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Video

GameStick shipments delayed one month to August for UI feedback

143 Comments

Opinion

Opinion: The biggest news of E3 was Apple's controller announcement (no, really)

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News

Yakuza honcho is making a kids' game that goes beyond the norm in Hero Bank

Video
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GameStick shipments delayed one month to August for UI feedback

By Dave Tach on Jun 19, 2013 06.19.13

Shipments for GameStick, PlayJam's diminutive Android-based micro-console, have been delayed a month and are now expected to ship in early August, according to a post yesterday on the device's Kickstarter blog. The device's second delay is necessary, its creators wrote, to ensure that Kickstarter backers are able to provide input on the GameStick's final user interface. "In the spirit of Kickstarter it would be disingenuous of us to cut out this process and not give those backers the opportunity to comment on and help perfect the UI prior to completion," the post reads. "We have therefore taken the decision to push back the whole project by one month to ensure we can fit this process in. We appreciate that this will frustrate backers keen to get their hands on their device but we...
Opinion
143 Comments

Opinion: The biggest news of E3 was Apple's controller announcement (no, really)

By Chris Plante on Jun 19, 2013 06.19.13

At Apple's WWDC press event in San Francisco on Monday, the company announced its upcoming iOS 7 software — the operating system for iPhones and iPads — will finally support traditional video game controllers. The news was met with enthusiasm from a number of developers and abject disinterest from the rest of planet Earth. After all, when compared to the rest of E3's fantastic gaming announcements, this one seemed small fry. I suspect that, in time, that opinion will change; that a small addition to Apple's iOS may have a grander impact on video games than either Microsoft's Xbox One or Sony's PlayStation 4. That is if Apple nurtures this seed to its furthest potential. an iOS device becomes a mobile console and a living room console, all-in-one If Apple finds a way to...
News
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Yakuza honcho is making a kids' game that goes beyond the norm in Hero Bank

By Kevin Gifford on Jun 19, 2013 06.19.13

Hero Bank, first announced a few days ago on Japanese websites, looks like any other Japanese kids' game at first. It's for the Nintendo 3DS and it features middle-school-aged kids raising virtual heroes that they fight against each other for fame and prestige. The difference is that unlike all the other games you could describe this way, this one's produced by Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi, the main guy behind Yakuza. And he's looking to shake things up a bit. "Making a new hero-oriented game is really pretty risky," Nagoshi told Famitsu. "It's as if you're trying to challenge all the heroes already out there on their own turf. That's why, if we're going to do this, than we're going to put our all into it. Also, making a game for children is also one step in raising the gamers of the...
News
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Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition comes to PC, Mac and mobile

By Emily Gera on Jun 19, 2013 06.19.13

Retro-styled RPG Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition is now available on PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices, publisher Paradox Interactive announced. This updated version of the former mobile-only title includes new content, game areas, a longer campaign, tavern, dungeon raids and additional loot. The new edition can be purchased for PC and Mac for $9.99 via digital retailers, while a premium edition of the game — Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition Digital Deluxe Edition — is available for $14.99. Android and iOS users can purchase the new release for $2.99; however, those who previous bought the original title on mobile will receive +1 Edition for free. To get a taste of the game before you buy it, Paradox is holding a streaming event for the game tonight at 6 p.m. GMT on the...
News
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Controversial pipeline video game cleared by independent review

By Tracey Lien on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

Pipe Trouble, a video game sponsored by Canada's TV Ontario about building an oil pipeline, is now available on iOS and Android devices after it was recently cleared of advocating eco-terrorism by an independent review panel. The game, where players build pipelines while dealing with economics, regulations, efficiency, the environment and sabotage, was initially released on TVO's website but was later pulled after reports claimed that the game advocated eco-terrorism. It was believed that the root of the problem was that players were able to blow up pipelines in the game. The game drew nation-wide attention and TVO was ultimately pressured to remove the game from its site. Today, developer Pop Sandbox Production and Publishing released a statement confirming that, following an...
Deals
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Humble Bundle corrals Aquaria, Fractal, Organ Trail, Stealth Bastard Deluxe and more

By Dave Tach on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

The Humble Bundle with Android 6 is packaging six games, soundtracks and bonus games for the next two weeks, according to the sale's listing online. DRM-free games in the name-your-own-price bundle are available for Android, Windows, Mac and Linux and include: Aquaria Fractal: Make Blooms Not War Oregon Trail: Director's Cut Stealth Bastard Deluxe Pulse: Volume One (Android only) Each game includes its soundtrack, and paying more than the average price ($4.68 as of this writing) will net buyers a copy of Frozen Synapse and Broken Sword: Director's Cut. By paying a bonus dollar, you can also get a Steam key for playing on Valve's digital distribution platform. As usual, buyers have the option to split their payment between the developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and...
Mobile Watch List
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Mobile Watch List - 9th Dawn, Dead Ahead and Quadropus Rampage

By Russ Frushtick on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

PRESENTED BY 639914516_ie-stb_hp__4
9th Dawn (iOS / Android) This old school-styled RPG has been on Android for a while now, but it finally has made the jump to iOS. Not for the faint of heart, you're liable to die very, very quickly. But hey, that's what old school RPGs are all about. Dead Ahead (iOS) It's tough to get ahead of the pack of forever runners on the App Store, but Dead Ahead does a fine job of it, thanks to a unique art style and really, really good gas milage (scooters!). Free-to-play, but the ads are disabled by a buck, which makes this a pretty good deal. Quadropus Rampage (iOS / Android) What exactly is a quadropus? A four-legged octopus ... probably! But that's not really important. What is important is this game, a roguelike action RPG that starts you off with a tennis racket and sends you into...
News
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Benjamin Rivers' Home hits iOS June 20 with new features, Mac this summer

By Dave Tach on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

Home, indie developer Benjamin Rivers' pixelated horror game/narrative experiment, will be released for iOS this Thursday, June 20, according to the game's official website. The iOS version, which Rivers teased late last year, has been "reprogrammed almost entirely from scratch," according to a press release from the developer, and includes new text, content and a new area to explore. It will be compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, and the universal app will cost $2.99, the same price as its Steam counterpart. A Mac version will follow this summer. Both it and the Windows PC version will receive the iOS additions. Check out the launch trailer above to get a sense of the portable horror that awaits on iOS. For more on the game, be sure to check out Polygon's review of Home's...
News
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Shadowrun Returns delayed, now launching July 25 with full editing tools

By Samit Sarkar on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

Shadowrun Returns, the Kickstarted revival of the role-playing series, will be released on Windows PC, Mac, iOS and Android July 25, developer Harebrained Schemes announced today. The studio said in April that it planned to launch the game in June. It will ship a Linux version at some point after the aforementioned date. Harebrained will release a full suite of level editing tools along with the game, allowing players to completely remake the existing game or use it as a jumping-off point for their own creations. "Players can start from what we have created and build on it, revise it or use it as a starting point for completely new stories," said Jordan Weisman, creator of Shadowrun and the founder of Harebrained Schemes, in a press release today. "I believe we are the first to...
Video
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Ninja Theory's new mobile game Fightback gets a machismo-laden trailer

By John Funk on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

A new trailer for Fightback, an action game from DmC and Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory, features a hyper-masculine protagonist leaping into action with guns blazing. It was one thing for a gang of thugs to take over a city, but when they took the main character's sister, he took it personally. "When there is no justice," growls the narrator, "there can be only vengeance." A side-scrolling brawler that was announced as "an action game with touch-based combat and an '80s vibe," Fightback will be hitting iOS and Android "soon," according to the trailer.
News
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Where's My Water? game starring Mickey Mouse coming to mobile devices

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

Disney Mobile Games will launch Where's My Mickey? for mobile devices this week, the latest game in the Where's My Water? series, with Disney's iconic mouse in the starring role. The title will closely follow the characters and plots of the upcoming Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts, which will premiere on the Disney Channel on June 28. The show is being overseen by animator Paul Rudish, producer of cartoons including Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory. Players will follow Mickey, along with his friends Goofy and Pluto, through various humorous scenarios that require them to solve certain conundrums using water. The levels look and feel like interactive cartoons, with short scenes playing out between each of the five episodes' 20 stages. Scenarios include needing water to make lemonade,...
News
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Women in Games International launching Montreal chapter

By Alexa Ray Corriea on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

Women in Games International, an organization working to promote women's roles within the games industry, will launch its new Montreal chapter tonight during an International Game Developers Association's summer event, reports Games Industry International. Co-founders Valerie Bourdeau, Jules Morgan, Sharon Price and Violet Vosper hope the formation of a Montreal-based group will foster a greater sense of community among the city's female developers. The group will organize lectures and other events in the area, which sports a number of big-name company branches including Ubisoft, BioWare and Warner Bros. Interactive, as well as Visceral Games, Funcom and a score of indie developers including Polytron. The launch will take place tonight at Terrasses Bonsecours in the Old Port of...
News
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Crytek to release tactical action game The Collectibles for iOS

By Jenna Pitcher on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

Crytek plans to release The Collectibles, a tactical action game iOS title with Apple's MFi gaming controller framework support later this year, the company revealed during a session last week at WWDC. In the demo, attended by 9 to 5, a developer commanded a squad of five soldiers through ravaged jungles. Players can either use a touch-based navigation and cover system, or use the D-pad and physical controller buttons. At the WWDC keynote, Apple announced support in the software developer kit for made for iPhone game controllers (Made for iPhone), which will roll out later this year with iOS 7. According to reports, Apple is working with both Logitech, MOGA and other manufactureres to supply controllers. Kotaku posted an image of a reported Logitech controller provided to them by...
News
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Blizzard bolsters Warcraft card game with new features

By Colin Campbell on Jun 18, 2013 06.18.13

Blizzard has announced tweaks to its forthcoming collectible card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. The free-to-play game, currently in beta for Windows, Mac and iOS, now offers quests that can be completed to earn gold for card purchases. There is also a new leveling system allowing regular players to gain more experience points. A friends-list has been added and the frames of cards themselves have been redesigned to distinguish each class from one another. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is a Magic: The Gathering style game featuring characters and classes from the MMO. It begins with around 300 cards, with extra packs available to earn or buy. The game was first announced at PAX earlier this year and is due for a full launch later this year.
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Snoop Dogg rhythm game steps onto iOS

By Colin Campbell on Jun 17, 2013 06.17.13

Snoop Dogg's rhythm combat game Way of the Dogg is out now for iOS. The game was launched on Xbox Live and PSN in May, with an Android version due later this summer Priced at $2.99, it's a 14-level musical tap-a-long in which the hero, American Jones, seeks revenge against his partner's murderers in a series of hip-hop scored combat sequences. It features a variety of Snoop Dogg's tracks including 'Who am I?', 'Gz and Hustlas' and '10 Lil Crips'. Way of the Dogg was developed by Echo Peak.
News
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The Cave headed to iOS this summer

By Dave Tach on Jun 17, 2013 06.17.13

The Cave, Double Fine's modern adventure game staring a large cast of mismatched characters and an anthropomorphic cave, is headed to iOS this summer, a representative from the developer confirmed to Polygon. According to a hands-on report from TouchGen, the mobile version remaps the control scheme to focus on taps instead of a virtual stick for movement and adds swipes for jumps. The Cave is already available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Windows PC, Mac and Linux. For more on the game, be sure to read Polygon's review for The Cave.
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