Halfbrick Studios has announced that their sublime endless flying adventure, Jetpack Joyride [Free], which stars the toughest food-named protagonist that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, has passed the 13 million download mark since going free-to-play this past December. Combined with the downloads from the time it launched as a paid app in late August, this pushes the total downloads to well past the 14 million mark.
We were quite taken with Jetpack Joyridein our review, so it's not hard to see why multiple millions of people are downloading the title, especially since it's been expanded on and improved so much following its release. And that reminds me, Halfbrick also mentions that they're scheduled to release the biggest content update that the game has ever seen sometime next month. Sadly there are no details on this update just yet, but we'll keep our eye out for anything new in the coming weeks.
It's possible that Team Meat is just trolling us at this point, but it seems like it is genuinely married to the idea of bringing an actual game to mobile. In its latest burst of tweets, the two man outfit announced that it's working on some kind of Super Meat Boy "prototype" set for release across "touch devices."
Before you get too excited about the whole Super Meat Boy connection, do take note that this isn't a port. "It will be a re-envisioning of Super Meat Boy remade from scratch for touch," the studio said, and it won't use any art or "gameplay" from the title.
This is neat. Double Fine, the creators of Brutal Legend and, most recently, a swarm of lovable and unique downloadable titles like Iron Brigade and Costume Quest, is asking its fans via Kickstarter to donate a total of $400,000 towards the production of a brand new point-and-click adventure title that'll be created by "a small team" and one of the adventure game genre's most influential developers, Tim Schafer.
The fans have answered, too. In under ten hours the project has received well over half a million dollars in backing. And with over 30 more days to go still, you almost have to assume that Double Fine will be forced to use dollar bills as toilet paper to rid itself of all the extra cash it's going to receive.
The project doesn't have a real name yet. It also isn't exactly slated to hit iOS -- the initial pitch was for the development of a PC point-and-click "utilizing modern touch technology." Double Fine says that if it raises more than what it's asking for, as the project has, it might put the game on Mac or iOS.
This seems like a big deal for Double Fine: it's a small, but notable studio that's triumphantly shedding the typical publisher / loan shark model that it usually uses to make something that it has complete creative control over. But, this is also a studio that has been OK with funny funding deals. It let a dude pay for several PC ports in the past, and it's apparently currently in talks with Minecraft creator Notch about funding Psychonauts 2.
So, when will you be able to play this game? It'll be awhile. Provided everything goes as planned, it might appear on Steam as early as October 2012. However, backers will see the game as it's being developed -- this entire experience will be documented by 2 Player Productions and private videos will be released on an ongoing basis.
Yesterday, Gameloft announced the release of a standalone app for their online gaming network Gameloft Live for Android devices, with the app scheduled to hit the iOS App Store in the near future. In case you're unaware, Gameloft Live is a service baked into all of Gameloft's games that allows for persistent tracking of achievements and leaderboards, as well as a friend list and social features, across their library of titles.
While I prefer Game Center nowadays as it's the Apple standard, I've always felt that Gameloft Live provided one of the strongest 3rd party social gaming networks. Perhaps true to Gameloft's form, Gameloft Live reminded me a lot of the Xbox Live service on consoles. The standalone app will allow you to access Gameloft Live from outside of a game, and looks to offer a lot of new features. You can meet up with friends in the app and chat, check out each other's gaming progress, and of course play games together. Check out some screens below from the Android version.
Last month Taito announced that they were bringing a port of Dariusburst – a recent entry in the classic Darius series of shooters that was released in arcades and on PSP in Japan – to iOS. While it's a bit of a straggler behind the normal round of new weekly releases, Dariusburst SP [$10.99] is now available on the App Store.
Originally Dariusburst was a PSP game, and featured the familiar horizontal shooting and brutal difficulty that the Darius series was famous for, but with beautiful 3D visuals. It was then released in arcades about a year later as Dariusburst Another Chronicle, and came with additional features not found in the PSP game as well as a crazy double wide screen.
We've been covering the existence of ngmoco since the very beginning in mid-2008, back before they dropped the extra colon from their logo even. A month later, we were on top of their initial round of funding, and with the launch of nglabs and other amazing future promises, quite a few people (myself included) thought ngmoco was going to become the unquestionable king of iOS game development.
It's been a long four years since then, and while we once knew ngmoco for releasing absolutely classic must-have games like Rolando [99¢], Rolando 2 [99¢], and Star Defense [99¢], they switched gears to championing the free to play game market in a major way in late 2009. We were blown away when it was announced that Eliminate [Free] was going to be free, and We Rule [Free] was equally popular around here as ngmoco made a splash on the App Store with one of the first available free to play Farmville-like building games.
Since that original free to play explosion in 2009, Ngmoco hasn't done very much to interest our community. They've seemingly stopped both publishing and releasing games, with the last major release that made much of a splash around here being Godfinger [Free], another free to play building game which hit the App Store in late 2010. Even more confusing is what in the world ngmoco has been doing with Freeverse, the beloved former Mac developer, since they were acquired.
With Freeverse onboard, ngmoco's proverbial financial katamari was large enough to lure Asian gaming giant DeNA into acquiring ngmoco for $400m, and since then it seems they've fallen even further off the map. Not even people familiar with the situation have been able to explain to me what ngmoco has been up to in the last two years aside from pushing hard into the Android world with questionable success utilizing their cross-platform game engine Mobage (which is pronounced MOH-bah-GAY, if you were curious).
Ngmoco recently had a round of layoffs — maybe somewhere above 30 people, according to one source. The number isn’t huge, but among the departed are senior leaders including a director of platform tech and the chief marketing officer, this person tells me. One game has apparently been shut down, while another has been pared down, with some engineers remaining to see it to launch.
Ngmoco CEO Neil Young was quick to respond, making it sound as if they layoffs are a result of Ngmoco and DeNA merging, eliminating any duplicate positions leftover from the restructuring process:
“Armed with the insights we’ve gained from both the Western and Japanese markets and after completing the integration of a series of key acquisitions, we’ve organized our global operations to best support and deliver on our mission to build the leading Global Social Mobile Game Platform company.”
To add another interesting wrinkle to the potential fate of Ngmoco, Inside Mobile Apps is reporting that Ngmoco has missed their first earnout date, putting a large portion of that $400m acquisition amount in jeopardy if ngmoco (assuming this report is true) has been unable to meet the agreed upon performance milestones.
It's hard to say what this all means for the future of ngmoco, but as a fan of all of ngmoco's pre-freemium titles, it really saddens me to look on what the company used to be (and the promise they represented to iOS games) and what they are today. The weird thing about all this to me is that ngmoco championed the free to play model, then sort of just disappeared to build mobage while other developers went on to become overnight millionaires utilizing it.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what, if anything, they do next.
Rebuild [$2.99] for iPhone and iPod Touch is actually happening -- and soon. Tomorrow will see the debut of the post-apocalyptic strategy title on smaller devices, courtesy a big-time Universal update for the iPad versions of the game. Developer Northway tells that the update will also roll in retina support, too.
This is easily one of our favorite strategy games on the App Store this side of Civ Rev [$6.99 / HD], and we're stoked that a "maybe" porting scenario as of a couple of months ago has become a reality. If you haven't read anything about Rebuildcheck out our review. Or just pick it up on the App Store at its sale price of $.99 starting tomorrow through this Sunday.
We've just got word that Epic has teamed up with online college and game jam host Train2Game for the upcoming Make Something Unreal Live event which puts four startup studios against each other to create a game using the Unreal Engine. These sort of competitions seem to happen with reasonable regularity, but what makes this one more interesting to us than most is two things: First off, all of the games will be specifically developed for the iOS platform. Secondly, Epic has licensed the Fighting Fantasy IP.
Fighting Fantasy is a series of game books which are also available on the App Store. We've posted about these game books in the past, and they're really clever works of interactive fiction that work great on iOS devices. We've been told that the games these studios will be working on are going to be 3D adaptations to these books, and need to stay faithful to the original IP, which sounds like an interesting challenge.
The four games will be revealed on April 10th, and while I can only speculate what the quality of each of the games will be, it's really cool seeing Epic hosting these challenges with iOS specifically in mind.
Hey it's Wednesday, which for our purposes means exactly one thing: Tons of iOS game releases. There should be something for everyone in this list of games, whether you're a pinball fan, like simple physics games, Star Wars, or even really creepy Japanese RPGs.
This works like all other weeks in that these games should all be available in the USA at 11:00 PM Eastern, or potentially much, much earlier if you're East of North America. In which case, these games should all be available now, or very soon.
100 Trials, $1.99 - Forum Thread - This is a "re-imagining" of 100 Rogues, a roguelike that was released a few years ago which was very highly anticipated amongst our community, but quickly became notorious for just how buggy it was. Combat seems to be further refined, more classes are included, and hopefully this pseudo-sequel manages to free itself of the issues of the original.
Bubble in Paradise, 99¢ - Forum Thread - Do you like words and popping bubbles? Well, Chillingo has you covered this week. Multiple game modes and even online multiplayer are packed in too.
Corpse Party Blood Covered: ...Repeated Fear, $24.99 - Forum Thread - We've gone over what this game is all about in a recent news post. Unfortunately, it seems that the game only comes packed with Japanese language support right now. Oddly enough, it's (currently) available in regions outside of Japan, which seems sort of rare for these crazy Japanese-only RPGs.
Diggin' Dogs, 99¢ - Forum Thread - I like dogs, I like games with digging mechanics, and I especially like games that seem to explode coins everywhere. 3 dogs, 61 levels, and 5 game worlds are included.
DoDonPachi Blissful Death, $4.99 - Forum Thread - The latest shooter from Cave, which should say everything about this game. Expect tons of sprites on screen, bullets everywhere, and incredibly fast action.
End Night for iPad, $2.99 - Forum Thread - Check out our preview for all the details, but this seems to be a really slick interpretation of survival horror on iOS devices, which is a genre which I'd really like to see more of.
Pinball Arcade, 99¢ - Forum Thread - Who knew that iOS devices would be such a killer platform for pinball fans? Pinball Arcade seems to be yet another entry in the fantastic pinball aisle on the App Store. It comes with a single table unlocked, with additional ones available via IAP.
Ragdoll Blaster 3, 99¢ / HD - Forum Thread - Ragdoll Blaster was an incredible game, Ragdoll Blaster 2 was even better, and I don't think it's that big of a leap of faith to assume that the third in the series is going to be better yet. If you haven't played a Ragdoll Blaster game yet, and are even remotely interested in physics puzzlers, get on it.
Raid Leader, 99¢ - Forum Thread - I've been looking forward to this game since I first caught wind of it. We'll have a review up the second it hits the US App Store, but seriously, just watch the trailer.
Star Wars Pit Droids, $1.99 - Forum Thread - Are you excited for Phantom Menace in 3D this weekend? (No? Eh, can't blame you.) Well, the good news is this game looks pretty rad, and actually started its life as a PC game back in 1999. Now, how about some more LucasArts games from the 90's on the App Store?
We've been keeping close tabs on Bumpy Road [$2.99] developer Simogo's upcoming rhythm-based stealth puzzler Beat Sneak Bandit since they originally teased it last October. We've even had some extensive hands-on time with a limited preview version of the game, and that's just served to make us even more excited for the final release. And today, Simogo has revealed that Beat Sneak Bandit will be hitting the App Store February 16th. Hey that's just a week away! To celebrate, they've released a slick new trailer for the game:
You can bet we'll be all over Beat Sneak Bandit like fingerprints on touch screens when it surfaces next week, and until then there's a discussion thread you can check out in our forums.
Ignite is an indie arcade racer released on Steam last October, and developer Nemesys Games has sent word that a port to iOS is currently in progress. I haven't tried Ignite myself just yet, but I've heard good things. It's your typical stylish arcade racer, but has an interesting twist where you can earn points for pulling off fancy driving maneuvers, stunts, and destruction. Once you've earned 1000 points, you can use it immediately to gain an advantage in the race or you can save it until the end and get a time bonus instead.
Ignite features 3 different modes, 35 circuits across 7 locations, and a ton of different configurable cars to burn rubber with. Oh, also, it's absolutely gorgeous. Let's not forget that. There's no clear release date for Ignite on iOS just yet, but the developers stated that the porting project just started in January and that the game is already up and running in a playable state. More videos and screens are said to be coming soon, but it sounds like it shouldn't take too long to get the game on the App Store. We're intrigued, and will definitely be checking out Ignite when it comes to iOS in the (hopefully) near future.
EA announced an iOS version of the latest console release of their massively popular Battlefield franchise way back in August of last year. Since then, we've gone hands on with early preview versions of the game this past October and again the following month. At both events the game felt extremely early in development, and despite Battlefield 3 launching on consoles in late October, EA really didn't seem to have any idea when the iOS version would hit. And then today, pretty much out of nowhere, Battlefield 3: Aftershock [Free] popped up in the US App Store.
Unfortunately, early impressions of the game aren't pretty. Well actually that's not quite accurate, as the one thing that everyone can seem to agree on is that Battlefield 3: Aftershock's visuals are indeed quite pretty. However, it doesn't seem to contain any of the previously promised features or modes. There is no single player to speak of (only online multiplayer), no "Horde-like" wave mode, and there is a paltry 3 different weapons to choose from (4 if you count the knife).
I might not mind an online multiplayer only game, but so far the actual online performance is underwhelming. It takes forever to match with someone, and even when you do the match that follows lags to the point of it being completely unplayable. I'm almost certain this is just due to the game being new and there not really being a decent pool of people to play against yet, but what should I do while waiting for the lobbies to fill out? There's no single player component to speak of, and not even a local multiplayer option.
However, the most baffling thing about Aftershock is its pay model. The game is free and comes with the online multiplayer mode, and that's it. There does not seem to be anything more to buy in the game (yet at least), and there are ads in the menu screens which it does not appear you can pay to disable. Apparently the game is sponsored by 'Act of Valor' (you know, that movie that uses real Navy Seals as the stars) and if you watch an in-game trailer for it you can unlock an additional weapon.
So, that's really what I don't get about Battlefield 3: Aftershock. It feels strange that EA would relegate the mobile version of one of their biggest franchises to an advergame for an upcoming movie. The lack of modes makes it feel woefully incomplete, and all I can really think is that there's a ton of new content waiting in the wings to be released as future updates or in-app purchases. If not, then Battlefield 3: Aftershock stands as a considerable step down from 2010's Battlefield Bad Company 2 [$2.99/HD], which itself was fairly average.
Battlefield 3: Aftershock doesn't seem to be in international markets just yet, but if you're in the US you can give it a try for free if you're curious and can spare a few hundred MB of space, and be sure to leave your thoughts in the game's thread in our forums.
If you don't have someone to curl up to this Valentine's Day, you might want to consider snuggling with your iPad instead. It doesn't have skin or emotion or whatever, sure, but it'll have plenty to give you over the holiday stretch. For example, Paper Monsters [$.99] has received a themed update in celebration, adding an entirely new level pack and decidedly less romantic, but necessary bug fixes and level tweaks.
Of course, Paper Monsters won't be the only title receiving an update like this: in the past, most "big" games, like Angry Birds or Cut The Rope, have received a little nod to the holiday. Also, publishers are undoubtedly going to go on price cutting sprees since Valentine's Day is so popular and all.
So, yeah, you don't need a real partner. Your iPad will have plenty for you, and hey, it won't even ask you for chocolate or a rose or expect to get something nice.
Here's a new one: instead of splintering into a billion different independent parts in order to explore the world of iOS, Salt Lake studio Eat Sleep Play is staying (mostly) together as it transitions into mobile and tablet development.
The Salt Lake City Tribune is reporting that after the studio finishes Twisted Metal, it'll move on to iPad and iPhone development. Eight employees were handed pink slips last week in order to presumably shrink the studio size for the transition, and co-founder David Jaffe is expected to leave as well to pursue a new thing before the studio makes hop.
We hadn't officially heard much on Johnny Two Shoe's latest forthcoming iOS release Prevail since they first announced it back in September, but the two brothers that comprise the studio have been extremely active in our forums, both talking about specific elements in Prevail and posting frequent new screen shots for our members to drool over.
Now Johnny Two Shoes has unleashed a brand new trailer for Prevail, and it's looking insanely bad ass. It's a 2D side-scrolling action game similar to their previous release Plunderland [$1.99/Lite], but cranked up to 11, with a vast open universe to explore and tons of activities for the game's inhabitants to partake in. Not to mention an engrossing story that unfolds as the game progresses. Check the trailer and see for yourself:
As pretty huge fans of Plunderland, both for its fantastic aesthetics and novel gameplay, we're pretty pumped for Prevail. This new trailer increases that level of pumped-ness several notches. Tons of planets? Multiple vehicles? Deforming terrain? Huge arrow battles? I'm totally in. Prevail is looking at an early 2012 release, which could be now or even a couple of months from now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for sooner rather than later, and we'll let you know if any new information surfaces.
Halfbrick Studios has announced that their sublime endless flying adventure, Jetpack Joyride [Free], which stars the toughest food-named protagonist that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, has passed the 13 million download mark since going free-to-play this past December. Combined with the downloads from the time it launched as a paid app in late August, this pushes the total downloads to well past the 14 million mark.
It's possible that 
We've been covering the existence of ngmoco 
Rebuild
Hey it's Wednesday, which for our purposes means exactly one thing: Tons of iOS game releases. There should be something for everyone in this list of games, whether you're a pinball fan, like simple physics games, Star Wars, or even really creepy Japanese RPGs.
If you don't have someone to curl up to this Valentine's Day, you might want to consider snuggling with your iPad instead. It doesn't have skin or emotion or whatever, sure, but it'll have plenty to give you over the holiday stretch. For example, 
