More Studio Layoffs

In this article via Kotaku it is discussed that yet another studio may be experiencing layoffs.

Personally, we did think that the downsizing in the video game realm, at least en masse, was finished. We thought there'd be some cost-cutting here and there, but, that the big blood baths were finished. It seems we were wrong.

The rumor mill does report that out of just over 100 employees Heavy Iron is set to fire anywhere from 60 to 70 staffers, that is, the majority of their team.

The studio is most famous for producing games that serve as complimentary promo items to Disney and Pixar studio releases.

iPhone Chart Toppers: Less Is More

Today, via Kotaku, we're running down the current Top 10 iPhone Games.

Check out the post, and tell us, if you don't find it a little bit funny that despite the progress in animation and quality of development, much of the same type of games that could be found on more primitive mobile devices several years back still reign supreme.

Hanging at #2 on the Top 10 is EA's is Rock Band for mobile, which is an obvious contender, seeing as how the virtual instruments franchise is the hottest one on the market. But, what about games like Bejeweled 2, Scrabblte and Tetris (all three are also Top 10 contenders)?

Weren't one-point-perspective casual games that didn't require toggling between multiple screens just as popular before the advent of a wide-screen PDA mobile device? We definitely played a couple of those on our black and white screen Nokia back in the day and we definitely find it a bit amusing that so many years into the advent of mobile gaming, players really do just want a colorful, casual, familiar experience. It is for that reason we think everyone should download our newest mobile product and casual game, Decades for iPhone, right here!

Enjoy!

3GS Games = Added Coding

While were mulling over re-posting an OP/ED about the gaming market now driving much of its business development in the direction of the iPhone, we stumbled upon an article on Kotaku and thought, "Moot point. iPhone knew this would happen. They're not trying to gain part of the market, they're trying to become a ubiquitos force in it."

In case you haven't noticed Apple trying to extend itself beyond a brand into a 360 degree "way of life", with highly stylized, super-futuristic phone/MP3player/compasses, unnecessarily re-branded white MacBooks (why anyone would ever prefer that clumpy looking, dirt-magnet over the sleek titanium version is beyond us), specialty mall stores where super-informed Macnerds speak to you in soothing tones, we're pleased to inform that they are succeeding in this endevour and going a step further in their quest for world domination (and domination in the gaming world) by creating a separate programming platform for iPhone 3GS. While game developers (like us!) will still be able to create games for the older generation of iPhones and iPod Touches, they now also have the option of encoding a seperate set of parameters into a game that will be recognized once a game is downloaded and opened on an iPhone 3GS. The added codes will allow for optimized game playability and really take advantage of the meat and potatoes of the iPhone's technology. 

Pretty fascinating we think and we can't wait to see if this broadening of Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch platform will give them that extra edge in the market by creating a further challenge for game development enthusiasts.

Full article via Kotaku

It's A Mee! Mario!

Happy news today, as Charles Martinet has leaked via his Twitter that he is working on Nintendo's new version of Mario Bros. He tweets:

"Awesome new Mario Game! And it's not NSMB Wii, and it's not Galaxy 2, but it's going to be crazy fun!"

So, while we think that Twitter, being as it's limited to 140 characters for any individual post, may ultimately throw a lot of confusion out in the world by making people blurt out incomplete thoughts, and this may mean, that the news is not for sure, or is somehow just a total work-in-progress, we're also happy to hear of the possible re-emergence of our favorite Italian plumber. Ahhhh, just the name Mario alone takes us back to our sick days as a child and spending many hours on our parents' bed trying to outrun dinosaurs and listening to that iconic background music.

We'll be waiting patiently, here by the computer, until more, detailed news emerges. Until then, can Nintendo slap together a nifty Mario mobile app? We'd be much grateful.