The rumor that Sony would release a PSP phone is very, very old. Since the first iPhone, people have been speculating that Sony would release a gaming-focused phone in response. Now, the gadget gurus at Engadget are claiming that Sony Ericcson will indeed release a PSP phone based on Google's Android platform.
Android aficionados will know that Google is still rolling out Android 2.2 updates, but the rumored PSP Phone is said to be based on Android 3.0. The image at right is just a mock-up, but it's apparently based on a spy's first-hand look at the actual device.
Posted by Alexander Bevier at 3:00 PM Aug 11, 2010
It's almost astonishing how many people have the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Lightsaber app on their iPhone/iPod. After that app came out, everybody was willing to unsheathe their iPhone and wave it around in an attempt to feel like a Jedi. It's a surprising amount of fun, actually. Harry Potter Spells feels like it's trying to do the same thins as the Lightsaber app, but this time with magic.
Harry Potter: Spells kicks off by asking for your name. After typing it in, you recieve a letter from Albus Dumbledore stating that you've been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Players can accept or decline the offer, but declining merely takes you back to the name-select screen.
Once you end up at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat -probably the coolest thing in the Harry Potter universe- tells you what house you will be living in. He shouts out the name of either Gryffindore, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin with the excitement of a drunken walrus at a party.
The future is here. Too bad the future is a nuclear-scorched wasteland.
Along with being nuts about games, many of us here at JD are aficionados of Google's Android phone platform. So when a news item comes along that combines both, it's like chocolate and peanut butter.
The fine folks over at Android Central have spotted this new US Army wrist computer that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Fallout series' trademark Pip-Boy personal computer. Although the Army's Android-based GD300 has a 600 MHz ARM processor, 8 GB of onboard flash memory, and a 800 x 480 3.5-inch screen, it probably doesn't allow you to use Stimpacks or take out enemies with VATS.
Somewhere, somehow, we became the site that reviews video games and iPod docks.
Don't get me wrong, we love reviewing these speaker systems. After all, we consider the iPod/iPhone a legitimate gaming system, making these devices officially gaming peripherals.
The latest dock we've had a chance to check out is the iHome iP46, a device designed around delivering big sound in a small form factor.
The iP46's big selling point is its rechargeable lithium ion battery, which means like the iPod itself, it doesn't need to stay plugged into the wall. Once it's charged, you can pick it up and bring it with you on the go.
Phoenix Wright for iPhone has experienced The Cheapening!
In honor of Comic-Con, Capcom is slashing the prices on their iPhone/iPod/iPad games.
This is a limited time offer, but the only game with an explicitly stated expiration date is the Apple version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, which goes back up to normal price on the 25th. Check out the rest of the price cuts below. There are plenty of good titles on sale, and some not so good ones. Specifically the bottom two on the list.
Speaking of Comic-Con, the JD crew is unfortunately sitting this year out. If you're going and you see something cool we need to cover, send your news to joystickdivision@gmail.com!
The Battle for Hoth: Because you're a nerd and a sucker.
We're not sure how we missed this for so long. THQ Wireless released a new Star Wars game for iPhone/iPod/iEtc a few days ago, but we just heard about it now. While is like million years late in Internet time.
Anyway, Star Wars: Battle for Hoth is available now, and it's a simple, brilliant idea - a tower defense game set on Hoth (duh). Tower Defense games may be a dime a dozen on the iPhone, but this is the only one that lets you fight AT-ATs. So yeah, we're sold.
Check out the game page here, or head on below for some screenshots.
I know most iPhone/iPod/iPad gamers discovered this little gem long ago. But I didn't, and when it was finally introduced to me a week or two ago, I instantly discovered why it's one of the hottest iPhone games in a long time.
That's why I've decided to write about Angry Birds now, even though it's old news to many of you. Because if you were like me and missed out on this game, I want to help you correct that mistake.
You might think that given all my raving about it, Angry Birds is a groundbreaking, boundary-pushing title. It's not. In fact, it's as simple as can be. But that's a big part of what makes it so awesome.
No matter what type of smartphone we use, we all love Mario. Most of us would kill for an official Mario game on our phone, but I think it's pretty safe to say that will never happen - at least until Nintendo makes a phone. But those clever Android users have a way to approximate the experience - a Mario live wallpaper for Android phones. For those who aren't aware, a live wallpaper is an animated background that displays on your phone, which can run while you're doing other things. They're pretty pointless, but fun. This one is obviously one of the best we've seen. Thanks to Android Central for bringing it to our attention.
Whoa. We cover a fair amount of iPhone/iPod games on JD, but have run far, far less coverage of games for Android-based phones. Frankly, that's because there's simply much, much less gaming-related Android news out there. But when news of an Android game bubbles to the surface, it's usually pretty cool. Case in point: Androideroids. The concept is simple - it's an eight-player version of Asteroids, played in first-person on Android phones, with the complete game broadcast to a monitor. It's pretty slick when you see it in motion - which you do below!
At this point, most of know that virtual goods have become a serious part of the gaming world. From MMOs to FarmVille, players are paying real money from virtual items, and it's a business model that's exploded in the last several years. It's fairly well-documented that web-based games are using this model to rake in the cash, and now the first-ever study of mobile virtual goods has unsurprisingly revealed that virtual goods are becoming big business for smartphone game developers. Based on the study by Frank N. Magid Associates and mobile gaming network OpenFeint, American smartphone users are poised to spend $168 million dollars on virtual goods by the end of the year.
My iPod Touch has been a little neglected as of late, at least as a gaming device. I blame the influx of big-name console titles that I've been playing recently. Fortunately, I've found a little time to check out a few iPod games, including Biodefense: Zombie Outbreak. At first, it appears to be a standard "tower defense" game, but once you get into it, it quickly becomes clear that it's got of real-time strategy elements. Plus, it has zombie sperm whales. Zombie sperm whales!
After writing about how the best-selling iPhone/iPod Touch game Ninjatown: Trees of Doom could be yours (for a limited time) for only a buck, it occurred to me that I hadn't yet reviewed the game. So here goes! Trees of Doom is one of those games that's perfect for the iPhone - simple and fun, and yet something you can play in short bursts of time. Read on for more about this cuddly tree-climbing adventure!
Once you start covering iPhone and iPod games, you find yourself covering accessories for the device. I'm fully aware that the iHome iP90 dock/radio has nothing to do with gaming, but if you've got an iPod/iPhone, I assume that you at least occasionally use it for things other than gaming. If so, you might want to check out the iP90, it's a really nice dock and alarm clock that's built to highlight the strengths of your favorite portable device.
Posted by Alexander Bevier at 3:00 PM May 26, 2010
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has made its way onto almost every modern portable gaming device. After it's initial release on Nintendo DS, the Rockstar game has moved onto PSP and also the iPhone. Now, on Apple's magical telephone, the game can now be played for free in a smaller, "lite" version. Players will be able to steal cars, sell drugs, and have sex with virtual hookers for no cost to them.
We could really say enough about how much we lovedSpace Miner: Space Ore Bust, so naturally any other games by its developer Venan Arcade were bound to get our attention. The company quickly followed up Space Miner with Ninjatown: Trees of Doom and not surprisingly it was another great little title.
Ninjatown climbed straight up the charts at the Apple App store, although it hasn't quite hit the number one spot - yet. In hopes of climbing those Trees of Doom all the way to the top, Venan Arcade has slashed the price by 50 percent, so you can now pick it up for a mere 99 cents.
"While the game has been amidst the Top 25 Paid
Apps for
almost a week, Ol' Master Ninja is not yet satisified with our
progress,"
said Brandon Curiel, CEO of Venan Entertainment. "After a conference
call
with Ninja Consultant, Business Ninja, and Shawn Smith, creator of
Shawnimals,
we've decided to unleash our most devastating power up yet - a 50%
discount!"
What are you waiting for? Head over to the App Store and grab this game now while it's dirt cheap!
I recently joined the ranks of the Android phone community, and as much as I love it I have to admit that it pales as a gaming device in comparison to the iPhone. But as the Android phone community continues to grow, so to do its gaming options. Mobile publisher Gameloft is bringing a selection of its iPhone games over to Android phones, including big games like N.O.V.A and Assassin's Creed. Head below to see the full list of games and a video of them running on Android.
If there's ever been a "must buy" iPhone/iPod Touch app, this is it. Horror legend George A. Romero has teamed up with developer Additive Interactive for App of the Dead, which lets you "zombify" pictures of you and your friends, and then shoot them in the face. You can add wounds and blood splatters to your undead creations and even upload the results to Facebook.
App of the Dead is coming soon to the App Store, and coming shortly thereafter to my iPod.
This very well may be the game that makes the nerd universe explode. Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night is being touted as a combination of Castlevania, Puzzle Quest and Super
Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. I don't know how any self-respecting gamer can hear that description and not have their head explode.
We don't know too much else about the game yet, other than that it's scheduled to hit all of Apple's core mobile devices "very soon" and forces Alucard to venture through Dracula's castle and defeat foes with falling "match-three" puzzles. I'm completely sold on that info alone.
Yep, apparently. Mobile gaming experts Pocket Gamer have alerted me to the existence of this silly game, which is pretty much exactly what you'd expect. Pillowfight Girls is scheduled for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and the first screens of the "sexy" fighter have arrived. They're pretty tame, but you'll still have to head below the break to see them, you dirty, dirty perv.
There's no shortage of tower defense games on the iPhone and iPod Touch, and yet it seems like developers are still discovering ways to keep the genre fresh. The video above gives you a pretty good idea of how Brisk Mobile's Medieval plays - you shoot arrows at invaders approaching from the opposite castle. It's a pretty simple game, but like the best iPhone games out there, it takes a basic concept and manages to make it incredibly engaging.
I'd just like to take a moment here to shill for a game that I really enjoyed and think that everyone with an iPhone or an iTouch should check out. Space MIner: Space Ore Bust isnow will be on sale on the App Store for the bargain-basement price of $0.99 starting Saturday. You can check out my review of the game here, although much has changed since I first covered it - a recent update has improved the graphics and added new modes and items. If you don't already have it, you now have no excuse not to pick up this excellent little game.
[UPDATE]: I jumped the gun a bit. The sale doesn't start until Saturday.
If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, there's a good chance you've played Doodle Jump. The developer, Lima Sky, has announced that the $0.99 game has now sold four million copies. Only a month ago, Lima Sky announced that the game had sold three million copies, which means the game is officially selling like hotcakes.
Doodle Jump is a simple game: the player uses the touch sensor to steer the auto-jumping Doodle creature to the left of right. The higher you jump, the higher your score, and the game continues until you die. Tapping the screen shoots at the rare enemies, and a handful of power-ups help you gain extra height. It's a game that you can play with one hand and the average game only lasts a minute or two, making it a perfect fit for the pick-up-and-play library of games on the Apple App store.
A new version of Doodle Jump is apparently under development for the iPad. We predict that, like the original, it'll do pretty well.
The other day I received a press release in my inbox announcing the free "Lite" version of the iPod/iPhone game Space Miner: Space Ore Bust. I was between iPod games at the time, so I decided to download the full game, not knowing what to expect.
I'm really glad I did.
Like all of the best iPhone games, Space Miner seems simple at first - it's basically an updated take on Asteroids. You fly a little ship and blast space rocks out of the sky. Simple, right? The genius of Space Miner is that it combines this basic gameplay with role-playing game elements - after a couple levels of busting space rocks, you're granted the ability to upgrade your ship with better weapons, engines, shields and more. Asteroids drop minerals which give you cash to buy these upgrades, and as the game progresses you'll encounter more and more hazards that ups the challenge of collecting these minerals. There are more enemies, more dangerous asteroids, even boss fights that pit your mining ship against giant out-of-control robots. Fortunately, the gameplay never gets too tough - If you're ever stuck, you can always take on an earlier mission to earn more money for more powerful weapons or shields.
Completing the package is a continuous story that's actually funny, strong visuals and a great honky-tonk soundtrack that really sells the mining aspect of the game. Since I purchased the game, I haven't been able to put it down - it's fun, funny and addictive. Space Miner: Space Ore Bust is another great addition to the iPhone's growing library of excellent games.
After I mentioned yesterday that I intended to review the iPhone version of Crush the Castle, a friend of mine gave me crap for reviewing a game that was so old. I suppose that's a valid point, but I still think there's good reason to review the game. First of all, the game received a significant upgrade in the last couple months that adds a lot of content. Secondly, there are so many new games on the iPhone all the time that reviews of old titles are still valuable. After all, I haven't had my iPod Touch for too long, and I appreciate some guidance as to what the best titles on the App Store are. With that in mind, I present to you my review of Crush the Castle. Read on!
In my ongoing pursuit of truly delightful iPhone/iPod Touch games I recently happened to stumble upon a wonderfully fresh and original title. Said title (as I'm sure you already know from the picture and post title) is TILTtoLIVE -- a simple, clean, and elegant game with a deliciously competitive edge.
I probably spend more on my iPod Touch than any of my other gaming console these days, primarily because it's just so easy to pick up and play for a minute or two at a time. Here's a bit about what I've been playing, as well as a little bit about what I haven't.
- The game above, GeoSpark is a fun little twist on the "dual stick" shooter that's become so popular on consoles lately. Pull similar shapes together to destroy them, but if different shapes touch, it's game over. It's fun, fast and affordable at $1.99.
- After hearing about its gay-positive message, I decided to check out Valet Hustle. I was curious how a game about parking cars could really have nothing to say. Unfortunately, I never really found out. Every single time I've played it, the game eventually crashed on me. It's too bad - It's a fun little time management game when it works.
- The free game Fingerzilla lets you crush little cities by tapping on the screen. There's not much else to it, but who doesn't like smashing stuff?
- So far, I'm largely unimpressed with the "big budget" games on the iPod - I have TheSimpsons game, the Dexter game and several other "expensive" titles ($4.99 and up) and I never play them. I've also never played a game I've had for a while that I'm sure I'd like called UniWar. One of these days I'll finally check it out.
- The great flash game Crush the Castle has an iPod version, which I was unaware of until today and promptly downloaded. It's the best kind of iPod game - one that's instantly understandable and can be played for a minute or two at a time. It's $1.99 and you break stuff. You should buy it!
If you took the concept behind Bejeweled, put a Japanese flair on it, and pixelated the results -- well you'd have Piyo Blocks. It's quirky, it's colorful, easily accessible, wonderfully charming, and most of all it offers a challenge to the first time player as well as the seasoned puzzle vet.
Since the rise of "casual" games in the last few years, there hasn't been a casual game that's been as wholeheartedly embraced by the games journalism field as Plants vs. Zombies. If you played it, you already understand why. If you haven't played it, then you should. In its original PC/Mac incarnation, Plants vs. Zombies was a shining example of what a casual game could be: fun, instantly understandable and deep enough to keep gamers of all levels engaged. It was a good-looking "tower defense" game with bright, colorful graphics, a charming soundtrack and a lengthy campaign. Now the game has made the leap to iPhone and iPod Touch, and unsurprisingly it has lost none of the charms that made it one of the best casual games ever.
I've owned an iPhone since the first generation. I'm not saying this to brag, as some may insult my intelligence for spending so much on a phone anyway, but to legitimize my future claims. Since the beginning of my romance with the iPhone I was amazed with all it could do. From visual voice-mail to surfing full pages on the net, it did almost everything brilliantly. Almost.
To all you skeptics out there, I sympathize with you. Emulators on the iPhone have a history of getting the cane as soon as they take center stage in the App store. However you can allow yourself some excitement because this time around it's an official, full virtual console, slated for an early February release.
Dubbed the "Ultimate Genesis", it will come with Space Harrier II, with other games available for purchase through the App. Here's the line-up and pricing thus far:
Sonic the Hedgehog: $5.99
Golden Axe: $4.99
Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99
Shining Force: $2.99
According to Gizmodo the emulator is a little slow on non-3GS iPhones, but that won't stop me and my 3G from kicking the shit out of Death Adder come this February.
Oh, and if anyone from Sega is reading this, Road Rash please!
Yesterday, Capcom announced that an iPhone version of Resident Evil 4 would be available in Japan by the end of July with the "rest of the world to follow shortly thereafter". And you'll never guess how this announcement was made?
It was Twitter. I know you're disappointed and I'm sorry.
The game appeared on the Japanese iPhone App Store by mistake for a short time on Monday before being taken down. Luckily for us, a blogger from the land of the rising sun was able to get his hands on it and was kind enough to take some pictures and share them with the world. A few are below (after the jump), see more here.
