gaming - page 47

There’s no denying that Valve’s team-based World War II multiplayer shooter Day of Defeat is one of their less popular games, but if you’re burned out on the recent ports of Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike Source, good news: Day of Defeat Source is now available on Steam for Mac for just a tenner.

Needless to say, like all of Valve’s other Mac ports, if you already own DoD for the PC, you don’t have to pay again. Day of Defeat’s a good game, but it doesn’t quite have the polish of Valve’s other games, particularly Team Fortress 2. If you’d like to play a similar game for free, I recommend Enemy Territory.

With Day of Defeat’s official Mac release, the only big Source-engine games Valve has yet to release are the two I’ve been waiting for most: Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead Ii. With Valve releasing a new port every two to three weeks, though, my guess is we’ll see both before the end of the summer.

As a last note, this is as good a time to mention that we’ve set up a fledgling Cult of Mac group for Steam, so if you want to do some multiplayer with fellow Macheads, load up Steam and join the cult.

The first draft of this post was composed jointly by an excitement-inspired cerebral aneurysm and my own paroxysmal face smashed repeatedly against the keyboard.

The second draft will be more succinct: PopCap games have just sent out an email featuring the Plants vs. Zombies rotting hand logo clutching a sign that says “Save the Date: August 2, 2010.”

The obvious assumption? Plants vs. Zombies 2. After all, the original has sold like gangbusters on every platform it’s been released for. A sequel is just money in the bank for Pop Cap.

Twisting my fingers to the point of splintering here. I’ve warded off over 50 waves of Super Garguantua Zombies with my endless survival gloom shroom setup in the first game. I’m ready for some new zombies on my lawn.

ARSoccer from Laan Labs is the first soccer game in the App Store to use augmented reality, along with your iPhone’s camera, to juggle a virtual ball with your feet.

There are two game modes; Free Play, which pretty much explains itself, allowing you to practice at will and perfect your skills; and Arcade Mode in which you try to keep the ball from dropping to the floor and get as many “hits” as you can for your highest score.

The best way to see how this game works is to check out the video here.

It’s a fantastic concept and it’s a great way to get involved in a game. I wouldn’t advise you play at the bus stop, however – you may get some funny looks.

At just $0.99, ARSoccer is a bargain! Get it in the App Store here.

With outstanding 3D visuals and impressive gameplay, Glu’s best-selling Deer Hunter 3D is recognized as the greatest hunting game available for the iPhone & iPod Touch. Now Deer Hunter 3D for iPad has hit the App Store and gives fans the opportunity to enjoy this highly popular game on the iPad’s high-resolution screen.

Super Badminton 2010 by Rolocule is the one and only 3D badminton game available in the App Store for iPhone & iPod Touch. Despite no current competition, this game still boasts “hyper-realistic physics,” HD quality graphics, a slick UI and realistic sound effects, all of which go towards keeping Super Badminton at the top of its game.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ygPYHA4hs&feature

As far as compulsive time wasters on the App Store are concerned, Doodle God is a new favorite.

The game is a silly puzzler, in which various elements are combined to create new elements. Some of the puzzle logic is hysterically (and frustratingly) wonky: the combination of “Life” and “Rock” results in “Egg,” for example. Successfully bond two elements together and you’re given a new building block to play with, as well as a pithy, oft-times humorous philosophical quote.

I’ve really been enjoying the game, inscrutable though it sometimes may be. If you’re interested in trying it before you buy, there’s a great Flash version, or you can pick it up on the App Store for just $0.99.

The much anticipated Archetype first-person shooter has hit the US App Store today and claims to deliver a “high quality console-style FPS experience on iPhone or iPod Touch.”

First launched in the Czech Republican App Store, Archetype, for just $2.99, offers 3 game modes; Training, Challenge and 5-on-5 Team Deathmatch over Wi-Fi, 3G and even EDGE. With 5 maps to choose from a variety of weapons, Archetype seems a must for any online FPS fan.

Features include a precise dual joystick-style control system, the ability to rank up by earning experience points, an offline tutorial mode and the opportunity to add friends and challenge them in team deathmatch.

Developers, Villain, have also optimized Archetype for the iPhone 4’s retina display by offering high-resolution graphics that provide fantastic looking weapons and textures, and, they claim, “headshots never looked so good!”

Get your hands on Archetype in the App Store here and let us know what you think!

Two of the most popular sporting games for iPad have gone on sale today for a limited time only courtesy of Gameloft, who have slashed the prices of Real Soccer HD (previously $6.99) and NFL 2010 HD (previously $4.99) to just $0.99.

I’ve found both games to be a great buy, in fact, Real Soccer is one of my favorite soccer games for the iPad, so if you’ve been considering either of them, now is a great time to snap them up!

Gameloft also has a sale currently running on two of their other games including Hero of Sparta HD and Brain Challenge HD, both of which have also been reduced to $0.99.

The savings don’t stop there, though – as well as their sales, Gameloft have permanently cut the prices of both Modern Combat: Sandstorm HD and Gangsta: West Coast Hustle HD from $6.99 to $4.99.

Badminton hasn’t really caught on wildly here in the U.S. Still, if Super Badminton 2010‘s graphics are as good as its screenshots suggest, who cares about popularity. The game boasts “hyper-realistic physics” to complement the slick graphics as well as deep control options and details like being able to play on a wooden court and realistic badminton moves.

The game’ll set you back a moderately hefty $5 though, so those screenshots will have to do a considerable amount of persuading to anyone who isn’t a badminton nut.

In the iPhone, Apple has the biggest non-dedicated mobile gaming device in the world, while in the DS, Nintendo controls the most successful dedicated mobile gaming console. There’s a war on, and while it won’t be a battle to the death, Nintendo understandably doesn’t want to give Apple any more help than it has to when it comes to gaming… least of all by creating iPhone versions of its more popular franchises.

During an investor Q&A, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confirmed that you shouldn’t expect an iPhone version of Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda anytime soon.

“Other companies don’t share Nintendo’s values or traditions when it comes to creating devices,” he said. “We are absolutely not thinking of [releasing software on other platforms].”

Iwata wasn’t specifically referencing the App Store, of course, but the message is clear: Nintendo’s gaming franchises are long-term strategic assets Nintendo isn’t going to lend for a quick buck to promote another console. If you want Nintendo games on your iPhone, you’ll have to turn to jailbreaking and emulation.

[via TUAW]

Omino is a simple platform game recently released for the iPhone & iPod Touch which claims to ‘take you back to your childhood’ with it’s retro feel. It’s clear from the screenshots that its similarities with the old Super Mario Bros. games is uncanny, but is it as good?

If you haven’t already played Giana Sisters, you’re missing out! It’s one of the best platform games on the iPhone & iPod Touch and I highly recommend you try it. If you share my love of Giana Sisters, you too will be pleased to hear that a HD version is making its way to the iPad soon, according to Touch Arcade.

Originally released in 1987, The Great Giana Sisters was first developed for the Amiga, Atari, Commodore 64 and other consoles of the era. It was quickly pulled, however, after running in to legal trouble with Nintendo due to its similarity with Super Mario Bros. The game was reborn in 2005 when it was renamed simply Giana Sisters, and made its way on to mobile phones, and a few years later, the Nintendo DS.

Today, 5 years on, Giana Sisters is one of the best platform games in the App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and Touch Arcade have reported today that its developers, Bad Monkey, have sent them a bunch of screenshots for their upcoming HD version of the game. You can check them out and find out more info here, or read Touch Arcade’s review of the current game here.

If you can’t wait until the iPad release on 9th July, you can find the iPhone & iPod Touch version in the App Store here.

Touch Arcade have reported today that game developers, Mobile 1UP, have “bitten the bullet” and announced in the Touch Arcade forums that they are porting Lemmings to the iPhone & iPod Touch. All 120 levels of the original game will feature, and what’s more, it will be a free download.

If you’re unfamiliar with Lemmings, it’s a 20-year-old puzzle game that was originally developed by DMA Design, now Rockstar North, and published by Psygnosis. The aim of the game is to guide a group of Lemmings through different landscapes by assigning them individual skills, in order to get a certain number of them through to the exit.

Lemmings first appeared on the Commodore Amiga and was one of the most popular games of its time. Since then it’s been ported to a wide variety of game systems, most recently to the PSP and PlayStation 3 consoles.

If you’d like to keep track of Mobile 1UP’s progress on the iPhone & iPod Touch port, you can follow their live blog throughout the whole process.

Mobile 1UP have stated that Lemmings will be submitted to the App Store as soon as it’s ready – stay tuned for a review when it’s released!

The iPhone might not run Flash, but that hasn’t stopped Zynga from bringing their popular social gaming phenomenon Farmville to the App Store.

Almost everything short of a Flash-engine is the same in the iPhone version, allowing players to buy and sell their crops and livestock. Any changes on your farm are reflected in the Facebook app, and vice versa. Additionally, iOS players get some exclusive new Farmville items to play with, including a Snow Leopard.

Farmville is available now on the U.S. App Store. It’s free to download.

Halogen for iPad from developers RocketHands is a fast-paced action game that kind of mixes air hockey with Space Invaders. Your job is to smash a puck around the screen and activate the colored reactors on each side, while at the same time eliminating the hordes of colorful enemies that invade your space to collect enough Halogen elements to complete each level and achieve your highest score.

There are 4 game modes that will each push your reflexes to the limit – single player mode features 16 insanely crazy levels that start off fast and then become faster. Your enemies get bigger and nastier and the black hole at the bottom of your screen gets wider. This intense, fast-paced gameplay is what makes Halogen so addictive and keeps you returning to the game in an attempt to beat each level and complete the game.

For many of you, it’s probably a bit too late, but if you’re a Mac gamer who uses Valve’s Steam for Mac games delivery client, you might want to hold off updating to 10.6.4: according to Valve, 10.6.4 introduces some major performance issues to owners running Macs with NVIDIA GPUs.

The following message warend Steam users who logged in over the weekend about the upgrade:

The recent 10.6.4 update from Apple has noticeable performance issues for NVidia graphic chip owners running high performance games. If you wish to avoid this, you should consider waiting to install the 10.6.4 update until Apple has had the opportunity to address this issue. Full details of what is contained in the 10.6.4 update can be found here: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4150. If you have already installed this update and believe your graphic performance is affected, please contact Apple support (https://www.apple.com/support/) for details on what to do.

I haven’t noticed anything on my 27-inch Core 2 Duo iMac, but your mileage may well vary. If you haven’t updated to 10.6.4 yet, and if your Team Fortress 2 performance is more important to you than your Snow Leopard importance, it can’t hurt to hold off for now.

Gaming thin client OnLive — which streams advanced PC games from the cloud to any device with an Internet connection — has just gone live for select guinea pigs, and if you sign up now, you can potentially get a year’s subscription to the service for free thanks to a partnership with AT&T.

That’s not to say the games will be free though: it’s only the $4.95 per month fee that’s being waived if you get in. The games themselves — which include Assassin’s Creed 2, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Borderlands and Just Cause 2 among others — will still cost money.

If the thought of playing cutting-edge PC shooters on your iPad or MacBook sounds good to you, you might as well sign-up today… although it looks like you’ll need to wait to see if you get in to download the client and start playing.

We’ve heard a bit about OnLive before, a client that promises to interactively stream spec-intensive games in real time to devices that can’t natively run them like the iPhone, iPad or OS X. Touch Arcade just got a chance to try OnLive out at this year’s E3, and the resulting video of the service streaming Borderlands to the iPad is pretty impressive, even if the current control scheme is pretty wonky.

The only problem is that, as usual, OnLive is being demonstrated in ideal conditions involving a local server, an extremely limited pool of players and a great WiFi connection. Latency is going to make or break OnLive, and there’s a lot of skepticism that the technology’s there yet to make this work under non-ideal circumstances, especially for twitch-based games like shooters and RTS titles.

We’re not necessarily optimistic, but we hope for the best: the idea of playing top-of-the-line PC games on our Macs and iPads without having to wait for an official port or upgrade our hardware is just too promising to ignore.

Although it started as a clandestine probe into enemy territory, Apple now pretty much owns the handheld gaming market — game for game, buck for buck — thanks to the App Store. The previous king of handheld gaming, Nintendo, hopes their new console will swing things back in their favor: they think the future of handheld gaming is 3D, and have just announced the console they hope will prove it, the Nintendo 3DS.

Sharing the look of its predecessor, the Nintendo 3DS has two displays: a 3.02-inch touchscreen display running at a 320×240 resolution, and a 3.52-inch 3D widescreen display that works without the need for additional glasses. It also includes three cameras (one front facing, two back facing — to allow 3D photos to be taken) as well as an SD slot, a traditional DS cartridge slot, 802.11n WiFi, a 3D depth slider to reduce or disable 3D effects in games and both a D-Pad and analog stick for controls.

Neither price nor release date have been announced for the 3DS yet, but a $149 – $199 MSRP and a holiday season launch would be my guess.

It looks like a fantastic update to the original DS, and the 3D technology is uniquely amazing, but with the 3DS, it seems like Nintendo’s still locked in to a primarily retail distribution channel for new titles. As long as Apple has the edge of a thriving app ecosystem and a low-barrier to developer entry, Nintendo is only going to continue to fall behind Apple.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5iM9YSs0Q8&feature=player_embedded

E3, the year’s biggest video gaming conference, hasn’t revealed too much about Valve’s upcoming Mac-friendly puzzle shooter, Portal 2, except the pre-emptive announcement that it’s been delayed until 2011. On the bright side, though, we have gotten this great new trailer.

Set hundreds of years after the first game, Portal 2 again puts the player in the shoes of the hot hispanic cyborg Chell as she solves numerous physics based puzzles to defeat the schizophrenic, cake-obsessed GlaDOS.

The new trailer makes clear that some of the “jungle” locations seen in earlier preview images are in fact parts of the Aperture Science labs that have been reclaimed by nature over the past few centuries. As usual, Valve is doing a smart job reconciling their timelines: while the first game took place roughly at the same time as the original Half-Life, Portal 2 takes place several hundred years after the end of Half-Life 2. The games share a universe, but they don’t chronologically have to wrestle with each other.

Not enough for you? IGN has just posted ten minutes of Portal 2 gameplay footage! You can find it after the jump.

Arguably the best soccer game on any console, the much anticipated Pro Evolution Soccer is now available on iPhone and iPod Touch and boasts a unique ‘true flow’ control system, unrivalled realism and official UEFA competitions exclusive to Pro Evolution Soccer 2010. But does it compete with other big soccer games already available in the App Store?

Like a Norman Rockwell painting trying to hit you with a bazooka, Valve’s fantastic team-based multiplayer game Team Fortress 2 is now available on Steam for Mac. Even better? It’s free to play this weekend for everyone with a Steam for Mac account, and if you want to play after, Valve has discounted the game by 50%.

I’m away from home right now, but my Steam name is “DrCrypt” if anyone wants to add me (be gentle… I suck). Also, when I get back, I’ll look to set up a Steam “Cult of Mac” group.

As a big fan of the sport, I’ve played a lot of soccer games on the iPad – from full 3D soccer sims like Real Soccer, to little 2D 1-on-1 games. However the most addictive pick-up-and-play soccer game I’ve played so far is easily Deadball Specialist HD by Full Fat Productions Ltd, which pushes your finger flicking skills to the limit!

Last week, as Valve released the Half-Life 2 games to Steam for Mac, hey noted on their forums that the OS X port of their frenetically cartoonish team multiplayer game Team Fortress 2 needed a little more time to bake.

Now, in the least oblique hint ever, Valve teased last night that Team Fortress 2 will be available on the Mac later today.

Big things are happening RIGHT NOW at Valve. Things involving cultivated tree-fruit. BIG things. Things that rhyme with “grapple.” Things that rhyme with “Speem Gortress zmavailable on the Babac.”

If the last few weeks’ Steam for Mac releases are anything to go by, Team Fortress 2 should debut on the Mac at a roughly 30% discount to entice new players.

I can not even tell you how much I’m looking forward to this. Any interest in a Cult of Mac Team Fortress 2 match this weekend? It’ll give some of you the long craved-for opportunity to smash the back of my head into jelly with an aluminum baseball bat while simultaneously shooting me with a bazooka!

Rhythm-based gaming isn’t new to the App Store – for a while now, there have been several games that offer players the ability to play along and ‘jam out’ to their favorite music. However the largest, most successful game in the genre is Guitar Hero. With huge success on pretty much every console available, the biggest music video-game franchise has finally found its way on to the iPhone and iPod Touch, and my God does it rock!