All For You

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Portable Podcast, Episode 110

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Head in the clouds…

On This Episode:

Carter and co-host Blake Grundman dig into iOS 5′s features, discussing the ways that it improves the iOS experience, and how features like iCloud improve gaming on iOS.

Who We Are:

Host: Carter Dotson

Guest: Blake Grundman, 148Apps and Games Are Evil

Music:

“Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)” by The Eternal – Download on iTunes here:

“Nanocarp” by The Eternal

How to Listen:

Click Here to Subscribe in iTunes:

Click Here to Subscribe via RSS.

Listen Here:

Apps Mentioned on This Episode:

Zombieville USA 2

Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Buy Now: $0.99

Our Rating:

:: DOUBLE TAP
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-10-27 :: Category: Games

Shantae: Risky's Revenge

Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Buy Now: FREE

Our Rating:

:: MAGIC
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-10-27 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Shantae: Risky's Revenge, Zombieville USA 2

About: The Portable Podcast, Episode 110 is a post from 148Apps

Carter Dotson 09 Nov, 2011
enclosure: audio/mpeg

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/news/portable-podcast-episode-110/
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Pig’s Dreams HD Review

at 1:17 PM

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Developer: XRay Mobile
Price: $0.99
Version: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad 2

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.88 out of 5 stars

What do piglets dream of, when they take a little piggy nap? Despite sounding like it could be lyrics to a song from the next Hangover sequel, the silly verse is actually the premise of a new physics/puzzle game from developer XRay Mobile. So what does a pig actually dream of? Apparently it is fixated with saving fellow test subjects from a lab, spanning a wide variety of locations including a beach, pirate ship and even space. Maybe this is more of a fever dream, than a pleasant experience. Poor little guy…

Kidding aside, Pig's Dreams is an interesting take on physics manipulation games that focus on modifying the environment in order to hurl the slumbering swine through the air. The end goal is to send the piglet flying into the side of his glass cages, which are restraining his fellow test subjects. While this may sound simple in concept, the execution of the task is far more difficult. Herein lies what helps make the game so much fun.

Once players have come to an understanding of how the limited number of items will interact with other items, blowing through puzzles become somewhat of a breeze. This isn't to say that things are not difficult from time to time, but the broad majority of stages can be completely with limited amount of mental strain. Luckily there are seventy-five different stages, set in five differently themed "dreams." The changes are rarely more than just purely aesthetic, but regardless, the change of scenery helps to keep the gameplay fresh.

If the biggest issue with Pig's Dreams is repetition, when the "fun level" is this high, there could be much worse problems to have. Plus, the "dream" world structure leaves plenty of room for expansion later on down the road. Clocking in at only ninety-nine cents, this is the kind of game that will certainly give you more than enough bang for the buck to justify an instant purchase.

Buy Now: FREE
Released: 0000-00-00 :: Category:

About: Pig’s Dreams HD Review is a post from 148Apps

Carter Dotson 09 Nov, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/pigs-dreams-hd-review/
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EDGE Extended Review

at 12:06 PM

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EDGE Extended Review

By Rob Rich on November 8th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: FUN CUBED
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

EDGE Extended may sound like a “director’s cut” version of the original EDGE but make no mistake, it’s a sequel through-and-through.

Developer: Mobigame
Price: $2.99
Version: 1.0.4
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.06 out of 5 stars

The original EDGE did quite well for itself when it was originally released in ’09. People apparently dig minimalist cube-themed puzzle-platformers. And rightly so. Roughly two years on and now we have EDGE Extended, a game that by all rights should have a “2″ in its title. It’s got more of everything: more levels, more music and more cubes.

The core gameplay is pretty much the same as it was in the original (“if it ain’t broke!”). Players roll their colorful little cube through each level, avoiding pitfalls and grabbing little flashing boxes on their way to the goal. While trying to make the best time, of course. Levels run the gamut from constantly shifting deathtraps to perspective-twisting deathtraps and races against an evil twin of a cube. The races are also deathtraps.

There are a bunch of little details that really make EDGE Extended shine. The simple shapes and shades look slick and provide some surprising mind-bending moments when they start to blend together and skew perspective like an M.C. Escher illustration. The way a stage can shift around and build upon itself also looks really neat and can keep players on their toes. I’m also a big fan of the ghost racing. What I mean is, players can replay a level and race against a ghost-image of their last run. It’s a nifty little feature that I think more timer-oriented games should incorporate.

The only real issue I have with EDGE Extended is that the controls are a little sticky. And loose. Sticky and loose. At the same time. I know, it sounds weird. It’s just that I’ll find myself getting caught up on a step one moment, then overshooting it the next. Both have led to a checkpoint restart on occasion, which is annoying but manageable. Out of the three available control options (touch, tilt and swipe), I found the virtual arrow keys (touch) to suit me best. I still end up falling off of a stage every now and then, though.

With a current total of 48 levels (good luck trying to earn an “S” rank on each of them) and a brilliantly simple style, I think it’d be silly not to recommend EDGE Extended. It’s one of those games that’s obviously been designed specifically for iOS users, the current crop of iOS users that have grown accustomed to quality portable titles, from the ground up. It probably shouldn’t be missed.

EDGE Extended

Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Buy Now: $2.99

Our Rating:

:: FUN CUBED
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2011-08-25 :: Category: Games

Apps mentioned in this post: Edge, EDGE Extended

About: EDGE Extended Review is a post from 148Apps

Rob Rich 09 Nov, 2011

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Source: http://www.148apps.com/reviews/edge-extended-review/
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Procreate Review

at 11:06 AM

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Procreate Review

By Lisa Caplan on November 8th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: PAINTING PERFECTED
iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad

Procreate gives professional and amateur artists the tools they need and the simplicity they want to create their own masterpieces in real time.

Developer: Savage Interactive
Price: $4.99
Version: 1.5
App Reviewed on: iPad 2

iPad Integration Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Procreate, a professional-grade painting app for iPad and optimized for iPad 2, has been my favorite since it launched. Procreate has a wonderfully clean and intuitive GUI that welcomes any level of artist. The app is speedy too – there is zero lag between brush strokes on the touchscreen and their appearance on the virtual canvas.

This real-time experience got me so intrigued I contacted the Australian developers who explained they built a custom engine – Open GL engine-Silica – that uses just about every drop of power in the A4 and A5 processors to provide desktop quality speed and performance.

Another thing that sets Procreate apart are the brushes. It has 12 presets that offer an amazing amount of configurability. Users don't just control the size of the brush and the opacity, but also the wetness and paint load, the scatter, the plot, everything an artist – amateur or professional – might want to tweak.

Procreate takes it a step further. The detail-oriented artist can choose any images loaded onto the iPad to create the specific customized brush they need. Procreate was the first to offer this feature; others have tried to copy. What sets Procreate still far afield from the rest is the way brush creation works. Users choose two images, one for texture and the other for shape, and the app merges them to make the perfect tool for any project.

The smudge tool – like everything about the Procreate- feels organic, and artists can work with up to 16 layers effortlessly in way that will feel familiar to Photoshop users. The recently added pinch-to-zoom feature and optional HD canvas are very useful too. Procreate also offers Photoshop integration with multi-layered, multi-faceted project saving in PSD format. There is also PNG output, that allows for true transparency.

Procreate, with all that power, is the serious artist's best choice, and for those who just like expressing their creative side, the simplicity and clean canvas are altogether too inviting to ignore. Most who have tried it agree: Procreate wins best in class.

procreate

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Buy Now: $4.99
Released: 2011-03-16 :: Category: Entertainment

Apps mentioned in this post: procreate

About: Procreate Review is a post from 148Apps

Lisa Caplan 09 Nov, 2011

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500,000 Apps Interview Series: Berkeley Malagon, The Moron Test

at 10:32 AM

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Most mobile app development companies are delighted if their app hits the Top 100 list at all; The Moron Test hit the list and stayed there for over two years. Clearly, DistinctDev has a magic recipe for success. Not so, says Berkeley, an affable guy in his late twenties. He attributes much of the game's staying power to the priority his company puts on maintaining ties to its considerable fanbase, engaging them in conversation on Facebook and Twitter, and keeping gameplay fresh with regular updates.

Until recently, DistinctDev was just three guys with computer science backgrounds. DistinctDev started as just two people – Steven Malagon (Berkeley’s brother) and his high school friend Mike Monaco. When Berkeley joined in 2008, the trio was developing Facebook games, but switched their focus to mobile when the iOS SDK came out. There had always been a frustration associated with trying to develop apps for mobile devices but for the first time it seemed possible to really make a smartphone do something cool, so the team bought a Mac Mini and decided to give it a try.

Berkeley admits that there were lots of false starts in the beginning, but when they stumbled on marketing gold – the inherent human desire to prove to others they weren't stupid – DistinctDev really started focusing on creating more and more content for their top-selling product. The game's sustained success helped the company grow enough to lease a downtown Seattle office and hire it's own employees (they're up to six people now).

Even with their recent achievements – the three recently had to pick actual job titles, which Berkeley admits were partially the result of coin-flipping – they remain a "pretty chill group". They don't stick to formal roles but instead contributes according to each person's individual skills. Berkeley usually does most of the data and "mathy" stuff, as well as handles PR; Mike is the iOS and server-side guy; Steven is the front-end web expert, as well as producer and project manager. All three of them generate ideas for new content together, often inspired by things they encounter in daily life.

I asked how the group manages to continually create original ideas. "We actually take a lot of inspiration from bad interfaces," explained Berkeley, and went on to tell me about an experience he and Mike had while walking around a drugstore. They ran across a toy which had an arrow and instructions to "squeeze the head". The arrow had become inverted after some handling, and was now pointing in the wrong spot. The instructions were accurate but somehow the arrow's position took more importance, so the guys got to thinking about how arrows could be leveraged to create tricky questions for the game.

I asked Berkeley about what he does on his off time. Surprisingly, he is a major hip-hop fan; he's also an MC and has even been known to do a little freestyle music and "battles" (yes, like 8 Mile). I asked if he had anything I could link to in this article, and he gave a self-deprecating laugh. "No, just hobbyist stuff for personal gratification." The other two guys are into autos, and spend a lot of time working on their cars and racing them. All three of them are big music lovers and frequently go to concerts together.

It's clear that DistinctDev has a bright future if the company continues with it's customer-centered approach to developing fresh new content. But what about the future for mobile development in general? Berkeley doesn't see much point in speculating on the distant future with regards to the computer industry. He compares it to the Yellow Pages telephone directory; even though he remembers using one as a young person, in thirty years kids are going to hear about them and think they were ridiculously archaic. There's already so much technology that twenty- and thirty-somethings remember that has become obsolete, and the pace is only going to quicken. Like the other developers I've interviewed, he sees it progressing into an ambient technology which is ubiquitous.

In the nearer future, he's curious as to what impact freemium games will have on the crowded mobile gaming market. He recognizes that it is difficult to create fun games that aren't a "grind to play,” so it's possible that the freemium label might become a stigma that customers will eventually shy away from.

As we were wrapping up the conversation, I asked Berkeley about what was on the horizon for DistinctDev and he became very excited. "We'll be releasing lots more stuff for The Moron Test soon, more content and cool additions." They are also working on a sequel that "borrows from the original title, gives fans more of what they want, and improves on it. It will really delight players."

I could hear Berkeley grinning through the phone. "Yeah, we're super, super-super-super excited about it."