reports that "Pacific people" are upset by the "torture and murder" of Pocket God's adorable island natives. The media outlet reports that a spokesperson for the Pacific Women's Information Network questions how people would react if players were killing Mexicans or Asians. She believes people would be outraged. Dr. Malakai Koloamatangi of New Zealand's Canterbury University is touched for saying, "I'm not saying let's bring in the thought police but there needs to be limits on what is acceptable, and this surpasses those." Here's your sign. Pocket God's developers, Bolt Creative, stated the game depicts no particular ethnicity. The "game," which is more like interactive art, is only a buck. Check out Pocket God for yourself to see if you think the game is racist.[Via GamePolitics]
More App Store controversy from Pocket God
Last week the Baby Shaker app received a lot of negative attention and was subsequently pulled from the App Store. Deservedly so; that game was tasteless. This week, Elaine Howard of the International Pacific Women's Information Network called Bolt's popular Pocket God an "...arrogant slap in the face to our people," referring to Pacific Islanders. If you're unfamiliar, the object of Pocket God (it's really more of a toy than a game) is to torment and kill island-bound characters in a variety of ways. I've always thought of the characters as pre-historic "cave men," not belonging to any specific culture. However, if I were of Pacific Island descent and saw someone playing this game on the subway, it'd bother me.iPhone Saviour quotes Bolt representatives as saying "The fictional characters in Pocket God do not directly or indirectly represent any human nationality, race or cultural people ... Bolt Creative does not intend and has never intended to offend or marginalize any nationality, race or culture in any of its video games, including Pocket God." I believe that the game was in fact created without malicious intent. Perhaps a solution would be to use culturally neutral characters like astronauts or LOLcats (see above)? For more on Apple's questionable approval process (not to mention the tastes of some customers), check out this horrifying list of The Ultimate Tasteless iPhone Apps.
OpenFeint announces iPromote, readies to take over iPhone gaming
During our interview with Danielle Cassley of Aurora Feint, I talked with her about OpenFeint, the code backbone for a social network that iPhone developers can use in their apps. Since then, a number of developers have added the interface to their apps, perhaps most notably Pocket God, which has used the tool only to create the barest of online leaderboards so far. Now the crafty folks at Aurora Feint are revealing another trick up their sleeve: something they're calling iPromote. It sounds like more or less a crosspromotion deal for various apps and games in the OpenFeint system -- certain apps will give their users a chance to pick up other paid apps under the OpenFeint umbrella. While the press release is fairly vague about exactly how it works (they say there will be "a revenue sharing model for sales that occur through OpenFeint"), it'll probably show up in the user's interface as links or promotions for other apps.There are quite a few of those apps -- Aurora Feint lists over 20 apps that have already integrated OpenFeint, and there are more on the way, including some high-profile apps from Chillingo. Even our friend Steve Demeter, who was working on his own community platform called Onyx, has abandoned work on that to join up with OpenFeint. There are at least a few other such platforms like this that were vying for widespread acceptance on the iPhone, but it looks like OpenFeint is primed to take the top spot. Which means we'll probably be seeing lots of it in applications near you very soon.
