tingilinde

modripong

like the title suggests...

 

firewatch

I've heard great things about Firewatch from serious gamers and well as those who are ungamers.  I haven't played it - our machines are too old to meet the minimum spec, but you might want to check out this from The Atlantic as well as the developer's site.  They sold a half million copies on the first day and covered their development costs.  Nice seeing something simple rather than a tech festooned first person shooter.

jigsaw puzzle not for the color blind..

Mentioned a long time ago, the 1,000 color piece jigsaw puzzle is back and available in the US.

somehow I wonder...

An attempt to turn chess into a spectator sport.

what's in a name?

a new kickstarter record?

note they were going after $10,000 and only ten of their thirty day period has elapsed.

 

the scarab of ra

A computer game from 1987 - The Scarab of Ra ... make your way through a maze and stay away from a mummy.  Now online - at least some of it.

a tip of the hat to sara

 

 

a suggested game

What is a minimal set of identifiers that you can uniquely identify someone with?  What is the average?  One can imagine categories - those that are based on physical attributes, those based on experiences, and so on...  It can make an interesting party game.

 

 

 

a touchable synthesizer for your idevice

Try this on your iPhone or iPad

(hat tip to Greg)

 

tough sledding for disney games

While there are still people who play games on consoles, the bulk of the market seems to be moving to smartphones and tablets- at a very different price point.  A very tough area to compete.

vectrex for iOS

Vectrex is one of the classic game consoles -  a 6809 based unit that set itself appart with vector graphics and a small internal CRT.  They are apparently very rare now.

Vectres Regeneration is a Vectrex "console"for iOS was just announced and is now available on the AppStore.  One of the original games (Mine Storm) and a few indie games are on the free version and a $6.95 in-app purchase adds many others.  (the price may be discounted as an intro - I've seen it listed at $9.99 elsewhere). A short review is here as I've only been using it for 15 minutes on my iPad 3..

My comments?

We are lucky enough to have an original Vectrex console in mint working condition with numerous games and overlays.  I managed to get fairly good with the interface and have ok scores in many of the titles.    I'm spoiled.

The graphics seem reasonably authentic, although they don't capture the exact look of the original - but close enough and probably fine if you haven't played with the original.  Sound is just fine and there is an online mode for multiplayer play (turn taking).

The problem is the virtual game pad.  While you can configure positions of the control stick and buttons, it isn't a physical object and lacks the "feel" I need causing the user experience to fall apart.  

The game comes so close.

If you have a real Vectrex (maybe a couple of people out there), I'd pass on it unless you have a physical game unit for it.  It is apparently compatible with the iCade (which I don't have) if you buy the game pack.   I've never used an iCade (about $100), but have heard good things about them and they are probably very useful for people who want to play classic computer games on their iPads.   I can't imagine this working on an iPhone given the tiny screen and just didn't try...

So if you have an iCade, give it a try.  Dave ...  I'm waiting for you to get one to tell me how well it works...