Mastery of the iPod Starts Here
Posts tagged game
GeoHot Releases iPhone 3GS Jailbreak
Jul 3rd
GeoHot has released a jailbreak for the iPhone 3GS called purplera1n. Currently it is windows only but a mac version is expected soon.
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Yes, this is what you’ve all been waiting for. A jailbreak for the iPhone 3GS. And it’s awesome. To get started right now, go to purplera1n.com. Download it. Make sure you have windows(but not 7), the latest iTunes installed, and an iPhone 3GS with 3.0 firmware. Connect your iPhone normally. Click “make it ra1n”. Wait. On bootup, run Freeze, the purplera1n installer app. Hopefully you’ll figure out what to do from there. Best tutorial gets linked to from purplera1n site. This tool is beta. Make sure to have everything backed up before running. Also if Cydia doesn’t show up after running Freeze, reboot.
If you need help email purplera1n.support at gmail and attach your purplera1n.log file. Or call the purplera1n support hotline @ (650) 265-1210 Mac version is coming shortly.
Normally I don’t make tools for the general public, and rather wait for the dev team to do it. But guys, whats up with waiting until 3.1? That isn’t how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes. It isn’t worth waiting because you might have the “last” hole in the iPhone. What last hole…this isn’t golf. I’ll find a new one next week. Also your purplera1nyday files ensure that you can always get back to a jailbroken state, so if you have it it’s just a matter of tools.
Props to chronic dev for their help, and to kroo for writing v2 of Freeze. And props to Saurik for making an awesome package set. Note the binary size of purplera1n, it’s smaller than C++ hello world. No 20MB thing that needs to be torrented. And no IPSW to download. This is how jailbreak should be!
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Tiki Golf 3D Review
Jul 2nd
The ball speeds over lush green grass. It flies through the air, and tilts to the right, directly hitting the floating target. It falls, and veers into the hole. This is the type of fast paced gameplay that makes Tiki Golf 3D, $2.99, a unique take on extreme mini golf, so fun to play.
In Tiki Golf 3D, by Arb Studios, you are Tiki Bobby, trying to gain back your prized artifacts that have been stolen by the gods Lono and Kahuna. To do this, you play through two 18 hole mini golf courses, on three different difficulties. In the game, there are three game modes however; Tiki Putt, Pineapple Adventure, and Time Trials. Tiki Putt is a classic mini golf mode. (Or as classic as Tiki Golf 3D gets, as you’ll soon see.) In Pineapple Adventure, you try to collect all the pineapples strewn across the holes, then get to the hole. In Time Trial, you try to beat the levels in as short of a time as possible.
The one feature that makes Tiki Golf 3D stand out from the other mini golf games is that once you hit the ball, you can steer it, and affect where it goes. To hit the golf ball, you first aim, by swiping around the screen. To select the power, you press the “Hit” button, then press again when the power bar reaches the level you want. Then, you press and hold the screen, and tilt to control the ball.
Another unique feature is that the levels are linear, they have multiple paths, and multiple holes. There are usually two holes in each level, one harder to get to than the other. But, if you make it into that hole, you get a “-1″ score bonus. Because of this, you can replay a hole over and over, and you will never take the exact same path. The graphics are great, and look and feel 3D, so that adds to the game experience too.
The only confusion that I have with the game is not even in the game. It is in the iTunes description. It says that there are eighteen courses, but from what I know there are only two. “Courses” might’ve been a typo, but it is a bit disappointing if you expected eighteen and got two. It also would be nice to have another course, and be able to say that there’s one course per dollar, because then, you are definitely getting your money’s worth.
Pros:
Great Graphics
Unique Controls
Hours of Fun
Cons:
Might Need to Fix iTunes Description
Bottom Line:
Tiki Golf 3D is a great buy for mini golf fans, and because of the unique features it has, is more worth your money than any other mini golf game in the App Store.
Scores:
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Graphics: 5/5
Controls: 5/5
Replay Value: 4/5
Overall: 9/10 (not an average)
Link: Tiki Golf 3D, $2.99
Note: Scroll down the page for Zenonia, Car Jack Streets, and Toki Tori promo code giveaways!
‘iYamato’ – Currently Sixth on Japan’s Top Ten
Jul 1st
I ran in to Yoshiyuki Miyagawa, CEO of Geppetto, Inc at WWDC as he was walking around with his phone slung around his neck telling anyone who would listen about himself and his games. Miyagawa has an impressive resume which includes 14 years at Square-Enix where he had his fingers in Dawn of Mana and served as the Lead Programmer for the console version of Final Fantasy XI.
Geppetto’s latest offering, iYamato [App Store], allows players to play as the flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet during World War 2, the Yamato. When the Yamato and her sister ship, the Musashi were formally commissioned in late 1941, they were the largest and heaviest battleships ever constructed and were armed with massive 18.1 inch main guns.
iYamato provides an interesting approach not often seen in Western video games, since playing as the Japanese in a World War 2 game obviously pits you against the Americans and their Allied forces, presumably Task Force 58 during Operation Ten-Go. (Read more about the Yamato and its battles on Wikipedia.)
The gameplay is fairly simple, the Yamato is armed with its standard guns that have unlimited ammo, as well as larger and more powerful cannons which take a few seconds to reload after each shot. Using these weapons, you defend yourself against waves of fighter planes, bombers, blimps, and other aircraft.
The unique mechanic of iYamato is as your ship takes damage, it will start to sink either towards the bow or the stern depending on where you’ve been hit. As the ship sinks, the angle of your guns change and at times you will lose access to some of your guns as they sink underwater.
iYamato has a really cool feel to it, and as your ship starts sinking it does a great job of giving you the feeling of desperation as you attempt to defend yourself with half of your ship underwater. The graphics and sounds are top notch, and with headphones provide a eerily immersive experience.
That said, it would be really nice if the game had some kind of power-up or upgrade system to add some variety and overall depth to the game. Currently, you defend the Yamato with the same array of weaponry until you’re sunk, your score gets transmitted to a worldwide leaderboard, and you start over.
However, the developer is actively posting on our forums, and seems to be taking in ideas for future updates. So, if you’ve got something to say or a suggestion to add, don’t hestitate to stop by the iYamato thread and post it. With iYamato surging to the overall top ten of the Japanese App Store overnight, it wouldn’t surprise me to see continued support from Geppetto.
If you’re a history buff, like high score games, or just generally enjoy shooting down swarms of aircraft with a massive battleship, at 99¢, iYamato is certainly worth a look.
App Store Link: iYamato, 99¢
First ‘Vampire Origins’ Gameplay Video
Jun 29th
Chillingo has been a bit secretive about their upcoming title Vampire Origins after releasing some very impressive looking 3D screenshots back in April. Today, they released some more screenshots and the first gameplay video from the upcoming title.
The game is described as featuring “immersive cutting-edge adventure mixed with fast-paced, intense fighting action”.
New screenshots are included below:
The game is being developed by Ice-Hill and is expected in the coming weeks.
Upcoming iPhone Platfomer ‘Plushed’ Looks Promising
Jun 29th
BlackSmithGames recently announced their first iPhone and iPod Touch game called Plushed. They describe it as a platformer with unique gameplay.
What happens when the fairytale world of a cute little girl turns into a cursed kingdom where she is queen? Her favorite plushie sets out to save her, of course. Guiding her loyal plush through several haunted meadows and creepy castles, you must use your wits to bring down the Evil voodoo mouse and his army of wacky minions! It’ simple; get to the castle, save the princess. You’ve seen it before, but not like this. PLUSHED! The adventures of the reluctant bunny knight
The game is said to include over 20 different characters and 9 large levels and 3 world bosses. Plushed is also said to have been designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch and uses the touch controls and accelerometer for gameplay.
Control different items with your finger or by shaking your iPhone to attract enemies, defeat level bosses, to solve tasks and to do many other exciting things.
While it’s hard to tell much of the gameplay itself based on screenshots alone, the artwork alone looks great and we have high hopes for the game itself.
Blacksmith games is holding a promotion to increase their twitter followers by linking the launch price of the game to the number of followers they have (more followers -> lower launch price).
‘Mevo and The Grooveriders: Galactic Tour’ – A Rhythm Platfomer
Jun 29th
Red Rocket Games recently released an iPhone version of original PC game Mevo and The Grooveriders [App Store]. The developers describe their title as a “Mario meets Guitar Hero” music game.
That description concisely describes this charming little rhythm game. Mevo and The Grooveriders is presented as a side-scrolling platformer in which your controls consist of two buttons that must be tapped in time with the music. Mevo runs and jumps across the level on his own and your taps must be timed as he runs past the corresponding icons. Miss a note and Mevo will stumble. Miss enough and the game ends.
It’s really a hypnotic experience that should please most fans of rhythm gaming, and I suspect just watching this video will cause some people to instantly buy the game no matter what else I might say:
There is one caveat, however, and that’s the game’s length. The 7+ minute video above actually shows the entire game on the iPhone as it stands now — 3 levels (though there are 3 levels of difficulty to play across). The developer has said that they are planning on porting over the remaining levels from the PC version (15 in all) over to the iPhone and that they will be free updates.
Still, the game is only $0.99, so it’s not much of an investment to simply get it now.
App Store Link: Mevo and The Grooveriders, $0.99
‘Adrenaline Pool 2′ – First Voice Chat 3.0 Game
Jun 29th
Eurocenter recently released the first iPhone game that supports in game voice chat: Adrenaline Pool 2 [App Store]. The $2.99 game is actually an entirely separate version from their existing game called Adrenaline Pool Online. Voice chat is a new 3.0 firmware-specific feature.
The core game is a rather straightforward top-down pool game that offers online head-to-head multiplayer.
We tested the game briefly, mostly focusing on the Voice-chat capabilities which seemed to work as advertised. The voice quality was a bit inconsistent in our tests over Wi-Fi, however. We’re not sure if head-to-head pool is really a game you want to be voice chatting with your opponent with, but it’s an interesting demo of what’s possible in the 3.0 firmware. And for those lonely souls out there, they do offer an option to preferentially match up with girls.
Here’s a demo of the voice chat:
I’d suggest trying out the Lite version to see if you actually enjoy the game itself before upgrading… that is, unless you just really have an itch to voice-chat with strangers.
App Store Link: Adrenaline Pool 2 (voice chat), $2.99, Adrenaline Pool Lite, Free
Preview PSX4iPhone on Your iPhone 3GS Now!
Jun 29th
ZodTTD has got psx4iphone a Sony Playstation Emulator running speedily on the iPhone 3GS and is distributing a limited amount of copies.
So how would you like to run psx4iphone on your 3GS right now, even without a jailbreak? Well you can! I can make a build for a limited number of people. In order to run this build you will need a tool like DiskAid for PC & Mac to place games & bios, that you must supply yourself, in a publicly writable directory. It’s simple drag & drop.
Zod has asked those interested to send $10 plus your 40 character device id to [email protected].
Some videos of psx4iphone will be posted soon.
Upcoming ‘Touch KO’ Boxing Game Video
Jun 29th
Chillingo has released this exclusive trailer video for the upcoming Touch KO boxing game for the iPhone. This ambitious project has been in the wings for some time. We interviewed one of the developers Adam Mechtley back in April.
Of interest from the interview was the attention to details in the game and use of motion-capture animation:
In terms of content, we are pushing a lot of detail. Each character is about 3500 polygons and uses actual motion-captured animation. We also have some nice gameplay features to add detail. For instance, we modulate the fighters’ speeds based on their stats, so a fighter with high agility has a higher base attack speed. The fighters become tired and attack slower if they throw too many punches or the fight drags on too long, so they become more vulnerable to counter-attacks. On the other hand, you can mitigate this by training up stamina.
Here’s a list of features provided by the developer:
- Customize your boxer’s appearance with dozens of equipment and tattoo options
- Additional content packs coming soon!
- Quick-Play mode lets you get in a quick bout on the go
- Compete for title fights in Career Mode, rising through the ranks from amateur to champion
- Intuitive, easy-to-use controls
- Accurate scoring uses real boxing rules
- Online leaderboards and achievements
- Crushing knock-out punches
- Random opponent generator creates hundreds of possible opponents
- Play your own music from your iTunes Library
Last we heard the game was due for a June release.
iPhone OS 3.0 Now Released!
Jun 29th
Apple has released the long awaited iPhone OS 3.0 software today for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. Users with iPhones will be able to get the update for free while iPod Touch owners will be charged a fee of $9.95. If you are updating to the new software, you must be using iTunes 8 or higher.
Some of the new features and improvements that come with this update are:
- Cut, Copy & Paste - Quickly and easily cut, copy, and paste text from application to application. Select entire blocks of web text with a tap. Copy and paste images from the web, too.
- Landscape Keyboard - Want more room to type? Rotate iPhone to landscape to use a larger keyboard in Mail, Messages, Notes, and Safari.
- MMS - Send MMS messages and include video, photos, audio, and contact info. Even tap to snap a picture or shoot a video right inside Messages. MMS support from AT&T coming in late summer.
- Spotlight Search - Find what you’re looking for across your iPhone, all from one place. Spotlight searches all of your contacts, email, calendars, and notes, as well as everything in your iPod.
- Voice Memos - Capture a memo, a meeting, or any audio recording on the go. Voice Memos works with the built-in iPhone microphone or with the mic on your headset.
- Improved Calendar - Create meetings via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and subscribe to calendars with new CalDAV support.
- Buy Moves, TV Shows and Audiobooks - Download movies, TV shows, music videos, and audiobooks from the iTunes Store on your iPhone.
- Enhanced Stocks App - Get more at-a-glance information and view charts in landscape.
- Safari Improvements - Enjoy faster performance, autofill user names and passwords, and more.
- Internet Tethering - Share your Internet connection with your laptop with Internet tethering via Bluetooth or USB. Tethering is not currently offered in the U.S. and some other countries. See your carrier for availability.
- Stereo Bluetooth - Connect compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones, car kits, or other accessories.
- Automatic Wi-Fi Login - Log in to a Wi-Fi hotspot and iPhone automatically logs you in when you connect again.
- Sync Notes - Never leave a note behind. Now you can sync all the notes you write on your iPhone back to your Mac or PC.
- Parental Controls - Decide what music, videos, and apps your kids can access.
- iTunes Store Account - Create and log in to one or more iTunes Store accounts directly from your iPhone.
- YouTube Login - Log in to your YouTube account to save and sync bookmarks and rate favorites.
- Shake to Shuffle - Give iPhone a shake and it shuffles to a different song in your music library.
- New Languages - iPhone supports 30 languages and more than 40 keyboard layouts.
- MobileMe Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe - Find your iPhone if you lose it and protect your privacy with Remote Wipe.
- Run the Latest Apps - Run the next generation of iPhone apps, like peer-to-peer games and more.
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