Joystiq

'Epic Citadel' tech demo now on Android

Jordan Mallory — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:00:00 EST

Android users still can't partake in the acclaimed slashing hijinks of Epic Games' mobile showpiece Infinity Blade or its sequel, but they can walk around its medieval setting and watch things, like, render and stuff, now that Epic Citadel is available for free on Google Play and the Amazon Appstore.

Originally released on iOS way back in the stone ages (read: September 2010), Epic Citadel serves as both Unreal Engine 3 tech demo and phone hardware benchmarking tool, allowing Android users to not only see how pretty UE3's rivers are, but also how well their devices handle rendering them. Our Galaxy Nexus, for instance, ranked in at the "High Performance" level, churning out an average of 43.9 FPS at 1196 x 720. During testing, framerates peaked just below 60 FPS and momentarily bottomed out around 18 FPS.

As with the iOS release, there isn't a tremendous amount to actually do in Epic Citadel, aside from looking at fluttery banners and lens flares, and its on-screen twinstick controls are only recommended for those who enjoy being 100 percent out of control of their movement. Still, it's very pretty.

Gallery: Epic Citadel (Android)

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'Epic Citadel' tech demo now on Android originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition available on Kindle Fire via Amazon Appstore

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST

Minecraft Pocket Edition is now available on the Amazon Appstore, meaning it is officially out for the Kindle Fire. Minecraft Pocket Edition runs $7 on Amazon, the same price as on the Android and iOS app stores.

Kindle Fire owners previously figured out ways to run Minecraft Pocket Edition on their devices, through rooting and roundabout third-party subscriptions, but now it's a simple, legitimate one-click process. Get crafting here; it's not like you're using that Kindle Fire to read books anyway.

[Thanks, Thomas!]

Minecraft Pocket Edition available on Kindle Fire via Amazon Appstore originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle Fire is a 7-inch Android tablet, only $199, has Angry Birds

Christopher Grant — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:14:00 EST

After what seems like an eternity, Amazon has finally taken the wraps off of its long-rumored tablet. Introducing the Kindle Fire, a 7-inch Android-powered tablet that, at $199, is less than half the price of the iPad, not to mention the rest of the Android tablet competition. The Kindle Fire will have its own "easy-to-use" interface and, since Amazon happens to have its own Android Appstore, finding apps for the device should, ostensibly, not be a problem. For example, as seen in the image above, the Kindle Fire will have Angry Birds which, if our math is accurate, should ensure millions of buyers.

Unlike its more expensive brethren, the Kindle Fire does without an embedded camera, microphone, or 3G access. The Wi-Fi only device will come with a 30-day free trial of the normally $79-a-year Amazon Prime, which will nab customers not only free two-day shipping but also unlimited streaming video from Amazon's video service. [Update: After the break, the Kindle Fire ad. If you're paying attention, you may even spot the grossly addictive Cut the Rope in there somewhere. Yup, it's a tablet!]

Read along with Engadget's liveblog for all the hot scoops, straight out of Amazon's event.

Gallery: Amazon Kindle Fire

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Amazon Kindle Fire is a 7-inch Android tablet, only $199, has Angry Birds originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Portabliss: Kona's Crate (iOS)

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:15:00 EST

Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Kona's Crate!

The contents of Kona's crate are left up to your imagination. Given the inelegant mechanism with which you're meant to deliver it, and the celerity with which you'll catapult it into walls, you're best off imagining the crate full of teddy bears, hair extensions and French designer duvets -- nothing that can break. Thinking of it as a vital supply of fruits and vegetables for a remote village will put you on a sad path, straight to some famished children, licking at the disgusting smoothie seeping out of a wooden container.

Kona's Crate is a test of patience that you will routinely fail. You need to keep your jet-propelled delivery platform level by independently igniting a pair of rockets on the bottom, and tapping either side of the iPhone's screen to adjust your balance. Veer too much from a horizontal position and you'll head in the wrong direction, or get stuck in a loop of overcorrection as you try to keep the crate from sliding off.

With just a little bit of patience and consideration, you might be able to gently tilt the platform and levitate your cargo all the way through each hazardous maze. But you won't, because there's a timer and it's easier to just feel out the physics, improvising as you go. If you've played Trials HD, you're already familiar with the kind of failure foresight that comes with these balancing games. Your brain will recognize an imminent disaster a split-second before it truly happens, and you'll hit a button for an instantaneous retry.

It's that kind of game. You'll repeatedly rush to the end, spin out of control and idiotically pin the crate to the floor with your rockets. The process of getting this vehicle under control is equally hilarious and frustrating, but never off-putting. The only thing I'd advise against (for sanity's sake) is trying to get three stars for every delivery.

By the time I'd gotten halfway through the game's sixty levels, it sufficed to just fling that stupid crate at the waiting Tiki chief and consider it a job well done. He's got other things to worry about anyway, like which of those sixty crates holds the crowbar he ordered.

Portabliss: Kona's Crate (iOS) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IGDA still unhappy with Amazon Appstore policies

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:55:00 EST

This past April, the International Game Developers Association published an open letter to its members, warning them of the Amazon Appstore's reportedly developer-unfriendly pricing and revenue splitting policies. Today, it reiterated its words of caution following the horror story of indie developer Bithack, which butted heads with Amazon over its latest piece of software, Apparatus.

Bithack's main point of contention with the retailer is its inability to filter Apps by which hardware they'll run on. After a number of shoppers using incompatible devices grabbed Apparatus, they trashed the game's reviews, to which Bithack was unable to respond to as Amazon had stripped the developer's contact info from the game's description. Amazon also made the decision to reduce the game's list price from $3.99 to $0.99 without first contacting Bithack.

The IGDA added to this Bithack report, saying, "We remain open to discussing these issues with Amazon and helping them create a developer friendly environment."

IGDA still unhappy with Amazon Appstore policies originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Angry Birds Rio exclusive to Amazon Appstore

JC Fletcher — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EST

A retailer exclusivity agreement has been announced for a promotional game, potentially limiting its ability to reach users and promote the movie, but also increasing the promotion for the retailer. Amazon announced that it will be the exclusive carrier of the Android version of Angry Birds Rio, meaning that the movie tie-in title will not be available on the Android Market at launch, but will instead be downloadable through the Amazon Appstore.

What? "Amazon Appstore?" The retailer is launching its own digital marketplace for Android "very soon," and you would do well to familiarize yourself with it, because it'll also be home to "exclusive" debuts for ad-free Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons.

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Android Angry Birds Rio exclusive to Amazon Appstore originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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