Friday Fun: Live Puzzle

May 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Chess board jigsaw

Jigsaws can be fun, but I have to admit that I get frustrated easily with them. Live Puzzle is a slightly different take on jigsaws, in that the picture is moving while you’re trying to solve the puzzle. In some ways, that makes it a bit more difficult but, once you get used to it, it’s kind of cool to be able to see whether a piece fits by holding it in place and watching the animation.

You’ll need Flash to play this, and there is sound (the music is particularly annoying, so I switched it off).

–> Click to Play Live Puzzle <–

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XCOM: Enemy Unknown coming to iOS

April 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This is a guest post by Will Judd.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown running on iPadXCOM: Enemy Unknown was one of the best games of last year, offering an excellent modern take on the classic turn-based alien defense strategy game. One of the game’s best qualities was that due to its turn-based nature and efficient implementation, it ran well even on integrated graphics cards like the Intel HD 4000 series found on the latest round of Ultrabooks. The game worked well on consoles as well, another rarity for a strategy title. This week, we’ve learned that publishers 2K Games are using those two qualities to bring the full game to iPhone and iPad.

Unlike many mobile ports, XCOM appears on its new platform without sacrificing much of the original experience. Except for a few maps cut to fit within Apple’s size limits, you’ll be playing precisely the same game as those on PC, Xbox 360 or PS3. That’s a major achievement for any mobile port, and it’s even more impressive when you consider that XCOM: Enemy Unknown was released only in October last year – it took Grand Theft Auto ten years to make the jump from PC and console release to the eventual iOS and Android version.

The port is being developed by 2K China, with original developers Firaxis providing guidance. The game’s lead designer pointed out that turn-based strategy games are ideally suited for touch interfaces, and 2K have already been able to demonstrate a level running on the iPad with full touch controls.

Unfortunately, there’s no word on whether there will ever be an Android release, although I wouldn’t think of it as out of the question. Regardless, the iPhone and iPad versions will be released at a premium price point this summer and could well offer one of the deepest and most enriching games on the iOS platform.

Do you think that XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be a hit? I’m personally of the opinion that it’ll be the ideal iPad Mini accessory, particularly if we see the release of a new Retina iPad Mini before the game is finished.

Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and have a good one!

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Friday Fun Recycled: You have to burn the rope

March 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Ever find yourself trying to complete a game and you just can’t get past that last boss? What, never? Must just be me then.

Anyway, this game won’t give you that problem, just follow this advice: You have to burn the rope. Be aware, there’s sound, and you will need Flash to play the game. Oh, and do hang on for the end credits :)

You have to burn the rope
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What’s in your pocket?

February 11, 2013 by

What's in your pocket?

I remember a period of time, when I was a child, where my sister kept finding money in her pockets. I think it was only something like 50p a time, but that seemed like a lot of money then. I’m not sure whether it was always the same 50p but, for a couple of weeks, she would regularly be surprised to find that she had some extra money she hadn’t previously known about.

Even today, it’s still a great feeling when I open my wallet to find a £5 I’d forgotten about. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s nice when it does.

MoneySupermarket recently ran a little experiment to see how people would react if they were told £20 had been found in their pocket at the dry cleaner. Pop on over to http://www.moneysupermarket.com/epic/pocket-some-extra-cash/ to see what happened! The last time I went to the dry cleaners was with one of my daughter’s dresses, and I was told, “You know, sometimes these things melt” (seriously)… I think I would have fainted if they’d said they found £20.

Those little wins can make a big difference, and MoneySupermarket have given some bloggers, myself included, £20 to spend on something with the feel-good factor. I’ve mentioned Kim & Jason Kotecki before, and their quest to rid the world of the curse of ‘adultitis’. So I thought I would spend my £20 on a subscription to their Cheap Family Fun videos. This is a series of short videos with ideas for building fun memories as a family… that won’t cost the earth. Given that a trip to the cinema can cost upwards of £20, and only lasts a couple of hours, it seems like spending $20 on 52 weeks’ worth of fun ideas makes sense!

So far I’ve watched the first video and started hiding a particular small toy in various places around the house. Whoever finds the toy gets to hide it again… and so the game continues. Simple fun, and hopefully something the kids will remember with fondness in future years.

Oh yes, I did say Cheap Family Fun costs $20, or around £13. So what did I spend the rest on? Well, all I’ll say is the entire family enjoys chocolate :)

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Friday Fun: M.A.D.

February 1, 2013 by

Mutually Assured Destruction game screenshot. Missiles heading towards bases.

Mutually Assured Destruction. Sounds cheery, doesn’t it? Mutually Assured Destruction is actually the basis behind the UK (and other countries’) nuclear deterrent… the idea being, “You attack us, and we’ll attack you… nobody will win, we’ll both be wiped off the map”. That’s just mad (aha!).

It might seem like an odd title for a game, but that’s what this week’s Friday Fun is: Mutually Assured Destruction.

It’s a remake of the classic game Missile Command, with power-ups and special abilities, but at its core this is the same old-school arcade game we know and love. You might want to turn the sound down because, while the soundtrack is very grand, it is rather loud :)

–> Play MAD <–

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5 Amazing Android Apps for Coffee Addicts

January 31, 2013 by

Roasted coffee beansThis is a guest post by William Judd.

Good morning everybody and welcome to this article! Today we’re going to be looking at five brilliant Android apps for coffee lovers. If coffee is the secret to your ebullient nature, then this is the app for you. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

5. Hidden Menu Coffee Drinks
There’s something about ordering a drink that’s not on the menu that’s quite exciting – particularly when you actually get it! This app taps into that excitement, offering a range of secret menu items you can ask for at Starbucks. These are all modifications of existing drinks, ensuring that your barista doesn’t need to be in on it to be able to fulfill the order. You’ll get both a plain English version and a Starbucks-specific code for each drink, allowing you to easily show or tell the barista what you’d like. With twenty-five recipes on tap and a further 50 available by purchasing the Pro version, you’ll definitely have some experimenting to do.

4. Coffee Recipes
This app is similar in idea, but offers a much broader execution. While the Hidden Menu app offered only Starbucks drinks, this app shows you 90 different coffee recipes that you can make yourself or ask your friendly neighbordhood barista for. With a range of apps including both well-known options and rather esoteric ones, even the most jaded coffee orderer will find plenty new to try. This is a good app for trainee baristas, as it’ll widely expand the range of drinks at your disposal.

3. Coffee Finder
This app is again for the lovers of the big American and Canadian chains – Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Dunkin’ Donuts and the like. These and five other chains are shown on a map, allowing you to easily find the nearest coffee outlet wherever you are. This is, however, limited to the United States and Canada – when I used the app in the United Kingdom, I found that only Starbucks offered up any results. If you are in North America, this is definitely a great app, but those in other nations are probably best off using the standard Google Maps app.

2. Coffeemania
This app is similar to our number 4 entry, but offers an even greater number of coffee recipes. There’s more than 250 in total, with a wide range of options including hot and cold drinks and even coffee-based food. There are also some informational sections, which contain educational material on brewing methods and vessels (although some options, like senseo pods, aren’t shown). The app is not brilliantly laid out, but it gets the job done and is more than worth the free install.

1. Baristame
This is the best app on the list by far, as it offers both solid educational content on espresso based drinks and a beautiful design. With excellent diagrams of each drink in its database, you’ll find Baristame is a pleasure to use. Each drink also contains information on its origin and any variants that exist. If you want to test your coffee knowledge, you can do so in the quiz mode that the app offers. The Pro variant is probably the most worthwhile of any of the apps on this list – for $1, you get a lot of additional educational content, including information on brewing methods and even coffee-producing nations. A well designed app that’s perfect for coffee lovers!

Conclusion
So there we have it – five coffee app selections for Android. Thanks for reading the article and be sure to let me know in the comments below what you thought of it. If you find any great coffee apps that you’d like to share, please do so in the comments or message me on Twitter @wsjudd - I’m always interested in finding out that next great app! Have a good day and I’ll see you next time.

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Hollywood Road Warriors – who’s the baddest?

January 18, 2013 by

Have you ever noticed how the vehicles someone drives in a movie tells you something about their character? Whether it’s James Bond in his Aston Martin, bring chased by Alfa Romeos, or a daring heist being pulled off in cheeky-chappie Minis, the vehicles somehow contribute to the overall picture. Motorbikes are no different, and often lend their owners an air of ‘you don’t want to mess with me’.

With that in mind, the guys at Bike Bandit have put together an inforgraphic on Hollywood’s biggest ‘badass’ motorcyclists. See what you think:

Who is Hollywood's Biggest Biker Badass?

I’m wondering, which is your favourite out of these? Any surprises? I’m a little shocked at how old the Terminator’s bike looks nowadays, but it does still look like it (and he) means business. I have to say, though, Virgil Hilts’ Triumph TT Special is just gorgeous. Why not let us know your thoughts in the comments?

Biker Badass infographic courtesy of BikeBandit.com

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Friday Fun: Saving the bacon

December 21, 2012 by

Saving the bacon - pig catching money

Happy Friday all – you know what that means… some Friday Fun. This week it’s a fun little savings game from MoneySupermarket.com – just catch the coins, avoid the other stuff (you’ll lose money), and don’t forget to bank what you’ve caught to keep it safe.

There’s also a competition where the highest score wins some nice goodies, but you’ll have to be quick to catch it – it ends on December 23rd.

Still, even once the competition ends, I’m sure you’ll be entertained :)

–> Click to Play <–

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Friday Fun: Vehicles

December 14, 2012 by

Cars on platforms

This week’s Friday Fun is a puzzle game – help the “good” cars push the “bad” cars off the screen and earn a gold star if your score is high enough.

You’ll have to work out the right order to do things in, and I’ve been stuck more than once on some of the trickier levels.

You need Flash to play, and you can safely put the sound off.

–> Click to play <–

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Friday Fun: Sketch-Out

November 30, 2012 by

Sketch-Out gameThis week’s Friday Fun is a reworking of the classic game Breakout. Protect your sphere from incoming projectiles, while trying to bounce them back at your opponent.

You can either bounce them back using the standard paddle, or draw barriers between the two spheres. You can only have one barrier at a time, though.

This game uses HTML5, so you will need an up to date browser.

–> Click to Play <–

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