Indie Royale reveals new May Hurray bundle
In theory, April showers bring May flowers. However, even if you didn't begin this May with a large increase in greenery, Indie Royale is here to cheer you up this month with their new indie games bundle.
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My Little Hero Review
The "monsters in the closet" mindset that children have might seem irrational to adults, but it's a very reasonable fear from a kid's perspective. The unknown is frightening, and that is only amplified by the contorted shapes of shadows across the wall. I'll admit that I was a pretty big scaredy-cat when it came to bedtime as a child, but that's all the more reason to love the adorable concept behind My Little Hero.
Rocket Fox Review
It's becoming more and more common for major console game developers to give iOS a try. The end result of that, however, can be hit or miss. Some developers think that it's easy to make games for such a simple system, and crank out low-quality releases that are far from the high watermark of the company's well-known titles. Others learn that iOS is an entirely different animal, and learn to make quality games from the ground up for the system. NamcoBandai's Rocket Fox is a result of the latter.
OpenFeint founder Jason Citron reveals his new game company
At just 27 years old, Jason Citron carries quite the resume. He helped develop DoubleFine's Brutal Legend in 2006. He released his 2008 iPhone game Aurora Feint on the day that the App store opened. Then, in 2011, he sold his social gaming network OpenFeint to GREE for a whopping $104 million. With so much success at such a young age, the question over the past year has remained: What will Citron do next?
Kickstarter Picks: Battle of the Bulge
If there's anything that DoubleFine's incredible Kickstarter campaign proved for the videogames industry, it's that respected veterans of the business can receive ample funding from devoted fans. With big-name video/board game development titans like Eric Lee Smith (as far back as 1979's Bulge), John Butterfield (member of the game designer hall of fame) and David Dunham (King of Dragon Pass) coming together to create a Kickstarter for Battle of the Bulge, they're already off to a great start.
Nanovor Review
The past of Smith & Tinker's Nanovor series is long and complicated. It began as a physical card/toy system to be played alongside a PC program (not unlike today's Skylanders). That program was shut down in the end of 2010, in lieu of its free-to-play browser successor, Nanovor Evolutions (which was also cancelled). There's also been an animated web series or two floating around. Today, Smith & Tinker revives the series once again, bringing a free-to-play version (simply called Nanovor) to iOS.
GREE announces more partnerships, adding CrowdStar and iWin to the team
We talked about GREE becoming a major household name in mobile gaming back in February, and it looks like that prediction is edging closer and closer to reality. The major Japanese-founded mobile gaming company continues to expand, this time brining in two major North American partnerships: CrowdStar and iWin.
PopCap invades the real world with Plants vs. Zombies merchandising deals
You can't walk five steps in a retail store without seeing Rovio's Angry Birds franchise on multiple shelves. There are t-shirts, a card game, iPhone covers, and plush toys from five inches to over a foot in diameter. You can even eat Angry Birds gummy candy. No longer content at watching Rovio extend their brand (while earning millions of dollars in the process), Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies creator PopCap is looking to enter the merchandising fray.
