Recent Articles
Pay What You Want: The Humble THQ Bundle (PC only)
For the first time ever, The Humble Bundle has teamed up with a major publisher for their “Pay what you want” model in exchange for several quality games. Traditional only indie titles have been featured, but this time around, the games in question are from THQ. Simply pay over the minimum of $1 and receive a steam key (Windows only) for Company of Heroes (and its expansions Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor), Darksiders, Metro 2033, and Red Faction: Armageddon. Pay more than the average price and you’ll also snag Saints Row: The Third. And of course, you decide how much of the money goes to Charity, THQ or ‘Humble Tip’. If you ask me, it’s always a win-win when you can donate to a good case AND score some good games in the process. To grab your bundle, head over the the THB headquarters.
iTunes 11 is now available for download
First officially unveiled during Apple’s iPhone 5 event back in September, the completely redesigned and much improved iTunes software is here. The most obvious change is the new UI, which is much cleaner and browsing through all your media is a more enjoyable experience. By default, the Sidebar is gone, giving it a slick edge-to-edge design (which can be enabled via View –> Show Sidebar if so desired). Other new features include iCloud integration, a new Mini Player, improved search, ‘Up Next’ (easily see and edit which songs are playing next) and a redesigned iTunes store aimed at improving app and content discovery. By and large, I’ve been pretty impressed with iTunes 11 so far. It looks better than ever and it even feels faster. Whether it’s a memory hog remains to be seen…
You can download the latest iTunes here or by going to iTunes –> Check for updates on your Mac/PC. Check out the video demoing iTunes 11 after the break.
FAA’s Free App of the Day – Flick Golf!
We’re working together with the team at Free App Alliance to highlight a great free app for you to check out.
Flick Golf! (TMA Review) is an extremely casual golf game. You don’t have to wear funny pants or hire a caddy in this offering from Full Fat, for example. Oh, and you don’t have to spend countless hours picking the perfect club with which to take your next shot. In fact, there are no clubs.
As its name suggest, you simply flick, spin, and curve your ball by swiping on your device’s screen.
There are still plenty of hazards to look out for, though, including bunkers, trees, pits filled with sand, and powerful gusts of wind. How many holes-in-one do you think you can get? If you dig fun and addictive casual (sports) games, be sure to grab both Flick Golf! for the iPhone and iPad while it’s still free.
Full Fat, Flick Golf! (TMA Review) – Free
Full Fat, Flick Golf HD - Free
Quick Pick: Flexibits’ Fantastical for iPhone
Left: DayTicker view lets you easily view upcoming events/appointments
Right: Adding an event with help of Flexibits’ natural language engine
Flexibits, developers of the excellent Fantastical app for Mac OS (my favorite calendar app by far on the Mac thanks to its beautiful and unobtrusive design), has finally released the long-awaited Fantastical for iPhone. What makes Fantastical special? For starters, its natural language engine rocks, and this feature has made its way on to the iPhone. So you can type (or dictate if your iDevice supports it) events like “Have lunch with Bob at 123 Awesome blvd. next Monday at 1pm” and the app will enter all the appropriate details for you. In addition, Fantastical’s unique DayTicker UI makes it a breeze to view your past/upcoming schedule at a glance.
Fighting Fantasy: Blood Of The Zombies in Review – A 30th Anniversary Treat
One sign that you’re getting older is when things you remember from your childhood start having their 30th anniversaries. Such is the case for me and the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series. Granted I was only 10 when the first one debuted, but you get my drift. In this year that marks the third decade of the series’ existence the man himself, Ian Livingstone, has penned a new entry called Blood of the Zombies. Thanks to Tin Man Games we can enjoy this milestone adventure on our iOS devices, and enjoy is being quite conservative. I’d say this is probably one of the best electronic gamebook adventures yet.
10 New App Store Games To Watch [November 19 - 25]
Hopefully you missed me while I was gone. There were some pretty cool games I wanted to talk about last week, but have no fear because there are plenty of good games for this week’s article as well. To start with, Steve Wozniak has decided to lend his incredible talents to the game design world with Vengeance: Woz With A Coz. It’s a retro platform game that he not only designed and wrote the story for, but also stars in! If you’re a slingshot physics game-aholic but are still craving something a bit different, why not give Temple Raid a try? Sure the mechanics are tried and true to the genre, but this multi-player affair lets you construct your own fortresses and take on folks from around the world to see who the best ammunition tosser is. For the Fruit Ninja fan who thinks they’ve played it all, why not apply those slashing skills to some chocolaty goodness? Yes, thanks to PikPok’s OREO: Twist, Lick, Dunk you can have your cookie and play with it too.
Otterbox Defender Case for iPhone 5 in Review – Heavy weight champ?
When it comes to iPhone cases that offer the most protection, Otterbox’s Defender series cases are among some of most popular. From the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 5, the Defender has no doubt saved countless devices from accidental falls and drops. Slim and elegant it is not, but it’s added bulk and built-in screen protector will give users even more peace of mind – especially when it comes to the iPhone 5, a beautifully crafted phone whose sides are highly prone to scuffs and scratches.
FAA’s Free Daily App – GemCraft
We’re working together with the team at Free App Alliance to highlight a great free app for you to check out.
GemCraft is an interesting tower defense game that has been played online more than 90 million times.
Your aim in this addictive title is pretty much the same as it is in every other TD in the genre: build defensive obelisks and prevent waves of invading monsters from reaching your base (a mana crystal, on this occasion). In GemCraft, you do this using eight magical jewels that all have special abilities. You can combine these gems and craft new multi-coloured crystals that boast even more potent powers.
Skype for iOS updated with support for MSN Messenger
Earlier in November, Microsoft announced that they will be retiring MSN Messenger in the first quarter of 2013 (except in China), with service for the chat platform to continue in the form of Skype. Earlier today, the Skype app for iPhone and iPad was updated to version 4.2, bringing with it support for MSN Messenger. Now you can sign in and merge your existing Microsoft account and chat with your Messenger, Hotmail and Outlook.com contacts. And if you’re new to Skype, the there’s a new option to create an account right from the app.
Watch all the Apple TV ads ever made
Did you know Will Ferrell was in an Apple TV ad?
Quick. How many Apple TV ads have ever been made? If you said 485, that’d be correct. Well, according to someone with way too much time on their hands anyway. Found under the Youtube channel EveryAppleAds (via The Next Web), you can now watch all the classics in one place. From the very first Apple TV ad (1977) to the recent iPad mini adverts, it’s (supposedly) all there. Yes, you can re-watch all the Mac vs. PC ads starring Justin Long and the ‘other guy’ (John Hodgman). Below are but a few of the ones I’ve enjoyed from a number of years ago. For the full playlist, head over to the Youtube page.
