iGame Radio

Reflexive Entertainment has announced the release of Simplz: Zoo, a combination sim and puzzle game for casual game lovers everywhere. Players manage their zoo, including picking out animals to exhibit, managing the growth of the zoo, and obtaining resources for the zoo to thrive. Players use match three puzzle games to obtain the money and resources to continue building the zoo. Money and resources can also be used to unlock new exhibits and animals. Further, each exhibit purchased or unlocked comes with a powerup or other item that can change gameplay, providing a feedback loop of sorts.

Featuring 50 different buildings and exhibits and over 90 types of animals, Simplz: Zoo includes a secret code system to unlock even more. Typing in the correct word will result in the discovery of even more animal goodness. A demo is available for both the PC and Mac, and you can get more info or buy the the game here. And if you purchase the game from the site, rather than a third-party portal, you get to unlock an exclusive animal, the Saber-tooth Tiger.

I grew up watching the Transformers. When Michael Bay got his dirty little explosive paws onto my beloved robots, I was devastated. So, I was happy to read an article at Kotaku that mentions that Glu Mobile is bringing my Transformers to the iPhone (well, they’re not mine, but they are). The game is a port of a version currently on mobile. There’s only a screenshot available at the moment, but I rub my hands in anticipation.

EVE Online, CCP’s space-opera MMO, has updated Dominion, their latest expansion, to version 1.1. This update redesigns all Mothership-class vessels into Supercarriers, which command the Minmatar fighter bombers in frontline conflicts. This update also includes a voice modulator called Voicefonts which will allow players to alter their voice, raising or lowering it, even switching genders to match their avatar state. Additional fixes and improvements are outlined in the EVE Online updates page.

 

What’s inside this episode:

• A review of Sniper vs Sniper, Com2uS’ latest iPhone shooter. Defeat snipers sent to destroy you, then go online and defeat some more!
  
• Plus, a review of Orbital, a retro-style tactical arcade shooter by Bitforge. Lot’s of circles with numbers. See how many you can bring down!
  
• Finally, a review of Phantom Mansion: Red Chamber, the first in Zattikka Games’ Phantom Mansion series. Hector…where are you Hector? Didn’t you see the hole in the floor, Hector?

Show Notes:

• The Apple tablet announcement is almost here…what do you think it will be called?
• Parents keep blaming video games for the amount of time their kids play them. I blame the parents. Listen and find out why.

Don’t forget that today is the day to make a donation through Indie Relief by purchasing a game from one of the participating developers. They will donate all of their sales for the apps you purchase to a Haitian relief organization. For more information regarding this excellent way you can help the Haitians in their desperate time of need, review my first post about Indie Relief.

The Official Dawn of the Dead game for the iPhone has launched today onto the App Store. Seeking brains everywhere it went, it died upon reaching the fart games. Seriously, the game is based on the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead by Zach Snyder, and features some of the characters from the movie…the policeman, the salesman, and the nurse. You can pick up the game from the iTunes App Store right now for $1.99.

I have a preview copy of the game, and so far I have mixed feelings. The graphics are great (it’s a top-down view) and the movement is smooth. But the controls…not so much. Rather than using the touch screen of the iPhone, the developer manufactured joystick buttons for movement and shooting, and the shooting button is confusing at best so far. It feels too much like I’m playing a DS or PSP game slapped onto an iPhone. We’ll see how this goes as I play the game and finish my review.

Now, if they did a game based on Return of the Living Dead…*that* would be an awesome game to play.

Feral Interactive has announced that Rome: Total War Gold Edition will be released on February 5th. Rome: TW starts you out in the ranks, seizing control of the armies of Rome, and eventually becoming the emperor of Rome in classic strategy game style. A blend of strategy and tactics allows you control not just campaigns, but each battle and every unit. Rome: TW encompasses the three centuries of warfare from the Punic Wars to the death of Augustus.

Included is the Barbarian Invasion expansion pack, set during the latter years of the empire with new factions and campaigns to play. A wholly new scenario involving the withdrawal of the Roman legions from the outlying lands, poor administration, and bad leadership, you will have to rethink your strategy and tactics to accommodate.

The game is currently in pre-order for $30.

System requirements are:

• Mac OS 10.5.8
• 1.6 GHz or better
• 512 MB RAM
• 128 MB video card
• 5 GB harddrive space
• Intel only; supports Mac with Intel GMA graphics cards

Interestingly, Feral does say that they will be releasing an update shortly after release to enable PPC support, so look for that.

The GTA franchise has finally made it to the iPhone. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, was launched today onto the App Store. The game has been specifically retuned to cater to the iPhone touch screen and screen size, and includes Multi Touch user interface controls, adjusted difficulty levels, enhanced presentation with higher 480 x 320 resolution graphics for that tiny screen. Also, Independence Radio lets you create custom iTunes playlists for use in-game.

The story follows Huang Lee who, after his father’s murder, must bring an ancient sword to his Uncle Kenny to assure control of his gang. A spoiled rich kid, Huang thinks this will be easy…until he’s robbed and left for dead.

Because of the game’s adult content, you must be 17 or older to download the game from the iTunes store. The game is selling for $9.99.

Inspired by the need to help relieve the devastating effects of the Haitian earthquake, App Relief joins a growing movement online of developer groups created to donate proceeds of their sales to relief efforts. App Relief launched today, with ten apps initially available, most of them games. Proceed donations vary from 100% to 50%, and the length of time varies as well.

Among the developers participating is long-time Mac and iPhone developer Freeverse. Their iPhone game Skee-Ball is listed now on the site, and 100% of the proceeds from sales through January 20th will be donated to the Haitian efforts through the Red Cross. You can purchase through App Relief, or directly from the iTunes store.

A group of Mac and iPhone developers have joined together to help the emergency in Haiti by raising money and awareness of the victims of the terrible earthquake that hit their last Tuesday. They will be donating the proceeds of their app sales to Haitian aid organizations this coming Wednesday.

Inspired by Mike Piatek-Jimenez, developer of the Mac weather app Seasonality, who announced that he would donate 100% of his profits to Partners in Health for the earthquake relief through the end of January, a group of developers headed by Justin Williams decided to create a bigger effort.

Indie Relief currently consists of about 25 developers that will be donating all sales of their apps and games for the day of Wednesday, January 20, to a charity of their choice that will benefit the Haitian relief effort. The site will list the participating companies, what products will be part of the effort, and the charities they will donate to. Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross are two of the most popular for the relief effort, but any might be chosen.

If you want to participate and are a Mac or iPhone developer, you can email Justin at secondgearsoftware.com with your company name, product names, and the charity you will support. If you want to help in the donation, make sure to click on the site between now and Wednesday and decide which software you will buy, then start clicking that buy button on Wednesday. I’ll make another post on Wednesday to remind everyone.

BTW, the Mashable article linked above also notes that these are not the only two efforts to help the Haitians in this devastating time. The OmniGroup, which develops OmniFocus and OmniOutliner (both of which I use), are donating over $45,000 through company funds and employee contributions to four different relief organizations.

It’s just good to know that when the chips are down, you can always count on good people to stand up and help. Good people like Mac and iPhone users.