Last week we reported on Skyfire finally launching on iOS. As was to be expected, nearly everyone with an iOS device tried to download the new browser at once, promptly crashing the company’s servers and causing all sorts of problems. Now the team is ready to try again, but this time they’re only allowing a few downloads of Skyfire at a time.
On the company’s official blog CEO Jeff Glueck announced that Skyfire will be available “while supplies last” and that the company will continually release the browser until servers near capacity, then shut it down until things clear up a bit.
“Due to overwhelming demand, we are taking this approach because Skyfire believes a good user experience should come first, and we would rather have fewer, happier customers, and add new users as we can support them,” he said. “We will open the first batches to US users only, with additional country support to follow shortly.
“Please note that there may be some initial congestion as a flood of new users simultaneously try to use the service, but try again an hour later and things should smooth out.”
Glueck is recommending that those who don’t get Skyfire right away keep checking the company’s Twitter and Facebook pages for updates on when the browser is available. Glueck is also promising to make Skyfire available outside the US as quickly as possible.
Those who have been able to use the browser seem impressed, as previously inaccessible videos now work without issue. The key is that Skyfire takes Flash videos and converts the code to HTML5, which can be read by iOS devices.
Has anyone out there tried Skyfire yet? If so, what do you think? Has it been worth the added hassle to watch video content you couldn’t see before, or is the net gain ultimately minimal?
Developer: BulkyPix
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4
Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.56 out of 5 stars
Gobliiins is rather difficult to remember how to spell. It’s also an iPhone conversion of a point and click adventure game from the early 1990s. Who’d have thought one day that a game that required a huge lumbering PC, could one day be played on a phone? Regardless of this brief dose of nostalgia, Gobliiins makes for a quite sound purchase, even if it is occasionally a little confusing as to what you need to do next.
You control three goblins who have set out to find a cure for the mad king. Ultimately you probably won’t be too bothered about what the plotline is. It’s not really that important in the grand scheme of things. What’s more important is solving each puzzle that comes your way.
Each of the goblins has their own unique abilities. One goblin is a technician so can pick up and use items, while the second goblin is a warrior who can punch and climb, and the third is a magician who can cast spells. Each of these skills come in handy to solve the variety of puzzles that you’ll come across in the 22 different levels. The puzzles themselves are for the most pat interesting with some requiring you to escape the screen while others needing you to collect a certain hidden object. The flaw lies in the fact that many of them aren’t as obviously solved as you’d think.
Point and click games from the 1990s were notoriously obtuse and this time it’s no different. Fortunately, there is a very handy hint system which helps you throughout the game but it does slightly ruin the point when you find yourself relying on it because you have simply no idea what you’re meant to do next. I found this particularly noticeable when it came to certain puzzles that required very precise timing – these felt more like a matter of trial and error than anything else.
Despite this though, I had a lot of fun with Gobliiins. The characters are charming thanks to the hand drawn visuals and it was satisfying to progress through the game. Unlike a title such as Broken Sword: The Director’s Cut, I felt no urge to keep playing for the sake of the storyline – I just liked having a new puzzle to solve. It’s not brilliant but it is fun at times.
Developer: BulkyPix
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4
Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.56 out of 5 stars
Gobliiins is rather difficult to remember how to spell. It’s also an iPhone conversion of a point and click adventure game from the early 1990s. Who’d have thought one day that a game that required a huge lumbering PC, could one day be played on a phone? Regardless of this brief dose of nostalgia, Gobliiins makes for a quite sound purchase, even if it is occasionally a little confusing as to what you need to do next.
You control three goblins who have set out to find a cure for the mad king. Ultimately you probably won’t be too bothered about what the plotline is. It’s not really that important in the grand scheme of things. What’s more important is solving each puzzle that comes your way.
Each of the goblins has their own unique abilities. One goblin is a technician so can pick up and use items, while the second goblin is a warrior who can punch and climb, and the third is a magician who can cast spells. Each of these skills come in handy to solve the variety of puzzles that you’ll come across in the 22 different levels. The puzzles themselves are for the most pat interesting with some requiring you to escape the screen while others needing you to collect a certain hidden object. The flaw lies in the fact that many of them aren’t as obviously solved as you’d think.
Point and click games from the 1990s were notoriously obtuse and this time it’s no different. Fortunately, there is a very handy hint system which helps you throughout the game but it does slightly ruin the point when you find yourself relying on it because you have simply no idea what you’re meant to do next. I found this particularly noticeable when it came to certain puzzles that required very precise timing – these felt more like a matter of trial and error than anything else.
Despite this though, I had a lot of fun with Gobliiins. The characters are charming thanks to the hand drawn visuals and it was satisfying to progress through the game. Unlike a title such as Broken Sword: The Director’s Cut, I felt no urge to keep playing for the sake of the storyline – I just liked having a new puzzle to solve. It’s not brilliant but it is fun at times.
Those who can’t get enough of George Lucas’ most popular cash cow will be happy to hear that THQ is planning on launching Star Wars: Falcon Gunner later this month. While many may be quick to roll their eyes at yet another Star Wars game, this one stands out from the crowd by functioning as an augmented reality title.
The game puts players in the gunner’s seat of the Millennium Falcon as you try and fend off an onslaught of TIE fighters and other unsavory enemies. Furthermore, if you have a front-facing camera on your iOS device you can point it at any landscape which will then serve as the background for your skirmish. Thus you might be battling Imperial forces over major cities, in your own living room or even, heaven forbid, flying out of your toilet. The possibilities are nearly limitless and it’s a little wrinkle which should give the game an added bit of flair.
Of course the major question this raises is if the game will be compatible with older model iPhones and iPods that don’t have the camera. THQ is planning to include pre-rendered backgrounds so the augmented-reality portion won’t be mandatory, but since that’s one of the main selling points we can’t help but wonder how much the game stands up without it.
This won’t be THQ’s first rodeo with Star Wars, as the publisher has already put out games like Battle for Hoth and Trench Run, both of which were solid but not particularly spectacular. Has THQ nailed it this time around? We’ll know more when the game launches in the very near future. As always, we’ll make sure to post a review so you can know in advance whether the Force is strong with this one or its Midichlorian count just isn’t up to snuff.
Fruit Ninja has consistently been one of the best-selling and most beloved gaming apps available on the iTunes Store, and now this super-entertaining game has gotten even more addictive with the addition of a brand new mode. The game, both in standard and iPad HD varieties is getting support for a brand-new Arcade mode, which looks to be highly entertaining. Among the new features included are:
Double Points – This banana will award you double points for a short period of time. Criticals and combos count too, so rack up those fruit for some massive scores!
Frenzy – If you’re not content with the amount of fruit on screen, the Frenzy banana will take care of that. A mammoth amount of fruit will begin flying in, but you have to stay focused to slice it all!
Freeze – The entire screen will slow down, allowing for maximum accuracy and combo potential!
Each round in Arcade mode lasts for 60 seconds, and at the end you can post your scores and see how you stack up with other members of the fruit slashing community. It’s very similar to other Arcade style games such as Bejeweled Blitz, and we all know how ridiculously addictive and popular such games can be. When you’re tired of cutting the rope why not go back to cutting the fruit, but this time with a frenzy?
Now that the mysterious “banana mode” which has haunted players for months has finally been revealed we have to ask, what do you think? Is this the sort of thing you had been dreaming of, or would some other new mode have suited the game better? From where I sit, you should be happy I stopped playing long enough to report this news, there are pineapples that must be frozen and then sliced and I’m wasting precious seconds typing instead!
On the company’s official blog CEO Jeff Glueck announced that Skyfire will be available “while supplies last” and that the company will continually release the browser until servers near capacity, then shut it down until things clear up a bit. 
You control three goblins who have set out to find a cure for the mad king. Ultimately you probably won’t be too bothered about what the plotline is. It’s not really that important in the grand scheme of things. What’s more important is solving each puzzle that comes your way.
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