Coming this fall will be a game that’s all about stacking bricks and fast. Yup, it’s a concept we’ve all seen before but SEGA’s Brick People does look like it’s going to be a heck of a lot of fun!

Previously hitting the arcades, Brick People has been quite a hit already. Now on its way to iOS screens, it’s all about stacking blocks in front of a screen in order to help the aforementioned brick people reach food. Predictably, it’s not all smooth sailing with players having to keep an eye out for the Brick Monster who makes demands such as the building of specific structures in exchange for more time.

Brick People sounds like it’s going to be a pretty frantic yet exciting affair. Multi touch will definitely be playing a useful role here and there’ll be head to head multiplayer via Wi-Fi as well as on one device when it comes to the iPad version. There will also be the ever fun online leaderboards courtesy of GameCenter.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on Brick People‘s progress. In the mean time, check out the gameplay video and screenshots below.

This 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!

$4.99

PAC-MAN

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Isaac Newton's Gravity

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-01-21 :: Category: Games

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.

$4.99

Al Gore – Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-04-28 :: Category: Books

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!

Thanks to the invention of services like the PlayStation Minis, porting games from iOS to consoles has become a fairly common practice.  This process has primarily been a one way street until recently, when SEGA announced that they had plans to move their console title Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing to the iOS.  Everyone’s favorite hedgehog and his buddies should be invading your iOS device of choice very soon, but that didn’t stop us from taking it out for a spin at E3 2011.

The first thing that stands out about the title is that you won’t be stuck buying separate copies for your iPad and iPod touch.  That’s right folks, it is a universal app!  All of that said, you don’t need to worry about a lackluster overblown version of the smaller devices on the iPad, because the visuals seem to pop on both.  While yes, the visuals are definitely more refined on the iPad, the amount of detail is scaled down to run on all of your other devices admirably well. In fact, SEGA’s representatives were quick to point out that the game will run on any devices that are iOS 4.0 compatible.

Once the green light flashed, we were off to the races using a select number of different characters that are included in the console iterations.  The tracks are also a sampling of what is found on the full game, but rest assured that there will likely be DLC expansions to the game that will add more content.  Whether these are free or paid for are still up in the air, but regardless, 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.

Look for Sonic and his high speed com padres to come racing onto the iOS very soon.



In the world of the App Store, any kind of holiday is a great reason for developers and publishers to hold a sale, and Easter is no exception. Sega’s taking part in the festivities with an Easter sale of their own, with four titles taking part in the festivities.

Chu Chu Rocket! HD: The iPad version of this revival of the Dreamcast classic is on sale for $2.99, down from $4.99. If you’re spending time with the family this Easter, you’ll enjoy the single-device multiplayer for up to 4 players on 1 iPad. It sure beats having awkward family conversations. If you’re alone this Easter, then online multiplayer is available as well.

$0.99

ChuChu Rocket! HD

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-28 :: Category: Games

Super Monkey Ball: One of the very first iPhone games, released back in August 2008, it’s still a leader in the “rolling around monkeys encased in plastic balls” genre, and is on sale for $0.99.

$0.99

Super Monkey Ball

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Games

Super Monkey Ball 2: Have you mastered the art of the monkey ball in the first Super Monkey Ball? Do you not play games that aren’t sequels? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you’ll be glad to know that Super Monkey Ball 2 is also on sale for $0.99!

$0.99

Super Monkey Ball 2

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-01 :: Category: Games

Altered Beast: All I’m gonna say about this original Sega Genesis beat ‘em up going on sale for $0.99 is that someone at Sega has a sense of humor. [To find out what he means, bug the author on Twitter: @wondroushippo -- Ed.]

$0.99

Altered Beast

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-12-16 :: Category: Games

All these games are only on sale until April 25th, when they will rise back up to their original prices, so act quick to take advantage of this sale while you can.

Over 2 weeks later and it’s still almost impossible to comprehend the terrible disasters that have befallen Japan. However it’s been heartwarming to see just how much people have rallied around the stricken country. The games industry has been no different, understandably so considering video games’ fantastic history within the country. SEGA did its bit offering a price cut to its Sonic the Hedgehog iOS titles as well as Football Manager Handheld 2011, while vowing to donate all the proceeds to the Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Japan.

Today, SEGA announced just how much was raised: an impressive total of over $250,000, all of which will be donated directly to the Red Cross in order to help the Japanese people.

It’s fantastic news and will no doubt help many who are still suffering.

If you didn’t get a chance to participate in this drive, you’ve still got plenty of time to donate something towards the cause. There’s Play For Japan which enables you to either contribute directly or bid on various auctions for some great rare gaming memorablia. SEGA employees themselves have provided some great bits and pieces available on eBay at the moment.

Do take a look and don’t forget to donate what you can to help the poor people of Japan.

Sega today announced Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app is scheduled to release in the iTunes App Store this spring.

The game puts you on the race track and in control of some of Sega’s most popular characters. Sega has not announced how many characters will be in iOS version, but we do know that some choices include Sonic, AiAi and Dr. Eggman. What’s more, each character features his or her own vehicle.

Sega said that there will be numerous different single-player modes, as well as local multiplayer race and battle modes via Bluetooh and Wi-Fi.

The console versions of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing released last week to good reviews. The Wii version, for instance, has a score of 78 on Metacritic. Assuming the iOS version is similar to the console versions – which, based on screenshots, seems to be the case – Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is best compared to Nintendo’s Mario Kart series.

Look for the iPhone version on the App Store this spring.

Have you had your eye on a copy of Chu Chu Rocket but couldn’t justify the $4.99 price tag? If so then we’ve got good news, as Sega has announced they’re dropping the price of several of the company’s most popular games. This isn’t just a temporary reprieve either, as all price cuts are permanent. Here’s the full list:

ChuChu Rocket: $4.99 $2.99
ChuChu Rocket HD: $6.99 $4.99
Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99 $0.99
Golden Axe: $2.99 $0.99
Gunstar Heroes: $4.99 $2.99
Phantasy Star II: $4.99 $2.99
Shining Force: $2.99 $0.99
Super Monkey Ball 2: $5.99 $2.99
Super Monkey Ball 2 Sakura Edition: $7.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 1: $5.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 2: $5.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1: $9.99 $6.99
Streets of Rage: $2.99 $0.99

A quick note here, most of the price cuts apply to the iPhone/iPod Touch version of the games, so keep that in mind. The only native iPad apps listed in the reduction are Chu Chu Rocket HD and Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition.

Hooray for cheap games! It’s also nice to see that most of the price cuts are rather substantive, and that Sega isn’t just taking 50 cents off the price and asking us to get excited. Sure, Sonic 1 and 2 are only discounted by $1, but most of the other titles are at least half off. Furthermore, since these are permanent price cuts you can space out your purchases and grab most if not all of the games rather than being rushed and forced to only pick one or two to get in before the sale ends.

Of course, the flip side to all this excitement is the fact that the price reductions really just bring the games in line with what users expect to pay for apps and the cost of entry is really no lower than what one would find on a lot of other quality titles. So while we applaud Sega for bringing the prices down to a more reasonable level, maybe they should have started here in the first place.

[via Sega]

Beware. Obsessive Sonic fandom awaits you.

On This Episode:

Who We Are:

Music:

“Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)” by The Eternal – Download on iTunes here:

How to Listen:

Apps Mentioned on This Episode:

$1.99

Sonic The Hedgehog 4™ Episode I

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

Cut the Rope
Cut the Rope is a melding of ninja slicing skills, a bit of puzzler fun, and physics game-based game play. Chillingo is adding yet another wildly addicting game to their repertoire of games. This time, players will need to feed a hungry monster, appropriately named Om Nom, a piece of delicious candy that is precariously bound in some ropes. Intuitive game play, stunning visuals, and addicting entertainment will be the drugs that keep players tied to this game all weekend.

$0.99

Cut the Rope

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-04 :: Category: Games

$3.99

Cut the Rope HD

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

FREE!

Cut the Rope HD Free

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
Sega has brought the blue racer back to life, but this time in the classic form that so many gamers know and love. This rendition features four zones with four acts each, seven special stages, revamped Dr. Eggman (or Robotnik, as us old timers remember him) battles, and the Sonic Spin Dash ability. So many fans have been clamoring for this proper sequel. Sonic in all his original glory, what more needs be said?

$1.99

Sonic The Hedgehog 4™ Episode I

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus
Gameloft is looking to take players back to the field of battle with Black Pegasus. Refined controls, which include a gyro control scheme for you iPhone 4 owners and gyro-based QTEs, are just the starting point to this new FPS. Choose from one of three playable characters, 15 weapons, and 12 battlefields compose the single player fun. The multiplayer adds to the package with 10-player fights, four modes, 72 ranks, and XP progression. Can this really still be called a phone game with all this content?

$6.99

Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

Corel Paint It! Show
The default photo app is lacking a bit when it comes to enjoyable ways to view picture slide shows. Corel has taken up the torch and developed an app to remedy this issue. Paint It! Show allows photos to be pulled in from the iPad photo library or right off Facebook. From there, watch as those photos are hand painted in beautiful and artistic fashions worthy of sitting down and enjoying.

FREE!

Corel Paint it! Show

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-05 :: Category: Entertainment

TeacherPal
ITWorx has taken the iPad to the classroom and given teachers a new tool. TeacherPal allows educators to organize classes and students. A simple interface means teachers can track attendance, grades, and even the bad behavior of unruly kids. Guess those thumbtack antics are going to be easily remembered now, darn it.

FREE!

TeacherKit

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-10-05 :: Category: Education

Sega’s long-awaited main franchise return to the Sonic series, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1, has a concrete release date, and it’s sooner than you might think. While the console versions will hit starting the week of October 11th, it will be the iPhone and iPod touch that will see the game first, on October 7th.

As stated in Rob’s hands-on with the game, Sonic 4 will feature similar but not identical content to the console versions, including accelerometer-based levels. The game was delayed from its initially-announced summer release to the fall, with the hopes of improving the game based on early criticism from hands-on impressions. The game features a return to classic level designs, the 3 acts per zone structure not regularly seen since the very first Sonic the Hedgehog game on the Sega Genesis, the classic bonus levels from Sonic 1, a storyline that takes place after Sonic & Knuckles, and only one playable character: Sonic the Hedgehog.

There are still plenty of questions about the iPhone version of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, though. The console versions are being developed by Dimps along with some Sonic Team veterans who worked on the original games, but who is developing the iOS port? Will the game support Retina Display graphics? Will there be an iPad version of the game? How will the iOS port hold up to the console versions? And most importantly, will this game recreate the magic of the original Sonic games — the games that still inspires nostalgia in those who played it? Sonic fans will get to find out for themselves very soon.

Today was SEGA’s Editor’s Day at their office in San Francisco, CA. We were lucky enough to have been invited, and spent a few hours with some other great bloggers and journalists in the conference room at the SEGA HQ. We got to see the latest build of Sonic 4 for iPhone, the new port of Chu Chu Rocket for the iOS platform, two ports from the Genesis days (Altered Beast and Gunstar Heroes) and a fascinating RTS MMO Freemium game called Kingdom Conquest.

The demos started with Sonic 4 for the iPhone, which, according to the other folks in the room, has improved vastly from the preview shown at E3. Sonic 4 for the iPhone will have all the content similar to the console versions of the game, but will also include two different exclusive iPhone levels, built to take advantage of the special features of the iPhone platform, like the accelerometer. It’s fast and 2D and thoroughly Sonic, through and through. The project manager said that the story, while episodic in nature, was a fully formed storyline – with beginning middle and end – with a finite length and breadth. No milking the franchise, here, but a return to the series’ roots and a focus on what fans have asked for across the many years. The story takes place right after Sonic and Knuckles, representing a mid- franchise continuity that hasn’t been explored yet.

Next up was Chu Chu Rocket, a fan favorite from the SEGA Dreamcast, originally released in 1999. This is a puzzler game, with single puzzle and multiplayer versus battle modes, wherein players must guide the Chu Chus (mice) to the escape rockets, avoiding traps and Kapu Kapus (cats) along the way. The single player has 150 puzzle levels, 25 challenge levels (special task-oriented levels) and 25 battle levels, which can be played with up to four players over WiFi, bluetooth and 3G.

The hands on time with this game saw this editor lose furiously to Andrew P (from Slide To Play) over bluetooth, all due to some poorly placed arrows and those darn cats! The game overall seems fun, retro, and includes cute graphics and voice overs. The graphics have been spruced up from the dreamcast days, and the screen layout has changed to reflect the new device platform. This will be SEGA’s first Game Center game, and there will be an iPad version with 4 player on the same screen gameplay.

The two Genesis ports, Altered Beast and Gunstar Heroes, were what we expected — solid ports of games from SEGA’s extensive back catalog. Using the same emulator system s many of their other recent ports, playing these during the hands on time was both nostalgic and frustrating. These games are really tough! Punishing in difficulty, in fact. Altered Beast has players taking the role of a recently revived hero from antiquity, brought back to fight the hordes of the undead at Zeus’ command. All the original sounds and graphics are here; if you played this game in the arcade, you’ll definitely enjoy this version. Gunstar Heroes reminds me of similar games (MegaMan, anyone?) — all shooty and frantic, enemies on multiple levels of the screen, firing and focused on your annihilation. Players with good twitch reflexes definitely need apply.

Kingdom Conquest, a real time strategy, MMO hybrid game currently in beta testing in Asia, peaked my interest right away. This is SEGA’s first attempt at a freemium model game, with a free to play entry price point and micro-transaction DLC to come. The game seems to have two or three different modes of gameplay, all coming together in a fascinating whole. First off, RTS gamers will recognize the build a city, harvest resources gameplay. This takes place within a World Map that is populated by other real players across the internet. Alliances and collaboration will be required to advance in the game. Think Sim City meets Civilization over the internet.

Raise an army of monsters by conquering towers in the world map, which throws players into a third person dungeon crawler mode, with three different character players to choose from — barbarian, sword master, and cleric. Upon conquering the five level tower dungeons, players earn monsters to fight for them in larger world map battles.

It’s all rather deep and complex, and this editor, at least, is looking forward to Kingdom Conquest in a big way. It’s due out this fall, according to the team, and will be free to play, with various items and resources being available via micro-transaction.

Overall, the games look good. SEGA has a solid bunch of iPhone gaming apps for players of all stripe, across classic and new characters and IP. Stay tuned right here for details as they emerge.

SEGA. The name is synonymous with all things both awesome and retro. As one of the original innovators in the home video game console space, the company has a gigantic back library of amazing titles. Now that they are out of the console business, they have focused on publishing games that harken back to their franchises of old, while bringing new innovations to the gaming space. Something else they have started doing recently is going back through their extensive archives and picking select titles for re-release on iOS devices.

Read the full announcement on The Portable Gamer.

Gizmodo recently reported that Sega will be releasing an official Sega Genesis emulator application. The Genesis, or Mega Drive outside of North America, is Sega’s legendary 16-bit console. Sega has previously ported individual games to the app store, such as Golden Axe and Streets of Rage, with mixed results. The Genesis Ultimate collection will act as a single entry point with an in-app store, functioning essentially as a virtual console. The app is scheduled to arrive sometime in February, and is planned to be free of charge. Space Harrier 2 will come with the base app as well, and the initial list of purchasable games are as follows:

• Sonic the Hedgehog: $5.99
• Golden Axe: $4.99
• Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99
• Shining Force: $2.99

Apple is notoriously cautious when it comes to emulators, making sure that everything is properly licensed and 100% legal. Just ask Manomio, who had to comply to Apple’s understandably strict regulations to release their Commodore 64 emulator, C64. As the console manufacturer and publisher of the titles in question, Sega should have a lot less of the same concerns.

What remains to be seen is how these older titles will hold-up when making the transition to iDevice, with updated virtual controls, etc. The value proposition is also something to consider, as my local Gamestop carries console and handheld versions of Sega Genesis Ultimate Collection for $19.99 new, $10 used. These versions include 40+ and 30+ of the best Genesis titles respectively, making the price of some of the initial titles look steep in comparison. You can’t argue with the base price of free though, and the ability to pick and choose what you’d like to buy. I’d be interested in some gems like Ristar or Streets of Rage 2 myself, Altered Beast definitely not!

Sonic, he can really move/Sonic, he’s got an attitude/Sonic, he’s… on my iPhone?

Not entirely out of left field, but entirely unpublicized, comes Sonic the Hedgehog to the iPhone. From the description of the game in the app store, the new app lets you “Relive your favorite memories of the Genesis era as you rocket Sonic through hair-raising loop-de-loops and dizzying dives as you gather up Rings and stop Dr. Eggman’s schemes for world domination!”

Even though I have probably seen (and played) everything this game has to offer, I still want it… really, really badly. If all goes well with my espresso machine, I should have a review up by morning. Wish me luck!

Update: No more espresso!!! Nooooooo! We may have to wait till mid-afternoon.

$2.99

Sonic The Hedgehog

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-05-21 :: Category: Games