GameFly announced today that it plans to begin publishing mobile games for iOS and Android. The company is now inviting submissions from iOS developers seeking a publisher, and expects to put out its first title sometime in the summer. Submissions can be sent to GameFly's GameDev group via email to gamedev AT gamefly.com.
Mass Effect Infiltrator is a mobile tie-in for Mass Effect 3. This side story follows Randall Ezno, a Cerberus agent that has "gone rogue." Developed by IronMonkey Studios, the game is a pretty decent touch screen adaptation of BioWare's sci-fi franchise, but fans will likely care most about the game's connection to the "Galaxy at War" system. By collecting intel in the game, you'll boost your "Galactic Readiness Rating" in Mass Effect 3, improving your chances on beating the Reaper threat in the game.
With a few overshadowing presences hitting today, it would be easy to overlook just about any other game that releases. So just in case you prefer furries with "tude" to crippling addictions to pills or loot, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 begins rolling out today, and will hit various other platforms through the rest of the week.
The Angry Birds zeitgeist has reached another milestone, as the series has crossed a whopping one billion downloads. Just last November Rovio was celebrating half a billion downloads. At least some of the credit for doubling that number in only six months has to go to the newest entry, Angry Birds Space.
Read more: Rovio says this is 'only the beginning of our story' »
With the recent reveals of Black Ops 2 and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, a new game must take up the mantle of "worst-kept secret in the games industry." That's looking more and more to be the next Need for Speed game, largely rumored to be Most Wanted 2.
The sequel appeared in EA's financial report as an "announced title," a mistake given that the publisher didn't announce the game.
A snapshot of the upcoming Minecraft update gives a look at some upcoming features, one of which will bring it more in line with Minecraft - Pocket Edition. The game is simplifying the way users can join each others' games, along with adding a few other minor tweaks.
Read more: 'Extra experimental' snapshot shortcuts server creation »
The hit mobile game Draw Something is adding a new wrinkle to its revenue stream: branded words. Scattered among its more general dictionary will be product names. One of the first to bite was the National Hockey League, providing the NHL with mind share and plenty of fan-made drawings to tout on Pinterest.
Kickstarter is being instrumental in bringing back games playing on nostalgia, from Tim Schafer adventure games and cyberpunk to post-apocalyptic RPGs and, ah, wank jokes. The campaign to fan-fund Leisure Suit Larry HD, a remake of Al Lowe's sleazy adventure game wrapped up yesterday at $673,602, having passed its goal of $500,000 last week.
Developer OMGPOP's mobile drawing game called Draw Something has amassed a huge number of players on iOS devices since its launch. However, recent data suggests that the drawing game's popularity is in steep decline, shedding approximately one-third of its active users in about a month's time. We're guessing that mobile publishing giant Zynga is none too pleased, having purchased OMGPOP back in March for $210 million.
After Shadowrun Returns Kickstarter hit its original fan-funding goal of $400,000 within 28 hours, it was clear the campaign for a new cyberpunk RPG had (augmented) legs. Would-be deckers, street samurai and magicians came out in force to chip in, and funding finally wrapped up on Sunday with a whopping great grand total of $1,895,772.
Minecraft - Pocket Edition for iOS and Android is a nice extension of Mojang Specifications' popular game about building and stuff, but up until just recently, the actual ability to craft things in-game was absent from the mobile offering. Survival aspects of the game, like health, mobs, and day/night cycles have already been introduced to Minecraft - Pocket Edition via updates, but building things in a game focused on crafting is pretty important too, no?
Read more: Finally putting the 'craft' in mobile Minecraft »
"Cyberpunk, at its core, is all about the dehumanisation of humanity," Shadowrun creator Jordan Weisman tells. "Both on the micro scale, where we start putting tons of gear and electronics in our bodies because what nature gave us isn't good enough anymore, and on the macro scale, with the disassembly of governments, and their replacement by mega-corporations that owe nothing to their citizens."
Our chat about the hugely successful Shadowrun Returns Kickstarter campaign has gotten a bit carried away. After discussing fan-funding the cyberpunk RPG adaptation and its unexpected pressures, modding, MechWarrior, and multiplayer, I gaze out my window at the London skyline, sadly lacking in glowing neon and towering blocks, and wonder why 1980s visions of a future which will never happen still draw such adoration today.
Shadowrun creator Jordan Weisman wants to have multiplayer into Shadowrun Returns, he's told Shacknews, but developer Harebrained Schemes would be stretched too thin if it tried to squeeze it in for launch. However, the Kickstarted cyberpunk RPG adaptation's engine is being built to theoretically support adding it later.
Just as promised, the PlayStation Suite software development kit has entered open beta. Sony is inviting interested developers to try making their own games and applications, test and debug their creations, and talk with other developers and Sony Computer Entertainment employees.
I'll be the first to admit that I do not get the whole Angry Birds thing. As an old-school NES fan, I even bristled at the comparisons to Mario. But when gaming godfather Shigeru Miyamoto himself throws Rovio's hit a few compliments, it's hard not to take notice. When those compliments include wishing he had thought of it himself, it's harder still.
Read more: 'I want to be the one creating the most convincing, surprising game ideas' »
For all their flaws, I enjoyed of the first two games in Penny Arcade's "On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness" saga. It was disappointing to learn that Hothead Games had decided to move onto other projects, leaving the four-part series unfinished. So to hear that the series was not only being revived with Episode 3, but developed by the studio behind the excellent RPG throwbacks Breath of Death VII and Cthulu Saves the World was welcome news.
A new trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 has arrived, showing off some gameplay footage and teasing the return of Metal Sonic--at least for those who've purchased Episode 1 as well. Four exclusive levels featuring the blue hero's metallic counterpart will be available to anyone who buys both episodes.
Shadowrun Returns has almost doubled its original $400,000 Kickstarter goal, so Harebrained Schemes chief Jordan Weisman rewarded fans with details on what their added funds will bring, and then set a new crowd-funding goal.
Rockstar Games is dipping into its vault once again for yet another mobile adaptation. Max Payne Mobile is coming to iOS and Android devices later this month.
As with Grand Theft Auto 3, the mobile version will offer the "full" experience found in the PC release, optimized for the mobile platforms. The updated release will include HD graphics, high-resolution textures, Social Club connectivity, and user-customizable controls.
Not unlike a certain big-name competitor, Ubisoft has announced a companion stats service for the upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Called the "Ghost Recon Network," the online service promises to let players "be a spec op 24/7."
Ghost Recon Network will give access to personal performance stats, leaderboards, challenges, friend activity, community updates, heatmaps, and more via the online interface and an upcoming iOS and Android app.
Read more: Included games and a bonus for going above and beyond »
Update: 12:58 p.m. with Mac, Linux funding and new video for more milestones.
We were excited to learn of the upcoming Shadowrun Returns when the Kickstarter page was launched yesterday. Obviously, so were fans of the old pen & paper RPG. The project achieved its $400,000 goal in slightly more than 24 hours. Two backers have already pledged the project's maximum allowable $10,000.
Widely-adored cyberpunk pen & paper RPG Shadowrun is coming back as a turn-based 2D video game RPG, or at least that's the plan behind creator Jordan Weisman's new Kickstarter campaign. Assisted by other FASA veterans, he's hoping to bring the fine mix of magic and technology to PC, and iOS and Android tablets.
Ever the merry pranksters, Team Meat used April Fool's Day to officially announce the mobile Super Meat Boy game it's been prototyping. The snappily-named Super Meat Boy: The Game isn't a port but a "brand new" platformer designed specifically for touchscreens, headed to iOS and Android.
Read more: Port would be "a pile of garbage," Team Meat says »
Okabu, Handcircus' adorable puzzle-platformer starring clouds, didn't garner much critical fanfare when it debuted on PlayStation 3 last year. While it looked charming, critics were disappointed by the shallow gameplay.
Handcircus isn't done with the franchise, however. Instead, it's giving it another chance by creating a new game for iOS and Android.
It's been over a decade since Sega released the first Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast. The MMO space has changed quite dramatically over the years, and the upcoming Phantasy Star Online 2 reflects the evolution of the genre.
Perhaps the most significant announcement from Sega today: Phantasy Star Online 2 will be free-to-play, as so many games tend to be nowadays. Like other online games, microtransactions will monetize the gameplay experience.
"It kind of sounds like they are trying to build an market place app like Amazon did on the ..."
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