by Wright Way Photography

Did you know that Doodling is a valid artistic style? It must be true, because game developers are using doodles as the basis for a new genre of mobile games. In fact, games with Doodle-style characters and backgrounds are topping the charts in the App Store for both paid and free apps. It seems folks just can’t get enough Doodle Games. In no particular order, here is our list of the Best Doodle-Drawn Games in the App Store. All these games work great with both iPhone and iPad devices.

Doodle Kart Life: For anyone who enjoyed the racing games for the original Nintendo gaming system, Doodle Kart Life should be at the top of their list. It looks as though it is on grid paper and drawn with a ball point pen, but unlike other similar games, this one looks pretty decent. It makes the user aware that it is not the detail of the graphics, but the quality of the game that makes it so enticing. The driver has numerous options when it comes to controlling the car: speed, acceleration, weight, items. Also, like the tried and true Mario Kart, weapons can be used to take down opponents. For a classic touch to a modern device, check out Doodle Kart Lite.

Doodle Jump: If an addicting game is what youre looking for, Doodle Jump is the ticket. It is the players duty to guide an imaginary four-legged creature, affectionately dubbed the Doodler, up a never ending series of platforms without failing. There is no end. You cannot beat the game. You only try to beat your high score. Guide Doodler to a safe spot, hopefully avoiding monsters, UFOs, and black holes in rainforest, jungle, or space themed adventures.

Doodle Army: Despite the serious connotation with the word army, a sense of humor must be had to enjoy Doodle Army. However, a long attention span is not needed. Everything aspect of the game is witnessed after playing for a mere five minutes, but this is not altogether a negative. Doodle Army is perfect for those who dont have the time or desire to get stuck for an hour when more important tasks are at hand. Dont drop it so quickly. Its the little things that will keep you coming back. Basically, as an army soldier (or Rambo or a Russian KGB officer or Santa), you move from side to side, jump and crouch, fire and duck. Pass checkpoints and earn purple hearts to level up, moving from one historically real war to the next.

Glow Doodle: This application could almost be called a modern day light bright. It is simple, colorful, and quickly gaining the popularity it deserves. A mere six neon colors are at your disposal, and unfortunately, no eraser. Yet the artistically challenged need not fear; there is an undo button for quick fixes. The bright colors are used to draw and doodle on a pitch black background for the greatest contrast. After your picture is complete (or earlier if you would like to sneak a peek), tap the glow button and watch your doodle illuminate with life. The newest version even has the option to illuminate certain parts while others remain dull. The best part is, you can save the pictures as wallpaper or send them to friends.

Swakker Doodle: Swakker Doodle may just be the most high tech of all the doodle applications out there. You can simply doodle on a blank page with the option of over 50 colors, or you can doodle to your hearts delight on an existing photo or one of the apps many backgrounds. Like a real artist, choose from fine or broad thicknesses, and grab the eraser when needed. Then you can kick it up a notch. Invite a friend, whether they are connected to Swakker Doodle or not, to join with you. The two or more separate screens will display the same picture with the same added doodles. When the fun is over, save the masterpiece to your library to remember the good time you shared with your long distance friends.

Written review: I really like strategy games, specially if they have a nice user interface. This app has become one of my favorite strategy games for the iPad. It allows you to play with up to 5 players, either AI or humans. The app has wonderful graphics and its user interface is plain and simple. I highly recommend this app since the price is very good and it is one of the funnest apps I’ve played with. Download: bit.ly Twitter: twitter.com Email: facu.alegre@gmail.com Ping Chat!: georgealegre
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With the new iPad on sale, early adopters and Apple fans will be want to check out these apps and games.

Macworld iPad World

by Buro Destruct

Some months back we mention about Top 43 Free iPad Apps, and now today’s post, we’d like to highlight some really useful iPad 2 applications. The following list showcases our top 30 best application for Apple iPad 2. Check out the List Below:-

Read Also:- 20 best iPad 2 accessories

UTILITIES FOR IPAD 2

1. Pages:-

Apple’s premier word-processing application enables you to create wonderfully designed documents, complete with images, tables, charts and all the formatting options you could dream of. Using Pages on iPad, you can View and edit Pages ’09, Microsoft Word, and plain text files from Mail, the web, your MobileMe iDisk, a WebDAV service, or your Mac or PC using iTunes File Sharing. Share your work in Pages ’09, Microsoft Word, Apple A1185 Battery or PDF format and send it via Mail. Or, publish to iWork.com public beta.

2. Things for iPad:-

As the name suggests it takes all the things you have to do in your life, and crunches them into easily manageable projects. You can tag tasks into things you do that at home, at work, at the shops, when you’re bored. Effortlessly manage to-dos, notes, due dates, and projects. A smart today list and the scheduling feature allow you to work as effectively as possible – every day.

3. GoodReader :-

The iPad is an Amazing Book reader, there’s just one problem. The iBook app only epub document. GoodReader is the super-robust PDF reader for iPad. GoodReader not only supports massive PDF and TXT files, but also handles the most popular file types:
• MS Office – .doc, .ppt., .xls
• iWork ’08/’09
• HTML and Safari webarchives
• High resolution images
• Even audio and video!

4. BBC iPlayer :-

BBC TV and Radio programmes now on your iPad. Watch and listen live, or choose your favourites from over 400 hours programming from the last 7 days.

5. Numbers:-

Numbers, the powerful spreadsheet application made for the Mac, has been completely redesigned for iPad. Tap the bright Multi-Touch display to create compelling, great-looking spreadsheets in minutes. With over 250 easy-to-use functions, an intelligent keyboard, flexible tables, and eye-catching charts, all the answers are at your fingertips.

6. Keynote:-

Keynote is most powerful presentation software on the planet of MAC OS X. The iPad version is somewhat more of a challenge, but it’s still useful for playing with and editing presentations on the move. It makes creating a world-class presentation, complete with animated charts and transitions, as simple as touching, HP Pavilion DV6 Battery and tapping.

CREATIVITY & DESIGN APPS FOR IPAD 2

1. SketchBook Pro :-

SketchBook Pro is best high-end painting and drawing app for iPad. SketchBook Pro delivers a complete set of sketching & painting tools through a streamlined and intuitive user interface designed exclusively for the iPad experience.

2. iMovie:-

Make beautiful HD movies anywhere with iMovie, the fast and fun moviemaking app for iPhone, iPod touch, and the amazing new iPad 2. Designed for the Multi-Touch screen, iMovie puts everything you need to tell your story at your fingertips. Browse and play projects in the stunning Marquee view. Make a movie in minutes by adding video, photos, music, and sound effects. Then give it the Hollywood treatment by adding a theme, titles, and transitions. And you can share your movie with the world – right from iMovie.

3. Brushes:-

Brushes is a popular painting app, specially designed for the iPad. Its a great way to start Digital Drawing.

4. Photogene :-

Photogene is about improving your digital photos and having fun while at it. Photogene offers a wide selection of photo editing tools. No gimmicks – they will actually make your photos look better. The user interface is quick and responsive.

5. ArtStudio:-

ArtStudio is a professional drawing / painting application. It uses advanced mathematics to attain the highest level of quality, at the same time offering incredible performance achieved through numerous code optimizations. It still remains a fantastic tool for beginners – it contains drawing lessons showing step-by-step instruction on drawing various types of images.

6. Adobe Ideas:-

Adobe Ideas is your digital sketchbook, letting you capture and explore ideas anywhere you go. Sketch design concepts while sitting in a cafe, capture and store color themes while browsing through the photos on your phone, or jot down notes on a photo. Any time you need to explore creative ideas, Adobe Ideas is there with you.

BOOKS & NEWSPAPERS IPAD 2 APPS

1. iBooks:-

iBooks is an amazing way to download and read books. iBooks includes the iBookstore, where you can download the latest best-selling books or your favorite classics – day or night. Browse your library on a beautiful bookshelf, tap a book to open it, flip through pages with a swipe or a tap, and bookmark or add notes to your favorite passages.

2. Wall Street Journal:-

Experience The Wall Street Journal’s award winning coverage, blending the best of print and online. Get everything you love about The Journal including, What’s News, Opinion, Marketplace, Money & Investing, Greater New York, Personal Journal, WSJ Weekend and more. Plus, full-screen video, market data, quotes and a customizable Watchlist.

3. The Elements: A Visual Exploration:-

If you think you’ve seen the periodic table, think again. This beautiful title lets you experience the wonder and fascination of the building blocks of our universe in a way you’ve never seen before. And as the first really new ebook developed from the ground up for iPad, The Elements beautifully shows off the capabilities of this lovely device.

4. The Guardian Eyewitness:-

The Guardian Eyewitness app for iPad showcases the world’s most distinctive and provocative photographs, providing a daily, visual reflection of global events.

5. BBC News

Get the latest, breaking news from the BBC and our global network of journalists. By downloading the BBC News app you can view, News stories by geographical region, News by category including business, technology, entertainment and sport.

6. New York Times:-

Enjoy the award-winning journalism of The New York Times on your iPad. The improved NYTimes app for iPad now has more content, including blogs, videos and slide shows. Share articles, photos and videos through Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. And get breaking news alerts to be the first to read about events as soon as they occur.

MUSIC APPS FOR IPAD 2

1. Shazam:-

Shazam is an interesting app that lightens to any audio and recognize the track. Find out what’s hot and popular: Shazam Music Chart can be viewed in a new, user-friendly, single screen layout, to help you keep up-to-date with the latest tracks and artists in the music scene.

2. Glee Karaoke:-

The #1 music app in 21 countries, Glee Karaoke makes you sound like a star. Sing your heart out to songs from the hit TV show while a little magic helps you sound amazing.

3. Baby Decks DJ:-

Baby Decks is a fully portable DJ rig for your iPad. Brought to you by Async, the same people who brought you Baby Scratch and Flare Scratch for the iPhone, Baby Decks is the answer to all your mobile DJing needs and will have you scratching at home all day, or rocking the party all night.

4. GarageBand

Whether you’re a musical prodigy or just love creating your own walls of sound, GarageBand for iPad gives you all the tools you need to lay down fresh tracks and record music anywhere you go. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play pianos, organs, guitars, drums, and basses on your iPad.

5. Magic Piano:-

Experience the #1 music app in over 80 countries and add your songs to the 5 million already played. Create your own music or enjoy the app’s 45 free classic and popular tunes. No practice or patience required!

6. Korg ELECTRIBE:-

With the iELECTRIBE, sound creation is easy, fun and intuitive – just as on a vintage analog synthesizer. Simply choose a part (or sound) and touch the 16-step sequencer to quickly build a groove.

GAMES FOR IPAD 2

1. Infinity Blade:-

The first mobile game powered by Epic’s cutting-edge Unreal Engine 3 technology, Infinity Blade takes handheld gaming to new heights with gorgeous visuals, adrenaline-fueled battles and advanced character progression in a fully 3D castle realm.

2. Scrabble:-

THE BEST SCRABBLE EVER, DESIGNED JUST FOR iPAD! Enjoy the fantastically fun game you know and love with stunning HD-quality graphics, quick, easy play and incredible exclusive features. America’s favorite word game is now an iPad essential!

3. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery:-

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is an exploratory action adventure with an emphasis on audiovisual style. Traverse a mythic little realm, use a sword to do battle & evoke sworcery to solve mystical musical mysteries. Co-operate with friends via Twitter, experience a videogame world that is affected by moon phases & help a wandering warrior monk complete her woeful errand.

4. Cut the Rope HD:-

Cut The Rope is one of the best puzzle games out there that is more fun than anything. Cut the Rope combines realistic physics, plus stunning High Definition graphics ,with simple, yet accurate and precise touch controls. Cut the ropes by simply swiping your finger across them and collect the stars by touching them with the candy, but it’s not always simple.

5. Angry Birds HD:-

The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the unique destructive powers of the Angry Birds to lay waste to the pigs’ fortified castles. Angry Birds features hours of gameplay, challenging physics-based castle demolition, and lots of replay value. Check out Angry Birds Cheats here

6. Real Racing 2 HD:-

Are you ready for the ultimate racing experience for iOS? Optimized specifically for iPad and iPad 2, Real Racing 2 HD is a heart-pounding, visually astounding 3D racer that puts the steering wheel directly in your hands. The expansive, 10-plus hour career mode and extensive, one-of-a-kind multiplayer means the fight for first place is never over.

Similar post:

Top 20 iPhone Productivity Apps for Organized and Lazy

The Granimator™


Image by Buro Destruct
Made with BD Pack «Constructivist» of Granimator free iPad app

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by Buro Destruct

Apple released its iPad on April 3, and of course, its store now sells applications for iPad. As expected some of the apps have been priced exorbitantly high due to lack of competition. But then, there are some amazing free iPad apps too and we have collated them together to make your life easy and download these best apps when you actually get your iPad.

Free iPad Apps and Games

1. ABC Player

One of the first TV apps in the store with a slick interface for the ABC video content you can already stream on their website. Watch the popular TV shows like Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family, Desperate Housewives and others on your iPad for free!

2. Netflix

Get Netflix on your iPad and stream your favorite movies and shows over wi-fi. Ofcourse you would need a netflix account which would cost you per month.

3. NBA Game Time Courtside

A super cool basketball app with full interactive dashboard for every game you watch. In addition to live scores, stats and plays, it provides real-time player and team performance information.

4. Shazam for iPad

Create, browse and share your tag list in a new and unique way with iPad. Shazam for iPad provides unlimited tagging and innovative features.

5. Yahoo Entertainment

An interactive TV listings guide/entertainment news/video hub, which pulls from Yahoo’s network of sites. Very slick and neatly designed.

6. AP News

AP news app tries to keep you updated with the latest news across the globe, contains video, text as well as image content. A very unorthodox design, makes this app look different yet good.

7. iBooks

Possibly the app which defines iPad. iBooks is an amazing way to download and read books – both free and paid. Browse the library on a neat looking bookshelf, tap a book to open it, read through the pages with a swipe and bookmark favorite passages.

8. TweetDeck – An award winning twitter client which looks much like its iPhone counterpart.

9. StumbleUpon – A simple, easy to use app for StumbleUpon lovers. Discover and share your favorite links.

10. WSJ – The Wall Street Journal’s free version app is pretty slick but lacks extra features which comes in paid version of the app.

11. USA Today – USA Today makes up the list of 3 top newspapers releasing their iPad apps on day 1 itself.

12. NYT Editor’s Choice – We saw how New York Times’ website looks like during the iPad launch demo. But now, the dedicated app for iPad is out.

13. eBay for iPad – eBay for iPad features a brand new simple interface optimized specifically for iPad

14. Wikipanion – An easy to use wikipedia companion. Accessing Wikipedia was never so easy and fun before.

15. Accuweather – A classic weather application for iPad. Get detailed current conditions, a 15-day forecast and hourly weather details.

More apps will be updated in coming days.

So, you’re giving or getting an iPad for Christmas and you think you’re all set? That’s only half the gift because, when it comes to Apple’s ever popular idevices, it’s all about the games. But how to choose? Blorge has got game and we’re ready and ever so willing to share our Apple tablet time wasting picks.

Gonna take this in round robin fashion delivering, to the best of my ability, a nice variety of free and pay games designed for both the young (i.e. gun happy) and bookish at heart. There’s a lot to love here and we’re always interested in hearing from about the ones you love and not so much.

01. Anomaly Warzone Earth HD ($ 1.99) — The aliens have invaded and you’re in command of a convoy heading through the combat zone. The graphics are super crisp and the addictive weapon upgrade style gameplay is designed to keep players engaged for hours and hours.
• See also: iBomber Defense Lite (free)

02. Flight Control HD ($ 0.99) — You’re an air traffic controller at a hectically busy airport, maybe on the moon, guiding aircraft in for a safe landing, or not. A high stakes game of skill where no one gets hurt.
• See also: Parachute Panic HD (free)

03. Plants vs. Zombies HD ($ 6.99) — The best undead games, well, never die. Thereupon, get ready to soil your plants in the high-def version of this all time great.
• See also: Fieldrunners for iPad ($ 7.99)

04. Scrabble for iPad ($ 4.99) — At our house, Scrabble is very, very competitive. And, take it from me, nothing stokes those fires like putting your iPad in the middle of the table while the players use an iPhone or iPod touch as their letter tray — truly brilliant.
• See also: Words With Friends HD ($ 0.99)

05. Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots HD ($ 1.99)

— He has been a very, very bad kitty. The original feline swashbuckler brings his blade to this immediately familiar game of action and skill.
• See also: Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots HD Lite (free)

06. Grand Theft Auto 3 ($ 4.99) — You’ve come a long way from the PlayStation 2, baby, and you’re ready to move on and I mean really move. Revived for its 10th anniversary, this title has been widely praised as the best yet.
• See also: X360 Book (free)

07. Real Racing 2 HD ($ 0.99) — I’ve been playing this game in its various forms and iterations since 2007 and it just keeps getting better. And, yes, you read that price right (a real bargain at 10 times the price).
• See also: GT Racing: Motor Academy Free+ HD

08. Infinity Blade II ($ 6.99) — The game of the year. Now, with the god king dead, you (the unlikely hero) have set your sights on defeating the Deathless. Wield the power of the Infinity Blade and bring freedom to the world.
• See also: Comics (free)

09. Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation ($ 6.99) — Awesome graphics? Check. Gunz? Check. Multiplayer? Check out the first person shooter that Inside Gaming News calls the best mobile game in its class.
• See also: Mobster Wars 3D (free)

10. Angry Birds ($ 1.99, free) — It’s the game of the century and there are paid and free HD versions of each the three games made just for the iPad. Moreover, these are brainy games of skill suitable for players of all ages.

iPAD.BLORGE

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WE ARE GIVING AWAY 100000 IPADS AWAY FOR FREE! GET YOURS NOW! – cpa.ly

by samgranleese

Discover how to create an iPhone or iPad App&Game and hit pay dirt with it in the App Store! 75% commission + Bonus. Awesome member area with full video course. All you need to know on how to start App business with no programming skills at all!

Let me ask you this…

Have you ever dreamed of creating your own great game or application for iPhone or iPad with no programming skills in just 4 weeks and hit pay dirt with it in the App Store?

It looks like I am raking in money now, but the truth is that it was not always like that! Just 6 months ago I was completely struggling. I had no programming skills, no team and no money. The only thing I had was a great desire to create the game of my dreams.

Since childhood, I always had a dream to make it big. I was thinking my game over and over again and again during the sleepless nights, imagining the characters and heroes, levels, gameplay tricks… etc.

Does that sound familiar to you?

To be honest, I am a big fan of the iPhone, so I did not even consider the idea of creating games for anything else but the iPhone or iPad.

But I was missing the main thing – I had no team and no programming skills at all. Even worse – I did not even have a technical education!

Over and over again I have been reading the blogs and reports about the Gold Rush in the Apps Store where small guys like you and me achieved immense success by creating simple but great applications or games!

Did you know that guys from the Top Applications part of the App Store are selling over 35,000 copies a day!

35 thousand!!

If you sell your app for .99 and get .70 from it after all apple commission cuts you are left with pure profit of ,500 USD per DAY! Well, you can’t live with that but that is a good start, isn’t it

This thought would not let me sleep well. Of course I did not live in the illusion that I would get on top with my first app but you know me already – I am a kind of guy who always wants to reach the stars!

So my target was to get into the Top100 Apps at least.

Here is what I did. I decided to take it really seriously. First, I bought all the books available in my local Barnes&Noble store and on Amazon as well. Everything from Iphone Development for dummies to the advanced experts-stuff.

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Oh boy, that was a real head ache to read all that stuff. It took me about 3 months alone to read all those books.

And you know what?

After I tried to implement the knowledge I was totally disappointed – most of the printed books turned out to be completely outdated. You know it is a long process after you write a book, it goes to the publisher, stays in editing for weeks, then the printing office keeps delaying it again and again. Then you need to distribute it throughout the country to local shops etc.. And the things change so fast. Once iPod was released, next year iPhone, then iPhone3GS, then iPad, then iPhone4…the list goes on and on. Things change so fast and these printed books can’t even catch up. Most samples were outdated and never worked for me. What a bummer.

So finally after reading all this crap my head was ready to explode and I decided to take action. My first game was supposed to be the simple “Hidden object” game –you know where you tap the screen to find the hidden objects. I found out that these kind of games are very popular among people and I figured out it is pretty easy to make it – you simply need several images properly cut into layers and a little bit of coding.

Getting a developer account with Apple was pretty easy, so I went ahead and opened it and started the development.

Since I had no one to help and guide me – I guess I spent 3 times longer than average creating it than I actually needed to. In about 2 months of sleepless nights my game was finally ready. The approval process from apple took about a week. This week of waiting was the most frustrating time for me, it felt like time itself stopped… I got so nervous my hands even shook. What if they disapproved of it? I have read tons of horror stories about developers failing because Apple did not accept their game or delayed approval for months. I could not even sleep. I was checking my email and Dev account every minute to see the desired “your App was approved” message from apple. I was so noxious I even sent 3 followup emails asking apple why it takes so long. Don’t do that guys, I heard you only make the reviewers angry if you display impatience!

Finally I got approved and the sales started!! I went to bed dreaming about loads of cash rushing into my pockets.

And can you imagine what happened?

I failed miserably!

The next day, when I checked my sales, I saw the devastating numbers – 16 copies sold. Total net profit: … Well, obviously not the kind of numbers I was expecting…

Next day – 11 copies, then 8 copies, then about 2-3 copies per day during the next week. After 2 weeks my total net profit was around 50 bucks.. Sounds like now I have enough money to invite my girlfriend to McDonalds, right… what an epic failure.

And here is why.

Creating a great app or game is only part of the story. The most important part is how to sell it successfully and get on top of apps store sales. That’s what most developers are missing, failing one after another in their efforts to live their dream. They put all their efforts into the development and miss the most important part – successful marketing! Even the best app can remain totally unknown if you fail to market it properly.

Once I realized this, I decided not to give up. So I spent the next 6 months making the comprehensive market research. I contacted 135 top apple apps and games developers asking for help and advice. As you may expect, 90% of them simply ignored me. But you know I am not kind of guy who gives up easily.

Those 10% who replied gave me knowledge you’d never find in books or on the internet.

I could personally meet some of them and receive the most valuable insider information on how this market works. Oh you can’t imagine how it turned my worldview upside down. Nearly everything I learned before…

…was wrong.

That’s how top developers keep the information from small guys like you and me so they can rake in money, while we can’t even sell 10 copies! Did you know there is a list of elite developers who get fast approvals, premium placing in “What we are playing” and other top ratings & benefits?

click this for future infomation

Click Here!

NPR iPad App Ad


Image by Camera Slayer
A while back I was walking through the streets of NYC and I saw these iPad ads everywhere, many of which featured the NPR iPad app. This mesmerized me, because the iPad app runs on the NPR API, which I had a big hand in building.

by clintonjeff

In this ongoing look at significant moments in the history of video game design, we have already taken a look at Bungie’s Halo & Halo 2, Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series, Nintendo’s Metroid and several others. The goal of this series is to go beyond simple gaming magazines and iPhone Apps reviews, and take a closer look at what defines memorability and quality in game design. In this twenty-fourth part of the series we will examine some more of those classic moments where video game designers undoubtedly got it right and delivered a memorable, enduring and progressive gaming experience.

Mirror’s Edge (PS3) – Developed by Electronic Arts (EA) and released to the PS3 in late 2008, Mirror’s Edge is the first parkour based video game of all time.  Parkour, or free running, is defined as “physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one’s path by adapting one’s movements to the environment.” While this type of gameplay may seem difficult to implement into a video game, the developers of this title had the clever idea to make the main character, Faith, a sort of courier who is constantly being chased by the police, private security forces, and other baddies of assorted variety, depend on movement in order to succeed. This theme puts Faith in a position where she must be constantly on the run from the well armed enemies aiming to cut her down as she completes her missions. Her only option is to keep up her momentum, stay mobile and use her environment to her advantage as she tries to evade their attacks.

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The aspect of Mirror’s Edge that we will highlight in this article is not the engaging gameplay, the bright and sharp graphics, or the precision gameplay. Instead, we will focus on the bold choice made by the developers to put the game into the first person perspective. Interestingly, just about anyone who has played Mirror’s Edge will likely agree that the title would have worked perfectly well as a third person game. In fact, a popular mod for the PC version allows the game to be played in just that fashion. However, the first person perspective is absolutely the way in which this game must be experienced.

Much of the gameplay in Mirror’s Edge involves the building of momentum. As Faith gains speed, she also gains the ability to perform longer jumps, trickier moves and more chained actions. When performed in the first person, this style of gameplay offers a level of immersion that is seldom matched in the realm of gaming. Few moments in gaming history can match the exhilaration felt when the player successfully completes a section of Mirror’s Edge on their first try. That, however, brings us to one of the constant complaints gamers have about this title…the sometimes unforgiving difficulty. While the game is not one that would be considered difficult in the grand scheme of things, certain sections can sometimes border on controller breakingly difficult. While a rushed development cycle and a late decision to stick with first person throughout are the main culprits for this difficulty, these challenging sections are just a part of an overall experience that is incredibly rewarding and consistently fun from beginning to end.

For being the first video game in an exciting new genre, using a perspective that was courageous and truly added to the gameplay, and providing an experience that cannot be had in any other game, Mirror’s Edge will forever be remembered as a classic.

by clintonjeff

In this ongoing look at significant moments in the history of video game design, we have already taken a look at Nintendo’s Kid Icarus, Electronic Arts’ Mirror’s Edge, Raven Software’s Soldier of Fortune 2 and several others. The goal of this series is to go beyond simple gaming magazines and iPhone App Reviews, and take a closer look at what defines memorability and quality in game design. In this thirtieth part of the series we will examine some more of those classic moments where video game designers undoubtedly got it right and delivered a memorable, enduring and progressive gaming experience.

Tomb Raider (Multi-Platform) Part 2 – When not overcoming the visual limitations of the title, players were likely spending the bulk of their time navigating the game’s many jumping puzzles. In these instances, the bulk of player frustration was, in fact, caused by designers. In many instances a player would navigate Lara to the top of a structure or set of jumping blocks, only to see no obvious place to go. This is where players began taking their ‘leaps of faith.’ These leaps would be made in an arbitrary direction or at an object seemingly far out of Lara’s jumping range, all in the hopes that a miraculous landing would be made that somehow revealed the next step in the player’s journey. Most of the time, however, the jump merely resulted in Lara screaming as she plummeted to her bone shattering death. Thankfully, the game had a ‘save anywhere’ option that allowed the player to save their progress before making their blind leaps.

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Taking into account the immense frustration players had to overcome in the form of the graphically camouflaged clues and less than intuitive jumping puzzles, one begins to wonder why the game has become so beloved. The answer to that question is two-fold. First off, as with every frustrating game, there is an immense feeling of accomplishment felt when the player overcomes a particularly stubborn obstacle or, through either luck or skill, finds the next step to take in their journey to the end credits. Many players completed Tomb raider not because they were particularly enjoying the title, but because they refused to let the game get the better of them. A second reason for the game’s success has to do with its unpredictability of gameplay. While the game was incredibly frustrating at times, it was also quite an effective adventure game. When not stuck in progress or in the middle of a jumping sequence, the player was able to enjoy some of the more interesting aspects of the game such as: outrunning boulders, overcoming pits of spikes, taking on both gun toting enemies and out of control creatures and solving puzzles. These elements of the game are truly what saves the title from being a forgettable exercise in frustration, as they are well implemented and executed.

The Tomb Raider games became famous partly thanks to Lara Croft and her considerable assets. Many conservative organizations took issue with Lara’s unrealistic physical proportions, helping the title to stay in the headlines long after its release. It earned positive reviews due to its incredible use of 3-d space and clever gameplay elements. But, it remains a classic because it was the introduction to one of gaming’s most enduring characters – a strong female lead that did not depend on any men for success, but instead relied on her own abilities and skills. Tomb Raider is certainly not a flawless game. Attempting to play it in today’s age would most likely result in gnashed teeth, a broken controller and a new found respect for modern day graphics. However, for its time, Tomb Raider was a very progressive title that did far more right than it did wrong, pushed the envelope of 3-d space, created a billion dollar franchise and helped legitimize female game characters. For these reasons and countless more, Tomb Raider deserves its place among the greatest and most important games of all time.

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