Cave Releases Dodonpachi Resurrection Lite

03 Sep 2010 at 18:48

Danny Cowan

Free Games, Games, cave, dodonpachi resurrection, shooter

No Comments

Cave has launched a free Lite demo version of its acclaimed bullet-hell shooter Dodonpachi Resurrection. If you haven’t yet purchased the full version, you need to play this, badly.

Dodonpachi Resurrection Lite includes the first level of the game, playable in both Arcade and iPhone modes. The demo also offers a taste of the new SM scoring system, which includes two weapons exclusive to the iPhone version of Dodonpachi Resurrection.

Be aware that both the full and Lite versions of the game are only playable on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, the iPad, and third-generation iPod Touch devices. Earlier hardware generations are not supported.

New on iPad: Pac-Chain, Ninjatown, Build-A-Lot 2 HD

03 Sep 2010 at 18:13

Danny Cowan

Action, Games, Puzzle, build-a-lot, iPad, ninjatown, pac-chain

No Comments

iPad owners now have optimized versions of Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! and Build-A-Lot 2 to call their own, along with a new and platform-exclusive Pac-Man puzzle game from Namco.

Pac-Chain ($4.99) challenges players to touch and clear groups of like-colored ghosts before they rise up to the top of the screen. An on-screen Pac-Man can be dragged across the screen to devour power pellets, which trigger screen-clearing combo chains.

Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! HD! ($1.99) is an endless action game featuring multiple tree-climbing gameplay modes. The new iPad edition boasts redrawn graphics, new unlockable ninja characters, and support for Plus+ leaderboards and awards.

Build-a-Lot 2: Town of the Year for iPad ($7.99) brings Glu’s award-winning strategy sequel to a bigger screen with optimized graphics and a new user interface. Players can expect to see a variety of new structures and special buildings as they flip houses to turn a profit in the included Campaign and Casual modes.

AutoCAD Triumphantly Returns to Mac and iOS Devices

03 Sep 2010 at 18:04

Blake Grundman

AutoCAD, Blog, autodesk, ios

No Comments

It is hard to even imagine what computer-aided design would be like without an application like AutoCAD.  It has redefined the way that an entire generation of engineers look at problems and been a big proponent for PCs in the industrial design sector.

You would have to go back eighteen years to remember the last time that AutoCAD made an appearance on a Mac platform of any sort.  At the time, one Steve Jobs had been shown the door and the company was floundering rather severely.  In response to an indefinite future for the fledgling company, Autodesk decided to close up shop on their Mac OS based development team and focus on the more lucrative PC market.

The plan seemed to pay of for them at the time, but left Mac users out in the cold, forcing them to use emulation tools in order to get the same functionality on their platform of choice.  Fortunately for all involved, that is now a thing of the past as it was recently announced by Autodesk that the AutoCAD franchise will be making a return to the once abandoned Mac universe.

But what would a return of Apple support be without iOS applications as well?  Coined AutoCAD WS, AutoDesk will be releasing an iPad, iPhone and iTouch application that will allow users to both view and edit designs on the fly.  As the sweet icing on the cake, the app will be completely free!  This is kind of a big deal when you consider that a stand alone license of the application could set a user back as much as nearly $4,500.

I just find it staggering how far technology has come in the last twenty years.  Even a decade ago it would be lunacy to consider what we can design on our computers, and now you can do the same thing on a device that you can fit in your pocket.  It will be interesting to see what limitations are placed on the WS versions of AutoCAD, but we will never be ones to look a gift horse in the mouth.

You can look forward to this giant step forward in design and engineering to hit the App Store sometime this fall.

[ via InfoWorld.com ]

[ AutoCAD Triumphantly Returns to Mac and iOS Devices is a post from 148Apps ]

Round-Up: Gamasutra Network Jobs, Week Of September 3

03 Sep 2010 at 17:54

Danny Cowan

Industry News, career

No Comments

In a diverse week for new job postings, Gamasutra’s jobs board plays host to roles across the world and in every major discipline, including opportunities at Blizzard, Warner Bros. and many more.

Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site’s daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, ‘serious games’, independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted this week include:

Blizzard Entertainment: Senior Software Engineer, Engine, Starcraft II
“Blizzard Entertainment is seeking an experienced engine programmer to focus on core engine development forStarCraft II. This position will involve extending StarCraft II‘s animation and effects systems, as well as working with the team on other ongoing core engine and graphics technologies.”

Raven Software: Lead Designer (Web and Platform Services)
“Raven Software, developer of numerous award winning games, including Singularity, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wolfenstein and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is seeking an experienced Design Director/Lead Game Designer.”

Sony Computer Entertainment America: Manager, Game Design
“Be a part of the most exciting and innovating computer entertainment in North America. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets, and distributes software for the PS one console, the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems and the PlayStation Portable (PSP).”

Warner Bros. Games: Art Director
“WB Games Inc. seeks an Art Director to be responsible for collaborating on product position and design, for overseeing development of art concepts and visualizations, and for approvals of final content, working very closely with the Creative Director and Designers to develop and realize the vision of the game. ”

Bungie: Senior Engine Programmer
“Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve our real goal of total world domination. NON FACETE NOBIS CALCITRARE VESTRVM PERINAEVM”

To browse hundreds of similar jobs, and for more information on searching, responding to, or posting game industry-relevant jobs to the top source for jobs in the business, please visit Gamasutra’s job board now.

Three Freebies Worth Playing

03 Sep 2010 at 17:04

Chris Hall

Aractroid, Blog, Lyric Legend, Terry Touch

No Comments

Terry Touch™ – From the mind of a 16 year old working under the tutelage of ustwo™, the company that will trademark anything they get their hands on, comes Terry Touch™.

If you happen to download Terry Touch™, treat it more as a morning coffee replacement than a game. There are four minigames included, all of which have you doing something on your iPhone screen ridiculously fast. I’ve been playing the “Slide” game for the last 5 minutes and I think that I may have broken a sweat. I’m determined to crack the top 10 though… it’s only a matter of time.

Jack McLean, the creator of Terry Touch™, says, “It was the best three weeks I have had! Working alongside fantastic developers and designers was like a dream. I learnt more from creating Terry Touch than I would have learnt from 3 months in a computing lesson, and it was fun! It’s so exciting to be involved with an inspiring company and work with them throughout the creation and release of an iPhone application.”

FREE!

TERRY TOUCH™

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-08-27 :: Category: Games / Arcade

Lyric Legend - It’s not often that I play a music game on the iPhone that I have trouble with. Games like Tap Tap Revenge, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band are all quite forgiving by design, and in turn lose what makes the genre so great on the console. Sadly, I’m getting bored with tapping on the little dots that are flying down my beautiful touch screen.

Instead of using the instruments as the rhythm mechanism, Lyric Legend throws lyric bubbles at you, making you hit them in the order that they are sung in the song. Who knew that tapping on lyrics would be such a challenge? Even with songs that I know quite well I find myself scrambling to pick out the correct next word in the song.

Lyric Legend gives you 3 free songs, with the rest being 99 cents a pop. Maybe it’s a bit steep, but at least you can try the first three for free.

FREE!

Lyric Legend

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-08-31 :: Category: Games / Music

Aractroid – Aractroid is a hard game to pin down. If I were being paid to describe it (well, I guess I am!), I would say that it is an color matching game hidden in an action title set on a spider web in space. There you go. The developer may put it a bit better, “Playing as an Aractroid, a cunning and powerful warrior species of spider, you defend your web from the onslaught of the invading electronic spiders that want to wipe out the Aractroid race.”

Basically, you are a robot spider on a web that wants to protect its nest. There are little color changing circles around your web that change your color, and you have to match colors with the enemy to kill it. As you kill more and more enemies, you get an assortment of special abilities and movement options, such as charging and jumping between web junctions.

Being a “color matching game hidden in an action title set on a spider web in space,” it’s hard to describe how the gameplay works, but it is fast. Give it a shot, as Aractroid is free for the month of September.

FREE!
$0.99

Aractroid

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-05 :: Category: Games / Action

[ Three Freebies Worth Playing is a post from 148Apps ]

Croak!

03 Sep 2010 at 17:00

Fresh Apps - iPhone Apps

Uncategorized, arcade, croak, frog, openfeint, rather odd

No Comments

Rather Odd Computing is pleased to present CROAK! – A Tree Frog Arcade Adventure!!

CROAK! is OpenFeint Enabled.

**********
“Eat Flies. Dodge Snakes. Make Tadpoles. This is the meaning of life”
– Wisdom of frog Zen master

Easy, right?

Pshaw! A frog’s life should be so simple!

It’s a tree frog frenzy as players lead one of six stunningly beautiful tree frogs (based on actual species) through a series of gorgeously rendered exotic environments. Eat flies, fireflies, cicadas, grasshoppers, butterflies and more as you avoid snakes, chameleons, and even a hungry lemur!

Select a frog species from the unlocked choices, then challenge your hand-eye co-ordination by tapping on the screen to quickly extend your frog’s tongue, attempting to strike and eat flying insects. Don’t forget to dodge hungry predators by tilting the device to the left or right!

**********

Game Features:

-Six unlockable tree frogs (based on actual species) to control during gameplay!
-Real-world predators including a Green Tree Python (m. viridis), Ball Python (p. regius), Cottonmouth (a. piscivorus), Panther Chameleon (f. pardalis), Ring-Tailed Lemur (l. catta) and more!
-Retro-style arcade gameplay combined with gorgeous 2D renders of 3D graphics provide a unique gaming experience that is equally perfect for a few spare minutes or an extended gaming session!
-Provides a simple ‘pick up and play’ learning curve, while still maintaining a deep, engaging, achievement structure that will have you picking it up to play time and again!
-All animals in the game are based on actual species, featuring true-to-life depictions and taxonomic names, which combine beautifully with optional real-world jungle sound effects to enhance the “nature show” experience of the game!
-CROAK! is OpenFeint enabled, providing global high score lists, fifteen challenging achievements to master, integrated social networking, fan club, developer interaction, and much more!!

**********

Official Twitter App Updated for iPad Compatibility

03 Sep 2010 at 16:04

Carter Dotson

Blog, Loren Brichter, Twitter for iPad, Universal App, free, social networking, twitter

No Comments

When Twitter acquired Loren Brichter’s acclaimed Tweetie app and made it the official Twitter app on iPhone, it came with the promise that Twitter for iPad was in the works as well. Twitter has just updated Twitter for iPhone to version 3.1, bringing iPad support to the now universal app.

The first thing you notice about Twitter for iPad is that it feels very smooth and intuitive, much like how Loren Brichter’s other apps have felt. The app is far more complex than Twitter for iPhone, though. Swiping across a tweet no longer calls up the reply and favorite options, for example – it’s now used for moving tabs in and out of view, so you can hide or return to a specific user or tweet view that you called up. You can add multiple accounts, and can upload pictures and video, view your lists, and all the other features that have become standard to most Twitter apps, including Twitter for iPhone.

Links are opened in an ingenious way – when you click on a tweet with a link, it opens up a smaller web view of the link, so that you can view it without it taking up the whole screen, but you can expand it to the whole screen if you wish. If you want a quick view of a conversation between people, you can use 2 fingers to drag down from the tweet to open up a view of the last few tweets. Sadly, image hosting services do not open up in-line previews of the images in your stream, you have to click on the links to view the images. Profiles now show a list of 5 users who are considered ’similar’ to that user for you to also follow. Also, links to tweets do not open as a native view in the app, they open up the tweet in the mobile Twitter site.

Twitlonger support is implemented for standard tweets, but not for DMs. The miniature DM reply view also doesn’t show character count, and only lets you edit the DM by calling up the draft, by hitting the new tweet button. It’s very unintuitive, and something that needs to be fixed. There’s a lot of little tweaks that the app needs, as this is clearly a 1.0 release focused on the bigger picture than on minutiae, and there is a lot of complexity to this app that makes little things easy to miss. But, given the state of Twitter apps on the iPad, a Loren Brichter-developed app with a lot of intriguing and new interface features for free (can you say multiple account support?) is welcome. The app is sure to receive future updates as well, making it worth keeping an eye on for iPad-owning Twitter users.

FREE!

Twitter

+ Universal App – Designed for iPhone and iPad

Our Rating: ★★★★★ :: STUNNING (BUT ..)
Read Our Full Review >>

Released: 2009-10-09 :: Category: Social Networking

[ Official Twitter App Updated for iPad Compatibility is a post from 148Apps ]

iMindMap Mobile HD Review

03 Sep 2010 at 15:04

Kyle Flanigan

32.99, Productivity, Reviews, iPad Apps and Games, iPad Productivity, imindmap, mind map

No Comments

Developer: Think Buzan
Price: $32.99
Version: 1.0

Design Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Features Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Value Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.94 out of 5 stars

One of the many appealing aspects of the iPad is that it isn’t just limited to excelling in one area – like games or entertainment – but in many areas like news, utilities and productivity, thanks to the hard work and determination of developers around the globe. ThinkBuzan, a long-time established developer of mind-mapping tools, brings its latest creation to the App Store in an attempt to show just how powerful yet easy the iPad is when it comes to productivity and thought-gathering.

The first thing that struck me about iMindMap Mobile HD was just how similar the directory design looks in comparison to Apple’s iWork for iPad suite. The result is that the integration to the iPad appears strong. The application looks like it was built especially for the iPad, making use of its exclusive features and designs.

iMindMap does things a little differently than its rivals. Rather than generic text to begin the mind map, you set a central image in which the title of your mind map is enclosed. There are three categories to choose from – Objects, Abstract and General – providing a total of 42 images. As a minimalist I would have preferred a text-only option, which is lacking, but a number of the images are non-intrusive and work well.

A mind map is created with the help and co-ordination of two colours. A red circle signifies that you can draw a new branch, and once that branch is built a blue circle then appears, which allows you to amend and adjust the settings of that particular branch. Such settings include: editing the text of a branch, adjusting whether the branch is collapsed, and adding an icon / URL / note to the branch. The collapsable branch feature is particularly useful, allowing you to focus attention on particular branches. The menu bar along the top provides a quick way to edit the title of a branch, add a picture and to change its colour (40 different types, if you’re wondering). Disappointingly, given the image integration, you can’t add your own pictures from the iPad’s photo library. There’s also a button to automatically sort and organize your mind map, so that everything is aligned correctly and smoothly, which adds significantly to the overall feel of your creation.

Once you’ve watched the getting started video (also available below), iMindMap is very easy to use. There’s not much to learn and what is to be learned can be picked up quickly. A focus has been placed on actual usage of the mind map rather than how pretty it looks, meaning precedence is given to your work. Mind maps can also shared, through exporting as an image or PDF, sent by e-mail. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support DropBox or exporting in other formats like a number of its alternatives do. A mind map can also be presented through a specially designed Presentation Mode, visible in the video below, that works through a VGA connection to the iPad.

The application is certainly more expensive than its rivals. This is certainly the only mind mapping application that I’m aware of that features a presentation mode, which perhaps justifies its cost to some users. For others, a cheaper alternative may be all that’s needed.

[ iMindMap Mobile HD Review is a post from 148Apps ]

Facebook Places, meet InCrowd

03 Sep 2010 at 14:04

Kyle Flanigan

App Store Insiders, Blog, Booyah Inc, facebook, incrowd, places

No Comments

Earlier this month, Facebook announced their much-anticipated Places feature, integrating social networking with geo-locations to create a more personal and unique social experience. Today, Booyah Inc. announced an application that allows you to tell your friends where you are and what you’re doing at that moment, all through Facebook’s Places feature. Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (though not universal), the free application allows you to send out your own location as well as “check in” to see who is near you. Booyah are also the developers of MyTown, which hosts some 3.2 million active users to date.

InCrowd is placed in the Entertainment section of the App Store because of its popularity contest feature and existence of customizable characters known as avatars. Booyah urges you to “strive for the highest popularity” by announcing your location and interacting with others around you, all through your own customizable character. For example, by posting about a venue nearby you’ll gain a number of points which can be used to upgrade and personalize your avatar.

“InCrowd gives players a completely new way to socialize real-time at the places they love,” said Keith Lee, CEO, Booyah. “We’re compressing the barriers between digital social networks and the real world in a way that lets people find their friends or make new ones in a completely unique manner.”

You can download the application for free by clicking on the link below. A Facebook account, also free, is of course necessary to reap the benefits of InCrowd.

FREE!

InCrowd

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-08-31 :: Category: Entertainment

[ Facebook Places, meet InCrowd is a post from 148Apps ]

Jimmy Houston’s FishNotes

03 Sep 2010 at 14:00

Fresh Apps - iPhone Apps

Fish, Uncategorized, Weather, fishing, map, tide

No Comments

Have you ever had a day where you couldn’t catch a thing, yet you could see fish everywhere? Why on some days you do great and other days you can’t catch any fish? Where the fish are biting near you? What time of the day or night is better for fishing? What bait should you use or water depth should to be in?

These are questions that anglers have scratched there heads for years. Many have kept journals and logs depicting basic information about their catch to better understand where the fish are and how to catch more. But these paper logs get lost, ripped, wet and forgotten back at home. A quick search on the web and you will find dozens of fishing logs and journaling programs that do the same thing as a paper log would. Nothing more, nothing less.

There has to be a better way to catch more fish!

Our solution is Jimmy Houston’s FishNotes, available for both the iPhone and Android smart phone platforms.

FishNotes is not just another logging application nor is it another diluted fishing app full of podcasts and half baked features with pretty pictures. FishNotes is a full featured, highly specialized fishing tool.

FishNotes it the worlds only community fishing application!

What does this mean you ask? Using the concept of Facebook where everybody is connected to everybody; FishNotes connects anglers to anglers so we all catch more fish!.

Buy FishNotes now and see for yourself!

-Improve your success by knowing the time of day or night to fish in any location.
-Remember what bait you used and others use in the community.
-Connected fishing community. Know where the fish are biting while your fishing!
-Locate recent fish catches near your location.
-View Solunar tables and Major/Minor feeding times.
-RealTime Weather Capture and 5 day forecasts for any location.
-Water conditions such as tide,temp,clarity, bottom and structure are captured.
-Learns your ‘habits’ and auto populates so you can get back to fishing faster.
-Remote Storage of all fishing reports to ensure your data is never lost.
-Remote Storage of all Video, Audio and Images so you can share with your buddies.
-Full portability of you’re data to other phone platforms and exporting to a file.
-Create Fishing Reports that can be shared while on the water in real-time to twitter, Facebook, youtube, sms and email.
-Your account on FishNotes.com allows you access your data anywhere, anytime from any computer.
-Capture Video, Photo’s and Audio notes.
-Full searchable interface to locate fish that are near you and mapped them.
-Designed for both FreshWater and Saltwater.
-Works in Offshore conditions and other weak to no signal conditions.

Jimmy Houston’s FishNotes will help you catch more fish!

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