Showing posts with label iPhone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPhone. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Top 10 Free iOS and Android Games -- August 2011

So, summer's over, huh? Yeah, we're bummed too, but at least we have videogames to play when the sun goes down. And golly, did you know they have games on the cell phones now? And they're free?! It's some crazy new phenomenon that we just can't begin to explain, but what we do know is that it sure is fun.

Look, we're going to save you the several long, arduous minutes of scrolling through the iOS App Store or Android Market and just let you know what's on top this month. But not only that, we'll let you know a bit of what you're up against, which will inevitably involve ticked-off avian creatures at some point that we'll just avoid talking about altogether. (Seriously, Angry Birds, we love you and all. But just what else is there to say?)

Top 10 Free iOS Games
1. Six Towers
Vadim Bushurov and AlphaWeb Plus created a color-coordinated puzzle game in which players reorganized six shuffled towers of blocks of different colors. The goal, across 1 million puzzles, is to make it so each tower is in order and of the same color. Of course, your options for moving blocks are limited, so enjoy the brain buster.

2. Rail Maze
Spooky House Studios' Rail Maze is yet another puzzle game to top the free side of the App Store. (I'm sensing a trend here.) Players must build complex railroads to avoid evil pirate trains, though the game comes with other modes like over 100 puzzles in Labyrinth and a game of survival in Snake. Actually, think "Snakes on a Train," and you're there ... sort of.

3. Anodia
This game, by Rafal Kozik, is a mobile rendition of the classic brick breaker, Breakout. With Game Center support and over 30 achievements, players must guide a floating platform back and forth, bouncing a ball into various objects, but mostly bricks. Throw in over 20 power-ups and power-downs along with Retina Display support, and you're golden.

Hit the Apple
4. Hit The Apple
This 1.5 million-player strong game by Falcon Mobile lets you do the ultimate Renaissance Fair trick: Shoot an apple off of someone's head. Only this time, if you miss, it's your friend's head! The game mixes things up by introducing arrows with different powers, enemies and a full-on storyline revolving around one simple yet terribly dangerous trick.

5. The Moron Test: Section 2
This is less of a game and more of an entertaining distraction. Made by DistinctDev, The Moron Test asks brutally simple questions and poses equally-childish challenges, but your level of moronic tendency is measured by how long it takes to answer. The game features goofy characters and music to keep things interesting, but you're still just answering questions.

6. Line Birds
Seriously guys, you missed that boat. Now please stop. Ahem, anyway, Robert Szeleney made Line Birds to look like a cross between Angry Birds and Doodle Jump, players simply tap on the screen to cause their birds' wings to flutter. Timing this correctly helps the birds avoid the deadly black lines, and unlock four other birds with unique powers.

7. Doodle Jump Free
And whaddya know? Lima Sky's ubiquitous iPhone game sends players endlessly leaping higher and higher across platforms for the best score. Of course, there are monsters to avoid with the game's tilt controls across two backdrops. The paid version, however, unlocks a number of features for $.99.

SimplePhysics
8. SimplePhysics
While this puzzler by Andrew Garrison reminds me of why I opted to not take physics in high school, it nonetheless looks like fun. The game challenges players in several unique scenarios to solve structural problems like supporting a snowy roof of a house using limited resources. Plus, the game lets you blow up test dummies. We're sold.

9. Extreme Road Trip
Your gas pedal is stuck while you're driving through what looks to be Yellowstone Park. What do you do? Keep driving, and throw in a few flips to activate that nitro boost. Ah, videogames make everything better no? This endless racer by Roofdog Games features music by acclaimed indie game composers and multiple cars, to boot.

10. Toca Hair Salon
This cutesy game by Toca Boca is generally reserved for the little ones, who are yoinking mom and dads' iPhones more and more often. Kids are essentially given an empty canvas of hair to trim, cut, color and style in almost any way they please. And the adorable customers react to your hair dressing skills. There are no rules in Toca Hair Salon, just play.

Top 10 Free Android Games
Words with Friends1. Angry Birds
Nope, we said we're ignoring you, remember?

2. Angry Birds Rio
Seriously, guys, stop it. We know you just added some new levels and all, which is cool. But we've been there, done that. Sorry!

3. Words With Friends
Zynga's recently-acquired social spin on Scrabble (right) has hit a fever pitch, as it just launched on Facebook with cross-platform gameplay. Seriously, just download it already, and thank us later.

4. Death Worm Free (pictured below)
PlayCreek has put you in control of probably the coolest monster to ever grace the tiny screen: a giant toothed worm. Guide the wormy beast with your finger as it devours people, tanks, helicopters and even alien spacecraft as they attempt to stop your reign of terror. Oh, and it's in HD and has leaderboards--need we say more?

5. Drunk Man
If only this were a breathalyzer app, huh? You must guide a drunkard husband to the gift shop to buy his furious wife a birthday gift (he forgot, of course) in the middle of the night. Either use touch controls or tilt to balance the lush in this game, created by GameLinkMe, and go the distance for love. Right ...

6. Dragon, Fly
So, it's a Tiny Wings knock-off. At least it has dragons, right? Made by Four Pixels, Dragon, Fly truly is a carbon copy of Tiny Wings on Android ... with dragons. Just tap and hold the screen for the dragon to fly, and release at the right time to send it flying off even higher than before. Rinse, repeat.

7. Drag Racing
This game has been on the Top 10 list for some time, and with good reason, apparently. The game, created by Creative Mobile, allows players to fine tune and customize several cars found in the real world to their desired specs. Then, players can race one another online in the Pro League. And a version is coming to Facebook, so more to play with?

Death Worm Free
8. Angry Birds Seasons
Mighty Eagle or not, we still have nothing left to say.

9. Fruit Slice
This Fruit Ninja knock-off returns from last month, and looks just as uninspired as ever. I mean, couldn't have DroidHen used a more unique font, at least? And there's a free version of the real deal on the Android Market anyway. Why it's not on this list is beyond us, but do yourself a favor and go for the original.

10. 3D Bowling
Italy Games returns to the Top 10 this month with 3D Bowling, which really is just like it sounds: bowling with 3D graphics. Players go for strikes across five different backdrops and with multiple varieties of bowling balls. Your stats will also be tracked through the game, though no multiplayer just yet, it seems.

[Image Credit: Apple, Google]

Which of these games are you looking to download most? What's your favorite free game on either app store right now?

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Hey Gaming Magazine Editor, Your Random, Tacked On Review is Wonky:

Critics of videogames have always had a strong voice in this industry. In the days of yore, a reviewer was truly someone on the inside, "in the know." These people played games (thoroughly) and reviewed them.

Now, I can't turn around without smacking my sackboy into a reviewer who thinks he/ she is an "expert" simply because the reviewer played a game here or there. These reviewers often don't have insider knowledge into the gaming industry and sometimes I wonder if even that would help them with their reviews.

Further, they don't seem to have (or take) the time to play the game through (or at least make a disclaimer that they haven't.) This is most evident in EGM's latest review of LBP2 where the reviewer said the Story Levels are better skipped.... Even though half of the game is Creation which is further enhanced by gaining materials, stickers, and decorations from the erm.... story modes.... skipping them would be stupid.

Lately reviews have turned more fanboyish where bias is evident within the reviews themselves. For instance, in one published review of LittleBigPlanet2, the reviewer stated that the multiplayer levels were "tacked on." I will allow you to digest that for a moment... or wait so you can finish laughing or blinking your eyes. I kid you not, the review actually stated this and claimed that it took away from the overall score of the game.

So this led me to think... I had heard "tacked on" before... and other ridiculous terms used to describe the games we so ardently play. I came to the conclusion that not only are these reviewers out of touch, but they parrot what someone else has said because they have no original thoughts on the game.

So, dear reader, the following terms will clue you into what entails one of these "not so well thought out" reviews:

Wonky - adj. wonkiness, Often used when referring to controllers. (ie: The controls in the game are wonky.) How about, "The controls didn't work the way I wanted them to and I refuse to use the options menu to change that."

Tacked On - vb. tack on, often used when referring to levels. (ie: The (pick one) multi/ single player levels feel tacked on.) Really? Do you even know what it means to make a game? And to claim something that took longer to program than it took for you to play it and write your trite review is "tacked on" is patently absurd.

Random - n often used when the reviewer can think of nothing bad to say. (ie the Physics are random; the gameplay is random; the graphics are random) Do you know how hard it would be to program random physics INTO a game and have them work?

Button Mashing - a vague reference to multiple button presses while playing a game (ie the worst part was the button mashing). Hmm?.. Like Yakuza 3 Button mashing (and I am not talking about the fighting part) or Street Fighter button mashing? Could you be more vague?

Cliche - n. synonyms: "also ran" & "clone" used when the reviewer doesn't know the difference between two entries in the same genre (ie This 1st person shooter is another clone.) Referring to something as cliche doesn't tell us anything. We don't have free access to tons of games and get to play them at work. Tell us what you mean. (Remember Journalism 101?)

1st Person - n. this is supposed to be used as a description of perspective. In reality, a first person game would allow you experience a narrator going through a series of obstacles. The 1st person uses I. The main character should view him/ herself this way. In reality, most shooters are 2nd person, whereas the player character is often referred to with the pronoun "you." (Like a choose your own adventure book.) A truly 1st person shooter would be like Duke Nukem (where the character is already established and doesn't change... 2nd person would allow for the player to be the character.)

Not swearing - if something is "shit" then tell me it is "shit" and not [expletive deleted]. If anything this industry needs, it is for its journalists to grow a pair and use freedom in their speech. I just played a game where zombies ripped apart another character and ZOMG!!!! you used "shit!" Wow... how offensive.

Grind - verb? - This has become a cliched, tacked on term that usually signals something is wrong. Grind has become something bad and when we see this in a review, then it has a negative connotation. So. I don't mind grinding, if it is done right. Dragon Quest does it right. Monsters are harder later on, but you don't have to go out and kill millions of helpless monsters just to get one ability point.

Hype - (used in conjunction with development time and resources) often added to reviews of sequels. (ie It doesn't live up to the hype.) What hype? The hype, you, the journalist heaped upon it? What is a measurement of hype? GT5 certainly had hype but based on what? How is it objective? UC2 was hyped as well and surpassed it... so... whose hype are we talking about? Review the damn game as a stand alone even if it has a 2 or a 13 after it. The developer didn't make the two games at the same time so your review shouldn't review it as such.

Thank you, dear reader, for your time.

And if you are an editor, please, enough with your cliched reviews. They are boring and tell us nothing.. I would rather read a well thought out and thoroughly researched article about one game, than 10 poorly written tacked on reviews for which the reviewer barely got past the opening creds.

So here is a review of your tired, cliched reviews:

Your Random Review of [Insert Game Title] for the [Insert Game System.] is trite. It is a poor example of critique. Your comments are wonky and your analysis is tacked on. It would be even more cliched had I not had to grind through all of the tacked on, random hype of your prowess as a reviewer. And since you have written a review before, it certainly doesn't live up to the standards previously set by your review of [insert other game title] for [insert favorite gaming system.]

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Angry Birds for PC

Finally, those birds that everybody likes has arrived on PC. After iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile versions, also iPhone cases and toys, Angry Birds has finally arrived on the PC thanks to the Intel App Up store. It’ll work fine and dandy on laptops and netbooks and will cost you only $4.99 to download. Nice price for this lovely game.

Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.

Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.



Angry Birds for PC


Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.

In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.

Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.

You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.

This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.

Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.

Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7



Free Angry Birds for PC

Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer

Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.

Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.

During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.

Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made.  This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
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      - Angry Birds PC Updated

      The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!

      As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy  you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there  who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.