I am not a huge gaming fan, probably because I just don’t have enough time. But there are moments like standing in a queue or waiting for someone, when a little mindless distraction is welcomed. And that is where Temple Run comes in.
It isn’t complicated, it doesn’t take hours of game play to get somewhere and you don’t need to invest your life into it. In case you have’t play it, Temple Run is a simple endless running maze game. You need to escape from some nasty looking Monkeys who are upset because you stole some treasure from the temple. The gameplay is simple – swipe left to turn left, swipe right to turn right, and so on.
Sounds great. But here was my problem. Temple Run didn’t get on very well with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and, you guessed it, my main Android device runs Android 4.0. In fact Temple Run worked so badly on ICS that after playing it my device would crash and reset! So, of course it got uninstalled.
But here is the good news. Temple Run has been updated to fix “compatibility issues with Android 4.x ICS devices”. And true to their word, Imangi Studios seem to have ironed out all the major problems. Temple Run now runs flawlessly and my device doesn’t crash when I exit the app!
According to the “What’s New” section, along with the ICS compatibility changes, this release offers general bug fixes and also resolves a problem that caused low resolution textures to be used on high DPI devices. Imangi Studios are keen to hear about any bugs from users and mention that they “are committed to making Temple Run the best game on Android!”
So if you uninstalled Temple Run because it wasn’t working properly then go back to Google Play and give it another chance!
Our friends at Joystiq have procured the first gameplay footage of Epic's followup to the popular Infinity Blade series, called Infinity Blade: Dungeons, and you can get a look at it below. As you can see, it's set in the same world as the first two games, but features a completely different take on gameplay, using gestures to fight baddies from a top-down view rather than a fixed camera.
There are also some interesting crafting mechanics, like rubbing out imperfections on a blade you're making, or tapping dents in metal to clear them off. Infinity Blade: Dungeons was announced at the iPad 3 Apple event, and is supposed to be out later on this year.
Republique is an upcoming iOS title that's made a lot of noise by getting funded on Kickstarter recently, to the tune of half a million dollars, but I've had one nagging question about it: How exactly are they going to distribute the app to all of their backers? The most obvious solution would be to put a password gate inside of an app, but Apple doesn't allow that. If you have to lock content in your app, then you're clearly selling it outside of the App Store, which means you're dodging Apple's 30% cut. So what's their plan? Republique hasn't yet said, only that it's still being decided.
Fortunately, however, here's the answer. The folks behind Zombies, Run! say that all they had to do to distribute an app for Kickstarter backers was ... ask. Apple agreed to let them have two versions of the app on the store -- one just for sale, and another that was free with a password gate in it. There were two limits, however: There had to be at least some content in the password-closed app, so people who just randomly came across it weren't confused. And Apple made the app developers take down any preorders once the app went live, so that Apple didn't lose any sales of its own.
Good to hear that distribution this way is possible -- there are a few other Kickstarter projects that will need to make use of a plan like this when they are released. The key, according to Six to Start, is to get in touch with Apple early, and keep that communication flowing.
There are some easy hits, like Angry Birds Free, but also some little gems like Wind-up Knight, Forever Drive and Spice Bandits. If you or a friend is wondering what games to try out first on an iPad, you can't go wrong here.
Puzzles can be fun, exciting and rewarding, and they can also exercise your brain cells in the process. Mobile puzzle games extend to a wide variety of games from block-version Tetris games to memory pairing card games. All of these games have one characteristic in common: they are so addictive that players have been reportedly spending huge amounts of time on them.
With Android leading the pack in mobile gaming, puzzle games have also evolved from simple, ordinary games to visually stunning brain-bending games that eat your time away. Here are some of the best mind and puzzle games to keep you entertained, as well as recharge your brain in those boring hours of the day.
Undoubtedly, the best puzzle game of all time has to be Cut the Rope by ZeptoLab. The charming green monster Om Nom and the candy that dangles around at every level have made the app highly successful. Though it’s a simple puzzle game, it’s also highly addictive.
The objective of Cut the Rope is simple. Simply feed the candy to Om Nom by cutting the rope attached to it while collecting bonus stars in the process. As the levels progress, the game becomes challenging with obstacles and other contraptions being added such as spikes, a wheel that extends the rope’s line, magical hats, saws, bees, and so much more. Cut the Rope has 100 levels so far with more levels being added in future releases. There is also another version of Cut the Rope which is known as Cut the Rope Experiments.
Slime balls everywhere and a whole lot of them are in World of Goo. If you thought goo balls were used for throwing around, in World of Goo, you can actually make structures using them. These addictive slime balls were once famous on the PC and have finally been ported to the Android platform.
In World of Goo, players have to construct and do a little balancing with the goo balls until they reach the exit tunnel to complete the level. Sounds simple? It is actually easy during the first few levels, but once you progress to later stages, the game adds a variation of goo balls to make the game more interesting and fun to play with. Not only that, elements such as wind speed, sticky balls, spikes, balloons, and fire traps are added into the gameplay, making the game challenging during later levels.
World of Goo is a clever little puzzler that aims not just to exercise your mental power but to entertain you as well.
Like most construction games that revolve around blocks and construction materials, X Construction separates itself by letting players build train tracks and bridges while keeping an eye on your budget as construction is going on.
X Construction is all about bridges and how good you are with your physics. Players build bridges for the train to cross from one point to another. The challenge is that players are limited with a small amount of cash to build tracks.
To create tracks, players need to tap on the small white dots and drag their fingers across the screen to place metal rods for the foundation of the bridge. Design is crucial in X Construction as one false move could spell disaster. Building a stable bridge needs a clever design and in this classic physics-based puzzler, X Construction truly stands out a gem in balancing acts.
Geometry isn’t that difficult once you’re having fun and at the same time learning the craft. Slice It from Com2us is another brain-bending puzzler that has reached worldwide acclaim for its simplicity, and fun and challenging atmosphere.
Slice It, from the name itself, basically lets players slice different shapes into equal parts. It may sound simple but the game has added a couple of twists by throwing in some elements that make the game even more challenging. Certain obstacles, like a restricted area, are strategically placed on the surface of the shape which prevents the player from slicing that part.
Slice It has over 60 levels for you to solve and as you progress, the game becomes increasingly challenging. The only issue with the game has to be the slicing, as the game may not accurately pin point your move. Overall, Slice It is a fun way to learn geometry while making it insanely fun to pass out time.
While brain tests actually stimulate our brain into thinking, here’s one puzzling game that actually fulfills its purpose in a devilish way.
The Moron Test, developed by DistinctDev Inc, is a tricky, fun, and whacky puzzler that takes away the word “serious” in puzzle games. This is the only game that makes failing a fun part of learning. The Moron Test never fails to amaze as players are put to certain tests, which “measure” whether they are a complete idiot are not.
The game takes you through a series of tests, from a simple press of a button to solving mathematical word problems. Other types of puzzles include memory-teasing questions, visual analogy, and even silly challenging questions that you would surely love and enjoy. At many times, the game also gives you subtle hints and clues to keep the game even more challenging and interesting to play with.
Satisfy your pyromaniac tendencies with Burn The Rope. If you have played Cut The Rope before, then you already have an idea of what the game has in store for you. Burn The Rope is a unique puzzler game that is pretty straightforward.
The gameplay is simple and players are only required to burn as much rope in each level. Easy right? But, there’s a catch: the fire only burns upwards leaving you to tilt your phone to guide it. To make it more interesting, certain elements have been added to affect the core gameplay. For example, the ant’s color changes the flame’s hue, or the spider can shoot a web that helps players access difficult areas not normally present during the start of the game.
With over 170+ stunning levels, beautiful fire effects and unique controls, Burn The Rope is surely going to burn your time playing this addictive game.
For all of you wannabe inventors, here’s your chance to prove your stuff with Apparatus by Bithack. Apparatus is a puzzle building contraption game with a simple objective: get the marble and place it into a blue bucket.
Apparatus is a great game for creating complex machines without spending for real building blocks. Players can take the role of a designer and create a simple or complex machine to complete their objective. Players can connect cables, motors, batteries, set up ropes, build vehicles or just let their imagination run wild and build the perfect apparatus that will meet the game’s objective. Creativity is the key here if you want to succeed.
Apparatus is a great sandbox type game that slowly chips away at your time as you create machines into a working prototype. For now, the game features an early level mode that lets you go through some basic concepts as you progress and go into freebuild mode for unlimited opportunities.
Experience gaming pleasure at its finest with this addictive puzzler shooter called Bonsai Blast by Glu Mobile. Bonsai Blast lets players take control of a catapult that shoots marbles into the air.
The gameplay is simple; players just need to shoot and match 3 of the same marble color to progress through the levels. Bonsai Blast also features certain obstacles that make the game more challenging. Players can ricochet marbles off the walls, use chutes to guide marbles on narrow paths, or even swap shooting catapults to other locations.
Bonsai Blast has over 90 themed levels that are beautifully rendered, making marble blasting a fun and addictive experience.
Fire fighting couldn’t be more entertaining with Sprinkle by Mediocre. Sprinkle is a water physics puzzler game that takes players on a firefighting crusade on a martian planet.
Players must extinguish flames before the fire completely burns the villagers’ houses. Players take control of a water cannon that is adjustable to any height and angle to douse out flames. Water is limited, so players have to be careful in managing their water. Time is crucial and the game pressures you to extinguish the flames as quickly as possible.
The game gets a bit more challenging as there are some places that you can’t reach and you must solve some puzzles along the way. Puzzles could involve moving huge chunks of blocks, spinning wheels or activating certain switches. Sprinkle has over 72 water filled levels for you try out and solve.
Here’s another water-themed puzzle that will surely suck your time dry. Where’s My Water from Disney revolves around an alligator named Swampy who needs to take a bath but has found out that someone is screwing his water supply.
Players take the role of an excavator or plumber digging away dirt for the water to travel to Swampy’s bath tub. This isn’t your ordinary pipe game which involved connecting pipes; Where’s My Water is a different game with special environmental conditions that you have to solve. Players start out with a pool of water on each level; it could either be stagnant or it could run through a pipe or tap. The objective is simple and that is getting the water for Swampy to use. Along the way, players can meet different obstacles like mines, bombs, pipes, acid, or pit falls that make the game more challenging.
Where’s My Water has seven chapters with each chapter comprising 20 levels. In a nutshell, Where’s My water is a refreshing puzzler with amazing graphics and physics that packs a lot of punch in gaming.
You’ll never have an excuse to be bored again. Download one or all of these apps for you Android phone and watch your time get sucked dry as you try to conquer level after level. If your favorite puzzle game didn’t make it to the list, share it with us in the comments section.
Today, I got to try out Juggernaut: Revenge of Sovering (Free) from Mail.ru. A freemium-style RPG game, it offers a polished feel and good production values, especially in the audio track. In the short time I have had with the app, game play mostly consists of bashing enemies and using spells and armor to defend.
I have yet to find much subtlety for strategy and it's clear from the start that the game's raison d'etre is to sell in-game coins and crystals. That said, it's not bad for older kids so long as they keep out of your iTunes account and are okay with highly sexualized game imagery. Adults will probably get bored fairly quickly with the fights.
However, gameplay isn't really why I liked this app as much as I did. I was mesmerized by the deeply accented narrator who could barely speak English. His strong Eastern European tones have won my heart. One of the devs, Alex Patsay tells TUAW that in one of the voice-over versions there were "lifeless desserts" instead of "deserts."
The app itself is fine, I suppose, but the narrations are a delight unto themselves. "When shadows crapped upon the land" and "Land whipping of their noble sons."
If you decide to download, be aware that the app is nearly a half a gigabyte in size.
Phil Hassey's title Dynamite Jack, first seen by us at GDC earlier this year, is now available for purchase on Steam. It's only $4.99 usually, and it's actually on a launch sale for $3.99 right now, so if you need something to play this weekend, it would be a perfect choice. I really like the game's combination of stealth and action, and it's got a nice retro style that's clear, simple, and fun.
The only reason you might not want to grab it just yet is that it's still coming to the Mac App Store soon -- Hassey says that he couldn't quite swing a simultaneous release, so the Mac App Store version might have a few extra features that the version on Steam doesn't have just yet. And Hassey says he's also going to be hard at work on an iPad version as well, so if you'd rather play the game on a tablet, you might want to wait. But the game is a lot of fun, and at just a few bucks, it's worth a look for sure.
Rovio's Ville Heijari has confirmed the rumor we heard yesterday is true, and Rovio is taking over the iOS Casey's Contraptions title from developers Noel Llopis and Miguel A. Friginal. We're still not sure what the exact business agreement is, but it sounds like an acquisition of all rights associated with the game, and Rovio seems to also have kept on Llopis and Friginal as developers for their services. The Casey's Contraptions title is going to be removed from the App Store for now, and return as an official Rovio title for both iOS and Android (along with other platforms, possibly, later on this year).
As I said yesterday, this is a great move for everyone involved: Rovio gets a high quality title that really appeals to casual gamers of all stripes (with a really impressive social and content sharing backend), and Llopis and Friginal get the opportunity to bring their really excellent game to a much larger audience. Casey's Contraptions was always a great title, but now it'll have the Angry Birds-fueled marketing machine behind it all the way.
If you enjoy casual games and have both an iPhone and an iPad, then you'll want to check out Astronut from The Iconfactory. The planet hopping game has been available on the iPhone for a few years, but an updated iPhone and a new iPad version now lets you use your the iPad for the game and the iPhone or iPod touch as the controller.
With its 24 levels and 40 different achivements to unlock, Astronut is a solid title that'll keep you entertained for a while. You can literally play for an hour without getting bored, but don't worry if you've only got a few minutes to spare as the game can be saved at any point. There's also GameCenter support so you can share your stats with other gamers.
We haven't heard much (anything, really) from Tiny Wings creator Andreas Illiger since he released his amazing little iOS game Tiny Wings, featuring a cute bird flying through a series of random hills. Illiger was a little intimidated (not surprisingly) after his game got so big so fast, and he disappeared from the public eye, even as his title sold millions and millions of copies on the App Store. But he didn't stop working, apparently. He intends to release another game very soon.
In this (very rare) interview, he says that he was shocked by all the attention Tiny Wings received. Despite making plenty of money, the only extravagance he's gone for was a new computer. He's still working alone, not with a big studio, and while he says the new game will be for iOS, everything else about the game is "a big secret."
It should be out in just a few weeks. It's good to see Illiger is managing to keep his head through all of this. It'll be very interesting to see what he's working on next.
