Mobile Music Sequencer

Yamaha has just had a big push on their mobile music making apps,with some quality sound creation apps recently going free on the app store . Among them is this gem f mobile music creation which will really allow the DJ in you to rock out . Introducing Mobile Music Sequencer.

The name Mobile Music Sequencer tells you exactly what this app does. It allows you to create music through the combination of of a range of patterns and sounds. The composition you create will be melodic and enthralling, giving you a great and robust way to make music. Its not recommended for novices though as it can be a bit heavy handed and complicated, meaning that it’s going to take some time for you to completely understand how it works, and how you can use it, unless you have prior music composition experience.

The app walks you through the step-by-step process of creating your sound, from phrases to sections to the actual song. There are 92 high caliber sounds built within the app to help you, and you can use sound editing tools like filters, EG, and a number of others. There’s a mixer, reverb, chorus, and variations tool, and much more going on if you've got the music sense to access it. Yamaha's music apps are definitely making waves.

Commander The Great War on iPad

This is about as strategic a title as you're ever likely to find on iPad and is immensely meaty,to such an extent that despite not having immense retina graphics to shove around the iPads processor has massive slow down when the fantastic AI has to plot its moves. Commander the Great War is a broad and sweeping campaign as as close to entire World War ,including policy and economics,as you're ever likely to get on iPad.
Users of the TouchArcade forums really sum up the grandeur of this game:
"... $20 for a complete game. There are 5 scenarios you can play, starting from each year of the war, and you can play those from both sides against AI and in mulitiplayer. The multiplayer looks the most interesting, as in Panzer Corps you got individual battles there which were fun, but by their nature kind of fast and frenetic affairs. Playing the entire Great War on iPad against a like minded opponent could be amazing.

You don't need a Panzer Corps style "Grand Campaign" because the 1914 scenario could not be grander in scope. It's day one of the war, covering pretty much every battlefield and frontline in the entire world, all the way until the armistice. While it will always start the same way, the flexibility to change things up seems pretty good. The battle for France and Belgium in my run so far has actually been a war of movement and flanking, with very fluid lines, and it wasn't until the Xmas truce (which ironically saw the heaviest fighting of the entire war in my game) that things started to become more static.

I'm already seeing ways to try different strategies on future runs. There's a natural clash of infantry at the beginning, and just pushing for land/holding on while mobilising for war is going to be the focus of the first few months. I've been investing in fighters as once I get to upgrade them from recon units to attackers I reckon I could dominate the skies while the Central Powers play catchup. My Russians pretty much ignored the Austro-Hungarian border and moved en masse towards the German Baltic ports. Could have played a delaying action on that front, built up a transport fleet and invaded Turkey across the Black Sea. Kind of interested to see if that would have been viable.

For anyone curious about the game, RiothouseLP on YouTube did an excellent Let's Play series of the PC edition as both sides. It's a good way to have a quick look at how the game plays. Sold me on the game while I was waiting for release."

If you want to go deeper here is the PDF link for the Commander the Great War Manual : 

http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/312350/manuals/CTGW-manual-EBOOK.pdf?t=1406292810

How to get featured on Apple's AppStore

Three simple rules seem to be the foundation of being featured,we're going to take this snippet of information from Inkle’s Jon Ingold regarding the delayed 80 Days Interactive Fiction game:. “We’ve been asked by Apple to move the release day back to next Thursday, the 31st,” he said. “So we are of course doing that."

Now it seems that 80 Days has the requested delay because Apple wishes to feature it in a prminent position in the AppStore. Inkle knows how much great marketing this will bring and how it will far offset the lost revenue from a week's publishing delay. 

So let's look at the three rules that this game can teach us about being featured:

1. Reputation. Inkle is as solid as they come with excellent game book adaptations like Sorcery! Still riding high in the charts. They're a hirs you can back and are certainly not going to turn out mediocrity.

2. Uniqueness. 80 Days is something new. An adaptative work of fiction based on Jules Verne's historical IP before the phrase intellectual property even existed. The playability is going to turn the idea of game books on its head, and the story is artfully stitched together to blend the original and some fascinating neo science pseudo steam punk ideas.

3. Hype. Excellent prior efforts have given Inkle a dedicated following. They're known for taking fan boy mythos from D and D style Choose Your Own Adventure Lore and brilliantly appifying it. The following is already there and mere nostalgia alone will set the forums,Twitter and suchlike ablaze with comments,longing,critiquing and speculation. These efforts get people who already are sold on the content many decades ago talking,and Inkle follows steps one and two above to deliver class.

Simplistic rules to follow,but with masses of effort needed to bring something like this to fruition. That's why Inkle enjoys the backing of the Appstore,what can you do with your budgets then?

Curse of Naxxramas European Release Date

If you're a European Hearthstone Player than you truly are cursed because while our American cousins are busy slaying in the crypts of the single player first wing of Hearthstone you'll have another whole day to wait for the Hearthstone expansion.
The first of the wings , and this one at least for free, is due to release on 23 July for Europe.
As of this minute the Arachnid quarter has gone live as the Blizzard maintenance has been complete, who will be the first in the world to slay  Anub’Rekhan, Grand Widow Faerlina, and Maexxna and add the Hearthstone boss cards to their collection. Sorry Europe it wont be you! Take consolation that companies like Jim Shore might one day stock Hearthstone collectibles.

Blood Types in Japanese Games

Ever wondered why so many Japanese games list a character's blood type alongside their other vital statistics? 

Some people in Japan believe your ABO blood type governs your personality. The concept was born in the early 20th century and popularised in the 1970s by a book by journalist Masahiko Nomi. He called the idea "blood type humanics".

This pseudo science has crept into many facets of Japanese modern mytho-lore and is a sure fire ice breaker during speed dating, for deciding on types of diets and it turns out for finding out what character traits video game characters have too!

Guitar Amps for IOS 6

Line 6 has been on the forefront of guitar amps for a while,being a strong forerunner of built in effects for ages. Innovation and striving has occurred again with a plethora of exciting developments including Bluetooth streaming and iOS app controls into its new Amplifi 75 and 150. For learning new riffs or chilling to the tunes. Android, iOS, Mac and PC gadgets are all compatible.Line 6's Amplifi Remote iOS app toggles every dial from an iPhone or iPad. A cloud-based community is used for various functions including sharing and rating tones in addition to storing amp, pedal and effects presets.

 Amplifi is available in either 150 or 75 watts. Throw in a prs se 245 to really see this baby rock. The 150 houses a 12-inch Celestion speaker as part of its five-speaker stereo setup while the 75 packs an 8-inch "custom speaker." Line 6 says that this arrangement offers a "truly immersive guitar experience" that's never sounded so "wide and spacious." Both units offer wet/dry effects to boost said sound quality, tap tempo/tuner, four onboard presets and USB connectivity. If that's up your musical street the pair are priced at $400 and $500 respectively, and both are available now from guitar retailers. 

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is here!

Finally Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is released for iOS.

The long awaited mobile successor to the original JSlayer has been eagerly anticipated for awhile now,the premium price of £10.00 and some pennies should see a solid graphically diverse hunt-em-up on your iPad. 

MONSTER HUNTER FREEDOM UNITE for iOS

       iOS Universal

*No Hidden Costs*
No additional fees after download!
*For a list of compatible devices, please see the "Compatibility" section below.

The world’s most exciting hunting action game, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, is now available for iOS! Whether you’re a rookie or veteran hunter, intuitive touch controls will help you tackle the biggest, baddest monsters out there. Let the hunt begin!

There are so many ways to progress through Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iOS. With a multitude of quests to complete, you can choose to tackle something new, or go back and replay a quest you’ve already cleared with new weapons and tactics. How you play the game is really up to you!

You’ll embark on quests with numerous objectives, from gathering items to slaying monsters. If you’re successful, you’ll reap the spoils, which you can use to create and enhance weapons and armor. Once you’ve buffed up your character, you’ll be ready to take on even bigger quests!

Game Features
・Simple Controls
The controls have been designed so you can intuitively perform complicated actions at the touch of a button! 

・Convenient Functions
A number of functions are included to assist you while you hunt, such as the ‘target camera,’ which keeps monsters in your sights, and the ‘pop-up icon,’ which indicates things you can interact with.

・Improved Graphics
The game’s graphics have been optimized for iOS devices. Just wait until you see all of the beautiful environments for you to hunt in!

・Online Play
You can go hunting with up to 4 players over Wi-Fi. When you run into a quest that’s just too much for you to handle by yourself, call on your friends to join the hunt!
*Online (co-op) play is not supported over mobile data connections such as 3G.
*To get the best co-op gameplay experience, make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi connection.
*You must be signed in to Game Center to play online (co-op).

・MFi Game Controller Support
Use the MFi Game Controller to get the best hunting experience!
*The MFi Game Controller is not compatible with iPhone 4s or iPad (3rd Gen).

Compatibility

・iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPod Touch (5th Gen 32GB/64GB with Back Camera), iPad Air, iPad Mini (2nd Gen) with iOS 6 - iOS 7.1.
・iPad (3rd Gen), iPad (4th Gen), iPad Mini (1st Gen) with iOS 6.1.3 - iOS 7.1.

*Performance on an OS or device not listed above is not guaranteed.
*This title does not support the iPhone 4, iPod Touch (4th Gen), iPod Touch (5th Gen 16 GB), iPad (1st Gen), or iPad 2.
*It is possible to download this title to an iPhone 4, but performance is not guaranteed.

*Deleting this game from your device will erase the game’s save data.

How is World of Tanks Blitz different to WoT?

World of Tanks Blitz is a sirprisingly good mobile version of the original WoT and a very good balanced shooter/tank simulator for iPad. Veterans of WoT thinking of going mobile will be wondering how the mobile WoT Blitz differs from its bigger sibling. Here are the fundamental differences a WoT player will face when playing Blitz:

• Crews are abstracted out. Your tanks still have a crew skill rating, but rather than individual tankers in the loader, radio operator, etc positions, there’s a single skill rating for the entire tank’s crew. Crew management is much less involved.

• There’s no SPGs, and the tech trees are narrower. Popular tanks missing from WoT Blitz include KV-2 and Hellcats. Due to smaller maps  there’s no artillery at all, because the teams are only 7-men strong with maps in Blitz not having the size to justify indirect artillery fire.
• No France, China, Britain, or Japan yet. WoT Blitz has launched with the three most popular tank lines, and there hasn’t been a peep yet on when we can expect the other four. It’s almost certainly in the works for a future update, thoughmaps are very small

• Suspensions aren’t as important. In PC WoT, you often need to upgrade the suspension on your tank in order to be able to mount heavier guns and turrets. In Blitz: every suspension supports the same amount of weight, and the only performance distance is traverse speed. You might want to prioritise suspensions in turret-less tank destroyers, but otherwise you may as well save them for after you’ve upgraded your engines and guns. There’s also no radios in Blitz, presumably because the maps are so small that radio range became irrelevant.
• No France, China, Britain, or Japan yet. Four more nations are hopefully planned for a future update,at least you can play the 3 top tank nations in the meantime.