First iPad Game Screenshot & Announcement Has Us Scratching Our Heads
We get a lot of press releases sent to us. Myself, it’s not unusual to see near a hundred of them hit my inbox in a day. With that much competition, its hard to capture our attention. But when I glimpsed an email saying that development studio “Bloober Team” is announcing the first title being developed exclusively for the iPad, and their calling it “Gender Wars: The Battle”, I couldn’t help but sit up and take notice. When I then read that the lead designer described the game like this,
“In a way, and I understand that it’s bit bold to say, we would like to create something similar to Metal Gear Solid for iPad.”
I start to scratch my head and a confused look passes over my face. Gender Wars? Solid Snake?
But it doesn’t end there so I am posting the original press release in full (minus legally sensitive info, of course) after the break so you can read it for yourself. It’s one of the stranger ones we have ever come across and was either written by some kind of genius, or someone on acid. We’ve also posted the game’s sole screenshot to be released so far. (For those not sure about clicking through, the screenshot does not contain any images of Gender-specific anatomical parts battling it out.)
Here are both the screenshot and the press release:
Epic saga of the future
Krakow, Poland – 5 February 2010 – Games developer and publisher Bloober Team, most famous for its WiiWare super production Last Flight, presents his newest IP – Gender Wars.
About the game
The game is turn based tactic game that will redefine whole tactic games genre with its casual, story-driven approach and easy click&shoot interface. “We wanted to make tactic game that will be easy to pick and play by anyone, in a short burst of 2-3 minutes per game, while offering enough in-depth complexity to play for hours” says Peter Bielatowicz, lead designer of the game.“In a way, and I understand that it’s bit bold to say, we would like to create something similar to Metal Gear Solid for iPad” Bielatowicz continues. “MGS was a stealth game, and stealth games before, like Tenchu, were considered to be more for hardcore players. But MGS was extremely easy to pick and play and so strongly story driven that many casual people were playing it just to follow the storyline and learning more advanced gameplay strategies as they played” he explains. “We want to implement the same flow in our game so a player can choose to focus on the story or the gameplay – according to what he prefers” Bielatowicz adds.
“Most of current tactic or strategy games on the market have very long learning curves and overwhelm player with too many information at once.
It throws off most of casual players. We will show completely different, minimalistic approach in our game” Bielatowicz continues. “We are testing our interface on gamers, and look how they approach the game and what are the first things that come to their mind when trying to perform some command” says Piotr Babieno, one of the game producers. “Then we simply implement our user interface to work this way” Bielatowicz adds.
The game takes place in the post-apocalyptic SF universe, and its storyline involves themes such as time travels, tragic love and epic military operations. “Everyone will find something for himself in the game, from space operas fans to hard military SF geeks” says Paweł Kobyłecki, one of game main screenwriters. “But this is too soon to speak about details at the moment” says Bielatowicz. “We will reveal everything in proper time, starting with series of feature films” he adds.
Comments on iPad
The game is being prepared iPad. “We believe that tactic games will be one of best and most successful games on iPad platform” predicts Babieno. “This kind of touch device with big screen helps you to command your units in most natural and intuitive way” he adds. “You have to also remember that the people will play iPad in longer sessions and with more concentration than they did on iPhone” comments Bielatowicz. “iPad is perfect device for people playing in train or airplane or at home rather than on the move like it was with iPhone. All designers shall keep this in mind when thinking about designing an iPad game” he ends.Teaser for the whole series
One of the most surprising things about the “Gender Wars: The Battle” is that the game alone is a teaser for other upcoming games from the series. It contains only the battle game mode and will focus on gameplay challenges. “It may sound weird, but after first tests of the battle module it turned out to play so well and entertaining on its own that we decided to release it as separate title” Piotr Babieno. “We want to tease players a bit and prepare them for the final game” Babieno explains. “The Battle will be released at very low price, so players can taste our quality without spending much” he adds. “Of course we will listen very closely to all the reactions and use players feedback to improve final game” Bielatowicz ends.“Gender Wars: The Battle” will hit the Apple Store with iPad release in late march. The details of the main game and its schedule are still kept secret.
###
About Bloober Team
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Krakow, Poland, Bloober Team is an independent videogame developer focused on creating the highest quality digitally-distributed content.All trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
That was it. Are you interested? Confused? Both? Will you give the game a wide berth, or do they already have you excited to pick a gender and start going at it? Leave a comment and let us know.
Apple Announcement – Surprise! It’s a big iPhone! (aka The iPad)
Only minutes ago and after months of rumor and speculation, self proclaimed genius, Steve Jobs, stunned the world by announcing yet another product sure to change the way we live life as we know it. It’s the Apple iPad! While most people thought Mr. Jobs would choose a more descriptive and less feminine hygiene product-sounding name, like iSlate or iTablet, the biggest surprise was actually the price. The most basic model (16GB/WiFi, no 3G) is only $499 which makes it much more affordable than most industry watchers expected and is probably meant to help it overcome some of the consumer adoption concerns many anticipate. The iPads will be managed through iTunes and run existing iPhone apps in a window (or pixel-doubled fullscreen) and will ship unlocked and attached to any specific carrier. WiFi-only units are supposed to hit store shelves in only 60 days with 3G-enabled units following 30 days beyond that.
More details & iPad Specifications:
iPhone 3.02 OS
10 Hr. Battery Life (month on standby)
Accelerometer
Compass
Speaker
Microphone
WiFi 802.11n
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
1 Ghz Apple A4 Chip
16GB-64GB Flash Memory
Full Capacitive Touch
9.7 in. Display
0.5 in. thick
1.5 lb. weight
No Adobe Flash Support
Optional Keyboard & “Camera Connection Kit”
WiFi
16GB – $499
32GB – $599
64GB – $699
WiFi + 3G
16GB – $629
32GB – $729
64GB – $829
Optional AT&T Data Plans:
$14.99/Mo. for up to 250MB
$29.99/Mo. unlimited
Somewhat playable N64 emulator released for jailbroken iPhones
Mobile emulation expert ZodTTD’s newest project, a Nintendo 64 emulator for jailbroken iPhones, has been released — and just in time for the holidays, too, allowing you to recreate that one video with those screaming, flailing children. With a miniscule $2.50 price tag and bluetooth support, which allows you to control the emulator with a Wii remote, it would be a pretty great deal. If, you know, it didn’t run at a handful of frames per second.
Check out the video after the jump to see the emulator in action, and to decide whether the double-thick molasses-slow gameplay is still worth the price of admission.
[Via Gizmodo]
Continue reading Somewhat playable N64 emulator released for jailbroken iPhones
Somewhat playable N64 emulator released for jailbroken iPhones originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Freeware Files: Awesome Apps to Use with Your Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Android, and iPhone
This week’s edition of the Freeware Files may seem a little unusual, but hear me out. A number of you faithful Freeware Files readers are going to be receiving (or have received) awesome gifts from Santa/your parents/Best Buy this holiday season. Trust me–I checked the list myself. Caught up in the frenzy of new toys, phones, and gaming devices to play with, you’ve probably neglected your poor ol’ PC for the time being.
For shame.
A number of the goodies you’re playing with actually have unique little third-party tricks for interfacing directly with your desktop or laptop. Yes, that’s right. You can actually use the non-computer components and devices from your living room or pocket to enhance your normal PC use. And these aren’t just little remote desktop hacks that let you see your PC’s screen on your phone or something. I’m talking about hacks that blur the line between your PC and your game controllers or phones, unlocking new usefulness for your desktop system with devices that are anything but.
Gaming Systems
Xbox 360
Your Xbox 360 controller automatically works with Windows when you plug it in to an availiable USB port. But what if you do if your game isn’t one of the titles that natively supports the controller? If you’re crazy enough to want to try, say, World of Warcraft using a console controller, than the freeware program Xpadder is going to be your ticket to a handheld Azeroth. In short, Xpadder is one giant utility for mapping keyboard-based commands to Xbox controller buttons. Not only can you use the program to play games, but you can also control the various media programs on your computer as well–perfect for creating up your own wired (or wireless) remote control!
While new versions of Xpadder (5.6) cost money, older versions of the software (5.3) are completely free. Download it here!
Nintendo Wii
Oh, the Wiimote. For the ultimate wireless pointing device for your PC, which you can use to run your mouse cursor or play games from afar, you’ll need two things: a Bluetooth adapter (or embedded Bluetooth functionality) and a copy of the freeware program GlovePIE. Be sure to check out this link for the pre-GlovePIE setup process–you know, connecting your Wiimote to your system and all that. After that, you’ll be happy to know that GlovePIE supports not only your Wiimote, but your accompanying Nunchuk and Sensor Bar accessories as well. Happy pointing!
Download it here!
PlayStation 3
While you can also use GlovePIE to manage your PlayStation 3 controller, it’s just not as simple a task to get the controller itself recognized by your Windows operating system of choice. There just aren’t any native drivers for said device. That said, your best bet for hooking your PS3 controller up to your PC is to check out these DualShock 3 drivers–they’re third-party and unsigned, which will make for all sorts of havoc if you’re running a 64-bit operating system. Otherwise, they’re the best way to connect your controller to your system. An included DS3 tool utility handles key-mapping.
Download it here!
Super-Bonus: PlayStation Portable
If you want to transform your PlayStation Portable into a second mini-monitor for your PC, look no further than the ever-awesome PSPdisp utility. You’ll need to have a PSP that runs custom firmware or a homebrew enabler before starting–this isn’t your everyday application. PSPdisp supports both wireless and USB connectivity, and this isn’t just a one-way deal. You can open up context menus, type, and even stream audio from your system to your portable gaming device. Be sure to check out the included Slideshow feature as well–it turns your PSP into a miniature information screen for all sorts of data.
Download it here!
Next: Level up your day-to-day desktop activity using your iPhone or Android phone!
Phones
Apple iPhone
There are plenty of applications that mesh some kind of desktop-based activity with the portability of Apple’s iPhone. That’s the easy part. The hard part is finding an application that offers some kind of unique functionality beyond the standard, "control X program with your iPhone" or "VPN into your desktop with the iPhone" deal. At long last, I think I have found that application: NumberKey.
Coming in the form of a freeware utility for your PC and a downloadable App for your phone, NumberKey transforms the full face of your iPhone into a keyboard numberpad that synchronizes perfectly with your existing input device. This might not be the best application for your average desktop user unless your keyboard’s number pad is organized all crazy-style. However, NumberKey is a lifesaver for a typical laptop or netbook keyboard layout. Just don’t forget to plug your iPhone in, lest you drain the battery to oblivion!
Download it here!
Android Phone
I must confess, Android-based phones just don’t have as cool of paired features (yet) as some of the applications you’ve read about above. So if you happen to stumble across an application that you can use on your Android phone to somehow extend the functionality of your desktop, I’m all ears. Other than that, there are a few programs that accomplish this goal somewhat, but not quite to the degree that I was hoping for:
- If you want to replicate the features of the iPhone’s Remote app on your Android phone–which you’d use to control a linked iTunes from afar–then check out TunesRemote.
- To manage the BitTorrent downloads of a variety of desktop clients using your Android phone, be sure to grab Transdroid. And yes, due to Apple’s App Store policies, no similar program exists for you poor iPhone users.
- For good ol’ fashioned, VPN-like remote control of your desktop from your Android phone, there’s RemoteDroid
- And to turn your Android Phone into a garage door opener, put on your Tinkerer’s Hat of +5 Home Project and check out Brad Fitzpatrick’s source code…
David Murphy (@ Acererak) is a technology journalist and former Maximum PC editor. He writes weekly columns about the wide world of open-source as well as weekly roundups of awesome, freebie software. Befriend him on Twitter, especially if you have an awesome app or game you’re dying to recommend!
Super-Awesome Giveaway!
Remember Topify, the little Web App of the Week I mentioned a bit ago? In short, it’s a way to better control Twitter follower requests through your email account–in fact, you can use it to perform all your following and "checking to see if this person is lame or not" activity straight out of your inbox.
Anyway, I have some extra invite codes to this closed-door service that I’d love to share with you. If you want one, scroll your eyes up to my Twitter handle. Friend me and shoot me an @message, and I’ll DM you an invite! I will keep this up until I run out and, when that happens, I’ll post a note on my own account.
iPhone to be sold by Tesco in the UK, hemorrhages cachet
So we know the iPhone has been slumming it and selling itself on Walmart shelves in the US for a while now, but it’s retained a somewhat more dignified cachet over here in Europe. Until today, that is. Just “in time for Christmas,” British retailer Tesco will make it possible for you to buy your socks, no-frills groceries, and shiny smartphone all in the same place. You’ll still be riding O2’s network, thanks to the Tesco Mobile service, but the department store chain is likely to price its contracts more aggressively, as it already has a £30 per month plan that includes unlimited calls, texts, and web surfing. Maybe there’s something to this whole “competition” thing after all then, eh?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone to be sold by Tesco in the UK, hemorrhages cachet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Survey: Droid advertising scaring men right into dutiful brand loyalty
Glowing red cyborg eyes, bombs dropped from stealth fighters, emotionless calls of “DRRROOOIIID” every time you get a text message — it’s enough to scare yesterday’s lunch out of anyone. Verizon’s no-holds-barred advertising campaign for the Motorola Droid has been so hellishly frightening overwhelmingly successful, in fact, that it appears to be paying dividends either directly or indirectly against Moto’s biggest rivals. YouGov’s BrandIndex — an ongoing survey measuring brand loyalty through some secret-sauce methodology that only analysts would fully comprehend — shows a marked spike in Moto’s score in the critical adult male category, while Apple and RIM have taken hits over the same period. These numbers look terribly volatile over a relative short span, so we’re not going to be rushing to any conclusions — but by any measure, it’s pretty wild to see Moto go from a has-been to besting the bulletproof cult of iPhone in just a few short weeks. In the long term, it’ll be interesting to see just how deeply Moto’s and Apple’s carrier relationships are factoring into public sentiment; after all, momentum’s certainly on Verizon’s side right now.
Survey: Droid advertising scaring men right into dutiful brand loyalty originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TomTom updated to support iPod touch and original iPhone
Back in much simpler times, TomTom’s navigation app had claimed compatibility with all iPhone and iPod touch models. Then suddenly, somewhere along the primrose path to publication, original iPhone and iPod touch support evaporated. But no more. TomTom’s pushed an update that allows for turn-by-turn navigation, but of course, you’ll still need the car kit to work. Was this the missing link between your $100 and owning this app? [Warning: iTunes link]
[Thanks, Scott M]
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS
TomTom updated to support iPod touch and original iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft Showing Off
Today in New York Microsoft is hosting an open house showing off all its goods it intends to offer consumers this holiday season, including a new generation of cellphones it hopes will grab the attention of users it lost to Apple’s iPhone. Still relying on various 3rd party manufacturers to provide the hardware, the new operating system, creatively dubbed Windows Mobile 6.5, will need to do most of the talking. One of the biggest improvements Microsoft has made to the new OS is the internet browser which has been notoriously slow, unwieldy, and unable to scale well or handle most Web 2.0 applications. They have also surrendered to touchscreen interaction rather than staying focused on the bottom left and right anchor buttons which they insisted was necessary for one-handed use of all applications -but severely restricted developers.
They’re saying the phones can already access more than 600 applications with more on the way, but only time will tell if the phones and new OS can help reclaim a share of the consumer market or bring over a significant number of mobile developers. With the success of iPhone’s Apps, it seems like a real chicken-and-egg problem I hope they can overcome. Why? In spite of where health care reform seems to be headed and what Michael Moore says, I think real competition can only benefit both Windows Mobile users (of which I previously was one) and iPhone owners (of which I am one). I happen to think Apple is sitting a little high-on-the-hog right now and too comfortable.
Microsoft’s open house is also showing off Windows 7, Bing, MS Office, Live, and new keyboards, webcams, and Zune hardware - all in a cliche’d mock-up of a house of the future, were Microsoft IS the future. There is even a garage featuring a couple of Fords using Microsoft’s SYNC technology. (Sadly, the cars of the future seem to be normal terrestrial-bound vehicles that don’t fly or even hover.)
The event also has a gaming room which is said to be showing off Forza 3 and the Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle which includes Lego Batman and Pure.
Hot Chick swallows an iPod Shuffle… for … Science?
You know I debated whether I should have really posted this but as I’m still in the progress of moving and well it’s not exactly 100% gadget news. But then I checked my stats and realized something, if their’s 1 thing that my visitors like it’s hot chicks and gadgets. I mean to date after a year my most popular post still remains the one about one of the gizmodo gadget girls that had the macbook.
Well the Hot Chick Gadget news of the day comes from Gizmodo again, they seem to know all the hot girls who like gadgets LOL. You see the story starts a long while back when apple released the iPod shuffle, the really tiny one lots of people including myself asked the question “how long till someone swallows that da*n thing”.
Well let me introduce you to my new favorite gadget girl :) Heather Holiday, from the Coney Island Circus. She’s the Coney Island Circus sword swallower can you see where this story is going? Not only is she damn hot, but she has no gag reflex hence the sword swallow and well … as the story goes, iPod shuffle swallowing :). Realistically the iPod shuffle should have been a no-contest I mean she swallows 36″ swords on a daily basis.
So the question is did this gadget girl manage to swallow the 1.8 x 0.7 x 0.3-inch iPod shuffle? Did she get to listen to some rocking tunes from inside her esophogus? Well their’s a video below that showcases her attempt at it, definitly worth watching. But the sad truth is no she didn’t get to swallow it, you see the sword swallowing technique she uses isn’t so much swallowing the gadget in a sexy manner, it’s actually just allowing gravity to drop the sword/iPod down her throat.
With the iPod shuffle weighting in at only 0.38 ounces or 10.7 grams the shuffle just wasn’t cooperating in sliding down and being controlled by her esophogus muscles. I mean sure the spoon/stick could push it in a bit but after that gravity just couldn’t slide it down. She says that eventually she might be able to do it after some more practice but right now she couldn’t she promises to come back and show the world when she does manage it but for now we have a pretty wicked video of a chick making a great attempt, and a story about a chick with no gag reflex that could have probably easily been rewritten into a story for a porn site with a few key words changed LOL 
One thing I do disagree with gizmodo’s assessment is that they say this proves the iPod shuffle is swallow proof because it was sword swallower proof so you shouldnt worry about it. The think is theirs a difference between controlled swallowing and throwing something in your mouth and gulping it down, she might not have been able to swallow a jaw breaker either but i’m pretty sure theirs a few people that have choked their brains out on it. Not to mention tiny toys that kids swallow on a daily basis that she probably couldnt have control-swallowed. So I say while it might be wicked to see a chick try it, this is definitly NOT something for anyone to try.
Source: Gizmodo
Apple’s Smart Remote is just like a Wiimote
Filed under: News, Tech stuff, Controller
Apple liked what they saw when the Wiimote was unveiled. Back in May, we caught wind of a patent that Apple had for a Wiimote-like remote control of their own, for use with Apple TV. Well, the patent is back again, as you can see above, complete with IR sensor and accelerometer action, and dubbed the Apple Smart Remote. So, we’re guessing this thing is going to be unveiled soon and we’ll see if Apple’s version of the Wiimote can compete with Nintendo and their latest console.
Apple’s Smart Remote is just like a Wiimote originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Top 10 Best Selling Games
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