I've been looking forward to the new Real Racing title, Real Racing 3, ever since Firemonkeys first unveiled it last August at the EA Summer Showcase press conference. The graphics in the trailer they showed off were very impressive.
We haven't heard much about the game since then, as it seems like the developers are really taking their time with the racer. But judging by this new Developer Diary video the team just posted, all of that extra work is really going to pay off...
The National Rifle Association, a US organization that promotes firearm ownership, safety and self-defense, has released an app for iOS entitled NRA: Practice Range. The app contains several links to different NRA resources, but the focus is obviously on its built-in mini game.
The game itself isn't anything special, it's a shooting range that offers 3 gameplay modes: Indoor Range, Outdoor Range and Skeet Shoot. But what seems to be causing waves in the tech community today are its in-app assault weapons upgrades, and its 'ages 4 and up' App Store rating...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re1EatGRV0w#!
Here's a killer concept I'd love to have installed in my living room. Courtesy of Microsoft Research comes this enhanced gaming experience that projects images beyond a television set, basically turning your entire living room into a video game. I know this is just a concept, but keep in mind that the popular Kinect motion sensing input device also started out as an idea in Microsoft's R&D lab.
What you're seeing in this clip is the real deal - no special effects were added in post processing or anything like that. Microsoft isn't saying when (or if, for that matter) the IllumiRoom project might get incorporated into a next-gen Xbox with Kinect. For now, it's just a a proof-of-concept system, but we wouldn't rule out the possibility of having something akin to this implemented on the Xbox console...
Red hot UK developer Chillingo has refreshed its popular physics-based puzzler, Cut the Rope, with a brand new Steam Box containing 25 levels. The charming game invites you to feed candy to your little monster.
Released two years ago, it's been downloaded 250 million times across platforms. With this new update, which is free to those who've purchased the game, Cut the Rope now sports a whopping 325 levels spread across thirteen boxes and Chillingo is promising more to come. Just like Angry Birds, Chillingo has been constantly adding new content to Cut the Rope with free content packs.
Rovio also yesterday updated its Angry Birds Space game with 30 new aquatic levels and while I'm a huge fan of the series, I must admit I've been feeling a little Angry Birds fatigue lately so this Cut the Rope update should keep me busy. It's very entertaining and I love its charming characters and crisp graphics. If you haven't already, I urge you to at least check out a out free demo version...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPD3z6iWWE
Rejoice, Angry Birds fans. Just like clockwork, Rovio has updated its Angry Birds Space game with an ambiguously titled Pig Dipper episode bringing thirty new galactic-aquatic levels to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices. This episode introduces a new planet called Splash that features pigs in boats - how bizarre is that?.
Also look for strange aquatic extraterrestrial life and water-based physics allowing for some nice trick shots. The game adds power-up specific leaderboards and amuses with the stuff like inflating the pigs with Pig Puffer and creating black holes with Space Egg, to name a few. I wonder if the giant fish is the boss...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM0Vo7neVpw#at=17
If you're a fan of iOS puzzlers with a twist, don't miss out on Hundreds, an unusual puzzle game for the iPhone and iPad from the guys that brought you Canabalt, the popular side-scrolling platformer with retro graphics. Pitched as a game "about the space between you and the serene", its premise involves growing floating bubbles by tapping them until they add to 100. The only problem: the bubbles turn red when touched and if they collide when red, it's game over. If you'll excuse me, I've got some bubbles to grow...
So much about Angry Birds running its course. Finnish developer Rovio announced today that its Angry Birds series, which just turned three, has been downloaded thirty million times during the Christmas week, raking in over eight million downloads on the Christmas Day alone. The 99-cent holiday sale of Rovio's iPad games might have helped with that. It was an Angry New Year for Rovio indeed and the company produced a charming infographic that highlights other interesting holiday sales stats...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G_NB97dRoWg
iPhone5mod, the makers of unofficial Lightning docks, cables and adapters, today announced an interesting new accessory that will appeal to gaming and messaging fans who desire a tactile feedback ad physical gameplay controls. The EX Hybrid Game Controller is billed as "the lightest and thinnest keyboard for iPhone ever-made" and consists of two parts.
There's a back case that attaches to the back of your iPhone 5 and a second plate which provides physical gamepad buttons. The accessory connects to your phone via Bluetooth 3.0 wireless technology and each plate adds only 2mm to the overall thickness of your iPhone 5...
The iPhone gamepad space is starting to get a little crowded these days, mostly thanks to Kickstarter. It seems like every week now we see a new controller pop up on the crowd-funded site promising to be better than the last.
But so far, none of them have managed to go mainstream — outside of maybe the iCade line — meaning it's still anyone's game. And this week, Justice Frangipane and crew decided to throw their hats into the proverbial ring...
Good news Xbox users, there's finally a way for you to pad your Live stats from your iPhone or iPad. Microsoft has just released its popular Wordament word game, which has been on Windows Phone for a while now, for iOS, and it has full Xbox Live integration with friends lists and achievements.
For those not familiar with it, Wordament is a highly addictive word game. Players get two minutes to find the most words in a 4x4 grid of letters, competing in real-time, on the same board, against everyone else currently playing. Each board is unique and bonuses are given for longer words...
With 750,000+ apps in the App Store and iTunes approaching half a billion accounts with credit cards enabled for one-click shopping, little wonder iOS, by and large, has remained the platform of choice for mobile developers, in spite of Android's lead in sales volume. While only a small number devs earn millions writing apps, the race to the bottom is taking its toll as most bedtime devs opt to keep their day jobs.
Appsfire, a website devoted to App Store discovery, has analyzed key app trends in 2012, creating an illustrative infographic that highlights today's App Store app ecosystem...
Earlier this year, Bungie co-founder and Halo co-creator Alex Seropian teamed up with some ex-DC and Marvel artists to form a new mobile game studio called Industrial Toys. Well the firm just unveiled their top-secret project called Morning Star, a re-imagined first-person shooter for iOS, and it looks incredible...