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Build an Egyptian Empire on Your iPhone

alien

May 18 |08:56

I've got an iPhone 3GS and an iPad so I'm no stranger to checking out the App Store for new games. Unfortunately, I've just never really felt the games were worth the money, they didn't work on the platform or were not interesting enough to stick with. It's not that I'm a pain in the butt (OK, I am), it's just that trying to hold onto the rail in the subway with one hand and play with the other can be hard and that's just with the iPhone. Clearly RTS games are just out of the question but maybe a turn-based strategy game isn't.

This is where History Egypt Engineering and Empire comes in (iPad version is planned and should release in a few months the developer says). The game is based off of the larger PC game of the same name. While it's essentially a sort-of port, a turn-based game has a natural pause that works for commuting or multitasking like playing and answering email. Here's a little about the game

Empires are controlled from three main views: the Campaign Map shows the entire game world, including mountains, forests, coastlines, oceans, rivers, cites, and armies. The City Map gives players an overview of the structure and role of a city within the empire, and provides a basis for economic decisions. The Battle Map is to be used when diplomacy has run its course or when a city is being attacked, resulting in turn-based combat.

Check out the images below and maybe give the game a try because it's only $3.99.

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n-Space Developing Call of Duty: Black Ops for DS with 6-Player MP and Co-op Play

alien

Jul 28 |13:56

Activision released some info on their Nintendo DS version of COD Black Ops today. Going with the same name but being developed by n-Space, the DS version will have six-player MP, a Perks system and two player Co-op, Arcade and Challenge game modes. Launch date for the game will be November 9th.
One thing they failed to mention though was whether this would be in 3D for the upcoming 3DS.

Here's some official copy from Activision:

Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Nintendo DS will put gamers in the boots of CIA-backed operatives that are dropped into the shadowy world of deniable operations with an expansive arsenal of weapons at their disposal.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Nintendo DS is going to take the handheld Call of Duty experience to a new level,” said Dan O’Leary, n-Space Studio Head. “From taking the controls of an attack helicopter to flying an experimental stealth fighter jet, players will have a wealth of new features to utilise.”

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Why This Gamer Dad Can't Play Heavy Rain

alien

Aug 03 |13:42

Having kids changes a person in a good way. You look at the world, and more specifically, people differently. You give people more leeway, you allow for people to be different without judging as much. You have more empathy for people that you would previously say callous things about. Having kids makes you a better person and in my case it's certainly been true.

While one gets to be more tolerant of certain things I've found that I'm less tolerant and more emotional about other things now. When my wife was pregnant seeing a commercial for the ASPCA would have her in tears on the couch. Unstoppable empathetic tears. I thought she might run out and adopt all the dogs she could find. It saddened me and I wanted to help but I didn't have that instinct of wanting to protect the innocent animals like she did. When I used to read the news about something horrible happening to a child I was of course outraged at the criminal or circumstances. Now I find myself worrying more about the people that are left behind. That poor mother. That poor family, what a horrible thing. I can actually feel their pain, at least a little bit. Sooth the family first then get the person that did it and show no mercy.

Now that I have these contextual emotions based on my own kids and experiences as a father there are things I have zero tolerance for. Making light of a person's disability. Making fun of a person's accent or other things out of their control. Watching and participating in a game where the main plot centers around murdered children.

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Activision Announces Next Epic Tony Hawk Failure Featuring that Skateboard Thing Again

alien

Aug 13 |09:11

Activision has had some amazing successes - the COD franchise, Guitar Hero, StarCraft II and Tony Hawk's games. Wait, we have to scratch that last one off because of the epic fail that was Tony Hawk RIDE. Remember that one from last Christmas? It came with the skateboard controller you had to use or you could play the game? Right, it cost over $100, that's the one. What a dumb decision it was to force gamers to buy and use the skateboard - that basically killed the game. Good thing Activision is smart and won't make that mistake again...

But they are.

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Latest Resistance 3 Trailer Goes Live Action with L4D Flavor

alien

Aug 17 |14:28

Here's the latest out of Insomniac Games for Resistance 3. I hope they bring back the narrative from the first game but judging by this trailer it seems more like they are going for Resistance Left 4 Dead.