Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPad.
Description
The exciting sequel to our hit game Emma and the Inventor!
The Story …
Just as Emma gets settled into her new job in Paris, her life is about to take a dramatic turn as she gets pulled into the adventure of her lifetime. Not only is Emma once again called upon to help save her eccentric Grandfather, but along the way she will unravel a past that she never knew existed. After discovering Resonance, a material that makes time travel possible, Grandpa Jenkins has successfully built a working time machine. Emma must use the time machine to continue her Grandpa’s search for his cure before it’s too late! Discover the secrets of Emma’s past while completing challenging puzzles and hidden object games!
Features …
– Over twice the length of Emma’s previous adventure
– Packed with 40+ beautifully crafted scenes
– Solve 15+ challenging new mini games
– Explore 5 breath-taking destinations
– Intuitive navigation and gameplay
– Win achievements as you play
– Professional music score
– Available in 9 languages
Discover more from Tricky Software …
Founded in 2006, our focus is on high quality, innovative games for the mobile and PC computers. We love what we do, but most of all we enjoy knowing people are playing our games. Our craft is creating compelling stories, memorable characters, and engaging user experiences. See for yourself what we’ve been up to, and check out our diverse catalog of titles at http://www.trickysoftware.com
Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Description
Super Geo Quiz
It’s fun to play Super Geo Quiz!
Thousands of questions on several game modes, so you better know much more than just the capital cities of each country.
You can play alone or you can choose a several players tournement.
The easy mode can also be played with children to help them learning Geography in a funny way!
If you prefer to play the TV Show Mode, you can reach the top, earning more credits than the other players.
A didactic and funny game where you can learn Geography and transform your family nights.
Characteristics
Up to four players
Several difficulty levels
Time trial mode
Quiz show mode
Free play mode
Stats on all the gaming modes
TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON PHANTOMS® LAUNCHES NEW MAP
The Galleryextends the number of maps in game to 10
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – May 28, 2014 – Today, Ubisoft® announced the release of a brand new map, The Gallery, in Ghost Recon Phantoms®.
“This new map is set in a circular museum inspired by the Guggenheim in New York. The difference is a double-helix staircase, similar to the Bramante Staircase in the Vatican Museum. To boost the level of challenge in The Gallery, there is only one point to capture, located at the top of the map, so both teams have to make their way to the top using one of the two paths. The Gallery was designed to have very little room to hide, making the map both tactical and fast-paced,” explained Simon Davis, Lead Designer on Ghost Recon Phantoms.
Additionally the recently released map voting feature allows players to choose which of Ghost Recon Phantom’s 10 maps they want to fight on.
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2013-14 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,007 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
Arrr!! Acclaimed Scurvy Scallywags Match-3 / RPG Mash-Up Now Plundering on Android Phones and Tablets
Hit game from Ron Gilbert and Clayton Kauzlaric is a free download on Google Play
WOODINVILLE, Wash. – May 28, 2014 – Scurvy Scallywags in The Voyage to Discover the Ultimate Sea Shanty, a pirate-themed mobile game from indie developer Beep Games, has come ashore for Android phones and tablets. The game is a free download from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.beepgames.scurvyscallywags
Created by game industry veterans Ron Gilbert (Monkey Island, The Cave) and Clayton Kauzlaric (Voodoo Vince), Scurvy Scallywags is part match-3 game, part RPG, part Broadway musical, and entirely fun! Your customized pirate character appears on a classic-style match-3 game board, along with loot to be plundered, valuable quest items, and enemies who want you dead. When you match three or more tiles the board shifts in the direction you swiped, so you can use strategy to line up your pirate with items you need or avoid monsters stronger than you.
The unique Scurvy Scallywags received universal praise when it released for iOS last June, with accolades including perfect review scores from Slide to Play and Touch Arcade, an aggregate 84% Metacritic score, and a consistent 4.5-star user rating on the App Store. Gaming site Kotaku praised the game as “a puzzle masterpiece,” while consumer newspaper USA Today called it “a treasure worth discovering” with “music … as enjoyable as the challenging gameplay and humor.”
“We’re super excited that Scurvy Scallywags is available on Android,” said Ron Gilbert. “Super excited!” added Clayton Kauzlaric. Ron then started rambling on about programing stuff, and quite frankly, we stopped paying attention.
Features:
Travel through four mysterious lands to find all 16 hidden verses of the Ultimate Sea Shanty, a long-lost ditty brimming with secret pirate lore by acclaimed composer Steve Kirk.
Dress up your character in funny costumes, build ships, and choose from a long list of special abilities, moves, and weapons to give your pirate an edge in combat.
Complete 50 achievements and keep plundering randomly generated islands long after you’ve finished the game’s main story.
Innovative match-3 mechanic and donkey poop side quest.
Optimized for Android phones and tablets!
About Beep Games, Inc.
Beep Games, Inc. is based near Seattle, Washington in the pleasant town of Woodinville. The company has been creating offbeat, quality casual games for mobile devices and PC since 2003, before it was cool. Beep’s ninth release, Scurvy Scallywags in the Voyage to Discover the Ultimate Sea Shanty, is the studio’s third iOS game and their first to release for Android phones and tablets.
The biggest Enigma of the 20th Century: Secret Files Tunguska to be released on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in June
With the imminent release of the popular point-and-click adventure Secret Files Tunguska on the App Store, Deep Silver FISHLABS is about to bring the first Deep Silver IP to mobile devices soon. The award-winning title will go on sale in June 2014 and stand out due to its high production values and comprehensive gameplay as well as full localization and dubbing into six different languages.
Hamburg, Germany – May 28th, 2014 – The best-selling point-and-click adventure Secret Files Tunguska by German studio Animation Arts will soon be released as a premium title for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The genre classic, whose high-end graphics are characterized by close attention to detail and a high level of realism, does not fall short in terms of scope either: Secret Files Tunguska brings more than 12 hours of thrill and suspense to smartphones and tablets. The initial purchase grants unlimited access to the game’s entire narrative, and no additional unlocks are required.
The game’s exciting story is inspired by real events and deals with the unsolved Tunguska catastrophe of 1908. In the role of the attractive mechanic Nina, who looks into the sudden disappearance of her father together with her friend Max, the players of Secret Files Tunguska set forth to solve a wide array of ambitious quests and challenging riddles. Visiting more than a hundred beautifully designed locations in Germany, Russia, Cuba, China and even Antarctica, Nina and Max go after one of the biggest mysteries of our time – with the Russian intelligence apparatus and an obscure secret society hard at their heels.
Thanks to Secret Files Tunguska’s richly staged cut scenes, spot-on point-and-touch controls and full voice acting in English, German, Russian, Polish, French and Spanish, adventure fans from all over the world can look forward to an interactive thriller par excellence, which puts its players right in the middle of a global conspiracy of epic proportions!
Secret Files Tunguska requires iOS 7 or higher and runs on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The app will go on sale on the App Store for a fixed price of 4.99 USD / 3.99 EUR / 2.99 GBP at the end of June and the initial purchase will grant full access to all available features and content. Additional information about Secret Files Tunguska can be found, among others, on the official website of the game (http://secretfiles.deepsilver.com/de/) as well as on the web presences of Animation Arts (http://www.animationarts.de/) and Deep Silver (http://www.deepsilver.com/).
Infinite Crisis: Rip your enemies apart with Atrocitus!
Get an early look at Atrocitus in the latest Champion Profile video from Infinite Crisis, the free-to-play MOBA from Turbine based in the DC Universe! On Wednesday 11th June, players will unleash furious might on their unsuspecting foes, when Atrocitus officially goes live in-game!
Bent on all-out war, Atrocitus leads an army of Red Lanterns.
Before the Green Lantern Corp existed, the Guardians of the Universe used robotic Manhunters to keep the peace. But a programming flaw caused them to slay trillions. Atrocitus and four other survivors became the Five Inversions, fanatics who were in time routed and imprisoned by the Guardians. Atrocitus, however, managed to escape. He murdered a fellow Inversion using a red lantern, creating the first Red Power Ring. Armed with the raw force of rage made manifest, his war on the Guardians began anew.
Able to isolate his enemy, Atrocitus thrills in picking a fight and shrugging off damage.
Check out the new Champion profile video via the link and embed code below, along with the accompanying character bio and key art.
Steel Wool Games Super-fly Platform-Adventure game is landing this summer!
Flyhunter Origins will be swooshing onto PS Vita, PC, Mac, Mobile and Tegra powered devices 28th May: Steel Wool Games and Indie Publisher Ripstone announced today that their Platform-Adventure game Flyhunter Origins will be coming to PS Vita, PC, Mac, Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Tegra powered devices this summer!
Developed by some of the finest artists and animators in the film industry – Flyhunter Origins delivers the sort of high quality cutscenes, characters and story that you would expect from a team with Steel Wool Games extraordinary credentials.
Let’s set the scene… Zak is a bumbling alien spaceship Janitor and wannabe Flyhunter from Burgarol 3. He works on board the Flyhunter Crew’s legendary spaceship;‘The Frog’ but deep down he longs for an exciting adventure of his own. Somewhere in Earth’s orbit, while the heroic Flyhunters are deep in cryo sleep; The Frog’s cargo of super-important exotic insects from the latest hunt is mysteriously jettisoned into Space, crash-landing back on planet Earth! It seems that clumsy Janitor Zak is the only one around to save the day. Can this accidental hero swap his sweeping brush for a super-cool fly swatter and take on the role of daring Flyhunter? It’s a good job Zak’s used to cleaning up – because he’s in a huge mess! Hurry! Help this little dude complete his mission, before “The Investors” find out their expensive bugs are missing!
About Steel Wool Games
Steel Wool Games was created by five artists, who decided to take their passion, creativity and combined 60 years of experience in the animation industry to make games and start their own indie studio. The team has worked on such films as Disney•Pixar’s, “Brave,” “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story”, “Monsters University”, “Ratatouille” and many others. Steel Wool games looks forward to releasing their first title in summer 2014 which will be published by Ripstone.
Visit http://www.steelwoolgames.com for more information.
About Ripstone
Ripstone® Publishing is an independent UK based games publisher specialising in digital distribution.
Ripstone’s ethos is built on honesty, integrity and trust, founded in 2011 in order to create a bespoke service for independent game developers.
Publishing video games on a number of different platforms including handheld and home consoles, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android; Ripstone is best known for games such as Pure Chess, the award-winning Knytt Underground, Big Sky Infinity, Men’s Room Mayhem & Stick It To The Man.
Prepare for battle with the introduction of the Red Army
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – May 28, 2014 – Today Ubisoft® announced that the Red Army is joining the fight in Panzer General® Online, the new free-to-play browser based game from Blue Byte®.
The Red Army is marching into Panzer General Online with new units, boosters and starter packs along with a new single player campaign. Players will build up their Red Army decks to fight against the U.S. and German forces in intense, tactical online matches. Now featuring the three largest armies of World War II, Panzer General Online takes history farther, allowing players to command historical units including the famous T-34 tank and the dreaded Katyusha rocket launcher.
To get started playing, sign up for the open beta of Panzer General Online though the official website: www.panzergeneral.com.
Panzer General Online is a free-to-play browser-based tactical game combining elements of collectible card games and board games. Players create their own armies of World War II units including tanks, artillery and the infantry as well as command cards that when deployed strategically, can turn the tide of battle. Featuring a single player campaign and multiplayer PvP battles, players can challenge their friends and other generals to race to the top of the leaderboards.
About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2013-14 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,007 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
About Blue Byte, a Ubisoft studio:
Blue Byte was established in 1988 and released its first hit game in 1991: Battle Isle. This was followed in 1993 by the development strategy game The Settlers®, which established itself as a longlasting favorite. In 2001, Blue Byte was acquired by Ubisoft, and in 2004 the studio moved into the premises of Ubisoft’s German branch in Düsseldorf. The team at Blue Byte is responsible for new productions of The Settlers® and ANNO®. The studio is also active in the free-2-play genre with the web-based browser game The Settlers Online, available in several languages and currently captivating millions of players worldwide.
Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
TOKYO GAME SHOW 2014, organized by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) and in cooperation with Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. (Nikkei BP), announces Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) as a special sponsor for the “Indie Game Area” and “SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2014 (SOWN 2014)”; two projects for independent game developers.
As a special sponsor, SCE will cover 100% of the exhibition fees for the Indie Game Area, which will be exhibited through four days for 99,900 yen, and exhibited through two days in Public Days for 32,400 yen (* regardless of the platform of the exhibition title).
Thanks to this, exhibition fees for all participants in this area will be free. Also, to call for a wider range of exhibitions, the deadline for application for exhibition entry is extended till June 11 (Wednesday), from the original deadline of May 30 (Friday).
Maximum 50 booths (scheduled) out of applied titles will be selected by the Administration Office to be exhibited in the Indie Game Area.
Last year, the Indie Game Area was set for the first time in the TOKYO GAME SHOW. 41 independent game developers from 10 countries/regions worldwide participated and attracted a lot of attention. Many applications have been accepted for this year’s exhibition already.
The SOWN 2014, which presents “unprecedented” game ideas including game prototypes, welcomes its 7th year and has been a staple as the stage event for independent develops at TGS.
The application for the SOWN 2014 will be accepted until July 7 (Monday). Maximum 10 titles will be selected as the presentation titles through the screening by the selection committee.
Both projects will be carried out with the cooperation of the International Game Developers Association Japan Chapter (IGDA Japan).
The TOKYO GAME SHOW provides opportunities to transmit new gaming ideas to the world through projects for independent game developers; Indie Game Area and SOWN 2014.
*For details on application requirements and application methods for both projects, please refer to the TOKYO GAME SHOW official website (http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/).
Frank Studio: Film4 Publisher: Madman Format: Cinema Release Date: 7th of June (Sydney Film Festival) Price: $19.50 – Available Here
Overview
Where does one even begin to understand a movie like Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank? The answer is simple: you don’t. You simply sit back watching the insanity of the plot and its characters unfold. Made by the same guys who made Submarine and The Double andInspired by Chris Sievey’s comical character (Frank Sidebottom), the film’s eponymous character wears an oversized paper-mache head. This absurd concept sets the tone for the rest of this black comedy film with an anarchic, indie punk rock feel.
Story
The film can largely be broken up into three acts, with the audience following the plot largely from the perspective of the timidly sweet, amateur musician, Jon (played by Domhnall Gleeson). We first find Jon in the middle of a creative rut. He believes he is unable to compose music due to his largely comfortable but uninspiring surroundings in the suburbs. Due to fate, and a nervous breakdown, Jon ends up being invited to play keyboard for a band called ‘Soronprfbs’ after only being asked if he can play some very basic notes.
Following the performance, he is (essentially) kidnapped to a cabin retreat by the band in order to help them record their next album. Among his eccentric band mates is the sexually deviant manager Don (Scott McNairy), the aggressive theremin player Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and the titular, paper-mache head-wearing Frank (Michael Fassbender). Jon does his best to try and fit in with his fellow band members but is largely met with hostility, which is repeatedly played for laughs throughout the movie.
Things escalate with the band due to Jon garnering social media coverage of Soronprfbs by recording and posting their rehearsals online. Their meagre online popularity leads to them being invited to play at the festival ‘South by South West’. Their limited success and fame does take their toll as underlying tensions surface.
The narrative is largely minimalist with few set changes or character developments. Jon starts the movie as a talentless pop-musician wannabe and by the end he remains such. Although we, the audience, learn about the quirky characters which inhabit this film, we don’t get to see them develop or learn anything. In fact, I would go further and say that most of the characters are underdeveloped in a number of aspects and that a lot of the actions they take are not given any rhyme or reason (i.e. the irrational hatred of Jon by the rest of his bandmates). The film appears to pride itself on its zany, quirkiness which in turn means that it loses focus and goes from one disjointed event to another with the film’s third act providing somewhat of an anti-climax.
Gleeson is great in his performance and brings a timid charm to Jon as he wallows in his status as a fish-out-of-water in the band. Fassbender is similarly enjoyable in his portrayal of Frank as he gives a performance on expression through physicality to overcome the mask. I also believe that casting one of the (currently) biggest names in Hollywood to play a character whose face is covered throughout the film is comedic genius. Gyllenhal does an admirable job with Clara, but since the character appears to simply be a parody of the manic ‘pixie dream girl’ trope of so many Hollywood films of late, she doesn’t appear to have been given much to work with by the script.
The best way I can rationalise this film is as a parody, especially of the sub-genre of biopics focusing on the life and works of musicians. In particular, it takes aim at the common trope of musical genius going hand-in-hand with mental illness. Although there were several moments where the film enticed me to laugh out loud at several points, this aspect did make me squirm as the film repeatedly brushes off its lack of character motivation with explanations along the lines of “It’s a mental illness”. I would like to believe that this was largely done in parody of the trope from aforementioned biopics but I can’t shake the feeling that the writers relied on this punchline a bit too much in Frank. The more I think about it, the less comfortable I am with this film.
Visuals & Audio
The visuals are quite pleasant through most of the film with the direction doing a capable job of showcasing scenery and at times setting up jokes. The cinematography gets to showcase some fairly breathtaking sites in both New Mexico and Ireland as the film moves through the plot. Shots of suburban England are suitably grey and drab in comparison to the green of Ireland and the yellow desert of Texas. Largely, this lies in the background as most of the scenes are shot in either interiors or urban environments. The actors are dressed in suitable hipster-chic fashion which, I dare say, is complimented by the addition of a giant paper-mache head. Occasional graphics of Jon tweeting the events of the plot also make an appearance and help to deliver a witty punch-line to keep you going.
The music is a big part of this film (surprise, surprise). All the diagetic music was recorded on-set live by the cast at the same time as shooting. I can best describe it as indie industrial punk with a variety of unusual instruments and sound recordings combining to make what I assume is music. This is certainly not something you’d hear playing at club or requested on radio as it’s suitably abstract and avant-garde to match the unusual personalities of its creators. It’s difficult for me to give an objective view of the music within this film and due to my limited knowledge on this topic I can only give you this: When I first heard Soronprfbs play, I wanted to tear my ear drums out. By the closing credits, I had warmed up to their sound considerably. Whether they’re good or not is still a mystery to me… or maybe that’s the joke?
Overall
Overall, I feel like this film banks too much on the unusual nature of its characters and the absurdity of their actions. Sometimes, this hits the mark and tickles my funny bone, but by the end the laughs ran dry for me. This film does raise interesting questions about the nature of the creative process and the standards by which we measure artistic success, which certainly hit a note with me.
The hipster quirk can certainly be charming, but eccentric for the sake of eccentric does not create enough substance for an entire film but it might keep you entertained for a couple of hours. This movie still made laugh out loud (or “lol” as kids these days would say) at times, and it is certainly deserving of your attention… just be prepared for the rocky third act and perhaps some uncomfortable themes.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
