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Combo Crew, the highly anticipated mobile brawler from SQUIDS developer The Game Bakers, is poised to hit the App Store and Google Play on Thursday May 23.

Combo Crew sports kick-ass fighting gameplay, smooth controls, and asynchronous co-op across devices-so iPhone, iPad, and Android gamers can join forces on the same crew.

MEET THE CREW

With the game release only a week away, we'd like to introduce you to Combo Crew's tough-as-nails heroes:

• Parker: A name that tops the high-scores of all the arcades this side of the continent. Parker's a natural, inspired by fighting techniques he picked up from video games.
• Gina: A student of the ancient school of Hairjutsu, Gina's a martial arts master who trained for a year in the mountains.
• Dolph: The greatest action movie star that ever lived, Dolph uses his impressive stature in combat. For him showing off is almost as important as kicking ass.

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Just look at that poor kitten. It needs food, and you won't feed it. It doesn't even have many great skills. All thanks to your neglect.

The good news: if you cover the Kickstarter campaign for CatLand, in which developers Lost and Found Games are seeking a measly $15k, you could make this virtual virtual kitty a real virtual kitty.

By checking into real-world locations on the CatLand mobile app/game, you help keep your little pet entertained, engaged and AWAY FROM A SHALLOW GRAVE.

Joking aside, this is like Tamagotchi for the kids of today, as well as any adults who either can't have pets or wish they could take their cat everywhere they go without looking like a weirdo.

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Hearing the demand of fans everywhere, Mechner has announced that Karateka Classic is coming back, specifically to iOS and Android.

Karateka Classic recreates the Apple II experience - right down to the disk drive noises - and offers a range of "monitor" choices, including color CRT, green or amber display. There are a couple of new additions, including gameplay tips and a rewind feature that can be earned, allowing players to reverse their mistakes.

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Players simply design their level by hand, creating any traps or obstacles they want the avatar to surmount while climbing five stories and reaching the goal. Pixel Press uses proprietary character recognition to allow the iPad's camera to pick up the sketches and convert them to graphic elements in the level. Then the creator has to test the level, refine it and add skins to make it look like a polished game.

Pixel Press creator Robin Rath says the game was inspired somewhat by his childhood. He and his friends loved games like Super Mario Brothers and Metroid, which featured long stretches of levels that took platforming skills to traverse.

"We used to draw all those levels out on a piece of paper," Rath says.

Now that Rath has a child of his own, his thoughts turned to sharing that experience of level creation with everyone. He says part of the focus of Pixel Press is to teach kids several things, including game design, and be a gateway to an interest in the field.

"It can teach patience, teamwork, drawing skills, and maybe advanced computer technical skills, depending how far you wanted to take it. I liked the idea of introducing younger people to code, because they may think it's so hard to get into," Rath says.

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Without this identifying data, these photos are classed as "orphan images" - where the information on ownership and copyright is missing or removed.

According to the new law, "diligent" effort must be made to find the creator of an image before it is commercially exploited without payment or credit, but sites including T3 and The Register have argued that this becomes difficult or impossible with the metadata stripped.

On passing the act, business minister Jo Swinson said: "The measures in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act will support the UK's enterprise culture and help make it one of the best places to do business."

The press release for the act states: "For the first time orphan works will be licensed for use; these are copyrighted works for which the owner of the copyright is unknown or can't be found. There will also be a system for extended collective licensing of copyright works."

This measure has been introduced with the goal of supporting growth and to "modernise the UK's copyright regime to promote innovation in the design industry, encouraging investment in new products while strengthening copyright protections".

Critics note that sub-licensing is also permitted under the act, meaning that firms who source so-called orphan images will be able to sell on the images without paying the original creator.

When Instagram attempted to introduce similar measures in its terms and conditions, users reacted angrily, with many reportedly leaving the site - forcing the site to U-turn on the proposed changes.

Photographer David Bailey has written a letter to chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne to oppose the move.

"Social media, and everyone else for that matter routinely strip our names and contact details from our digital files," Bailey explained.

"They simply should not be allowed to get away with this. They can because our government refuses to give us the right to our names by our pictures (Moral rights).

"So now commercial organisations will be allowed to make money from our 'orphans', but not us, the creators."

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Spicy Horse Games, developer of games including Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, BigHead BASH, and Crazy Fairies, revealed its next project is a collectible card game/RTS set in the Underworld with the working title Hell Invaders.

Hell Invaders features actual card battles--rather than two cards "fighting" on a table, the creatures within the cards actually have 3D representations that fight it out--as well as cards that sport upgrades and swappable skills, so even cards for the same creature can be completely different.

Players can battle it out in a single player campaign or take up cards and fight in PVP arenas. For more peacefully inclined souls, trading, card management and other social features provide ways to enjoy eternal damnation.

Hell Invaders is currently scheduled for a Fall release and will be playable on PC, Mac, Linux, and tablets.

Spicy Horse will reveal more on Hell Invaders, including the final title and publisher, in the upcoming months.

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Gato Salvaje S.L., a Spanish company dedicated to the production of episodic gaming, announced today that the famous comic writer Greg Rucka known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman, Detective Comics, Wolverine and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton, has been tapped to write the story for upcoming episodes of the point & click adventure game AR-K. The developers have also launched a Kickstarter page to help support the upcoming series, including a video featuring Greg Rucka, Fernando Prieto (CEO of Gato Salvaje Studio) and the – obviously angry – heroin Alice:

One of the most acclaimed comic-book writers and novelists in America, Greg Rucka has been brought on to work on Episodes Three and Four. Rucka’s previous credits include work at DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) as well as Marvel (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Elektra, the Punisher), and a raft of award-winning creator owned books from Oni Press (Whiteout, Queen & Country, Stumptown).

Greg Rucka is not the only one supporting the project as Ash Sroka, the woman who voiced Tali’Zorah of the Normandy in the Mass Effect Trilogy, will be the game’s hero, Alicia. Her amazing talent and lovely voice will bring Alicia’s humor, wit, and drive to life in a new, and wonderful, way.

The studio also announced today that the game is now on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform to release episode 3 and 4 of the game but also to add more localization languages like German, French or Russian.

AR-K Episode 1 is available for free on iOS, Kindle Fire, PC and Mac. For more information players can visit the official Website http://www.gatosalvajestudio.com/, or the official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/arkthegame

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On top of the classic Love Fist EP we remastered and released not too long ago, we've just dug even deeper in the vaults to release a trio of original sought-after tracks from Vice City's Radio Espantoso airwaves.

"The Bull's Wrong" by Alpha Banditos

"Yo Te Mire" by Tres Apenas Como Eso

"La Vida Es Una Lenteja" by Unaesta

These latin jam bands were a sureshot to get the fiesta going back in 1980s VC and now fans of their funky sounds (special shout to LegionYT1994) can grab the digitally remastered tracks for the low price of $0.69 each over at iTunes. They're also available for streaming on Spotify and have been added to our official playlists.

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The Idolm@ster Shiny Festa Harmonic Score has idols Haruka Amami, Chihaya Kisaragi, Azusa Miura, and Ritsuko Akizuki with the "Music in the World" animated feature.

The Idolm@ster Shiny Festa Melodic Disc has Iori Minase, Yayoi Takatsuki, Ami Futami, Mamai Futami, and Hibiki Ganaha with the "Music is a Friend" animated feature.

The Idolm@ster Shiny Festa Rhythmic Record has Miki Hoshii, Yukiho Hagiwara, Makoto Kikuchi, and Takane Shijou with the "Music of Love" animated feature.

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FEATURES:

*Battle hordes of enemies including the Foot Clan, Kraang, and Dimension X
*Activate Turtle Time to fight up close in a slow-motion combat sequence
*Outfit the Turtles in exclusive Cyber and Stealth gear
*Upgrade with weapons, gadgets, and boosts like the Laserbot and Turtle Saver
*Unlock and play as the Turtles’ formidable canine foe Dogpound
*Earn rewards from the pizza time mini-game

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The customers covered in the class are those who were denied warranty repairs or replacements on certain iOS devices because of Apple's liquid damage policy; if a white liquid contact indicator (LCI) tape near the headphone jack or dock connector had turned pink or red due to moisture, Apple would refuse service. But, as noted by Wired, the maker of the tape (3M) has stated that the indicator can be triggered by humidity, not necessarily water itself, meaning the tape could potentially turn pink without contact with the liquid form of H20.

Affected devices include the original iPhone through the iPhone 3GS, as well as the first three generations of iPod touch (any iPhone sold on or before December 31, 2009, or any iPod touch sold on or before June 30, 2010). The proposed $53 million settlement will be used to make payments of up to $200 to affected customers, though the settlement document indicates that users might receive more depending on the number of claims.

The reason more modern iPhones and iPod touches are not covered under the proposed settlement is because Apple eventually changed its policies for both devices so that a warranty claim couldn't be denied solely based on a "triggered" LCI. (The company also introduced a new policy in mid-2009 that allowed affected iPhone users to buy a replacement iPhone for $199 instead of full price.)

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By targeting game makers, the new investigation hopes to prevent this from happening again.

The OFT will investigate in-app purchases that are "misleading, commercially aggressive or otherwise unfair", BBC News reported - and question whether children are being specifically targeted by them.

"We are concerned that children and their parents could be subject to unfair pressure to purchase when they are playing games they thought were free, but which can actually run up substantial costs," explained the OFT's senior director Cavendish Elithorn.

In the above cases, the respective parents had not realised that the ability to spend money on in-app purchases could be limited or switched off.

But games that put unfair amounts of pressure on users to buy content may also break laws of fair trading, Elithorn added.

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Build an epic roster of DC heroes and villains and get ready for battle in the INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US mobile game from NetherRealm Studios. INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US is a free to play collectible card game that allows you to build a roster of playable characters, moves and powers and enter the arena in touch based 3 on 3 combat.

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3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment have launched Duke Nukem II for iOS, bringing the classic action game to mobile devices. Slam your thumbs into the screen as you guide Duke across 32 action-packed levels, blasting the living crap out of every alien that dares to get in your thumb-smashing way. The game is now available on the iTunes App Store for just $1.99.

In 1993 Apogee released Duke Nukem II. Its explosive action made it an instant side-scrolling classic. 20 years later, Interceptor Entertainment and 3DRealms have teamed up to bring Duke Nukem II back. Duke Nukem II for iOS lets you experience this 90's classic all over again on the most popular gaming platform in the world.

"It's an amazing experience to be able to work on such a beloved franchise," said Frederik Schreiber, CEO and game director at Interceptor Entertainment. "As kids, we were all big fans of Duke Nukem II, and working with Scott Miller and 3D Realms to bring this classic back to life on new platforms was a dream come true. Scott is a great partner, and I'm looking forward to working together on more exciting titles in the future!"

"Before Duke Nukem 3D, before the sunglasses, before the one-liners, and before the strippers - many gamers never knew there was another incredible alien ass-kicking Duke game, a cutting-edge game for its time that still holds up 20 years later," said Scott Miller, CEO and co-founder of 3D Realms. " And Interceptor, the uber-talented up-and-coming studio behind the amazing Rise of the Triad reboot, has ported Duke Nukem II to the iPad and iPhone. I've loved working with Frederik Schreiber and the entire team. These guys know and love Duke like they're family. And the love shows in this kick-ass release."

Key Features

• Smooth Side-Scrolling Action
• Insane VGA Graphics
• 256 Eye-Popping Colors
• Kick-Ass Weapons
• Amazing Interactive Environments
• 32 Action-Packed Levels
• Full Touch Screen Support
• Brutal New Artwork and Music
• Save/Load, Replay and Track your Score with Leaderboards

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Gmail Blue is said to be the culmination of a challenge to "completely redesign and recreate something, while keeping it exactly the same." While we are left with a distinctly bluer Gmail interface, Google's references to Microsoft's own blue project — Windows Blue — are clear to see, as Microsoft gears up to revamp Windows 8's "metro" mode with new features and some UI tweaks later this year.

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For one of its own April Fools pranks, Microsoft fights fire with fire by making Google's iconic start page the target of its affection, serving Bing users with a classic white search page (complete with a multi-colored Bing logo and an 'I'm Feeling Confused' button) when they enter "Google" into the Bing search box. Microsoft also includes the same small boxes found at the bottom of its traditional Bing search page, displaying tooltips including "with so many delicious flavors available, most people still choose vanilla." It's an attempt to advertise its more visually rich search page and perhaps steals some of Google's users in the process, as Microsoft explains: "the main goal here is just to learn more about how our world would look if we hadn’t evolved."

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Reports from Chinese microblogging website Sina Weibo, claim that a woman jumped from the roof of Foxconn's Shenzhen factory at 9 a.m. local time last Friday. As of noon, another three employees were said to be on the roof, threatening to jump as well.

It was not reported how the woman survived the jump, but Foxconn was prompted to install safety nets at its mega-factories years ago after a number of workers took to the roof and committed high-profile suicides in an effort to draw attention to working conditions and wages.

The latest events are said to have been caused by reduced orders through Foxconn. Chinese news outlet People's Daily Online reported that Foxconn has been encouraging some employees to leave the company in an effort to cut worker costs.

For its part, Foxconn denied that it has encouraged employees to resign. That's in contrast to recent reports, which have claimed the company has not only reduced wages, but also begun charging employees for service that were once free.

Reduced orders at Foxconn, best known for making products for Apple and other major device makers, have allegedly caused discontent amongst factory workers.

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The reviewer argues that "iPad" is descriptive of the products services, specifically that the "i" denotes Internet-related services, while "mini" describes the product as a distinctly smaller version of similar products. Marks that combine descriptive terms that retain their descriptive meaning in relation to goods or services are composite marks that are not registrable, the letter states (see below).

"In this case, both the individual components and the composite result are descriptive of applicant's goods and do not create a unique, incongruous, or non-descriptive meaning in relation to the goods being small handheld mobile devices comprising tablet computers capable of providing Internet access," the office said.

The reviewer also found evidence from the Internet showing that widespread use of the term "mini" to describe the small size of various handheld digital devices, and that "the wording merely describes a feature of applicant's goods, namely, a small sized handheld tablet computer.

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“The majority of portable electronic device manufacturers utilize a common form factor consisting generally of a flat planar form factor with a single surface dedicated mainly for use as a display surface, while the other surfaces remain largely unused, save for the occasional button or switch,” the patent filing explains.

“Although this form factor lends itself to electronic devices that are aesthetically pleasing and easy to handle… the size of the user interface is generally limited to a portion of the device that takes up less than half of the overall device surface area.”

Instead, Apple envisions an iPhone with rounded edges and curved surfaces front and back, both capable of displaying information and responding to touch.

In a move that would have pleased Apple’s late founder Steve Jobs, who sought to do away with physical buttons throughout his career, the proposed design would have no physical volume controls, no “home” button on the front and no “hold” button on top. Their functions would be performed by touch gestures bringing up software-based controls on the wraparound screen.

“By holding a finger over the volume indicator an action could be triggered expanding the volume control over the entire left side of the device,” Apple’s patent filing explains.

“This would allow a user to make fine adjustments to the volume of portable electronic device.”

“Instead of the hold button a multi touch gesture along one of the sides could instead act as a method of locking and unlocking the hold function.”

The design would rely on flexible display technology, which has advanced rapidly in recent years. Samsung, Apple’s main rival, demonstrated a flexible smartphone at this year’s CES gadget showcase in Las Vegas, and is reportedly going into mass production in the first half of this year.

The wraparound iPhone would not itself necessarily be flexible to the touch, however. The display could be enclosed in glass, such as Corning’s new “Willow Glass”, which can be bent into shape but remains rigid to touch.

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The OverDog Mobile App: The Most Successful Unsuccessful Kickstarter Project Ever?

New pro athletes joined OverDog to Challenge Fans in Video Games During Kickstarter campaign

NASHVILLE – March 28, 2013 – OverDog, the mobile app that connects pro athletes with fans through any video game title, will launch its exclusive beta version next month before going public this Fall. During its Kickstarter campaign, OverDog successfully signed on dozens of pro athletes, established a large social media following with tweets from EA and Drew Brees, and connected with thousands of fans across the country to talk sports and gaming.

The Kickstarter video, alone, pulled in more than 1500 “Likes,” and OverDog had more than 100,000 article views. Excited tweets from star athletes like David Price, Brian Urlacher, Chris Kluwe and other OverDog contenders reached more than 10,000,000 Twitter followers sparking conversation and hype for this app.

“This experience has been incredible for us,” says Hunter Hillenmeyer, Former Chicago Bear and Founder of OverDog. “Once word got out about the OverDog app, athletes from all sports began reaching out to us to take part in this project. We’re very excited to get the beta version going soon, and to roll out all of our exciting features to make this an unforgettable gaming experience.”

In the past month, OverDog recruited another 75 professional athletes to get in the game including NFL star Randy Moss, USMNT players, NBA stars and NCAA athletes. The NFLPA and NBPA each report that more than 75% of their members are avid gamers. The OverDog mobile app helps streamline the process to better connect fans with athletes in all of their favorite games.

How Does OverDog Work?

Athletes post video challenges which fans can access and accept. OverDog chooses one lucky gamer from a random drawing who will then face off against the challenging athlete. Athletes and fans can interact via the video game, and even trash talk while wearing headsets.

OverDog is expanding its features over the next few months. Some new additions will include live streaming of gaming challenges between athletes, fan v. fan play, leaderboards and game broadcasting.

What’s Next for OverDog?

There’s less than 30 hours left in the OverDog Kickstarter campaign. Although, the project has not reached its funding goal yet- the exclusive Beta window for the mobile app will still launch in April. The app will open to the public this Fall. For early access to OverDog, fans can head to the OverDog site.

About OverDog

OverDog is comprised of a team of technology and mobile application gurus with the insight of professional athletes. Former Chicago Bear, Hunter Hillenmeyer, serves as the President and Co-Founder alongside CEO Steve Berneman. Berneman brings nearly 10 years of experience working in start-ups and sports to the table.

Additionally, an advisory board made up of the sport industry’s elite is on-hand for app input and participation. Tampa Bay Rays’ David Price, Minnesota Vikings’ Chris Kluwe, former NFL Wide Receiver Hank Baskett are just a few of the board’s members. Each athlete is looking to combine his love of sports, fans, and gaming in an efficient, exciting platform.

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"World of Tank Blitz is to bring 7v7 multiplayer tank battles to iOS and Android hand computers and pocket telephones with a spread of tank classes from the USA, Germany, and USSR. There's no firm word yet on when it'll launch, though."

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“If people buy this, then we could justify porting everything else. If it does badly then there’s really no point, because this is our best-selling game on the best-selling platform, so that’s the best way to gauge to see if it’s worth doing.”

“So if you want to see Resonance on iOS, buy Gemini Rue.”

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