TouchArcade.ru

It was one year ago today that Halfbot released The Blocks Cometh [Free] into the App Store, a game we enjoyed immensely in our review. Several months after its release, a pretty beefy update added landscape support, new characters, two new difficulty modes, and an awesome GameBot mode available as a 99¢ IAP.

Since that update last July, though, things have been relatively quite on the Blocks Cometh front as Halfbot has had their hands full working with fellow indie developer Vlambeer in bringing Super Crate Box [$1.99] to iOS (a hugely successful endeavor, I might add). With that out of the way, Halfbot is again back to giving some love to The Blocks Cometh.

First off, the game is temporarily free to celebrate its one year anniversary. The game has never been free before, so if you’ve been interested in The Blocks Cometh but have had trouble parting with a dollar, now is the time to strike. Halfbot has also announced that an impending update will bring Universal iPad support as well as support for the iCade. Pretty cool, right?

Oh yeah, there is one other thing coming in the new update: 5 brand new playable characters. And, 3 of those new characters are none other than – drumroll please – the TouchArcade Crew! Yes, that’s right. As a show of support as fans of TouchArcade, Halfbot has taken on the Herculean task of squeezing Brad’s muscles into the confines of a video game screen. They’ve done a great job too, and have also successfully caught the essence of myself and Eli in pixelized form. Check out the promo shot of the TouchArcade Crew characters below:

I’ve been sworn to secrecy on who the other 2 new characters are, but rest assured they are worthy additions to the roster. We actually aren’t even the first game journalists to appear in the game, as last summer’s update included video game reviewer extraordinaire Jim Sterling. If we could somehow get a mode where I can make Brad battle Jim, then The Blocks Cometh would be just about perfect. While I won’t hold my breath for that, I will be heavily anticipating this latest update to hit.

There isn’t a solid release date for the update just yet, as Halfbot is still toiling away at it while simultaneously working on an update for Super Crate Box. It’s all good though, I told them to take as long as they need in order to get my pixel beard just right. For now, make sure to grab the game while it’s free for the next couple of days, and you can bet that as soon as the latest Blocks Cometh update hits – complete with playable TouchArcade crew – we’ll be the first to let you know.

[source]

Last week, Double Fine Productions, led by industry icon Tim Schafer, made headlines all over the world when they put up a Kickstarter project with the intent of crowd funding the production of a new adventure game that harkens back to some of the classics of the 90s, some of which Mr. Schafer himself had a hand in creating. They initially were asking for $400,000 to fund the project, and if they exceeded that goal then the extra money would go to bringing the game to additional platforms beyond the PC.

Well, it took just a matter of hours for them to reach that goal, and they far exceeded it, becoming the fastest Kickstarter project to reach a million dollars in history (and ironically, only the 2nd ever to reach a million, with the first just happening a few hours before Double Find reached the milestone themselves). As of right now, the project is sitting at nearly 1.8 million dollars.

So, hooray! The project received more than quadruple what they originally needed, so an iOS version should be in the bag, right? Well, we weren’t so sure, as just yesterday an update on the Double Fine Kickstarter page had some ambiguous wording that made it sound like an iOS port wasn’t exactly a sure thing just yet.

Well, I guess we weren’t the only ones confused by the wording of that update, as today a new video has been posted to their Kickstarter page where Tim Schafer himself goes on to confirm some details of the upcoming adventure game. Among those details is confirmation that an iOS and Android version of the game will be part of the plan. We’ll of course be following the development of this new endeavor from Double Fine and will bring you any new information as it happens.

[source]

Over on the Rockstar Games website, the Grand Theft Auto creator has posted a Q&A session where they take questions from fans who want to know details about their upcoming Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V.

Besides dishing out some juicy bits about those two hugely anticipated console titles, Rockstar has also divulged that following the successful release of Grand Theft Auto III [$4.99] on the App Store late last year, their next title that’s heading to mobile is the original Max Payne.

Here is the relevant exchange from the Q&A:

“Any news about Max Payne on iOS?” – avbros

Yes – following the release of Grand Theft Auto III for iOS (and Android devices) late last year, the original Max Payne will be our next release for mobile devices. We will have an official announcement soon confirming the release date, but you can expect it to finally be released sometime in the next couple months.

We heard rumblings that Max Payne was mobile-bound this past September, and today’s information not only confirms that point but pegs the release window as being fairly soon. If you’ve ever enjoyed playing a video game that slowed down the action at certain times and went into a “bullet-time” mode, then you pretty much have the original Max Payne to thank for that (and the Matrix movie, but I digress).

Given the excellent job that Rockstar did with porting GTAIII to mobile, I’m expecting some pretty good things from Max Payne. Rockstar notes that an official announcement and release date are coming soon, and we’ll keep you posted as more details become available.

[source]

Tim Tebow is a starting NFL quarterback who throws just about as well with his hands as he does with his feet. But he wins games, and he wins them in some of the most dramatic ways you’ll ever see on a football field. His fourth quarter heroics resonate with people. USA Today correctly called him a “one-man cultural blitz” this season.

He also does this thing called “Tebowing,” which probably has a larger hand his cultural blitz-dom than his game-winning drives. Basically, whenever Tebow accomplishes something awesome like, cap off a game-winning touchdown drive or successfully put Gatorade in his mouth, he gets on one knee and bows his head. It’s turning into the new planking, basically.

Since Tebow is so hot and so different at the same time, we suppose it’s only natural that he’s now been further immortalized in an iPhone and iPod Touch game. Developers Ethan Dunlap and Kenneth Kunkel recently debuted Tebit Time [$.99], a game that seeks to capture the essence of Tebow with four in-game mechanics or less.

Yep.

It’s an endless runner that stars a Tebow look-a-like and prominently features a looping 8-bit rendition of the FOX Football theme. With a touch on the screen you can hurdle over an object or opposing player, stiff-arm, or even take a moment to Tebow on the field. Doing this at specific times adds a modifier to your overall score. There is no throwing mechanic, which is probably a good thing.

This is an exceedingly simple game played entirely on a cutesy lo-fi field with a seemingly infinite amount of opposing players and NFL junk to jump over. Scoring revolves around yardage; the more you get, the better. Our best score is 128.

In a lot of ways, this seems like more of a gag than a game. But in a conversation with us, Dunlap seemed genuine about his admiration for Tebow when we asked, simply, why Tebit Time is a game on the App Store.

“I have been in athletics for a great portion of my childhood, football in specific,” Dunlap told TouchArcade. “Despite being on a rather good team, we never managed to win a championship. We made it every year, but always suffered a heartbreaking loss. Even now in my college years a close group of childhood friends and I play in a flag football league and struggle to achieve success, our record is currently 0-8.”

“At first I didn’t buy into the whole Tim Tebow buzz, but after watching a few of his comebacks he started to appeal to me. I saw a player struggling to be successful, but his desire kept him going. After watching him beat Pittsburg on the first play in over time, I knew that I wanted to do something to pay tribute to him.”

“And that is pretty much where the idea came from. I was already working on a runner and just needed to switch a few things and get the graphics in place. Besides, who wouldn’t want to “Tebow” in a video game?”

Who wouldn’t? Whether this was its purpose or not, Tebit Time is worth your time for the laughs alone. On the other hand, it’s also not so great in the most important places; the hit boxes on players and on-field obstacles need some work, and the menus freeze randomly. Buy knowing this.

Also, we can’t shake the feeling that this project is probably destined to earn Dunlap and Kunkel a cease and desist notice. Here’s to Tebit Time flying under the radar in a very un-Tebow-like fashion.

[source]

I can hardly believe it’s been more than 6 months since we first told you about Incoboto, the upcoming iOS game from one man development studio Fluttermind. A running theme through that entire preview was that I hadn’t a clue what the hell was going on in the game, but the art style was so fantastic and the possibilities so intriguing that Incoboto has been near the top of my most anticipated games list ever since.

In a feeble attempt at description, Incoboto is a 2D open world-ish exploration and adventure game with puzzle elements and a heavy storyline tying it all together. Whew! In fact, I don’t know how accurate calling it a “game” in the traditional sense really is, since everything in Incoboto is so non-linear and there is such heavy emphasis on the mood and atmosphere of the world it takes place in. So, maybe it qualifies more as an experience? I’m not totally sure just yet, but Fluttermind has finally released a video of Incoboto in action so you can try to make sense of it all for yourself.

Well, I don’t know about you, but that video left me with more questions that answers, actually. One thing I do know however is that the Incoboto game world is absolutely beautiful, even more so due to the incredibly moody soundtrack. If you’re like me and are totally digging the look of Incoboto, but are dying to know what it’s all about, then I have some good news. Our own Brad Nicholson has had his muscle-laden hands all over the title for the past couple of weeks, and we should have a hands-on preview coming for you really soon.

I’m not 100% sure that even he’ll be able to explain Incoboto, but I’m all for anything that will pass the time until the game releases sometime next month. Also, you can check in on our forums for more Incoboto discussion.

[source]

Munch Time HD is another heart meltingly cute game headed for the iPad “soon,” according to the game’s developer, Gamistry. From what we gather, Munch Time is a family-friendly puzzle game split across 40 levels, all of which will task you with swinging on multi-colored flowers with the game’s protagonist, Munch the chameleons’, Gene Simmons-esque tongue.

Different flower types “react” differently to being tongued. But also, each flower color will require the chameleon to match it by finding “special” color-turning flies. This is what the puzzle part of the game hinges around, though to be frank, it looks like Munch will be heavily weighted towards kids. Don’t expect Braid here.

The “HD” part of the titling convention has convinced us that this will also see a release across iPhone and iPod Touch, too. While we investigate the pricing model check out a real-time video of the game in action:

[source]

The runner space is steadily becoming as clotted as match-3 or tower defense on the App Store, but we’re starting to see some hip innovations in specific parts of these title’s overall experience. Dream Runner, a new 3D runner that was just announced on our boards, is the perfect example how studios are attempting to spice things up.

Excuse the vagueness, but Dream Runner’s pitch is that it will have several narrative-led elements, as well as multiple objectives and worlds to explore, some of which will usher in new mechanics. Your everyday runner usually just offers the same obstacles, the same characters, and the same stuff forever and ever. It’ll be nice to have a game that is willing to shake things up.

The team isn’t ready to talk specifics yet obviously, but it is willing to share a small promo video with the world, which you can view below. Dream Runner is also almost ready to hit beta, and you can possibly get into that by hitting up this link.

Check out the art, by the way:

“There is something in here that will appeal to a wide range of gamers — whether they be fans of endless runners, appreciate great art and compelling stories or just like playing a solid all-round, fun game,” the developers said on our boards.

It’s slated for release at some point this quarter. We’re currently checking into the price and the platforms.

[source]

We didn’t have a lot of arcades in my hometown while I was growing up. Even worse, the few that did exist specialized in video games and air hockey, with nary a pinball machine in sight. Still, whenever I managed to get my hands on a one, it was always such a dazzling experience of light, sound and skill. Perhaps that’s why I can’t stop playing Pinball Arcade [$0.99 / Free], the inaugural iOS title from FarSight Studios. FarSight’s ability to create near-perfect replications of actual pinball machines leads to a game that is not only full of incredibly deep pinball machines, but also captures that feeling of fun and excitement in an iOS game.

As its name implies, Pinball Arcade features classic arcade machines from various eras with the simple goal of mastering each one to get the highest scores possible. Each table also includes ‘Goals’ (read: achievements) that can be solved which lead to more complicated objectives. The entry price includes one machine (‘Tales of the Arabian Nights’) with three more available for purchase within the game via IAP. Tables range from somewhat simple layouts with interesting twists (‘Black Hole’) to lengthy epics chock full of interactive items and objectives (‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not’). Unlike most games with IAP, you can actually try each table before you buy, providing an opportunity for actual research before you even consider purchasing another table.

I’m impressed with how much effort Pinball Arcade seems to puts into recreating each machine. The visuals, sounds, and effects all feel authentic and add to the presentation, although there is some minor blurriness while playing on an iPad 2. The physics, while occasionally unforgiving, seem to offer a good balance between realism and challenge. What I admire the most, however, is how much Pinball Arcade offers in terms of knowledge for each table.

When you select a table, you’re given a brief history, the option to view an actual flyer (some are pretty low-res) and a comprehensive instruction manual detailing every single objective you can do in a table. The game really wants you to learn, live, and master each table –a concept that I can get behind. Of course, the game works well for the casual player that just wants to play a quick game, but I feel some of the charm is lost experiencing this game in that fashion.

Most importantly, Pinball Arcade simply hits the mark on gameplay and the feeling of actually playing a pinball machine. Whether you’re balancing a multi-ball run, trying to execute a combo or objective, or finally unlocking the ‘end game’ big score objects, all the experiences just feel real, something that doesn’t happen very often to me while playing an iOS game. Even better, since each table has its own personality and can take a long time to master, there’s tons of depth for replayability. I was also impressed with the variety of table selection, although I wasn’t the biggest fan of ‘Black Hole’ (too simple and gimmicky for my tastes).

While Pinball Arcade nails nearly every facet of a great pinball game, I did have some issues with its leaderboard integration. The game exclusively uses Facebook to track high scores, which seems rather cumbersome in my experience. This is further evidenced by the fact that even simple acts like checking the leaderboards seem clunky and slow to update (that and I haven’t yet seen one of my scores upload). I understand that lots of folks use Facebook (and it appears that route was pursued for cross-platform leaderboard support), but simple Game Center support feels like a prerequisite in this day and age. IAP is another aspect that just seems confusing; why the game asks me for both my Facebook login and .mac account when trying to download purchases on another device is beyond me. The whole structure feels mismanaged, which is surprising consider the quality of the rest of the game.

There’s also a potential minor problem in regards to approachability. The large amount of information and instructions for each table is certainly wondrous for enthusiasts, but it may be a bit intimidating for the casual pinball player.  While I thought the IAP price points were fair, I imagine some would balk at having to pay ten dollars to fully unlock all four tables. There’s also the fact that these tables are complicated and actually require some effort to learn and truly enjoy.  I’m sure casual players could simply pick up the base game and play free versions of the other tables, but as mentioned before I feel like a lot of the magic would be lost on them.

However, I feel that some of the concerns above are nitpicky at best. In addition, folks on our forums have stated that the developers plan on integrating Game Center soon, alleviating my most pressing worry. Regardless, Pinball Arcade is simply one of the best pinball games I’ve ever played, and should be put at the top of the class with other iOS pinball elites. Each table is digital masterpiece onto itself and should make pinball enthusiasts very happy. Furthermore, with the promise of many more tables in the queue (most likely as IAP), this game should keep you entertained for many balls to come.

TouchArcade Rating:

[source]

Bacon. Cat videos. Zombies. There are some things in popular culture that just don’t get enough attention. Luckily for us, however, the undead are getting a second life thanks to Zxh Games’ Shoot Many Zombies [Free].

Shoot Many Zombies is pretty much exactly like it sounds. In this side-scrolling shooter, you shoot zombies. A lot of zombies. It’s mindless, attractive zombie-killing mayhem, at a perfect pace: not too fast a pace to be frustrating, not so slow that you’ll try to strategize your way through it.

You have your choice of three characters to play as, which mainly depends on your playstyle. You can go damage-heavy but slow, damage-light but quick, or a balance between the two. Once you begin, you have your basic weapon which can be upgraded as you work your way through the game. You can also buy new weapons altogether, so you can customize your zombie-killin’ experience.

For a pretty straightforward concept, some things are needlessly complicated. Upgrading weapons is a necessity, but the menu doesn’t make it easy. For example, you don’t know the price of a particular upgrade unless you tap “buy,” so if you don’t have enough cash to tap “buy” in the first place to receive the confirmation, you’re not going to know approximately how much money to save up in order to get the upgrade later.

Things are repetitive and sometimes annoying. For example, there are various objects and safe rooms you tap in order to get items. It’s pretty dull popping into safe rooms in order to grab stuff, whatever it is – on an iPhone or iPod touch, the screen is too small to easily read what you’re picking up – and you have to do it a lot. There are other things that feel off too, like annoying sound effects (just wait for the shopkeep/gangster dude when you first start a new game and the “eeeeeee” noise upon reading a new diary entry) and sometimes piecemeal-feeling graphics.

Fighting specialty zombies feels a bit cheap in the sense that you need to have upgraded your weapons several times in order to have a chance. Of course, you can easily upgrade your weapons via in-app purchase (was there any doubt?), but you can also go back and replay levels to pick up more money and items.

Normally, the idea of repeating levels in order to progress would make me pretty miffed, but since every level is basically the same mindless zombie-shooting anyway, it pretty much just extends the gameplay. Additionally, I found that the in-app purchases were pretty much unnecessary because the random loot from killing zombies and exploring was often pretty good, and I never seemed to run out of cash too easily. If you feel like purchasing, however, the options aren’t bad, ranging from unlimited ammo to special (though not necessary) weapons.

There are lots of little added touches that are a nice surprise. When you upgrade a weapon, it actually changes the appearance of the weapon in-game. There are diary entries to pick up (though if you’re looking for Shakespeare, you’re going to be disappointed) that add to the overall story of the game, and it’s nice being able to choose which character best fits your style.

If you want to mindlessly mow down wave after wave of the undead, Shoot Many Zombies is a great option with enough good points to outweigh the bad. If future updates were to include Game Center, cat videos, and/or bacon, my friends, we might even have a bona-fide hit on our hands.

TouchArcade Rating:

[source]