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Move It puts a smart mini gym in your room
Eons ago, I used to go to the gym several times a week, but nowadays I can give you hundreds of reasons for why I no longer do so. Meanwhile, my beer belly is slowly engulfing my belt, and that's never a good sign (I really should have joined the Engadget Fitness Challenge). This is pretty much the kind of scenario that Hong Kong's Eggplant Technologies is targeting with its Move It smart fitness apparatus, which has just launched on Indiegogo ahead of its August shipment. In a nutshell, this is a four-in-one compact gym kit that you can leave in one corner of your home, and it comes with a mobile app that not only coaches you, but also lets you meet and challenge other fellow Move It users around the world.
Zen Bound 2 arrives on the Mac via Steam
Zen Bound 2, the second in the series of terrific iPhone and iPad games, is now out on the Mac platform as well, courtesy of Valve's great Steam platform. If you've ever played this one (and you definitely should), you'll know how it works -- wrap a virtual rope around a series of weird shapes trying to cover a certain percentage of the surface with paint. The gameplay's super intuitive and the whole experience is very zen, with solid colors and graphics backing up a great soundtrack and some intriguing realistic physics. The iOS version is universal at $2.99, and the Mac version comes in at just a little bit higher than that at $4.99. But the visuals have been upgraded a bit, and the desktop version will even make use of trackpad controls on the MacBooks and the Magic Trackpad if you want to play that way. Plus, the title has been released under the SteamPlay banner, which means that buying it once will get you access to both the Mac and Windows versions if you want to install and run it on a few different computers. Great game, and of course, it's always nice to support Steam's choice to step on over with us on the Mac, too.
Zen Bound adding new tree in free update
Touch Arcade has a slew of new screenshots from an upcoming free update for a game I've been coming back to more and more lately on my iPhone: Zen Bound. When I first installed it, I thought of it as more of a tech demo than a game, but as you load it up more and more, you really do start uncovering layers of competition -- "if only I twisted the statue that way I could cover more ground, or maybe if I started from that leg I could wrap around closer on that side." It's pretty addictive, and it's one of those games that starts tugging at your mind even when you're not playing it. The update probably won't help free my mind -- not only will it have a whole set of new objects to wrap up (featuring some fun retro-gaming themed pieces), but it's getting some bugfixes and some performance tweaks as well. The paint spread by the rope will be smoother, and the problem of the rope crossing through objects should be better (while that happened from time to time, it wasn't a huge complaint). Still, especially for free, it sounds like the update will only make a great game better. Zen Bound is available right now in the App Store for $4.99 (with the free update available "soon"), and there's a lite version to try out as well.
Super Stardust HD dev working on new PSN and multiplatform titles
Finnish developer Housemarque is best known for its PSN-exclusive Super Stardust HD. However, the studio has ambitious plans to expand and become a "small boutique publisher" of new IPs. The team is currently working on three different games in an attempt to expand their portfolio and experiment with new gameplay ideas.First up is a PSN-exclusive game to be announced at Gamescom in Cologne this year. CEO Ilari Kuittinen told Gamasutra that the exclusive went to Sony to continue the team's "good relationship" with the company. The second title is the studio's first multiplatform game for a "leading publisher." "We haven't done this kind of a game genre before," said Kuittinen.Finally, Housemarque is also working on a third title, called Rope, a physics-based puzzle game that has players using a rope to flock "fuzzy characters" to a goal. (A rather stark change of pace from planet-destroying asteroids.) It's what Housemarque hopes will be one of its first self-published games. Rope is currently approved for PlayStation Network, but the developer is also talking with Microsoft, and is thinking about an iPhone or WiiWare version.
Zen Bound arrives on the iPhone
This one's impressive -- Zen Bound originally started out as Zen Bondage, a physics game/sandbox where the goal was to wrap a rope around a 3D shape or object. The game has just recently been ported to the iPhone, and in the process has actually been improved -- the graphics look sharper and the iPhone's multitouch controls really add to the tactile experience. As a "game," it might be questionable -- it looks like there's a lot of fudging in terms of whether or not the rope has "covered" the object, and the scoring system itself is more or less tossed in as just a reason to get you to interact with the objects. But as an app, and a demonstration of the kinds of interactivity that can be exclusive to a device like the iPhone, it comes highly recommended. Zen Bound is available on the App Store now for $4.99.
Flash game most likely to become internet meme phenomenon: YHTBTR
We know it's a little early to be throwing phrases like "Game of the Year 2008" around, but when we discover flash games of this caliber, we can't help but voice our heartfelt infatuation. With its stunning character design, addictive gameplay, and breathtaking soundtrack, You Have To Burn The Rope is a smorgasbord of top-notch writing, programming, and design.We must insist you try it out, and let us know your opinions, strategies and fastest speed run times for the game in the comments section. Though it may detract from the game's titular twist, we feel we must warn you -- you will come across a rope during your journey through YHTBTR's lovingly-crafted world, and it absolutely must be burned. Anyone who tells you differently does not have your best interest at heart.[Via Kotaku]Play: You Have To Burn The RopeWatch: The pulse-pounding teaser trailerRead: The comprehensive walkthrough
