You may not be aware of it but a series of games from Rovio about a bunch of birds angry enough at some pigs to fly over them and drop bombs shaped like eggs is doing pretty well. So well, in fact, that the original Angry Birds and its subsequent versions have sold millions of copies. In fact, there’s even making a movie about the birds.

This week the company updated its latest incarnation, Angry Birds Space, for the Android OS. With this update comes a new ice planet containing ten brand new levels. What more could you want for a Wednesday morning?

I don’t know about you but I find this game a great way to kill some time waiting in line at the post office or at the DMV. Even though some may think its over-hyped, if it provides fun and a bit of distraction, it’s a success in my book.

To get the update, or to get the game in the first place, head on over to the Google Play store and pick it up.

You may have heard of a little game called Call of Duty: Black Ops. In fact, before the more recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it was the best selling first person shooter game of all time on the XBox 360, PS3 and PC.

But what if you didn’t have and XBox or were on the road and wanted to play it on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch? Well, up until today you were out of luck. Fortunately, your luck is changing . . . for the better.

That’s right kids today Activision has released Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Here’s all the scoop from the official press release:

Adapted from Treyarch’s best-selling console hit, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and built specifically for Apple mobile devices, Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies delivers a Zombies experience never before seen on mobile along with 50 levels of cult-favorite Dead-Ops Arcade, providing the ultimate undead challenge for fans of Call of Duty’s signature Zombies mode. Featuring Voice Chat for a true Call of Duty style multiplayer experience, the title allows gamers to play solo or join a team of up to four to take down hordes of zombies.

Continue Reading →

The Red Star has had an interesting history. Starting off as a graphic novel by Christian Gossett, it was originally set for an XBox release. Development went as far as releasing a demo for Official XBox Magazine’s demo disk, though the release was canceled soon after. It would then be ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2004 and go into hiatus until this March where it was released as a PSP Go download only title.

Now, it has been ported over to the iPhone, with sadly, less than stellar results.

Gameplay:

As with all games, strong gameplay is essential for the success of any title. If a game is difficult to control, people just aren’t going to be able to enjoy it. Even though the game looks pretty (as will be mentioned later), the interface on the iPhone greatly hinders The Red Star.

Instead of opting for a static position D-Pad on the touch screen, players are forced to use their thumbs anywhere on the screen to direct the motion of their character in this side scrolling beat ‘em up. On the right side of the screen lies a “button” to shoot, melee or use special attacks.

Unfortunately, aiming any of these becomes a deeply frustrating process as a player will often find their left thumb gravitating towards the center of the screen to keep moving from left to right only to find they have completely covered their character and have no idea what direction they are facing (on top of blocking much of the left half of the screen with their left hand as well, giving a huge blind spot).

Continue Reading →

Apple’s iPhone has been making great strides to prove itself as a legitimate gaming platform. While many of the games for it are casual in nature, others such as Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars have shown the hardcore audience has a place on the platform as well. Activision, seeing this, has capitalized by introducing the Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies series to the iPhone.

Gameplay:

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies II is a first person shooter using the touch screen of the iPhone. There is a dual “analog” setup with movement on the left and aim on the right. Players can zoom in by tapping the gun icon for more accurate aiming. Shooting is accomplished by tapping the screen on the aiming “analog” and grenades are tossed by tapping an icon on screen.

The controls work as well as one would expect for an iPhone. They are responsive but nowhere near as accurate as a mouse and keyboard or a control pad with actual analog sticks. Having your aiming analog act as the fire button as well prevents certain FPS standards like turning while strafing around enemies which ends up becoming more of an inaccurate zigzag attempt.

The gameplay starts out slow to let players get accustomed to the controls as a few zombies begin bashing their way past wooden barriers around the doors. Eventually, the number of zombies ramp up as well as the addition of Hellhounds. The first time I was hit with a sneak attack from two rabid Hellhounds that teleported into the room it was almost instant death.

Continue Reading →

Have you been wondering what to do with all your extra iPhone’s? You know, those twenty or thirty extra ones you have sitting in drawers, on shelves in your office or tucked under the sofa. Well, wonder no more because if you’re like the guys who created this video, you can use your iPhones to play a nearly endless session of your favorite racing game.

Its a bit hard to imagine the work and, more to the point, the timing, it took to put this video together. Instead, just sit back and appreciate it for what it is: a really cool video made by some guys with a lot of time on their hands and also, obviously, a heck of a lot of spare iPhones.

If you want to pick up a copy of the game and plan your own video, its available for free at iTunes. It works on the iPhone and iPod Touch (2nd Generation) and requires iPhone OS. 3.0 or later.

Enjoy the video after the jump.

Continue Reading →