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• iPod Games, You're Doing It Wrong

  Like it or not, the iPod/iPhone has become a gaming platform. There are tons of statistics out there and I'm not going to bore you with them, but the fact is a lot of people are making games for the iPod and a lot of people are downloading and playing them. This post is not about educating the blog-reading public so much as a friendly word of advice to the game developers out there. iPod game developers, remember what your platform is. No matter how Apple dresses it up or the media hypes it, the iPod is first and foremost a portable music player. The iPhone is just an iPod that also happens to make phone calls. So please, when you want us to play your games on our personal music players, do take care when shutting off our music. Read More... Posted Apr 23 2009, 10:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, de blob, edge, ipod, iphone, adventure, newtonica, aurora feint, radio flare, audiosurf, scramble, sway, rolando

• Scarygirl is Out!

  Consider, for a moment, a world in which there were no consoles, no portable gaming devices, no games built specifically for the iPhone or your cell phone or your Trapper Keeper, no Steam, no games made specifically to harness a personal computer’s full power. Imagine a world where the only videogames in existence were Flash games. The genres would be familiar. You’d have platformers and shooters, puzzlers and adventures, sure. You’d never want for something new to play either. If you’ve opened a web browser in the past decade, you know as well as I do that there are thousands upon thousands of the blighters. And though there would be many things to play, there wouldn’t be much of it that was any good or artful. In a world where all games were Flash games, Scarygirl would be a god. Read More... Posted Apr 14 2009, 11:00 AM by John Constantine with | with no comments Filed under: john constantine, super metroid, scarygirl, touch my pixel, indie dev moment, iphone, Trapper keeper, tomba

• Whatcha Playing: Tappable Rhythm Sequels

  I love a good rhythm game, but Guitar Hero and Rock Band have always felt forced to me. Holding a plastic representation of the object I'm simulating using just feels awkward to me (the same reason I've not enjoyed my few sessions with Mario Kart Wii so far). PaRappa The Rapper and Dance Dance Revolution really did it right, making a game out of the music rather than a simulation. My favorite, as I've mentioned before, is Rhythm Tengoku, the Japan-only Gameboy Advance cart from the WarioWare team that's all about keeping the beat in a series of wild and hilarious cartoon scenarios. It dawned on me the other day that Rhythm Tengoku's DS sequel is finally being released in the west next month as Rhythm Heaven and that it may very well be a deservedly huge hit for Nintendo. I brushed off my nearly year-old import copy last week for a refresher. Read More... Posted Mar 17 2009, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments Filed under: whatcha playing, nintendo ds, derrick sanskrit, ipod, iphone, rhythm tengoku, rhythm heaven, tap tap revenge

• The 61FPS Review: Edge

  I am almost certain that over the past three months I've played more downloadable games on my iPod Touch than on my home consoles – and I've been all about Lumines Supernova lately. As expected from any hip new platform that just about anybody can develop applications for, a majority of the iPod games I've tried have been decidedly uninteresting and derivative of other, significantly better, games that I've already played. Thankfully, though, there are small studios putting time and thought into iPod games now and the media player finally has some truly excellent games, even if they still borrow from established franchises. Just as ngmoco's much-hyped Rolando gives me what I always wanted from LocoRoco in the form of tilt and touch controls, Mobigame's Edge gives me what I always wanted from Marble Madness – a cube. Yes, yes, Marble Madness without the marble sounds boring and pointless, but that brings me to what is so awesome about Edge: everything else. Read More... Posted Jan 30 2009, 05:00 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: derrick sanskrit, 61fps review, edge, iphone

• Roundtable Discussion: Where is the Handheld Version of Console Wars?

  Roundtable Discussion takes the intrepid 61FPS blogging team and pits it against itself in the search for deeper truth. The moderator for today is Joe Keiser. Towards the end of the last roundtable, the topic swerved off-course into a discussion of the existence or nonexistence of handheld wars. I thought that the fact that question came up was interesting, because no matter how you parse it handheld fanboy battles seem to lack the vigor of their console cousins. Which brings us to the question: do people have less of an emotional attachment to their portable systems compared to their TV-tethered ones? A different kind of emotional investment? Why do you think this could (or could not) be the case? Read More... Posted Jan 30 2009, 03:00 PM by Joe Keiser with | with no comments Filed under: game boy, derrick sanskrit, amber ahlborn, cole stryker, iphone, bob mackey, nintendo 64, joe keiser, roundtable discussion, pokemon stadium

• Apple Doesn’t Understand Genius, Blocks Yoot Saito’s Gabo

  Bad news from the desk of mad developer Yoot Saito, everyone: according to a rough translation of his latest blog entry, his creepy virtual pet peking man sim Gabo is being blocked from the Apple App Store, allegedly for being too “unpleasant.” This rubs me all over the wrong way, and not just because Yoot Saito’s strange gaming visions (his oeuvre includes the emotionally abusive talking fish simulator Seaman AND the voice-activated pinball RTS Odama, you’ll recall) deserve to be shared with all. What really bothers me is that Apple has apparently—and take this with a grain of salt, because the translation is admittedly not 100% clear on the subject—drawn a line in the sand as to what sorts of game content is and isn’t okay. Now, it is Apple’s Store, but any line that keeps out Gabo while allowing in the hordes of apps that just make fart noises might actually be too warped and curved to be called a “line.” Click through to see a video of what we’ll be missing, as well as the silver lining around this cloud of shame. Read More... Posted Jan 16 2009, 01:00 PM by Joe Keiser with | with no comments Filed under: iphone, joe keiser, odama, seaman, gato, yoot saito

• Whatcha Playing: Feintly Familiar

  Way back in the summer, when the iTunes App Store officially launched, iPhone owners were inundated with hundreds of sloppy applications and poorly constructed games. It was understandable, very few platforms have quality applications so early in their lifespan. There were a few surprisingly solid apps, though, that found their supportive base. One of the first games to really endear itself to JesusPhone users was Aurora Feint: The Beginning. Here's the high-concept: the match-three puzzle play of Nintendo's Puzzle League plus the RPG character-building of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords with touch and tilt controls thrown in. If that sounds deliciously addictive to you, you're right. Read More... Posted Jan 13 2009, 03:30 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments Filed under: whatcha playing, derrick sanskrit, tetris attack, puzzle quest, ipod, iphone, puzzle league, aurora feint

• Katamari Christmas - Rediscovering the Cosmos... Twice

  December 23rd, I'm home for the holidays, as are both of my sisters. I am just finishing my self-appointed task of the morning by clearing 100% of the Chroma Dam in de Blob when my elder sister asks what the gameplay is like and if she can learn. I begin to describe and then compare the feeling to that of Katamari Damacy. She is intrigued. I hand her the case to the original Katamari Damacy for Playstation 2. Her eyes light up as she pages through the manual. "Can I play this one?" "Sure." I turn off the Wii and go to make some tea. "Can I play it now?" "Oh, um...yeah, okay!" A bit of background very quickly. My sister is not an avid gamer, but she is also not a n00b. She is at present the typical "casual" gamer. She plays Brain Age, Wii Fit, Guitar Hero and Scrabulous, but to the best of my memory she has not touched a traditional platformer since the original Super Mario Bros. And now here she was, playing a cult-hit Japanese game that required not one analog stick, but two! Read More... Posted Jan 07 2009, 06:30 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: derrick sanskrit, wii, playstation 2, casual, katamari damacy, iphone, namco, christmas

• Trailer Review: Edge

  Take a gander at this trailer for Edge, the new iPhone/iPod Touch game released today by mobile phone game developer mobigame and feel the waves of nostalgia for a game you've never even played. In its presentation, Edge is equal parts Marble Madness, Q*Bert, and Tron, but it clearly has potential to be ever so much more. Read More... Posted Jan 05 2009, 03:30 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: marble madness, trailer review, derrick sanskrit, everyday shooter, edge, ipod, iphone, eden, pixeljunk, tron, echochrome, cubello, orbient, art style

• Derrick's Top 13 Games of 2008 - Part 2

  Missed part 1? Click here! 9 - Space Invaders Extreme (DS/PSP): One of the most iconic arcade games of all time crossed its 30th anniversary this year, and to celebrate they reinvented the whole damn thing. We've seen this before, but Space Invaders Extreme was different. How? It was flippin' awesome this time. Bright colors and flashing lights, sound effects that sync with the club-ready music, new power-ups and new aggressive enemies, Space Invaders Extreme turned the arcade classic into an underground rave of interplanetary destruction. And, as I already said, its flippin' awesome. I prefer the DS version, but both are great, and for the bargain price of $19.99 there's really no reason not to pick up this addictive portable reimagining. Read More... Posted Dec 10 2008, 01:00 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: boom blox, nintendo ds, derrick sanskrit, wii, psp, space invaders extreme, space invaders, iphone, newtonica, top ten of 2008, top 10, professor layton

• Derrick's Top 13 Games of 2008 - Part 1

  Yes, it's that most wonderful time of the year, when we make our lists and check them twice. As Bob and Cole have already pointed out, annual Top 10 game lists are popping up all over the place. I started organizing my own list over a month ago and had a very hard time leaving a few games out (come on, it was a pretty damn good year for games), and since thirteen has been my lucky number since the third grade I am now proud to present my own personal Top 13 Games of 2008, brought to you in three managable installments. Hopefully there'll be a little something for everyone. Let's get this party started: 13 - rRootage (iPhone/iPod Touch, ported from PC): You know what I always loved about the classic top-down shooters? Those huge, insane, too-many-flying-objects-on-screen-at-once boss fights. Wouldn't it be great if someone made a game that was just that? Oh, and if it were portable - fit right in my pocket. And it would be so sweet if I could play it with just one or two fingers and listen to whatever music I wanted to while I played. Yeah, that sure would be a dream. Oh wait... somebody made that game? And it's free? Woah... Read More... Posted Dec 09 2008, 01:00 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo ds, derrick sanskrit, no more heroes, wii, top ten, wii fit, ace attorney, iphone, goichi suda, top ten of 2008, 2008, rRootage

• iPhone Owners are Gamers, Idiots

  Apple has revealed the top ten best-selling iPhone applications, and it’s, um, a pretty weird list. For starters, it’s book ended by pure stupidity. The best selling application, the software more iPhone owners have paid for than any other, is…Koi Pond. An interactive fish screensaver. Number 10 is iBeer—yeah, you’ll just have to watch the video for that one. But let’s get past that, because in between those two moronic apps is a creamy center that’s 60 percent games. Super Monkey Ball’s in there, as are three racing games: Cro-Mag Rally, Moto Chaser, and Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D. Rounding out the list is the top-selling card game Texas Hold’em and charming puzzler Enigmo. It’s great to see a strange and abstract game like Enigmo on this list. It’s also impressive to see that the highest-priced thing on there (Super Monkey Ball, which is eight dollars) is also a game. Forget the speculation, because now that the numbers are in, the iPhone actually does look like a burgeoning little handheld console. And, judging by the other things that are popular, a console that isn’t for people who play other sorts of games. I noticed this a few days ago when a girl I’ve known for a while, and one who has never been particularly into games, whipped out her iPhone to show me games I’d never heard of before. Me, a person who knows which Nintendo DS game about princesses shares its name with an early 2000s hip-hop album*. This is not the sort of thing that happens to me very often. Read More... Posted Dec 03 2008, 05:00 PM by Joe Keiser with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: iphone, joe keiser, what idiots buy, best sellers, beer drinking simulators

• The Original Adventure - Now Portable

  The Atari 2600's Adventure holds several special places in gaming history. It was the first game to allow the main character to carry and use objects without entering a menu or command, it infamously featured gaming's very first easter egg, and, as the title implies, it was the first ever action-adventure game for a video game console, paving the way for The Legend of Zelda and countless others. Well now the first ever action-adventure video game is available for the iPhone/iPod Touch. And its free. Go experience some video game history right now. Read More... Posted Nov 20 2008, 03:00 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: derrick sanskrit, iphone, adventure, atari 2600, easter egg

• Act Fast! Free Hudson iPhone Games Right Now!

  In celebration of the Tokyo Game Show (which ends today), Hudson Soft, makers of such wonderful games as Bomberman, Adventure Island, and Mario Party, among others, have made three of their games on the iTunes App Store FREE, but only for the length of the show (which, again, ends TODAY). If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, I strongly urge you to navigate over to the iTunes App Store (or just click the links below the break) ASAP and download these high-quality games without paying for them. Free mobile gaming! Does life get any better than this? Read More... Posted Oct 12 2008, 10:30 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: derrick sanskrit, ipod, iphone, free, hudson

• Ports That Need To Be Made: iTouchRez

  The news last week that Q Entertainment would be bringing its popular handheld titles Meteos to XBox Live Arcade and Lumines to Playstation Network got me to thinking about what other Q titles could use ports to new platforms. Far and away, the best idea to come out of this meandering train of thought was this: Rez, for the iPhone and iPod Touch, or as I like to call it iTouchRez. Read More... Posted Sep 05 2008, 04:00 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: sega, dreamcast, rez, tetsuya mizuguchi, iphone

• You Got Your Waggle In My Touch Screen Portable!

  You may remember back in May when Activision CEO Mike Griffith stated that the next Tony Hawk game would be a Nintendo DS exclusive and "utilizes new technology not yet seen on the DS." According to a press release sent yesterday by Activision, that game is Tony Hawk's Motion, which proudly announces it will use the Motion Pack for accelerometer-based game control. That's great and all, but why is this the first we've heard of the "Motion Pack"? The press release casually mentions it as if it were some peripheral we were all already familiar with. All we can gather about it from the press release is that it adds an accelerometer - the same kind of gyroscope that's in the Wii remote and iPhone - to the DS. Read More... Posted Aug 30 2008, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments Filed under: nintendo ds, derrick sanskrit, tony hawk, activision, de blob, iphone, hue pixel painter, motion pack

• Kenichi Nishi and Kenji Eno’s Newtonica Brings iPhone Gaming Into the Realm of Awesome

  I have been, in general, pretty resistant to the iPhone mania that’s overtaken many hundreds of thousands of folks. They’re attractive little devices but, well, them things are expensive. Plus, it remains to be seen whether or not it will come into its own as a gaming platform. The version of Spore Maxis has cooked up looks like a neat diversion but not many other games seem particularly interesting. For example, a friend of mine downloaded Super Monkey Ball and told me that when the game wasn’t crashing his iPhone, it was a chore to actually control anything. Newtonica, a new game from the ever fertile mind of Kenichi Nishi, now has me chomping at the bit to actually hand over some cashey money to Steve Jobs. Why? For starters, Nishi was the field designer on Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger, the founder of Love-De-Lic, and the designer of Skip’s Chibi-Robo. That’s what you call a pedigree right there. Read More... Posted Aug 26 2008, 03:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, mario, eegra, chrono trigger, iphone, chibi-robo, skip, Kenji eno, Kenichi nishi, love de lic, newtonica

• The iPhone As Your "Dark Passenger"

  This past weekend's San Diego Comic-Con brought more than a few bits of game news, both anticipated and completely unexpected, but arguably one of the biggest surprises was the announcement of an episodic game based on Showtime's original series Dexter coming exclusively to Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. Yeah, that Dexter. Finally, you'll be able to kill people on the subway and get away with it! Not much is known about the game beyond this announcement, only that it will incorporate text messages and phone calls for a more immersive experience and – of course – gesture controls... you know, for... um... slicing people up after you've brutally murdered them. Since that's all we know about the game right now, I've gone to the liberty of coming up with a few more ideas of how the iPhone's features could make Dexter a truly immersive gaming experience: Read More... Posted Jul 28 2008, 05:30 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: derrick sanskrit, ipod, iphone, dexter

• Gamer Caskets Rob Your Grave (of Dignity!)

  You thought guys getting Master Chief tattoos were weird, how about a Halo or GTA IV coffin? Perhaps the ultimate expression of brand loyalty, a themed coffin is an excellent way to remind your surviving loved ones that what little identity you had on this earth was wrapped up in a piece of plastic and metal.  In an effort to reach out to gamers, Creative Coffins has mocked up a few designs that will appeal to tech enthusiasts, including Microsoft Vista and iPhone themes. Environmentally friendly! Quirky! Embarrassing!  Read More... Posted Jul 25 2008, 06:00 PM by Cole Stryker with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: castlevania 1, cole stryker, super nintendo, iphone, coffins, microsoft vista

• Sega CD on iPhone: I Like Where This Is Going

  The iPhone is new and exciting. Sega CD games are pretty old, but still kind of exciting. What happens when you put the two together? I often wish I could go back in time and torment my younger self. I think we'd have some really cool conversations about video games. I mean, who cares about the fact that we've made major medical advancements or that we can travel in space buses (oh shit wait no we can't)? I want my younger self to hear all about how we can play the coveted games of our childhood on our telephones. Not that I have an iPhone. It's totally because I'm not into that useless capitalist waste. It's not like my mom's the only person who ever calls me. Sniff. You know I've never played a Lunar game? I know what I want to see next in the iPhone, thank you. Oh and it must retain the bizarre Working Designs "translation." Read More... Posted Jul 18 2008, 07:10 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with no comments Filed under: rpg, working designs, sega, retro, iphone, lunar, sega cd, vay

• Will Song Summoner Be the First Good iPod Game?

  Square-Enix, they of the beloved, monolithic RPG franchises Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, have quietly released an original strategy RPG for, of all things, the iPod. Even more surprising is how cool it sounds. In Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes, you build an army (Tune Troopers as they’re called in-game) using the songs stored in your iPod. You level your forces through the usual fighting and whatnot but you can also build their stats by listening to the song that created them. That is, frankly, one of the coolest game features I have ever heard of in my entire life. Read More... Posted Jul 08 2008, 04:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, square-enix, ipod, snood, song summoner, iphone