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Temple Run 2 appearing today on the App Store
Uber-popular game Temple Run's surprise sequel has hit is about to hit the US App Store. Released earlier today in the New Zealand App Store, Temple Run 2 builds on the success of the first Temple Run, while ratcheting up the graphics, physics and gameplay. TouchArcade got its hands on an early copy of Temple Run 2 and the site says that everything users loved from the first game is still there. Namely, that's our hero running his butt off from scary monkey monsters. However, Temple Run 2 builds upon its predecessor in leaps and bounds. The game takes place during a perpetual dusk in a floating temple in the sky. All the graphics have been improved, but the real pleasure in Temple Run 2 comes from its more fluid movements. In the first game, turns were made very mechanically -- at 90 degree angles. Temple Run 2's environments are more hilly and curvy and turns and movements have a more real, natural feel. Also the game adds other improvements, like stretches where you're operating a mine car and the ability to play as four different characters. Temple Run 2 is available now as a free download. Stay tuned -- we'll have an interview with Imangi Studios, the creators of both Temple Run versions, on the site later on this evening.
Order & Chaos Online available in Canadian App Store [Updated]
We took a brief look at Order & Chaos Online last month courtesy of a trailer on the game's Facebook page. Now, it looks as if the mobile World of Warcraft knockoff could be coming to an iOS device near you in the very near future. Touch Arcade is reporting that Gameloft has released the pocket MMORPG to the Canadian App Store, a move the publication says is "standard operating procedure for a wide-scale beta of sorts." Apparently other mobile dev outfits have used the Canadian market as a barometer both for how their games will be received and as a testbed for necessary tweaks. Gameloft has set Order & Chaos' price point at $6.99, which includes three months' worth of subscription time. You read that right: It's a sub-based mobile game, with single-month rates of $.99 while three-month and six-month packages go for $1.99 and $2.99 respectively. Head to Touch Arcade for more details. [Update: The game is now available in the U.S. market as well!]
Words With Friends HD for iPad gets a free version
While the paid version of Words With Friends HD has been enjoyed by iPad owners who are willing to spend US$2.99 for quite some time, those of you looking for the free version are now in luck. Touch Arcade says that, just like its iPhone cousin, this version (released by Newtoy) is supported by in-game advertising, and does almost everything that the paid version is able to do; it even has the ability to play up to 20 simultaneous games. Since this game seems to take up a good chunk of my day, being able to get it for free is just an added bonus for an already great game. And really, who minds the little ads when the app is free? With more than two million daily users, I am guessing that not too many people do.
DOS emulator for iOS released, runs Windows 3.0
This seems like the kind of thing that Apple wouldn't want on the App Store (and indeed, it may soon disappear when they figure it out), but then again, after the relaxing of the rules, maybe they're OK with this one. Touch Arcade has discovered iDOS on the App Store -- it's a DOSbox-based disk operating system emulator that runs on iOS. And it apparently does everything that DOS does, including, as you can see in the picture, running Windows 3.0 complete with the Solitaire game. The app is a 99 cent universal app for iPhone and iPad, and unfortunately, it's not user friendly at all -- if you don't remember your old DOS commands, the app's not set up to make things easy for you. The app also includes what the description calls "freeware/abandonware" like Ms. Pac Man PC, and DigDug, but you can upload other games and files through iTunes. Honestly, this is awesome, but it seems a little too open for Apple's tastes. I can't see how it would ever hurt the iOS device (you're running everything from within the app, and Apple could simply assume that you own any copies of software that you install on there), but this is one app that may have snuck through the gates. At any rate, iDOS is now available on the App Store -- if it disappears later on, we'll let you know. Update: We're getting reports that it's been pulled, not unexpectedly so. We'll have to see if the devs want to fight to try and keep it up. It's certainly possible to release an emulator app on the App Store, but Apple's touchy about the subject, to say the least.
Games updated for Game Center (soon)
As you might have noticed if you've added a few friends in Apple's new Game Center service, the backbone social components are working great. But where, exactly, are all of the games? Developers have actually had access to Apple's service for quite a while now -- it was introduced to them under NDA way back at WWDC. But for some reason, Apple seems to be waiting on approving Game Center-enabled games. Fortunately, they're coming, probably as soon as Apple can approve them. Touch Arcade forum member Project-79 has been keeping track of which games have said that they'll be Game Center-enabled. As soon as updates roll out for games like Field Runners, Flight Control, Super Mega Worm and Angry Birds, you'll be able to jump in and earn achievements with them. Keep in mind that some of the best games on Game Center are still to come: Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter 2 was leaked via a Game Center screen, and of course we're all waiting to see what Epic Games' Project Sword looks like, ever since it was shown off with full GC functionality at last week's Apple event. There are games coming for Game Center, and they should be here soon. Update: Apparently Ms. PAC-MAN is the first game to get updated with Game Center support. You might want to wait, though -- we've heard it's not a very good version.
360iDev: Game Jam creations
Tuesday night at the 360iDev conference in San Jose, around 60 developers gathered in a room on the eBay campus around 8pm as security locked them in for the night (one developer joined the group via Skype -- that's him on the big screen above). Their goal? A game jam. Before 8am the next day, they would put together working prototypes of games, either based on their own ideas, or revolving around the night's theme of "Tiny." Not all developers were there to make new games -- a few were there to work on current projects or offer up their help to others. But up until 2am and beyond (that's about when I chickened out and let them work), the room was full of developers punching away on their keyboards, writing code, designing art, and, well, developing. I originally thought that it was just a lark; a fun project that gave everyone an excuse to spend the night on the eBay campus. But no, this was serious stuff -- apparently at least one App Store game has its origins in past game jams at these conferences. So while developers were just testing their skills at putting their ideas into motion, it's possible that we may see some of these prototypes show up on the App Store eventually as working products. After the break, we'll provide a look at what a few developers were up to at Tuesday's game jam.
Spacetime's Pocket Legends hits Apple's app store
While there have been many attempts at reproducing the MMORPG experience on Apple's incredibly popular iPhone and iTouch devices, the limitations in technology and connection speed have kept these applications from hitting the big time. Spacetime Studios hopes to change all that, as they just revealed a new MMO for the app store: Pocket Legends. Boasting 3D graphics, three classes and accessibility across iPhone, iTouch and iPad devices, Pocket Legends might be considered an "MMO-lite," but it still contains all the necessary ingredients. Players can choose from one of three anthropomorphic animal classes -- a cat sorceress, a bird archer, and a bear tank -- and head off for a career full of dungeon running, chest looting, and stat leveling. Grouping is also possible (and encouraged!), with thousands of players connecting over a server. Spacetime promises that players can not only play Pocket Legends on almost all of Apple's portable devices (except the first edition of the iPhone), but the game can be accessed via WiFi, 3G and even EDGE networks.
GDC 2010: The secret to App Store success
For the last panel of GDC 2010 day two, David Whatley of Critical Thought took the stage to talk about the App Store success he found with his games geoDefense and geoDefense Swarm, and almost dared other iPhone developers to follow his "guaranteed plan" to go from "zero to Time Magazine." He's got quite a background in the trenches of coding and game development, having designed and run online mulitplayer games for over a decade with his "day job" at a company called Simutronics, but he decided to take to the iPhone in his spare time both to learn the platform and see what he could do with it. First things first, he said, to make an iPhone game, you've got to figure out your goals as a business. He talked about the potential on the iPhone in terms of millions of dollars, but of course, since "99.9% of businesses on the App Store make no money," it's much more likely that if something goes wrong during development or something doesn't click right, the money will drop down to just "a few bucks." It's a balance of costs (which he relabeled as "risks") vs. revenue -- it's very easy, he said, to make money on the App Store, but the issue most developers have is that they let costs get away from them by having too big a team or by investing too much development time, and that comes straight out of their bottom line.
Zen Bound 2 for iPad out by April 3rd, looks great
We've heard from Secret Exit (creators of Zen Bound) a few times about the new version of their game coming soon, but Touch Arcade has some brand new pics and insight about the game itself. Kotaku also has a few preview pics, and the game looks terrific -- not only is it due out in the App Store soon, but we know for sure that it'll be before April 3rd, because they're aiming to have a day one iPad version ready to go as well. As you can tell from the pics, it's going to be just gorgeous -- high resolution, a crisp UI with lots of room to breathe, and the same physics-based rope-twisting gameplay as the first game. Of course, there will probably be at least a few kinks -- unless Secret Exit is super lucky, they probably haven't run the code on an actual iPad just yet, so even if the app is in the store on day one, it might still need a few adjustments once they actually get a production device to run everything on. But these pics only make us even more excited at the possibility for gaming on the iPad -- just like we'd never had a mass-market touchscreen device before the iPhone came along, we've never had a widespread touchscreen device of this size before, and the bigger screen is going to make a big difference in games like this one for sure.
Phoenix Wright, Hexen II coming to the iPhone
Good news for fans of good games: the terrific DS courtroom simulator (which, trust me, sounds much less fun than it actually is) Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney is coming to the iPhone, and Slide to Play has posted some hands-on video. The game takes the two DS screens and stacks them on top of each other rather than converting the game into a landscape version, so it's basically a straight port of the DS game. It'd be interesting to see a more iPhone-specific version of the game (maybe something that uses the camera or the accelerometer to show off evidence in the courtroom), but we'll take just the port, too -- if you haven't played any of the Phoenix Wright games but enjoy a good adventure yarn, you're in for a treat. The game should be out "soon." Hexen II is on its way to the iPhone as well, and Touch Arcade has a few screens and video of that one. I was much more of a Quake fan, but Hexen, with its medieval setting and RPG elements placed in the same game engine, had its share of followers back in the day, too. Unfortunately, Vimov doesn't yet have the rights to Hexen II -- they're just working with an open-sourced version of the engine. To actually release the data on the App Store, they'll need to make a deal with Activision, so we'll have to wait and see if that can happen before you can start hacking and slashing through the world of the Serpent Riders again.
A tale of two iPhone sequels: Zenonia 2 and Raging Thunder 2
It looks like 2010 will be the year of the iPhone game sequels -- we first saw Zen Bound 2 the other day and now Touch Arcade has news of two more sequels to popular iPhone games. Zenonia 2 brings back one of the App Store's first RPGs, Zenonia [iTunes link], with a whole new adventure and four different classes, compared to the last game's three. Ranged attacks will also be possible, as well as new difficulty modes and even an asynchronous multiplayer mode. Sounds like fun -- the new version of the game is due out in March. And from Polarbit comes Raging Thunder 2, another sequel to one of the first games to make a splash on the iPhone, even before the App Store. As you can see above, the sequel will have some shinier graphics, what looks like smoother gameplay, a bigger variety of powerups, and (we presume) the same accelerometer steering that made the iPhone platform such a hit for the genre out of the gate. No date for Raging Thunder 2 yet, but we'll keep our eyes out for it later this year.
Zen Bound 2 coming soon with beefed-up graphics, smoother interface
The fine gents at Touch Arcade have the first confirmation and screenshot of the sequel to one of our favorite games of 2009, Zen Bound 2. As you can see above, the new version (on the right) is a little more subdued with a cleaner UI, although Secret Exit stresses that this is still a work in progress (and obviously they'll have new objects to wrap up in rope to score points). But the new engine will be upgraded to use the most current version of OpenGL available in the iPhone, and you can see that on the rope above -- there are cleaner textures, and supposedly it'll move more smoothly as you play. Looks awesome to us. There still isn't an official announcement yet (this is actually a teaser picture), but that's expected soon, with a release still a few months out. So if you haven't tried out the first Zen Bound [iTunes link] yet, you've got plenty of time to pick it up and get good before the sequel.
Touch Arcade picks their favorite iPhone games of 2009
Our friends over at Touch Arcade have put together their list of the best iPhone games of 2009, and if you happened to unwrap an iPod touch or an iPhone yesterday, that's as good a place as any to start hunting for your favorite games. Spider: Secret of Bryce Manor [$2.99, iTunes link] topped their list, and we agree that it's an excellent showcase for original iPhone software (there's also a promo version if you want to try the gameplay for free). Other than that, there's a few of our favorites missing from the list (no Ramp Champ? No Galcon Labs?), but there are plenty of terrific games to download and play on into 2010. It's been a fantastic year for iPhone gaming -- if you haven't yet jumped in and checked out some of the best the platform has to offer, what are you waiting for? Get downloading!
Dragon's Lair ships for iPhone and iPod touch
Guys, if there was any doubt that the iPhone is a serious application platform, just go ahead and put it to rest right now -- Dragon's Lair has officially been ported over. The Don Bluth-animated laserdisc game was immensely popular upon release in 1983, and since then has been ported to almost every single system that can run it. Now, the iPhone joins those ranks, and seems well done. If you want to play the original Arcade mode, you can, though apparently it's so original that not even the developers recommend it -- you end up skipping sequences and it's really, really hard. Much more appetizing to today's whiny easy mode gamers is the Home mode, which not only can include a "guide" on the screen to show possible controls, but will let you play through sequences over again until you get them right. Touch Arcade says that even at $4.99 [App Store link], it's a must-buy for nostalgia's sake, and if you have any interest in playing the game at all, it's worth the price (especially if you hung around arcades when it came out, as you've probably already put that much and then some into the game). If, on the other hand, you aren't impressed by the gameplay above and/or are too young to remember what a laserdisc is (it's like a record-sized DVD... wait, did you just ask what a record was?), you might not be intrigued.
iPhone app claims 95% piracy rate
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/security/iPhone_app_claims_95_piracy_rate'; With all of the success stories coming out of the App Store, it's been pretty easy to forget the problem of piracy for most developers. Not so for Fishlabs, who've posted over on the Touch Arcade forums that their latest game, Rally Master Pro 3D, is experiencing a 95% piracy rate. You read that right: supposedly 95% of the people playing the game on the iPhone haven't paid for it. There's probably a multitude of reasons why that is -- the app is $7 with no trial version, it's not a super-popular app quite yet (so one pirated copy on a popular message board is probably traveling farther than the copies coming off of the official App Store), and there are probably at least a few other factors in the mix that we don't know yet. Still, 95% is obviously pretty darn high for a platform that's supposed to only deliver software through Apple's official store. Now, fortunately Fishlabs doesn't sound litigious -- they're not pulling the old "piracy = lost sales" fallacy that many companies in this situation would do. They are lowering the price on the app -- they expected it to be worth more, but apparently their consumer base seems to disagree. They tell Mobile Entertainment that they'd entertain the idea of providing content only through Apple's in-app purchasing service (presumably, that would prevent piracy by locking down the extra content), but they also say that's a gamble they've tried and missed on other platforms before. Of course, it'll take more than one post on one message board to make hay out of the problem of app piracy -- it definitely happens, but on the other hand, there certainly are apps selling well, and there are also apps not selling well that don't have this level of piracy going on. Apple already has lots of authentication and validation processes in place, but if app piracy is this big a problem for everyone, they may need to look at more.
Payback brings a GTA clone to the iPhone
Grand Theft Auto isn't out for the iPhone, but Payback is --it's basically a 3D version of the old top-down GTA gameplay, improved with better rendering and lighting. You control the game by pressing "buttons" on the screen, and tilting the iPhone around, and Touch Arcade says it works well. Some missions are apparently tough, but in terms of what GTA is really about -- driving around and generally causing mayhem -- Payback will deliver.Unfortunately, textures (both visual and audio) are rough, as are the actual physics, so it seems Payback is more of a "GTA could work on the iPhone" demo rather than an actual game (though of course you can play it, it probably just won't be as fun). Still, we're in favor of any game reaching high on the iPhone, and this one definitely does.Payback is out in the App Store now, for a substantial $6.99. But it's worth it, especially if you're a big GTA fan, just to see such a complex game on Apple's little handheld. Video on the next page.
Ng:moco's Young aims to create an early EA for the iPhone
Touch Arcade has an interview up with Neil Young. Just like you, I was only slightly disappointed to learn that it was the Neil Young formerly of EA who recently formed ng:moco, quickly becoming one of the most high-profile iPhone game houses, not that other one. But only slightly, because also like many of you, I'm looking forward to Rolando and the "over a dozen" other games ng:moco is releasing on the App Store, and I'm interested to see what ng:moco has to say for themselves about the little iPhone game empire they're building.Unfortunately, TA didn't get a price or a strict release date out of Young for Rolando, but he does say that the game's shaping up well -- he even says creator Simon Oliver "could be the first Miyamoto of the iPhone," which, even if an exaggeration, is an interesting idea. They also discuss the plan behind ng:moco, a company which, like EA in the earlier days of PC gaming, aims to bring together publishers, designers, and promotion and sales all under one big roof. And the volatile issue of iPhone App pricing comes up, but I agree that the big balance on price always seems to be quality -- looking at a system like the Xbox 360's marketplace, you can justify almost any price for a game, as long as the user has an experience that feels worth what they paid.And finally, they hit on the iPhone's competitors, and it sounds like Young thinks Android phones have a ways to go -- the difference is not in the hardware (touchscreen, size, and so on), but it's in the usability and interface, and in those arenas, Young says, Apple still has the edge. Very nice interview with a company that seems destined to play a big part in the iPhone gaming market.
Line Rider coming to iPhone
I thought Line Rider kind of "jumped" the shark (so to speak) when they sold out to McDonald's, but apparently the little sandbox physics game is still kicking around. InXile, the company that makes it, is working on a version for the iPhone. There was a version available for jailbreakers, but apparently the company put the kibosh on it when they found out.Not much else to say about this -- Line Rider is currently available for free online, and if you like it there, you'll probably like it on the iPhone, too. Personally, it's more fun to watch than to play -- whenever I try to make a run, my little guy always dies on the first curve. But maybe with a little more iPhone-based practice, I can finally get him to do that loop-de-loop I've been wanting.[via Touch Arcade]
Belkin JoyPod plans sneak out (now confirmed false)
Update: Belkin reps have contacted us to say that the JoyPod, while a fascinating idea, is not a product they have in development. Oh well!I guessed that we'd see a more official iPhone controller sooner or later, but I didn't think it'd be this much sooner -- Touch Arcade has unearthed this photo of a Belkin-branded game controller/case for the iPhone and iPod touch called the JoyPod. Looks pretty slick, though as Engadget points out, the ratios don't really work out -- odds are that the final product will have to be a little longer to fit the iPhone in there.Very interesting, though -- now I'm curious to see if Apple really will support stuff like this. Supporting a third-party controller would seem to go against His Jobsness' suggestion that a multitouch screen could be used for anything (even typing on an awkward non-tactile keyboard), but clearly there's a demand, from consumers if not from devs themselves, to move game controls off the screen and onto buttons you can feel while pressing. How else will you be able to "exprimir al maximo tu iPhone o iPod touch"?
Control pads for gaming on the iPhone
Ever since games first started running on the iPhone, the issue of controls has always been at hand (so to speak). While the multi-touch screen allows for some very flexible control schemes, it doesn't provide any tactile feedback, and so more delicate controls like a directional pad or buttons aren't always doable (not to mention that they often take up valuable screen space).Enter the iControlPad, a device that wraps itself around your iPhone and provides some tactile controls to software (we posted about it back in May, but we're closer to seeing an actual release than ever). Touch Arcade's got more on how it works, and pictures of another rumored device (though no manufacturer is mentioned). Button presses are delivered via the serial port, and jailbroken apps already support the pad, with full code and SDK support to come.Pretty interesting -- iControlPad wants to sell theirs for less than $30, and of course if the idea takes off, they'll have some competition (maybe even from Apple?). The iPhone is already a great gaming device -- would a button-based peripheral make it even better?
