5 App Friday – Ep.1
Believe it or not, some mobile games have deep mechanical substance without fluff or cheap psychological manipulations. This series exists to highlight some of these exceptional specimens.
And if you’re wondering, yes, this is an attempt to grab SEO traffic from folks who just got a new mobile device. I make no attempt to hide that. All apps are iOS-friendly. Plus, we’re 3/5 for Android today and we aim to keep that standard.
So without further ado, this is our list for May 17, 2013:
Iphone App Ripoffs Show 2-bit Developers aren’t Even Trying
Now before we dive into this, I just want to set the record straight that I really enjoy mobile gaming. I firmly believe that it has a place in today’s gaming climate, and even more so, will help shape the integration of gaming into everyday life.
Now that that is out of the way I would like to take a moment to shine a little light on those gaming atrocities that tend to be the first bit of ammo in any discussion devaluing mobile gaming as a whole. Despite Apple’s rigorous app certification process , many titles still find there way through the cracks that are more on the dishonest end. Whether it be trickery about the app’s actual function, blatant stealing of existing game assets, or just an all around poor appearance, these games come out in droves just hoping to lure some sucker in ( or thousands in many cases).
Today I would like to look at just a few of the different types of ripoff genres and some choice titles therein.
AiTV: How to Charge $100 For A Scrap Wood iPhone Stand
How do you make and iPhone stand that’s worth $100? Easy, market it as an iPhone stand and give it a catchy name hipsters will love like “AiTV”.
But what I want to know is what makes this wondrous device worth $100? This has got to be some pretty slick tech to demand such a high price. Well sit back and be ready to be blow away my friends. Let’s take a look at the product itself from a purely aesthetic point of view.
LEDock Gives Your iPhone a Bionic Arm and LED Lights! [UPDATE]
Have you ever found yourself frustrated as you were taking photos with your iPhone and thought, “Gee, I wish my arm could mechanically lock into any position while an array of LED lights emerged from wrist to provide perfect ring lighting”? First, that’s odd and a tad disturbing. Second, your hair-brained dream may soon become a reality.
Fitocracy – Real Life Achievements FTW!
You know that feeling you get in the back of your head when you see an achievement pop up in the middle of a game? That sense that you did something amazingly epic…alright so maybe unlocking all ten alien forms in Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks isn’t something you’d call epic.
What if there was a way you could track real world achievements in a meaningful way? A way to make working out a little more interesting by tracking your progress online? Well that’s what Fitocracy aims to do.
Cell Phones: The Arcade of the 21st Century
Yea you heard me right, cell phone are the arcade of the 21st Century. Now before you lulz at the notion give me a chance to state my case. For me the arcades were all about getting together to socialize with friends while spending some of your hard earned quarters on cheap quick entertainment. It was my childhood Cheers (sans Kirstie Alley). The same principles which defined the early arcade movement also define the modern cell phone. Let me explain.
Are Cell Phones a Game Console?
Cell phone gaming has certainly changed over just the past five years. So the question begs to be asked, are cell phones a game console? This got my thinking which led me to make a little video expressing my thoughts on the matter. You might be surprised at the outcome.
What’s your opinion? Are cell phones a gaming console? Tell us in the comments.
