Taylor Swift is getting her own mobile game
The company that’s famous for making Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has announced that it’s making a mobile game inspired by Taylor Swift. Gu Mobile has revealed that it’ll craft a title based around the singer’s life that’s expected to arrive for iOS and Android by the end of 2016. The firm has something of a thing for celebrity-endorsed mobile titles, previously producing games with Jason Statham and… uh… Katy Perry. According to BuzzFeed, the Perry game was such a flop that Glu was forced to turn its attentions towards another global pop sensation.
If you’re not aware, Perry and Swift aren’t friends, to the point where it’s believed that the Swift song Bad Blood is about Perry. An investigation over at Gawker believes the feud began over a trio of backup dancers who had worked for the I Kissed a Girl singer. They’d subsequently gone to work for Swift, but quit soon after to join Perry’s Prism world tour — hinting that Swift wasn’t much fun to work with. There’s also the fact that both artists have previously dated John Mayer, although at this point, who hasn’t?
It looks as if celebrity feuds are now going to be carried out exclusively through the medium of technology, and we couldn’t be happier. Perry and Swift’s mobile-app civil war will help cheer us up when the memory of Twitter’s week of beef has finally left our minds. After all, last week saw epic arguments break out between Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa over their mutual friend Amber Rose — not to mention what Kayne likes having done to his butt. If that wasn’t enough, Neil deGrasse-Tyson got into a fight with B.o.B. after the latter outed himself as a fan of the flat earth myth.
Via: BuzzFeed
Source: Glu
Taylor Swift is getting her own mobile game
The company that’s famous for making Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has announced that it’s making a mobile game inspired by Taylor Swift. Gu Mobile has revealed that it’ll craft a title based around the singer’s life that’s expected to arrive for iOS and Android by the end of 2016. The firm has something of a thing for celebrity-endorsed mobile titles, previously producing games with Jason Statham and… uh… Katy Perry. According to BuzzFeed, the Perry game was such a flop that Glu was forced to turn its attentions towards another global pop sensation.
If you’re not aware, Perry and Swift aren’t friends, to the point where it’s believed that the Swift song Bad Blood is about Perry. An investigation over at Gawker believes the feud began over a trio of backup dancers who had worked for the I Kissed a Girl singer. They’d subsequently gone to work for Swift, but quit soon after to join Perry’s Prism world tour — hinting that Swift wasn’t much fun to work with. There’s also the fact that both artists have previously dated John Mayer, although at this point, who hasn’t?
It looks as if celebrity feuds are now going to be carried out exclusively through the medium of technology, and we couldn’t be happier. Perry and Swift’s mobile-app civil war will help cheer us up when the memory of Twitter’s week of beef has finally left our minds. After all, last week saw epic arguments break out between Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa over their mutual friend Amber Rose — not to mention what Kayne likes having done to his butt. If that wasn’t enough, Neil deGrasse-Tyson got into a fight with B.o.B. after the latter outed himself as a fan of the flat earth myth.
Via: BuzzFeed
Source: Glu
Taylor Swift is getting her own mobile game
The company that’s famous for making Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has announced that it’s making a mobile game inspired by Taylor Swift. Gu Mobile has revealed that it’ll craft a title based around the singer’s life that’s expected to arrive for iOS and Android by the end of 2016. The firm has something of a thing for celebrity-endorsed mobile titles, previously producing games with Jason Statham and… uh… Katy Perry. According to BuzzFeed, the Perry game was such a flop that Glu was forced to turn its attentions towards another global pop sensation.
If you’re not aware, Perry and Swift aren’t friends, to the point where it’s believed that the Swift song Bad Blood is about Perry. An investigation over at Gawker believes the feud began over a trio of backup dancers who had worked for the I Kissed a Girl singer. They’d subsequently gone to work for Swift, but quit soon after to join Perry’s Prism world tour — hinting that Swift wasn’t much fun to work with. There’s also the fact that both artists have previously dated John Mayer, although at this point, who hasn’t?
It looks as if celebrity feuds are now going to be carried out exclusively through the medium of technology, and we couldn’t be happier. Perry and Swift’s mobile-app civil war will help cheer us up when the memory of Twitter’s week of beef has finally left our minds. After all, last week saw epic arguments break out between Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa over their mutual friend Amber Rose — not to mention what Kayne likes having done to his butt. If that wasn’t enough, Neil deGrasse-Tyson got into a fight with B.o.B. after the latter outed himself as a fan of the flat earth myth.
Via: BuzzFeed
Source: Glu
Taylor Swift is getting her own mobile game
The company that’s famous for making Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has announced that it’s making a mobile game inspired by Taylor Swift. Gu Mobile has revealed that it’ll craft a title based around the singer’s life that’s expected to arrive for iOS and Android by the end of 2016. The firm has something of a thing for celebrity-endorsed mobile titles, previously producing games with Jason Statham and… uh… Katy Perry. According to BuzzFeed, the Perry game was such a flop that Glu was forced to turn its attentions towards another global pop sensation.
If you’re not aware, Perry and Swift aren’t friends, to the point where it’s believed that the Swift song Bad Blood is about Perry. An investigation over at Gawker believes the feud began over a trio of backup dancers who had worked for the I Kissed a Girl singer. They’d subsequently gone to work for Swift, but quit soon after to join Perry’s Prism world tour — hinting that Swift wasn’t much fun to work with. There’s also the fact that both artists have previously dated John Mayer, although at this point, who hasn’t?
It looks as if celebrity feuds are now going to be carried out exclusively through the medium of technology, and we couldn’t be happier. Perry and Swift’s mobile-app civil war will help cheer us up when the memory of Twitter’s week of beef has finally left our minds. After all, last week saw epic arguments break out between Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa over their mutual friend Amber Rose — not to mention what Kayne likes having done to his butt. If that wasn’t enough, Neil deGrasse-Tyson got into a fight with B.o.B. after the latter outed himself as a fan of the flat earth myth.
Via: BuzzFeed
Source: Glu
‘The Division’: Experience New York City as you never have before
New York City’s Flatiron District is pure chaos. As I peer around the corner of a skyscraper, automatic rifle in hand, all I see are abandoned cars and people shouting in the streets. I’m not alone, though: I’m with three comrades prepared to shoot anyone who seems to have bad intentions. But this isn’t the Midtown Manhattan I know; it’s a scene from Ubisoft’s The Division, the new Tom Clancy game that’s scheduled to release March 8th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
For the unaware, the premise of The Division is that a smallpox pandemic spreads on Black Friday — yes, that Black Friday — starting with The Big Apple and sweeping its way through other cities across the country. Your character’s job as a division agent is to stay where it began and, with orders from the president, keep society from crumbling to pieces. It won’t be easy, however, since you’ll have to fight those responsible for unleashing the virus. It’s an interesting take on a third-person shooter, one we welcome with open arms — especially considering how long we’ve had to wait for it.
The Division has been delayed multiple times since it was originally announced in 2013, first until 2014 and then again last year. Thankfully for gamers who have patiently waited for the title to launch, it looks like there’s no turning back now. After hosting a closed beta this past weekend, Ubisoft invited a group of reporters to an event in New York City, a fitting setting for this particular game. And I’m happy to tell you I walked away impressed, if not blown away. So much so that I’m counting down the days until I get to play it again.
The Division is as thrilling as you would expect an action game to be: shoot, reload, shoot, then sprint, then shoot again. While it’s certainly reminiscent of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six series, and the Call of Duty or Gears of War franchises, The Division also has a Watch Dogs feel to it. There are details such as 3D overlays, which guide you through the open-world in your quest to find new missions, that automatically made me think of Ubisoft’s futuristic hacker title. But unlike Watch Dogs, the gameplay here is online-only, so don’t expect local campaign or co-op modes.
That said, you can get through the main story solo or with help from your internet friends, be it on the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live. I played The Division on Xbox One and, although it took me a few minutes to figure out the controls, they’re nothing complicated once you’ve completed a couple of missions. In other words, left trigger to aim, right trigger to shoot, one button for cover, another for melee. You know the drill. What I did notice is that it’s relatively easy for your player to stay alive for long periods of time. As long as you find ways to shield yourself during battle, like using a car for cover, winning a battle without respawning shouldn’t be a problem.
Inside The Division’s reality, there are several things to do. With the main missions (multiplayer or otherwise) your goal is to complete different tasks, including finding a missing person or rescuing a member of your team. You’ll also find “Encounters,” which are shootouts against adversaries, controlled by the artificial intelligence, that you’ll come across as you’re trying to get to your primary assignments. These are good for practice and an easy way to level up. The more points you gain, the more access you have to higher-end weapons and skills — for example, you can use a mini turret instead of a grenade, and that’s helpful when you need to keep your distance from people coming after you.
There are no laws here. It’s a free-for-all, and not everyone who seems friendly is.
Another interesting feature is what’s known as the DarkZone. Here, you meet with other online players in a player-versus-player environment, but keep this in mind: There are no laws here. It’s a free-for-all, and not everyone who seems friendly is. I learned this the hard way, after a crew of strangers randomly started shooting at my group. But hey, they seemed nice at first. “All the rules of engagement are off. It’s an ambiguous PvP space, and that’s a fancy way of saying that,” says Ubisoft’s creative director, Magnus Jansen, about the DarkZone. “I see somebody and we can either just pass each other, ignore each other, [or] we can open fire and I can kill you and steal your stuff.”
“Not to spoil too much, but there are certain division agents in the story that may be corrupted a bit by this tremendous power that you are given by the president,” he adds. “So, for you as a player when you see another human player with gear that you want, and that you might be tempted to kill them for your own benefit, I’m really proud that we were able to expose your own greed in the DarkZone.”
When I asked Jansen about The Division’s delays, he says, “it just took a lot of time to get it right,” pointing to the open-world features of the game and the new engine that had to be built to create its impressive graphics. “It’s a completely new gameplay concept that took a lot of iteration and developing,” Jansen explains. “It was very difficult, in terms of project planning, to know when are we gonna be done to a sufficient level of quality with all of these new and risky endeavors.”
“We’re very, very happy that we got the opportunity [to wait], because sometimes when you do that they just say, ‘Okay, release it even if it’s crappy and buggy and whatever.’”
He went on to describe how some publishers launch games that simply aren’t ready, something Ubisoft is guilty of as well (e.g., Assassin’s Creed Unity). “We’re very, very happy that we got the opportunity [to wait], because sometimes when you do that they just say, ‘Okay, release it even if it’s crappy and buggy and whatever,’” he says. “So we were just very fortunate that’s not what happened; that we were given the time to do all the iterations, get everything right, get the graphics, get the frame rate, get the balance, get the online solutions, so that it is as smooth, as awesome as I think it is.”
As for whether you’ll be able to explore beyond Manhattan, Jansen says we’ll have to wait and see. Doesn’t sound too promising, if you ask me.
Source: Ubisoft
‘Hitman’ blows his cover next week on PlayStation 4
The cold, calculated killer known only as Agent 47 returns to do what he does best sooner than we thought. That’s assuming you have a PlayStation 4 and have pre-ordered the next game starring the cloned assassin, of course. While it might be going a different direction in terms of structure (multi-season, downloadable and episodic versus a traditional retail release), publisher Square Enix is sadly clinging to old methods of promo.
Pre-ordering the game ensures “guaranteed” access to the PS4 beta launching February 12th, with the PC test starting on February 19th. But if Ubisoft’s taught us anything recently, in video game parlance “guaranteed” means about as much as “exclusive” these days. Let’s hope for the best, though.
Oh, and there are a half-dozen missions that are only available to pre-orderers on Sony’s latest console. A post on the PlayStation Blog says that “The Sarajevo Six” is a self-contained side story, and the premiere piece of that will be available with the game’s March 11th debut.
Now, about those pre-orders. The $140 collector’s edition, $60 standard version and the $35 “Intro Pack” each grant access to a few in-game bits and bobs inspired by one of the series’ high points, 2006’s Hitman: Blood Money. Want a white suit, white rubber duckie bomb and silenced chrome pistol? For now, those are locked behind a pre-order. At least they aren’t tied to an individual retailer, I suppose.
And hey, episodic gaming has been paying out some pretty great rewards as of late too — especially when it comes to stuff from Square Enix. Crappy business deals that leave Xbox One owners out in the cold aside, what I saw of the game at E3 looked really promising. Perhaps a slight uncrossing of our fingers is in order.
Source: PlayStation Blog, Square Enix
‘Alto’s Adventure’ is coming to Android next week, and it’s free
Alto’s Adventure was one of the best games to launch on the iPhone last year — the beautiful visuals, addictive gameplay, and chill soundtrack made for a uniquely laid-back and satisfying experience. Developer Ryan Cash from Snowman announced this would happen way back in September, but the launch date is finally here. The game will arrive on February 11th and will offer an identical experience to the iOS version, with one key exception. Alto’s Adventure will be free for Android players.
Cash posted a blog post today to explain why he’s going free on Android, and the reasons are about what you’d expect. We thought long and hard with [publisher] Noodlecake about how we could best monetize the game — to launch as a premium title (like on iOS), or to explore other alternatives that stayed true to our core values and vision for the game,” Cash writes. Ultimately his team decided that going free-to-play was the way to go.
That’s because of the rampant Android piracy that still makes it hard to launch premium games on the platform. Cash cited an “incredibly insightful” infographic from Monument Valley developer Ustwo that showed only 5 percent of Android players actually paid for the game.
However, it wasn’t just piracy that caused Cash to go for a free-to-play system. He cited titles like Crossy Road and Threes as games that offered free versions that respected players and didn’t overwhelm them with opportunities to plunk down cash.
In the end, Alto’s Adventure will offer some paid opt-in bonuses for players who “might need a little extra help, or otherwise want to show their support.” But, Cash stresses that the core experience is identical between iOS and Android — the whole game “can be enjoyed start to finish, exactly as it can be on iOS.” Given the quality of the title, we’re willing to trust Cash here and believe that Alto’s Adventure won’t nickel and dim Android players. Indeed, that’ll be better for the entire gaming ecosystem. The more free-to-play games that treat players as human beings instead of bank accounts, the better we’ll all be.
Source: Built By Snowman
If you love adult coloring books, you’ll enjoy ‘Hidden Folks’
Hidden Folks is a deceptive game. It appears simplistic, featuring black-and-white line drawings of industrial plants, dense cities, and forests populated by campers and critters. But, its black lines hide multitudes of secrets: It’s an interactive hidden-object game with intricate, animated environments that players on iOS, Apple TV and Steam will soon be able to explore. Players interact with certain aspects of these scenes, tapping to open a garage door and reveal a hidden person inside, or discovering secret words in a tiny letter factory.
The stark aesthetic of Hidden Folks makes it seem like a giant, digital, adult coloring book. Because of this association, it seems like an inherently soothing experience. That’s on purpose, according to veteran independent game designer Adriaan de Jongh.
“The game won’t feature any timers or quick gameplay; you’ll be presented with massive illustrations, animated and wiggling and interactive and whatnot, and you can take your time exploring what’s happening,” he says. “We want this to be the sort of game that you pick up, play for a while… find another character, and then leave the rest of the discovering up to another play session. Slow paced, no pressure, and a lot of things to do that will wait for you.”
It’s been a busy year for de Jongh. His independent studio, Game Oven, shut down in early 2015 after releasing a slew of innovative and acclaimed titles, including mobile ballet simulator Bounden and foreplay fodder Fingle. De Jongh didn’t skip a beat after his studio’s closure — he continued to prototype new games, participate in jams, give talks and judge the Independent Games Festival.
“And on top of all that, 2016 began like crazy when I was selected for Forbes‘ 30 under 30, after which the Dutch media world woke up and practically turned me into a Dutch celebrity,” de Jongh says, laughing. “I’m really glad to be working with Sylvain Tegroeg now for Hidden Folks, and I don’t think that would have happened if I were still part of Game Oven.”
All’s well that ends well — but de Jongh is just getting started.
Hidden Folks will launch this year across iOS, tvOS and Steam (PC and Mac) for an undetermined price. De Jongh is happily working on this game and setting plenty of other development goals for himself in 2016. He doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.
“Man, I absolutely love making games,” he says.
Announcing Hidden Folks, a searching game like Where’s Waldo, but black & white, animated, interactive! Video/facts: https://t.co/0RDPhK1V1t
— Adriaan (@AdriaandeJongh) February 3, 2016
Source: Hidden Folks
Nyko Cygnus Bluetooth Controller review: A great companion for your Android gaming needs
I don’t know about you, but I’m not generally a fan of gaming on a touchscreen. Like many gamers out there, my gaming roots are based on using a controller. The touchscreen is fine if it’s a strategy or puzzle type of game, but fuller 3D games (first-person shooters or racing games) are just not ideal to me without a controller.
Nyko is such brand that makes accessories to up your experience on just about any gaming device (even the Nvidia Shield). It reached out to us about the company’s latest crack at a Bluetooth Android controller, the Cygnus.
The company has a good foundation in building controllers for full-on consoles, so with the Cygnus, it wanted to bring full-sized control to demanding Android games. Let’s check out if it delivers.
Design
The Cygnus is…a controller. Most of us know how a full-sized controller looks/handles. I would say that Xbox owners would most feel right at home here, the design has a close resemblance to what Microsoft offers.
That isn’t a bad thing; the design works. But what caught me off guard (in a good way) upon unboxing the Cygnus is the feel. I love the material that Nyko chose. It’s a rubbery plastic with the softest finish, from head to toe. This means that it’s very grippy – something you want when your hands are sweating up a storm during those intense gaming moments.
What’s also great is that the handles are made even more grippy with pronounced ridges on the sides.
This design feature works as fabulously as you’d guess. This controller does not escape your grip.
The controls are all pretty much laid out just like the Xbox controller. You have your left and right thumbsticks, a directional pad, and four action buttons on the right. The thumbsticks have a ridged texture around the edges for added friction.
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Front and center are the Start, Back, and Home buttons. On the top we see the familiar bumpers and triggers, four in total. You’ll also see a micro-USB port. However, it isn’t for charging the controller (which runs on 2 AA batteries). The micro-USB support allows you to run a wired connection with the gaming device (i.e. if the controller is out of battery, or use on a PC).
Usability
Nyko says that the Cygnus is gaming-ready for Android. It uses the standard Android HID (Human Interface Devices) protocol, which essentially means that its functionality is compatible with loads of Android games that are optimized for controller use.
It’s easy to set up and pair. Simply hold down on the Home button for 2 seconds to make it discoverable (you’ll see the LED lights cycle quickly). Then find it on the gaming device’s Bluetooth settings.
The bottom LED remains lit to signify that the link is active.
As far as usage, the controller worked as advertised. Gaming was as responsive as it should be and the connection stayed active for the duration. All the design cues that address grip make for a nice in-hand experience in practice. The Cygnus is a pleasure to use.
However, I will say that I wish Nyko had engineered some phone attachment mechanism on the controller. As is, it’s not reasonable to game on a phone (unless you’re casting it to a bigger screen).
Final Thoughts
Nyko built a very solid Android gaming controller with the Cygnus. If you regularly game on Android, you should definitely think about a companion like this to enhance your experience. Bear in mind that it can also be useful for VR headsets.
The Cygnus retails for $25, and can be found on Amazon or Nyko’s online store. Head over the product page for details.
The post Nyko Cygnus Bluetooth Controller review: A great companion for your Android gaming needs appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Pre-registration for Nintendo’s first mobile game, ‘Miitomo’, to open later this month
Nintendo’s first ever mobile game, ‘Miitomo’, has been hotly anticipated for months now. Just a few weeks ago it was confirmed that the game would be launching this upcoming March, and now we have it that Nintendo will open up a pre-registration on February 17th so you can get your hands on the game as soon as it launches.
‘Mittomo’ is an interactive chatroom, blending game and communication portal into one fun application. If you have ever created and/or used a Mii on the Nintendo Wii or Wii U consoles then you will feel right at home here. The app takes advantage of these Mii’s to put players in a playful and welcoming social environment. Users will be able to chat it up with their friends, family, and loved ones, and then take advantage of the ‘Miifoto’ feature to share real life moments with everyone.
Right along side ‘Miitomo’ Nintendo will be launching its ‘My Nintendo Rewards’ program. Nintendo claims that this program will be a more comprehensive reward program then others you may be used to. The more you interact with Nintendo products and services the more you get rewarded in a variety of ways. For instance, ‘Miitomo’ users with a ‘My Nintendo Rewards’ account will be able to further enhance the app to get a more personalized and enjoyable experience. On top of this if you create a Nintendo account between February 17th and when ‘Miitomo’ is released in March, you will receive a special reward for use in ‘Miitomo’ free of charge.
For those of you excited for Nintendo’s first foray into the mobile world, as I noted above, you only have one short month to wait! In the meantime just hang tight, and be sure to check back with us February 17th so we can update you on how/where to register so you can grab that free reward.
Source: Nintendo
Come comment on this article: Pre-registration for Nintendo’s first mobile game, ‘Miitomo’, to open later this month
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