Codify let's you build games on the iPad

It had to happen I suppose... Every games machine that respects itself, you see, simply has to have a game creation toolkit available for it and the iPad just got its very own. It's none other than the pretty impressive Codify. A powerful code editor with a ton of extras that will let you create almost everything you can come up with. Find it over at the App Store.

The editor costs a mere $7.99 and comes bundled with a ton of examples and tools, including a vector graphics  renderer, sound effects generator, image renderer, syntax highlighter and more. This video should be most enlightening:

It's alive! On iOS too!

Yehuda Berlinger's excellent board-game has gotten a much deserved yet utterly unexpected iOS remake, meaning that It's Alive! can now also be enjoyed the digital way. Well, provided one (and his or her friends of course) has access to an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The game will obviously sport AI opponents, but will also be playable by up to 5 people, while simultaneously sporting beautiful graphics, a full soundtrack, an illustrated in-game manual and a variety of other extras. As for the original board game itself, you can find out more here or read Yehuda's interview on Gnome's Lair. The iOS game will very soon be available on the App Store. For now, better try its official site.

[UPDATE]: It's Alive! has been released! Get it via the App Store.

The ultimate PSone Emulator for Android

The original Sony PlayStation, the console we now affectionately know as the PSone, was a truly revolutionary machine that forever changed the gaming industry and helped bring countless classics to the masses. Games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Wipeout, Final Fantasy VII, Gran Turismo, Symphony of the Night and Metal Gear Solid -all PlayStation originals- are still after rightly considered as timeless gems.

What's more, you can now enjoy them all, along with a few hundred more offerings, in the mobile comfort of your Android phone with a little help from the excellent FPse emulator. A truly impressive emulator, that let's you play using the iso files of your original games and that, from what I've seen, is as fluid as the original hardware, while offering a variety of control options. You can grab it via the Android Market. Here's the trailer:

Muffin Knight (Android)

Looking for a colorful, arcadey platfomer with excellent graphics and a ton of playable characters? Own an Android phone? Well, I do believe you'd better give Muffin Knight a try then. It does look stunning and from what I've seen plays excellently too!

Super Mario 3D Land Screenshots

It does seem that Super Mario 3D Land, Nintendo's attempt at a 3DS killer-app, is shaping up rather beautifully. How beautifully? Well, as beautiful as its official site, the legacy of all Mario games, and these shiny screenshots suggest:

Miner 2049er free for iOS

Bill Hogue's 1982 masterpiece, Miner 2049er, is a historically important game, one of the first true platform games ever, excellent fun and the game that actually inspired Manic Miner. What's more, it has aged gracefully and gotten itself a pretty lovely update while being ported over to the touchscreens of the iPhone and iPad. You can happily grab said latest version of Miner 2049er over at the App Store for absolutely free. Oh, and you'll be getting both the classic and the updated versions of the game. Lucky you, eh?

NESoid: the NES emulator for Android

NESoid, as the title of this post pretty obviously suggests, is a NES emulator for Android phones. Other that that, you'll be pleased to know it's both pretty excellent and very freeware. Besides letting you enjoy the multitude of classic games released for Nintendo's 8-bit wonder, NESoid also sports a variety of smart features that let you save your game, play online, use cheats, customize controls, emulate the light-gun and even run games in faster speeds. You can download NESoid right here. Do so!

How to emulate the Atari Lynx

Seeing as the Atari Lynx has yet to get a decent emulator on iOS and WiZ, I do believe that the best way to enjoy the games of this classic handheld would be on the comfort of your PC. Or Mac. Or even Amiga. And the very best Lynx emulator is none other than the excellent Handy Lynx. You can download the Windows version here, the Mac version here and the Amiga one here. Oh, and as you'll also be needing the Atari Lynx BIOS ROM, you'd better grab it the direct download way. Everything is freeware, mind.

To grab some game ROMS, you should go on and download them over at the glorious Atari Age site. I suggest you start off with Chip's Challenge, Blue Lightning, Ninja Gaiden, Toki and Shadow of the Beast. Finally, here's a tutorial; you know, just to make sure.

Scribblenauts Remix (iOS)

The Scribblenauts games for the DS were two of the most refreshing (recent) offerings for Nintendo's ageing handheld. They were essentially incredibly unique physics-puzzle games, in which gamers could summon any item they could think of merely by typing in its name. An impressive variety of options ranging from dinosaurs to bicycles and apples to bees had been included. Intrigued? Good, for Scribblenauts has already arrived on the App Store and is ready to run on your iPhone or iPad.

What's more, this is the brand new Scribblenauts Remix version of the game, featuring the levels of both Scribblenauts and Super Scribblenauts, as well as an extra 10 levels. And just like Super Scribblenauts, it will  allow you to play with a colossal bus and a tiny giraffe. Definitely worth the $5 methinks... 

Kongregate Arcade for Android

This is a very simple and very brief post that will rather miraculously show you how to play 580, mostly excellent, games on your Android phone. How? Well, by grabbing the Kongregate Arcade app, that's how. Happily it's absolutely free too!

Hard Lines for free!

Care for an excellent, stylish, smart and high-score oriented arcade game for your iPhone and/or iPad? Would you rather grab it for free? Well, you should immediately grab Hard Lines then. You'll thank me.

Meanwhile...

Meanwhile, the interactive comic by Andrew Plotkin and Jason Shiga, is coming to iOS. Be happy and find out more about it over at the pretty elegant (and elegantly pretty) Meanwhile site. 

VVVVVV coming to the 3DS

I have so far more or less been ignoring the 3DS, but apparently wont be able to keep doing so for much longer, as Terry Cavanagh's excellent VVVVVV has just been announced for the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Yes, the best platformer since Manic Miner is getting a much deserved handheld port that sounds utterly brilliant. Oh, and in case you haven't played VVVVVV yet, you really should. Give at least my VVVVVV review over at Gnome's Lair a read or try its two level demo. You'll be immediately hooked.

As for the 3DS port, well, it's looking pretty much amazing. It will feature all of the original's levels, as well as its lovely retro-esque graphics, trippy tunes and amazing gameplay, but also sport some proper 3D effects, a real-time map displayed on the console's lower screen, new levels and more. You can find out more about it and read the official press release of a Terry's distractionware site.

The First Samurai on iPhone & iPad

The First Samurai was a technical marvel when it appeared on the already ageing Commodore 64 in 1991. It might not have been able to compare itself with to jaw-dropping Amiga version, but its graphics, sound and speed blew anything else the humble 8-bit had to offer out of the water. What's more, this lovely action platformer has aged gracefully and just received a pretty excellent (and excellently priced too) iOS port. Actually two ports; one for the iPhone/iPod Touch and one for the iPad. Go grab it. 

The Silent Age Teaser

Adventure Gamers, the best point-and-click site on the web, did manage to unearth a pretty interesting new adventure: The Silent Age. It's a proper adventure game that will soon (well, early 2012 apparently) appear on the Android and iOS platforms for the pretty astonishing price of $0.99. Apparently, the thing will be optimized for tablets too.

As for the game itself, The Silent Age will be a dystopian sci-fi offering, featuring quite a bit of time-travel and some cataclysmic events that will have to be avoided. Everything looks suitably dark and intriguing, and here's the latest teaser/trailer for you to enjoy: