Category Archives: ngmoco
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Eliminate:Gun Range–There Won’t be Blood
Does Anyone Really Care About Apple’s GameCenter?
Does Anyone Really Care About Apple’s GameCenter? is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
Being an app reviewer, I think that I play more games than the average person. I personally don’t have much of a genre preference, although I do enjoy games that let me upgrade my character(s) or towers, and I have no sort of fan-affiliation with any specific game companies. Deep down in my heart, I also really don’t understand what the big deal is with these “social game centers.”
A friend made a comment to me about an article that I wrote about OpenFeint going multiplatform, and it rung a bell in my head. He said, “Why are people making such a big fuss about GameCenter?” and then looked at me like I should have some sort of profound answer. The answer was a garbled message about the unification of gaming and blah blah blah (I’m letting out my inner Steve Ballmer). Truth be told, I really don’t care about GameCenter that much at all. In fact, I think the whole social gaming platform is pretty ridiculous because developers really aren’t grasping what social gaming is all about.
The only company, in my opinion, that has really gotten it right is Com2Us with Homerun Battle 3D. If you read my articles and reviews, I talk about this game like it’s the next coming of Wonderbread, and it really is that good (and nutritious). I’m not the only one who thinks so either. According to Mobile Entertainment, “players have notched up more than 60 million online match-ups, totalling 480 million minutes spent battering baseballs out of the game’s virtual stadium,” all without the help of a giant social gaming platform backing. With that game, I genuinely care about the competition and get disappointed when my bitter rivals aren’t online. The joy of the system though is that you don’t have to go into another bland page to get some simple high score information, it’s all integrated into the game.
On a customer level, I really don’t think that there is any advantage to using a service like OpenFeint. I don’t mean to knock the service, because it does provide an easy to use area to display global high scores, but it doesn’t, in my opinion, add anything to the game experience. I’ve never invited anyone to a game or used the included IM service, and I really don’t think that the overall score I have makes me want to play OpenFeint games any more. To me, there’s just a bunch of fluff surrounding a game that doesn’t really nurture any sort of competitive spirit. It’s just a nice place for my high score to be displayed.
The only real advantage that I see, for an average gamer, to a unified GameCenter is that my user name will be the same on all the high score lists, and this really only matters if I get into the top 25 of a specific game. I’m not going to go search through a bunch of lists to find my friends in the top 5,000, I just want to see how high of a score I need to get to enter the top 25.
The key to social gaming success doesn’t lie in unifying the platform or stamping your logo on a bunch of games, it’s partnering with developers to make the online experience unique. Nothing about GameCenter will stop me from playing ngmoco games that are on the Plus+ Network because my game purchases are all about the games.
If GameCenter really aspires to be anything near what X-Box Live is, it needs to be so much more that it seems to be shaping up into. I need to able to use my phone as an X-Box headset to talk trash to the people I’m playing against. I need to, within the games, see which of my friends are playing ANY game network wide, not just that specific game. Not only that, but I need to be able to send someone a challenge to another for one game, and while they are playing another game, get my challenge request in some kind of instant notification. I’m not going to check my e-mail for game invites, I want to be able to do it all on the fly. I need all the games need to be connected, all the time.
Until then, “social gaming” on the iPhone just seems like blah, blah, blah, blah (my inner Ballmer has me sweating with rage).
[ Does Anyone Really Care About Apple’s GameCenter? is a post from 148Apps ]
Report: Google Ventures Backs Ngmoco
Ngmoco: Social Gaming Space Will Be Tougher For Newcomers
We Farm Review
We Farm Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
Developer: ngmoco:)
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
We Farm is the type of game that drives anyone over the age of 30 (should be 12) insane. There is no story, no winner, no loser… so really no point. Much like Farmville before it, the games sole reason for existence is to hope that people become impatient and buy goods (Gro) via in-app pruchase to speed the game up. That and to sell advertising space to impressionable tweens.
The game is a simple clone of the Farmville idea that was made hugely popular on Facebook. You start with a farm, and you must build crops, animal pens, and other buildings to make money. Nothing is instant though, so instead of building up this great farm in a day, you have to wait around for a set amount of time to harvest/ milk cows/ whatever else there is to do. The more things that you do, the more experience you get which unlocks the ability to buy bigger and better things.
The problem for many people is that there is no way to lose. Your farm never fails, there is no ranking promotion you get for good crop placement, you just do whatever you want until you run out of money, then wait for your stuff to grow or mature.
To add some substance to the game, you can add friends to share your goods with. For instance, if you build a well on your property, you can sell Popsicle parties to anyone that wants one. You can also go to other peoples farms and buy their goods, gaining both parties XP. There’s no real sense of necessary commerce going on, such as the trade of supplies that you can actually use, so it quickly becomes obvious that going to friends farms is just a way for ngmoco to get you to view more ads.
Somehow though, whether it be from the constant push notifications sent to you when something is completed (you can turn them off if you want) or just habit, you keep on playing. I’ve been “playing” We Farm for a few days now, each time wondering where my life is going. There really is infinite replay value because there is no end. Nobody wins. Ever.
To me, this game is just the embodiment to what happened when we started giving trophies to kids for participation. I really desperately want something to do in this game. I want to lower my crop prices and run my neighbor out of business. Maybe I could start a farmers market and then beat up my rivals Street Fighter style. I think this boils down to the difference between my Doom/Duke Nukem generation and the current Zynga playing one.
Oh, and my screen name is Chris148apps. Come buy a Popsicle party or something, I need the XP.
[ We Farm Review is a post from 148Apps ]
Ngmoco’s We Farm Is Out Worldwide, Get Ready To “Gro”
iPad Game Preview: We Farm
iPad Game Preview: We Farm is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
Farmville has only just appeared on the iPhone, and ngmoco is already testing the waters with their own farming sim, We Farm. If you thought We Rule was the developer’s answer to the Facebook farming phenomenon, you were only half right.
Everything about We Farm should be immediately familiar to We Rule fans; from the plot of land you are originally assigned, to the farms (called gardens) you have to maintain, to the Gro (think Mojo) you have to purchase to speed up various processes, there is little initial difference between the two games.
The differences become more apparent as you play through the tutorial which quickly progresses you to a level 6 farmer. Building a coop allows you to raise chickens (and later ducks and, I assume, other fowl as you progress in the game) which you must pet to keep happy. This latter innovation brings a simple type of Tamagochi pet management to We Farm, but it remains to be seen if this is developed at later levels in the game. I’m currently building some of the other farm areas available during the early stages in the game, so it remains to be seen what other new features We Farm will surprise me with.
The overall presentation of We Farm is, if you can believe it, even more cartoonish and exaggerated than We Rule, and the sound effects and music complement this approach perfectly, with frequent interludes of hayseed, down home banjos and harmonicas. It definitely has its charms, but will fans of We Rule want to build a similar mini-society in a similar way? The two games are very much alike.
We Farm is currently available in Canada. Look for it to hit the US iTunes store soon.
[ iPad Game Preview: We Farm is a post from 148Apps ]
Friday Five: June 25th, 2010
Friday Five: June 25th, 2010 is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
With iOS4 and the iPhone 4 hitting this week, it’s not so surprising that we’ve seen tons of new apps. This week’s Friday Five features a number of big-name efforts, many of which highlight the features of the iPhone 4 and iOS4. Let’s get started!
Farmville
The productivity-sucking, Facebook-spawned plague has been unleashed upon the App Store masses. Someone say a prayer for us all. The iOS version is supposed to sync with the Facebook version, so if you already have a farm, don’t worry about maintaining two! Just like on Facebook, you “grow” both plants and livestock and earn coins and XP for your troubles. This app also includes in-app purchase options for both coins and premium “Farm Cash.”
FREE!
iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-06-24 :: Category: Games / Strategy
Eliminate:GunRange
I don’t know why Eliminate:GunRange is missing spaces in the title. I can tell you, however, that it’s ngmoco’s brand-new, iPhone 4-exclusive title. A spin-off of the popular Eliminate FPS series, GunRange is designed to take advantage of the iPhone 4’s gyroscope and Retina display. The game drops you into one of three shooting ranges and lets you blast away at targets using any of twelve weapons. Support for the iPhone 3GS and additional content are promised in the future.
$0.99
iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-06-22 :: Category: Games / Action
Windows Live Messenger
Despite the whole Apple/Microsoft battle, Microsoft has apparently seen fit to release a messenger client for its Windows Live service. It’s pretty much your typical IM app, with hooks in most major social networks (Flickr, Facebook, Youtube, MySpace, etc). In addition to chatting and sharing photos, you can access your Hotmail email account from within the app.
FREE!
iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-06-21 :: Category: Social Networking
NPR Music
NPR is a wonderful, wonderful organization. It’s simply incredible how much they give away, for free. NPR Music follows their long-since-released NPR News app and gives you access to NPR’s musical selections. Listeners can choose from Classical, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and more. Live streams from over 75 public radio stations are available. Folks with new iPhones can take advantage of backgrounding, listening to music even when the app is closed.
FREE!
iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-06-23 :: Category: Music
DC Comics
DC makes its iPhone debut with many familiar comics: Batman, Green Lantern, the Justice League, Sandman, and more. The app itself is something like a comic-store, from which you can download individual comics via in-app purchase. Most comics run $1.99 apiece. (A few freebies are available, too.) For viewing comics, there’s either a full-page view or a Guided Reading option; with the DC app, all of your comics are contained in one simple app. Comic lovers should at least download the free app and check out the full selection.
FREE!
+ Universal App – Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-06-23 :: Category: Books
[ Friday Five: June 25th, 2010 is a post from 148Apps ]
Ngmoco Launches Gyroscopic Shooter Eliminate: GunRange
Ngmoco Launches Gyroscopic Shooter Eliminate: GunRange is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
If you’re putting your new iPhone 4 through its paces, ngmoco has an app that will give you a chance to test out its gyroscopic capabilities. Eliminate: GunRange ($0.99) is an iPhone 4-exclusive application offering gyroscope-controlled shooting in a variety of simulated firing ranges.
Boasting graphics optimized for the iPhone 4’s Retina display, Eliminate: GunRange includes 12 guns based on real-world weapons and a selection of 144 target shooting challenges.
The game also features a selection of unlockable medals and global Plus+ leaderboards. Ngmoco notes that iPhone 3GS support (minus gyroscope controls, of course) and new content will be added in a future update.
Next Apps from ngmoco:) Announced: We Farm, We City, Touch Pets Cats, and The Next Eliminate
Next Apps from ngmoco:) Announced: We Farm, We City, Touch Pets Cats, and The Next Eliminate is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
We got a chance to stop in ay the new office of ngmoco:) recently for a quick rundown on some of their upcoming apps. As you may remember, they made a business switch recently and are moving completely to the free to play model where the games are free to download and play, but have some form of in-app purchases to give you a better experience. Their latest creations all fall into that model and include a spin-off from Touch Pets Dogs, Eliminate, and two from We Rule.
We Farm
First up is ngmoco:)’s answer to Farmville. Built from the We Rule engine, this game will look familiar to those of you who have played We Rule. But this time around the focus is on farming. Both raising crops (like in We Rule), and raising livestock are the prime methods to earning in-game cash. To keep things a little friendlier though, animals are never sent off to slaughter. Instead, after raising them they are sent to be judged.
We City
Next up, also built on the We Rule engine, We City. While We Farm is fairly similar to We Rule, this one changes things up a little bit. Instead of building a farm/kingdom, you are building a city. Think of this is a very simplified, friendly and social version of SimCity.
In both We City and We Farm, you can visit your friends creations and interact by purchasing services and goods from them, much like in We Rule. It should be noted that ngmoco:) have made the odd decision to have each individual game, even though they are very similar and are targeting a similar audience, have their own unique version of We Rule’s mojo. Players would, I’m sure, greatly appreciate a common in-game bonus currency so that if you excel in one game you can speed up another. But alas, this is not to be.
Touch Pets Cats
Touch Pets Cats is the answer to Touch Pets Dogs for you feline lovers. Similar game, but there are a few small changes in how it’s played. For one, since cats generally stay inside, the whole experience is indoors. You have the option to decorate your living space with earned and purchasable items and furniture.
The Next Version of Eliminate
By far the most interesting title we saw was the next version of Eliminate. Currently without a final title, this version will be set in the current time instead of the future — think US military fighting in the middle east. Much like Eliminate, it’s multiplayer over the Internet and works butter smooth. The game itself reminded me very much of Counterstrike and had some really good action. No images of the game yet, but keep an eye out for full details.
[ Next Apps from ngmoco:) Announced: We Farm, We City, Touch Pets Cats, and The Next Eliminate is a post from 148Apps ]
Friday Five: June 18th, 2010
Friday Five: June 18th, 2010 is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
It’s Friday! Hurray! Of course, for me it’s summer vacation and Fridays aren’t quite as exciting. But, we’ve still got our traditional sampling of delightful new releases from the past week, so that’s something. Big names like ngmoco and Illusion Labs make an appearance this week, as well as a few more mainstream companies like ESPN. Enjoy!
Godfinger
Godfinger from ngmoco allows you to build up a little world of cartoony followers and exert your godly powers on them. In Godfinger, you can be a kind, caring deity—performing Wonders and helping your civilization prosper—or a wicked demagogue, leaving a path of destruction in your wake. You can control sun, rain, lightning, floods, and fire. As you play Godfinger, your actions shape the terrain and your populace’s opinion. It’s almost ngmoco’s answer to Pocket God. Go on, give it a try and test out your godly abilities…Godfinger, like many of ngmoco’s newer games, is free.
FREE!
iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-06-17 :: Category: Games / Action
Geometry Wars: Touch
Geometry Wars was already a classic Xbox game, but it made its iPad debut back in March. Now, it’s a universal app, meaning that iPhone and iPod owners can get in on the action! Geometry Wars is a simplistic arcade shooter with basic, geometric graphics and a strong retro theme. It also was one of the first major games to make good use of the dual-stick shooter system that’s so popular on the App Store today. The iPhone/iPad version also includes a brand-new mode, Titan, in which you gradually break giant foes apart into swarms of smaller pieces.
$4.99
+ Universal App – Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-04-01 :: Category: Games / Arcade
ESPN Pinball
In honor of the World Cup, ESPN has a released a pinball app with some football-themed tables (ahem, soccer for us Americans). There’s also a Basketball table. The new pinball app is full of flashy graphics and boasts pass-and-play multiplayer, global and local leaderboards, and voice-overs from ESPN Sports Center host Jay Harris. It’s a marriage of a TV network, sports, and pinball…if that sounds a little strange, well, it is, but the game looks like some solid pinball fun nevertheless.
$3.99
iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-06-14 :: Category: Games / Sports
Onion News Network
Where would we be without the Onion? In case you haven’t heard of this magnificent publication, the Onion is a completely satirical news network with both an online and a print publication. (Yes, that’s right: you can get a real Onion newspaper.) Their stories are funny, witty, snide, and clever; you’d be crazy not to enjoy browsing them. The Onion’s new app gives you mobile access to the entire Onion archives, including both textual stories and videos. There’s not much more to say: it’s a typical newspaper app. The only difference is that the Onion is anything but a serious, esteemed publication. It’s here to make you grin, and, perhaps, think.
FREE!
iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-06-11 :: Category: News
Foosball HD
Illusion Labs has long expressed an interest in touchscreen gaming on larger screens (think back to their tabletop demo of Touchgrind) and now they’ve released an impressive iPad-only title: Foosbal HD. Foosball HD takes full advantage of the iPad’s large screen, transforming it into a top-down view of a foosball table designed perfectly for “local multiplayer”: both you and your friend just play foosball! You can also play against the computer, of course, but multiplayer is the real draw. Foosball seems like a natural fit for the iPad, and it’s great to see Illusion Labs putting the iPad to good use. Sorry, iPhone users; this one isn’t for us.
$2.99
iPad Only App – Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-06-11 :: Category: Games / Simulation
[ Friday Five: June 18th, 2010 is a post from 148Apps ]
GodFinger, ESPN Pinball Make the Jump from iPad to iPhone
Interview: Ngmoco Acquires Touch Pets Developer Stumptown Game Machine
Weekend Fun: Let’s Rule We Rule!
Weekend Fun: Let’s Rule We Rule! is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website
We Rule from ngmoco:) is one of the more popular community trading games. A genre of game most popularized by Farmville. This type of game revolves around building things and trading goods and services with other players. In We Rule one of the best ways to gain experience points and in-game currency is to sell and buy services with other players. Both buyers and sellers gain in these transactions.
To sell services, you just need to build buildings that sell goods and services. This is basically any of the buildings other than farms and homes. Users can then come to your kingdom and order from those buildings just by touching them. This is the same way that you can order services from other kingdoms. Visit other kingdoms and look for open signs to see what’s available.
So let’s use this post as a place to share each our Plus+ Network usernames so that we can start trading with each other. The idea being that we build a community within the We Rule community all trading with each other to build our XP as fast as possible. I’ll start, I’m jeff148apps.
Add your Plus+ Network username below, in the comments. We can then all add each other as friends and start building up experience points and gold. To make it a little more enticing, we’ll pick a random user from below for a $15 iTunes Gift card so you can buy more mojo in the game. We’ll give away the gift card next weekend.
Also, make sure you have the latest version installed. Ngmoco recently fixed some bugs related to open businesses that should make things easier for us all.
[ Weekend Fun: Let’s Rule We Rule! is a post from 148Apps ]