Among the random advice I give developers is to attend as many conventions as you possibly can because you never know who you're going to meet, and here is a phenomenal example of that: At events in San Francisco we typically hold a party at Bin 55, the bar in the lobby of the Marriott. We've always had it as a totally open party that anyone who has even a vaguely industry-relevant business card can come. I was handing out the bracelets for the free booze, shaking hands, and collecting cards when the guys from Elgato introduced themselves.
I've know about Elgato for quite a while, as they make a few video capture and TV tuner products that have been on my purchasing radar in the past. But, backing things up further, dealing with iOS gameplay video has been a massive hassle for us since, well, forever. I'd consider the Grand Theft Auto III gameplay video my current iOS cinematic magnum opus:
One of the many developers we met with at WWDC was Handelabra Studios. The company was also kind enough to be one of our sponsors for the TouchArcade WWDC Party.
Handelabra Studios produces a number of different titles for iOS, including one game called Uncle Slam [$1.99]. But the iOS app they've been focusing much of their efforts on has been an upcoming game reminder service called GAME.Minder.
GAME.minder is a free iOS app that first launched in 2010, and is a reminder service app that will notify you of upcoming games on a variety of platforms. The service (also on web) presently supports Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, WiiU, NDS, 3DS, XBLA, PSN, PS2, PSP, PSV, Windows, Mac and iOS.
For example, upcoming PC and Console games can be added to your reminder list and you can get push notifications for changes, updates, pre-orders and releases. Content and release dates are hand curated, though they've also been coordinating with developers to use it as a promotional tool.
With iOS game coverage, the app does overlap some of the functionality found in our own TouchArcade App. but, of course, console/PC/Mac gaming falls well outside our area.
At WWDC this week we ran into Craneballs Studios who showed us their upcoming title Fish Heroes. These days it seems like I almost instinctively roll my eyes when someone's game description starts our with "It's like Angry Birds, but…" BUT! In this case, it's actually really slick.
So, imagine the Angry Birds formula, combined with something with a 3D imagining of it like Catapult King [$0.99] but remove the stationary firing point, and add Minecraft-y block graphics. It's super derivative, but it works. There's a bunch of different fish you fling that each have vastly different abilities, and being able to aim anywhere at the structure full of sharks you need to destroy really adds an interesting layer to the physics puzzler foundation that these games are built on.
Fish Heroes should be available soon, and we'll take a closer look at it as soon as it hits the App Store.
More Mega Run content is on the way, Mega Run [Free] creators Get Set Games told us during a meeting this morning at WWDC in San Francisco. Within the next four-to-six weeks, the studio will release a fifth world containing 16 missions, new characters, and even new enemies to avoid. It'll also have a brand new theme, so expect a fresh environment.
The impression that we got from our meeting is that Mega Run is performing well, and the team is stoked to support it like it they have Mega Jump [Free], which has seen tons of updates since its original release in 2010. One of the things Get Set is evaluating as it moves forward with Mega Run is an actual "endless mode." There's a chance this will be a part of the world five update, but we'll have to see.
Oh, and Mega Jump? It'll see a "big UI" update in the near future and a "few other nice things are along the way," a studio representative told us. Very cool.
We're at WWDC this week, and if you follow us on Twitter (@hodapp, @JaredTA, @nicholsonb, @blakespot, and @arnoldkim!) it's likely already obvious to you that we enjoy the WWDC party scene… Potentially too much. Well, tonight we're hosting our own party. Everyone is invited, and historically we have had some pretty incredible crowds of game developers as well as other people to network with that are highly relevant to the mobile gaming world. If you're in town for WWDC, or just a local San Francisco game developer, feel free to swing on by.
Here's the details:
WHEN: Wednesday June 13th, 7:00 PM (TONIGHT!) until they kick us out.
So, yeah, stop by tonight any time after 7:00! Find someone from TouchArcade, and trade us your industry-relevant (or at least vaguely industry-relevant) business card and we'll hook you up with a bracelet that turns on the free drinks. Tell your friends!
At WWDC in San Francisco this afternoon, we caught our first actual in-game glimpse of MechWarrior: Tactical Command. In a nutshell, Tactical Command is a real-time tactical game that has you controlling up to four mechs in scripted 3D missions. It'll launch with 21 missions total later this summer, with multiplayer and additional single-player content coming down the line.
Perhaps the coolest component we saw during the brief demonstration were the old-school MechWarrior trimmings in motion. When a mech's leg is damaged, for example, it limps. If you fire energy weapons too much and too fast, mechs will overheat. Commands like charge and "alpha strike" were also detailed, proving that creator Personae Studios is looking to perfectly blend traditional real-time strategy to these basic MechWarrior elements.
The mission we saw this afternoon was late in the first chapter. Taking place in a large field, you were tasked to protect one mech against several waves of enemy mechs and various mobs. At the beginning, the mech you need to protect stomps to the middle of the field, you surround him with your four mechs strategically, and then you struggle keep him alive, as you pluck through move, attack, run, and stop commands via a snappy radial menu.
Personae says Tactical Command is set to hit iPad at some point later this summer. What we say today looked fantastic -- and pretty faithful to the franchise -- so we'll definitely be following up a little later with a hands-on preview.
One of the most promising games I’ve seen here at WWDC so far this week is iMech Online from new studio Mobula Games. You may remember that iMech was previously released on the App Store way back in 2009, and was noteworthy for offering up to 8 player combat online. That original version has since been abandoned, and Mobula has acquired the IP from the previous developer and is giving the game a massive overhaul and re-releasing it as iMech Online.
iMech Online will again feature up to 8 person online multiplayer in a 3rd-person perspective across a variety of different arenas. It looks extremely similar to the first game, but is being given a decent graphical upgrade as well as some additional features. The biggest change, perhaps, is that it’s being designed as a free-to-play game.
Now, before you get out the pitchforks and torches, Mobula is taking a solid approach to the free-to-play thing, and is modeling iMech Online after the PC hit League of Legends. You may recall that we’re big fans of this approach, and iMech Online follows it pretty closely. There will be 15 different mechs in the game initially, each with their own unique abilities and attributes.
Each week, one will be available to try for free so you can see if you like how they play. If you do, you can purchase it with IAP, and also by using the in-game currency earned during the game. Once you’ve bought a certain mech, you’ll be able to customize it with different skins, various weapon load-outs, and more. The mechs will also come with upgradeable weapons and simple tech trees to advance through so you can tailor them to your taste once you actually own them.
The build of iMech Online shown to us at WWDC is still in an extremely early state, and there's a lot the team is still planning on implementing, but it's still looking quite good already:
Another interesting thing about iMech Online is that it will utilize a persistent player profile and combat rating system, so you can level up and grow your character profile and then be matched up against similar players online. For now, it looks like iMech Online will be online only, at least at first, though an offline single player mode remains a possibility for the future.
Mobula hopes to have iMech Online out around September or October later this year, and you can jump in on a discussion for the game in our forums.
Rusty Moyher of Wild Rooster, creator of one of my very favorite cat-based games Box Cat [$1.99], stopped by to see us at WWDC and show off his upcoming new multiplayer arcade shooter Deep Space Duel as well as his recently released iPad party game Bloop.
Deep Space Duel is a top-down shooter with heavy inspiration from Asteroids, but with competitive multiplayer. There are several different types of arenas with a bunch of asteroids floating around in the center, and each player starts at one corner of the arena with the goal of blasting the other player and avoiding crashing into the asteroids. Destroying an asteroid will produce one of 6 different powerups, like a shield, a powerful laser, or a proximity mine.
The coolest thing about Deep Space Duel is that it uses the Joypad [Free] app, which turn your iOS devices into controllers for the game. You can have up to 4 players playing at once using Joypad, and it’s a total blast all trying to kill each other at once, reminiscent of old Bomberman matches I’d have with my friends as a kid. There are virtual buttons if you don’t use the Joypads to play, but this limits the multiplayer to 1 on 1. Check it out in action as Rusty takes on our own Brad "Let's Do This!" Nicholson:
There isn’t currently any plans for an online mode mostly due to cost and resource limitations, but Deep Space Duel would be absolutely perfect for online play so I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Deep Space Duel should be releasing in about a month or so, and should provide a really fun party game when you’re together with your iOS gaming buds.
And speaking of party games, Wild Rooster has an especially fun iPad game that came out at the end of April called Bloop [$0.99] that’s definitely worth a look if you like playing same device multiplayer games. It’s similar to Fingle [$0.99 (HD)] in that it encourages improper touching of each others hands, and the premise is so simple it’s actually quite brilliant. Up to 4 players pick a color and tap away at squares on the screen that match their color.
As the game progresses, the squares become smaller and more numerous, until everyone is frantically trying to tap their squares and it becomes just a huge mess of battling hands. At the end, whoever tapped the most squares wins. That’s all there is to it, but it’s just so much fun it doesn’t need anything else. The trailer demonstrates it quite well.
Definitely give Bloop a look if you’ve got an iPad and some friends handy, and keep your eyes out for Deep Space Duel to hit in the next month or so.
At WWDC in San Francisco this week, we sat down with SiuYui Games' to see a near-final build of its upcoming simulation / strategy title, Pocket Minions. In a nutshell, it's a medieval-themed tower building game that has you executing on the standard goal: the creation of an insanely profitable, multi-tiered tower.
What sets Minions apart is its focus on micro elements. As you build peons, hunters, wizards, and guards you'll need to watch their moods to ensure they stay on assigned tasks. If a serf, for example, gets too blue, he'll turn into a thief and steal resources instead of create them.
Some minions have specific jobs, too. Maids, for example, can clean toilets and sweep furnaces. Guards kill dragons. Wizards can obliterate the ghosts of any dead peons that you may have haunting the halls of your tower. If you don't stay on the ball with these tasks, productivity of the tower as a whole will flat-line.
A thing we noticed during the brief demonstration was how carefully minions' building mechanics are linked to these micro-abilities of peons. Careful interaction is needed, and it seems like you won't be able to afford to not keep up with their "daily" lives.
Pocket Minions is close to release on iPhone and iPod Touch, and should be submitted to Apple soon. We'll stay in touch.
At WWDC in San Francisco this afternoon, Capital J Media showed us its upcoming update to Battle Fleet, and gave us a sneak peek at its next project, which looks to be a sort of deliciously weird marriage of Monopoly to sci-fi space strategy.
The update to Battle Fleet [$4.99], which is do within the next two months, is a visual overhaul for users with iPad 2s and new iPads. In it, flowing water replaces the old 2D grids, new damage models are introduced, and the old UI is tossed in favor of slicker elements.
The space simulation is called Spaceopoly, appropriately. Pitched to us as a MMO, users will be tasked with building up planets, and an empire, by gobbling up all the planets that they can system by system. We're using the word "MMO" loosely here, as each server and system will hold just 50-100 people.
We've got the first image of the game just below, and as you can see, it'll be a pretty UI heavy strategy affair. J Media talked to us about its desire to really bring the board game kind of feel to the core mechanics, and we're down for that.
Spaceopoly is expected to release at some point within the next three months.
In a genre as cluttered as the endless runner, it's becoming increasingly important that studios innovate. Onkaworks' 2D runner Canyon Rush has some rather derivative elements, but it's plane-switching hook might give it some separation from the pack.
We saw a live demo of the game at WWDC this afternoon, and got a chance to go hands-on with it. Snappy enough, it's a competent runner that introduces three different planes that you can switch between LittleBigPlanet style as you avoid wildlife-themed hazards and collect coins. For whatever reason, at random times, your avatar will gain access to a jetpack, and he'll take to the air for major coin gathering opportunities. Image of that below:
It'll launch free-to-play, so expect the usual assortment of paid power-ups and whatnot. As for that release date, it's still up in the air.
Graveck's endless, side-scrolling jumper Jump Dewds missed its original April launch date, but it is still happening. At WWDC this afternoon, a representative from the studio showed us a new near-final build, and unveiled its new release date: June 18.
So, what happened? Graveck wanted to do a couple of extra polish passes, and it needed to re-balance and tweak the overall package around a free-to-play model -- a model that the team wasn't sure they would use when they first showed us the game at GDC 2012.
The new touches on the action side are subtle, but great. Dewds can now wall jump, for example, and the action in general now feels much more fluid. The art seems softer, too, and that gives the package a less ... intense kind of tone.
We'll be giving Jump Dewds another spin soon, so stay tuned.
Tiny Tim Games' upcoming RPG Random Battles is an RPG without the fluff -- you'll level up, fight monsters, and enjoy a journey, but you won't find any villages or be forced to listen to a godawful story or crawl through endless and uninspired dungeons. Random is a mobile title designed for gamers on the move, and part of it is inspired by one of the iPhone and iPad's purest mechanics: slide to unlock.
At WWDC in San Francisco this morning, Tiny Tim showed us an alpha version of its title, and detailed some of its core mechanics. In a nutshell, Random Battles is an old-school RPG with loads of random 2D turn-based battles. You mission as the adventurer is simply to progress through a literal "quest line" and collect gear, items, and experience along the way. As you gain levels, you'll get access to new quest lines.
Its' namesake battles are all timer-based. When one pops up in notification center, the slide bar says "slide to fight." After activating it, you'll be taken to a 2D plane with a monster that needs a few whacks. If you win, the quest line updates and you walk a bit further along. Rinse; repeat.
"We took the concept from old games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, and we saw where we could apply that to a mobile space -- iPhone, stuff like that. We wanted to make it different where you could get into the battles and be an avatar on the field," Tiny Tim told us.
The version of Random Battles we saw this afternoon looked rough. The art that you're seeing below apparently hasn't been implemented quite yet, either. Along these lines, we have concerns about just how barebones Random will feel. Its premise and mechanics are as streamlined as possible, so the production side needs to be really be next level.
We're excited to see more of Random in the future. It's slated to come out later this summer, and we'll keep up.
The interesting theme of WWDC this week is games that are coming soon. And, by soon, I mean soon. I got to take a quick look at it at WWDC and the mechanic is actually pretty cool. Check out the trailer:
In a nutshell, you're running your net through the ocean to pick up gold coins, and in the process, you've picked up a bunch of fish in your net. Being an environmentally conscious treasure hunter, you've got to cut them loose. So, with a swiping gesture you cut the net as if your finger were a knife, but you've got to maintain the net around the gold coins for your treasure haul.
It's one of those delightfully simple games that just works incredibly well for those quick 30 second play sessions while standing in line or something similar. Thirsty Fish is scheduled to be released as soon as it's approved by Apple, which could be any day now.
Disney Mobile's puzzler Where's My Water [99¢, Free] and Halfbrick Studios' endless runner Jetpack Joyride [Free] have just received design awards from Apple at the Apple Design Awards event, which just wrapped up at WWDC in San Francisco this afternoon. Both received the award in the "iPhone" category. No iPad games took home a prize this year.
This is a yearly event that Apple throws to highlight the best of the best of the App Store. We've praised both these games in the past, too, so definitely give them a look if you haven't. Don't worry, we won't say anything about your bandwagon-ry.
Among the random advice I give developers is to attend as many conventions as you possibly can because you never know who you're going to meet, and here is a phenomenal example of that: At events in San Francisco we typically hold a party at Bin 55, the bar in the lobby of the Marriott. We've always had it as a totally open party that anyone who has even a vaguely industry-relevant business card can come. I was handing out the bracelets for the free booze, shaking hands, and collecting cards when the guys from Elgato introduced themselves.
At WWDC this week we ran into 
