Gaming on BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) has never been what you would call breathtaking – a few low-key casual games here and there and the preloaded Brickbreaker could handle the lion’s share of twitchy boredom. Well, the platform is taking a big jump as OpenGL ES support has gone official and is currently available in the beta BlackBerry JDE we had mentioned earlier.
The in-app purchacing sounded vaguely iPhone OS 3.0, and OpenGL even moreso, but between these multimedia improvements and BlackBerry’s existing expertise in productivity, the whole platform is feeling a lot more balanced. Shown here is Need for Speed, which we’ll have some hands-on footage of shortly, complete with gesture controls for brake and boosting, and accelerometer use for steering. There’s going to be at least one other big name game showing off what OpenGL on BlackBerry can do, and we’ll be sure to check it out.
The post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Fallen Earth, has just announced an in-depth iPhone app that lets you take care of quite a bit of in-game business from your mobile. For those not familiar with the genre, MMOs are generally subscription-based computer games that take place wholly online with other players (either cooperatively or competitively, as the case may be). Players control characters in the shared game world to embark on missions, gather equipment, craft items, and a bunch of other stuff. If you’ve heard of World of Warcraft, then you know what an MMO is.
Anyway, Fallen Earth is working on an app that allows players to do a few things in-game without having to be at your computer, which is actually really handy since things keep happening in the game even when you’re not playing. Folks will be able to view character information similar to WoW’s Armory app for iPhone, but the real kicker will be talking to clan members, managing auction house sales, and crafting queues remotely; that’s changing the mobile app from an MMO companion reference to an actual part of the game, which I really like. To stay updated on the app’s progress and learn more about the game, hit up Fallen Earth.
Here’s one for hard-core back-from-the-days Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) dans – the Apple II classic text adventure Transylvania has been ported to iPhone!
Those not familiar with the game should check out a dedicated Wikipedia page for all the details. I’ll only point out key facts about the iPhone version:
The game was remade in collaboration with Antonio Antiochia, the original author of Transylvania!
Gameplay has been updated and you don’t have to text input commands. Using the magic of touch is enough, but if you’re so nostalgic that options still exists.
The graphics has been updated, which is kinda expected.
The price is 99 cents which is like nothing for the experience of time travelling.
There’s no recession for the leading mobile games developer Gameloft. During the first nine months of 2009, the company’s consolidated sales went up by 18%, reaching 90.2 million EUR. On a constant exchange rate basis, that’s actually 16%, which is still impressive.
Here’s how the numbers went from quarter to quarter compared to the last year (in millions EUR):
Q1 2009 – 30.8 vs Q1 2008 – 25.3 (+22%)
Q2 2009 – 29.3 vs Q2 2008 – 25.0 (+17%)
Q3 2009 – 30.1 vs Q3 2008 – 26.2 (+`15%)
9-month total – 90.2 vs 76.5 (+18%)
During the first nine months of 2009, Europe, North America and the rest of the world represented 38%, 33% and 29% of total sales, respectively…
Highlights for Children is launching its first iPhone app – the original Highlights Hidden Pictures game, which (as you can presume) targets iPhone and/or iPod Touch-ownin’ parents.
The seek-and-find game is designed to challenge child’s visual skills to allow him/her to locate hidden objects within Highlights’ classic kid-friendly illustrations. There are over a hundred hidden objects to find and when each is located, it turns from black and white to color and a sound chimes to announce the discovery.
In total, Highlights Hidden Pictures features eight puzzles, and two free additional puzzles are available after registration. The price is $1.99. (iTunes link)
A new point and click adventure will be hitting the AppStore later this fall. It’s called Dracula: the Path of the Dragon and it promises to deliver tons of fun, mixing myth and reality, science and history, and medicine and superstition.
The storyline sees you controlling Father Arno Moriani, who is sent to investigate a potential candidate for sainthood in Transylvania. The year is 1920 and you begin investigation of Dr. Martha Calugarul in the village of Vladoviste, half-destroyed in World War I. On the hillside sits the Castle of Twilight, the famed home of Vlad the Impaler. Father Arno begins to track a mysterious figure he believes is responsible for evil deeds in the area. He realizes later, that he is inadvertently walking the path of the dragon. As you solve puzzles based on medicine, history, and the occult, you’ll uncover the mystery of the dragon and of the vampires…
Yap, I’m intrigued with the idea and screenshots look promising, hence I can’t wait to play it. The price is unknown at this stage, but I’m guessing that’s something we’ll know sooner rather than later. And while we’re waiting for the game release, we have a trailer to share. Check it out along with more screenshots after the jump.
We previously mentioned Gameloft’s Asphalt series when Asphalt 4 made its way to the N-Gage as well as on Verizon’s V-Cast service. Gameloft teased us at this year’s WWDC ‘09 with news they were bringing Asphalt 5 to the iPhone App Store later this year. Gameloft finally delievered as Asphalt 5 is now available for purchase on the iPhone App Store.
Asphalt 5 features over 30 cars from such notable manufactures as Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Audi that are fully customizable and more than 12 different locations you can race in. There are also 8 different racing events to take part in such as Cop Chase, Drift Contest, and Time Attack. When you think you’ve mastered Asphalt 5, take on some of your friends via Bluetooth or players from around the world via Wi-Fi connection.
To celebrate Asphalt 5’s release, Gameloft was gracious enough to send us THREE $10 Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iTunes gift cards so you can purchase Asphalt 5 and have some left over to purchase some of the other titles from Gameloft (might I recommend Earthworm Jim or Dungeon Hunter?) Want to win one of the three $10 iTunes gift cards? Here’s how to enter:
Leaving a comment below (please leave an accurate email address so I may contact you if you win)
Retweeting this article by clicking on the “Retweet” badge located underneath this article
This giveaway will be going on for the next 24 hours, so be sure to get your entry in by Nov. 4th, 2009 at 3:00PM EST. While you’re waiting for the contest to be over, be sure to check out the trailer below of Asphalt 5 to see the game in action! Also, be sure to follow @Gameloft to get up-to-the-minute updates on their future games!
[UPDATE: The contest has officially come to a close. Thanks to all who entered and please be sure to check back often as we have some super sweet stuff to giveaway reeeeeal soon.]
Online universe of fan communities for games PlayHaven is “going iPhone” by opening up its platform to the iPhone developers. As a result, interested individuals and companies which make iPhone games can instantly establish a community presence online and in-game for free. This translates into generating some buzz for the games, as users will get the option to share, gather and interact with other members of the community.
The process seems easy (though I haven’t tried it myself) and it should apparently take only a minute or so to claim your community and integrate various social features into an iPhone app.
Around 20 games have already integrated PlayHaven’s capabilities — including Minigore, Geared, I Dig It, The Quest, Mouse House 2, SnowFerno, iSamurai, BobbleSurfer, ZombieSmash!, Transylvania, Genius Defense Force, Gang Street Wars, Hopple, Tipoli, Influence, Above and Cell War, to name just a few.
Sounds cool and I’m hoping PlayHaven will also allow other platform developers to use the same features. Someone said Android? Symbian?
By Simon Sage on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 11:09 AM PST In Gaming
Although a little bit later than expected, the real-time strategy classic, Command & Conquer: Red Alert, is now available on the iPhone. RA lets you play as either Allies or Soviets across 12 levels of resource gathering, unit building, and, of course, military conquest. Gamers out there will be familiar with name, although understandably wary about gameplay on a smaller screen. By the looks of the screenshots, Red Alert looks wholly playable and potentially a lot of fun if EA took their time and made sure everything was properly redesigned for mobile. Downloadable expansions will broaden gameplay by adding multiplayer capabilities and another unique faction down the line… Looking forward to it! In the meantime, you can nab Red Alert in the App Store for $9.99.
Craving a new puzzle game on your iPhone? One that you may want to check out is called ‘Penguin Break’. Like other puzzle games of this genre, the object of the game is to clear the board. You do so by tapping on penguins to throw snowballs, and each time you hit a penguin it will disappear, along with other adjacent penguins of the same color. You can create chain reactions for big bonuses (think ‘Bejeweled’)… and there are multiple power ups to be found within the game. Play in ‘Frenzy’ mode which puts you against the clock, or play a more classic style game in ‘Escape’ mode where you try and keep the penguins from reaching the top of the field of play.
For more details check out the demo video above, or pick it up for $0.99 in the App Store (iTunes link).
The 
Although a little bit later than 
