Its Monday and you need a kick inn the face after your day at work whatever it is you do. Here are some old games where the music was obviously respected by their respective creators. Enjoy.

The Titan.

[QUAKE - Trent Rezner]

Remember the creepy score throughout your murderous rampage against aliens and freaks? That was the work of Mr. Trent Rezner of Nine Inch Nails. A gamer from what I hear and a musical genius from what I know.

—

The underdog…

[THRILL KILL - Contagion]

Yes, Thrill Kill. Never heard of it? Well most people probably haven’t. Its a fraught story of despicable people and blood lust. In short, the game never came out. It was completely finished and ready for the Original PlayStation, then some pencil pusher failed to be cool and pulled the game citing the graphic nature. Boo hoo baby didn’t wanna get sued. The game eventually ended up in circulation complete with the soundtrack by an also under rated band called Contagion from California. (Related: “Contagion – Hate“)

“The original publisher was to be Virgin Interactive, which was acquired by Electronic Arts Pacific for £122,500,000 in the late summer of 1998.” – Wikipedia

—

The baffling one…

[DONKEY KONG COUNTRY - Fear Factory]

That’s what I said, Fear Factory with such hits as “Back the Fuck up” (a song I would love to see as the music in a Carbonite commercial) and “Replica” made this tranquil jungle theme for Donkey Kong Country.

—

The epic soundtrack…

[COMMAND AND CONQUER/RED ALERT - Frank Klepacki]

Frank Klepacki was the composer of many a musical piece for these games and I define these as Epic since whole soundtrack itself defined the games and told much of the story by adding an emotional aspect. What you did on the battle field in these games mattered little since they where pretty linear, you either beat the level or you didn’t. The cut scenes combined with this music told the story whomever you played as; The Global Defense Initiative (GDI) or The Brotherhood of Nod (NOD).

–

These are some of my picks for music that has been overlooked by the mainstream as great music just because they where attached to video games. This music even has a greater quality to them which is proven by the fact that you could hear it over and over again when playing the games, and not get tired of them it’s a damn shame for the others but at least we got to enjoy these pieces of music and now connect them with so many memories and feelings of our past.

Even though there hasn’t been any big improvements (so far) since the release of Qwiki Alpha, we thought we would feature the application again as more people should know about it. It’s a pretty nifty app, and shows the great potential of what web apps and HTML5 are able to do already.

The site is still in Alpha mode, but more or less fully functional, with a load more available Qwiki topics. Completely new since we looked at it is the ability for publishers to create their own Qwikis through the Qwiki Editor. Qwiki now also runs on Html5 rather than Flash, which should give a smoother experience for users across the board and on further devices.

The Qwiki Editor

“The Qwiki editor takes content such as text, videos and photos, and lays it out in a neat presentation. It’s a drag-and-drop process that’s run in a web browser. The end result is a several-minute presentation, similar to the existing Qwiki articles, that a company can post to the web. Anyone on a device running the iPhone iOS operating system, Android or HTML5 can view the presentation.” – Venture Beat

Since the release of the Qwiki Editor, hundreds of companies have gotten in touch with the company to create their own Qwikis. Sadly none of the example personal Qwikis are available at the moment, but the potential uses for restaurants, dating sites and even flashy (yet probably not recommended) web-based CVs are endless.

Qwiki won TechCrunch’s Disrupt competition in 2010 for start-ups, earning them a $50,000 prize and the Disrupt Cup. On top of this they were the runner-up for Best Technological Achievement at this year’s Crunchies award in January, just behind Google’s self-driving car.

Qwiki is also available on the iPad

And has had over 500’000 downloads so far on iTunes. Check the video below, click this link for more information or just download the iPad app here (iTunes).

The Chomp Interface

The common way of finding new and interesting applications for your smart device today is by checking out various types of top lists (most downloaded, newest, best rating etc) or by getting recommendations from friends. Now however, there is a new way of finding apps simply by searching for the type of app you are looking for. Use searches like “Puzzle games”, “restaurant guide”, “expense trackers”, “chat” etc. and actually get relevant app results.

“Chomp’s proprietary algorithm learns the functions and topics of apps, so you can search based on what apps do, not just what they’re called.” - Chomp.com

Features:

• Clean and easy to use interface
• Results are easy to scan with screen-shots and ratings.
• Filter your search based on price
• Filter your search based on the type of app
• Get app and topic suggestions as you type
• If you get the app name wrong, we’ll suggest a better spelling
• See searches related to your search
• Free to download

Get the Chomp app for your iPhone here and for your Android phone here or just use the web browser here, and start your Chomp search today by entering ‘free app of the day‘ to find a variety of apps that are free for a limited time.

Check out this interview with Co-Founder and CEO of Chomp; Ben Keighran on how Chomp works differently from other app search engines.

Follow Chomp on Twitter here. 

Further reading:

Chomp Launches Its Own AdWords For App Search; Brings Realtime Search To iPhone

New Chomp Search Ads Wants To Be the Google for App Stores

Following the “Top Ten Reasons to be interested in SW:The Old Republic“ post we bring you a mix of videos to help you keep up your interest. From a look at companions and crew skills, to PvP arenas, character progression and a group dungeon walk-through to give you a feel for how the different classes will play in a group situation. Enjoy!

Companions and Crew Skills

SWTOR Classes

A fan-made video showcasing the 8 different classes in SWTOR.
Skip to the following times to view any specific class:
Jedi Knight: 0:30 –  Sith Warrior: 1:30 - Smuggler: 2:35
Imperial Agent: 3:20 - Trooper: 4:23 - Bounty Hunter: 5:33
Jedi Consular: 6:52 - Sith Inquisitor: 8:40

PvP Battleground: Hutt Ball

PvE: Eternity Vault

A great video to give you an overview of how the different classes will play in a group PvE situation. Skip to 2:15 to skip cut scene footage.

Character Progression: Smuggler

Star Wars: The Old Republic has as of today still no release date, but you can pre-order the game on EA’s Origins site.

Check out the advanced classes here for more info. Also check out the latest developer Q and A here.

Are you going to be playing SWTOR? What aspects are you most excited about?

]]> http://www.little-players.com/blog/2011/09/videos-to-get-you-excited-about-star-wars-the-old-republic/feed/ 2 http://www.little-players.com/blog/2011/09/pc-games-to-look-out-for-in-september-2011/ http://www.little-players.com/blog/2011/09/pc-games-to-look-out-for-in-september-2011/#comments Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:04:57 +0000 Googleseth http://www.little-players.com/blog/?p=3388 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
(6th of September 2011)

Combining intense melee and ranged combat, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine puts players into the boots of one of humanity’s elite soldiers. You have undergone years of psycho-chemical conditioning and rigorous training, and there’s never been a time like right now when such training and conditioning were so desperately needed. One of the industrial ‘Forge World’ planets, where humanity creates its greatest weapons, has come under attack, and the thousands of imperial soldiers stationed there have been overwhelmed. The only thing standing between this planet and its total destruction is your Space Marine.

Space Marine is a fast-paced third person action-shooter from Relic Games allowing players to don the armor of one of the emperor’s chosen in this battle for the very survival of humanity. Players are dropped right into the action as they battle to defend an Imperial Forge World from an invasion by the savage and brutal Orks, using the most devastating weaponry mankind has at its disposal.

Genre: Third Person Shooter – Release date: 6th of September 2011 – Review

Call of Juarez: The Cartel
(13th of September 2011)

When a Mexican drug cartel bombs a U.S. law enforcement agency, the U.S. government puts together a special task force to bring them down. Play as Ben McCall, a brutal LAPD cop and descendent of Ray McCall, or Eddie Guerra, a DEA agent with a chronic-gambling habit, or gang-affiliated street kid turned FBI agent, Kim Evans. Each character has their own unique story. As you fight to dismantle the Cartel and unfurl the mystery of the bombing, you’ll embark on an epic, bloody road trip from the streets of Los Angeles to Ciudad Juarez. Experience the lawlessness of today’s Wild West as you hunt down the Cartel in a world where the ends justify the means.

Part of the hit action franchise, Call of Juarez: The Cartel is set in present day and brings the best elements of the Wild West to a new and modern setting. As a first person shooter with an immersive and mature story, players can expect to embark on a journey like no other — one that will take them from the heart of modern day Los Angeles, California to Juarez, Mexico.

Genre: First Person Shooter - Release date: 13th of September 2011 - Review

The Sims 3: Pets
(??th of September 2011)

For the first time in franchise history, players will be able to take full control of their pet and play out their life story. They’ll also be able to determine their pets’ personality traits to create their perfect pet for their Sims. The Sims 3 Pets allows players to add a new member to their household to control and find new ways to play with life!

The Sims 3 Pets Expansion Pack gives players the opportunity to adopt cats, dogs and even horses! Players will not only determine how their pets look, but they’ll also be able to give them unique personalities traits as well!

Genre: Simulation - Release date (Europe): September 2011-  Review

L.A. Noire
(??th of September 2011)

Set amid the violence and corruption of post-World War II Los Angeles, L.A. Noire is a crime thriller that seamlessly blends crime-solving, clue-finding, car chases and shoot-outs with revolutionary new interrogation-based gameplay that will allow players to read characters’ emotions in order to reveal the truth. Players will take on the role of Cole Phelps, a decorated war veteran, who rises through the ranks of the LAPD by solving a series of gruesome murders and other crimes that bring him face-to-face with the dark heart of Los Angeles during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Genre: Adventure - Release date (Europe): Estimated September 2011, probably later. – Review

Hard Reset
(13th of September 2011)

Hard Reset transports players to a haunting, dystopian future, with humanity on the verge of extinction, confined to its last standing city and under constant threat from the robotic hordes that aim to annihilate mankind. Only one human city remains–the bastion of Bezoar. It’s here that Major Fletcher takes to arms against the robot hordes.

Genre: First Person Shooter - Release date: 13th of September 2011 – More Info

Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
(16th of September 2011)

Focusing on the Battle of Stalingrad and the surrounding operations, both German and Russian, from July 1942 to February 1943, Heroes of Stalingrad allows the player to experience one of the most brutal battles in all of human history. For the first time ever in a first person shooter gamers will be able to experience WWII from the Axis side in a German single player campaign.

Powered by Unreal Engine 3, Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad aims to deliver unrivalled accuracy and attention to detail, along with gritty, vicious combat in multi-player, co-op and solo modes

Genre: First Person Shooter - Release date: 16th of September 2011 – Review

Stronghold 3
(??th of September 2011)

This is the third chapter in FireFly Studios’s hit castle-sim and siege-warfare RTS franchise. In Stronghold 3, castle building — the foundation of the franchise — has been significantly improved, providing players with unprecedented control over the placement of buildings. This allows them to create their kingdom with a precision that compliments their carefully planned tactics. What’s more, village planning is no longer confined to a grid system; players can now create castle walls that flow gracefully … until they’re blasted to pieces by the enemy.

On top of Stronghold 3′s innovations in castle construction, night sieges have been introduced, opening up a range of new possibilities and tactics. Players will have to hunt enemy soldiers cloaked in darkness and carefully choose their weapons in order to survive the dark hours. A state-of-the-art graphics engine lets you view your buildings in stunning detail. From villagers going about their everyday lives, to soldiers preparing for war or people suffering from the plague, players are given a highly-detailed snapshot of medieval life.

Additionally, a refined physics engine with procedural destruction adds intensity and drama to siege warfare as you watch your castle — or that of your enemy — crumble into ruin before your eyes.

Genre: Real Time Strategy - Release date: September 2011 – Review

A Game of Thrones: Genesis
(??th of September 2011)

A Game of Thrones: Genesis plunges you into the heart of the battles and intrigues between the Families that shaped the Kingdom of Westeros.

However, victory does not necessarily result from brute force. The innovative game mechanics provide players with numerous paths to success: will you opt for a military, economic or diplomatic approach? Trickery, treachery and deceit are widespread and you will constantly have to watch your back if you want to avoid a bitter defeat! Peacefully or forcefully annex surrounding territories, besiege enemy castles, send spies to infiltrate behind enemy lines, assassinate trouble-making officers or capture them to ask for a ransom… When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground!

Genre: Strategy - Release date: September 2011 – Review

Might & Magic Heroes VI
(??th of September 2011)

The acclaimed RPG franchise returns with Might & Magic Heroes VI. This adventure begins 400 years before the events in Heroes V, showcasing a family of heroes in a thrilling, epic story where Angels plot to revive an unfinished war. A legendary Archangel general who was killed during the war of the Elder races returns to life with a vengeance. Under the cover of preparations for an upcoming Demon invasion, he unites the peoples of Ashan to eradicate his ancient enemies. However, he underestimates the power of the all-too-human dynasty of the Griffin Dukes. The Griffin heroes’ destinies will be written by players.

Genre: RPG - Release date: September 2011 – Review

Tomb Raider
(??th of September 2011)

Tomb Raider delivers an intense and gritty story of the origins of Lara Croft and her ascent from frightened young woman to hardened survivor, armed with only raw instincts and the physical ability to push beyond the limits of human endurance. Superb physics-based gameplay is paired with a heart-pounding narrative in Lara’s most personal, character-defining adventure to date.

Genre: Action - Release date (Europe): September 2011 – Review

Jurassic Park: The Game
(??th of September 2011)

On the stormy night when Jurassic Park fell apart, a desperate smuggler infiltrates Isla Nublar, hunting the precious canister containing the contraband dinosaur embryos. She collides — literally — with park staff trying to evacuate, and they become stranded amidst the collapsing park ruins, with the newly-freed dinosaurs on the loose. When InGen launches a perilous rescue operation, mercenaries, saboteurs, and survivors are thrown together in the struggle to escape the island.

In this intense adventure game based on the blockbuster film franchise, the survivors’ agendas clash, secrets of the park are exposed, and a new threat emerges: an eerie, nocturnal predator stalking the group, hunting them relentlessly across the island.

Genre: Adventure - Release date: September 2011 - Review

Do you want us to link to your (p)review in future versions of this post? Get in touch! LittlePlayers(at)Gmail(dot)com.

The island of Banoi is a lush, tropical paradise in the South Pacific where its flagship Royal Palms Resort serves as the ultimate getaway for vacationers with money to burn. However, all good things must soon come to an end – and the picturesque resort falls into madness, carnage and chaos after a mysterious and contagious zombie outbreak claims its once peaceful atmosphere. Cut off from the rest of the world, only four individuals who strangely find themselves immune to zombification have the power to protect the remaining survivors from the horrors of the island, to discover what’s really going on and find a way to escape before their own fatal ends.

Genre: First-Person Action – Release Date: September 9, 2011 - Number of Players: 1-4 – Review

From Dust

Created by famed French videogame designer Eric Chahi, this mysterious game tells of a world in terrible disorder, one that only you can set right again. Commanding the world around you as a child in a sandbox, players will help their people resist, expand and migrate so they can accomplish their quest to find a safe place in a land ravaged by the violent and catastrophic ways of Nature. Gameplay in this innovative game is based on advanced technology that allows the entire world to act dynamically. The ground, water, and vegetation are all yours to interact with — breach a lake open, dig open a crater, set loose a lava flow … your powers are great, but how you choose to use them will determine the fate of this society.

Genre: Simulation – Release Date: September 14, 2011 – Review

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an action title with a story based around the flood depicted in the Book of Enoch. You take control of Enoch, an ordinary man who was chosen by God to serve as a clerk in heaven. Enoch must now save humanity by journeying through the world in pursuit of fallen angels. As the story goes, the angels were tasked by God long ago to watch over the world below. Some grew to admire mankind and chose to commit the high crime of descending down to the surface. Angered by this, God considered covering the ground in a great flood. Enoch stepped in and convinced God to hold off on his punishment if he manages to track down the angels. Enoch will be supported on his journey by the angels, who were tasked by God to support him. One angel in particular, Lucifer, appears to have taken a liking to Enoch.

Genre: Action - Release Date: September 9, 2011 – Review

NHL 12

EA Sports NHL 12 wants you to Be the Next Great Legend. Play your way to superstardom in the revamped Be a Pro mode and experience legendary moments in your player career as you shatter records and cement yourself in NHL history. Experience authentic action and energy of real life hockey as the NHL 12 Full Contact Physics Engine puts you in the rink with everything now live on the ice — shatter the glass, send helmets flying and knock players over the boards and into the bench. Experience a fresh new look and feel with all new gameplay presentation, and, for the first time ever, the chance to lace up outdoors under the lights in one of the biggest hockey events of the season, the NHL Winter Classic at Pittsburgh’s Heinz field. This year will be the first to see dynamic goalies in the game; players can knock the net off and make contact with goalies, knocking them down or out of position, as they crash the crease. Watch as goalies fight through screens to make awe-inspiring saves and leave the crease to trade punches with hated rivals during fights.

Genre: Sports – Release Date: September 2011 – Review

Jurassic Park: The Game

On the stormy night when Jurassic Park fell apart, a desperate smuggler infiltrates Isla Nublar, hunting the precious canister containing the contraband dinosaur embryos. She collides — literally — with park staff trying to evacuate, and they become stranded amidst the collapsing park ruins, with the newly-freed dinosaurs on the loose. When InGen launches a perilous rescue operation, mercenaries, saboteurs, and survivors are thrown together in the struggle to escape the island. In this intense adventure game based on the blockbuster film franchise, the survivors’ agendas clash, secrets of the park are exposed, and a new threat emerges: an eerie, nocturnal predator stalking the group, hunting them relentlessly across the island.

Genre: Adventure – Release Date: September 2011 – Review

X-Men: Destiny 

In X-Men Destiny, players control the fate of one of three brand-new mutant characters forced to choose between saving humanity or ensuring its destruction. The branching storyline, penned by acclaimed Marvel writer Mike Carey, features a deep element of choice, allowing players to customize the path, powers and development of their character and to decide their role in the mutant cause alongside, or against, some of Marvel’s greatest X-Men franchise characters, such as Magneto, Cyclops, Wolverine and Gambit. In this third-person action/RPG, X-Gene enhancements deliver a deeper level of customization to players’ powers, with a chance for players to experience the abilities of their favorite X-Men mutants. Gamers will evolve their mutant skills in unique ways and engage in fast and furious combat, spectacular combo-driven attacks and rewarding finishing moves against a variety of opponents bent on defending their beliefs.

Genre: Adventure Release Date: September 2011 – Review

Bleach: Soul Resurrección

Based on the popular manga/anime series, Bleach: Soul Resurrección depicts the battle between the Soul Reapers and the army of evil Arrancars that threaten the peace of the world. Bleach: Soul Resurrección gives players the sensation of single-handedly destroying an army of monsters and evil spirits with lightning-fast swordfighting action. Gamers can re-live the experiences of various characters from the anime by closely following the original story. The environments are faithfully reproduced with beautiful cel-shaded 3D models that will satisfy even the most devoted fans. Bleach: Soul Resurrección will give gamers an unparalleled anime action game experience.

Genre: Fighting - Release Date: September 2011 – Review

Do you want us to link to your (p)review in future versions of this post? Get in touch! LittlePlayers(at)Gmail(dot)com.

I’ve had my HTC Hero for almost two years, and for the past year or so I’ve been stuck using version 2.1 (Eclair) whilst newer phones have been awarded with masterpieces like Froyo, Gingerbread and Honeycomb. This means that I’ve missed out on great additions to the software such as, and most important to me  Apps2SD released in version 2.2 (Froyo).

I’ve always been a bit worried about messing with the software on my phone because of warranty and (mostly) because I was sure I’d mess it up beyond repair. As boredom always trumps worrying, I decided to finally do it anyway. If you are anything like me, stuck on an early version of Android due to your device choice and/or choice of carrier, or if you just want to know how to root and install a custom ROM on your device, then this guide will be perfect for you.

Keep in mind, that doing rooting your phone might void your warranty, so do it on your own risk!

Step 0 – Why should you install a custom ROM?

• You can get more frequent updates without having to wait for your network operator (carrier) to update the native ROM before allowing you to update it.
• You can upgrade to a newer version of Android that your carrier might never release for your particular phone. (Which is the case for Android 2.1 for HTC Hero on Orange in the UK.)
• If you are stuck on Android 2.1, upgrading to a custom ROM will give you App2SD, which will allow you to store and run  your applications on your SD card rather than have to juggle apps on a limited amount of storage space.
• Better performance due to stripping away useless native and carrier software.
• Better optimisation and battery performance (when upgrading from an old version of Android)

Step 1 – Backing up your stuff (10 – 60 minutes)

Rooting your phone

Backing up your phone involves rooting it and installing an app that allows you to store an image of your phone, which can then be used to restore your phone back to its status in the image at any time. You have to root your phone as an unrooted phone will not give enough access to the app to take a complete snapshot.

Rooting your phone will give you access to all of  your phone’s functions, but doing it might differ depending on your phone and your Android version. This guide will show you how to do it on the HTC Hero, but if you use any other device you should be able to add  ”your phone +your Android version + root” into Google and find a specific guide for your phone as it might be different. After doing so, come back to this guide.

After rooting your phone we will use ROM Manager by ClockworkMod to back up your phone.

Gaining root access

1. Download AndRoot. Link >> AndRoot
2. Plug your phone to your PC via USB and mount the SD card so you can transfer files to it (or download it directly onto your phone).
3. Copy the Universal Androot .apk file to the root of the sd card (NOT in any folders, just on the sd card itself).
4. Unplug the phone.
5. Go to the Market on your phone and download Linda File Manager (it’s free, search for Linda).
6. Open Linda (Click on “My Phone” then “sdcard”) and find the Universal Androot .apk file and select it. Follow the prompts to install it.
   –> For this step to work, make sure you’ve checked to allow apps from “unknown sources”. If you haven’t you will be prompted to do so.
7. Open Androot and click Go Root after making sure you’ve selected the correct superuser.
8. All done!

Note: AndRoot might fail once or twice before successfully rooting your phone. Try a few times before giving up!  To double check whether or not you’ve gained root access to your phone, download and run Root Checker.

Installing ROM Manager

1. Access the Android Market.
2. Search for “ROM Manager”.
3. Install ClockworkMod ROM Manager.
4. Use the ROM Manager to install Nandroid Backup.

Backing up your phone

Now that you’ve finished installing ROM Manager it’s time to create an image and back up your phone.

1. Open ROM Manager and select Flash ClockworkMod Recovery
2. Confirm your phone model and then wait for it to download. Make sure the screen doesn’t auto-turn off during this step either by disabling it in settings, or by pressing the screen every now and then.
3. Once you’ve flashed your phone, it is finally time to back up your phone.  This is done by clicking Backup Current ROM.
4. After the backup is complete (after 5-10 minutes), your phone should boot back up normally.

Note: If your phone freezes after rebooting the backup might have failed. Try re-flashing the ROM and press Backup Current ROM again – I had to do it twice before it would back up.

Once the backup has completed, feel free to restore to it to make sure it works. The backup is located on your SD card in the clockworkmod/backup/name folder.

Check out this post for a more extensive guide on backing up your phone by AndroidPolice.com.

Step 2 – Picking and Installing your ROM

There are loads of available custom ROMs, and which one you need depends on  your phone and what featurs you want. To find custom ROMs for your phone, try Googling ‘model type custom rom.”

For this guide we’ll be installing SalsaSense (Screenshots)

If you want to save some time, you could pay for the Clockwork ROM Manager, which will unlock some features that will allow you to find and install custom ROMs through the application. Otherwise follow these steps:

1. Download the ROM you want
2. Save it onto your SD card (do not unzip).
3. Navigate to the zip file using Rom Manager by using ‘Install ROM from SD card’
4. If you didn’t already create a backup of your existing ROM, this is the time to do so, otherwise just select “Wipe Data and Cache” as well as “Wipe Dalvik Cache”
5. –> Note: This only wipes the contents on your internal memory, and not your SD card.
6. Wait for the wipe and install to complete, and then you’re done.
   –> Note: Make sure you have at least 30% battery life before doing this – and don’t leave your phone plugged into your PC. 

This process should complete in anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes so be patient!

If you have any problems during the install, such as the ’The Red Triangle of Death’, just restart your phone and re-flash ClockworkMod Recovery. It should allow you to install the ROM.

If all else fails, paying for the premium version of ROM Manager (we’re not endorsed to say this) will allow you to search for ROMs that work for your specific phone type, and install it through the application – this will save you a lot of time and potential headaches, and it’s what I ended  up doing after writing this post. 

Want To Go Back to where you started? Restore It.

If you want to restore to the backup you (should have) made in the previous steps,  just load up ROM Manager (re-install it if you wiped it) and select the backup under “Manage and Restore Backups.” After the restoration, your phone should be back to where you started as if you never messed with it.

If you have problems doing this, start your phone by holding the home key which will open ClockworkMod Recovery. From here you can go into Advanced and restore your saved backup.

As mentioned in the intro to this post, this is written by someone who had close no to clue about rooting Android phones before trying it a few days ago. As such, please feel free to correct any mistakes or come with your own tips in the comments below!

Further reading

What is Rooting your phone, and what are the benefits?

 Lifehacker – How to choose the right Android ROM for you

FEATURES

• Engaging Puzzle Gameplay: Using the Inter–Dimensional Shift Device, players will shift to and from various dimensions to manipulate the world around them and clear levels with increasing degrees of difficulty.
• Experience New Dimensions: Each dimension the player gains access to becomes a valuable asset to manipulate objects in the manor in a specific way. For example, the Fluffy Dimension makes heavy objects ten times lighter, enabling players to move what was once an immovable safe from one place to the next.
• Immersive, Interactive Environment: In addition to the various dimensions allowing the player to learn new skills and techniques, the look and feel of each dimension is completely distinct. When shifting to the Fluffy Dimension, everything in the room becomes soft and plushy like a cuddly version of its previous state. Every dimension carries its own atmosphere, letting the player feel like they are truly in the world.
• Unique Art Style and Humor: The Professor’s manor and all the items within it have a unique style, but that’s not all. Players should be on the lookout for humorous touches and jokes scattered throughout the manor home. Who wouldn’t want to know what the infamous Professor Quadwrangle looks like in the Fluffy Dimension?

In Quantum Conundrum, players take on the role of a young kid dropped off on his uncle’s doorstep for the weekend; his uncle just so happens to be the brilliant, eccentric inventor, Professor Fitz Quadwrangle. Upon entering the Professor’s vast manor home retrofitted with crazy technology to test his latest hypotheses, players quickly realize their uncle has gone missing. Fortunately, players soon gain access to Professor Quadwrangle’s latest invention, the Inter–Dimensional Shift Device, which, at the press of a button, will shift the world around them to an entirely new dimension. In order to find him, players must use the newly found IDS Device to dynamically change the world to and from a variety of different dimensions to progress through the complicated Quadwrangle Manor. While on the journey, becoming adept at utilizing the various dimensions will help them trek from one bizarre and challenging room to the next. It might sound easy enough, but it is a tall order for a kid in a giant puzzle of a manor! -Square-enix.com

Quantum Conundrum will be released on XBLA, PS Network and Steam in early 2012.

What happens if you combine the hero pool of DotA (LoL/HoN) with MMO-style battlegrounds? You get Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes the latest Play4Free game to launch by EA and Bioware this coming fall. The major difference from the Dota style games is the three-way team-battles (oh DAoC, how I miss thee…) and the fact that you can switch heroes on the fly.

The game will be free to play, but will probably include premium content available at a fee. Fingers crossed there won’t be too many game-breaking items or characters included in the premium content, as I’m sure you’ll agree, F2P games that end up costing more than a game you’d buy outright is getting to be a bit of a joke – especially when it is required for you to get a decent gaming experience out of it.

Trailer

Graphically it looks like low-res Warhammer Online, probably intentionally so to allow the game to reach a larger audience. From what we’ve understood, the approach they’ve taken to gameplay and graphics means that the game could also port to the world of consoles, which could be interesting.

The game-types to be included looks to be  of the capture the flag and king of the hill variety, but it would be interesting if they added some dota style levels as well, with lanes, towers and bases.  The 6v6v6 team battles is very exciting to us, and will hopefully be done well enough to warrant putting some time into the game.

We doubt it’s going to a big game-changer, but it should be worth a try – at least you won’t have to go through 80 levels of PvE before being able to play battlegrounds.

The game is looking to launch this fall, and beta should start soon - sign up here.

Further reading

IGN.com – Wrath of Heroes Impressions

EA.com game information

Facebook – Wrath of Heroes

Homepage – Wrath of Heroes

Imagine if every myth, conspiracy theory and urban legend was true. Imagine a world where you can become anything you want to be, without restrictions such as classes or levels. This is the premise for The Secret World, Funcom’s upcoming massively multiplayer online game set in the modern-day real world.

Through a press release today, Funcom has set April 2012 as the release date for The Secret World and beta to start in only ten days! Check out the latest CG video below and then scroll down for more information.

The latest CG Trailer

Beta

Beta for The Secret World will open on the 26th of August as scheduled by the countdown timer currently on the website for The Secret World. This is definitely a game we’re looking forward to testing

Funcom says that “the beta registration will be integrated into a new, interactive social media campaign that will pit community members in each of the three secret societies against each other in the secret war.”

Further information

Check out one the latest developer diary videos below to see some cool gameplay footage and concept art.

See the post we wrote in March or The Secret World official website for more about the game.

Neverwinter

Neverwinter is an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons Co-operative RPG (not MMO) in development by Cryptic Studios and is currently scheduled for a “late” 2012 release. The date was recently pushed back from a late 2011 release following the sale of Cryptic Studios to Perfect World Entertainment. This is due to a demand by Perfect World for Cryptic to work on a more immersive experience for Neverwinter.

The game is based around the city of Neverwinter as known from the Neverwinter Nights games and will be using a modified version of the D&D 4th edition rule-set.

By co-operative RPG, Cryptic means that they will focus on story and small-group gameplay and not big groups, raids and competing for spawns like conventional MMOs. Think Dragon Age, Oblivion and Dungeons and Dragons Online where all adventures are completed in private instances.

The game was originally meant to be released coinciding with the release of an upcoming trilogy of books by fantasy author R.A. Salvatore as well as an upcoming tabletop game from Wizards of the Coast. How the delay in release date will change this we’re unsure.

Neverwinter At A Glance

• Playable Classes will include the standard D&D classes Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, Ranger and Cleric.
• Adventures will take place in private instances and support groups of up to 5 players. If players have problems finding a party to join they will be able to use NPC characters instead, similar to the DDO henchmen system. Neverwinter will be using real-time tactics combat instead of being turn-based.
• User created adventures can be made using the content creation tool, the Foundry.

The Foundry

Through the content creation-tool, the Foundry, players will be able to create their own adventures or full-fledged campaigns from the ground up to play with their friends and share with the entire Neverwinter community. Players have full control whether these areas will be private or public.

The Foundry gives you the tools to build dungeons, castles, cities, foreboding woods and everything in-between. Build NPCs the way you see them in your mind’s eye and populate your world with tavern keepers and soldiers, Queens and scullions. Lay the groundwork for an epic adventure that takes players into the depths of the earth in search of dwarven treasure, or pits them against near impossible odds to save the city of Neverwinter.

The Foundry will also feature a complete dynamic rating system so players can easily find the best user created adventures to play.

What will allow the user-generated content to stand out in Neverwinter is its overlap with the persistent PVE world. Creators will have the ability to choose an NPC character within the game to initiate their content. Check out this great post at mmorpg.com for more information on the Foundry.

Further information

The Neverwinter Nights series is one of my favourite roleplaying-game series, and hopefully the upcoming Neverwinter will live up to the level of story and content creation that these games have set.

There is still no information in regards to purchase cost, subscription cost or computer specifications.

Check out the official site for more information about Neverwinter, and to register and get more information about the release date and any future betas.

Games in Google+ are there when you want them and gone when you don’t. When you’re ready to play, the Games page is waiting — click the games button at the top of your stream.

The tab is easily ignorable, and you will only see game stories if you want to. This means you will not see any Farmville spam unless you specifically look for it. The Social Games comes with all the things you’d expect, such as featured games, a list of games you’ve played recently and information about which games people you have circled have played. Google Games will also come with an accomplishments / achievements system, most likely similar to what Kongregate does, as well as various types of micro-transactions for virtual goods just like most of the -ville games.

The Games

So far, there are only 16 games available on the site, brought to G+ by developers like Zynga, Rovio and Popcap Games.

We chose to start with a small number of partners so that we could experiment, get the kinks out of our APIs, and get real end-user feedback before opening up to the world. Because we want to provide both a great user experience and a great developer experience, we’re focusing on quality before quantity. We will continue to add new partners and new features in small steps, starting with today’s release of the games APIs to a small number of developers”  - quote

The battle has begun…

Forbes reports that Google will only charge a 5% fee to developers for virtual goods transactions, which is a massive change compared to the 30% cut Facebook takes.

Facebook has been quick to respond to Google’s news and has added “some of the biggest updates to the apps experience on Facebook since we first launched Platform four years ago.”

Eager to hold on to its game developers Facebook announced a major redesign that includes the addition of application bookmarks, a real-time social application activity feed and more engaging “automatic game stories.”

Will Google’s launch into games be a big nail in the coffin for sites that offer free flash games? It obviously doesn’t offer the same type of community, but only time will tell for sure. As with anything Google, it’s still in beta.

If you are a developer looking to create games for Google+, check out the G+ developer blog here to get the latest information.

It’s still early days in terms of actual gameplay, but this game is one of the most ambitions games we’ve seen in development (where it’s been since 2006), and we’re very interested in seeing how it’s received. Check out the trailers and some gameplay videos below.

Archeage is a new MMORPG in a classic style of fantasy, being developed by XLGames.
You can see open world PvP in Archeage, each player can attack any other player, regardless of their faction. Players will be able to have their own houses, manage the furniture and other useful tools. Guilds can base their own cities and castles, as well as fight for them on sieges. For that, Archeage has a wide variety of siege weapons.

Trailers

Features, Classes and Races:

There will be 3 races in ArcheAge; 

• Ferres
• A nomadic race that never stays in one place for long. They are excellent hunters and wield both swords and bows with equal skill. Each member of the tribe owns a tamed snow lion that serves as a mount, a valuable asset, and a lifelong companion. The Ferres will fight for survival at any cost, sometimes even by abandoning their comrades when threatened enough. Still, tales tell of others who have risked their lives for honour.  It is this conviction that emboldens them to continue wandering the world, searching for an untouched land to worship and call their own.
• Elves
• Elves live a secluded life in the forest, meditating on the history carved in artifacts they find there.  They are envied across the world for their beauty,  yet feared for their enigmatic activities.  Some Elves wander dangerous lands in search of battle and a glorious death, while others wish only to recover their long lost traditions.
  
• Nuians
• The progeny of the Goddess Nui, the Nuians seek to preserve and follow their honored traditions. They revere nature and natural beauty and value harmony above all else, but fight fearlessly to protect their beliefs. Some day they hope to see the revival of their collapsing kingdom.

The class system

is based on ten ability sets rather than your standard pre-made classes. Your ‘class’ or more correctly, your role in ArcheAge is based upon the 3 abilities you can pick per character. As an example a Fighter class could be composed of the abilities Combat, Fortification and Will, whilst a Healer could have Will, Devotion and Artistry.  Each set of abilities determine which skills you will have access to whilst making your way through the game.
The ten abilities you can chose from are these:

• Combat - focuses on destructive attack skills that can crush many foes at once.
• Conjury - does not deal direct magic damage to enemies, but instead weakens and debilitates them.
• Fortification - boosts your health and defense, allowing you to better protect yourself and your allies.
• Will – is the ability to inflict severe magic damage to your enemies or prevent magic damage to your allies.
• Death - summons the power of the dead to deal strong magic damage to enemies and enables you to cross the border between life and death at will.
• Wild - allows you to chase and kill your enemies with deadly ranged attacks.
• Magic - grants you powerful, traditional magic spells with great versatility.
• Calling - enables you to approach enemies quietly and deal fatal damage through Calling techniques. Calling is very effective in one-to-one combat.
• Artistry - boosts your combat performance by increasing movement speed or recovery speed.
• Devotion - increases the viability of your allies by healing and reviving them.

Ship building and some Naval combat:

House building

Horseback fighting

Castle construction:

Battlegrounds PVP

Skip to 1:05 for the video.

Words

ArcheAge looks and feels like your standard medieval fantasy MMO, and in terms of gameplay it doesn’t bring many new features. What it does do however is a fantasy MMO experience on a massive scale, and actually brings forward an ever-changing world for players to explore and change through PvP, crafting, housing, town and castle building – reminiscent of Shadowbane and Darkfall. The developers promise a community like that of Ultima Online, PvE comparable to World of Warcraft and PvP taken from Lineage 2

The Sieges and Naval battles also look very promising – and the ship construction? Amazing.  We do get the feeling that this game is made for a huge player-base however, and we can’t even start imagining how many man-hours each ship and castle will need to build.  The game is looking for a release date some time in 2012.

Check out the official site for more information, and check out this great article at mmorpg.com for an impression article from Closed Beta 3 in May. Also check out archeagesource for  FAQs and similar. Definitely an MMO we’ll keep an eye on. Let us know what you think in the comments! 

10. It’s made by Bioware – Bioware has a proven track record of producing some of the greatest single player roleplaying games, including Baldurs Gate, Neverwinter Night, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

09. It’s produced by Electronic Arts – EA Games has got incredibly deep pockets, and are hoping to go against Activision/Blizzard and World of Warcraft with SWTOR.

08. The companion system – This system will simplify crafting and group quests, as well as improve solo game play. They will add optional story-lines, gather resources and craft for you, as well as  fill out your group if you’re a member short. Each player will have up to  five companions.

07. Crew Skills – Your companions’ skills will allow all of your five companions to do work for you, such as gather resources, craft your starship and more, even when you are off-line!

06. PvP System – The SWtor PvP system will allow every class to be useful in PvP – even tanks, who will gain rewards for soaking up and deflecting damage from other players.

05. Content – It will take an average of 200 hours for a character to reach maximum level. This includes class quests, world arcs, world quests and more. PvP is not included in this estimate, which means there should be plenty of content available even at the start of the game.  (Although 8 days /played doesn’t actually seem that much?)

04. No Auto Attack – All classes will only have active skills, similar to casters in most games.

03. Crowd Control Resolve Bar – A diminishing returns bar that all players will be able to see. When this reaches max the character will be immune to crowd control spells, meaning you won’t have to waste spells on them. This does seem like it’s dumbing down the game a little, but we’ll see how it works.

02. Real Scale World – Everything in the game is the size it should be – this includes the inside of buildings and caves, and the size of planets. Each planet will be the size of 7 to 8 World of Warcraft zones. As an example; Alderaan is the same size as the entire Dragon Age Origins map. The game will launch with 17 planets to explore.

01. Story – Star Wars can boast about more than 60 novels worth of writing, 800k lines of dialogue and more hundreds of voice actors involved in the game. This however is not why the Story in this game is so big. In SW: The Old Republic you’ve got hundreds of choices to make throughout the game – and each player will have a completely different gaming experience throughout the game.

The Humble Indie Bundle #3

We love the Humble Bundles, and the fourth bundle that  launched a few days ago doesn’t disappoint. As always, the bundle includes games that all work natively on Linux, Max OS X and Windows and as always you can choose how much you want to pay and who will receive the money. We do suggest that you support your Indie developers for more and better games in the future by paying as much as you can for these games. Keep in mind, you can always go back later and pay more if you’d rather try them first.

At the time of this post, almost 190k bundles have been sold at a total price of  $900k with 9 days left of the sale.

Crayon Physics Deluxe [2009]

Website and Forum

Crayon Physics is a 2D physics puzzle / sandbox game first released in 2009. In the game you get to experience what it would be like if your drawings would be magically transformed into real physical objects. Solve puzzles with your artistic vision and creative use of physics.

Cogs [2009]

Website and Forum

Cogs is an award-winning puzzle game first released in 2009. Immersed in a steampunk (who doesn’t love steampunk!?) world with stunning visual design, Cogs players build an incredible variety of machines from sliding tiles. With 50 unique levels and three gameplay modes, we’ve packed in hours of entertaining, addictive fun.

Bonus points for using “In the hall of the Mountain King” in their trailer!

The letter V six times [2010]

Website and Forum

VVVVVV was first released in 2010 and is another 2D puzzle game available for PC, Mac OS and Linux.  The game has got a cool 8bit graphics and great music. The gameplay is at times quite frustrating due to the difficulty of the gameplay – probably the most difficult game in the  bundle.

In VVVVVV the player controls Captain Viridian, who is lost in an alternate dimension, in search of the missing members of his spaceship’s crew. Instead of jumping, the player is able to control the direction of gravity, allowing Captain Viridian to flip between the floors and ceilings of the environment. The graphical style of VVVVVV is heavily influenced by the Commodore 64. [wiki]

Hammerfight [2009]

Website

In Hammerfight you play as a member of a tribe called the Gaiars, a strong race who have battled with large bugs to survive. When your tribe is destroyed you are taken prisoner and turned into a slave. As you are discovered to be the last living human Gaiar, you are forced to battle in the arena. In battle, a man recognizes you as the son of a friend, and together you plot the downfall of the Emperor that ordered the destruction of the Gaiars. [wiki]

The game has some great steampunk artwork and physics style gameplay – it’s not as hard as maybe Vx6, but still has a satisfying level of gameplay. One of our favourites in the bundle.

And Yet it Moves [2009]

Website and Forum

And Yet It Moves is an award-winning physics-based platform game in which players rotate the game world at will to solve challenging puzzles. Tilting the world turns walls into floors, slides into platforms, and stacks of rocks into dangerous hazards. Players navigate through a paper collage world created with colorful pieces of cardboard and set to distinctive music. With four different environments and unlockable modes, And Yet It Moves is a platformer that will provide gamers with endless challenges.

Bonus: Minecraft

Website and Forum

Users who buy The Humble Indie Bundle #3 will also be able to play Minecraft free until the 14th of August – which means if you get it at the time of this post, you can potentially get 2 week of free Minecraft on top of all the games (although we’d suggest you at least pay something and support these wonderful indie developers!)

To get the third Humble Bundle, just visit the website and complete your order!