Rayman Jungle Run [$2.99] is now my favorite iOS auto-runner. Granted, I wasn't the biggest fan of the genre, especially those with procedural, unending levels. Luckily, Rayman Jungle Run offers 40 distinct levels that require players to jump, hair-copter float, wall run, and punch or kick their way to the goal.
Each of these four overarching worlds tacks on an ability, and three of these worlds play out with tap-anywhere controls. However, the punch mechanic, used only in the final world, is relegated to a virtual button on the lower right.
Getting to the 40 goals is the easy part and adds up to less than an hour of pure gameplay. Getting 100 Lums per level, though, requires hours of practice. Each perfect level earns players a red gem-tooth, and five teeth unlock one crazy-hard race per chapter.
No Lums are in these Land of the Dead levels; it's all about reaching the end for the final tooth and getting the fastest time to place on the leaderboard. Speaking of leaderboards, none of the other stages are timed for online racing, which almost seems like a missed opportunity.
Other than meeting achievement goals, going for 100 Lums in stages unlocks an image gallery full of characters from Rayman Origins. This feels rather bittersweet, as seeing the characters creates nostalgia but serves to remind players what's missing from the Origins universe. How would this auto-runner incorporate bosses? I don't know, but I think the brilliant minds behind Rayman could have found an innovative way.
A few extra music tracks also wouldn't hurt, as they played randomly and grew a little stale after the first hour of playing. These tracks are probably enough for casual plays, but not for those who play over and over to perfect every level. That said, the overall lack of new assets made more sense when I realized Pix'n Love Rush creator Pastagames actually developed Rayman Jungle Run and not the original Ubisoft team.
Fanboy-like complaints aside, Rayman Jungle Run is the most thrilling, gorgeous, charming, and responsive auto-runner I've ever experienced. The stages whip and zip like a rollercoaster set at a perfect speed, which allowed me to take in each colorful character and background.
Each level, while less than a minute long, felt large. In whatever direction Rayman was running, jumping, or floating, I felt like I was exploring nearly every inch.
I don't believe collecting all 3,600 Lums in one play without dying is reasonable replayability, but I will happily pay for more levels to explore. Sadly, the title screen lacks a DLC button to hint of any forthcoming content.
For people who've never experienced Rayman or those who have strayed from the series, this is an excellent (re)introduction. For those who've played Origins, this may feel a bit mechanically and aesthetically familiar. In the case of Rayman Jungle Run, familiarity isn't a bad thing, especially when it stems from creator Michel Ancel.
ThinkGeek and manufacturer ION's dreamy handheld controller add-on for iPhone and iPod Touch, the iCade Mobile, is now a thing you can buy on the Internet. It's $70, and it's still available despite appearing earlier this weekend. The final build looks identical to the one we saw at CES earlier this year -- it's still nice and glossy, supports eight buttons and a d-pad, and allows you to flip your device in its cradle if a game is only playable in portrait mode.
Mobile works with any iCade supported game and it's compatible with a host of devices, both new and old. iPod Touch 3rd and 4th generation, as well as iPhone 3, 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4S can all be jammed into the peripheral.
We've got a list of good iCade supported games on our site, but do note that most of these games don't support Mobile's specific layout of physical buttons. This will change if Mobile is adopted at the rate iCade proper was.
I've been chastised in the past for using phrases like "Unless you grew up under a rock, you've probably heard of...", but in this case, if you haven't heard of FarmVille, you've probably never used the internet. Or you're Amish. Possibly both. At any rate, while there's nothing new about the whole land management genre, we can definitely give FarmVille a nod for making it popular on a massive scale -- and not with just gamers, either. Facepalm all you want, but when your mom tells you that she totally built out her English Countyside, you have to admit that games like this have changed the gaming landscape in a major way (although good or bad, we can't quite agree on.)
Tiny Farm [Free] is the latest offering in this popular genre, and I'm just gonna say it right off the bat so I don't feel like I'm holding back: It looks a billion times better than FarmVille. It trades in the deformed character style that makes you feel like you've stumbled into an avatar generator for a clean cartoon look, and I admit it made me like the game ten times more right off the bat. The cute little sounds the animals make when they get all swoony over you for feeding them in pretty great, too.
Can you smell that? The early morning air is thick with the stench of App Store price-slashery. Telltale Games has just lowered the prices of both the original Puzzle Agent [$.99 / HD] and its follow-up, the technically challenged Puzzle Agent 2 [$2.99 / HD], for a limited time. Until August 11, you’ll be able to nab the former on the iPhone and iPad for $.99 and the latter for $2.99. We recommend both (flaws and all), so this deal is definitely a good one.
Also, it bears mentioning that the publisher has done another technical pass on Puzzle Agent 2. According to a new blog post over at Telltale, the voice skipping woes, the weird out-of-focus cut-scenes visuals, and puzzle controls and usability have been ‘improved’ in a free update available… well, right now. Go, go, go!
In addition to that stuff, the game also supports 3G devices and can, overall, boast better performance. Performance and lack of older-device support were pretty big sticking points in our review. We’re stoked to see them addressed, as Puzzle Agent 2 is a good adventure game that had silly platform-specific issues holding it back from hardcore acclaim.
With this behind us, we can just say nice things. Yay!
Someone is listening when I pray. The other afternoon, 2D Boy flung some awesome news one the Internet, confirming that World of Goo [$4.99] is indeed coming to the iPod Touch and iPhone, And it’s coming, like, real soon, according to a post on studio’s blog that explains, additionally, that the title is worming its way through Apple’s approval process at the moment.
Before you get all stupid-happy, check what generation your device is. In the reveal post, 2D Boy warns that World of Goo will require 3GS or better, or in iPod Touch terms, a 3rd Generation Touch or newer. Certainly, this design decision will cut a few of you out of the fun, but I’m sure it’s all for the better, as World of Goo will be poised to remain a visual treat in addition to being a great physics-based puzzle game. Oh, and if you already have the iPad version you'll get this for free. World of Goo will become a Universal App.
I couldn't help but feel more than a little trepidation at the announcement of a new Lego game for the iOS, particularly after the huge disappointment that was Lego: Batman. Still, two years is a long time in development land, and of late we've seen developers make leaps and bounds in what can be squeezed from the Apple devices. Fortunately, the Warner Bros. Mobile dev team haven't rested on their laurels in all this time, having really stepped up to make amends with the release of Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 [$4.99], a universal app for the iPhone and iPad.
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is in actual fact a port of the PSP and DS version of the game released earlier this year. Though I haven't had the opportunity to play either, from screenshot comparisons you can immediately tell that the game has-- contrary to many ports-- benefited dramatically from its translation to the more capable iPhone and iPad hardware. This is no lazy carbon-copy, good readers-- graphics look crisp and vibrant (particularly on the Retina display, but even so on the 3GS we primarily tested it on) and the frame rate is consistently good; controls have been tastefully re-modelled for the iOS with mini-games that make great use of the touch-screen; and the musical score is authentic and second-to-none. In fact, I am certain that what we have is now the premier handheld version.
But first thing's first – for the benefit of those who have never seen a Lego game in action (other than getting you from out of your cave), Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is a re-imagination of J.K. Rowling's ludicrously popular fiction in all the childlike splendor of Lego. Everything in the game is made up of Lego pieces, from the well-known heroes such as Harry, Ron and Hermoine, to table decorations, quidditch broomsticks and even the different colored coins littered positively everywhere that act as a form of currency in the game.
And in true Lego style, the entire world is over-the-top. Cut-scenes between levels tell the Harry Potter story in an exaggerated, tongue-in-cheek way that can be more than a little hilarious at times, especially as Lego men can't talk (of course)-- having to mime out and gesture through all their conversations. In fact, I was pleased to see that these clips are actually the same as those in the PS3/X360 version of the game (which I have played) which re-tell each of the first four chapters (Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban and the Goblet of Fire) brilliantly.
That's a word I constantly came back to when playing Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, as there is just so much to explore and such a variety of rich experiences to play through that more than once I forgot I had an iPhone in my hands. Whether it was taking magic classes in the enormous Hogwarts, visiting stores at Diagon Alley, or chasing after Draco on a broomstick as he he makes off with Neville's Remembrall, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is jam-packed with memorable events that have been craftily converted into engaging gameplay sequences.
You start off controlling Harry, moving him around the screen by either tapping or dragging your finger across the screen. There's no virtual joystick option here which may disappoint some, but I can't really say I had difficulty migrating to the new controls. Spell casting has also been carefully implemented for the touch screen. Very early on, you learn the Reducto spell which is a simple hooting spell that requires a quick flick towards the object you want to hit (which I resort to spamming to explode anything in sight to coin pieces), and Stupefy, which is an area stun attack that requires a quick circular gesture around your character.
Soon you'll accumulate a wealth of spells as you take classes at Hogwarts and explore the game world. Reparo for instance is needed to piece together important objects, whilst Wingardium Leviosa is used to levitate objects and reach otherwise inaccessible areas. These spells are performed by tracing on-screen gestures that appear after tapping a context-sensitive object in the game world. Other spells still, such as Transfiguration, result in short mini-games that have to be completed before they take effect, most of which are actually engaging and not merely annoying distractions.
If you've played a Lego title before on any other system, you'll be glad to know that all the unlockable characters and abilities normally expected of these games feature here too. In each of the 40+ levels in Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, you'll usually take control of just a few of 100 characters available, some of which have special abilities that have to be utilised to progress through the level. Hagrid, for instance, can use his strength to interact with pulley mechanisms and pull and push heavy objects that the others cannot. Exploring each area thoroughly and working through some clever puzzles will reveal red bricks, golden witches hats and character cards that make available additional spells (of the ridiculously variety, such as Engorgio Skullus, which can swell any NPC's head to giant proportions) and unlock playable characters.
To go through every facet of Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 would be nigh on impossible in a review. Case in point-- just as I thought I'd seen much of what the game had to offer, I was thrown into a stealth sequence, where you have to rely on your map to avoid detection. Later still, I had my first real boss encounter, which requires a lot more dexterity and thinking than the usual puzzles. Suffice to say, this is one game that will put your money to work in a big way, as it is seriously bursting at the seams with content. If I had to put my finger on the average play time, judging by my current game, you're looking at somewhere between 12-15 hours over all four chapters. Then there's Free Play mode, where completionists can access all the levels of Story Mode to find hidden secrets (using later acquired abilities) and drastically explode their game time.
Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is without a doubt a must-buy for any real iOS gamer, barring any prejudices you may have against our scar-faced hero, of course. This is the game to show your doubting friends as I don't believe a game of this depth or breadth presently exists on the App Store, and certainly not one with the care and attention that the Warner Bros. team have expended on it. Yes, it does benefit from being a port of an existing game on a more developed system, but when the quality of the finished product is this good, who really cares? I simply cannot overstate just how high the bar has been raised for these types of games-- a shout out to other developers with similar opportunities to take note of what our beloved Apple devices are really capable of.
iPad Owners: Please note that although the game is listed as Universal and can be purchased without any problems, the game will not be able to be synched to iPad devices until the release of OS 4.2 (purportedly next week). You must have the new OS 4.2 update before the game can be played on the iPad.
Shortly after the iPad arrived, Gameprom treated iPad gamers to Pinball HD [App Store], a collection of their excellent stand-alone iPhone pinball titles -- Wild West Pinball [$.99], The Deep Pinball [$.99], and Jungle Style Pinball [$.99] -- all in one high resolution, iPad application. We found the title easy to recommend, and we weren't the only ones; Pinball HD was a WWDC 2010 Apple Design Award winner.
When the iPhone 4 was unveiled, sporting its high resolution Retina display, we hoped to see the same fine collection adapted to suit Apple's new iOS flagship. And, today, we're happy to report that Pinball HD 4 iPhone [link] has arrived and is now available for download in the App Store.
Pinball HD 4 iPhone delivers everything that the iPad's Pinball HD does, beautifully rendered on the iPhone 4's Retina display with a sharpness that almost makes your eyes bleed. (Though, the iPhone 3GS and 3G iPod touch are supported at their native resolution, as well.) And we're happy to see that Gameprom added the fixed, portrait table view mode that we requested in our April look at the iPad version. (This mode sits in addition to the floating, portrait view mode and the fixed, landscape mode.)
Like its forerunner, Pinball HD features split-screen, tap paddle controls, WiFi and Bluetooth multiplayer, online score tracking, and support for 3D anaglyph (red/blue, etc.) glasses rendering. And you get all that for buck less than the iPad version. Any pinball fan with an iPhone 4 (or a 3GS if you're new to the series) needs to get this game on their device.
With the release of the iPhone 4 less than a week away, many readers are surely counting down the days until they can call Apple's most powerful pocketable device their own. The iPhone 4 boasts hardware enhancements that will allow for more sophisticated applications of every sort -- but especially games. Its "Retina display" packs four times as many pixels as the current iPhone into a display of the same physical size, yielding a 326 pixels-per-inch, razor sharp display that makes jaggies a thing of the past. The 1GHz Apple A4 processor, which is currently used in the iPad, will allow for more complex games with improved physics and AI. And, finally, there's the gyroscope which will allow for incredibly accurate in-game motion tracking.
During the WWDC 2010 keynote, we saw Steve Jobs demonstrate the new iPhone's gyroscopic capabilities in a Jenga-like demo app. It was an impressive display of motion-tracking tech that went beyond what we had previously seen from the iPhone. After all, you need a gyroscope to pull off that kind of control, right?
As TechCrunch reports, Srivastava, formerly with Microsoft, has created what he calls the "Perspectiverse Engine" that allows the iPhone 3GS and iPad to track motion in a fashion that yields seemingly impossible results from a device lacking actual gyroscope hardware. His system allows the user to manipulate their body in the physical world and see corresponding motion in the virtual world, making the iPhone or iPad feel quite like a window into that world.
According to the developer,
[The engine] uses a combination of device sensors to constantly align the game world with the real world. No matter how you orient your phone, north in the game universe is the same as north in the real world, south is south, up is up, down is down, and so forth. This allows you to interact with that game universe as if you were in it.
And, I can tell you, it works far better than you're probably guessing. If you've got an iPhone 3GS or an iPad, you can give it a try right now with Srivastava's Magic 3D Easter Egg Painter [App Store], a Universal entertainment title that allows you to paint a 3D easter egg by moving around it in virtual space. (And it's on sale for $0.99 through this weekend.) The effect, even in this rather basic application, is pretty amazing.
The developer will soon be releasing a rather more interesting game title called Gyromaniac (previously known as Colonoscapade) in which you move your body around in order to find your way through a human colon and various other internal systems. A demonstration video shows the app in action (and gives one much appreciation for the trials of poor Lemmiwinks).
Srivastava began work on his Perspectiverse Engine long before we knew that the iPhone 4 would sport a gyroscope (it was put together last July, in fact). So, is he daunted by the news that came in the iPhone 4 unveiling? Not at all. The physical gyroscope will improve the accuracy of his engine on new hardware, while on supported devices which lack a gyroscope, the engine will do its thing to simulate one.
And for other developers that like what they see in this system, Srivastava tells us that he is definitely open to the possibility of licensing the technology for use in others' apps, but his first order of business is to build a range of apps on top of the engine that showcase its capabilities on current hardware.
It seems like I just wrote about this game a few days ago but we have some more information to share with you. Just in case you don’t remember, ESPGALUDA II is a bullet hell shooter from Cave, the leader in creating games of this type. Our forums have been buzzing about this game since it was first announced. If you watch the new game play video we have below you will see why.
The official word on the release date is April 10th, 2010 with an introductory sale price of $4.99. The normal price is going to be set at $8.99. There will also be a lite version so you can see if you can handle bullet hell games before you buy. Also worth mentioning is, the game will only run on the iPhone 3GS and the 3rd generation iPod Touch. I can't wait for this one to come out.
On April 10th Cave, the world leader in bullet hell shooters, are releasing ESPGALUDA II on the iPhone and iPod Touch. You could of played or seen this game already on the Xbox and you should be happy to know this is pretty much a direct port, other than the new iPhone game mode.
ESPGALUDA II will have two modes of play, iPhone and Arcade. The Arcade version is just like the Xbox/Arcade version with the controls obviously modified for a touch interface. The iPhone version adds new game play with the “Awakening Pulse” system. This is where you tap the screen to send out an energy blast that changes enemy bullets in to spirit stones. Spirit stones are used to protect your character, which is great since everything else on the screen is trying to kill you.
With shooter games, the controls are obviously very important and you don’t want them to hinder your view of the action. Cave feels they solved this with track pad like controls at the bottom of the screen. I have played other games that used this method and found it a dream to use once you get the hang of it.
The game will only run on the 3GS and 3rd gen Touches. This is expected with the amount of sprits that are on the screen at the same time. Older models will probably have unplayable frame rates for this kind of game.
ESPGALUDA II is expected to be released April 10th for $4.99. The response in our forums has been very positive and expectations are high for this game.
Yesterday I made it out to the Freeverse offices and sat down with their development teams to look at their lineup of upcoming games. The title closest to completion was Warpgate, which we have previewed in the past. I played through the first few tutorial missions, and the game has grown substantially from the initial screenshots we saw so long ago.
The concept of the game has stayed essentially the same since our preview, but since then Freeverse has added a tremendous amount of content and graphical effects. Each system that you can land on has their own economy which is in constant flux, along with a series of procedurally generated random missions that will allow you to play the game forever without running out of things to do.
In the graphical department, normal mapping has been added to every object in game. Normal mapping is a rendering technique used to fake shadows and lighting on objects to create much more detailed graphics while still maintaining a low enough polygon count to be rendered at a high framerate. (Wikipedia has an excellent article on the specifics of normal mapping, including an image that does a great job of illustrating what it can do.)
There have been other games for the iPhone that have used normal mapping, but all of these games have been sold as "3GS-Only" games. Warpgate is anticipated to be the first game for the platform that scales these graphical effects based on the device you're playing it on.
If you're playing on an iPhone 3GS, normal mapping will be enabled and you'll be able to see canyons and crags in planets along with the different details of the ships and warpgates. But, if you're playing on a previous-generation device, the game will gracefully degrade back to standard textured 3D models. If in the future you upgrade to a newer device, all of the graphical features you didn't have access to are instantly enabled without needing to buy a "enhanced" version of the game.
Here is a video provided by Freeverse illustrating the difference in graphical quality between devices:
Warpgate is still in development and Freeverse is hopeful to have it on the App Store in time for the holiday season. We've been playing different builds of the game over Warpgate's development, and the game seems to be rapidly progressing. Look forward to a more detailed preview and review of the game here as its release approaches.
Earlier this month we profiledMad Monkey Studios, a mobile developer that indicated they were beginning the development of iPhone games, but only those that would take specific advantage of the advanced capabilities of Apple's new iPhone 3GS hardware.
A few weeks later, the studio posted a video that showed a 3D shader-driven visual technique. The technique is somewhat reminiscent of the cartoon stylings in the '80s a-ha video 'Take On Me.'
Early this morning, a simple game based on the demo, Sktech Hop [link], was released in the App Store and, as promised, is only compatible with the iPhone 3GS.
Sketch Hop is a simple and free "2.5D" side-scrolling jump-the-obstacles platform game that challenges the player to take a bouncing ball as far down a scrolling row of logs as possible, without falling into the gaps. It's a tap to the screen to jump (the longer you hold, the higher / farther you'll jump), and that's pretty much as complicated as it gets. As a game, it really just stands out more as an example of 3GS-specific game making from a studio that, when it comes to the iPhone platform, is dedicated solely to Apple's flagship device.
See a reader's video (which lacks audio) of the game in play.
It's a simple free download for 3GS users, but non-3GS users aren't really missing out on much... yet.
If you don't keep your nose glued to our forums or the various Twitter feeds of game developers, chances are you've missed out on these four bits of news that have popped up in the last couple days:
Zenonia 2 was revealed on Gamevil's Twitter. There's a thread on our forums with all of the images that have been released so far complete with fans of the original sharing their anticipation with other forum members.
Gangstar had a teaser site for the game with screenshots and video revealed via Gameloft's Twitter along with announcing that the game will be launched at $6.99 when it is finally released.
Madden 10 for iPhone was reportedly pushed back to September. We still have yet to hear any details on the game, its control method, or anything else outside of knowing that it's eventually coming to the App Store. When in September it's going to be released is currently anyone's guess.
Mad Monkey Studios released another tech demo from their upcoming 3GS-only game project that we covered when it was first announced. We don't have any more information than that, according to this video the game is going to be "sketch shaded":
The video shows a cool direction for the art style of their upcoming game to be taking, but it's hard to get too excited over tech demos without having any idea what the final game will even be about.
Josh Presseisen from Crescent Moon Games emailed us a heads up this morning of their 3D action RPG set for release sometime in September. Ravensword: The Fallen King has been designed with the iPhone 3GS in mind because of the high polygon count, but will be tuned to also run on previous-generation devices at lower frame rates and without as much graphical eye candy. Reluctant to give too much away, Presseisen compared the game to both Oblivion and Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii.
Ravensword is said to have an open environment with a main quest line that will take anywhere from 3 to 6 hours to complete, along with a hefty amount of side quests to also keep you occupied. What I'll be interested in seeing is how extensive the side quests in Ravensword are, because I had much more fun just fooling around in the open game world of Oblivion than playing the comparatively short main quest line.
Take a look at these screen shots and concept art, also the developers are collecting ideas for the game in their thread on our forums. If you'd like to see something added or have other suggestions, don't hesitate to post them.
Since we first got word about the new iPhone 3GS at the WWDC keynote, we've all been wondering when we will be seeing the first 3GS-exclusive titles. We've seen a few games so far that have been optimized for the 3GS with fancy lighting, and even a few that take advantage of the compass. None of these games really provided much of a "Wow!" experience though, and basically just served as tech demos for some of the special effects found in the 3GS hardware. None have really pushed the hardware as far as it could go.
Mad Monkey Studios today announced they will be developing games exclusively for the iPhone 3GS, and released the following video benchmark demonstrating the performance difference between iPhone 3G and 3GS. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the 3GS mops the floor with the older iPhone hardware, but this raises the question of whether or not we're looking at a simple benchmark or a glimpse at their first 3GS-only game.
Their first game will be announced soon, and is said to include a "cutting edge 3D look never before seen on the iPhone." They also have "plans to use the shading capabilities to their full extent to create visually innovative games." Needless to say, we're going to be keeping a close eye on this project. It will be interesting to see the community reaction of this title, especially with the 40,000,000 iDevices in the wild which will quickly become obsolete for gamers if this trend catches on.
Rayman Jungle Run [$2.99] is now my favorite iOS auto-runner. Granted, I wasn't the biggest fan of the genre, especially those with procedural, unending levels. Luckily, Rayman Jungle Run offers 40 distinct levels that require players to jump, hair-copter float, wall run, and punch or kick their way to the goal. 
A few extra music tracks also wouldn't hurt, as they played randomly and grew a little stale after the first hour of playing. These tracks are probably enough for casual plays, but not for those who play over and over to perfect every level. That said, the overall lack of new assets made more sense when I realized Pix'n Love Rush creator Pastagames actually developed Rayman Jungle Run and not the original Ubisoft team.
