Tag: NBA Jam »

You're the best around! No one's ever gonna keep you down!

On This Episode:

Carter and an esteemed panel of regular Portable Podcast guests share their opinions on the best games of 2011, their most underappreciated game, and their favorite pre-2011 game that they're still playing.

Who We Are:

Host: Carter Dotson

Guest: Brett Nolan, AppAddict.net

Guest: Colin Walsh, Celsius Game Studios

Guest: Blake Grundman, 148Apps & Games Are Evil

Music:

"Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)" by The Eternal - Download on iTunes here:

"Nanocarp" by The Eternal

How to Listen:

Click Here to Subscribe in iTunes:

Click Here to Subscribe via RSS.

Listen Here: [powerpress]

Apps Mentioned on This Episode:

Part One: Games 16 - 25
In what was another fantastic year in the world of iOS apps & games, we are here to bring you the fifty titles that we, the staff of 148Apps, thought were the best of the year. Here are the gaming titles 6 - 15 in our Best Games of 2011:

15. Temple Run: There are typically two kinds of endless games: the horizontal endless runners, and the vertical endless jumpers. Well, here's the third kind: running into the screen, moving left to right, making swift decisions to avoid obstacles or turn in the correct direction. The originality was well-appreciated, and the game is quite fun, to boot. With its shift to free to play, it also serves as one of the best examples of how to do this business model in a fair way.

14. Scribblenauts Remix: When the first Scribblenauts game came out on the Nintendo DS in 2009, I immediately thought that with the need to type things in, and constant touchscreen usage, that it would work perfectly on the finger-friendly capacative touch screen of iOS devices. I am proud to report 2 years later that I was right. The puzzle platforming game where the items can be created from a vast dictionary of items, and modified with a series of adjectives, is as entertaining as ever, and is right at home on iOS.

13. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing - When Sega puts their full effort into a project, the quality really comes through. It's a serviceable kart racer with the standard weapons and powerups available, with great controls and a useful turbo boost mechanic. That it's on iOS gives it a lot of points where on other platforms it might just be another fun kart racer, but the fact is that this is a really good game, with top of the line features for iOS, even with a fun online multiplayer mode, which is something that is still always cool to check out on the platform. As well, the Sega fan service is part of the fun, too - racing through a Jet Set Radio series level while piloting a rocket piloted by a ChuChu from ChuChu Rocket feels more special than racing any Mario character at this point.

12. Whale Trail: 2011 was a great year for endearing protagonists and endless runner games. Whale Trail was one of the true gems of the year, as it was a beautifully-designed game: the art was top-notch, the music composed by Gruff Rhys helped create a magical and whimsical world, and the gameplay was forgiving, but rewarded precision. The new challenge mode adds a new wrinkle to the game, as it provides short challenge levels that focus on skillful navigation of set levels, instead of randomly-generated endless levels.

11. Super Crossfire - When I was helping to compile this list from 148Apps' writers, one title kept recurring in the lists: this Chillingo-published shmup. It was one of my favorites as well; being able to flip sides in this Space Invaders-esque game that also boasts super attacks was an ingenious twist. The controls worked very well for a touch screen, the upgrade system was simple but provided a great way to feel more powerful as the game went on. It's a time-tested genre with some modern twists, and it works perfectly.

10. Dead Space - EA did the smart thing in bringing this horror shooter to iOS. They built the game for the platform - they optimized the controls and gameplay to work even with the touch screen involved. This is something that even games designed for the platform fail to keep in mind, and Dead Space just about nailed it. It became a must-play for fans of the franchise by being an original story, as well; it also managed to create a scary atmosphere even on a 3.5 inch screen, though playing on the iPad was definitely quite the experience.

9. iBlast Moki 2 - Each little puzzle in this game is like part of a delicate machine. The solution may be to move a bomb just a couple pixels to the left, or to set it off a 20th of a second later. When this game gets going, it requires the kind of planning, and intellectual approach that a game like Angry Birds, which does rely a lot on the physical act of using the trebuchet to launch the birds, cannot provide. There is nothing quite so satisfying as watching the little Rube Goldberg machine I've constructed of bombs launching fuzzy little creatures around succeed just as I planned, after so many tweaks. The fact that the game also comes with a level editor so robust that Godzilab themselves made all the levels in the game with it is just icing on the cake.

8. Death Rally - Oh, look, it's an isometric racing game with combat. How novel, said the liar. Well, it's free, I might as well check it out. Hey, this is pretty fun. These upgraded weapons are pretty cool. I can race against Duke Nukem? How cool. I really want to beat the Adversary, but I need to race him perfectly. Just one more run, and I've got him. Okay, that was challenging, but I finally did it! Well, that was a novel use of a few minutes...wait, where did my afternoon go? Didn't I have things I was going to do? Whoops. Guess I'll just play some more.

7. Jetpack Joyride: My first extended experience with this game was the day I had to report for jury duty. That day was long, as I had to go through an extensive jury selection process for an important trial. I had plenty of downtime outside of that, and pretty much all of it was spent playing this game. One session turned into another, and then another, and then just one more to try to collect the coins to unlock that new jetpack, or that new outfit. It was some of the most fun any person has ever had on a day where they've been selected for a lengthy trial.

6. NBA Jam: The problem with bringing a lot of retro titles to iOS is the touch screen. Virtual buttons and joysticks are something that people still have problems with, but I myself have gotten used to them and just want people to stop griping about them. However, there is one glaring problem: any game that uses more than 2 buttons that need to be pressed regularly run into issues. The lack of muscle memory for where physical buttons are makes this a hassle. NBA Jam solved this by using a sliding mechanic - there's a turbo button in the bottom right corner, pass button to the left, shoot button above. Sliding from turbo to pass or shoot when needed was simple, and it solved the three-button issue in a way that allowed this game to work its magic on iOS. And really, because the game had both been out of regular circulation in gaming for long enough to feel fresh again, and because its core mechanics were just fantastical enough to work without much tweaking in the modern day, this was just a ton of fun to play on iOS.

Come back on Friday to see the games we selected as the top 5 games of the year 2011.

So much fun, it'll tickle you.

On This Episode:

Carter speaks to 2 of the producers of NBA Jam for iOS, discussing the recent iPad release and the multiplayer update.

Carter talks to NoodleCake Games about the recent update for Super Stickman Golf that brings 6 new courses and Game Center multiplayer to the game.

Who We Are:

Host: Carter Dotson

Guest: Ryan Winterholler, Josh Valensi, EA Mobile

Guest: Ty Bader, Jordan Schidlowsky, NoodleCake Games

Contact The Show: Email | Twitter

Music:

"Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)" by The Eternal - Download on iTunes here:

"Nanocarp" by The Eternal

How to Listen:

Click Here to Subscribe in iTunes:

Click Here to Subscribe via RSS.

Listen on WRGT Radio every Friday at 4pm Central

Listen Here: [powerpress]

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

This week, February 13-20, Apple launched subscription services for applications, meaning that developers must offer an in-app purchase option if they offer an outside-app purchase option, like a newspaper does through its website. For example, if Company A offers a monthly service charge of $10 for its articles, and it has an application on the App Store, it must now offer that same deal for the same price ($10) or less through its iOS application. Here's the catch - that $10 is subject to Apple's 30% commission policy.

"Apple feels as though they are providing lots of new users for these services and Apple wants to be compensated for that. That makes sense. They are providing a service and bringing users to these subscription services, they should be compensated" writes Jeff Scott, Founder of 148Apps. However, he warns that "in the end, it’s going to backfire and we the users are going to lose out" - outlining a number of possible scenarios, one of which is shifting the extra cost of paying commission onto the consumer. So that $10 service would need to rise to $13.33 (30% of $10, plus the original $10) in order for the developer to remain no better or no worse off. And that's not good for consumers.

In other news, the all-time favourite Angry Birds has reached a new App Store peak: 250 non-consecutive days at the number one spot on the biggest application store the world has ever known. The iOS favourite was launched on December 11 2009 and, in less than six months after its conception, reached the number one spot in Apple's App Store on April 27 2010. Bonnie Eisenman's been hard at work, collaborating a myriad of data to produce a pictorial review of its massive success. You can see (and read) all about it right here.

In other news, this week 148Apps awarded NBA Jam Review 4.5 stars as well as the Editor's Choice badge for its excellent gameplay and 5 star graphics. "EA has managed to perfectly recreate the NBA Jam experience on a device that was never designed to handle that volume of visual insanity" writes Blake Grundman. "Every dunk, jumpshot and alley-oop runs smoothly and flawlessly, once again raising the bar for gaming on the platform. There is really no amount of praise that can do this game enough justice. It is simply outstanding."

But there are many who just don't find touch screen gaming an equal substitute. "When it comes to iOS gaming, the biggest complaint that continues to come up is the lack of physical controls. While veteran iOS gamers have gotten used to virtual controls, games still often suffer from not having actual physical buttons and joysticks to use" writes Carter Dotson, who goes on to outline a number of solution for hand-using gamers, such as the Fling, JOYSTICK-IT, iCade and iControlPad.

And to wrap up this week, we've brought back the much-loved Favorite 4 column. This week, Favorite 4 examines "the finest examples of established gaming franchises making appearances on iOS" - Street Fighter IV, Space Invaders Infinity Gene, NBA Jam and PAC-MAN. Episode 72 of The Portable Podcast is also available to download, featuring your host Carter Dotson and special guest Brett Nolan from AppAddict.

I'll leave you this week with a glimpse into the future. It has Telltale Games written all over it.

One of the great things about iOS and the App Store has been that it's allowed plenty of unique new ideas from small developers no one had ever heard of, which has brought about plenty of fun titles that might not have ever existed. However, fun games are fun games, even if they're from franchises that have been kicking around before some of us were even born. With that in mind, here are 4 of the finest examples of established gaming franchises making appearances on iOS.

Street Fighter IV: Playing a fighting game on a touch screen seems like a bad idea - until you actually play this version of the most recent major Street Fighter game on your device. The on-screen joystick is nothing short of a miracle - all the special moves are easily executed in an accurate way using just a virtual joystick, which is just another knock against the Xbox 360 controller's terrible d-pad. While the character roster is smaller than the console versions, Capcom has added characters since its release, almost doubling the original roster, along with Game Center achievement support. And of course, there's Bluetooth multiplayer for beating up your friends in ways that are less likely to damage your relationship or get you arrested.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene: This starts out looking and playing like the original Space Invaders game. Within minutes, the game is something else entirely, a shoot 'em up that is intense and visually dynamic. The game is just familiar enough to make you feel comfortable, but this game takes Space Invaders in a direction you may have never imagined it going, and it makes for a great shoot 'em up experience. The game has also gotten Game Center and Universal app support since its release, so if you haven't checked it out lately, it's worth picking up again.

NBA Jam: The classic arcade basketball game has been revived on iOS by EA. Everything that made the game so great back when it came out in the early '90s, from the flashy dunks, enthusiastic commentary from Tim Kitzrow, the thrill of hitting a three-point shot from the other side of the court to win a game, and the ability to play as a variety of characters who would otherwise be odd fits in realistic basketball games are all here. The controls are part of what make this game play so well on iOS - either the virtual buttons or gesture-based system both work well to play the game. The whole game still feels as fun as it did back when it first came out, and it feels remarkably fresh just because there's been little else like it in recent years.

Pac-Man Championship Edition: Pac-Man might be the first game many people remember ever playing - the formula of ghosts, dots and power pellets is ingrained into people's skulls by this point. What can you change to make the formula fresh? Well, how about the levels? By introducing dynamic levels that change as you clear out the board, the experience becomes something completely different, and with the ability to rack up even bigger point bonuses by continuously eating ghosts when you have the power pellet (since they are more plentiful due to them replenishing every time you eat a fruit to refresh one half of the board), you get a game that feels familiar but fresh, just as great entry in a licensed series should feel.

Unlike buying tickets to SDCC, this podcast works!

On This Episode:

We talk about various conventions happening this year, and what iOS' presence among the normal gaming features at various conventions will be.

We discuss NBA Jam for iOS, and why the game has been getting rave reviews from both press and players alike.

We also talk about Street Fighter IV dethroning Angry Birds on the App Store, why this happened, and what it could mean long-term for the App Store.

Who We Are:

Host: Carter Dotson

Guest: Brett Nolan, AppAddict

Contact The Show: Email | Twitter

Music:

"Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)" by The Eternal - Download on iTunes here:

How to Listen:

Click Here to Subscribe in iTunes:

Click Here to Subscribe via RSS.

Listen on WRGT Radio every Friday at 4pm Central

Listen Here: [powerpress]

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

With EA's NBA Elite brand somewhat on the rocks as of late, someone needed to make sure that the company was still "In the game," so to speak, at least when it came to basketball franchises.  But when your marketable properties have all dried up, where can you go?  How about taking a trip back to a well that will be forever full: nostalgia.

When you think of nostalgic NBA experiences it is hard not to reflect back on the Midway created classic that started the arcade sports craze, NBA Jam.  I used to sink quarter after quarter into this flame inducing, crowd frenzying, presidential dunking, circus of hardwood shenanigans.  So you could imagine my excitement when I learned of EA's acquisition of the brand and their plans of reboot.  However, this was an experience that I fully expected to only be available to my kindred spirits on the console.  Apparently I was VERY wrong.

According to a trailer that slyly snuck out the other day from the bowels of EA Sports, it looks as if the reboot is iOS bound.  Check out the first glimpse of in-game footage below!

I don't know if I can accurately portray my excitement in words.  Just the chance to be able to throw down a three sixty tomahawk slam from half court using the leader of the free world, not to mention any number of current NBA All-Stars and league legends, seemed both unfathomable and incredamazeballs, all at the same time.  See? I was so excited I had to make up my own word to describe it!

My initial OMGWTFBBQ eventually melted away, as reality set in, and I began to wonder what kind of features were going to be available in this release.  Here is what we know so far:

2 modes of play, lets you ball the way you want, including a JAM CAMP Tutorial:

• Play Now – Select a team and jump right into the game

• Classic Campaign –  Defeat all other teams to win the championship, and unlock legends, hidden players and cheats

There is just something about the phrase "hidden players" that gets me all frothy at the mouth in anticipation.  Even the ever popular voice of the franchise, Tim Kitzrow, is back in the booth, providing the game with all of the extra "He's on fire"s, “boomshakalaka”s, and "kaboom"s necessary to send your mind wandering back to your youth.

While no release date has been announced yet, just know that with my level of excitement for the game, it will be getting posted on our Twitter feed and Facebook page as soon as I have any information whatsoever. You can look forward to a review here soon, as well.  In the meantime, check out the awesome images of the high-flying excitement that will be coming your way soon!

[gallery]

Boom-shaka-laka!

On This Episode:

Carter and guest co-host Blake Grundman discuss their excitement for EA's upcoming version of NBA Jam. As well, they discuss Gameloft's new game Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden, and whether its freemium release model could pave the way for widespread adoption of this model by the rest of the industry. Finally, they discuss match-3/RPG hybrids, especially recent release Dungeon Raid.

Who We Are:

Host: Carter Dotson

Guest: Blake Grundman - 148Apps, Games Are Evil, The EvilCast

Music:

"Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)" by The Eternal - Download on iTunes here:

How to Listen:

Click Here to Subscribe in iTunes:

Click Here to Subscribe via RSS.

Listen on WRGT Radio every Friday at 4pm Central

Listen Here: [powerpress]

Apps Mentioned in this Episode: