While I’m waiting for my iPhone to be updated to iOS version 4.1, lets talk about the recently launched updated iPod touch. If you are thinking about getting the new 4th generation iPod touch with the expectation that it carries the same amount of firepower as the iPhone 4 sans mobile phone service, you’ll be a  little disappointed. While it is true that the iPod touch received similar upgrades like that of the iPhone 4, the way these upgrades were implemented will leave you wanting.

Anandtech has actually came up with a really comprehensive review on the 4th-gen iPod touch, and noted the way these upgrades were implemented. But rather than go through the rather long article, let me summarise things for you:

1. While the iPhone 4 and iPod touch share the same A4 processor, the iPhone 4 has 512 MB of RAM (allowing it to run more apps in background), the iPod touch has just 256 MB of RAM.
2. While the iPod touch gets the Retina Display update, the screen quality is a poorer than that of the iPhone 4.
3. The iPod touch’s rear camera sensor is much poorer than the 5MP camera on the iPhone 4, and is missing the LED flash.

It doesn’t hurt to get the iPod touch as a handheld gaming console but like I said earlier, if you are expecting iPhone 4 performance (sans mobile phone service), think again. Read the Anandtech review over here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3903/apples-ipod-touch-2010-review-not-a-poor-mans-iphone-4

I was ask to review a game several weeks ago, titled Crazy Shapes (iPhone) by Grumpy Dodo. It wasn’t a good experience and I thought that the whole game was just some amateur experiment that basically gave indie developers a bad name. In any case, I decided to check out the reviews left on the game in Apple’s App Store…guess what, the average rating was 5 stars. A pretty shitty game with a 5-star rating? You’ve gotta to be kidding me.

Curious, I decided to check out the reviews. 3 of the reviews came from users with 2 reviews to their names, and the second review happens to be for another game created by Grumpy Dodo (see image above). While there are several genuine reviews (there’s one disguised as a genuine review, from the game’s creator himself), the majority are reviews from users who have not reviewed anything else. One would think that if you are going to genuinely spend USD 1.99 on a shitty game and then put down a review, there would be probably other shitty games that you would be dropping reviews on. No?

Anyways, I’m going out of my way here to say, no, don’t spend your money on Crazy Shapes,  in fact don’t buy anything made by Grumpy Dodo. Go buy something else, like Linkin Park’s 8-bit Rebellion (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/linkin-park-8-bit-rebellion/id362709717?mt=8)

Superman: Red Son is probably one of the more interesting Superman stories that I’ve read. An Elseworld story (meaning that it’s  a re-imagining of the character in somewhat fantastical situations…as if comics are not fantastical at the first place), it tells the story of what if Superman grew up as a communist superhero instead of an all-American boy after the plane carrying him crashes somewhere in the Ukraine, instead of Kansas.

Superman grows up to assume control of the Soviet Union and forms a utopia, with the rest of the world falling in line with the exception of the United States. Lex Luthor is shown here as a scientist obsessed with destroying Superman and forms LuthorCorp as a result. Batman has a small role in this as well, taking the fight against Superman but commits suicide to avoid capture.

For fans, Red Son  has plenty of other surprises as well. The end battle even features a Green Lantern Marine Corps. LOL. At the end of it all, Red Son presents a crazy mind-bomb with a “predestination paradox” (somewhat like in the Terminator, sending John Connor back in time) that while crazy, proofs to be a satisfying end to the story.

By the way, if you are looking for an app to read comics on the go, check out Comic Zeal  Comic Reader for the iPhone.  It’s a little expensive at USD 6, but definitely worth the money (rated 4 1/2 stars on the App St0re). Check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comic-zeal-comic-reader-mini/id288016881?mt=8

Namco is currently having a “back-to-school” sale for its iPhone games and I took advantage of it to get some games that I’ve been eye-ing for some time. What did I get? Well I bought Ridge Racer Accelerated (USD 2.99, link), PAC-MAN (USD 0.99, link), and Galaga Remix (USD 0.99, link). Those are actually pretty significantly discounted prices. For those who haven’t bought Garter & Ghouls, here’s your chance to get this Diablo-like RPG-lite game for just USD 0.99 (link).

On other App Store related stuff, Shazam is providing a subscription model for free users of Shazam to upgrade to Shazam Encore for USD 2.99 a year via an in-app purchase. But if you do not wish to be bothered by yearly fees, you can purchase the Shazam Encore app for USD 4.99. I decided to go for the yearly subscription route, since I wanted to use my App Store funds for other things. In any case, hooray for unlimited tagging!

I’m drowing in match-3 games on the iPhone; it seems that this particular genre of games has like the highest number of paid apps going on free promos on the App Store. I’m just guessing that they are too many of them competing for space and the only way to go is to go …FREE. Anyways, let’s take a break from all them match-3 games, and check out a particularly interesting offering from Epic Games showcasing their Unreal Engine 3 on the iPhone.

Yup, we had heard rumours of Epic having run their Unreal Engine 3 on the iOS device but this is the first proof to the general public that the iPhone is capable of lush 3D graphics, previously the realm of consoles and PC. Titled Epic Citadel, players get to walk around a castle and the surrounding areas in real time;  I must say it’s a pretty amazing experience. Check out the screenshots below:

My friend did raise a valid question though, while pretty enough, if this were a real game, how will the player shoot considering that both thumbs are pre-occupied with the virtual analog sticks. Hopefully this will be answered by actual games powered by Unreal Engine 3.

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Apple announced plenty of interesting updates to its music players during today’s earlier event but the interesting piece of tech would be the new fourth generation iPod touch. Now with the A4 processor seen in the iPhone 4, along with dual cameras, Retina Display touchscreen, HD video recording and editing, Game Center, gyroscope + accelerometer, and the fact that the App Store has plenty of notable games and apps, has the iPod touch eclipsed both the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP?

I would like to think so. If you are out on the market looking for a handheld console, I would now no longer hesitate to recommend the new fourth generation iPod touch. There are only two reasons I can see why people would go for either the DS and PSP: traditional controls and exclusive titles…and that’s about it. Check out the new iPod touch over here, and I must say, I’m tempted to get one: http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/

As a kid, I really liked playing hidden object games, the “technical term” for a game involving looking for a list of items within a picture. There was a particular children magazine that held a contest featuring such a game and silly young me bought multiple copies of the magazine (so that I can have multiple entry forms) to create a bigger chance of winning the top prize, which was a LEGO set.

Anyways, in the age of video games, hidden object games are a dim a dozen these days, and while I’m pretty sure that there are plenty on the iPhone, this is the first time I’m reviewing one, having gotten it as a review request in the mail. Operation Camouflage is the latest offering from Disney, and it’s a hidden object game based on the hit movie, Toy Story 3!

Playing as Sarge and his group of toy soldiers, players have to look for a list of items in places such as Andy’s room, Bonnie’s room and Sunnyside Daycare. While the game keeps things interesting by making items a little abstract (and thus harder to find) with a hard mode to boot (read: timer), there are some gripes that I can’t seem to shake off. For starters, the game is definitely suited more for the iPad rather than the iPhone, thankfully the game is a universal app for both devices.

The beautiful high-res graphics prove to be a double-edged sword. While the game looks pretty, items tend to be really small and the zoom function is slow and it stutters. There’s no penalty for just simply tapping around the screen randomly without finding anything. But I guess this was a deliberate decision considering the target audience is after all, children.

On that point, Toy Story 3: Operation Camouflage is one of those games to keep the kids occupied when Mummy or Daddy need some peace and quiet to work over their income tax submission. Check out the game over at the App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toy-story-3-operation-camouflage/id386171639?mt=8.

If you are looking to buy those Toy Story toy soldiers, check out the Toy Story Collection Bucket o’ Soldiers containing 72 toy soldiers and a certificate of authentication. Check it out over here: http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-47yl-71-7g-49-en-84-j-70-3y5w.html

Do you play video games with your partner/spouse? Well I do. My girlfriend and I usually take turns at playing Guitar Hero: World Tour on the PS3. Sometimes we have a go at Street Fighter as well and for some reason (maybe because I suck at fighting games), she ends up winning simply by button mashing. I would love to have another guitar though, so at least we can go head to head; this makes the following Play-Asia offer a tempting one:

The Guitar Hero Aerosmith – Guitar Bundle for the PS3 is going for a super low price of USD 39.90. That’s pretty crazy considering it comes with a Guitar controller. Furthermore, I like Aerosmith. Hmm. Anyways, if you are interested, you can get one for yourself over here: http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-47yl-71-bp-49-en-84-j-70-2q18.html

Back when I was a kid, my dad used to get me issues of Quest magazine, a partworks magazine collection about science published by Marshall Cavendish. If you are unfamiliar with the term partworks, it basically means a written publication, released as a series of planned magazine-like issues over time. In the case of Quest, each issue can be separated into separate topics and stored inside binders with colour coded sections. The complete collection, consisting of 3 binders of collected issues, is somewhat like an encyclopedia on science.

I noticed a new partworks collection yesterday at the local Borders, called the DC Comics’ Super Hero Collection. It sounds tacky and while it comes with the pre-requisite magazine (and the binder is coming in Issue 2….I think), each issue comes with a hand-painted, lead-cast collector’s edition figurine of the featured superhero! In the case of Issue 1, which is on the newsstands now, the featured superhero none other than my favourite, Batman.

The magazine portions details the character, the greatest Batman stories, the supporting characters and the genesis of the idea in creating Batman, it’s nothing much if you have something like The Essential Batman Encyclopedia (which I do, having bought it for a song), but if you don’t it’s an OK primer to the Dark Knight. The star of the issue is definitely the figurine. I’m keeping in in-box (took off the shrink-wrapped, but never gone to the business of setting the little guy free from his plastic confines), and I think it’s pretty well worth the money.

DC Comics’ Super Hero Collection is a bi-weekly release. The first issue is now at an introductory price of RM 19.90, subsequent issues will have a price tag of RM 29.90.  If you were to ask me, I would say the magazine is worth buying for the figurine alone. Looks like I’ve to add this to the budget, in addition to the other two magazines that I buy on a regular basis, EDGE and Retro Gamer.

I downloaded two games from Cave Entertainment last night, the first one being their latest release, Dodonpachi Revolution, and another title that has been on the App Store for a little bit longer, ESPGALUDA II. I’m usually a shmup player along the lines of R-Type and Tyrian but having read about bullet porn (or bullet hell) shmups in Brian Ashcraft’s Arcade Mania, I gotten a little curious about this sub-genre. It went to the extent that I visited a local arcade to try out one of the bullet hell shmup cabinets.

In any case, it’s fortunate that Cave decided to release their games on the iPhone, there’s no longer a need for me to go to the arcade (and bring along disinfecting alcohol wipes for those icky controls). I love both games. Dodonpachi Revolution has that raw visceral look while ESPGALUDA II looks really slick. Both are capable of churning out a crazy load of bullets, filling up the screen but thanks to the 3GS, there’s no slowdown at all.

One should however pay heed to the “requirements” needed to play the two games. Both require a 3GS or better, and the iPhone 3G won’t cut it with its slower processor. I made sure to remove background applications in order to give maximum headroom to the games considering both are memory intensive. If you are a shmup fan and still stuck with an iPhone 3G, these two games will convince you to take the plunge and get an iPhone 4 (or minimally a 3GS).

Check out ESPGALUDA II over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/espgaluda-ii/id363969661?mt=8, Dodonpachi Resurrection is currently available at a discounted price of USD 4.99: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dodonpachi-resurrection/id387176580?mt=8