There’s no doubt that the indie hit Minecraft has evolved into a flat-out phenomenon. Developer Mojang recently quantified its success, noting that the game brought in pre-tax revenues of $ 80 million (540 million Swedish krona) in the 15 months following Mojang’s official debut in October 2010, reports Swedish tech site NyTeknik. Thus far, Minecraft has seen more than 25 million downloads, and earlier this month Mojang revealed the PC version of the game has sold …
If you’ve played Taito’s beautifully abstract iOS music game, Groove Coaster, you probably want more of Taito’s beautifully abstract iOS music game, Groove Coaster. And you’ll have it. During an interview today, producer Reisuke Ishida told Joystiq: “People can expect to see more Groove Coaster in the future.” As for the details, like when, or whether it’s in the form of game updates or a full sequel, we got “No comment.”
One (vector-based, icon-covered) avenue he’d like to explore is a console port, much like the XBLA/PSN port of his iOS shooter Space Invaders Infinity Gene. “There’s no plan for a console release of Groove Coaster yet, but if it’s possible it’s something that I’d like to do,” Ishida said. “I don’t think the controls would be much of an issue; it’s pretty simple controls.” Ishida said he kept consoles in mind while designing Groove Coaster. “I didn’t want to add something that wouldn’t be able to be communicated for consoles in the future.”
In terms of non-Groove Coaster games, Ishida teased a third game in what he called the “Infinity Gene series (which currently includes Infinity Gene and Groove Coaster). “It’ll probably have a similar aesthetic to the previous two games, but people shouldn’t expect another shooting game. It’ll be something different.”
Ishida quickly clarified: “I’m not saying I’m never going to make shooting games again, just not for the next project.”
Did you fail to nab a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive beta key when Valve was giving them out to 7,000 existing CS players? How about last Monday, when community sites got their filthy hands on 2,000 of them? Well, fret ye not, gentle children of the morning, for Valve’s got a lot more to give out, and these are open to anybody.
The PC powerhouse has opened up an online survey (requires Steam to be installed), and if you want a key, you’ll need to fill it out. Although it won’t guarantee you a key, it’s now the only avenue most of you have. If you don’t have friends at Valve or pals in the beta, you best get scrabbling for survey answers.
“Over the coming months we will make selections from the survey participants,” writes Valve. “Sometimes we might add experienced players, other times new players. Sometimes 1.6 players, sometimes CSS players, sometimes people who have played neither. There are no wrong answers to the survey questions.”
Those already in the beta will still receive the odd gift key to give out to friends. In order to give a gift key, you just need to jump into a quick match of CS:GO. Sounds pretty simple, right?
I may be dating myself here, but there was a time when I was completely obsessed with Windows Solitaire. I wanted to see every pixel of the game’s window covered in the cards that hopped down at the end of the game, and the obsession lasted just as long as it took to make that happen. Since then, stacking cards onto other cards hasn’t held the same charm. Then I picked up Fairway Solitaire [Free / HD] and now I’d kind of like my life back, please.
It’s not that Fairway Solitaire is particularly challenging—quite the opposite, in fact. It follows Big Fish Games’ usual mandate of making everything as player-friendly as possible. But between the dead simple gameplay and the weirdly compelling golf metaphors, I’m totally engrossed. And reading around online and in our forums, I’m not alone. This game gets its hooks into people more than one might expect from a golf-themed card game.
The game is built around one-card draw solitaire. The field is covered in cards that are stacked in various piles, face up or face down, and one card is drawn from the remaining deck at a time. You can put any card on top of that draw if it’s higher or lower by one. You keep stacking them until you have no cards left within one point on either side, and then you draw your next card.
Golf provides the framework in with the game is played. Each game is a single hole of a golf course. The score for an individual hole doesn’t matter all that much because your real goal is to hit below par for the whole course. The beauty of this system is that when you get to those awful awkward moments when the last few cards on the table just won’t work, you can end your game and move on to the next hole.
In fact, a cleared table will land you well under par. Not only does this make successful games particularly rewarding, it also keeps you from getting bogged down in losses. Just pick up your clubs, dust yourself off and move on to the next hole. You’ll even it out in the end.
Speaking of clubs, they play a vital role in Fairway Solitaire. You can find them as you play or buy them with Golf Bucks, and they can be used as cards for cheating. Whenever you’re in a tight spot with few cards left in your deck, you can pull out a relevant club and build off that instead. Again, this design cuts down on frustration and adds a teensy bit of strategy thanks to the relative scarcity of Golf Bucks and the long cooldown on each club.
Not that they’re all that scarce. You earn Golf Bucks for everything you do. They come from achievements, from finishing holes, from really good shots. They also come from in-app purchases, if you’re so inclined. You can use them to buy clubs or gear that gives you other advantages, like letting you see how many cards are left in the deck or clearing away a few hazards at the start of each hole.
Fairway Solitaire starts with one course pack, which contains six courses and about twenty-four holes total. If you choose to pay a dollar to unlock the rest of the courses, there are ten course packs that open up as you progress and one that can be unlocked with Golf Bucks. The differences between holes lie in the card layouts, the hazards present (which generally must be cleared by finding a hidden card or sacrificing a card from your deck), and the number of cards you need to get through to make par. Since most of the holes have their card selections randomly assigned, you can pretty much play forever.
Quirks abound, like realistically banal golf banter (which can be turned off) and overarching story about an angry gopher. The latter only comes up when you draw a wild card, which will throw you into a random gopher-related situation. Some give you clubs or take away your cards, and some are silly little minigames that award you with Golf Bucks.
Some of the other quirks of the game are less pleasant.The HD version doesn’t include Game Center, while the standard version is about double the file size. Multitasking drops off unusually quickly and without it you’ll be sent back to the start of the hole. And prepared to be inundated with ads for other Big Fish Games titles whenever you load Fairway Solitaire up fresh.
Those annoyances aside, this is the new solitaire title to beat in my books. What it lacks in difficulty it makes up for in sheer mindless entertainment, which is arguably what solitaire does best. If you want to push for a bigger challenge you can always go for three stars on each course, but success ultimately comes down to luck of the draw. Instead, I’d recommend enjoying Fairway Solitaire as the never-ending meditative experience that it is. Let other games be challenging. For this one, compelling and fun might just be good enough.
I may be dating myself here, but there was a time when I was completely obsessed with Windows Solitaire. I wanted to see every pixel of the game’s window covered in the cards that hopped down at the end of the game, and the obsession lasted just as long as it took to make that happen. Since then, stacking cards onto other cards hasn’t held the same charm. Then I picked up Fairway Solitaire [Free / HD] and now I’d kind of like my life back, please.
It’s not that Fairway Solitaire is particularly challenging—quite the opposite, in fact. It follows Big Fish Games’ usual mandate of making everything as player-friendly as possible. But between the dead simple gameplay and the weirdly compelling golf metaphors, I’m totally engrossed. And reading around online and in our forums, I’m not alone. This game gets its hooks into people more than one might expect from a golf-themed card game.
The game is built around one-card draw solitaire. The field is covered in cards that are stacked in various piles, face up or face down, and one card is drawn from the remaining deck at a time. You can put any card on top of that draw if it’s higher or lower by one. You keep stacking them until you have no cards left within one point on either side, and then you draw your next card.
Golf provides the framework in with the game is played. Each game is a single hole of a golf course. The score for an individual hole doesn’t matter all that much because your real goal is to hit below par for the whole course. The beauty of this system is that when you get to those awful awkward moments when the last few cards on the table just won’t work, you can end your game and move on to the next hole.
In fact, a cleared table will land you well under par. Not only does this make successful games particularly rewarding, it also keeps you from getting bogged down in losses. Just pick up your clubs, dust yourself off and move on to the next hole. You’ll even it out in the end.
Speaking of clubs, they play a vital role in Fairway Solitaire. You can find them as you play or buy them with Golf Bucks, and they can be used as cards for cheating. Whenever you’re in a tight spot with few cards left in your deck, you can pull out a relevant club and build off that instead. Again, this design cuts down on frustration and adds a teensy bit of strategy thanks to the relative scarcity of Golf Bucks and the long cooldown on each club.
Not that they’re all that scarce. You earn Golf Bucks for everything you do. They come from achievements, from finishing holes, from really good shots. They also come from in-app purchases, if you’re so inclined. You can use them to buy clubs or gear that gives you other advantages, like letting you see how many cards are left in the deck or clearing away a few hazards at the start of each hole.
Fairway Solitaire starts with one course pack, which contains six courses and about twenty-four holes total. If you choose to pay a dollar to unlock the rest of the courses, there are ten course packs that open up as you progress and one that can be unlocked with Golf Bucks. The differences between holes lie in the card layouts, the hazards present (which generally must be cleared by finding a hidden card or sacrificing a card from your deck), and the number of cards you need to get through to make par. Since most of the holes have their card selections randomly assigned, you can pretty much play forever.
Quirks abound, like realistically banal golf banter (which can be turned off) and overarching story about an angry gopher. The latter only comes up when you draw a wild card, which will throw you into a random gopher-related situation. Some give you clubs or take away your cards, and some are silly little minigames that award you with Golf Bucks.
Some of the other quirks of the game are less pleasant.The HD version doesn’t include Game Center, while the standard version is about double the file size. Multitasking drops off unusually quickly and without it you’ll be sent back to the start of the hole. And prepared to be inundated with ads for other Big Fish Games titles whenever you load Fairway Solitaire up fresh.
Those annoyances aside, this is the new solitaire title to beat in my books. What it lacks in difficulty it makes up for in sheer mindless entertainment, which is arguably what solitaire does best. If you want to push for a bigger challenge you can always go for three stars on each course, but success ultimately comes down to luck of the draw. Instead, I’d recommend enjoying Fairway Solitaire as the never-ending meditative experience that it is. Let other games be challenging. For this one, compelling and fun might just be good enough.
Lucas Licensing has renewed its Star Wars deal with The LEGO Group, extending it by another 10 years. Under the renewed deal, LEGO will be able to continue producing Star Wars toys and video games, and is currently working on products based on The Old Republic.
Jill Wilfert, Vice President of Licensing and Entertainment for The LEGO Group said:
Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon that shares many characteristics with the LEGO brand–cross generational appeal, versatile story and character content, creativity and imagination—and we believe that we can continue to grow LEGO Star Wars for many years to come.
Before reading this, I would have scoffed at the notion that LEGO and Star Wars had anything in common, but Wilfert makes a great point. I can’t think of any other toy of movie franchise that has survived for so long, across so many generations.
If you’re looking for something to do this Sunday, try this on for size: The Indie Game Music Bundle. It’s essentially the music-centric version of the various indie game bundles that have been ridiculously popular over the last couple years. Like those bundles, all of this music is DRM free, and you can name the price you want to pay. In addition, a portion of the proceeds are going to the American Cancer Society and Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play charity.
For as little as $ 1.00, you can get your hands on the soundtracks from Aquaria [$ 4.99], Sword & Sworcery [$ 4.99], Machinarium [$ 4.99] and two non-iOS games, Jamestown and To The Moon. If you contribute $ 10.00 or more (so, basically the cost of one of these albums normally) you get ten additional game soundtracks, with more bonus soundtracks potentially coming as more sales are made. Oh, and for $ 10.00+ contributions you also have the option of downloading the music in lossless FLAC.
This whole deal is pretty awesome, as not only are you getting some of the best indie game music the App Store has to offer, but you’re also potentially getting tons of bonus stuff and donating to two great charities in the process. It’s worth it alone for just the Sword & Sworcery album, but the rest of the music is great as well. So, seriously, head over to the Indie Game Music Bundle site if you’re at all interested. This deal is only going on for four more days, so don’t wait too long if you are.
Also, in a similar music-related PSA, if you like the Sworcery soundtrack, Jim Guthrie actually has a new album available which you can either download digitally or preorder it in vinyl. Additionally, if you’re really retro-oriented, the Sword & Sworcery soundtrack is also available on cassette if that’s your cup of tea. Or, if you’re a Spotify person like me, this whole album can be streamed to your heart’s content.
Adds the control of a physical joystick for precise gaming
Soft suction-cup installation makes the joystick safe for your screen and easily removable
Works for games with directional pad controls
Compatible with all tablets that have capacitive touchscreen
Great for Games such as: Chinatown Wars HD, Madden 11, Meteor Blitz, Across Age, Super Megaworm, Pac Man, Nintendo / Super Nintendo games, first person shooters, RPG, retro games and THOUSANDS more
ENHANCE Smartphone Joystick
More responsive gaming at your fingertips!
Precise Control Capacitive joystick transfers your movements to the game for precise movement. Easy to control and light – only weighs .01 lbs!! It eliminates the need to look at the controls while playing. Adding a physical joystick provides the arcade feel and Allows you to reach those high score boards!
Easy Intstallion The hassle free design can be applied or removed in seconds and doesn’t requi
There’s no doubt that the indie hit Minecraft has evolved into a flat-out phenomenon. Developer Mojang recently quantified its success, noting that the game brought in pre-tax revenues of $ 80 million (540 million Swedish krona) in the 15 months following Mojang’s official debut in October 2010, reports Swedish tech site NyTeknik. Thus far, Minecraft has seen more than 25 million downloads, and earlier this month Mojang revealed the PC version of the game has sold …
I may be dating myself here, but there was a time when I was completely obsessed with Windows Solitaire. I wanted to see every pixel of the game’s window covered in the cards that hopped down at the end of the game, and the obsession lasted just as long as it took to make that happen. Since then, stacking cards onto other cards hasn’t held the same charm. Then I picked up Fairway Solitaire [
