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Jun

Lodsys Releases Eighteen-Word Statement Indicating Rovio Has Taken Licenses For All Products 'On All Platforms'

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Legal, News

About two years ago, we reported that one of the most recognized patent trolls around, Lodsys LLC, had sued game maker Rovio over Angry Birds for Android, claiming that the defendant had "infringed and continues to infringe" on patents controlled by Lodsys.

If you're not up to snuff on your patent troll bestiary, Lodsys is a company that produces no real goods or services, but holds plenty of patents that they are willing to either license or use for legal action.

As David correctly pointed out at the time, Lodsys suit said less for Lodsys' actual claim to the patents they sued over, and more for their overall strategy of intimidation and unsavory utilization of the patent system.

May

Glu Mobile Plans To Add Gambling (With Real Money) To Games By The End Of Q2, Starting With Deer Hunter Reloaded

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

Everyone knows that adding a bit of money to a game makes it more interesting. Ubiquitous developer Glu Mobile is putting a lot of faith in that idea, and they plan to roll out a real-world gambling system to their games very soon, starting with Deer Hunter Reloaded. Glu will be using the Skillz platform, allowing players to bet small amounts of real money on the outcome of skill-based games, usually in some kind of tournament or winner-take-all round.

Note the term "skill-based" - that's very important to how this all works. Gambling is an incredibly complex legal issue in the United States, but 37 states allow at least some form of skill-based gambling; that is, the determination of the winner is not primarily based on chance, like roulette.

May

Google To Cease Payment To Argentine Developers, Pull Apps Due To Economic, Governmental Issues

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Development, Google

Google, citing "ongoing challenges," will be ending the distribution of paid apps from Argentina in the Play Store effective June 27th, "at which point the apps will be unpublished."

Google's official statement on the issue (published on its Developer Support site) doesn't go into too much detail regarding the "ongoing challenges" involved in distributing paid apps from Argentina, and an email sent to developers (reported by Celularis) doesn't offer any more information, though both suggest that Argentine developers who are legally able to do business in another country transfer their applications to a merchant account registered in that country.

May

Rovio Thinks The Best Way To Improve Angry Birds Is To Let Your Facebook Friends Bother You With It

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

It's been three and a half years since Angry Birds was first released and you thought it was finally over. You disconnected your internet, set up your shack in the woods, and you're living off the land without ties to the metal world. It's over, right? There are no more birds to be flung. They can't touch you here. At last, you can relax, send a carrier pigeon to the two friends who still talk to you and invite them over for a tree bark barbecue.

"Hey, Hermit Dan! Have you seen this? Angry Birds Friends! It's like Angry Birds, but you compete with other people.

Apr

[New Game] The Legend Of Holy Archer Has Very Little To Do With Real Archery (But It's Still Fun)

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, News

Archery is an ancient and noble art, sitting at the intersection of physics, craft, and human skill. The Legend of Holy Archer is a somewhat ridiculous game where you control flying arrows with magic. What it lacks in authenticity it makes up for in genuine fun, thanks to solid controls and a unique game mechanic. The 3D title is a free download supported by in-app purchases (which are thankfully optional) and it's available on Android devices running Froyo or later.

Here's the gist: you're a lone archer trying to kill a gigantic monster. Aim your bow and loose your arrow.

Apr

[Editorial] Five Android Gaming Fads That Need To Die

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Editorials, Games

I've been handling a fair bit of the gaming coverage here on Android Police for the last nine months, to say nothing of our regular game roundups. And while I'm still ecstatic that there's such a plethora of variety on the platform, there's definitely a few game elements that are far, far beyond their sell-by date. I'd hate to discourage developers from making games, but consider this: if your mobile game features any of the following bullet points, and (perhaps more importantly) a lack of innovation, you're doing something wrong.

Apr

NAMCO's Corn Quest Is A Tower Defense Game That's A-maiz-i—No, I Can't Do It

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

If you like corny puns and tower defense, NAMCO is ready to harvest your money and time with Corn Quest. This tower defense game puts you in charge of an army of vegetable minions. You're the kernel—get it? GET IT?!—and it's up to you to save your stalks from the evil aliens. You do this with guns. Because vegetables have guns.

The game play functions just about like any other tower defense game. There's a steady stream of baddies, you add soldiers to shoot them, gain currency to buy more, and play to survive. Standard fare. The most entertaining part of the game, though, is how it handles in-app purchases:

Right in the main menu, there's a big red button that says "Buy Stuff." Dear developers: I don't really like in-app purchases for upgrades or power-ups.

Apr

Battle Orb Is A Great-Looking Game With A Neat Concept And An Infuriating Control Scheme

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

There are a few things that will make me love a game. Good graphics, robots, explosions and an easy-to-use interface. Battle Orb delivers on at least three of these fronts with one of the coolest ideas for a game I've seen. Remember the droidekas from the Star Wars prequels? What's that? You've blocked them from your memory? Well, they were robots that could fold up into balls and roll around a ship's hallways. They were awesome. And in Battle Orb you are that, and it kind of rules. Sort of.

There are two modes that your don't-call-it-a-destroyer has. Ball mode, for traveling down hallways, and battle mode for shooting at things.

Mar

Glu Mobile's Frontline Commando: D-Day Arrives On Android's Shores For Free (With The Usual Catch)

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Last week, we saw a teaser for Glu Mobile's newest game that plays off the horrors of war, Frontline Commando: D-Day. Today, it's landed on Android as a free-to-play cover-based shooter. Touting 145 missions "based on the actual beach landings," the game promises plenty of playtime for your money. What's that you say? The game is free? Well, about that.

In our last article, we mentioned (by way of an overly complicated Nazi analogy wrapped in a ridiculous satirized mockery of Eisenhower's speech to D-Day troops) that Glu said you could turn off in-app purchases. Well, as it turns out, the developer apparently meant via iOS's built-in restrictions.

Mar

DevilDark: The Fallen Kingdom Is Full Of Sword-Choppy, Hacky-Slashy, High-Res Action

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Games, News

Sometimes, the modern world is just too much, you know? Video recording glasses and self-aware phones. It makes you miss the old days where when someone made you upset, you didn't bicker with them on Twitter. You just ran them through with your sword. That's the escapist fantasy that DevilDark: The Fallen Kingdom offers. The game is set in a medieval time when monsters roam the land and you have to gut them to win loot.

The graphics are impeccable and the gameplay is engaging. You play as the third-person hero of the kingdom, swinging your sword around, leveling up skills and bashing around imps and goblins.