If there was a list of things that I never expected to be talking about today, Duke Nukem 3D [ Free ] getting an update would probably be right near the top. But that’s just what has happened as MachineWorks has issued a new update for 3D Realms’ classic first-person shooter that looks to address the long-derided virtual controls in the game.

For a quick backstory, Duke Nukem 3D launched in the App Store way back in August of 2009. Id Software’s Wolfenstein 3D [$ 1.99 / Free ] had hit iOS several months earlier and received critical acclaim, mostly centered around how well their controls worked. With a Doom [ $ 4.99 ] iOS port also on the horizon, having Duke Nukem on my iPhone seemed like the greatest news in history for a long-time FPS fan like me.

However, the initial version of Duke had possibly the worst controls I’ve ever encountered. I mean downright unplayable. To the developer’s credit they quickly issued an update about a month later with a bunch of new control options, but sadly it did little to help. Sure, some people could find a scheme that was workable for them with some heavy tweaking of options, but the controls still felt pretty bad and have remained that way ever since.

Until today that is, closing in on 3 years after the last update to Duke Nukem. Surprising to say the least, but unfortunately it’s also a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that the controls are actually quite decent now, offering an improved (but still lackluster) dual-stick option as well as a very good “drag anywhere to aim” scheme which really nails it. It may have taken a long time (that’s an understatement) but I can finally enjoy Duke Nukem 3D on my iPhone. Also, it appears that the visuals have been cleaned up considerably, and actually look quite good for a 16 year old game.

Now for the bad news. The update is full of bugs, one of which can render your controls unusable. You can avoid causing this by going into the control options before loading or starting a new game and selecting and then deselecting the dual-stick controls, but that will erase whatever custom scheme you might have previously created by dragging the virtual buttons around the screen. Basically, it’s not much of a solution.

In addition, there’s also a bug that silences the sounds from the game which I’ve only been able to fix by saving my game and killing it from the multi-tasking screen and then starting it up again. Also, for some reason the end-level stats screen is upside down and they’ve disabled the mirror reflection effect in the game. Finally, advertisements have been inserted into Duke Nukem 3D which will pop down when you first start the game and when wake your device from sleep with the game running. Lame.

As delighted as I was to see a surprise update to one of my all-time favorite games, unfortunately this latest update for Duke Nukem 3D is a complete mess. If they can sort out the bugs then I really believe the new controls are a huge improvement, and bring the game more in line with the newer FPS games on the App Store. However, given the lack of attention paid to the game the past few years that seems like a pretty big “if”, especially since the iPad version Duke Nukem 3D SE [ $ 0.99 (HD)] hasn’t been updated at all. Also, I’m not crazy about ads being put into a game that I previously paid for.

At any rate, Duke Nukem 3D is currently free right now, so if you didn’t have it already you might as well grab it just in case they do sort out the bugs. If you could manage just fine with the controls the way they were before, then you’ll probably want to hold out on this update altogether until (and if) they can fix this situation.

Source: Touch Arcade

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including why survival horror is still a viable genre, Nintendo's backstage performance, making multiplayer XBLIG titles, and more.] In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs — also highlighted weekly — can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only …

Source: Gamasutra News

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including why survival horror is still a viable genre, Nintendo's backstage performance, making multiplayer XBLIG titles, and more.] In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs — also highlighted weekly — can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only …

Source: Gamasutra News

Celebrate by watching some Not Necessarily the News tonight, or some episodes of Fraggle Rock. Look, it’s been a while since we’ve had HBO, okay?

HBO Go Xbox 360 app now available to Time Warner users originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Joystiq

With the spiritual successor to ZombieSmash, Zynga aims to bring new demographics into its network
Source: GamesIndustry International

Starting today, Xbox Live Gold members who are also Time Warner Cable and Bright House customers will be able to access HBO GO through the console. Those in the US can now watch the entire HBO catalogue of live and on demand original content from newer shows such as Game of Thrones to old favorites like The Sopranos. You can even use Kinect to control it. Get more through the Major.

Source: VG247

-Onwards towards victory my winged brethren! We will prevail, as long as our wings will carry us! -Permission to speak sir. -Permission granted private Droppings. -We have a slight problem Sarge. -No mountain is high enough to stop us private Droppings. -Actually, we can’t fly Sarge. -What! We are the Flying Soldiers for crying out [...]
Non Flying Soldiers review is a post from: TouchGen



For more of this article, visit http://www.touchgen.com or click on the story headline

Source: TouchGen

Dear Esther, the atmospheric indie title from thechineseroom, has sold more than 100,000 copies, shortly following the title’s launch for Mac on Steam. Developer Robert Briscoe shared the news on Dear Esther‘s official site:

“I have to admit I was a little unsure as to what to expect from sales of Dear Esther once we went to retail, we all were – there was no real benchmark to go by at the time, so I’m extremely pleased to see so many people enjoying the game, and most importantly, proving that gamers are open and eager to new ideas and experiences outside of the boundaries of ‘traditional’ gameplay. Thanks to everyone who has supported us through this journey, and who will hopefully continue to support us in the future!”

Dear Esther is half off through Thursday, May 17 in Steam’s Midweek Madness sale, running just $ 5.

Dear Esther sales crash against 100,000 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: Joystiq

If you backed Wasteland 2′s Kickstarter, keep an eye on your inbox, including the spam folder. InXile has sent out surveys to eligible backers collecting personal information required for rewards to be sent out – shipping details, and how you’d like your name to appear in the credits, for example. The RPG is expected to ship in October, and raised almost $ 3 million in crowd funding.

Source: VG247

On this week’s bonus episode of The TouchArcade Show, Eli and I hit up Zach Gage of Zach Gage fame. You should get to know him. He’s the brains behind one of the best words game on the App Store, and he’s a super opinionated guy who isn’t afraid to have a discussion about games as art or his current level of cleanliness. In fact, we dive into these two topics pretty hard during our conversation, if you haven’t guessed already.

This is easily our most laid-back discussion we’ve ever had on the show, but I think it’ll end up giving you a really good idea of who Gage is, how he approaches game development, and how things like his personality and background inform that work. We cover a lot of ground in a really short amount of time in this podcast, and even touch on what Gage is doing right now.

To give it a listen, just click on the links below. If you’d like to get these interviews and our regular show instantly, feel free to subscribe to us on iTunes or the Zune Marketplace.

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-Bonus-037.mp3, 16.5MB

We’ll be back later this week with another regular episode of the TouchArcade Show.

Source: Touch Arcade