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2010 Year in Review: The iPad as a Gaming Device

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With Christmas rolling in quickly, I’m sure that the Apple iPad will continue to fly off the shelves as the hottest gadget on the market. Having owned one since launch, I can tell you that it’s a ‘nice to have’ device. It’s nice to have as a laptop or iPhone alternative, but if you already have both of those devices, this in-between gadget may not be for you.

Let’s narrow the scope of this discussion though, since this isn’t the place to talk about the device’s usefulness as a word processor or e-reader. How well has the iPad performed as a gaming device so far?

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Girlfriend Gaming: Help Me Recommend PS3 Games

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My girlfriend is a life-long PlayStation fan. Way before I entered her life, she grew up playing Crash Team Racing on her PlayStation One. She’s since picked up a SNES and a Wii, but she’s had her eye on a PlayStation 3 for a long time now. At the very least, she’s wanted one long before I ever started thinking about it.

She feels like now is the right time to take the plunge and pick up a PS3. She’s asked for my help in recommending games for her to try, but my PS3 knowledge isn’t that great compared to what I know about the other systems. This is why I’m enlisting you for help. What should she buy or try out on the PS3?

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Sagat Confirmed (and Dee Jay Leaked) for iPhone Street Fighter IV

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Capcom keeps on making one of the best iPhone games even better. Recently, they formally announced that Sagat would be making his way to the iPhone version of Street Fighter IV, along with a few system updates. As with the other major updates to this game, Sagat and the other updates will be free of charge.

In the process, they accidently released a picture of an unannounced character. That, or this is a really awesome Photoshop job for a game that people aren’t following that seriously.

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Review of Street Fighter II on Capcom Arcade

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I have been excited for the release of Capcom Arcade ever since the iPhone app was announced. It’s a freemium application that allows players to play classic Capcom arcade games either by using up the 3 free tokens you get every day, buying 10 tokens to use at any point for $1 or buying the game to play without limits for $3.

Being able to sample Ghosts & Goblins, 1942 and Commando is great, though I have no real interest in playing them in depth. However, there was no doubt in my mind that I needed to buy Street Fighter II, which is also available with Capcom Arcade. Even though Super Street Fighter IV is on the cusp of being my favourite Street Fighter game of all-time, nothing will ever touch the nostalgia I have for Street Fighter II. Considering how awesome Capcom handled Street Fighter IV on the iPhone, I was expecting nothing less than the same treatment for this timeless classic.

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Thinking Out Loud About the PlayStation Phone

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A few days ago, images of an early PlayStation Phone prototype hit the Internet. Sony hasn’t necessarily denied its existence either, with some thinly-veiled remarks in regards to the matter. While it shouldn’t be a surprise that this thing exists at all, it does come as a surprise that it’s taken this long for Sony to create a PlayStation Phone in the first place.

Based on the information out there, it looks like the phone is built off of the PSP Go body. It adds a cell phone to the body and removes the analog nub. The articles I linked to above also mention that the phone is built off of PSP 1 tech and that Sony wants to offer mobile gamers a deeper gameplay experience. Also mentioned on the Weekend Confirmed podcast was that this phone supposedly runs on Android 3.0.

While I think Sony has no choice but to at least give the cellphone gaming thing a shot, my gut says they might already be too late.

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Pick Up Post: Peggle Nights

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I’m not sure if I’ve said this on my blog before, but I’ve said it aloud many times to anyone that talks to me about iPhone games: I love Peggle. If you have not played Pop Cap’s digital version of cocaine, you are missing out on one of the most fun games in the last few years. I admit to being late to this party, too, since I didn’t buy a version of Peggle until it hit the iTunes store. By then, the sequel, Peggle Nights, was already available on PC and Mac. For us iPhone Peggle addicts, we’ve been waiting for over a year for the sequel to hit the iTunes store.

A few weeks ago, it did, along with a patch that for me, made both games worse.
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Game Dev Story Review

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(Buy it on iTunes)

Positive word-of mouth for Game Dev Story spread quickly on gaming websites, blogs, message boards and podcasts. Based on purpose alone, that shouldn’t be a surprise. Game Dev Story is the ultimate gaming-enthusiast game. It’s a game about running every aspect of a video game company. Want to hire a pro producer? You can do that. Think you need booth babes for the upcoming Gamedex game convention? You can do that. Want to develop on that hot new PlayStatus 2 but don’t have the capital to buy a licensing agreement? You’ll have to deal with that, too.

Having dropped way too many hours into this game in a short amount of time, I know for sure why this game has built up such a buzz for itself. It’s the game for game enthusiasts. It’s a game about the games you play, the stories you read about on websites and blogs and the discussions you have on message boards. When I picked this up, I could not put it down. If you’re just looking for a fun ‘Tycoon’ style game to play, this is right up your alley, too.

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Osmos Review

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I had no interest in picking up Osmos when it first rocketed to the top of the iPad charts. Having only seen screenshots and read the game’s description, it did not sound like anything I wanted to play. However, the strong buzz and sale price a few weeks ago of $0.99 made it hard to refuse. When I first played the game, I was totally turned off by the game’s simple concept and initially awkward controls. But then…it clicked.
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Bit.Trip Beat HD Review

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(iTunes)

If you’ve never played this game, seen video of it or had someone explain it to you, it can be hard to comprehend what the heck is going on in the image above. For over a year now, I’ve heard the gaming press talk about how amazing this Wii Ware release is, but just by looking at images of it, I couldn’t comprehend what this was or why it was so cool.

Since it’s on sale right now for both iPhone and iPad, I decided to give the iPad version a go. If you’re interested in finding out what this game is all about, read on.

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Pick Up Post: Believe The Hype?

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Over the last few months, I haven’t done too much in the way of iPod Touch/iPhone gaming. Most of my gaming time of late has been dedicated to my PlayStation 3 when I’ve have time to spare. However, my car recently broke down, which meant I’ve spent a lot more time on public transportation over the last few days. It’s been a great opportunity to catch up on Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night, which is worth grabbing at regular price, but is on sale right now for a limited time.

Speaking of sales, iTunes has a bunch of games on sale right now. I grabbed a few games that have gotten a lot of positive buzz. Here’s what I got:
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