We get hands-on with the OnLive Bluetooth controller, which connects to your iPad for the full console gaming experience.
We love touch controls here at TouchGen towers, but when a mysterious black package arrived late last month we weren’t prepared for how much that love would be tested. We’ve said many times that virtual-sticks and button [...]
OnLive Bluetooth controller hands-on is a post from: TouchGen
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Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we’re doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we’re giving you fine folks some of the swag we’ve managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn’t stop here! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win!
So you’re pumped about Battlefield 3 … but you don’t actually have it yet. We understand there may not be many of you out there, but if you fit that description, we’ve got the giveaway for you.
One lucky winner will get Battlefield 3 on either Xbox 360, PS3 or PC, along with a BF3-themed Razer Onza gamepad for Xbox 360 and a Calibur 11 “vault” for your Xbox 360 Slim. Oh, and some Battlefield 3 wall graphics from Walls360.com. It’s enough Battlefield 3 stuff to let your friends know you’re serious about the game, and to warn members of the opposite sex that you’re not ready for committal. Find rules on entry, and pictures of the swag, after the break.
Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Starting today and running through Christmas Day, we’re doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we’re giving you fine folks some of the swag we’ve managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn’t stop here! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win!
To kick things off, we’re assembling a Batman: Arkham City prize worthy of three wise men but, instead of going to a bunch of bookworms, it’s going to one of you. You’ll get a copy of Batman: Arkham City for your Xbox 360, a Power A Batman: Arkham City controller for your hands, and a Batman: Arkham City t-shirt for your curiously unclothed torso. How do you win a prize of this magnitude? Head past the break for the answers to all life’s questions.
Cloud gaming service OnLive has been up and running for about a year now, and in all that time it’s been doing exactly what many gamers thought impossible: Playing high resolution games over the Internet on any computer powerful enough to run a simple streaming app. Now, the company is taking its cloud-based show to smartphones and tablets, with a whole suite of apps available this week for Android and iOS devices.
Joystiq had a chance to chat with OnLive CEO Steve Perlman, and he told us how the company has brought OnLive’s library of PC and console titles to touchscreens everywhere (with the help of developers like Rockstar Games and a brand new controller), how OnLive and its service compares to the Xbox 360 console, and how his company would rather play nice with traditional console makers like Microsoft and Sony than disrupt their current business models.
The line-drawing genre has long been dominated by Firemint's outstanding Flight Control [$ 0.99 / HD]. It is the standard by which all similar games are inevitably judged, and with good reason — it's the granddaddy of the genre. But maybe there's room for new games in the market, and in our hearts. It's been over two years since Flight Control was released. Could it be time for a break, time to see other line-drawing games?
If so, you won't go wrong with Chillingo and Infinite Degree's Pollen Count [$ 0.99 / HD]. It's a game that didn't sell me with screenshots or trailers — the art is a bit clumsy — but it comes through where it counts.
By drawing a line on screen from bee A to point B, you direct your bees to collect pollen from flowers and deliver it to the hive. They need to reach both targets without running into anything en route. Though the obvious comparison is Flight Control, this is more in line with Harbour Master [$ 1.99] – you're moving cargo from place to place with a limited amount of space to deal with. In this case, there are only a few flowers to go around, and often bees are forced to wait in the wings. Managing the scarcity of the flowers adds a layer of strategy to a familiar formula.
Pollen Count distinguishes itself in progression. Rather than throwing down a set of maps for players to challenge themselves on, Infinite Degree has put together a series of unlockable levels that give the game a more traditional difficulty curve. To unlock them, you need to earn at least one star in the previous level. This usually isn't easy, and even the most experienced Flight Control fans will find earning a full three stars a challenge on most levels. Unlocking stages also gives less experienced players something to work toward, if the top of the leaderboard looks completely out of reach.
So how do you keep 24 levels fresh when you're dealing with a single-screen drawing game? Pollen Count handles that challenge by bringing in obstacles, powerups and other clever elements. Spiders, birds and zombees are all out to get your bees. While you're busy guiding them to avoiding those enemies and deliver pollen, you'll find environmental obstacles to deal with. And some bees are just plain picky about the flowers they'll harvest. It all contributes to keeping the game from getting stale.
If you want more, Pollen Count includes Crystal and Game Center achievements to earn and leaderboards to challenge. The iPad version also includes local multiplayer, both co-op and versus, with configurable levels. If you're really dedicated, you can unlock two special modes — a zom-bee survival mode and an odd 3D racing mode called 999mph — but neither offers leaderboards.
I wouldn't write Pollen Count off as nothing more than a clone. It makes great use of an established mechanic, and I'd have a hard time holding that against it. Running with an existing idea is an App Store tradition by now — the important thing is that it's been done well and it's been done respectfully. Pollen Count is a little rough around the edges, but it has the vital element covered: fun, and lots of it. Check it out, and give our discussion thread a buzz.
The solution found after the break for using an NES controller with Reckless Racing on the iPad is more mechanical than anything — it attaches the boxy gamepad to a series of robotic fingers that interact with the iPad’s capacitive touchscreen. But that doesn’t make it any less awesome.
Continue reading Hack connects NES controller to iPad using robo-fingers
Hack connects NES controller to iPad using robo-fingers originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 06:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The line-drawing genre has long been dominated by Firemint's outstanding Flight Control [$ 0.99 / HD]. It is the standard by which all similar games are inevitably judged, and with good reason — it's the granddaddy of the genre. But maybe there's room for new games in the market, and in our hearts. It's been over two years since Flight Control was released. Could it be time for a break, time to see other line-drawing games?
