Monthly Archives: October 2011

Interview: Epic Talks UE3 On Flash, Infinity Blade 2

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[Speaking to Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris, Epic Games president Mike Capps hints at in-house plans for Unreal Engine 3 on Flash, while Chair head Donald Mustard said there’s room on iOS for games that are “priced a bit higher.”]

Just minutes after Epic Games’ president Mike Capps and Chair Entertainment creative director Donald Mustard debuted Infinity Blade 2 at Apple’s press conference for the new iPhone 4S in Cupertino, CA on Tuesday, Epic’s CEO and technical director Tim Sweeney was on stage at the Adobe Max conference — roughly 350 miles away in L.A. — announcing that Unreal Engine 3 would be supporting Flash.

It was what you might call a busy day for the company. And barring some unforeseen — hell, unimaginable — event, it was one that set Epic up for a tremendous cash windfall.

Read more at Gamasutra

App Review: N.O.V.A. 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance

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While the original N.O.V.A. set the bar for action games on the iPad, several other titles have since bested it. This sequel to that game is good, but doesn’t redefine the category. Like the original, the story and many of the game’s elements are obvious Halo rip-offs, but that’s not overly important as the game is more action focused. It features a robust online multiplayer element, which is what will attract most players. But its biggest flaw is its control structure. There are so many onscreen buttons to be mindful of that it’s hard to access what you need in the middle of a fight without looking away from the action. And especially later in the game, that can be fatal.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Apple unveils iPhone 4S

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It was hardly a secret that Apple would be rolling out its next generation iPhone at a press event Tuesday, but the Cupertino-based company still managed to sneak in a few surprises.

The iPhone 4S, which will be available for pre-order on Oct. 7 and will launch Oct. 14, will look almost exactly like the current 4G model, but a number of under the hood enhancements could be noteworthy for the entertainment industry – as could the expansion of the iPhone’s retail footprint with the addition of Sprint to the carriers offering the phone.

Read more at Daily Variety

App Review: Cowboy Guns HD

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The wild west hasn’t been tamed on iDevices yet and, unfortunately, Cowboy Guns HD isn’t quite up to the task. The story is generic western, with a nameless gunslinger (called “The Kid”) dispatched to help take down The Crimson Jackets, a band of ruffians terrorizing an area. The game has plenty of guns, outfits, and armor, but to get them, you’ll need to collect stars on various missions. Problem is: Those missions are pretty much the same. Walk in, kill all the bandits, hunt for stars, then repeat. It gets monotonous, and buggy controls don’t help matters. The game’s top-down view is also limiting. In the end, it’s a game whose aim is just a little too far off the mark.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Apple’s iPhone 4S announcement: All you need to know

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Those of you hoping to hear news about the iPhone 5 may have been a bit disappointed by today’s Apple press event, but the iPhone 4S seems to have plenty of solid improvements on the way.

The new phones will be available for pre-order on Oct. 7 and will launch Oct. 14. Pricing will range from $199 for a 16GB version to $399 for a 64GB version.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Nintendo, D’Works, 3Net pact for 3D fare

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Nintendo is turning to Hollywood to help bolster the 3D content for its 3DS handheld gaming system.

The game maker has announced partnerships with DreamWorks Animation for a pair of timed-exclusive digital shorts as well as with 3net, the joint venture between Discovery, Sony and Imax. Content from both studios became available this morning.

Read more at Daily Variety

Interview: Telltale Games Bets Big On iPad

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In August, Telltale Games saw 15 percent of its monthly revenue come from the sale of iOS games. Last month, that percentage jumped to 30. Gamasutra’s Chris Morris talks to Telltale’s Connors about the tablet revolution.

In August, Telltale Games saw 15 percent of its monthly revenue come from the sale of iOS games. Last month, that percentage jumped to 30.

In fact, year to date, the iPad has been the fastest-growing revenue driver for the episodic game maker. That phenomenal increase came amid an effort to drive new content to the device, but it was also a chance for Apple’s systems to prove themselves as viable income sources.

Read more at Gamasutra

App Review: Naught

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Naught is a game that is utterly dependent on its controls, and that sometimes proves to be its Achilles’ heel. It’s certainly a beautiful, minimalist title to look at, but controlling a game simply by tilting your iDevice (or using onscreen controls to do the same thing) is a risky proposition. It inevitably results in your character dying again and again as you get used to the unusual controls, which takes a while (and some players may not get). That said, the game uses the accelerometer better than perhaps any other app, and the challenges give it a longer life than you’d expect. The six free levels aren’t something you’ll finish in 20 minutes and (assuming you enjoy them) makes you less wary about paying the one dollar in-app fee for additional ones.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Photo 365

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The concept of taking a photo a day as a visual scrapbook of sorts is a wonderful way to build memories, and Photo 365 is a good tool to store and relive those memories. It’s also an app that will nudge you to take that daily shot should you get too caught up in the details of life to remember to do so, and it lets you add a caption to photos to prompt memories. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about the app, but its minimalist interface gets the job done well.

Read more at Common Sense Media