When SimCity launched last year, it had ‘issues’ – bugs, online access problems, lack of ‘game’, and more – and the most common ‘solutions’ or suggestions? Go back and play SimCity 4. Released in 2003, it has remained the best city builder game for a decade, and now it is on GoG.com for only $4.99, 75% off!
While the basis of The Ghost Archives: Haunting of Shady Valley story is fairly typical for the genre – you are an agent investigating a haunted mining town whose inhabitants disappeared mysteriously and need your help to free them – the story itself and game wrapped around it are fun and engaging. Check out the free demo and see what you think!
In fall 2012, Garmin introduced the FR-10 GPS Watch. I did a quick preview, took it on a marathon two days after it arrived, and then did a follow-up after several months of use. I still use the FR-10, and now Garmin has introduced the FR-15 GPS Watch, combining the FR-10 GPS and elements of the VivoFit fitness band.
Every year at CES and NAMM IK Multimedia presents a bunch of great new technology for music and media aimed largely at the consumer electronics market. This year was no exception, and now we have gotten word from IK multimedia that the iRing music motion controller is shipping! We will have a review soon, but here are some details.
Here is a simple question – when you want to know the time, do you want a challenge? Moreover, do you want it to be difficult for most people to read the time from your watch? If so, read on – but if not, the TokyoFlash Kisai Optical Illusion Watch is likely not for you!
A drifting, abandoned, deserted ship is a great setting for a mystery game, and add ghosts supernatural elements and you have a great premise for an adventure. Cursed Ship features an abandoned ship with loads of damage, seaweed covered walls, green fumes and ghostly figures. There is one flaw, but nothing that should stop you from checking this game out!
Back in July of 2013 I wrote about Project Ravensdale from Black Forest Games, noting that their success with the multi-platform hit Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams made them a trusted developer. Ravensdale’s Kickstarter failed, and now after regrouping Black Forest Games has named the final game DieselStörmers and launched a new Kickstarter and they’re well on their way to $50,000!
My review of the iPad version of Mystery of the Opera noted that it employs the common ‘woman in peril and romantic interest left to solve mystery’ trope; rather than bogging the game down, it makes for an excellent launching off point! Now the game is available for the Mac, and it remains a fun and compelling experience.
There will always be debates between technology fans – Mac or PC, iOS or Android, Excel or 1-2-3, Kirk or Picard, etc. But there are a few fairly universal things – we love gadgets, love debating about what we like and dislike, and we love Star Wars. Now we have the cast for Star Wars Episode VII to debate!
Nearly two years ago I reviewed the first Tales from the Dragon Mountain game, and while I enjoyed it in general, there were many areas I criticized. Now we have the sequel, and I’m again left in a quandary of positive and negative thoughts. But one thing is sure — it is better than the original, and more easily recommended.
Way back in late 2012, Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition arrived for the Mac & PC, with the iPad version landing a few weeks later. Now, nearly 8 months later, the classic RPG that launched the modern era of gaming in 1998 arrives for a wide variety of Android devices on the Google Play store for $9.99!
G5 Entertainment and Artifex Mundi has a great recent track-record of hidden object puzzle adventure games, and they continue with the release of 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek, now available for the Mac! The game tells the story of a reporter lost in a mysterious town in the 1950s and the friend who investigates!
Last year I reviewed the iPad version of Twin Moons, raving about the experience and saying “adding choice to an already excellent game simply tips the scales just that much further.” And from now through April 20th you can get this fun hidden object adventure from Cateia and G5 for free on all platforms including iOS, Android and more!
I will have to confess that I missed playing the original Paranormal Agency when it first came out, and wasn’t a huge fan when I played it, finding it lacking compared to other genre games. However the sequel delivers a tense and engaging experience that is on par with some of the best games in the genre!
Today Amazon announced Fire TV, a 1080p streaming set-top box. Fire TV is available for shipment starting today and sells for $99. Amazon is touting the voice search, Prime integration, and access to the most popular services as well as gaming. They also emphasize the ease of setting the system up, getting online and getting right to your favorite content!
Last fall Spiderweb Software released Avadon 2 The Corruption for Mac and PC, and I said that the sequel improved on the original in every way. Now iPad users get the game optimized for the touch interface and with all post-release patches. How has the game transitioned? As with the original, the iPad version is my favorite!
G5 Games continues moving their popular franchises to social platforms – from Virtual City Playground to Secret Society to Stand O’Food Empire, the games add to the original experience while extending the gameplay to many hours. Now another of my favorite franchises – is out as The Island Castaway: Lost World is a free-to-play social game for the iPad!
This year at high schools and colleges there are more cases of head lice than any time in recent memory. While most years head lice are spread between younger kids, it is the increase in older teens with lice that sparked concerned. According to lice-treatment expert Nitless Noggins, there is a correlation between the rise of ‘group selfies’ and head lice.
If you are a recreational tennis player, chances are you wish you could improve your game but lack the time and/or money to join a club and get a coach. But now with MyTennisCam, you can simply mount a camera, switch it on and start playing! This IndieGoGo project promises to provide feedback and analytics to help you play better. Simply place MyTennisCam on the pole of the net and start playing. Three built in high-speed cameras and sensors track your movement and the trajectory of the ball in real-time. All of the game’s data and your stats are automatically…
One key new feature announced with the Samsung Galaxy S5 was the heartrate sensor. Located below the camera on back, the sensor grabs data from your fingertip and analyzes it to give heartrate feedback. The sensor – also in the Gear Fit, Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo – is powered by Heartbeat Analytics by Firstbeat, and they’ve provided more details!
When was the last time you enjoyed reading on your mobile? I read more on iPad because sites are poorly scaled for phones – too few words, font too small, whatever. A new company called Spritz is partnering with Samsung to develop technology for the Galaxy S5 and Gear devices that helps speed up reading and make it more enjoyable.