iGame Radio

The Apple event today was all about the music, as could be inferred by the invite with the guitar in the background. But game treasure could be found all around if one knew where to look. Jobs gave us more information about Game Center, we saw a wonderful demo of an Epic Game in development on the new iPod Touch, and we discussed the possibilities about the new AppleTV.

First up was the announcement that iOS 4.1 would be released next week. Read more

Com2uS has announced the release of Slice It!, a geometry game that requires an intuitive sense how big each pie slice really is. Slice up shapes into equal portions using limits on the number of slices, mirrors, and obstacles to avoid.

Slice It! is the product of an in-house game design ideation competition that Com2uS held for new ideas in games. The game has 60 initial levels of slicing fun, with another 20 in the works for a future update. Hints are provided throughout the game, but you have to work to get more hint points, so use your hints with care.

Slice It! is available for both iPhone and iPad for the same price of $0.99.

 

What’s inside this episode:

• A review of iSlice, by Appular. An iPhone game that let’s you slice it all up while reading pithy quotes.
  
• Also, a review of Real Trophy Hunting Sunstorm Interactive. Hunting for the couch potato. Be patient, aim well, and you too can have a virtual Elk that you virtually shot in virtual Montana to mount in your virtual trophy room. Virtually cool!
  
• And a review of The Tudors Game, Season 1 by Slitherine Studios. Wander through the rooms of the Palace of Whitehall as you follow the intrigues of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on their way to ruling England. And wander, and wander, and wander, and wander…
  

 

What’s inside this episode:

• A review of Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box by Alawar Entertainment. Something mysterious has caused the ship’s crew to disappear. An old man tries to murder a young woman in terror of her. Secrets are hidden in every corner. And I have to visit every damn room five times to find them!
  
• Also, a review of Uphill Rush 2 by Spil Games. A cool idea, but every time I race I keep flipping over. I never knew gravity worked that way.
  
• And a review of Flick Bowling 2 by Freeverse. A dandy time throwing your ball. Just don’t expect to learn bowling playing it.
  

You might be familiar with MapleStory, the Nexon free-to-play MMORPG. Well, Nexon has taken another step in connecting everyone to the game, by launching MapleStory: Thief Edition for the iPhone.

“Thief Edition” follows the quest of Robin to become the greatest thief in the Maple World. Players move Robin through a side-scrolling action/RPG that includes hundreds of treasures and over 70 pieces of equipment to find, mini-game challenges and multiple endings. You can play as either a thief or assassin in the game, growing them by either Daggers or Throwing Knives.

Though the PC version of the game is a free-to-play MMORPG with micropurchases, the App is not, which I found interesting. Does this mean that there will be a full-fledged version of the game for the iPhone at some point in the future?

MapleStory: Thief Edition is available for $4.99 from the App Store on the iPhone and iPod touch.

Alawar Entertainment has announced the release of Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box, a hidden object game in the best tradition of horror movies and novels for the iPhone and iPad. Full of twists and turns, the game follows the story of Matthew Ward, a young man hiding out on a cargo ship who wakes up to find the crew missing, and lots of coffins. And then he wonders what happened to the crew. Dude! Look in the coffins!

The game features 11 maps with 5 mini-games and animated cut-scenes to move the story along. The player will search through several Victorian locations accompanied by atmospheric music and sound effects (bwahahaha!!). The developer promises a “surprise” ending, which probably means you can take the standard 13 year old’s ending for a vampire story and choose the opposite.

Vampire Saga: Pandora’s Box is available now on the App Store for iPhone for $2.99, and for iPad for $6.99.

UPDATE: Heard back from the publisher that the developer has decided to reduce the price of the letter bundle A-D from $6.99 to $4.99. Also, there will be six letter bundles that will ultimately be available, some of which will be available through in-app purchase, and some free through unlocking via gameplay.

ToyTek has released a new idea on the hidden object genre. Ultimate Alphabet is based on the 1986 Mike Wilks book of the same name that merges hidden object and crosswords together. Like most hidden object games, you search through paintings for your objects. However, your list of objects is in the form of cryptic phrases that you have to figure out. There are hints for you to decrypt the phrases in several forms, so you aren’t left helpless.

The graphics come straight from the original book, 26 paintings by illustrator and artist Mike Wilks. In each painting are hidden anywhere from 30 to over 1200 objects to search for. The first four letters include 1500 objects alone. Each object can have multiple words associated with it, some not so easy to pinpoint. The developer claims that the game can provide over 15 hours of play for the first four letters alone.

The game is free to play, with the “A” pack. But to continue playing with the rest of the alphabet, you must purchase in-app packs. Unfortunately, those in-app pack purchases are pretty expensive in comparison to what you would normally find on the App Store for the genre. For example, right now only “A” through “D” are available. An in-app purchase of “A-D” is $6.99. If extended to include the entire alphabet, eventually the game would cost over $45…a price-point that may not be viable on the App Store. I did ask the developer about this pricing structure, and they’ve said that their intention is not to make every level a paid level…some letters will be available as free unlock-able levels.

Additionally, ToyTek is holding a contest with the game. A signed copy of the original book will be given away to the first person to complete letters A through D with a perfect score…and A has already been completed.

You can download Ultimate Alphabet for free from the App Store, and purchase additional letter bundles through in-app purchase for between $0.99 and $6.99.

Corbomite Games has announced they are in development of Star Shipping Inc, a new turn-based strategy trading game for iPhone, iPad, PC, and Mac. The game will be released in September 2010.

Taking on the role of a cargo ship captain, players of Star Shipping Inc travel the stars trading goods and commodities in an effort to become the richest ship captain in the galaxy. The game features multiple classes of enemies, and allows you to fly solo or hire defense drones for protection. Events from each turn will effect future turns. You can buy upgrades to your ships at the in-game store, or keep your savings and get cash loans at the bank.

Star Shipping Inc will take advantage of each platform’s features. For example, there will be an HD version specifically for the iPad, and will make use of the accelerometer of the iPhone.

Star Shipping Inc will release first for iPhone and iPad on September 1st, 2010, followed by releases for PC and Mac later in the year.

The post-apocalyptic game Xenome has released a big update that adds support for 2nd generation iPhone and iPod Touch users, as well as iOS4 multitasking. Developer Nine Pound Studios has also announced a sale of the game to encourage newly compatible devices to check it out. Between now and August 16th, Xenome: Episode 1 will be on sale for $4.99.

Set in a five mile section of land known as Silica Flats, players are introduced to XNA (Xeno Nucleic Acid) which allows them to create Xenomes that they can splice into their genetic structure to give them special abilities. Players will compete for access to XNA, as well as survival, as “The Scientist” an unknown entity, awakens from cryostasis to mix things up.

The sale price will only be available until August 16th, at which time the regular price of $7.99 will return. So get it now while you can.

Now that the Micheal Jackson dancing Zombie of PopCap Game’s immensely popular game, Plants vs Zombies, is no more, we have been waiting with baited breath for its replacement. PopCap has now revealed the new dancing zombie:

PopCap revealed the new arrival yesterday, confirming that he is now called the “Disco Zombie”.

‘I can confirm that there is in fact a new ‘disco zombie’ (see image attached) and I would really appreciate if you could ‘be nice to the new guy’…the disco zombie is starting to feel like a second class zombie citizen, which is really unfair considering the length of time he spent doing his hair! I actually managed to catch up with him earlier today and, while he’s a little adverse to public speaking, he gave me the following (badly) written statement:

“Dear Alive Peeples, I am pleazed too join the big brainz at PopCap and can’t wait to meat you all. And yes, I du my own heir.”’