:: A FLEETING LOVE :: Read Review »
:: FLYS HIGH :: Read Review »Sky Gamblers: Rise of Glory, originally developed by Revo Solutions for Windows Phone 7, has made its way to iOS by way of publisher Namco. This aerial combat game, set during World War I, has players dogfighting with their opponents across 12 single-player campaign levels and 100 individual Dogfight Missions. The game, which is a universal app, supports up to 8 players in online multiplayer modes with free-for-all, team deathmatch, defend the base, and capture the flag game modes. These modes can also be played offline against computer-controlled opponents.
The game also takes advantage of recently released hardware and iOS 5 features. A5 devices owners will get HDR rendering, light bloom effects, and light refraction through raindrops. As far as iOS 5 features go, the game supports AirPlay mirroring with controls and HUD displayed on the device screen with the game action displayed on the wireless display. As well, the game supports iCloud for game save synchronization, and Twitter integration.
:: A FLEETING LOVE
:: RALLYINGThis week, June 13-17, 148Apps announced that is will be one of this year's Muther of All Hackathons media sponsors. "148Apps is proud to be a media sponsor of the Muther of All Hackathons coming up next weekend in Mountain View, CA. The goal of this hackathon is quite ambitious, they hope to develop 100 mobile applications in just 24 hours!" writes 148Apps Founder Jeff Scott. And, as part of a special promotion to mark the occasion, we'll be giving away ten free passes to the Hackathon. Click here for all the details.
In other news, with Father's Day looming ever closer, Namco have slashed their prices across over twenty applications, including PAC-MAN and Isaac Newton's Gravity. "If there is one thing that everyone loves about Father’s Day it is spending a little quality time with their parents, right?" quips Blake Grundman, contributor at 148Apps. "Okay, so maybe some of us may not be as eager to spend quality time bonding with our parental units, so why not give your Dad a game or two instead?" The full list, available here, represents a temporary price cut that will be reversed after the big day - so grab your copies now!
On the application front, the Editor's Choice badge was awarded to Vice President Al Gore's interactive book, Our Choice. "This app will not only inform, but also help readers become proactive in the fight to save Earth. Eco-warriors, tech junkies, and readers alike should celebrate Our Choice, it’s interactive reading as never before seen on iOS" writes Lisa Caplan, who awarded the application five stars for its flawless user interface and iPhone integration. Our Choice is available for $4.99, and can be downloaded by following the link below.
With SEGA's announcement to move their console titles Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing to the iOS platform, Blake Grundman had a hands-on with upcoming application. "If what I played was any indication, players will want everything you can snag. Oh, and did I mention multiplayer? There will be both local and online multiplayer available at launch that will accommodate for matches between folks on both iPad and iPhone." Coming soon.
Favorite Four took a turn to board games this week, as Kevin Stout examines the most enjoyable turn-based games available to download. RISK, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Game Table all made it to the mix. See the full run-down here. Remember that iOS 5 will bring Game Center support to turn-based games, meaning the titles above, and others of the same concept, can be played through Apple's official social gaming network.
Finally, Episode 89 of The Portable Podcast is now available to download, featuring special guests Colin Walsh of Celsius Game Studios, Gavin Bowman of Retro Dreamer and Peter Bibey of Strapped to a Meteor Studies. Host Carter Dotson discusses iOS 5 and the future of development on the platform.
That's it for this week - be sure to check back soon for all your latest iOS news!
Here is what you can expect to find marked down:
:: INTERGALACTICSpring is in the air, and Namco Bandai is celebrating with a sale. From Friday, May 6 through Monday, May 9, take advantage of markdowns on some of the company's biggest iOS games. Below is a full list of games that will be on sale but please note that some or all games may only be on sale within the US iTunes store.
Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima (iPad) -> $0.99
Buccaneer Blitz (Universal) -> $0.99
House of Glass (iPad) -> $2.99
In what looks to be fun for the entire family, players have to gather stars and dodge cooties, as they attempt to clear every stage. Following the Angry Birds trend, three stars are the goal, but just remember to avoid those noxious kisses, because everyone knows that they are super gross!
Easily the best part about the game is that it is currently on sale for free until May 1st, so be sure to download it before all of your friends get infected. Next up, I want to option the rights to a kindergarten version of Pac-Man and call it "Chill Pills." You know where to send the royalty checks, Namco.
:: EAT A CAR!
:: BIRD-BRAINED FUN
Swiping like-colored birds will send them toppling from the power lines, and some birds will provide special bonuses or attacks. The more birds you dethrone, the higher your score. The power lines, and their birds, are set up in a grid-like arrangement. (Be sure to look at the screenshots; the graphics are bright and detailed, despite just featuring cartoon birds.) Because of the way the power lines are laid out, Bird Zapper! actually resembles a match-3 game like Bejeweled more than anything else, which is somewhat unfortunate. How many Bejeweled clones do we need? However, Namco hopes that it will still stand out.
Bird Zapper! will ship with three different play modes. In Survival, you swipe as fast as you can until your "power meter" is depleted. In Blitz, the goal is to reach the highest score in sixty seconds. Finally, Zen mode has no restrictions or time limits.
While Bird Zapper! has not yet been released, the website lists it with a "March 2011" release date, so we expect to see this new title take flight soon. Namco plans to release Bird Zapper! as a universal app with both iPhone and iPad versions for $0.99, while an Android version will ship later for the same price.
:: MS. DIRECTION
The interesting thing about Ridge Racer Accelerated for the iPad is that it will be released as a freemium app - it will be free to download, include 3 cars, one course, with Time Attack and Game Center ranking modes available for free, and will cost $9.99 in-app to unlock the full app. This is Namco's fourth freemium game release for the iPad, following Time Crisis 2nd Strike HD, Lost in Time: The Clockwork Tower and House of Glass. It appears as if this model is starting to pique the interest of major publishers, especially on Namco's side, as this is their second release that has been freemium.
It would be interesting to see if this is a potential future business model for games on the iPad, as it seems to have drawn raised interest on this platform, between NimbleBit's Dizzypad HD, One Man Left's Tilt to Live HD, and now Namco seems to be pushing the freemium model with their iPad titles. Is there something about the platform that encourages more business model experimentation? Are iPad users buying apps in different ways than what the iPhone/iPod touch userbase tends to consume apps? Between these titles and Gameloft testing the model out over on the iPhone side of the App Store, it'll be curious to see how consumers react to it and if we continue to see it used down the road. Ridge Racer fans will get to express their opinion on the model later this month when Ridge Racer Accelerated HD hits the iPad.
:: GALCON REDUX
