Gaming on the Go

Artfully Framed iOS Announced

2012-02-02T14:01:00.001+02:00

As I've already mentioned over at Gnome's Lair, I've joined Kyttaro Games, a brand new indie game development group, and am already working on several gaming projects. Chief among them is none other than the iPhone twitch-arcade offering Artfully Framed. Follow the previous link and find out more about it and its unique, inspired by them great modern artists look. Oh, and you can keep up-to-date with all the Artfully Framed news both via facebook and the Kyttaro Games twitter account.

The Humble Bundle for Android

2012-02-01T14:09:00.000+02:00

In a brilliant and utterly unexpected move the Humble Indie Bundle decided to give Android gamers a chance at playing some of the best games on their phones for a price that they themselves will choose. Yes, the famous pay-what-you-want bundle lets you grab four excellent games (Anomaly, Osmos, Edge and World of Goo) for any price you'd care to mention. What's more, you'll also get the games for you Mac, PC and/or Linux computer, while simultaneously supporting charity. Go play!

Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land

2012-01-31T10:49:00.004+02:00

We are definitely living through strange aeons and the stars are apparently right, so, uhm, what better way to celebrate the rise of the Old Ones than by grabbing the freshly released Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land? It is, after all, a deeply Lovecraftian WWI turn-based strategy offering with strong RPG elements and amazing graphics that has been developed for both the iPad and the iPhone.

Ur-Quan Masters Android

2012-01-30T16:10:00.004+02:00

Star Control II is, by far, the best sci-fi action strategy hybrid ever released and one of the few games set in space to actually feature an engaging plot and an interesting setting. Now, as most of you might just already know, Star Control II (its 3DO version to be precise) has gotten itself an excellent freeware port to modern machines that went along with a name change; hence it's now generally available as Ur-Quan Masters. What's more and what you may have missed, is that Ur-Quan Masters has gotten itself further ported to Android and can now be grabbed for free from the Android Market.

Kung Food (Atari Lynx)

2012-01-28T14:12:00.002+02:00

A lovely video review of a not-so-lovely (but definitely weird) retro offering for the Atari Lynx.

Steam goes Mobile

2012-01-27T10:34:00.004+02:00

Steam, the behemoth that's been gracefully dominating PC and Mac gaming for the past few years, is coming to both iOS and Android phones. Well, sort of. A beta Steam App has indeed been released for both platforms, but, even if you get accepted to it, you wont be able to actually play any games. You will instead be restricted to chatting with your Steam-buddies and shopping... Then again, everyone can see the immense possibilities there... Anyway, better get Steam Mobile here.

The new Neo Geo Pocket

2012-01-26T10:19:00.004+02:00

Today's brilliant retro gaming news is that we will soon be getting a brand new Neo Geo Pocket; a handheld console that's officially sponsored by SNK Playmore and is temporarily known as the Neo Geo Portable Device. Not the most inspired of names apparently, but we should be expecting a name change soon. According to Adriansang.com, that is.

The console will apparently sport a shiny 4.3" screen, 2 gigas of internal storage, all the face and shoulder buttons a gamer could ask for and what seems like a most interesting (possibly analog) d-pad. It will also come preloaded with 20 Neo Geo arcade classics such as Metal Slug, Samurai Showdown, King of Fighters '94, Last Resort, Art of Fighting, NAM 1975 and Super Sidekicks.

Caverns of Minos iOS

2012-01-19T10:53:00.000+02:00

Legendary coder Jeff Minter and the hairy ensemble of Llamasoft have done it again! They have produced (and promptly released) another fantastic Minotaur game that can, and should, be played on both the iPhone and the iPad: Caverns of Minos. Inspired by games such as Lunar Lander, Cretan mythology and the observation of furry mammals, the game is a brilliantly psychedelic shoot-and-rescue-'em-up with smart physics. You really have to play it. Really, really.

Another World on Android

2012-01-18T10:15:00.000+02:00

Eric Chahi's classic arcade-adventure Another World has already been both brilliantly and successfully ported to iOS devices and, apparently, the time for the much delayed Android version has also come. Retro maestros DotEmu and Mr. Chahi himself have teamed up and will be releasing Another World 20th Anniversary for Android in a few months. Do expect updated HD graphics (with the option to enjoy the low-res original ones too), touch-controls, three difficulty levels, remastered music and a ton of other enhancements.

For the latest news concerning the post, besides watching this blog, well, you could do worse than keeping an eye on the official Another World facebook page.

Ghost Stories on iPad

2012-01-16T12:03:00.002+02:00

Another excellent board game has landed on the iPad; the emerging and gloriously shining competitor to the throne of the ultimate, digital, board gaming device. Said game is none other than the classic Ghost Stories, that seems to have gotten itself a really polished and great looking remake. Grab it over at the App Store.

It's Tiny Tower time!

2012-01-13T10:07:00.004+02:00

Well, it is, isn't it? Of course it is and if you haven't grabbed the ridiculously popular freebie that is Tiny Tower just yet, better do so immediately. The game is waiting for you over at the App Store and it's as close to Little Computer People as any Tamagotchi/The Sims hybrid you'd care to mention. It does look excellent too and you can't quite imagine what a time sink it can evolve into. Pretty excellent stuff.

Defender - an Android freebie

2012-01-11T11:35:00.000+02:00

Defender is one of the best known and most successful free games for Android phones. You can easily grab it over at the Android Market. Then again, you are probably aware of that, just as well as you are aware of the fact that Defender is a pretty unique take on the tower defense genre, complete with spells and a user controlled bow. What you probably aren't aware of are my thoughts on the thing, so, uhm, here goes.

Well, I do believe it's a very polished and interesting freebie, that could have been so much more. Not that it's not addictive mind, it most definitely is and has already eaten away over 10 hours of my time, but, well, so is FarmVille apparently. It's a good-looking grind, requiring minimal thought and minimal dexterity, yet one that can at times feel immensely enjoyable. Odd, I know, what I guess it's one of them games you'll have to try out.

Super Crate Box iPhone/iPad

2012-01-10T10:47:00.002+02:00

Super Crate Box is a fantastic indie game, that brilliantly captures the arcade gaming spirit of yore, while offering some truly lovely pixel-art graphics and some properly innovative ideas. Its freeware PC version has after all won numerous awards and captured the hearts of thousands of gamers. Happily, the game has now gotten itself an excellent iOS port, meaning that you can now enjoy it on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Grab it over at the App Store for the ultra-cheap price of $0.99.

Jetpack Joyride iOS

2012-01-09T09:47:00.001+02:00

If you haven't been reading the excellent A Game Forever Voyaging blog, well, it's about time you started. Not only will you be getting access to some lovely retro gaming articles, but also find yourselves reading all about some of the best reviews/posts on iPhone games. And discover games like Jetpack Joyride; a fantastic shmup/Canabalt hybrid with retro-esque graphics, smart mechanics and great level-design. It actually is one of the best twitch arcade games around. And it's available for free. Here.

VVVVVV 3DS unleashed

2012-01-05T11:54:00.002+02:00

VVVVVV, the amazing, retro-esque platformer by Terry Cavanagh, has finally been released for the Nintendo 3DS! Yes, great news indeed, as VVVVVV is a unique and pretty brilliant offering, that's easily both an indie computer gaming mega-hit and the best game of its kind of the past 20 or so years. You can read my review of the PC version here and find VVVVVV 3DS over at Nintendo's online store.

Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World

2012-01-04T11:46:00.000+02:00

Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World is an indie point-and-click adventure that properly entertained me last year when I played it on the PC. It is, after all, an expansive, old-fashioned offering (just how I like them) with gorgeous hand-painted backgrounds, great humour, tough puzzles, interesting characters and a truly outrageous plot. What's more, it has already been carefully ported to iOS and you can either grab it for your iPhone or iPad. The first part of the game is free to play and you can, via an in-app purchase, unlock the full thing later on.

Oh, yes, and let me wish everyone a happy, healthy and creative 2012!

MAME for iPhone & iOS

2011-12-22T10:01:00.003+02:00

Apple is bound to take this one off the App Store sooner or later, meaning that you really have to hurry. Visit the App Store as soon as possible and download the free iOS version of the venerable MAME arcade emulator. It's brilliant, comes bundled with an eclectic selection of classics and, well, just hurry.

Winter Walk - a Festive Freebie

2011-12-21T18:13:00.000+02:00

As far as seasonal games go, well, Winter Walk is definitely the festivest of them all. And an incredibly stylish, humorous and simple to play offering too. Grab it now for your iOS thingy or Android contraption; it is gloriously free and one of the preciously few games that require you to hold on to your hat.

More Text Adventures for the Road

2011-12-20T11:49:00.000+02:00

Following the post on interactive fiction player Twisty for Android, Kristian Still and Stadtgorilla let me know of more text adventure related goodies and, well, I thought I really should pass those tips on to you lovely readers. There's two of them, you know. No, wait, there's three!

So, better start off with the new interactive fiction interpreter: Hunky Punk. It is apparently and according to Stadtgorilla more stable than Twisty, supports covers and metadata, likes connecting itself to the IFDB and is obviously free to grab. It also is available on the Android Market.

Following this, both Android and iOS gamers should grab the freeware and pretty excellent The Things That Go Bump In The Night. It's a polished text adventure by Tim Hamilton that sports a fantastic and pretty intuitive touch-based interface, auto-saves, a choice of fonts and a particularly engrossing plot. And it's not too difficult either. Download it via the App Store or the Android Market.

Finally and as The Things That Go Bump In The Night has been created with it, I simply have to point the more creative among us towards the pretty amazing Quest. It is, after all, an excellent and happily free to grab interactive fiction authoring tool that impressively also let's you publish on Android and iPhone! Think I might actually be using it very soon.

Twisty Android Interactive Fiction

2011-12-19T11:21:00.002+02:00

Text adventures and interactive fiction, despite what everyone else might tell you, will never die. Not as long as people care for stories and enjoy playing around with text. Not as long as Infocom, Level 9 and Magnetic Scrolls are remembered and definitely not as long as the vibrant, modern interactive fiction community keeps creating dozens of excellent new games.

What's more, you can enjoy the world of text adventuring on your Android phone too with the help of the brilliant Twisty app. It is absolutely free, comes bundled with one of the best horror adventures I've ever played and supports everything from Infocom's classics to modern day freebies. Get it over at the Android Market.

Sonic CD: the iOS revival

2011-12-16T11:42:00.002+02:00

Sonic CD, a Sonic game originally released for the Sega CD / Sega Mega CD back in 1993, was much more than just a brilliant game. It was one of the best Sonic offerings ever, a properly huge platformer and a game that really showed off what the storage space of CD-ROM could be used for: top graphics, tons of levels, lovely animated sequences and a fantastic soundtrack. It was, in a nutshell, a game that promised a new era and an oddly overlooked (compared to other Sonic games, that is) classic.

And now for the good news. Sonic CD has been ported to iOS in a most excellent version. You can grab it over at the App Store and enjoy a brilliant, innovatively designed and frantic game complete with a ton of extras, multiple soundtrack options, achievements and more. Oh, and according to this most informative Sonic CD review by Toucharcade the quality of the emulation is simply unbelievable.

Grand Theft Auto 3 (iOS)

2011-12-15T12:43:00.002+02:00

Grand Theft Auto 3, a true modern PC gaming classic, has just been released for the iOS platform, meaning that iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad gamers will finally be able to shoot and drive their way around Liberty City, while listening to some truly brilliant (virtual) radio stations. GTA 3 for the iOS sports updated HD graphics with new 3D models, custom controls and all the gameplay and locations of the original.

You can buy Grand Theft Auto 3 over at the App Store for a very reasonable $4.99.

ScummVM Android

2011-12-14T12:27:00.001+02:00

ScummVM is the ultimate retro adventure gaming tool. Things are really that simple. It's an excellent piece of software that easily, freely and intuitively let's you play the vast majority of classic graphic adventures, by supporting all Lucasarts releases (from Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island all the way to Full Throttle and The Dig), most Sierra games and a huge variety of offerings by other major developers; it even supports quite a few modern, indie AGS-crafted releases.

Happily, you can now enjoy the retro brilliance of ScummVM on your Android phone. It costs absolutely nothing, played everything I tried on it perfectly and can be downloaded from the Android Market.

Spy Mouse free for a day!

2011-12-13T15:57:00.002+02:00

I've already provided you luvs with a Spy Mouse review and now I'm in the happy position of letting you know that you can grab this excellent offering for free over at the App Store. Better hurry though; the offer will only last for a day.

Evertales iOS for free

2011-12-13T09:57:00.000+02:00

Time for another freebie for the iOS crowd it seems. Time for you to grab the pretty impressive Evertales. It will run on anything from the 3GS to the iPad 2 and 4S and will let you enjoy an excellent and very arcade-y mix of platforming and fighting in a fantasy world. What's more, Evertales comes with three playable heroes, dozens of weapons, a particularly weird plot, impressive bosses, lovely graphics and a ton of other features. Its one drawback? It's pretty short, it is.

Air Penguin for free (Android)

2011-12-12T12:07:00.001+02:00

Air Penguin, one of the more successful iOS games, has not only been ported to Android, but has apparently become a free app in the process, which is quite lovely. The game is after all an excellent arcade offering with lovely graphics, good graphics and some truly responsive tilt controls. You can grab it over at the Android Market.

Tiger Arcade: the Android arcade Emulator

2011-12-07T11:26:00.000+02:00

The Tiger Arcade itself is reason enough to actually own an Android phone. It is an amazing arcade emulator that lets you play over 500 classic games from three different platforms (CPS1, CPS2 and Neo Geo). It features incredibly decent touch controls and save states and is happily available for free. You can download it from SlideMe.

12 Indie Apps for Christmas

2011-12-06T09:52:00.000+02:00

Bundles, they are all the rage these days, aren't they? Indie bundles especially, but when it comes to the iOS, bundling stuff can be pretty tricky to achieve, what with those App Store restrictions and all. And that's why we don't exactly get bundles, but lovely initiatives like the 12 Indie Apps for Christmas. 12 independent game developers have each pledged 25% of the sales of their 12 indie games for the entire month of December to Child's Play or Doctors Without Borders.

The 12 games are Galcon Labs, Christmas Air Hockey, Sword of Fargoal, Harbor Master, Velocispider, Disc Drivin', Tilt to Live, Full Deck Word Games, Red Nova, Trainyard, iBlast Moki and Smiles HD. Not bad, eh?

Icarus-X free on iOS

2011-12-05T14:33:00.001+02:00

Icarus-X is one of the better iOS shmups around and, should you hurry, a most excellent freebie. Just click yourselves over to the App Store and grab the iPhone/iPad version of the game free of charge. Better do so within the next 24 hours too. As for the game itself, well, it is a vertically scrolling sci-fi themed shoot-'em-up with great graphics and surprisingly decent controls. Definitely worth your time.

Angband for Wiz

2011-12-01T11:31:00.001+02:00

Care for a rogue-like RPG on the go? Would you rather have it for free? For your Wiz too? Excellent, go grab Angband then.

Cthulhu Christmas Calendar

2011-11-30T14:42:00.001+02:00

For a merry Cyclopean Christmas you simply cannot go wrong with the pretty lovely Christmas Cthulhu Calendar. It's an app that has already been released for iPhone, Android and iPad, sports some amazing artwork and allows you to count the days till Cthulhu rises again (or Xmas, on can never be sure), while also providing with some lovecraftian trivial questions.

Desert Bus iOS for free

2011-11-29T09:49:00.001+02:00

Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors is an unreleased game for the Sega (Mega) CD that, among a variety of deranged mini games and sketches, also featured the now-famous Desert Bus bus-driving simulator. It was a game (of sorts) that was designed to both infuriate and ridicule hardcore gamers, as all you had to do was drive a painfully slow bus between Tuscon and Las Vegas in real time. Games rarely get duller than this, but as a joke and a means to organize charity gaming events the thing worked.

Happily, it will now also work on your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (and thus even on a real bus from Tuscon to Las Vegas) as Amateur Pixels have ported the game to iOS and released it free of charge. You can download Desert Bus via the App Store. Just remember that the game doesn't let you pause it and will not provide you with any challenge whatsoever. Fun, eh?

War on Terror on iOS

2011-11-28T09:42:00.001+02:00

Seems like the iOS platform is quite the popular place for them digital ports of lovely board games and, spectacularly, even indie board games. War on Terror is the latest such offering and it's a brilliantly illustrated, deeply satirical, excellently designed and incredibly fun strategy game. Apparently the the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch port is of the highest quality too and you can grab it over here.

Kindle Infocom Wallpapers

2011-11-25T10:39:00.001+02:00

If you are a happy owner of a Kindle, you'll be an even happier one if you change its wallpaper/screensaver collection to something more gamer-friendly. Something like a selection of Infocom's covers. Happily, you can grab a few and find out how to install them (for free of course) over at the excellent Z-Machine Matter.

Frogger iOS for free

2011-11-24T13:01:00.001+02:00

After 30 years of entertaining us Frogger has been ported to the iOS and is now available for free. You can grab it over at the App Store and try to replicate those nostalgic arcade moments on the comfort of your iDevice. It even allows you to choose between classic and modern graphics. Nice.

Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk Returns!

2011-11-23T13:49:00.001+02:00

Good news for us retro loving gamers on the go, as 8-bit (ZX Spectrum, actually) born Dizzy is about to return and remind the world just how brilliant a cartoon-y platformer with proper adventure game elements can be. The first Dizzy, you see, was created back in the mid-eighties and due to its phenomenal success went on and evolved via a multitude of sequels. Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk was the mature 1991 release for the Amiga, Atari ST, NES, PC and them 8-bits and, well, it was brilliant.

Happily, Dizzy Prince of the Yolkfolk will be released for the iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android platforms on the 9th of this very December. It will sport updated HD graphics, touch-controls and -apparently- a lot of egg-centered puns. Find out more over at DizzyGame.com and have a look at the trailer below:

AC/DC Pinball Rocks HD

2011-11-22T10:34:00.001+02:00

Now this is something that should have been done ages ago: a shiny pinball sim complete with the tunes and aesthetic of legendary rock band AC/DC! That's AC/DC Pinball Rocks HD for you. A game that sports amazing visuals, quality physics, a variety of mini-games, a Brian Johnson voice-over and such classic songs as Highway to Hell. You can grab it for your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad over at the App Store.

Dingo: a lost Speccy classic on iOS

2011-11-21T15:15:00.000+02:00

Dingo was an Ashby Computer & Graphics arcade game that, most shockingly, never got the Ultimate Play The Game treatment and was thus never ported to the ZX Spectrum. Happily, coder Soren Borgquist and artist Mark Jones came to the rescue and released an excellent Speccy remake/port of the thing; the aptly named Dingo. The new Dingo is available for free both on the ZX Spectrum and iOS (via the App Store). It's a fantastic and elegant retro offering of a game, that despite being let down by touch controls is definitely worth the brief download. It does play brilliantly on anything with a keyboard mind.

DOS emulator for the DS

2011-11-21T11:56:00.001+02:00

What a difference an O can make, eh? Hmm, feel free to ignore that, but -if you own a Nintendo DS- also feel free to grab the freeware and pretty excellent PC/MS-DOS emulator that is DSx86. It emulates both 286 and 386 PC on the DS and comes with complete Soundblaster, mouse, keyboard and VGA support and will let you enjoy all those unforgettable classics on the go. The emulator is already compatible with dozens of games, among which you can find such brilliant titles as Wing Commander, Ultima Underworld, Sensible Soccer, Stellar 7, Alley Cat, Dune 2 and Elvira.

Rebuild for the iPad 2

2011-11-18T12:11:00.001+02:00

I have lost countless hours playing Rebuild and then a few more playing Rebuild 2. Sad, I know, but true and quite frankly unavoidable. Rebuild, you see, is a ridiculously addictive turn-based strategy game that lets players guide a community of zombie apocalypse survivors to the creation of a new zombie free society, by managing personnel and resources, defending their settlement, researching tech, growing food and killing zombies. Rebuild 2 is of course the better and more polished game of the two.

Though you can already play the game for free in the comfort of your browser (link) you can now also enjoy it -exclusively- on your iPad 2. Download it via the App Store and enjoy the best version of the game so far. Also prepare to lose countless of hours.

Chickon Chikon Chikon!

2011-11-17T10:31:00.001+02:00

Galcon is an elegant, very simple, incredibly smart and highly addictive real-time-strategy offering. Chickon, on the other hand, is Galcon with chickens. And roosters. And happily available for free via the App Store. Guess you should grab it then.

Paradroid & Paradroid HD for iOS

2011-11-16T21:00:00.001+02:00

Elite has been releasing quite a few excellent retro offerings on Apple's App Store recently, but Paradroid is easily the best of them so far. Actually it's a true classic. A shining gem of gaming. One of the best -if not the best, as Retro Gamer readers seem to believe- Commodore 64 games ever, and an excellent combination of action gaming with tactical/puzzle elements. You really owe it to yourselves to spend the $1 required for either the iPhone/iPod Touch or the iPad version and play it. Play it a lot. And then buy a Commodore 64 and play it properly; with a joystick!

Xenowar for Android

2011-11-16T11:42:00.001+02:00

Remember UFO: Enemy Unknown? No? Well, you most probably remember it as X-Com then, and no matter what it was called, it remains the best tactical, turn-based, sci-fi game with strategic elements ever created. It has also inspired Xenowar, a truly stunning Android and PC offering you can download for free over at xenowar.net, though I believe you'd want to grab the mobile version over at the Android Market instead. The game is brilliant, visually unique, addictive and impressively deep.

The history of Game & Watch

2011-11-15T12:22:00.001+02:00

Interested in finding out more on the history of Nintendo's Game & Watch series? Of course you are, and that's why I'll simply point you over at Club Nintendo where all your questions will (most probably and provided they are G&W centered) be answered. Enjoy.

The iOS BASIC

2011-11-14T08:56:00.001+02:00

The CBM flavour of Hand BASIC, one of the few programming languages you can get for free and run on your iOS device of choice, is fully compatible with the BASIC you knew and loved on the Commodore 64 and can be downloaded over at the App Store. Grab it, if only for old times sake. Or to start teaching yourself programming. Anything will work, provided you come to grips with them virtual keyboards, though admittedly this lovely BASIC does come with a few handy built-in extras, like a pretty brilliant help system.

The BBC Micro Emulator for Android

2011-11-11T12:03:00.000+02:00

The BBC Micro, the powerful 8-bit micro that helped educate Britain's youth back in the 80s, was a unique and most excellent machine, that had more than a few classics developed for it. It was after all the home of the original Elite and my favourite less-known gem Frak. Happily, you can now either get to know or nostalgically re-experience BBC Micro gaming on your Android phone.

How? Why, by grabbing the brilliant, freeware and opensource Beebdroid emulator of course. It's available over at the Android Market, runs smoothly on any Android device, has been optimized for the Xperia Play and will let you enjoy a ton of fantastic retro games. Beebdroid will also allow you to customize your controls, while also providing all the handy features modern emulators do.

The Android Graveyard

2011-11-10T08:41:00.001+02:00

Belgian indie developer Tale of Tales isn't afraid to try new, wild, and deeply artistic things, and it most definitely isn't afraid to publish its well-known The Graveyard on Android. Now, as Graveyard isn't exactly a game, but more of poetic, interactive experience of sorts it most definitely isn't for everyone. Then again some might say that slowly having an old lady walk through a most atmospheric, melancholic and serene graveyard is both enlightening and rather boring. Especially when lacking any meaningful sort of objectives or exploration options.

Anyway. Why don't you first give the free version of The Graveyard a try and, then, should you want to experience the full (yet very short) thing, buy the full version? Oh, and do visit the highly intriguing Tale of Tales site. It's filled with odd and ambitious projects, it is.

Akalabeth for iOS

2011-11-09T08:15:00.002+02:00

Back in the mists of time, back in the day when your truly was probably shorter than 60cm, back in 1978, Richard Garriott, the creator of the Ultima series, released Akalabeth. It was a pretty ground-breaking RPG offering and a historically important game, that helped shape the things to come. It was the grandaddy of the modern CRPG. Besides, it is a deeply retro game that hasn't aged that badly either, as anyone deciding to grab Akalabeth for the iPhone/iPod Touch is bound to discover. And its got some handy extras too!

Giana Sisters for Android

2011-11-08T18:17:00.002+02:00

Not much to add there, is it? Simply grab this remake of the classic and controversial platfromer and show them Mario Bros. what the sisters can do. It's just been made available on the Android Market. And it does indeed look better than ever. Go Giana Sisters!

Meanwhile iOS released

2011-11-08T10:23:00.002+02:00

Meanwhile, as its creators are keen to explain, is not an ordinary comic. Far from it. It's a choose-your-own-adventure (or, well, path) comic, that splits into hundreds of directions, sports some amazing artwork, excellent production values and an intuitive interface, and is the work of interactive fiction maestro Andrew Plotkin and artist/mathematician Jason Shiga. It is thus something you should really experience. Something beautiful and unique.

Meanwhile is available for the iPhone and iPad and can be grabbed over at the App Store. It does have an official site too mind.

Tales of Monkey Island for the iPhone!

2011-11-07T15:22:00.000+02:00

Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island is an excellent series of adventure games and one of the truly rare times a classic game has been so successfully re-imagined. It is hilarious, nostalgic and innovative, sports an excellent plot, features some of the funniest characters in recent gaming history and is brilliantly designed. Thing is, it was iPad owners only that could so far enjoy its excellent puzzles and abundance of monkeys and pirates. Them and -of course- everyone with a decent PC, Mac or Wii.

Happily though, Telltale put an end to this outrage by releasing the first episode of Tales for the iPhone and iPod Touch. You can and indeed should grab it immediately from the App Store.

Geek 'em up for Wiz

2011-11-04T11:49:00.002+02:00

It's short and simple, but Geek 'em up is a shoot-'em-up every Wiz owner simply has to download. Its unique retro-esque graphics, 8-bit sounds and lovely bosses make it a beautiful little game, that, handily, wont cost you a thing. Download it over at OpenHandhelds.

Aquaria iPad Released!

2011-11-03T09:55:00.001+02:00

And there was much rejoicing!

Aquaria, you see, is one of the few true contemporary indie classics, a uniquely beautiful offering and an excellent game altogether. Winning IGF's Game of the Year is neither trivial nor easy, and Aquaria is worthy of all the praise and love it's been getting. What's more, reliable sources tell me that the freshly released Aquaria iPad is even better than the PC/Mac original. Apparently you can download it via the App Store. Do so!

Having second thoughts? You shouldn't, but surely this Windows demo of the game will convince you otherwise.

Sonic CD coming to iOS

2011-11-02T12:53:00.001+02:00

It's odd, but Sega seems to be generally ignoring the excellent and expansive Sonic CD, despite the fact that Sonic's Sega (Mega) CD outing reviewed very well indeed and is still fondly remembered. Happily, Sega seems ready to rectify this mistake by preparing an impressive sounding port of Sega CD for iOS. How do I know? Well, by reading the excellent TouchArcade blog apparently...

Elder Sign: Omens for iPhone

2011-11-01T15:16:00.002+02:00

Seems that porting successful board games to the iPhone is all the rage these days, but you definitely wont see me complaining about it. Not when such excellent games as Elder Sign: Omens by Fantasy Flight is now available on the App Store, complete with stunning graphics, tons of polish and the updated game mechanics we all came to love on the original Elder Sign game.

Hopefully the trailer posted below and a virtual trip over to the game's site will get you all excited too. This my friends is a fantastic game.

Gensoid: the Genesis Android emulator

2011-11-01T10:52:00.000+02:00

Though I really don't think that anything could emulate the Sega Genesis / Sega MegaDrive as well as my dear WiZ can, I must admit that Gensoid for Android phones does come pretty close. Granted, a d-pad can never be properly substituted by them touch-screens, but Gensoid is one of the best Sega 16-bit emulators I've seen on any handheld.

It did run everything we tried in full speed with excellent sound and graphics, but also sports a customizable control interface, supports saves and net-play, and can run almost any game you might own. What's more, Gensoid is absolutely free to download and you should grab it from SlideMe.

Codify let's you build games on the iPad

2011-10-31T10:53:00.001+02:00

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!

2011-10-25T19:39:00.000+03:00

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

2011-10-25T12:16:00.000+03:00

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)

2011-10-24T15:23:00.001+03:00

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

2011-10-21T11:33:00.000+03:00

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

2011-10-18T10:41:00.001+03:00

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

2011-10-17T12:56:00.001+03:00

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

2011-10-14T13:24:00.001+03:00

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)

2011-10-13T12:00:00.001+03:00

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

2011-10-11T13:42:00.001+03:00

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!

2011-10-10T11:11:00.002+03:00

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...

2011-10-08T10:58:00.002+03:00

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

2011-10-07T11:42:00.000+03:00

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

2011-10-05T11:04:00.001+03:00

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

2011-10-03T10:04:00.000+03:00

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:

It's the Psychonauts App!

2011-09-30T09:39:00.000+03:00

Anything that comes with a perfectly valid warning, err, warning you that this app may cause a sudden, uncontrollable rush of enthusiasm for Psychonauts deserves to be instantly downloaded. Especially when said app allows you to enjoy all those demented memory vaults from Psychonauts for absolutely free and, even more so, when considering that Psychonauts-enthusiasm is a perfectly normal condition. So, what are you waiting for? Grab the Psychonauts Vault Viewer now!

Aquaria coming to iPad

2011-09-28T09:47:00.000+03:00

Aquaria, the indie, aquatic take on Metroid, is one of the most beautiful indie games ever released, and judging by the competition this really is quite a feat. It has won numerous prizes, wowed thousands of gamers, impressed more than a few non-gamers, created a vibrant community around it and made PC gamers very happy indeed. Well, and that's the good news, the time has come for Aquaria to get its much deserved iPad port. Semi Secret are handling it and will be releasing the game sometime this winter. Oh, and though you could check the PC demo out, this teaser video should be teasing enough:

Robot Wants Kitty iOS for free

2011-09-26T09:37:00.001+03:00

Good news everyone! Excellent indie offering Robot Wants Kitty will be free for a limited time and I do thus suggest you hurry over to the App Store and grab yourselves a copy. Not only is it a lovely action puzzler, but it's also matured to a glorious new 2.0 version. Be quick luvs, be quick!

The Gamate Video Review

2011-09-24T11:02:00.002+03:00

By Ashens none the less, and should you feel like you could find out more about this obscure and not exactly brilliant console, well, do have a look at this old GotG Gamate piece.

Truckers Delight Episode 1 for free!

2011-09-23T10:00:00.000+03:00

Ah, the excellent, almost NSFW, gloriously animated, demented and pixel-artsy Trucker's Delight video. We all remember it, don't we? Of course we do, of course we do, and now those of us that own some sort of iDevice can play the game of the video for absolutely free, as Trucker's Delight: Episode 1 will be available to freely download for a limited time. Better hurry and get this demented gaming vignette now. It's short, weird, very lovely indeed and will happily run on all iOS machines.

Greedy Bankers vs The World (iPad)

2011-09-22T16:25:00.000+03:00

When a game called Greedy Bankers vs The World is released for the iPad and you do actually own one of them contraptions, things are very simple: you pay up and download the thing immediately. I mean, really, Greedy Bankers vs The World? What name could ever hope to beat this? Besides, we really have to support timely and brilliant titled games you know... And this one is a pretty lovely iPad puzzle game too, that is offering both multiplayer and a refreshing sense of wackiness.

Greedy bankers... ooooh, how I hate you lot.

Another World iOS released

2011-09-22T12:51:00.000+03:00

Retro and, well, contemporary iOS gamers have finally gained access to the best version of a truly classic game ever released, as Another World - 20th Anniversary has just hit the App Store. It's the same 16-bit adventure we all loved to bits, taking place on the same brilliantly alien setting, sporting the same excellent characters, buddy mechanics and story, only this time with vastly updated graphics and some of the best touch-screen controls ever. And for a mere $5 you'll be getting both the iPad and iPhone versions too.

What's more, Eric Chaci, the legendary game designer that crafted the original and actively worked on this port/remake thing, has made sure that you can switch between them old and new graphics, play the thing on three difficulty settings and five different languages, and even show off on Game Center. All that, while enjoying a remastered soundtrack and looking at something like this:

Bounder's World - The Return

2011-09-21T11:22:00.000+03:00

Once upon a time there was an excellent game called Bounder by Gremlin, that made Spectrum, C64 and Amstrad CPC gamers very happy indeed. It was an impressive looking twitch-arcade thing with some lovely pseudo-3D graphics, you see, that earned glowing reviews and went on to spawn a sequel: Re-Bounder. Then the 80s came to an end, the 90s breezed us by -as did the 2010s- and the monster of the global financial crisis came to destroy the world and make the rich richer. Oh, and Gremlin did sort of revive itself (after obviously dying) under the label of Gremlin Presents and has even released the first Bounder sequel in 25 years - Bounder's World.

The game is available for your iOS device of choice, seems to take a particular liking to iPhones and iPods, and is available via the App Store for less than one dollar, pound or euro. Impressively the thing sports 144 levels, some lovingly upgraded retro-inspired graphics, 3 different worlds and four play-modes. Oh, and from what I've seen it does play rather brilliantly. Anyone that ever cared for Bounder is bound (sorry) to love this.

A short Spy Mouse review

2011-09-20T10:19:00.000+03:00

Chances are anyone reading this blog must have already played or at least heard of the chart-topping Spy Mouse. Then again chances are just that; chances. I for example tried the thing only yesterday and -to my surprise- was actually blown away by it. Never really though that a $0.99 offering could be this polished, rich, smart and good looking.

Actually, simply watching the short classically animated intro would be enough to convince anyone of the production and aesthetic values of Spy Mouse...

As for the game itself, well, it does play to the iPhone's strengths and is both extremely enjoyable and innovative. You get to trace a path for the spy mouse -agent Squeak to be precise- with your finger, that will allow it to grab the cheese and escape each screen, while avoiding deadly cats and solving easy yet interesting stealth-based puzzles. Levels get progressively more difficult and more varied, the graphics are amazing, the challenges varied, the special levels are more than enough and, well, to cut a long story short, this is one offering you simply can't afford to miss. Besides, all those little touches have to be appreciated by someone...

Elite: Beyond the ZX Spectrum

2011-09-19T13:16:00.001+03:00

Having already provided us with a ton of ZX Spectrum classics, Elite is now ready to bring a selection of true retro gems from around the globe to the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. According to the ever excellent TouchArcade more than a few games have already been licensed from German, British and American developers and will very soon be hitting the App Store as individual iOS apps. The first nine games that will be hitting the service include Commodore 64 classics M.U.L.E. and Paradroid, Amiga jaw-dropper First Samurai and the ever exciting Bundesliga Manager. Oh, and they are depicted on the piccie cunningly posted above. As for me, well, I can't wait really...

R-Type for Android

2011-09-18T13:41:00.000+03:00

We retro gamers have been so lucky recently, I can't help but believe there must be quite few of us sporting smart-phones, as classic games do tend to show up in droves. The latest offering? Why, it's the excellent 80s scrolling shoot-'em-up R-Type by irem of course, which has just been released for Android phones, and has been further optimized for the Xperia Play, while also been given two difficulty levels. You can grab it over at the Android Market and make merry. Oh, and here's the trailer:

Super Fly HD for free!

2011-09-16T14:10:00.002+03:00

Super Fly HD is a lovely shmup with impressively decent controls that has been designed for both the iPhone and the iPad; what's more, I can't help believing it should run fine on an iPod Touch too, but that's probably just me (and Apple). Anyway, we don't have much time here.... Super Fly HD has just gone (temporarily) free-to grab and you should really hurry over to its App Store page and download it while the offer lasts. Enjoy!

Road Blaster [OR] Road Avenger iOS

2011-09-15T14:26:00.000+03:00

Road Blaster, a game I knew as Road Avenger, has apparently made it to the iPhone, iPod and iPad and I must admit it does sound incredibly tasty, what with its updated graphics and ridiculously low price-tag. Having missed playing it on laserdisc arcades and the Sega (Mega) CD, I do believe this lovely driving take on the Dragon's Lair formula must feel pretty comfortable on Apple's devices. Anyway. Here's the App Store link.

A rousing Phone Story

2011-09-14T13:52:00.000+03:00

Games can do impressive things; things that matter too. Take Phone Story for example - it managed to publicize certain nasty truths behind Apple's hit smart-phone (and the high-tech industry in general), showed the gadget's dark journey throughout an impoverished world and managed to last less hours on the App Store than certain racist apps I can think of. Phone Story, you see, comes packed with four educational games that make the player symbolically complicit in coltan extraction in Congo, outsourced labor in China, e-waste in Pakistan and gadget consumerism in the West.

Phone Story, a Molleindustria production, is as you should have already guessed no longer available to buy and it's a crying shame, but at least you can see what it is all about with a little help from Kotaku and read an excellent interview with its creator over at the ever-vigilant Indie Games Blog. What's more and while I'm waiting for another version of it to become available, you could do worse than read the eye-opening Games of Empire book.

[UPDATE]: Phone Story has just been released for Android! Find out more about it here.

ArkanoArena is interesting!

2011-09-13T11:57:00.001+03:00

And you too will find it interesting, provided that you, like me, enjoy BreakOut/Arkanoid clones and have always thought that a steampunk variant would work. ArkanoArena is exactly that and you can grab it over at the App Store. Seems like a feature packed offering too.

Classic Mac Emulator for the DS

2011-09-12T11:53:00.001+03:00

It's been out for quite some time now and I still haven't tried it, but, as I just discovered it, I simply had to post about the highly intriguing Mini VMac. It seems after all like an excellent piece of software for people that just need to emulate their classic Macs on the go and have their DS play some lovely black and white games. Yes, it's a Mac emulator for the Nintendo DS. You can download Mini VMac DS here; it wont cost you a thing. Oh, and don't forget to give the lovely Dark Castle a try...

Rodland a.k.a. Rod Land

2011-09-11T19:41:00.003+03:00

Rodland or Rod Land is a fantastic and definitely classic action platformer that I loved playing in those dear arcades of yore. It also happens to be a game that was decently ported to most 8- and 16-bit micros of the era and one that finally and very recently indeed got an impressive looking iOS port too (by retro masters DotEmu). You can obviously grab it for your iPhone and iPad via the App Store. Back to my Sunday now...

The Renegade 3DS

2011-09-09T12:27:00.000+03:00

Actually, make that Renegade 3DS and you'll be closer to the joyful truth that retro arcade brawler Renegade will be getting a remake for the Nintendo 3DS. New graphics, the addition of simple RPG-like mechanics, multiplayer modes and a few extra touches should make this a most intriguing offering, though not as intriguing as a proper Target; Renegade remake would be. Find out more about it over at Tiny Cartridge.

Machinarium released on iPad!

2011-09-08T18:43:00.001+03:00

People that want to show off just how shiny their iPad 2 screen is, adventure gamers, indie lovers and everyone that enjoys an excellent gaming experience should immediately hurry and grab the amazing iPad version of Machinarium over at the App Store. It is, you see, the same beautiful, taxing, point-and-click adventure that wowed the computer gaming crowds with its stunning visuals, excellent soundtrack, deep puzzles and rich setting. As for me, and after watching the thing run on a friends iPad, well, I have already started saving up to grab one of Apple's tablets...

The King of Shreds and Patches (Kindle)

2011-09-08T13:36:00.000+03:00

Well, the first proper piece of interactive fiction has arrived on the Amazon Kindle and it's none other than Jimmy Maher's The King of Shreds and Patches. And, yes, when I say proper, I do mean proper, as in featuring a fully working parser and a deep, interactive storyline. You can find out more about it over at the Digital Antiquarian and grab a copy over at Amazon.com. As for me, I will be waiting for Amazon to release the thing for Europe too.... Here's something to further enlighten you on this lovely new game:

When you receive a note from your old acquaintance John Croft, you expect nothing but an evening of good food and drink and tall tales. Instead, you quickly find yourself plunged into a conspiracy of black magic that involves not only Croft but some of the most powerful and important men in London – and possibly even someone else, someone much closer to your own heart.

The King of Shreds and Patches is truly an interactive novel. Set in a meticulously recreated Elizabethan London, its story and writing can stand proudly beside conventional mysteries and historical thrillers in both length and quality, with one crucial difference: YOU play the protagonist.

A brand new approach to interactive fiction on the Kindle, this experience is deeper and richer than anything you have seen before. Rather than choosing from a few limited options, you will use a natural-language parser to choose from a universe of possibility every step of the way. Simply tell the story what you want to do using simple English, and it will respond with rich prose of its own.

In the process of playing, you will write your very own novel; no two players will have the same experience. And after you have finished your adventure, a process that will likely absorb many hours, your story will remain on your Kindle, to reread and share and compare with others.

Lovers of historical fiction, mysteries, or horror can now experience a story from the inside, while fans of puzzles and adventure games will also find much to enjoy here. Will you be able to thwart the darkness that threatens London?

Early 20th Century Cthulhu invading phones

2011-09-07T11:00:00.000+03:00

Gnomes come in a variety of colours and this is one of life's happy little touches, as the dear Blue Gnome brilliantly showcased by sharing a lovely link to a forthcoming Cthulhu game (mainly/for now) for the iPhone. It goes under the promising title of Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land and will apparently be a RPG/turn-based strategy hybrid set sometime during the Great War. Besides sporting a name that subtly references the classic C64 Wasteland, the game will apparently be based on Chasium's Call of Cthulhu pen and paper RPG, which is nothing short of brilliant, as CoC is indeed my all time favourite RPG and one of the few games that manage to successfully evoke the atmosphere of Lovecraft's literary work.

The Wasted Land will be a single player affair for the Android and iPhone platforms that will hopefully be soon released by Red Wasp Design. Oh, and you'll get to control both investigators (hooray!) and soldiers in what does look like an incredibly promising Lovecraftian and quite a bit undead take on the X-COM formula, with some interesting 3D graphics. Here are some early -possibly alpha- screenshots and a video:

Atari Arcade - Duo Powered iPad Joystick

2011-09-06T17:53:00.000+03:00

The ever-lovely GameSetWatch noticed that Atari is about to start selling the aptly named Atari Arcade - Duo Powered Joystick for the iPad and, well, I thought I'd let you all know. It will after all be a hopefully modestly priced add-on that will let retro gamers enjoy their favourite arcade games the way they were meant to be played; via joystick that is. The thing will obviously be compatible with Atari's Greatest Hits app, though I'm pretty sure a variety of other games will also be playable.

My Secret Hideout Released

2011-09-06T10:54:00.000+03:00

Yes, it's the interactive text toy I've already mentioned and you can now grab it for your iPad and/or iPad 2 (not surprisingly) via the App Store. It's another Andrew Plotkin creation and it simply has to be excellent, you know.

Vacationing with Life Support

2011-08-24T09:59:00.000+03:00

Well, the time has come for poor ol' me to take a few days off and check whether the sea still is where it's supposed to be. This, precious readers, means that Gaming on the Go wont be updated for the next 10 days or so and we can all take a break. Before I leave though, I'll let you in on a little secret: Life Support. It's a science fiction story by Verena Kyratzes and it's already been loaded into my Kindle and waiting to be enjoyed somewhere lovely. I do suggest you give it a look. It's almost free and judging by author's previous work (yes, that would also include games) Life Support has to be great.

See you all in September!

Jet Set Willy II iOS

2011-08-23T10:18:00.000+03:00

Jet Set Willy II was considered a spectacularly underwhelming sequel to one of the best games of the ZX Spectrum; it was after all more of an updated, deluxe version of the original with a few extra rooms thrown in. Besides it hadn't been coded by Matthew Smith... Looking at it now though, I'd dare say this is the definitive version of Jet Set Willy. The new rooms are mostly excellent, the game lacks a series of crippling bugs, allows gamers to explore beyond the mansion and is as brilliant as JSW ever was. Really.

What's more, the Spectrum version of Jet Set Willy II has finally made it to the iOS App Store, complete with a ton of options, decent controls and a handy save feature. You can either grab it as a standalone game or -wisely- as an in-app purchase for the excellent ZX Spectrum: Elite Collection. Oh, and I do suppose you'll be needing this JSW link.

New Eurogamer App is New!

2011-08-22T12:52:00.000+03:00

And it's available both as a lite ad-supported and as a sleek purchasable thing. Care to find out more? Well, Eurogamer is the place to get all the info you need; and I do believe you've guessed what this iOS app does, haven't you?

Pixel Galaxy: A GameBoy Celebration

2011-08-21T13:42:00.000+03:00

Meant to post about the forthcoming Pixel Galaxy book ever since I read about it over at the ever-vigilant GameSetWatch, but, well, a windy summer can do strange things apparently... Anyway, the good news is that Pixel Galaxy is an upcoming art book focusing on the excellent black & white art that graced the screen of the Nintendo Game Boy. You can get a closer look at it right here. And, yes, it really does look beautiful.

Jayenkai's Crazy iOS Sale

2011-08-20T17:58:00.000+03:00

Jayenkai, the lovely and prolific indie developer with a certain passion for them iOS devices, is having a pretty fantastic sale that will end on August 21. Better hurry then and grab both Puzzobomb (heh) and Daisy Chains for free, while downloading the pretty brilliant Sheep Goes Left for a mere dollar.

My Secret Hideout (iPad)

2011-08-19T10:36:00.000+03:00

Andrew Plotkin, a hero of interactive fiction and the man behind the incredibly promising and -hopefully- soon to be released Hadean Lands, has just unveiled his latest project: My Secret Hideout. It shockingly isn't a text adventure, though it definitely has a lot to do with text. It's an interactive text toy; a procedural poem generator; a piece of art; something unique. Actually, we wont get to actually understand it before its release, hopefully within the following few weeks for the iPad and iPad 2.

To find out a bit more about My Secret Hideout, you could though do worse than visiting the lovely hideout site, where you'll be able to tease yourselves by looking at pics and reading texts. It's where you'll discover that this apparently lovely digital thing will allow you to attach virtual leaves to a textual tree and create stuff in a most intriguing way that has absolutely nothing to do with crafting.