Gaming

Without Buttons, iPod Touch Can't Touch DS or PSP
September 11, 2009

Apple may be the best technology marketing company on the planet, if not the best personal technology manufacturer to date. However, when the company tries to say that the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP aren't cool, I'm just left scratching my head. Let's back up. What's the context here?

Steve Jobs Eclipses New iPods at Apple Show
September 09, 2009

Apple CEO Steve Jobs returned to center stage to kick off the company's media event in San Francisco on Wednesday. Apple made a slew of announcements, mostly focused on its iPod line and iTunes software, that included price cuts, new features and capabilities, and new products.

'Geared': Like Tetris for Watchmakers
September 03, 2009

Having played a few games from a lot of different genres on the iPhone, my own prejudices have become more apparent to me. I just don't like playing certain types of games on this platform, even types of games I usually enjoy on a PC or console. First-person shooters are too difficult to control, for example.

The iPhone's Gaming Growing Pains
September 01, 2009

Consider the juice inside a hot new portable gaming device: It has a speedy processor, a powerful graphics chip, plenty of memory and wireless capabilities for instant downloads. You can play the latest blood-soaked first-person shooters like "Resident Evil," dizzying platformers like "Assassin's Creed" and some killer racing games that don't even require punching combinations of buttons and triggers.

'Phil Hellmuth Poker': Worth the Gamble
July 16, 2009

For people who gamble a bit but don't have a seriously problematic compulsion about it, the money on the line is essentially what makes most casino games fun. Imagine playing roulette or slots if zero cash, not even a few cents, was riding on the outcome. It's about as fun as flipping a coin and guessing heads or tails.

'The Sims 3' for iPhone: How Large Can You Live on a Small Screen?
June 04, 2009

"SimCity," originally released by Maxis 20 years ago, was the matriarch of a gaming dynasty, giving rise to an impressive sprawl of spinoffs and sequels. The main series hit its true stride with "SimCity 3000," and related "Sim" titles like "SimAnt," "SimEarth," and "SimTower" achieved varying degrees of success.

Tricky Software Pulls Off the Mac/PC Balancing Act
June 01, 2009

For some developers, working for a multibillion dollar game powerhouse with lots of resources would be a heavenly prospect. That wasn't the case, though, for Zachary Waibel. Waibel is the founder and president of Tricky Software, of Menlo Park, Calif., a maker of games like "Armado" and "Spore Origins" for Macintosh and Windows computers, as well as devices like the iPhone and iPod.

Multiple Choice Makes 'Trivial Pursuit' for iPhone Easy as Pie
May 07, 2009

Depending on who you're playing with -- and what deck of questions you're playing with -- a game of real, in-the-flesh "Trivial Pursuit" can be many things: a relaxing way to spend a night in with friends, perhaps, or an abject lesson in intellectual humility. It can also be a fine way to drift into a coma if you're playing with someone who clearly doesn't know the answer but just won't give up pondering the question.

Is It 'Game On' for Apple?
May 05, 2009

Apple has apparently recruited one of Microsoft's top Xbox execs: Richard Teversham, Redmond's senior director of business, insights and strategy for Xbox in Europe. Both Microsoft and Apple have been tightlipped about the 15-year Microsoft veteran's move to Apple; however, Apple has acknowledged that Teversham will assume an "education-based" role at the company.

'Wolfenstein 3D Classic': Quick and Dirty iPhone Fun
April 09, 2009

The first-person shooter game genre has done relatively well for itself in the nearly two decades it's been around. From "Doom" to "Duke Nukem 3D" to "Half Life" to "Crysis," it seems that any action-oriented game that involves shooting at mutants, aliens or other ugly entities falls into either the FPS category or its close cousin, the third-person shooter.

'Oregon Trail' for iPhone: Ancient Game Still Goes the Distance
March 19, 2009

Before last week, the last time I'd played "The Oregon Trail," I was staring at a green-screened Apple II in an elementary school computer lab. I believe George Bush the Elder still held office. As it turns out, the game has soldiered on through several versions over the years.

Apple Talks In-App Purchases, Game Devs Hear 'Cha-Ching'
March 19, 2009

This week, the gaming industry saw a challenger in the portable gaming market grow more powerful, and its name is iPhone. The platform's upcoming 3.0 software, which Apple previewed, includes new ways for game makers to make money, which may attract even more developers with even more serious offerings.

Mac Bloggers Gobble Up Games, Mark Time on MacBooks, Send iPods to Souper-Upper
February 06, 2009

Hard news has been scarce in the Apple-focused blogosphere this week -- time to come up for air? -- but there's still plenty of interesting chatter. In some of the more interesting recent threads: Apple has apparently run into a supply chain issue that's delayed the delivery of its new aluminum unibody 17-inch MacBook Pros, and Rapid Repair is Frankenstein-izing iPods with 240 GB hard drives.

Mac Bloggers Soak In Search, Douse Non-Compete Agreements, Whet Appetites for Carbon
November 14, 2008

There are a lot of interesting nuggets in the Apple-focused blogosphere this week, but a few in particular rise to the top. First, there's the rumor that Apple might make its MacBook Air even lighter with carbon fiber. Then you have the ongoing tug-o-war between Apple and IBM over chip genius Mark Papermaster.

Can the 'Funnest iPod Ever' Take on Nintendo and Sony?
October 13, 2008

This season, Apple has been marketing the iPod touch as "the funnest iPod ever." Instead of leading with music or even a media experience, the latest television ad shows game after game being played on the iPod's ample screen -- a motorcycle chasing game, that funky monkey in the ball, and others.

'Spore Origins' Headlines New Batch of EA Games for iPhone, iPod
September 08, 2008

Just as PC gamers in the U.S. and Canada are about to lay hands on the full version of "Spore," Will Wright's latest creation, Electronic Arts announced Friday that a moblie version of the game is coming to the iPhone and iPod touch. As with "Spore," "Spore Origins" puts gamers in the middle of a world where it is either eat or be eaten.

Gaming on a Mac: Technically Speaking
February 20, 2008

It's been nearly three years since Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that Mac computers would sport Intel processors. In that time, however, the number of games ported for Mac computers continues at a relative trickle, with only six to eight top-tier games coming out in a given year.

The Mac Gaming Renaissance, Part 2
February 10, 2008

Game developers are slowly warming to the idea of producing more games for the Mac platform. Presently, it's possible to find a handful of famous titles from top-tier game makers. However, if you're looking for intense, graphics-heavy games -- the type of games best played on top-of-the-line machines -- you're mostly out of luck.

The Mac Gaming Renaissance, Part 1
February 09, 2008

For a lot of hardcore gamers, the phrase "gaming on a Mac" is an oxymoron. As recently as a year ago, if you took a look around a typical game shop, and you may have walked out thinking that despite the many whiz-bang features built into the Mac and its OS X operating systems, not to mention the beauty of Apple monitors, true gaming can only happen on a PC.

Live From Macworld: Slick Podcasting, Tricked-Out Tablet, Awesome Display
January 15, 2008

Apple CEO Steve Jobs made big news Tuesday, taking advantage of the Macworld keynote spotlight to announce of his company's latest hardware offerings, including a wireless hard drive backup system and an incredibly skinny laptop computer. However, Macworld is much more than Jobs' 90-minute speech.