ipod touch

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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Impressions on Predators for the iPhone and iPad

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Predators is a universal iDevice game that I’ve actually had for a couple of weeks now. I’m sort of a fan of the Predator franchise, and judging by what I had seen in trailers, I thought it looked pretty good. It also didn’t hurt that it was a $3 game that worked with both the iPhone and iPad. I just past half way through the main campaign, so I don’t feel comfortable enough to pass final judgment on it. But I have played enough to at least share some thoughts on my experiences so far.
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Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition Can Roll Off a Cliff

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The first Super Monkey Ball caught everyone by surprise when it was ported to the Gamecube from the arcade. This evolution of Marble Madness was simple to learn, hard to master and featured a fun to play campaign mode and mini games. Thanks to the success of that first game, Super Monkey Ball has grown into a profitable franchise for Sega. However, the steady flow of sales has not led to a steady improvement in quality. In fact, I would go as far as saying that none of the Monkey Ball games since the original have surpassed the quality of the first. Some of the entries in the series are flat-out bad.

Prior to my impulsive purchase of Sakura Edition on the iPad, I had been burned twice by Super Monkey Ball sequels. I caved on the iPad version because I was still starved for new iPad-specific games and it was on sale for $5. Is this the game that brings the series back into top form?
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Risk for iPhone Review

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I’ve been waiting a long time for Risk to hit the iPhone. During my childhood, one of my best friends used to always get board games from garage sales, which we would then play on his picnic table throughout the summer. One of those games was Risk. For weeks, we were generals, battling over control of the world through the strategic placement and movement of troops as well as a few lucky dice rolls.

This latest release may be a bit late on the iPhone, especially for those who have dabbled in other, arguably better, dice-rolling strategy games. I can’t speak to its competitors, as I haven’t tried any of them. However, I have put in a number of hours into Risk since it came out a few days ago, and I’m more than happy to share my thoughts on the game with you.

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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Love Post of Objections, Spiky Hair and Adventure Game Awesomeness

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As much as I love video games, there aren’t many games I truly geek out about. I like Gears of War, but it’s not a game that has any lasting effects on me when I’m not playing it. When it comes to games I truly geek out about, such as the Street Fighter IV, I constantly talk about it, thoroughly analyze it and evangelize it as much as I can. You don’t need to dig very deep into my blog to realize that I am a huge Street Fighter IV junkie.

While I have not said much about the Phoenix Wright series on my blog, that first game is one of those I truly geek out about. It’s not a perfect, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t leave a huge impression on me.
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