In this week's bonus edition of The TouchArcade show, we sit down and have a chat with CEO of Cedar Hill Games, Tobyn Manthorpe. We've covered his studio's latest game, Emissary of War, pretty well so far, so I'll spare the pitch in this post, however, I will say that we spend a good deal of time talking about the streamlining process which went into it. We also discuss his background at BioWare and how his experience informs Cedar Hill, Emissary of War, and his studio in general.

If you'd like to give this a listen, you can stream it or download it just below. You could also subscribe to our podcast feed and get these episodes without having to click a single thing! Its like "One Click" check-out minus the click, what a deal!

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-Bonus-007.mp3, 20MB

Music for this episode is from Overclocked Remix. Specifically, we picked two up-tempto re-mixes of traditional RPG tracks:

If you'd like to get hold of us, feel free to drop us an e-mail at podcast@toucharcade.com or hit us up via the Twitter and the Facebook. We'll be back later this week for another regular show. I wonder what cat game Jared will pick up next?

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Words With Friends [$1.99 / Free] is headed to Facebook. Social giant Zynga Games announced the platform flip this afternoon with a delightful teaser image. Normally, I'd be a little annoyed by the lack of information, but really, what is there to say? Words with Friends is an extremely simple riff on the Scrabble formula with basic visual do-dads and mechanics that we've been enjoying for quite a while on iOS.

I'd imagine the reason we don't have many details here is tied into the fact that nothing meaningful has been changed, aside from the addition of new Facebook-y social elements.

Let's talk about those for a second. PC Mag is reporting that users will be able to sync their iOS and Android games to this particular version. Also, you'll be able to, somehow, post about your current game on your foes' walls. Cool!

Zynga is heavily invested in Facebook, and as you know, the With Friends creator NewToy was grabbed by the mega publisher earlier last year. It only makes sense that we're seeing its games (under a new name) on this specific platform, too.

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Spiderweb Software, the studio behind the fiendishly old-school isometric, turn-based dungeon crawler Avadon: The Black Fortress [$9.99], have announced a new game that looks like a pretty faithful follow-up to that aforementioned title.

The new game is called Avernum: Escape From the Pit, and it's being billed as the "first chapter" in an RPG saga. This one in particular will span around eighty different towns and dungeons filled with, of course, unique races, magic, mystery, foes, and artifacts to discover.

One of the coolest things we know about the title so far is that it'll support plot branching of some sort. Spiderweb says that there are three distinct "game-winning quests" in which you will either be given the opportunity to escape, seek safety, or get revenge.

It appears as if the Mac version of the game is the lead sku. So, Avernum for Mac will see a release much later this year, while the iPad port will see Q1 2012 release shortly after. I guess the best part about waiting, though, it that it'll give you enough time to travel Avadon again. Game is, like, mad huge and complex. Also, a bit dry, but hey, this is a niche title.

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Ragnarok Online is getting a mobile companion in the states, too. Creator Gravity Interactive just announced an oh-so creatively title called Ragnarok Violet. In brief, it's an offline, iOS-specific version of the MMO that features a lot of the sights, sounds, and monsters that compose the ridiculously popular free-to-play game's universe. This announcement is coming on the heels of two offline Maple Story releases, which have performed extremely well.

Specifically on the familiarity front, Gravity cites that Porings, Spores, and Marins will compose the base monster cast. It also name-drops Empty Bottles, Honey, colored herbs, and standard knight fare as the loot. As you play, you'll also pick up monster cards, which can be used to modify your dude and make him stronger.

Violet appears to be a fairly faithful port of�feature phone game with the same name,�if this is all ringing a bell, that's why. The best we can tell is that it debuted at some point in 2008 or so. We've also seen indications that a US iOS version has been floating around seedier circles for a bit, too.

Anyway, Ragnarok Violet will appear on the App Store this coming Friday, August 5 (which seems wrong to us; most games hit on Thursday). It'll launch for free, but if you want some hot drops quick and dirty-like, you'll probably want to pony up the cash in its in-game store. As standard with these stores, it'll allow you to buy weapons, armor, and items. What? You didn't see that coming?

Speaking of seeing stuff coming, we'll probably see many more Ragnarok Online releases on mobile platforms moving forward. As of right now, there are eight out in the wild, and most of them can talk to the proper game in a rudimentary fashion, which is something this one will not even attempt to do. I always wonder how much more successful these F2P games could be if they actually could meaningfully touch base with the community and the proper game.

On a totally different note, it'll be interesting to see these Korean-centric apps as a whole chart in the future. According to Bloomberg, the Korean government just tossed out the government rating requirement for mobile games, which in return, also potentially means Apple and Google will open up their app stores in the region. Talk about hurdles.

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We already told you about Car Finder and Wipolo travel apps for Bada and Android phones recently, here are wide variety of Bada travel apps from trip planning through to language guides. These apps include, Hotel and transport, City guides/tips , Currency converter, Weather and Language guides/tips.

List of Travel apps for Samsung Bada smartphones

  • Travel Booker � Make travel arrangements on the go by searching hotel details, available rooms and prices. It also gets best travel deals from the local customer service agents to destinations around the world.
  • Hotels � Book rooms in the hotels around the world easily. Identify the hotels on a map by prices, promotions, quality of service, location etc. View description, photos, reviews, availability and prices about the hotel.
  • HRS Hotels � Check availability and current prices of more than 250,000 hotels worldwide. Book the hotel of your choice online for free of charge and cancel it without any charge.
  • Europcar � Book your rental car from 5,300 Europcar stations in 150 countries worldwide. View Nearest Europcar stations using GPS. View, modify or cancel your reservation easily.
  • Sixt- Hire a car easily using this app and get confirmation via SMS, email or screenshot. View local Sixt stations worldwide.
  • i in NYC � This offers complete New York city guide with 5700 frequently updated places across the city.
  • Visit London Blog � Read exclusive interviews with Londoners about London's most exciting venues
  • Currency converter � It provides up-to-date exchange rate information for over 100 country currencies.
  • WeatherBugShows the current weather, forecasts and weather maps across thousands of locations around the world.
  • Google Translate � Translate words and phrases between 57 languages.
  • Talking French Phrasebook � Provides basics of French with over 500 professionally translated words and phrases (text and audio).
  • Travel Phrases � Get frequently used travel phrases like numbers, greetings, verb etc. in 7 languages

Most of these apps are free and apps like Google Translate and Talking French Phrasebook costs just ? 1.00 (Rs.50) and i in NYC app costs? 4.50. You could download these apps from the Samsung Apps mobile application on your Wave II smartphone.

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Every time I dip my head into the hardcore world of chess I feel like an idiot that has stumbled into a Mensa meeting. I'm not referring to actually playing the game of chess, but all the crazy competitions and other events which surround the game to take it to whole new levels. Today, I'm specifically speaking of the World Microcomputer Chess Championship, the World Computer Chess Championship, the World Chess Software Championship, and the World Computer Speed Chess Championship. All of these events are different flavors of the same type of event where hardcore Chess AI developers all bring their electronic chess-playing babies to compete for fame, fortune, and I assume a heck of a lot of bragging rights amongst certain circles.

Stefan Meyer-Kahlen, seen in the photo above, first brought Shredder Chess [$7.99 / Lite / HD] online in 1993, and since then has placed first at twelve of the various world chess software tournaments, doing particularly well at the speed-centric variety. The iOS version is no slouch either, with tons of functionality that will both provide some significant challenge if you're adept, as well as help you be a better player if you've got a smarmy older cousin like me who always insisted on beating you at every family gathering with a chess set nearby.

It does this through a shockingly adjustable AI engine that adjusts its strengths to yours, calculating your Elo rating along the way. If you're just starting out, you can even move the difficulty slider all the way down and Shredder will even make deliberate novice mistakes. Aside from that, there's a coaching functionality which allows you to analyze your games to see and learn from the mistakes you've made. My favorite feature is the little gauge at the bottom (seen in the screenshots) which shows what Shredder thinks the current winner will be, with some crazy accuracy, regardless of how hard I try to prove it wrong.

In addition, there are 1000 different chess puzzles, the ability to load and save games, and even export these games via the open "Portable Game Notation" format which is email-centric, and can be opened in full-fledged versions of Shredder. Also, by buying the iOS version you get a $10 off coupon which can be put towards the Mac/PC/Linux version which sells for €49.99 or €99.99 depending on whether you spring for the standard or the "Deep" variety.

Sure, there's tons of cheaper (or free-er) chess apps available on the App Store. And really, if all you want to do is play some casual games with friends, Chess With Friends [Free / $2.99] fits the bill perfectly. However, if you're a expert in need of a challenge or a novice actively looking to improve your game, Shredder Chess is where it's at, and has a shelf full of real-world trophies to prove it.

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Nokia recently launched the new Nokia 500 smartphone. This handset is the company first low-end smartphone with a powerful 1GHz processor. This handset runs on the S

Yep, Final Fantasy Tactics will see its App Store re-release this week. The European Square Enix blog dropped an update this morning stating it'll hit the iPhone and the iPod Touch on Thursday, August 4th at �10.99, which should be around $15.99. An iPad version of the same re-released PS One classic will see a release "later this month," the blog states.

We've been following this one pretty closely as it has creeped through its development cycle. Last week we pointed out that it cleared certification, while in weeks prior we made sure to tell you that the project was once again moving smoothly after several, several, and several soul-sucking delays.

We'll probably never be exactly sure of what the hold-up has been, but it feels safe to speculate that a lot of it had to do with the implementation of touch and technical and graphical re-turning, of which you can catch a glimpse of in the following footage.

It's looking as delicious as a protein shake on a hot afternoon, so we'll definitely get our dirty little hands on it as soon as possible. Stay tuned for more.

[Via Square EU - Thanks, Jeremy!]

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Kids vs. Goblins is an upcoming tactical action RPG being developed by Stolen Couch Games and being published by Crescent Moon. The crux of the gameplay revolves around controlling the 3 different main characters in the game and utilizing each of their unique sets of magic spells. There will be more than 80 spells in the game, and different situations that arise as you travel across the 7 locations in the game will call for the use of specific spells or tactics.

Stolen Couch has said in our forums that they took a cue from Mika Mobile's Battleheart [$2.99] in regards to controls in Kids vs. Goblins, with what appears to be a similar line drawing-esque approach to moving and dishing out commands. Since Battleheart is one of the finest games around, I fully endorse this decision. It also employs similar real-time combat, and I'm looking forward to seeing just how deep the magic system is and how extensive the RPG elements are.

At the very least the 3D graphics are sure looking nice, and I'm really liking the general art style and character design used in the game. The developers plan on releasing Kids vs. Goblins in September, and I'm sure we'll be bringing you plenty more details about the game in the weeks to come.

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The line-drawing genre has long been dominated by Firemint's outstanding Flight Control [$0.99 / HD]. It is the standard by which all similar games are inevitably judged, and with good reason � it's the granddaddy of the genre. But maybe there's room for new games in the market, and in our hearts. It's been over two years since Flight Control was released. Could it be time for a break, time to see other line-drawing games?

If so, you won't go wrong with Chillingo and Infinite Degree's Pollen Count [$0.99 / HD]. It's a game that didn't sell me with screenshots or trailers � the art is a bit clumsy � but it comes through where it counts.

By drawing a line on screen from bee A to point B, you direct your bees to collect pollen from flowers and deliver it to the hive. They need to reach both targets without running into anything en route. Though the obvious comparison is Flight Control, this is more in line with Harbour Master [$1.99] � you're moving cargo from place to place with a limited amount of space to deal with. In this case, there are only a few flowers to go around, and often bees are forced to wait in the wings. Managing the scarcity of the flowers adds a layer of strategy to a familiar formula.

Pollen Count distinguishes itself in progression. Rather than throwing down a set of maps for players to challenge themselves on, Infinite Degree has put together a series of unlockable levels that give the game a more traditional difficulty curve. To unlock them, you need to earn at least one star in the previous level. This usually isn't easy, and even the most experienced Flight Control fans will find earning a full three stars a challenge on most levels. Unlocking stages also gives less experienced players something to work toward, if the top of the leaderboard looks completely out of reach.

So how do you keep 24 levels fresh when you're dealing with a single-screen drawing game? Pollen Count handles that challenge by bringing in obstacles, powerups and other clever elements. Spiders, birds and zombees are all out to get your bees. While you're busy guiding them to avoiding those enemies and deliver pollen, you'll find environmental obstacles to deal with. And some bees are just plain picky about the flowers they'll harvest. It all contributes to keeping the game from getting stale.

If you want more, Pollen Count includes Crystal and Game Center achievements to earn and leaderboards to challenge. The iPad version also includes local multiplayer, both co-op and versus, with configurable levels. If you're really dedicated, you can unlock two special modes � a zom-bee survival mode and an odd 3D racing mode called 999mph � but neither offers leaderboards.

I wouldn't write Pollen Count off as nothing more than a clone. It makes great use of an established mechanic, and I'd have a hard time holding that against it. Running with an existing idea is an App Store tradition by now � the important thing is that it's been done well and it's been done respectfully. Pollen Count is a little rough around the edges, but it has the vital element covered: fun, and lots of it. Check it out, and give our discussion thread a buzz.

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We originally checked out the first Hungry Shark way back in April of last year, and found it to be a really enjoyable arcade game. You played the role of a shark swimming through several interesting sea environments chomping on lesser sea creatures and humans alike in an effort to satiate your hunger and increase your size. Hungry Shark got more than twice as big with a gigantic Part 2 update that was released a couple of months later, and earlier this year in February they brought the series into the HD realm along with another completely new environment to play through with Hungry Shark Part 3.

Back in June, Hungry Shark developer Future Games of London quietly released new versions of Part 1 and Part 2 with the HD graphics treatment as well as some bonuses available as in-app purchases. All of the various Hungry Shark games have been available for free for a while barring�Part 3 and the all-encompassing Hungry Shark Trilogy HD for iPad. To celebrate Shark Week this week, they have temporarily made Part 3 free as well and dropped the iPad game down from $4.99 to 99�.

There may be a confusingly large number of Hungry Shark games to choose from, but as long as you can figure out which features you need then these games are a ton of fun and totally worth grabbing for free. If you have a Retina Display device, you'll want to pick up Part 1+ or Part 2+ to take advantage of the high resolution graphics. Owners of 1st and 2nd generation devices will want to grab the original Part 1 or Part 2. If you're looking to play on the iPad, then the HD trilogy is a steal for just a buck, as it includes all 3 episodes in one app and has high resolution assets. Whichever versions apply to you, make sure to at least pick up one of the Hungry Shark games and assert your oceanic dominance while watching all the cool shows during Shark Week this week.

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Touchscreen displays are quite popular nowadays, and if you're fan of these, you might be interested in this latest touchscreen display called Evolouce TWO. Produced by Evoluce, the German display manufacturer known for its multitouch and gesture displays has recently announced that it will be releasing a new model called Evolouce TWO.


Evolouce TWO is an improvement over the previous model, I-voluce, and just like its predecessor it comes with a 46-inch multi-touch LCD display, but now it can detect over 60 simultaneous inputs, and support up to four users at the same time. Evolouce TWO supports gestures as well, and it is using Kinect sensor so that users won't have to lay hands on the screen. Besides scratch-resistant front glass, this model comes with 3D sensor mounted 100cm above the screen so it can detect shapes and 3D objects on the screen, so it can tell if glass of water is full or empty for example.

Evolouce TWO is amazing display, but it's quite expensive and it costs $7,105 (4,995 EUR) without any special software for it.

[via Ubergizmo]

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Back in March, Bow Mobile and Brizo Interactive released their remake of the classic arcade beat 'em up DoubleDragon [$1.99]. As a huge fan of these kinds of games for most of my life, I actually really enjoyed this new DoubleDragon quite a bit in our review. In fact, the biggest negative for me was the poorly thought out virtual control area that was basically an unnecessary gigantic panel that blocked about a third of the screen. My other problem was the fact that the Game Center integration in the game didn't seem to be working at all.

Well, several months later and DoubleDragon has received its first update, and at least one of these problems has been partially corrected. Game Center still seems to be defective, but the developers have tweaked the obnoxious control area to be just slightly less obnoxious. The default setting now has the same control panel but it's translucent, so enemies or deadly pits can still be seen if they're at the bottom of the screen.

The second option does away with the decorative panel altogether, and just shows translucent buttons only. There's still about a third of the screen that is basically dead space, most likely to keep a certain aspect ratio of the gameplay screen, but both of these options are much better than they were originally. You can see the new translucent controls in the left screen below, compared to how it was originally on the right. The "no overlay" option can be seen in the large screen above.

Another nice change is an increased hit box for the whip, which actually makes it a usable weapon now. Before it was nearly impossible to line up with an enemy correctly to hit them with the whip, but now, especially with its reach, the whip is a formidable weapon. There are a couple of other minor fixes to round out this update, but the improved control display is definitely the big one. It would really be nice if Game Center could get fixed too, but at least the game keeps track of your high scores and achievements in-game too so you can still get some enjoyment out of them.

If you are a fan of beat 'em ups and haven't checked out DoubleDragon yet, now would be a good time as it's currently on sale for half off at $1.99. Hardcore purists may scoff at the new graphics, but the brawler gameplay is actually really solid and is worth having a look at if you're a fan of the genre.

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