Category Archives: Games

Square Enix Set to Bring Classic RPG Chrono Trigger to Android

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

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The Tokyo Game Show is going on and while we didn’t expect much coming out of Android, Square Enix had a few biggies to drop. They’ve revealed they’ll be bringing classic Super Nintendo RPG Chrono Trigger (one of my personal favorites) to Android. We’re also getting Dragon Quest Monsters and Ithadaki Street, likened to Pokemon and Monopoly.

We hope these will make their way out of Japan, but they didn’t give any insight into where these would be released. They simultaneously announced their own marketplace for Android but it looks like that one won’t make it too far out of the east. Fingers crossed that Square Enix localizes these titles for the rest of the world. But I’ll just go back to playing it on my PSP if they don’t. [via Droid Gamers]

Sony Hopes Release of PlayStation Suite SDK Will Bolster Games Catalog

Posted by on September 15, 2011 No comments

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Sony has announced today that it will begin offering a PlayStation Suite SDK to Android content developers in an effort to grow the platform as it become available on more devices. Currently the PlayStation-certified Xperia Play is the only device to offer PS Suite compatibility, but that will change with the release of Sony’s Tablet S and Tablet P. The PS Suite SDK, which becomes available in November, will provide developers with the tools necessary to create new games and experiences on these devices as well as the the Sony portable PlayStation Vita. Sony hopes to expand the lineup of PlayStation-certified devices further over the coming months.

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TO OFFER SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT FOR PLAYSTATION®SUITE STARTING THIS NOVEMBER
SCE to Provide Strong Support to Content Developers for PlayStation®Suite With the Distribution of the Newly Developed Content Starting Next Spring

Tokyo, September 15, 2011 - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it will offer software development kits (SDK) for PlayStation®Suite (PS Suite), called "PlayStation®Suite SDK," * for content developers starting this November. PS Suite is an initiative solution to deliver the world of PlayStation® to Android™ based portable devices.

Through PS Suite SDK, content developers can create content for PlayStation™Certified (PS Certified) devices, hardware certified through the PS Suite license program, as well as for PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita).

Supporting C# as the programming language, PS Suite SDK can run programs developed in C# on virtual machine equipped on both PS Certified devices and PS Vita. By supporting development for multiple devices and by adopting libraries to create a variety of content not only limited to games, PS Suite SDK will not only help developers save their cost in creating new content but also allow them to efficiently create their content on one SDK and without having to create on several different SDKs.

Through PS Suite SDK, SCE will provide to game developers and publishers the potential to further expand their business opportunities to Android based portable devices. In addition, SCE can approach to a wider range of content developers, non-gaming developers and individual programmers. The detailed information of PS Suite SDK, including how to download, will be announced via a dedicated PS Suite section on SCE’s official website.

As of September 15th, 2011, PS Certified device line-up includes Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB’s Xperia PLAY, Sony Corporation’s “Sony Tablet” S, “Sony Tablet” P, and SCE will continue to further accelerate the expansion of PS Certified devices in addition to the current hardware line-up.

Furthermore, SCE will provide a variety of content towards these PS Certified devices from end October through PlayStation®Store*2 on PlaySation®Network, starting with original PlayStation games (PS one® classics). The service will start in nine countries including Japan, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia and with more countries to follow. In next spring, SCE will enhance the PS Store for PS Certified devices and provide content created by PS Suite SDK, further prevailing the world of PS Suite.

Through PS Suite, SCE will deploy various measures to support content developers in their business for rapidly prevailing Android based portable devices and will expand the PlayStation entertainment experience on an open operating system.

*1 Software Development Kit is a set of development tools and software libraries. Developers are able to obtain this SDK by signing a license agreement with SCE and by purchasing tool products.
*2 Users can download vast digital content including games through PS Store for PS Network for PS3, PSP, PS Vita and PS Certified devices.
*3 Number of content differ by regions.

Apps of the Day: Manilla, Help Out, and More

Posted by on September 14, 2011 1 comment

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Every day we peruse the Android Market looking for the best, worst, interesting, and most unique apps in an effort to sift out a few gems. We call it Apps of the Day. We can’t guarantee that every app featured below is a real winner, but each is worth at least a quick look. It’s all in an effort to help you, our faithful readers, get the most out of your Android handsets. Read on to see what we found today!

Manilla - Weighed down by bills? Can’t always remember when your next payment is due? It’s a challenge for many, and quite a few services have emerged to help folks tackle the mountain of accounts and bills, but not many do it as easily and efficiently as Manilla. With a simple interface and quick setup time, you will be on your way to managing your accounts in no time. Now instead of checking many sites or filing through the mail, one quick look at Manilla is all you need. Set up alerts and you will never get hit with a late fee again. [Market]

Cave Escape - Perhaps I’m just nostalgic for the days when I used to play games on my TI-83 calculator during high school algebra, but I’m a sucker for any sort of Fall Down-type game. Cave Escape follows the basic concept but spruces it up with a new look. You control a spider diving deep into caves, discovering powerups and avoiding hazards along the way. [Market]

Help Out - Help Out is a deceptively simple puzzle game with graphics reminiscent of something from the Katamari franchise. In help out you are faced with colorful puzzles, the goal being to free a big-eyed, smiling block in the middle. A focus is on customization, allowing you to mix up which of the goofy characters greet you during each puzzle. What looks like an easy solution can often take much longer than anticipated. [Market]

OpenFeint Announces GameFeed to Make Android Gaming More Social

Posted by on September 1, 2011 No comments

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OpenFeint is all about making gaming experiences more entertaining and more valuable for not only end users, but developers as well. That’s why their platform took off so well – who doesn’t like earning achievements and comparing them with their friends? (Thanks, Xbox!)

That’s why they’re announcing GameFeed today, and if you’ve ever played Call of Duty: Black Ops you’ve probably seen this every time you go online. GameFeed is a social component of a game that has implemented it.

It works in conjunction with OpenFeint to show users what their friends have been doing in their games. If your friend finally got as many achievements as you or if they’ve broken your high score, GameFeed will let you know.

As you can probably imagine, this adds a lot more value to games. For users, it’s incentive to keep playing and try to best your friends or to try and achieve what they have achieved.

For developers, because users want to keep coming back and check up on their friends’ gameplay, they’re getting players to play longer which is important for ad-based models.

Sounds great to me. What’s even better is that they already have 20 great titles enabled with the functionality with more surely on their way. Users can find that list below. Developers can get in o this themselves by heading to OpenFeint’s developer portal. Read on for full press details.

OpenFeint Adds GameFeed to iOS and Android SDK as Sessions Per User Increase by 25% in 24 Beta Games
Big Blue Bubble, Get Set Games, PikPok, and Sibblingz announce integration of social gaming newsfeed

Burlingame, Calif. - September 01, 2011 - OpenFeint, the world’s largest mobile social gaming network with 115 million players, today announced the addition of GameFeed, a new free-to-play gaming feature, to its software development kit. Available immediately for both iOS and Android developers, GameFeed is a social gaming newsfeed that improves player engagement by elevating social activity from the OpenFeint network in games.

By adding the GameFeed plugin to their existing OpenFeint integrations, 24 beta participants increased sessions-per-user by an average of 25 percent. Some developers are experiencing growth as high as 60 percent. GameFeed improves this by engaging players with social information like updated player profiles and giving developers stronger player communication tools.

"OpenFeint is committed to delivering a next generation social network with features that will help free-to-play games improve lifetime value," said Jason Citron, founder and CEO of OpenFeint. "Sessions per user is a key engagement component of lifetime value and GameFeed significantly increases engagement at no additional cost to developers."

OpenFeint also announced that game developers Big Blue Bubble (makers of Burn the Rope), Get Set Games (makers of Mega Jump), PikPok (makers of the Flick Kick™ series) and Sibblingz (publishers of Island Tycoon) will integrate GameFeed.

"With over 16 million downloads of Mega Jump we’ve got tons of players who love to play games with each other. We’re excited to see GameFeed help build a more connected community of players," says Derek van Vliet co-founder of Get Set Games.

GameFeed is part of the OpenFeint SDK and can be added with as few as four new lines of code. To learn more about GameFeed and how it improves game engagement, developers should visit http://openfeint.com/developers.

OpenFeint-enabled games that have added GameFeed include:

· ColorBox- Twins Candy

· ColorBox- Rip Off

· Crazy Bit- Zoombie Digger

· DES Games- Blaze Runner

· DjinnWorks- Stickman Cliff Diving

· Fishing Cactus- Woof the Dog

· Gamerizon- Chop Chop Ninja

· Imaginary Feet- Cooties

· Inert Soap- Fingerzilla

· Invictus- Games Ltd.- Fly Control

· Ankur Nagpal- Super Scratchers

· Motalen- Infernus Verse 1 (Android & iOS)

· Motalen- Infernus Verse 2 (Android & iOS)

· Origin8- Sentinel 3: Homeworld

· Pirate Monkey Studios- Speedy Biker Xtreme

· PixelCUBE Studios- The Impossible Test

· PixOwl- Doodle Grub

· SHADE, Inc.- Destroy Gunners F (Android & iOS)

· SHADE, Inc.- Destroy Gunners SP (Android & iOS)

· Sibblingz- Island Tycoon

About OpenFeint
OpenFeint is the largest mobile social gaming network with over 115 million registered users and 6,900 games. OpenFeint, Inc. is part of GREE, Inc., the leading mobile social gaming platform in Japan. Game developers interested in more information about OpenFeint and its leading mobile social gaming technology should visit http://openfeint.com/developers

Madden NFL 12 Now Available for Nearly $8 [Correction: Nearly $7]

Posted by on August 30, 2011 No comments

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Coinciding with the console launch of Madden NFL 12 today, EA Sports has gotten the Android version of the game up into the Android market. For $7, you’re getting a pretty good game. You’re given a lot of freedom in terms of gameplay and a few different modes to keep things interesting. These include exhibition, a full season mode and a mode that lets you relive the 2010 playoffs. All 32 teams are here with all of their players. Can’t ask for much more than this on a mobile phone so be sure to head over to the Android market and check it out if this interests you. [Market]

Angry Birds Rio’s ‘Airfield Chase’ Update Now Live in the Market

Posted by on August 30, 2011 No comments

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Still playing Angry Birds Rio? Yes? Good. It’s a pretty OK game even if the gameplay has gotten a bit stale to most. If you’re looking for new content to mask that staleness, though, you’ll be happy to learn that Angry Birds Rio has gotten its “Airfield Chase” update in the Android market. As with most updates, this brings 15 new levels. The concept is similar to the first set – free your bird friends from cages. Cages are evil, after all. It’s a free update in the  market if you’re interested. [Market]

Sega Classic Sonic CD Coming to Android

Posted by on August 25, 2011 1 comment

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Before everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog made the jump to 3D but after he first appeared ground-breaking titles for the Sega Genesis console, he starred in his first adventure committed to digital disc, Sonic CD. Now, close to two decades later the game is getting a well-deserved reissue on all major platforms, including Android. The re-release of the 2D platformer will feature the same gameplay found in the original in addition to the original Japanese soundtrack. Sonic CD remains a favorite among fans of the series despite the limited action the Sega CD Genesis add-on saw. The game will be available for download towards the end of the year.

[via EuroDroid]

Apps of the Day: Sleipnir, Classic Notes Lite, and More

Posted by on August 24, 2011 No comments

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Every day we peruse the Android Market looking for the best, worst, interesting, and most unique apps in an effort to sift out a few gems. We call it Apps of the Day. We can’t guarantee that every app featured below is a real winner, but each is worth at least a quick look. It’s all in an effort to help you, our faithful readers, get the most out of your Android handsets. Read on to see what we found today!

Google Docs - Google Docs has been updated with support for 45 new languages. Also included is a new “Web Clipboard” feature that allows you to snap a photo with your Android handset and have it stored in the cloud for quick pasting into a Google Doc from your home computer. The updates don’t do much to create a deeper experience, and for the most part Google Docs still retains the feel of a slightly polished portal for the Google Docs website. Still, if you are a frequent user of Docs on the go, the Web Clipboard feature might be something to check out. [Market]

Classic Notes Lite - While most note taking applications focus on adding features upon features, often missing the point that at their core they should be easily accessible and easy to use, Classic Notes Lite + App Box manages to provide a minimalistic interface that doesn’t sacrifice quality. It’s really simple to open the app and jot down a note or list, but buried beneath a deceptively bland user interface is a whole mess of features and tools that create one extremely useful application. Aside from taking simple notes, Classic Notes Lite allows for calculations and conversions, geotagging, search, and phone use information all in one place. Download it to take some notes, but begin poking around and open up a world of uses. [Market]

Sleipnir Mobile Web Browser – OK, so you’re probably thinking, “we can’t possibly need another Android web broswer.” But here us out on this one. Sleipnir, though still in its beta phases, shows a lot of promise with a polished user interface and web surfing actions based around gestures. For instance, drawing a clockwise circle mimicking your standard browser’s refresh button quickly reloads the page. Tabs can be navigated with simple side-to-side swiping. While the finished product might not be totally there, the concept is. [Market]

Apps of the Day: Bird Bar, Sandago, and More

Posted by on August 22, 2011 No comments

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Every day we peruse the Android Market looking for the best, worst, interesting, and most unique apps in an effort to sift out a few gems. We call it Apps of the Day. We can’t guarantee that every app featured below is a real winner, but each is worth at least a quick look. It’s all in an effort to help you, our faithful readers, get the most out of your Android handsets. Read on to see what we found today!

Animated Greetings - What do you get when you take two ex-Googlers, your pictures and voice, and some funny animations? Animated Greetings, an app that turns messages to friends and family into cartoons. The app allows you to add your face to an animated character, record a greeting and manipulate your voice, and share your creations on social networking sites or by email. To get the most mileage you’ll need to provide the humor. Do so as you see fit. [Market]

Bird Bar Notifications Tool - Don’t you just hate it when you have to interrupt a full-screen game just to check your latest text? Bird Bar looks to provide the remedy. Using a simple swipe gesture (the same one you’d use to pull down your visible notification bar) from any side of the screen, a floating notifications tray appears on top of your game, leaving your progress exactly where you left it. No more restarting levels after finding out that text you just received didn’t even warrant a reply. We could see the swipe gesture conflicting with the controls of some games, but so far it hasn’t been an issue. Customizations in the paid version are a bonus. [Market]

Make It 3D - So what if you don’t have a fancy phone like the Optimus 3D or EVO 3D, that doesn’t mean you still can’t create 3D images! Using the decades-old technique of anaglyphic stereoscopic 3D, Make It 3D helps you to align two consecutive shots, each aimed at the same subject but spaced a few inches apart. The app stitches the results together and color separates the final image for viewing with red/cyan 3D glasses. The technique makes the app only useful for still subjects and a steady hand provides the best result. [Market]

Sandago - As its Android Market description suggests, Sandago is a game in the style of Tetris, but at first glance you probably wouldn’t make the connection. Instead of stacking blocks, colored sand pours from the top of the screen. Once a pile grows big enough it disappears. Deceptively simple in theory, pretty tricky once it gets going. The real draw here is the physics of the moving sand, which often can shift in unpredictable ways. The game could use a bit more polish, but it gets major points for being an original take on a tried and true genre. [Market]

Apps of the Day: QR Pal, UNO, and More

Posted by on August 19, 2011 1 comment

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Every day we peruse the Android Market looking for the best, worst, interesting, and most unique apps in an effort to sift out a few gems. We call it Apps of the Day. We can’t guarantee that every app featured below is a real winner, but each is worth at least a quick look. It’s all in an effort to help you, our faithful readers, get the most out of your Android handsets. Read on to see what we found today!

QR Pal - Looking for  new way to scan, save, and share QR codes? QR Pal could be your new best buddy. The app seeks to be the last resource you could need for scanning those oh so helpful tags that seem to be showing up in more places than ever. For added value, QR Pal lets you earn points with each scan and even create and use QR codes for PayPal transactions. At first glance it’s one of the most full-featured scanning apps we have seen to date. [Market]

UNO - UNO isn’t a newcomer to the Android market, but Gameloft has updated the classic card game of colors and shapes with enhanced HD graphics designed to look great on high-end devices and tablets. The game itself remains the same, save for some improved online multiplayer. For fans of the game, taking UNO with you anywhere you go couldn’t get much easier. [Market]

GetGlue - Another update app, GetGlue has updated their social media app for those that love taking in media (a social media media app?) with an overhauled interface and other improvements. A new Quick Rate button, universal search, and integration with Android’s menu buttons all enhance the experience of using GetGlue to “check in” to the movies, shows, and music you consume. New are sports check-ins. Fans of GetGlue won’t want to miss this update. [Market]