Gaming posts

The new board game app that's based on the 2006 tabletop game Neuroshima Hex is a lot of things. For a cardboard hex-based game that's reproduced in your pocket, Neuroshima Hex is gorgeous. The artwork is wonderfully clear on a Retina Display, and the part-apocalyptic, part-1950s sci-fi style graphics are very fitting. The gameplay combines tricks from a miniatures-based war game with abstract strategy titles. The music and sound effects are also well done, adding to the tension and mood of the battles. Given that the tabletop version of the game runs about US$30, and the app sells for $2.99 [this review is for Version 1.01], there's very little reason to not check out this app if you're at all interested in the theme or board gaming on your iPhone. Need another reason? The developers say that a universal version of the app with a higher price tag ($4.99) will be coming soon. Want to know more? Read on for what you seek.

Gallery: Neuroshima Hex iPhone App

iSlash is a nice puzzle-type title that reminds me of Fruit Ninja, but is probably the old arcade game Qix. You're presented with a shape on screen with a few samurai stars bouncing around inside it, and your task is to slash, with your finger, parts of the shape off, while keeping all of the stars inside a certain area. You've got to slash off up to a certain percentage of the shape to move through the levels, and while the first few are easy, the shapes get tougher later on. It's good fun.

You don't have to trust us -- since the app was released, it's seen over 500,000 downloads from all over the world. Additionally, the developers are already updating it. They've added Game Center support for leaderboards and achievements already, and while there are over 70 levels now, they promise even more to come. The game's available for US$0.99, or there's a lite version to try out if you're not willing to shell out the buck.

And while it's not a costume, reader JT says he spotted this Angry Birds cake in Singapore. Never have the birds and their enemies looked so darn ... edible! Thanks to everybody who sent pictures in. I didn't see many Mac-related costumes out and about this weekend during Halloween. There were lots of video game and comic book characters walking around Hollywood last night, but no Steve Jobs or Newtons to be seen. Did you see any fun Apple costumes?

Update: Here's some more reader Hanson created with his son.

Gallery: Angry Birds Halloween costumes

The beautiful Tantrix Strategy game app [US$2.99] is an example of why it's sometimes good to wait for the second or third version of an iPad app before plunking down your money in the App Store. We're reviewing Version 1.1 here, and it improves on the original with an AI opponent (three levels). This is a huge boost, and it turns a so-so app into something all strategy gamers will want to at least look at. If you just want to dive in and check it out yourself right now, there is a free "lite" version of the app available here.

For the rest of you, here's the scoop. The iPad-only Tantrix app is a tile-laying strategy game that includes a fair bit of luck. It should not be confused with Tantrix Match, a $1.99 solitaire puzzle game that uses the same pieces as Tantrix, or Connext, a $1.99 two-player game that looks similar but offers different gameplay. If you're already feeling a bit confused, that's OK. The tabletop version of Tantrix is also one set of colored tiles that can be used to play a variety of different games (think dominoes or a deck of cards). The Tantrix app offers us the basic strategy game in a refined, pretty package. Read on to see if you want to get all tantric yourself or with a friend (speaking of apps that aren't this game...)

Gallery: App Review: Tantrix

Sega's classic ChuChu Rocket! puzzle title is on the App Store for both iPhone and iPad right now. I've been waiting for this one for a while. I loved the old Dreamcast version, and the remake for the iPhone not only recreates the mouse-redirecting gameplay (you place arrows on a board to guide mice around cats and into their mouseholes), but it adds a few iOS-specific features as well. There are 145 puzzles to play through, and as a special treat, Sega has added a one to four player multiplayer capability via Apple's Game Center; there are achievements to score as well.

The iPhone version is US$4.99, which is less than you'd pay if you found the used Dreamcast version in a store somewhere. The iPad version is $6.99, but it includes a multiplayer mode where up to four players can play on one screen -- it sounds pretty crazy. This one is a classic puzzler that you should definitely check out even if you never played the old game. We're lucky to have it up and running on iOS.

I just got done playing a level of Left 4 Dead 2 on my MacBook Pro when I saw this: Valve has released the original Left 4 Dead for Mac OS X. Valve originally released the sequel, Left 4 Dead 2, for the Mac on October 5th, promising the first one would come in time for Halloween. The reason for the delay? Valve was having a bit of a hard time making the original Mac-compatible. Late last night, Valve made good on their promise.

If you're a fan of zombies, the original Left 4 Dead is a blast. It's also a steal at just US$9.99 (a 50 percent discount in celebration of its release), but for an even better value, you can get both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 for just $14.99 for a limited time. If you already bought the game through Steam on a Windows PC, you should be able to play it on a Mac now without having to re-purchase it thanks to Steam Play.

Left 4 Dead requires Mac OS X 10.6.4 or higher (Snow Leopard Graphics Update required) with a 2 GHz dual core Intel processor or better. You'll also need either an ATI Radeon 2400 video card or better or an NVIDIA 8600M or better.

Apple hasn't shown a lot of initiative on the gaming side of things (this past "Back to the Mac" event was the first time the company even mentioned Steam coming to the Mac, something even Valve has admitted is a huge deal), but apparently Steve Jobs still has somewhat of a competitive streak.

Former Microsoft exec Ed Fries (who I just talked with last weekend at BlizzCon, strangely enough) has told Develop the story of developer Bungie being bought by Microsoft, which was the event that turned Bungie from a high profile Mac developer into a studio that made Halo games specifically for Microsoft's then-new Xbox console. Fries says that a very frustrated Steve Jobs placed a call to Steve Ballmer, furious that Microsoft had nabbed Bungie, and Ballmer then asked Fries to call Jobs back to "calm him down about the whole thing."

Fries did, and the talk eventually spawned an initiative on Microsoft's side to get some of their PC games ported over to the Mac. But as gamers know, Apple's desktop platforms have never been very gamer-friendly, and developers still say that even with the switch to Intel, Apple still has a little ways to go to make the platform a solid choice for gamers.

I'd say the real catalyst in all of this is the iPod touch, more than anything else. Apple's App Store was a real breakthrough in terms of letting developers release and profit off of their software, and the iPod touch specifically has been a real boon for gaming (which, you could argue, has helped drive the recent resurgence in Mac gaming, including the Steam for Mac release and a few other high profile developers embracing the platform). We'll have to see if that happens with the Mac App Store as well -- most of the issues with developers right now have to do with technical issues rather than a lack of distribution channels, but having an easy way to release and update software on the Mac certainly won't hurt.

[via Ars Technica]

Just like Doodle Jump, another big-name App Store game is getting in the Halloween spirit. Angry Birds Halloween is now available on the App Store. It's a US$0.99 "special edition" of Angry Birds with 45 Halloween-themed levels, which are complete with "scary" backgrounds and pumpkins for you to smash.

Unlike the Doodle Jump "Doodlestein" update, Angry Birds Halloween is a totally separate app from Angry Birds, so even if you own the original Angry Birds, you'll still have to pay $0.99 for Angry Birds Halloween. But considering how much fun Angry Birds is, another buck for 45 new levels isn't a whole lot to ask.

Raptr is one of the gaming social networks that seems to have some staying power -- the idea is that you can broadcast and track what and when you're playing, and the network will share all of that information with your friends as it happens. Raptr has just introduced an iPhone app that allows you to check in on all your friends and their gaming habits from anywhere, and even send messages across to Xbox Live with just one inbox.

The app is free on the App Store, but if you're brand new to Raptr, you'll want to head over to their site and create an account first (and probably pick up the desktop client, too, although it's Windows-only at the moment). If you're already a Raptr user, then there's no reason not to have this app.

That said, a few recent App Store reviews say the app has a problem with friends list loading. I didn't see any issues, but be warned. I'm sure the Raptr team is hard at work on fixing any issues that come up.