Tag: Summer »

The original Bioshock is pretty much the greatest video game adaptation of an Ayn Rand novel in existence. It’s also a pretty darn awesome game in its own right. And it’s coming to iOS later this summer.

No joke: Bioshock on iOS is a direct port of the classic first-person adventure/shooter. The whole game - all the areas, enemies, dialogue, memorable moments, hidden cats, etc - has been made to work on the iPhone and iPad. There’s even that odd dip in the right-hand staircase in the lighthouse when you find the bathysphere.

The visuals have been scaled-back a bit, of course. Otherwise there’s no way it would clock in at just under Apple’s maximum download size of 2GB. That’s not to say it looks bad, though. There may not be dynamic shadows or fog effects, and the textures may be a lower resolution, but Rapture still the super-creepy underwater dystopia we’ve all come to know and love.

The port supports MFi and other bluetooth controllers, but also sports a set of touch controls that have been optimized for the experience. Naturally a controller is the more comfortable of the two options when it comes to a game like this, but the touch interface is about as accessible as I could’ve hoped for.

Bioshock doesn’t have a concrete release date or price just yet, but it will be available later this Summer as a premium release with no in-app purchases.

There is no shortage of space shooters on the App Store, but it's not every day that N-Fusion, developer of the acclaimed Deus Ex: The Fall, announces a new game. Space Noir tells the story of a private soldier in the "Intergalactic Protection Consortium" named Hal Markham, and throws the player through an adventure involving his bounty hunter missions, "deadly femme fatales," and the defense of his home space station.

There's no word yet on pricing for the game, but the developer has come out on Facebook to say that there will not be any clumsy in-app purchases. "There won't be any clumsy or brash IAP in the game," they said, "If you want to buy skins etc you can but the game is 'complete' - no time or resource gates for example."

Keep an eye out for Space Noir for iPad, coming this Summer on the App Store.

This week at 148Apps.com, we got ready for some much-deserved rest with a comprehensive overview of all major Labor Day app sales. Site founder Jeff Scott writes, "It’s another holiday weekend here in the USA. Burning Man, end of summer, Labor day — pick your favorite. And that means it’s time for another huge sale on iPhone and iPad apps. These apps are on sale and they have to go!"

See the complete list at 148Apps.

Over at GiggleApps.com, reviewer Amy Solomon dug deep into the earth and discovered Auracle-Fossil. She writes, "Fossil tells the story of a girl finding a fossil on the beach, and the story of where her mind goes as she imagines this dinosaur alive long ago, as well as the process that this bone must have taken to be transformed into a fossil.

Fossil is beautifully illustrated with striking water colors, as these original illustrations found in the published book work quite well in terms of translating these paintings. Here, the double page spreads from the book are formatted to fit the screens without losing much real-estate, allows readers to see both these pages together without the need to pan and scan, a feature that works in other apps, yet is simply not necessary here."

Want to know more? Read on at GiggleApps.

Finally, 148Apps.biz writer Carter Dotson reported on an unusual trend in the world of free apps: "Fiksu has released its latest Indexes tracking how much it costs for brands to acquire loyal users, and how many downloads the top free iPhone apps are getting.

The Fiksu App Store Competitive Index tracks the average combined volume of the top 200 free iPhone apps. For July, the Index indicates that daily downloads decreased month-over-month by 5.6%, down to 4.37 million downloads from 4.63 million in June. The number has remained relatively stable after a drop from 6.35 million in February. This may be due to a residual after-effect of the holiday season, which saw steady increases after the launch of the iPhone 4S."

Need more information? Follow this story at 148Apps.biz.

More big stories are on the way from the App experts at 148Apps! Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to keep track of the latest sales, reviews, news items and more. See you next week, football fan!

In the world of couture it's already Fall/Winter 2012-13, but here in reality, summer is hot - literally. With the season came Time Warner to Newsstand, which got us poking through their offerings and finding ourselves drawn to lighter beach fare like fashion magazines. This week we look at our favorite four fashionista periodicals for those planning what to wear now and to see what's on the catwalk for Autumn.

ELLE

ELLE US has couture, trends, and very readable articles. On top of the high-end glossy magazine, there are some really cool features. Enjoy an ELLE "Personal Stylist" - just upload your image and try on looks directly from the app. There is also a great Inspiration Board where you can put your favorite pieces to create a digital, sharable collage - perfect for Pinterest. The July issue just came out and features a look at Selena Gomez in a TDF top, a huge spread on instant outfits for any occasion, and a guide to vacation dressing and packing.

Vogue

This venerable Conde Nast publication, Vogue, made its iPad debut in May and each issue is packed with all the great fashion and articles you've come to expect on top of some cool interactive features including videos. The July issue has a fantastic one of Emma Stone doing a special photo shoot where she reveals her "vampy" side and talks about her role in the latest Spiderman summer blockbuster. This issue also looks at what every girl needs on her summer fashion checklist and peeks down the runway at the haute-couture for fall.

InStyle

We were happy to see Time Warner bring InStyle to Newsstand. The magazine is a fresh lighter look at fashion. The monthly has lots of tips on how to get the hottest styles for less, and how to put them together to make eyes pop and jaws drop when you make your entrance. The new July issue downloads really quickly, has stories on Salma Hayek and Justin Bieber, great hot weather makeup looks and tips, and over 150 "chic steals" to love for under $50. Oh, there's also some frozen treats that would make any "it" girl want to risk the calories.

NET-A-PORTER

NET-A-PORTER, from the website of the same name is a weekly that's part magazine, part shopping portal and part fashionista web haven. The app is simple to use, and full of great looks. This week, the editors have an article on the hottest one-piece swimwear. Check out Issa London by Daniella Helayel (of Kate Middleton now Duchess of Cambridge's engagement dress fame), who reinvents mod on the runway. Then, after drooling and possibly buying, go discover the secrets of the summer sundress. The best part of the app is that you can touch on an item to get more details, the price, and purchase your must-haves right from your lap.

Just when you think that Angry Birds may finally be ready to slink away from the top of the iOS sales charts and make way for some new hotshot developers, another update hits for the most successful portable game franchise in the history of the platform.  That's right folks, it is time to fire up your iPhones and get ready for the long awaited and eagerly anticipated May update for Angry Birds Rio to land on your iOS device of choice.

After facing a barrage of emails, tweets, and Facebook messages when the first of May came and went without new stages being added to their beloved Angry Birds, Rovio decided to head speculation off at the pass, and released the following trailer:



Finally landing last Friday, the expansion pack nicknamed "Beach Volley",  features thirty new stages to add to the initial sixty included in Rio's original release.  This time you will take the primate assaulting to the surf and turf, in search of more birds that desperately need to be freed.

But that is not all folks, because it looks like the original Angry Birds may be getting some downloadable love as well.  According to Rovio's official twitter feed, late this month will also see brand new content come to roost on the first game that just kept on giving.  Honestly, the concept of continuing to update the first title when the sequel is already selling like gangbusters baffles me slightly, but who am I to sneeze at new, not to mention free, content.

In one last revelation to sneak out over Rovio's twitter account, they seem to be targeting June to release another update to Angry Birds Seasons.  Given that June 21st officially marks the start of summer, it would seem appropriate to see how everyone's favorite swine embrace the sweltering heat.  Oh, and just a note, in case you couldn't see the theme of this article, if you are a fan of Angry Birds, you should really be following Rovio on twitter.  It is a veritable news bonanza!

I've found over the past few months that e-mails are a very personal thing. Some people/developers send long descriptions about their apps, listing every detail in an attempt to get me interested, while some just send me copies of press releases that hype their apps with their quality hype words like "killer" and "groundbreaking". Very rarely do I get an e-mail that provides absolutely no information yet holds my interest.

A few days back, I got an e-mail from Jeff, who is presumably the head guy at Action = Reaction Games. I'd recap the e-mail, but instead I'll just post some of it.

Just wanted to drop you a tip on an upcoming, fully 3D, iPhone game that will shock and amaze your ears. The video link attached is a little unorthodox ed, but it is designed to first demonstrate the binaural audio technology, and then introduce the game (from an audio perspective). Please wear your best headphones!

Watch this!

Jeff's Top 5 Favorite Things from Bird vs. Alligator on Vimeo.

More videos coming that will show the amazing 3D physics engine we've built as well.

After having the video pique my interest, I decided to follow the trail to the website, where I found some screenshots (one of them sits on top of this post) of the upcoming game, but an equal amount of non-information. All I know now is that the game is set for release this summer, and that, if the cryptic video proves anything, it should be an audio tour-de-force.

*Edit*
On a brilliant bit of investigation, Brendan Lutz, our trusty e-mail ninja, found this follow up video on the app. He showed it to me first, and now I shall lovingly pass it on to you. Enjoy!