Last week, we gave you a heads up about new updates for two of the most popular "crafting" games in the App Store – one for Mojang's official release of Minecraft - Pocket Edition [$6.99/Lite] and one for its 2D counterpart of sorts Junk Jack [$2.99/Lite], which is developed by PixBits. Well, since we signed off for the weekend this past Friday, both updates have now become available.

(more...)

Junk Jack [$2.99/Lite] developer Pixbits has shown a strong amount of post-release love to their 2D Minecraft-esque title, and in their latest update which has been partway released on the App Store they once again deliver the goods.

Wait, how is the update partway released, you ask? Well, for some reason, Apple went and approved the update for the lite version last week, with the full version update still waiting to get the go ahead. So, if you're dying to see some of the newly implemented features, you can catch a glimpse from Junk Jack LE if  you really want.

(more...)

Double Fine's Double Fine Adventure is doing ... OK on the funding front. In the first 24 hours, it shattered all sorts of fun records, including the most funding raised in that period. As of this morning, the studio has gathered 1.7 million dollars in pledges, which is a lot more than the 400,000 bucks it is asking for.

We covered the project because an iOS version seemed like a good possibility. In the original Q&A, Double Fine said Mac and iOS ports are something that it would "love to do" and they were both at "the top of the list for things" if it raised more funds than it asked for. Mission accomplished.

(more...)

Telltale's offerings have been received rather frigidly of late, especially after we called Jurassic Park "technically messy" and "poorly optimized." I'm happy to report, then, that "Ice Station Santa" -- the first of five episodes in Sam & Max Beyond Time & Space [$4.99] -- is a solid iOS port of the 2007 point-and-click.

To wit: in the four or so hours it takes to beat the game, I didn't experience any crashes, frame rate drops, or audio stutters. "Ice Station Santa" runs smoothly and stably, and Telltale's newfound technical prowess is matched with a great touch interface.

Unlike, say, the Hector series, Sam & Max Beyond Time & Space is in three dimensions, and Sam is controlled with a virtual analog stick. A two-finger pinch highlights all the click-able objects in a given area, and the game's touch implementation is remarkably precise, even when there are dozens of items on the screen to interact with.

(more...)

People had been clamoring for an official mobile version of Minecraft for some time, and after a brief period of Xperia Play exclusivity, Minecraft - Pocket Edition [$6.99/Lite] launched for iOS this past November. Despite the high anticipation, most fans found the release underwhelming due to it lacking the major components of its desktop counterpart, like enemies and crafting. Those were the major reasons we didn't totally love the game in our review, although it was a totally decent creation-only version of Minecraft on the go.

Developer Mojang heard the player feedback loud and clear, and immediately put a plan in action to get the missing components stuffed into Minecraft - Pocket Edition. Part of that plan was releasing an update with a bunch of behind-the-scenes infrastructure stuff that will allow for the addition of survival elements and crafting. We detailed this update last month, and although I think it's hitting a wee bit later than Mojang had wanted, the update is now live for the Android version of the game, and the iOS version is currently in review with Apple and should be hitting at pretty much any time.

In the updated version of Minecraft - Pocket Edition, there's now a day/night cycle and the first introduction of creatures to the world, sheep and zombies. You get new blocks to build doors, fences, and gates with, and since crafting isn't part of the mobile package just yet, there is an assortment of pre-made tools to help you get by until you're able to build your own someday. It sounds like the new update goes a long way in rectifying the fairly mundane first release of Minecraft - Pocket Edition, so be sure to keep your eye out for it to hit the iOS App Store soon.

[Via The Verge]

This is neat. Double Fine, the creators of Brutal Legend and, most recently, a swarm of lovable and unique downloadable titles like Iron Brigade and Costume Quest, is asking its fans via Kickstarter to donate a total of $400,000 towards the production of a brand new point-and-click adventure. It's a title that'll be created by "a small team" and one of the adventure game genre's most influential developers, Tim Schafer, highly regarded for his work on The Secret of Monkey Island and its sequel, and his lead role on Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango.

The fans have answered, too. In under ten hours the project has received well over half a million dollars in backing. And with over 30 more days to go still, you almost have to assume that Double Fine will be forced to use dollar bills as toilet paper to rid itself of all the extra cash it's going to receive.

(more...)

I have no shame whatsoever in telling you that I was literally obsessed with Myst when it came out in 1993. The mystical adventure that dared me to tumble into an unknown world and explore beautiful oversized tomes to unlock its secrets had everything that I wanted from a game at the time. It gave me a solo adventure, puzzles that were hard as hell to solve, and atmosphere for miles. I just might have played Myst (and all the clones of it) a rather embarrassing number of times.

So, it was really kind of a given that I was going to be thrilled to see The Lost City [99¢], which at a glance seemed to be aimed like a notched arrow at the heart of the Myst-era adventure game lover. Of course, anyone who was with me on the long ride through the adventure clones that Myst spawned knows that there were a handful of decent ones, but mostly many, many bad ones.

(more...)

Depending on how you look at it, my weekend was either a complete success or a disastrous waste. Asides from my daily ablutions, I've done nothing but sit on my derriere and play Capcom's Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective [Free]. It's true. I'm not ashamed.

I would be ashamed if this was a cheap rip-off stemming from some copycat's attempt to cash in on a popular indie title somewhere but Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective isn't that sort of game. If you had to liken it to a gender-unspecific trophy spouse, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective would be a 6'2" Scandinavian model with a degree in rocket science and a part-time job as a professional comedian. You won't be ashamed to be caught with this one.

(more...)

Star Command looks like a real winner, so we've been following it like the hawks that we are since its initial unveil. The especially cool part about this approach is that we're watching it grow month-by-month, and our users, who are understandably excited, are a something of a cog in its development now. Case in point: the Star Command dudes are asking for feedback on the ship-versus-ship battle system to decide if it should be real time like the rest of the game's action or turn based as initially planned. Talk about big decisions, eh?

Here's the scenario being laid out:

You receive a transmission from the Evil Cortexians. You start a fight with them; your weapons begin to charge and you fire using a brief 10 second mini-game to target them. You then take a few critical hits and your shields drop; now, you have a fire from the last shot occurring on you're bridge so you move some guys from engineering to go fight the fire. Meanwhile, engineering gets hit by an even bigger blast and you have to split this repair crew... and ...

... then two different follow-up scenarios are introduced, both of which are fairly wide-reaching and strategically harrowing. The problem that the developers are running into is that they're afraid to ditch the methodical X-Com-ish strategy in favor of a more seamless, action-focused kind of approach. Your thoughts matter here, however it does seem like turn-based is currently out of favor.

(more...)

Check this: footage of Oceanhorn, the Cornfox & Brothers adventure game joint that seems to resemble the best Zelda ever in both style and tone, is now available. We've embedded the video just below for your viewing pleasure and aren't worried in the slightest that it will be pulled despite being labeled as a "secret" video. This is a PR stunt for a title that made waves when first announced, and hasn't seen substantial coverage since.

We're not complaining, by the way. We want to see more and realize that Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas could be a big deal when it hits later this 2012. Not only is it fascinatingly gorgeous, but it's also mechanically and functionally inspired by Zelda. The world desperately needs more of these kinds of games, and if these cats can pull it off, a lot of people are going to be very happy.

Also, in entirely unrelated but sort of related news: If you're into Wind Waker, check out this fan-made imaginary Wii U sequel trailer that just hit YouTube and is blowing up all over Twitter. Bananas!

What happens when three visionaries get together and tease an awesome game? You get The Other Brothers, which is certainly has the look and style of a next-level iOS joint. On the other hand, you also get almost nothing in the Fine Details Department, and that's a monumental bummer considering the promise on display. I mean, just look at that.

The first post on the game's new blog describes The Other Brothers as "a pixelated family fun adventure [game] of running, jumping, collecting, racing against the clock ..." with a suitably mysterious twist. A Kotaku post has some more concept-y type of art if you'd like to see a lot more than what's on display in this post. We're on a mission to get a lot more details, so definitely stay tuned.

[Via Kotaku]

Hey, remember that time we were like, "oh sure, Junk Jack is coming to the iPad, but it's not going to be for a long time"? Well, you should remember, because it was just last week. Anyway, the story goes that the game's developer PixBits has been so involved with just updating the game in general, that making it iPad-friendly was kind of on the back burner, at least until the iPhone version became more fleshed out.

However, it sounds like they might have overestimated how difficult the transition to the iPad would be, because we've heard from the developer that progress on a Universal update for Junk Jack is moving forward much more quickly than they had expected. They've sent over a load of work-in-progress screens of the game from the iPad, which you can check out below.

We've been told that the Universal support won't go live with the very next update, which sounds like it's pretty near completion, but PixBits is hopeful that it will be included in the update that follows. We'll be sure to keep tabs on this and let you know just as soon as you can get diggin' on the big screen with Junk Jack.

A dark, moody endless runner with an actual narrative hook? That's the elevator pitch for rComplex, according to the game's developer, InterWave Studios. Originally released for PC back in 2009, InterWave is breathing new life into the title with a Unity 3D powered re-imaginings across multiple handsets and platforms, including iOS later this February.

A new trailer for the game is embedded below, and you should check it out. Basically, you play as a mysterious dude with a lot of stamina who is being chased by a dream-like tentacle monster. As you run, you'll steadily "piece together the events that led to your current situation," and ultimately the mystery. Well, unless you die. You'll probably be boned on that front, then.

[Via Joystiq]

If the controls were keeping you from digging LostWinds [$3.99], give it another shot. The game has been updated the for the first time, and a big part of this update are control additions. "Gust Time," for example, is a new slow-down feature that initiates whenever you do a gust move. Combined with the new d-pad, you'll be able to gust and jump where you want with much, much more precision. Neat!

The rest of the update contains "minor level design tweaks," more language support, and even a crash bug fix. In all, we're pretty stoked with the additions in particular. This is a brilliant game with a fantastic premise and structure, but it direly needed another pass control-side. We're digging it a lot more now.

Stolen Couch Games' tactical RPG Kids vs Goblins has been getting a lot of traction on our message board for good reason: it looks hot. In the game, you'll control three kids with up to 80 different spells on a quest that'll see them exploring a total of seven unique environments. As you'll see in the new trailer below, the spell system takes a cue from Magicka; it encourages users to combine individual spells and then exploit the combined power in order to progress and beat up waves of bad dudes. There seems to be a fair bit of standard action RPG-ery, too.

Kids vs Goblins is being published by Crescent Moon Games, and is expected to hit the iPad first later this February. In the game's message board thread, the publisher has noted that Apple has it in its hands right now, so it's just a matter of approval. We'll continue keeping our eye on this one, for sure.

(more...)