Tag: Updates »

The sea devils are running amok in Kingdom Rush Frontiers' latest (and free) update, titled Rising Tides. Players can look forward to dominating three new maps, fending off six new enemy types, and calling upon two new heroes: Karkinos the Crab Man general and Kutsao the monk.

Ironhide Game Studios' latest batch of content is available right now, ye land-lubber!

2K Games just released an update to XCOM: Enemy Unknown that addresses a few issues and adds even more replayability to the already very replayable campaign. In addition to the expected minor bug fixes, improved touch controls, and better use of system memor, they've also included a new option called Second Wave that allows players to adjust the following:

Damage Roulette: Weapons have a wider range of damage.
New Economy: Randomized council member funding.
Not Created Equally: Rookies will have random starting stats.
Hidden Potential: As a soldier is promoted, stats increase randomly.
Red Fog: Combat wounds will degrade the soldier’s mission stats.
Absolutely Critical: A flanking shot guarantees a critical hit.
The Greater Good: Psionics can only be learned from interrogating a psionic alien.
Marathon: The game takes considerably longer to complete.
Results Driven: A country offers less funding as its panic level increases.
High Stakes: Random rewards for stopping alien abductions.
Diminishing Returns: Increased cost of satellite construction.
More Than Human: The psionic gift is extremely rare.

Get to it, Commander!

Rdio, one of my favorite streaming music services, has just updated its iOS app with a new interface, the ability to sync music across devices and apps, and--excitingly--a second screen feature that lets you control other Rdio apps (like the one on your computer, for example) from your iOS device. So cool!

Discover your next favorite song with Rdio, a service for streaming unlimited music—on-demand and ad-free—on your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. With over 18 million songs available and more added every week, you can immediately listen to popular hits, new releases and old favorites. When you’re in the mood to hear something new, follow friends, artists and tastemakers and let their favorites find their way to your ears. Build a playlist—solo or in collaboration with friends—then sync everything to your device for offline listening.

It's Halloween Night tomorrow, and of course it's time for the little ones to head outside and trick or treat, as well as time for the rest of us to celebrate some scary fun of our own. What better way to gear up for an evening full of apple bobbing, costume wearing, or several other activities of horror-themed debauchery than to grab a few Halloween-flavored games?

To help, we've pulled together a list, with the help of the kind folks over at Touch Arcade and Pocket Gamer, of spooky sales, awfully-free apps, and spooktacularly updated apps and games for your viewing and downloading pleasure. Don't blame us, though, if you binge on too many apps and end up feeling nauseous. Consider yourself warned.

UPDATES:

Chillingo Sale

[appsale:507067914,0.99]
[appsale:494242260,0.99]
[appsale:485277994,0.99]
[appsale:518022424,0.00]
[appsale:520828554,0.99]
[appsale:546298662,0.99]

Other Sales

[appsale:540348847,0.00]
[appsale:544385071,0.99]

See the rest of the sales after the break

iOS 6 Roundup

Last week, Apple announced the iPhone 5, much to the surprise of everyone I’m sure (that's sarcasm). The new phone has some pretty nifty features, but not everyone will be waiting in line for days in order to get their hands on one. Those of us who don’t want to trade-up just yet still have a way to scratch that “new Apple gadget” itch, however: iOS 6. This new iOS will be compatible with most older devices, including the iPhone 3GS (Yay!) and above, the fourth generation iPod Touch and up, and the iPad 2 and later. So while I might not be able to get my hands on a 5 just yet, I can still feel special when my phone starts to do new and exciting things!

iOS 6 - Plenty of changes to some old favorites

Before we get in to all the major changes and new features I want to take a moment to go over some of the smaller tweaks to the apps many iOS users can’t live without. The camera has gotten a bit more attention this time around. Users can take panoramic photos now with their iPhone 4S/5 and iPod Touch 4th/5th generation, up to 240 degrees both horizontally and vertically. They have simply to sweep the camera along using a predefined motion and the device and software takes care of the rest. Then, said photos and everything else on the camera roll can be shown off to friends quickly and easily with the Photo app. Video chatting with friends and family via FaceTime has also gotten much simpler now that the app can work over a cellular network and Wi-Fi is no longer required--provided the carrier allows for that sort of thing, naturally.

Even the Notification Center has been revamped with Twitter or Facebook posting allowed directly from the notifications window and the option to quiet those irritating 3am notices, thanks to the new Do Not Disturb feature (more on that later). Last, but certainly not least to the accident prone, Find My Phone has been updated to include a Lost Mode which allows users to remotely lock their misplaced phone with a 4-digit code and display contact information for honest folks to use in order to return the lost device. This goes hand-in-hand with Find My Friends, an app that uses GPS to keep track of friends and family, even going so far as to issue alerts when certain individuals have left or reached specific destinations. It sounds weird, but think of it in terms of the kids leaving school and getting home. Pretty nifty, I know, but this is just the beginning.

iTunes, App Store, iBookstore - Refurbishing the storefronts

iTunes, the App Store, and the iBookstore are also getting adjustments by way of some slightly revamped storefronts, Facebook integration (“like” items in the store or view items that friends like), and a new preview feature that automatically keeps track of any apps/music/books that you browse through. You can view this list from within any of the three stores--and across any of their iOS devices thanks to iCloud--and make purchases from it directly.

Remember how ChAIR promised continuous and free updates to Infinity Blade II? Well that’s still very much a thing. The gorgeous App Store juggernaut has just received yet another significant content update and includes all of the requisite stuff we’ve come to expect (i.e. more of practically everything), as well as a couple of surprises.

The Skycages update is adding 30+ new items to the game. This includes weapons, armor, rings, and so on. New achievements, enemies, and some special new Clashmob content is also available. However, there are two major aspects that really make the “+1” version number enticing: it adds even more story elements that finally bring this particular chapter of the saga to a close, and - perhaps even more exciting – there’s a new weapon type to learn and master. No, not a new sword, a new type of weapon. The “Solar Transport Energy Blades” is a class of weapon entirely separate from the sword/shield, dual blades, or two-handed weapon and allows players to “harness the power of the sun.”

As though all of this weren’t enough, seeing as I’ve barely scratched the surface of the first update, Infinity Blade II is also getting a celebratory price cut. So the six people who haven’t gotten their hands on it yet can do so now for a paltry $2.99. Then maybe we can figure out just what the heck Skycages are together.

Marco Arment, the developer of Instapaper, noticed a curious thing last night - Instapaper was crashing on launch after an update from the App Store.

"Last night, within minutes of Apple approving the Instapaper 4.2.3 update," he said on his blog, "I was deluged by support email and Twitter messages from customers saying that it crashed immediately on launch, even with a clean install."

Even though Apple had reviewed the update, and it must have worked for them, every clean installed copy Arment downloaded and installed exhibited this behavior. Instapaper wasn't the only app, either.

Here's what he says is typical of such behavior:

Characterizations of this issue:

• The app crashes immediately on launch, every time, even after a delete and reinstall as long as the corrupt file is being served by the App Store.


• It doesn’t even show the Default.png before crashing. Just a split-second of a partial fade to black, then back to Springboard.
• It may only affect customers in some regions.
• If updating from iTunes, some customers might get a dialog citing error 8324 or 8326.


• Mac apps might show this dialog:
  “[App] is damaged and can’t be opened. Delete [App] and download it again from the App Store.”
  The console might show: AppleFairplayTextCrypterSession::fairplayOpen() failed, error -42110

Obviously, this is a fairly serious issue, and - according to Arment - has already been fixed by Apple. If you have similar issues with some updated apps today, Ament says, "The only fix for people with bad copies, once good copies are being served again by the App Store, is to delete and reinstall the app."

In addition, he warns app developers against releasing non-critical app updated for the next couple of days to be sure the issue is resolved.

More as the story updates - stay tuned.

Source: Marco Ament

Bejewled Blitz, PopCap’s incredibly popular timed variant of the classic match-three game Bejewled made its way from Facebook into the App Store late last year. The game broke iOS ground, being the first universal iteration of the archetypal puzzle and is integrated into the new Bejewled and Bejewled HD, which are similar to the PC/Mac game Bejewled 3. Now PopCap has given the iOS version a Facebook-style makeover that allows gamers to play without Facebook friends or linking their accounts.

This new “universal” mode in version 1.2 now has Game Center integration with worldwide leader boards. More importantly to fans, the iOS version now also has all the Facebook special perks like daily spins, rare gems, the ability to get multiple bonuses, and stats for as long as you keep playing. There will even be weekly tournaments against PopCap’s iconic characters as well as lots of in-app purchases in place of Facebook credits.

The Bejewled franchise has sold more than 50 million units so far, and this iOS fermium version should only help with what must already be an impressive bottom line.

Lots of people have grown up on Worms, and plenty have come to love the little invertebrates thanks to their multiple re-releases on virtually every existing platform, but something’s been missing from Worms 2: Armageddon this whole time. It’s meant to be a multiplayer game through and through, but while the wealth of options has been nice (Bluetooth, Local Hotseat, WiFi) there was still one element needed to make it perfect for mobile – iOS or otherwise – gaming. Good thing Team17 is awesome.

Worms 2: Armageddon now features asynchronous multiplayer. Allow me to reiterate: Worms 2: Armageddon now features asynchronous multiplayer. This means that anyone anywhere can start, continue, or finish a game whenever they have a spare moment. No need to sit around waiting for the other person to make their move. No more forfeiting a game because someone has to walk the dog. Players can simply take their turn, then move on to something else. Perhaps another game of Worms.

The update is live now, so anyone who already owns it can jump on the App Store and start the download. Then enjoy up to 16 simultaneous games to be played at their leisure. Everyone else can download it for $0.99 and start priming those Holy Hand Grenades.

As E3 gets underway, expect lots of new games and major updates to existing ones. One of the first in the latter category is to the hugely popular create-any-object puzzle and sandbox game Scribblenauts Remix.

Earlier today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment launched version 2.0 which comse with what they describe as a "free playable “God” Avatar". There is now also a World Pass extension pack which hosts worlds six, seven and eight, making up a total of 30 new puzzles. The extension pack is available as an in-app purchase for $.99, but if you already bought the furst extension pack these new worlds are included as a free upgrade.

Another new IAP, “Mystical Creatures” gives players nine unique avatars to choose from including Baba Yaga, Kappa and Doppelgänger. You can take on these mysterious identities instead of always playing as Maxwell. You can now also gift the app directly from inside the game, instead of going through the App Store.

I’m unclear on what, exactly, the new avatars do, besides add a cosmetic change, but the World Pass will add a lot of replay value. If you’ve updated and upgraded already, let us know what you think of the new features in the comments.

Spotify, one of the most popular on-demand social music services, updated their iOS app last week. There were a lot of fixes and a few tweaks, but the biggest news is that the app now uses push notifications.

Spotify is a great way to listen to almost any artist, song, or album you can think of, but one of the primary functions of the main desktop app is the social connectivity. You can follow friends from Facebook, subscribe to their playlists, and even send them music. Now the app is focusing its attention on this aspect by notifying users when a new friend joins, when a playlist you subscribe to has been altered or when someone signs up to listen to your mix.

Also added, a new user guide helps newcomers explore some of Spotify’s features as they translate to iOS, Retina display interface and album art, and better offline synching,

All these changes are welcome, but what’s still missing is Spotify’s genre and user-created radio stations, and their integrated third-party music discovery apps, things we hope to see in future updates.

The End of Days draws nearer. But rather than dwell on the inevitable destruction of the world, the Pygmies have been given a bit of a reprieve. Bolt Creative’s newest update to their sandbox of death involves a Pygmies-only dance club. Being Pocket God it should come as no surprise that the club comes with its own set of unique perils. It’s not called Dance Dance Execution for nothing.

Players can pull a balloon down from the ceiling and give it to a pygmy who will promptly suck out the helium and start to ramble a-la David After Dentist. Silly as that might be, the real fun can be found on the dance floor. Dragging a pygmy onto it will begin a Dance Dance Revolution-style mini-game in which the proper arrows must be matched or a massive disco ball will drop down and crush the little semi-naked rug cutter.

An all-new Dance Pack (available for $0.99) rounds out the new stuff, and includes more dance moves for the pygmies. Dropping one of them into the hanging go-go cage will get them boogying to a number of tunes, including the Pocket God theme. Pocket God Episode 45: Dance Dance Execution is live and available to download right now. So Macarena on over to the App Store and get to it.

Fans of Disney Mobile’s hit game Where’s My Water - both the free and paid version - have a lot to be happy about. Disney just added iCloud support for cross-device game synching, and lots of new levels.

In the paid version of the game, 20 Lost Levels – free version classics - have been added to their own chapter, and Disney announced its intention of updating these regularly. And, if fans have purchased Cranky’s Story, a distinct game mode available throughin-app purchase only, the story wraps up in this update than with an additional 20 levels, making a total of 80 for the extra $1.99.

Players who have the free version of the game haven’t been left out either. A new chapter entitled "Days of Summer” is out with 12 new levels that aren’t in the paid version. These introduce a new gameplay element where players control the water levels on the beach where they meet Swampy tanning. And, as an added bonus, if one gets three ducks on all 12, five Swampy’s Pick levels from the paid version unlock.

Disney is being very clever here, giving players a reason to get both the free and paid versions, and adding quality content to exiting IAPs. Let us know what you think of both updated versions in the comments.

Taptu, the self-proclaimed DJ of news aggregators, offers a blend of RSS feeds and social network feeds into what they call a social news stream. The already a popular iPhone and iPad app just had a major overhaul with the release of version 2.1.

The biggest change is to the interface; the app now displays articles as stacks of cards arranged by category. The introduction of search streams that allow users to turn any keyword into its own news feed is also very cool.

In addition, users no longer need a Taptu account to have cross-device account syncing. Logging in with Google, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn will do the trick instead. There is now support for Spanish, French and German and Readability integration - a particularly nice touch.

The only trouble seems to be with the apparent Retina display support for the 3rd generation iPad. While Taptu claims it’s fully upgraded, users report it’s anything but. Everything looks fine on 4th generation iPhones and the iPad 2, but on the newest Apple tablets the text is apparently blurry and hard to read. The developers seem dedicated to the long-term success of the cross-platform service, however, so we hope and expect this will be remedied in an update soon.

It was a banner week for hit game updates last week and EA and Firemint were in the thick of it with version 1.1.0 of their cat and mouse puzzler SPY Mouse and SPY Mouse HD.

Intrepid Agent Squeak has uncovered a new volcano world. And this new world isn’t just more of the same with a new background. Along with 11 new levels and three new goals come new evil Jungle Cats who throw poison darts. There are also new obstacles like lava pits and fireballs and new power-ups to help complete the challenges.

Also look for Digger the Dog’s new shop where players can load up on power ups, and while Origins, Electronic Arts cross-platform gaming network is still prominent, there is more Game Center integration as well, with achievements now where most iOS gamers tend to look.

This path tracing brainteaser continues to shine as one of the best on iOS so if one already owns it, be sure to update and if not, now’s the time to pick SPY Mouse up.