Crime City maker assaults iOS first, Facebook later with Modern War

Now, isn't that odd? Crime City creator Funzio has decided to do the reverse of most social game companies: release a new on iPhone and iPad first, then come back to Facebook. Funzio has released its second original game, Modern War, to iOS devices. The game looks terribly similar to the iOS version of Crime City that released late this summer.

In other words, Modern War is essentially Crime City, but with dudes in military uniforms wielding M4 rifles rather than guys in torn jeans, brandishing knives. Players can take down terrorists (original!), bomb enemy vessels and structures and battle against other players in asynchronous, turn-based bouts. Of course, players can build alliances to defend themselves and bring to hurt more easily to other players.

According to TechCrunch, the game's graphics are designed to appeal to traditional gamers, and Modern War differentiates itself from Crime City with new combat options like jets and naval units. Players can share the game with friends on Facebook, but the focus here is mobile first, which is somewhat of a new concept for Facebook game makers.

It looks like we know just where Funzio's focus has shifted, just as the company takes on former EA exec Jamil Moledina. There's no word yet on whether the Facebook version will be connected to the iPhone and iPad varieties. But looking at how Mafia Wars 2 is doing on Facebook--a ... spiritual successor to Crime City--we can see why Funzio would hold back for a bit.


Click here to download Modern War on iPhone or iPad Now >

Are you a Crime City fan still? Do you think Modern War is different enough to pique your interest?

CrowdStar's Top Girl gets fancy on Android (and friendly with Amazon)

Top Girl on Android
Android-admiring ladies, your game has arrived. It Girl creator CrowdStar has released its mobile version, Top Girl, to Android devices. However, you can only get it for free on Amazon's Appstore for the next two weeks. This makes CrowdStar's hugely popular girly game one of the first mobile social games to hit Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablet, according to the company.

The Android release of Top Girl looks to be the same game available to iPhone and iPad gamers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. In the game, players must amass new outfits and model them off for cash to climb the social ladder. Of course, ladies looking for love can find a virtual boyfriend that will lavish their characters with gifts. This is basically a Cosmo reader's dream in your Android phone or tablet.
Top Girl Kindle Fire
Top Girl on Android also marks the beginning of CrowdStar's quest for 1 billion players through its Project Trident initiative. "CrowdStar is entirely focused on Project Trident this year and Top Girl's Android launch is representative of that," CrowdStar studio head Blair Hamilton said in a release. "Now our 'Girl' social gaming franchise is thriving on Facebook, iOS, and Android."

And "thriving" might be a fine way of describing the "Girl" franchise: It has reportedly been downloaded over 4 million times on the iOS App Store. Players are apparently paying up, too, as CrowdStar said that Top Girl toppled both Angry Birds and Zynga Poker as the top-grossing game for iOS when launched earlier this spring. And who said girls don't play games?

Click here to download Top Girl for Android for Free Now >

Are you a Top Girl fan? Where would you like to see the franchise, or CrowdStar in general, go next?

Nintendo's Wii U is for 'a different consumer,' as in a wealthier one?

Aside from what the thing looks like (and a teeny bit of what it plays like), Nintendo's Wii U is shrouded in mystery. We know that the console will embrace social features, will have HD graphics and will cost a helluva lot of money--wait, what? There has been much speculation on the upcoming console's pricing. But Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime alluded to Time what type of crowd the company expects to draw with the Wii U, at least at launch.

"The consumer buying Wii hardware today is going to be a different consumer than the one who will be buying Wii U in the future," Fils-Aime told Time. "This is the first holiday that the Wii is available at $149.99 or below, so its an expanded demographic we're reaching. These are consumers who have heard about Wii for the past couple years, but at $199 or $249 it was economically out of their reach."

Based on earlier comments made by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and now these words, it would be fair to guess that the Wii U is going to cost more than $250 in the US at launch. That figure was the launch price for the original Wii way back in 2006, and still that was cheaper than both Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 at launch. Nintendo's bread and butter has been the casual audience, which one could argue includes those that wouldn't exactly leap at a $300 or $400 video game box.

Fils-Aime went on the reiterate that the Wii and Wii U will coexist for some (as he told us recently), but said, "you can definitely expect that pricing is going to be different and that the games are going to be different." In this case, "different" sounds like "more expensive" to us, and we can't help but wonder whether Nintendo's most lucrative audience will bite.

[Via IndustryGamers]

Would you consider purchasing the Wii U if it were more expensive than $250 at launch? What would be your breaking point: $300, $400? Sound off in the comments.

FIFA-Loving Hackers Strike Xbox Live Accounts

Xbox Live users should keep an eye on their accounts, and any credit card associated with that account, and especially take notice of any strange activity involving FIFA 11 or 12. Several users have complained, through multiple gaming publications, of hackers recovering their accounts to a different machine and using them for purchases associated with the soccer game.

Battlefield 3 Will Require Online Pass, Too

Multiplayer for all EA Sports games have been placed behind Online Pass access for more than a year now, and titles such as Dead Space 2 and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit have employed it recently. As EA is using Battlefield 3 to drive PC gamers to its new Origin service, we should expect them to give the console version the Online Pass treatment.

NYCC 2011 Day Two In Pictures

And lo, the hordes have come. Today’s the first public day of New York City’s annual nerd prom and fandoms of every stripe are showing up in force, even though it’s a work day. Gaze upon these costumes in awe, gentle readers. Special props to the young woman doing New Lara Croft. Way to stand out, lady!

Scream For Asura’s Wrath

Capcom set up a sound booth in the middle of their New York Comic Con booth this weekend not to keep the noise out, but to keep it in.
Conferences goers were asked to step inside and scream as loudly as they could for a chance to win something… besides a weekend-long scratchy throat.