Author Archives: Chris Morris

App review: Madden NFL 11 by EA Sports for iPad

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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


App review: Science Quiz ?

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Despite its funny name, Science Quiz ? is a good basic science teaching tool for grade school kids. It’s a good looking game as well. Developers have taken the time to put a little polish on what is often a dull interface. Questions are written with younger users in mind — although a few might aim a bit lower than necessary. It’s an eclectic mix of questions, ranging from identifying which animals are omnivores to whether a doctor wears a white coat or white pants. The game also makes good use of sound to keep kids playing. They won’t get a big head start on their SATs with this, but kids may learn a thing or two as they play.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Blockbuster enters the games-by-mail market

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Blockbuster hasn’t exactly had a lot of success in their battle with Netflix in the movies-by-mail field, so now the company’s aiming to outmaneuver them.

Starting immediately, customers of Blockbuster By Mail are able to rent video games for all the major console systems. The company says it has over 3,000 titles available. Netflix does not currently rent games.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

App review: A Science Quiz

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Unlike some quizzes that are peppered with easy questions to appeal to the masses, A Science Quiz takes its mission seriously and forces players to exercise their knowledge. It’s not a program with many bells and whistles (there’s no cheery sound for right answers and the interface is about as exciting as a test you’d take in school), but the 420 included questions do force you to think and cover a wide variety of topics. There are occasional typos, however, and the accuracy of some answers has been questioned by users.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Nintendo’s Wii hits a heckuva milestone

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You don’t have to be a student of the video gameindustry to know the Wii is king of the hill, but the company is now underlining just how secure it is in its reign. 

Nintendo announced Tuesday that it has now sold 30 million Wiis in the U.S. alone. That milestone comes just 45 months after the device went on sale. To put that into perspective, the PlayStation 2, the industry’s best selling home console, has sold more than 50 million units – but took over eight years to do so.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Video Games Impact the Economy More Than You Think

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It’s hardly a secret that video games are a growing force in the entertainment industry, but they might be bigger than many people think.

A new study from Economists Incorporated reports that the video game industry added $4.95 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product last year—and the entertainment side of the software world is growing considerably faster than other segments of the economy. (The Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry’s trade group commissioned the study.)

Read more at CNBC.com

App review: Tesla Wars

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Tower defense games have been around for a while, but Tesla Wars manages to make the game play feel new. Hurling bolts of lightning at your enemies from the game’s central Tesla coil is entertaining and works smoothly with the iPhone and  iPad’s touch interface. Tesla Wars eschews the usual strategy elements that are common in these sorts of games, focusing instead solely on the action — and letting you buy a series of upgrades that make your tower even stronger. It’s violent, but its a cartoon violence. And, admittedly, it’s repetitive, but if the game play hooks you, it can chew up several hours of your time.

Read more at Common Sense Media

Google and Verizon’s proposal for an ‘open Internet’

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Google and Verizon want to make one thing clear: There’s no truth to last week’s rumors that the search and telecom giants were discussing a deal that would effectively end net neutrality. Instead, they’re teaming up to try to push the concept further. 

One week after gossip surfaced, suggesting Google was about to sign an agreement to pay Verizon for speedier Internet access to its services, the two companies held a hastily assembled press conference Monday, offering a joint proposal for ways to keep America’s Internet strong.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

App review: Don’t Text Me

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Texting and driving are a dangerous combination – and Don’t Text Me deserves some measure of praise for attempting to address it. Notifying contacts that you’re driving or working (or otherwise unavailable) is an easy process, but it overlooks a couple of major issues. While it’s easy to ask friends not to ping you, it’s ultimately their choice — and if they do, you’ll receive those texts without any interruption. Just as importantly, if you’re frequently in and out of the car (or in class or meetings) and use this app regularly, friends may get frustrated with the frequency of the messages.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App review: Chopper 2

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There’s a lot to like about Chopper 2, which makes it all the more frustrating that the game has such a steep learning curve. It’s well-polished, has a very clean interface, and offers a wide variety of missions and environments. (All totaled, there are 36 missions in 12 areas ranging from city rooftops to deserts.) It’s not only fun, it’s a great way to show off what the iPad can do, as the gameplay can be outputted to a TV and it can be integrated with the iPhone as well (the iPhone becomes your controller). In many ways, Chopper 2 blazes new trails for developers…

Read more at Common Sense Media