iPad World

Retrospective: Grim Fandango

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:21 +0000

It’s only fitting that Grim Fandango takes place in the Land of the Dead, because in hindsight it represents something of a eulogy for the declining adventure genre. LucasArts’ penultimate adventure game (its swansong was the anticlimactic Escape From Monkey Island) may well be its best. It helped cement director Tim Schafer as something of a superstar, prone to appear on late-night talk shows and host awards ceremonies despite Grim Fandango and his biggest games (Psychonauts, Brutal Legend) being commercial failures. Before we were all swayed by open worlds, 3D combat, and an influx of shooters, Grim Fandango proved that there’s still some life left in those dusty bones.

The story of Manny Calavera – a grim reaper brilliantly reimagined as a travel agent – uncovering a web of corruption in the Land of the Dead is part Mexican folklore and part film noir. Given how well Grim Fandango blends the latter with a traditional adventure game template makes it a wonder why this hasn’t been done more, since both genres are predicated on crafty problem-solving, deception and wry humour.

Recently we’ve had Phoenix Wright and L.A. Noire attempt to rectify this, but their protagonists were straight shooters, limiting their deductions to snooping around crime scenes and calling bluffs. Manny, however, frequently resorts to sabotage, blackmail, flirtation, manipulation and fraud to get what he wants. It’s not that Manny’s a bad guy – rather that he’s a good guy in a bad world forced to stoop to everyone else’s level to make any progress.

App of the Day: Squids

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:21 +0000

I’m somewhat of a specialist when it comes to games starring the order Teuthida, an interest that began when IGN reviewed ‘Hail to the Chimp’ and claimed squids weren’t animals (a line subsequently removed without notice). What can I say? You’ve got to feel sorry for them after that.

Our ink-loving chums are responsible for many fine games. Aside from scene-stealing cameos, there are brilliant shooters like Squid Yes, Not so Octopus (both SYNSOs can be had online, and are highly recommended), the awesome survival horror Night of the Cephalopods, and now it’s time for some turn-based strategy with the defiantly plural Squids.

Squids’ levels are top-down arenas filled with spiky obstacles, clamshells, fatal drops, anchors, currents and lots of giant enemy crabs. You’ll have four squid most of the time, and during your turn twang them across the place like elastic bands. Each squid has a set amount of stamina per go (a full-on twanging uses roughly half of that), and you can of course control how far and fast they’re going.

Samsung Galaxy Note Review

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:18 +0000

Despite continuing rumours of a new iPhone with a four-inch screen, Apple has always insisted that 3.5 inches is the optimum size for a mobile display. We’re sure that many thousands of hands fondled the very first iPhone prototypes before that magical figure was decided upon, but it’s hard to disagree with this stance. Rivals such as Windows Phone and Android offer handsets with more imposing screens, yet it’s the Apple standard which has arguably been adopted by the vast majority of mobile developers. For most, 3.5 inches just seems to work.

However, that hasn’t stopped Samsung from rolling out what it believes is the device which can not only best the iPhone, but also bridge the yawning gap between mobile phone and tablet. The Galaxy Note boasts a gigantic 5.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, placing it firmly in the no man’s land previously occupied by Dell’s ill-fated Streak 5. Needless to say, Samsung is hoping that this effort will fare better, and is using the unsubtle sledge-hammer that is the 2012 half-time Super Bowl commercial slot to truly drive home the fact that the Note is the ultimate convergence device; it’s a phone, it’s a tablet, it’s a gaming platform. Rather than being a niche product, Samsung is positioning the Galaxy Note as The Next Big Thing – only on this occasion, the term ‘big’ could be taken literally as well as figuratively.

You’re unlikely to forget the moment the Galaxy Note drops out of its packaging – purely because it’s sure to elicit a chuckle. For a phone, it’s insanely massive, and when placed alongside the iPhone 4S or even the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (which, let’s not forget, has a pretty formidable 4.65-inch display), it looks positively monstrous.

Face-Off: SoulCalibur 5

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:16 +0000

Renowned for their intricate detail and heavy effects work, the SoulCalibur and Tekken games are a remarkable example of just how much processing and rendering Namco is able to cram into the tiny window afforded by a solid 60 frames-per-second update. While it’s fair to say that the core gameplay in both of these franchises never really changes substantially, the engine powering it definitely does: from a visual perspective, SoulCalibur 4 and Tekken 6 have each evolved in their own way with each new iteration, and it’s clear that this new game sees yet another visual leap.

But can the Project Soul development team bring the same level of visual accomplishment to both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the SoulCalibur 5? In Namco’s previous fighting games, there’s always been a sense that the developers have been testing the graphical capabilities of both consoles, always handing in very close games overall, but often including some intriguing – and often bizarre – differences in the visual feature-set of each version.

It feels as though things have moved on this time around, however. As you’ll see from the video below, and the SoulCalibur 5 720p comparison gallery, this game really is gorgeous – and it’s equally impressive on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Can the Clone War Ever Be Won?

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:16 +0000

We all know the clones. And often, we welcome them. After all, you can’t play Blizzard’s World of Warcraft on a phone, so Gameloft’s Order and Chaos seems like it fills a hole and doesn’t hurt anyone. Cloning isn’t new, either. From Pong, probably the most copied game on the planet and allegedly a copy itself, to Breakout, success has always bred various degrees of imitation.

Cloning is a history full of strands – character mascots, the fascinating story of Tetris and the ranks of imitators birthed by any popular title. But over the last year, clones have multiplied to what feels like saturation point. They’re bigger business than ever before – a business that, in some ways, is a guarantee of profit.

At the moment everything is focused on Zynga, an enormous company built in large part through copying popular games, and last week Nimblebit, developers of Apple’s 2011 Game of the Year Tiny Tower, released this image. It spoke a thousand words, though it can be whittled down to two: “thieving bastards.” Zynga tried to acquire Nimblebit first and, after being rebuffed, simply hunkered down and copied Tiny Tower instead – producing the remarkably familiar Dream Heights.

Game of the Week: SoulCalibur 5

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:13 +0000

Is Japan getting its groove back? Leaving Nintendo aside (or maybe not, even), the major houses of the great motor and innovator of the video games industry in the eighties and nineties have been in the doldrums. Sega, Capcom, Konami, Square, Namco: evocative names that have seen either dwindling fortunes, uncertain moves into Western co-development, or both.

Looking at 2012′s slate, though – and at this week’s new releases – there are reasons to be cheerful. I’m not about to predict a dramatic financial turnaround for any of these companies. But I do predict something that might matter more to us as game fans: they’re going to start behaving like themselves again.

Plantinum’s Vanquish and Bayonetta thrilled us so much because they had all the preposterous cool, flair and surreal finesse that we associate with the Japanese games industry in its pomp – but that have been hard to find in the watered-down or water-treading products of the last half-decade. But that sense of self is coming back.

App of the Day: Caverns of Minos

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:30:11 +0000

It’s hard to think of a name that divides opinion quite like Jeff Minter’s. To some, his creations are beautifully blended homages, crafted by the loving hands of an old master. To others, they’re the emperor’s new fixation with retro for the sake of it. From either stance, the other side is considered wrong to an apocalyptic degree, and yet perhaps, like many of Minter’s games, the answer lies more within a mixture.

Caverns of Minos is Llamasoft’s fifth entry in its Minotaur Project, conceived to highlight the simple pleasures of retro gaming while removing all the irritations of the day – unstable sprites, stuttering hardware and the like. This particular release is a tribute to Caverns of Mars from the Atari 8-bit era.

The idea is that players descend into the depths of a cavern to gather a series of items ranging from a pair of pants to biscuits. Once they’re reclaimed, the journey is reversed and these items have to be delivered to – what else – a sort of inter-dimensional sheep that hovers at the top of the screen.

ARM-Based MacBook Air Unlikely Based on Analyst Talk with Tim Cook

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:12 +0000

There had been some interesting claims last year that Apple had been actively testing an ARM (A5) based MacBook Air. The ARM processor is the same one that is used in the iPhone and iPad. An ARM-based MacBook Air, however, would raise a number of questions about what kind of device it might actually be. Would it run OS X, or iOS? Would it be closer to a Mac or an iOS device? One of the main advantages of using an ARM processor would be a reduction in power-requirements, but with a corresponding drop in computing power. Using ARM, however, would abandon binary compatibility with existing Mac OS X applications.

CNet reports on a research note from Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner who was able to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer on Thursday. Gardner addresses this question in his note with the following:

“Tim Cook reiterated his view that rapid innovation on the iOS platform (and mobile OS platforms in general) will significantly broaden the use case for tablets, eventually pushing annual tablet volumes above those of traditional PCs. We have wondered whether Apple might offer an ARM-based version of MacBook Air at some point; we walked away from this meeting with the impression that Apple feels iPad satisfies–or will soon satisfy–the needs of those who might have been interested in such a product.”

Based on his conversations with the Apple executives, it seems Gardner believes that the iPad will evolve to meet any needs that might be met with an ARM-based MacBook air.

Rumors have suggested that the iPad will likely be getting a significant upgrade in the near future, with a faster processor, improved graphics capabilities and the long rumored Retina display. Of course, Cook is unlikely to divulge specific product plans at analyst meetings, but a complete Apple transition to ARM processors seemed an unlikely prospect regardless.

Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Apple Releases iBooks 2.0.1 to Address Issue with Textbooks Not Opening
• Id Software's RAGE Arrives on Mac App Store
• 'The Daily' Reports 100,000 Paying Subs on One-Year Anniversary
• Safari 5.1.4 with JavaScript and PDF Handling Improvements Seeded to Developers
• Apple Grabs Another Gaming PR Executive for App Store

AT&T Starts Throttling Unlimited Data Users after 2GB of Monthly Usage

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:12 +0000

In October, AT&T announced that they would start throttling data usage amongst mobile Unlimited Data Plan users. While AT&T no longer offers an Unlimited Data plan to new customers, many of the original iPhone purchasers are still grandfathered into that plan. Those iPhone users have been able to retain these Unlimited plans, even though AT&T has since moved to a tiered data plan structure.

When AT&T announced their plan to start throttling users, the company said that they would only be throttling the top 5% of users. Early reports of affected users had pointed to 10GB-12GB per month users as the initially affected.

It seems that ceiling has decreased significantly over the past few months, at least for some regions. John Cozen reports that he received his top 5% data usage warning after reaching only 2.1GB of data for January.

I received a message during my last billing cycle, warning I was in the top 5% of my region and would experience reduced data speeds next time I reach that level of data use. I immediately checked my data usage on the AT&T iOS app.

2.1 GB. Less than I expected considering AT&T offers a 3GB plan for $30 a month. The same amount I’ve paid for the unlimited data plan since signing up with them many years ago. AT&T no longer offers an unlimited data plan, anyone still on it has been grandfathered in.

Cozen contacted AT&T to make sure it wasn’t a mistake, and after several back and forth exchanges, it seems clear that it wasn’t a mistake. The AT&T representatives seemed to confirm that 2.1GB did fall in the 5% range and the only option to avoid throttling was to move to a tiered plan.

Cozen was understandably upset since AT&T even offers an unthrottled 3GB plan for the same price he is paying at $30 month.

AT&T’s top 5% measurement seems to be region-specific, as some users are continuing to see higher than 2GB usage without throttling.

Apple Revises Snow Leopard Security Update and Pulls 10.7.3 Delta Update

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:10 +0000

After a couple of issues with some software updates, Apple has made some quiet revisions to address the problems.

The first was a Snow Leopard security update which inadvertently caused problems with Apple’s PowerPC emulation layer Rosetta. Macworld notes that Apple has since released Security Update 2012-001, version 1.1 for Snow Leopard. The new version seems to fix the PowerPC crashing issues described with the original update.

Meanwhile, the crashing/CUI errors with 10.7.3 Delta updater has also been addressed by Apple. 9to5Mac notes that Apple has responded by pulling the Delta update altogether, leaving the Combo updater alone.

The different between the Delta and Combo updaters is normally just download size alone. The Delta updater is a smaller download since it just includes the changes, while the Combo updater includes everything and weighs in at 1.3GB. The Combo updater should be available at this support page for direct download, but the page is presently not working. The direct download (1.3GB) link is still working at this time.