Yertle the Turtle might not be the best-known 
book in Dr. Seuss’s catalog, but this app is made with loving reverence to the story. The voice acting is better than many other books that Oceanhouse Media has brought to the market — and the inclusion of a few hidden sound effects in the app make it even more fun. (Touch the illustrations of beleaguered turtle Mack burping or Yertle’s descent from atop his turtle throne and kids will get a giggle.)
Monthly Archives: August 2010
Panasonic ups its bet in 3D
Panasonic has been one of the biggest (and loudest) 
supporters of the 3D TV market. Now it’s ratcheting things up a bit more.
The company has introduced another pair of 3D sets – the first by Panny to offer 2D to 3D conversion, which substantially increases the library of content. (It also brings the company in parallel with Sony and Samsung, which offer the technology.)
Browder shines on ‘Starcraft II’
On a recent July day in Paris, game developer Dustin Browder 
was living like an international rock star, doling out autographs and chatting with fans.
The lead designer on Activision-Blizzard’s “Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty,” one of the most anticipated vidgame titles of the year, was in the City of Light for one of many midnight launches held worldwide for the game. Nearly 1,500 people showed up in the rain there to buy the game the instant it went on sale, July 22, and to get Browder to sign their copy.
App review: Little Things
While there’s nothing new about hidden object games,
Little Things brings a sense of freshness to the genre by tucking those objects inside clever collages. The hundreds of tiny objects on screen will force you to slow down and be methodical in your search, though you’re rewarded for speed with puzzle pieces that unlock new collages. It’s a fun combination of incentives. What’s best about the game, though, is it is infinitely replayable. There are a limited number of collages, but the search list is randomly generated and each collage is made up of so many items that you may never run out of puzzles.
3D TV: The latest from Japan
When it comes to electronics, as Japan goes, so goes the 
rest of the world.
Well, sometimes, at least.
The Nikkei, Japan’s largest business paper, took a look at the state of 3D TV in that country – and the information it gathered could be indicative of trends that are on the way to other territories.
Video Game Sales in July: Better, but Still Struggling
Video game sales weren’t quite as bad as some analysts were 
expecting in July, but the industry once again failed to match its performance of last year.
Software sales fell 8 percent last month to $403.3 million, according to the NPD Group. Hardware sales, as expected, proved the bright spot and were higher for the second month in a row, surging 12 percent, but it wasn’t enough to save the overall industry from another month of negative year-over-year growth. On the whole, the games industry was 1 percent lower than last year.
July game sales disappoint – kind of
Those hoping the video game industry could turn 
around its fortunes in July got their wishes – sort of. Sales of video game software were down 8 percent last month to $403.3 million. The industry as a whole was off 1 percent to $846.5 million.
Those numbers, however, did not include sales of “Starcraft II,” which was a PC-exclusive title. (NPD’s monthly numbers only track console sales.) Combined sales of PC and console games were actually up 4 percent over the 2009 numbers.
Irrational Games takes Bioshock to the clouds
After three years of silence, Irrational Games, the studio behind 
“Bioshock” has taken the wraps off of its next game. The studio today unveiled “Bioshock Infinite,” a new installment in the franchise that upends many gamer perceptions about the franchise.
The original title, which sold over 4 million units worldwide, was set in Rapture, an crumbling aquatic world. “Bioshock Infinite” is set above the clouds in Columbia, a floating city that mixes the “Star Wars’” cloud planet of Bespin with a steam punk sensibility. The game is set for a 2012 release and will be released on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Read more (and see the trailer) at Variety’s Technotainment blog
Video Game Investors Brace for More Bad News
The holiday season can’t get here quickly enough for video game publishers.
July sales number for the industry will be released roughly two hours after the market closes Thursday – and analysts expect good news to be in short supply. Consensus is fairly wide this month, but the year over year drop in sales is expected to be between 7.5 percent and 15 percent.
App review: Madden NFL 11 by EA Sports for iPad
Madden fans are a diverse bunch. Some want absolute realism 
in the game, while others simply want a fun football arcade game. Madden NFL 11 for iPad offers both. It’s a gorgeous game that’s fairly easy to control, but some of the included gameplay modes, like GameFlow (which calls the plays for you) could aggravate players. (The mode can be turned off, though.) It’s not the same as the console version of the game — and there are a number of holes, such as the missing (but forthcoming) multiplayer mode and franchise mode — but with the extra screen size of the iPad, it’s the best mobile version of the game.
Read more at Common Sense Media
Chris Morris: Journalist 