Tag: Namco »

Namco, of worldwide PAC-MAN fame, is having a huge iOS Christmas sale that will last until January 3rd. With a ton of apps that are going for $0.99 and $1.99, there's just no reason for people to not play the heck out of all the Namco games they can get their hands on. Enough talk though, here's the Christmas sale!

House of Glass – in-app purchase lowered to $2.99
BIT.TRIP BEAT Blitz – in-app purchase levels lowered to $0.99

BIT.TRIP BEAT - $0.99
BIT.TRIP.BEAT was definitely one of my favorite retro experiences over the past year. Taking the classic Pong game and pumping in some heavy interactive beats and crazy graphics, BIT.TRIP.BEAT will definitely entertain anyone looking for an extremely stylish retro gaming remix. It won't haunt your Pong loving dreams like Be2: Escape From Pongland, but it is definitely a game worth playing.

BIT.TRIP BEAT HD - $0.99
Isaac Newton's Gravity - $0.99
Mishap - $1.99
Mishap for iPad - $1.99

More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawahsima - $1.99
Dr. Kawashima is the pioneer of tying brain exercise to video games with the huge success of Brain Age on Nintendo DS. After selling millions of copies of his book, many more millions of copies of his branded game on the DS, Namco decided to bring the brain training guru to the App Store. More Brain Exercise isn't quite as advanced as Brain Age, but if brain training is what you are looking for you've come to the right place. At this discounted price you definitely won't be disappointed.

More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawahsima HD - $1.99
Mr. Driller - $0.99

Ms. PAC-MAN - $1.99
Ms. PAC-MAN, whether you like it or not, was the very first game to tie into Apple's Game Center. While I prefer regular PAC-MAN, gamers looking to capture a bit of gaming history can download the game and attempt to crack the global top 50 list... a list littered with hard core gamers that were patiently waiting for other games to populate the Game Center system. Good luck! The competition is stiff.

PAC-MAN - $1.99
PAC-MAN for iPad - $1.99
PAC-Match Party - $0.99
PAC-Match Party HD - $0.99
Pole Position: Remix - $0.99
Pool Pro Online 3 - $0.99
Pool Pro Online 3 for iPad - $0.99
Star Trigon - $0.99

Tamagotchi: 'Round the World - $0.99
Tamagotchi? In the App Store? As an app reviewer I feel like I should hang my head in shame, but as an adult stuck in the late 90's, all I can say is O.M.G. The App Store's description says that I can "Eat, dance, play and even poop your way to a happier and healthier planet!" Perfect.

OpenFeint has just announced its newest iOS venture, Game Channel. The new service promises to offer lots of great features, including a free game of the day spotlight that will help users discover great free apps they might have otherwise missed. The main draw of Game Channel though is going to be Fire Sale, a new service which is taking the Groupon model of group sales and bringing it to iOS.

According to OpenFeint, Fire Sale will present a premium app that is going on sale every week. Much like Groupon, users who are interested in buying the game at a discounted price can vote, and when enough votes are reached the price will drop. Fire Sale will then send out a push notification to everyone who voted on the app, letting them know the title is available at a discount. The first game going on sale is Jaws from Bytemark Games, and users can start voting on the title on December 17 at 12:01 am PST.

“We have a motivated community that has proven time and again that they’ll come back for great deals. This happens every day with Free Game of the Day,” says Jason Citron, CEO of OpenFeint. “Fire Sale is a truly social, community-based promotion, that is a perfect way for game developers to get their games downloaded.”

So how well will this new feature go over? That largely depends on the quality of apps offered and how deep the discounts go. For instance, Jaws is currently available for $2.99 and will drop to $0.99, is that good enough for consumers? Of course, the price can't go much lower than that so the quality of the game will likely play a major factor in many potential buyers' decisions.

We'll also have to keep an eye out on which publishers opt to support the program, as that will be a big determining factor. If OpenFeint can convince major players like Chillingo/EA, Namco and Gameloft to come aboard then things should go very well, but if the big companies decide to sit this one out then the appeal of Fire Sale may be quite limited. In any case, it will be very interesting to see if this group sale model can catch on for iOS. Could it be possible that we're witnessing a revolution in digital distribution?

In the event some beloved friend or family member gives you the gift of an iTunes gift card Namco has some good ideas on how to spend it as the company is offering three brand-new, high-profile games just in time for the holidays. And even if you don't have free money coming your way then go ahead and buy them anyway, because they all look pretty great.

First up is the newly-released Puzzle Quest 2, which takes the same addictive gameplay as the original and gets rid of most of the balancing issues and the annoying AI cheating. Yeah, the developers deny to this day that the game cheated, but considering how much more fair matches in Puzzle Quest 2 are when compared to the original, we're pretty sure they did something. The game's been available on other outlets such as Xbox Live and Nintendo DS for a little while now, but we're very happy to see it finally come to iOS.

Also currently available is Letter Labyrinth, which takes the traditional jumbled-letter word game and throws in a healthy dose of Pac-Man. The game also features a Calculation mode where you can work with numbers and equations rather than letters, and if Pac-Man eating math equations doesn't start raising test scores then nothing will.

Last but not least is the all-new Bit.Trip Beat Blitz, which brings the addicting and supremely challenging Bit.Trip gameplay with some fun new wrinkles. The game features some brand new power-ups, and is free to download. Of course, you'll have to upgrade to get access to all the levels and content, but by that time you'll be so hooked it won't even matter.

So we give thanks to Namco for dropping some serious holiday joy on all of us with a bunch of awesome new games. I will personally be enjoying all these titles while waiting for flights and sitting on planes as I head to and from my annual pilgrimage home. I just hope I don't get so frustrated with Bit.Trip that I end up hurling my iPod out of a plane at 30,000 feet.

Just in time for the big Splatterhouse remake scheduled to land on game consoles November 23, Namco has announced that an iPhone remake of the original game will land on the iPhone and iPod Touch November 18. The iOS version will not be a port of the new game launching on consoles, but rather a remake of the original Splatterhouse arcade game launched back in 1988. Prepare to lead Rick through West Mansion in search of his lost love as though it was the very first time.

Namco is promising six weapons to use against Hell's minions across the span of seven stages. The game will also include a new Splatter Rush Mode where players try and hold their ground for as long as possible against wave after wave of monsters.

Splatterhouse was once considered a rather controversial title due to the amount of violence, blood and gore which seemed to constantly overwhelm the game screen. Nowadays the game's pixelated and simplistic depiction of decapitation may seem tame, but we're sure that the console editions launching the week after the iPhone edition will rekindle that debate.

Though Splatterhouse wasn't warmly received by critics back when it originally launched, it seems like a perfect iOS game. The simple combat and short levels should translate nicely to a touchscreen, and the retro visuals likely won't be much of a strain on the iPhone's battery. All-in-all, seems like a pretty nice fit.

As mentioned before the game launches on November 18, and will retail for $2.99. It'll be a nice warm-up for those excited for the console release or who just really want to revisit a game they may have forgotten about over the past couple decades. Besides, who doesn't love a dude in a hockey mask wielding a machete?

Blue Defense: Second Wave!
Cat in a Box Games is back at it with a sequel to their hugely poplar Blue Defense game from 2008. It is up to you to defend the Blue planet from those obnoxiously evil Red and Green enemies. Packed with a new Gauntlet mode, leaderboards, level select, 24 enemy types, and 64 levels will keep you busy for a long time. This pick-up and play Editor's Choice game has been destroying free time for gamers all over; it is your time to see what the hype is all about.

BIT.TRIP BEAT
Namco has decided it was high time to take the game of Pong, fuse it together with interactive beats, put a pretty coat of paint on it all, and push it out to iOS devices. You decide if tilt controls work best, or if you like touching the screen as you move a paddle up and down to bounce beats back to where they came from. Crazy scores, fun retro visuals, and four-player action make this a splendid addition to your gaming collection.

Across Age HD
FDG Entertainment is taking gamers back to the 16-bit era with this 2D action adventure RPG style game. Not to be forgotten, real environmental puzzles bring on a bit of the nostalgia that took the SNES by storm. Choose from two switchable characters to fight off the enemies and solve puzzles in a game boasting a 15-hour playtime. If you have been missing your SNES, venture over to the App Store and check out this throwback to a classical era.

FlightBoard – Live Flight Departure and Arrival Status
Turn your iDevice into a classic Arrival and Departure board reminiscent of the Charles de Gaulle Airport. This app covers 4,000 airports with 1,400 airlines worldwide. Instantly search for flights, easily switch between departure and arrival, and enjoy updates every 5 minutes. If you spend a lot of time doing the airport shuffle, this app just might be the time saver you need as you do the Gate Transfer Marathon.

PlainText – Dropbox text editing
Sometimes you just need a simple, distraction free, and uncomplicated text editor to get your work done. Hog Bay Software has a free app that will allow you to connect to your Dropbox account, and then edit, or create, simple .txt files. All that hard work saves in a UTF8 encoded file for easy sharing regardless of your OS or word processor of choice. Simplicity can be a good thing at times.

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within HD:
That crazy Prince of Persia is back on the App Store. This time he is looking to conquer your iPad with some sexy HD goodness. Take on 12 chapters of fighting, platforming, and puzzle solving goodness. Gameloft has taken their successful iPhone game, beefed it up and brought it for all to enjoy on the iPad. See what console fans have enjoyed for months.

SEED 2 – Vortex of War:
Chillingo brings on a grindtastic sequel to their RPG series SEED. SEED 2 is set five years after the first game. 200 battlefields, 160 different monsters, hours of leveling, and an engaging store lie in this action RPG. Setup your hero and tackle quests, monsters, and a world that is ever changing. Even compete to rock the leader boards thanks to Crystal integration.

Time Crisis 2nd Strike
Namco is here to bring you another fun on-rails shooter just for the iPhone. Ten levels of shooting goodness are here to suck away hours of time. Players can even unlock achievements or see how well they can do in the Competition Modes. The only thing missing here is a lightgun and a slot to pump in a weeks allowance worth of quarters.

AppShopper:
AppShopper takes looking for new apps to the next level. This app brings the power of the AppShopper internet site directly to your iOS device. Look through popular apps, see what's new, track apps you own in the My Apps section, and create an app wish list. This is a great addition to any App Store Junkies iDevice.

CBS Sports Pro Football:
Football season is now in full swing. All this excitement and you have to work?! What ever will you do to monitor the games while you slave away? CBS Sports Pro Football is here to help. You get up to the minute NFL scores, streaming previews, reviews, and interviews, and the ability to watch all 32 teams dueling it out for the change at Super Bowl Glory. If you need your NFL fix in a pinch, grab this free app now.

I had the pleasure of talking with the folks at Namco today, and got a sneak peak at three of their upcoming games. They assure me that there are TONS of new gaming announcements for the iOS platform in the coming weeks, so stay tuned here and at The Portable Gamer to get the full scoop as the details filter in.

For now, though, here’s what I got to take a look at:

Mishap: An Accidental Haunting is, of all things, a hidden object game. Wait wait, don’t leave yet. This is a visually stunning, fully animated and voiced hidden object game with some seriously fun mini games thrown in for good measure.

Bit.trip Beat is the first musical chiptune game from Namco, originally developed by Gaijin Games for the Wiiware service. Namco took the game in house to develop the iOS port, multiplayer and DLC content, and is currently polishing up the final game for release soon.

Read about all three new games at The Portable Gamer.

If you weren't aware, this year is the 30th anniversary of our beloved PAC-MAN. Hopefully you caught wind a while ago when Google put up its interactive PAC-MAN game that sapped up 4.8 million hours of combined playtime. There were also the massive App Store sales that boosted a few of the PAC-MAN apps, including PAC-MAN Championship Edition and Ms. PAC-MAN into the top 10.

If you missed the boat though, fear not, you'll have another chance to celebrate the occasion. To continue the PAC-MAN love, NAMCO is releasing PAC-Match Party, similar to the Flash game that was released on PAC-MAN's birthday, a match 3 game with a retro flare. It'll be up to you to keep PAC-MAN chomping his way around the maze without running into the evil ghosts with your match 3 prowess. "At $1.99, the title includes 30 levels of exciting power-ups and crazy combos." Expect the iPhone and iPod Touch version to be out shortly and the iPad app to come a bit after that.

In the meantime, here's a promo video to get your blood moving.