Author Archives: Chris Morris

Interview: The Death Of Try-Then-Buy PC Gaming

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Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris talks to Exent Technologies’ Kobi Edelstein about the need to move away from the try-then-buy PC gaming model, and instead focus on the more stable ad-supported angle.

The try-then-buy model is something of a tradition in the PC gaming world. While most major publishers have left it far behind these days, developers like id Software and 3D Realms might never have risen to prominence if not for shareware.

Today, it’s mostly smaller companies who embrace it, taking a leap of faith that players will be so engaged with their titles that they’ll pay for the full version. But games-on-demand leader Exent Technologies argues that the model is broken.

Read more at Gamasutra

Sony: Hackers will cost company over $170 million

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No one is more eager than Sony to put the recent cyberattacks on the PlayStation Network behind them. Unfortunately, there are still some hurdles to clear.

The electronics giant issued an earnings warning Monday, noting that early estimates on the cost of the PlayStation Network breach have hit about $172 million. And that figure could increase in the months to come.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Gloves come off in Apple vs. Amazon

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Apple is certainly the biggest music/tech company around, but Amazon has been very clear in its intention to up the stakes in the fight with the company – and today, it threw a haymaker.

Amazon is offering a daily special for Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” offering the entire album as a digital download for 99 cents. That’s less than the cost of a single track on iTunes.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Six Ways to Protect Yourself From Online Hackers

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The past month hasn’t been a good one for people concerned about online privacy.

First, hackers stole personal information from 100 million accounts at Sony, then Symantec announced that Facebook might have accidentally leaked its users’ information to advertisers and other third parties for several years without realizing it.

The breaches, coupled with some high-profile credit card hack attacks, have people worried—and rightfully so. If they’re not safe with some of the biggest holders of personal data around, is their data safe anywhere?

Read more at CNBC.com

App Review: Jet Car Stunts

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Like some of the best arcade games of the 1980s, Jet Car Stunts is an over-the-top joyride, filled with ridiculously loopy tracks and jumps that no sane man would ever attempt in the real world. Then again, most real-world cars don’t come with a jet pack strapped to the back. It’s a game that might take a short while to master, but one that big-air/racing fans will find themselves playing again and again to rack up high scores. If you’re having trouble in the early part of the game, though, do yourself a favor and walk away, as the game only gets harder, ultimately reaching a point where it seemingly wants to frustrate you.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Universal making game based on ‘Chucky’ horror films

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Army of Darkness has its own video game. So does Saw. So it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that one of the biggest icons of horror is creeping into the gaming world.

Chucky, the freaky little doll at the center of the ‘Child’s Play’ series, is getting the video game treatment with a new title scheduled to be released this fall.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

App Review: Army of Darkness Defense HD

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The Army of Darkness is one of the more popular cult films around, so making an app based on it is risky. Army of Darkness Defense does it well, though, blending the film’s most famous soundbytes with the classic defense gameplay. The cartoonish look of the game actually blends well with the quotes and the game comes with plenty of modes to keep fans entertained. Smartly, instead of creating something complicated, the developers went the casual route, letting you have fun, but realizing that the one-liners from star Bruce Campbell are what many people will be interested in. Licensed games are often terrible, but this is a pleasant surprise for fans of the film — though if you’ve never watched it, you might wonder what all the fuss is about.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Celebrity Bodyguard

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While the premise of Celebrity Bodyguard has plenty of potential, the game itself falls flat. Hobbled with no real variety in gameplay, some corny take-offs on celebrity names (Lady Bla Bla? Really?) and less-than-stellar artwork, it gets old fast — really fast. Worse, there are only three faux-celebrities to guard, meaning even if you do find the caricatures funny, they still get old. And the muttered comments of your bodyguard protagonist do nothing to add to the game’s fun factor. (“I got a really good health plan” is more head-scratching than funny.) For 99 cents, you could do worse, but it’s so much easier to do better.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: PopOut! The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin

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The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin might be a bit less well-known than Beatirx Potter’s Peter Rabbit, but Loud Crow Interactive shows the story as much devotion as it did with its previous interpretation of that author’s work. The interactive reading parts are once again top notch, but it’s the pop-up elements that truly stand out. Users can pluck falling tree leaves or crabapples out of drawings and make the squirrels chatter and hop on screen. These interactive elements are charming. The narration is soothing and the music calming. It’s a complete interactive package — and perfect for all ages.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Apple inching closer to its cloud music service?

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Nothing has been formally announced yet, but if online reports are to believed (and they’re coming from reputable outlets) Apple has most of its ducks in a row for its long-awaited cloud music service.

Warner Music Group, Sony Music Group and EMI Group have all reportedly gotten onboard with the Cupertino tech giant, though it’s still not certain if the agreements are in principle or if they’ve been signed. The status of a deal with Universal Music Group is unclear.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog