Tag: Activision »

Marmalade has a new publishing division called Marmalade Play, which is publishing two licensed Activision titles: The Activision Decathlon and Blur Overdrive.

The Activision Decathlon features 8 leagues with head-to-head play with friends in real-time, along with 10 track and field events to compete in. Blur Overdrive offers up 25 vehicles to race with in over 10 special events. It also has 8 power-ups to use on those who dare get in the way.

Both titles will be available on November 1, though I certainly can't wait to get my hands on Blur's steering wheel!

Skylanders Battlegrounds has been updated to include all of the Skylanders SWAP Force characters, which allows you to take them into battle! The update also adds cloud saves so that you can play on all your devices, and a new pirate arena for you to discover!

You'll also be able to go up against the crazy maniac known as mage Vengar as Chapter 3 is now available to play. Now go return to the Skylands!

This week at 148Apps.com things got a little bizarre, as Jennifer Allen spotlighted the various iOS projects that have risen since Bizarre Creations was disbanded: "In January 2011, British games developer Bizarre Creations was closed by Activision. Looking through the games that Bizarre were responsible for, it’s no surprise that many fans were hugely disappointed to see its closure. Racing titles such as the Project Gotham Racing series were seen by many as the pinnacle of racing games, with similar successes coming from the retro shooter Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved and the cartoony Fur Fighters. Unfortunately, despite the release of arcade racer Blur and James Bond 007: Blood Stone in 2010, it wasn’t enough and Bizarre Creations was dissolved.

What happened next, though? And why am I talking about console games on 148Apps? Because a number of new gaming studios rose from Bizarre’s flames, many of them iOS focused. Recently, I got the chance to see how things are progressing for a few of them.

Want to know more? Read the full article at 148Apps.

GiggleApps.com got all mathematical on us this week with a review of Squeebles Fractions. Writer Amy Solomon says, "Squeebles Fractions is an interesting app to help children to understand fractions, creating a bright, colorful world in which to practice their math skills. I admire the cake theme found throughout this app, as players are able to, within the first section of this app, serve pieces of a cake to waiting monster-like Squeebles characters which correspond to a fraction seen on the screen, really helping children visualize the fractions they are working with."

Read the full review at GiggleApps.

And on AndroidRundown.com, Joseph Bertolini focused his KickStarter spotlight on iMpulse Game Controller. He writes, "Welcome, iMpulse, a tiny rectangular controller that is small enough to comfortably fit on any keychain. iMpulse was specifically designed to go onto keychains because they are with the player constantly. Anytime they leave the house their keys must go with them along with the phone; meaning that at anytime, gaming with a controller is possible. At about the width of an average palm iMpulse is small but it does not seem too small where it would be frustrating or unusable. Oh, and did I mention that it will help locate lost keys? For me, as forgetful as they come, this is almost more than worth the price of the whole device, gaming notwithstanding."

Read more about this new device on AndroidRundown.

With that, we're done with this week's wrap-up. Join us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news, reviews and contests, and check out this post every week for a recap of the stuff you need to know. Ciao!

Touch Arcade has the first word on a release from Activision with 45 classic Atari 2600 games. It should further help me fill out my video game memory lane on iOS. Including classics like Pitfall, River Raid, Kaboom, Demon Attack, and Barnstorming. Wow. It will cost you $9.99 to unlock all 45 games, but Kaboom is free. Way cheaper than a retro Atari 2600 and 45 cartridges would cost you!

FEATURES:
• Get the action classic KABOOM! for FREE
• Access to 45 classic Activision and Imagic games including PITFALL, RIVER RAID, THE ACTIVISION® DECATHLON, BARNSTORMING™, STAMPEDE™, PITFALL II, ENDURO™, DEMON ATTACK, and many more!
• Choose from multiple control schemes to play as you like to play
• Enjoy full Game Center integration including leaderboards and achievements!
• Earn digital versions of the renowned Activision game patches offered in the 1980's
• Features original cartridge and box art, original game manuals, tips and strategies from the original game designers, and more
• In-app game purchases unlock across devices associated with the player's account
• Taunt your friends by showing off your high scores on Facebook
• Buy once, play any time!

Upon first release back in April, there were plenty of reasons to play Skylanders Cloud Patrol, the iOS version of the hugely successful game and toy series. A subsequent update added even more features and, now, here we are with another major update.

This latest update adds a bunch of new special abilities for the players' Skylanders with Trigger Happy gaining a new Golden Anvil Rain that smashes everything in its wake, Stealth Elf now shoots with suepr speed, while Terrafin can shoot rocks as an extra bonus attack. Other new features come in the form of Legendary Bash's ability to explode all bombs with a Max Combo and Flameslinger's Ghost Swords working twice in a row. That's just scratching the surface, too, with more special abilities promised with every character having a new skill.

Smaller changes such as new elemental coins offering big bonuses and coin collecting goals for players above level 20, and better pacing in later stages complete the update.

Fans should adore the new reasons to return to the Skylanders world, while this proves an ideal time for newcomers to be drawn into the addictive land.

Here’s a nice little surprise for Call of Duty fans: Activision just announced that it’s releasing Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies for iOS on December 1.

Black Ops Zombies is the successor to Activision’s 2009 experiment on the iOS platform, Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies. The game features similar gameplay to its predecessor, based on the gameplay from the zombies mode in the console version of Call of Duty: Black Ops. The game features first-person gameplay, utilizing the retina display.

There are also a number of improvements over the first Zombies foray on iOS. For one, Blacks Ops Zombies features Voice Chat using either the iPhone’s speakers or a Bluetooth headset. Additionally, this sequel adds four-player co-op via Wi-Fi or online matchmaking. Very cool. There is even an online ranking mode. It seems that Ideakworks Game Studios has really fledged out things with its sequel. The studio has also included three different control schemes. The first uses the accelerometer and has players use one thumb to move, one thumb to shoot and tilt their device to look around. The second uses a more dual analog-style approach – one thumb moves, the other looks. Finally, there’s a touch-style control scheme where one thumb moves and the entire right side of the screen is used to look and aim.

The game features the level Kino der Toten from the original Black Ops, as well as 50 levels from Dead-Ops Arcade. Activision says that the next level available for download will be Ascension, which will be available for free. There’s no official word on future map downloads and whether or not they’ll be free, but 1UP says that an Activision rep commented on the subject, saying the publisher has learned its lesson regarding charging extra for maps.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies has been optimized to run on any iOS device that supports iOS 4. It is available on the iTunes App Store today, December 1, for $6.99.

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Apps that are created to advertise other forms of media have been done before. Whether it be a film tie in game or a clever augmented reality app, they're out there. A game for iOS to advertise another game, this time for consoles, is an interesting twist, however. The game in question is ProtoSlice, a title set to excite fans of Prototype, an open world sandbox adventure for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

ProtoSlice looks nothing like Prototype admittedly but it's there to advertise the release of Prototype 2, arriving next April. Unlike the console game, ProtoSlice is a puzzle game in which players must clear away layers of Prototype-blades in order to avoid getting their fingers sliced. Yup, it's as quirky as it sounds. In between levels come some sneak peek screenshots of Prototype 2.

It's an enjoyable distraction and the screenshots make it all the better. There's even a Prototype 2 trailer to view!

For the Prototype fan, this is very much worth a look. Even better, it's free to download now.

When it comes to companies with a huge amount of influence in the game design space, it is hard to argue that Bungie isn't among the frontrunners.  Having successfully birthed both the Marathon and Halo franchises, they also draw one of the largest fan followings in the entire industry.  After recently breaking ties from the Microsoft fold and signing a ten year contract with Activision to create a groundbreaking new game universe, it was assumed that they would be setting their sights on creating a new console franchise.  While this assumption may still be true, it seems like they may also have more ambitious, and dare we say portable plans.

Using the moniker of Bungie Aerospace, the name of Bungie's business entity post-Microsoft, recently filed a trademark for the name "Crimson."  As bland as the name may seem, this may be pointing towards the company finally making strides into the iOS space.  The official filing description reads as follows:

"Computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; Computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones; Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices" -- VIA USPTO Filing

Though I would hate to be the one to jump to conclusions too early, the wording above seems pretty definitive in stating Bungie's intentions to at least breach the portable gaming front in some way, shape, or form.  It is hard to say whether this might be in the form of a full game, stat monitoring, or even a pre-release ARG, but one thing is for sure, this should be exciting news to all iOS gamers.  Lets just hope that they can continue their hot streak of amazing game worlds, because I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeves next!

[ via Game Informer ]