Author: garrybalogh

Apple TV 4K – Sky is Coming. Can it Sell Apple TV Gaming?

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Two significant things happened last week on the stage of the Steve Jobs Theatre that will play a large part in determining the future of Apple TV gaming.

First was the announcement of the fifth generation Apple TV – called simply Apple TV 4K.

Prior to this year’s WWDC, we reached out to a handful of developers to find out their wish list regarding gaming on the then unannounced device, and with Apple TV 4K’s unveiling, some of them had their wishes granted. In part.

The second of those significant things was the announcement of what would come next from thatgamecompany, the studio behind one of gaming’s high water marks of recent years – Journey.

The unveiling of Sky in conjunction with Apple TV 4K positioned the game as a hopeful system seller for Apple, or at the very least, a seller of the gaming aspect of Apple TV 4K, given that gaming is not its primary function.

Can Sky help Apple TV towards a future in which the device is accepted as a viable option for big screen gaming?

Hit page 2 for more.

Thatgamecompany’s Jenova Chen Talks Sky in Q&A

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The studio’s follow up to modern indie classic – Journey – was announced on stage today at Apple’s event, and it’s an interesting move for both Apple and thatgamecompany to be bringing the long anticipated game to big screens first via Apple TV.

There aren’t a whole lot of concrete details about Sky in the six and a half minute Q&A embedded below, but this chat between thatgamecompany’s President and Creative Director Jenova Chen and Geoff Keighly is still worth watching. It’s a treat to hear a developer emoting passionately about these kinds of artistic gaming experiences.

ATVG will take a closer look at what today’s Apple TV 4K announcement might mean for gaming on the platform in the coming days.

For more on the upcoming Sky, have a read right here.

Minecraft and Controller Bundle Now Available for Apple TV. Woah.

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Finally! Interesting news in a report from iOS site Toucharcade today – the online US Apple Store has made available a bundle which will net you the Steel Series Nimbus controller, together with a download code for Minecraft: Apple TV Edition. (It’s not appearing on the Australian site, so this bundle may be US only).

This is definitely a healthy step towards visibility for Apple TV as a viable gaming option, especially when coupled with such a household name as Minecraft.

I’ve written a full review of the Steel Series Nimbus a while back for Grab It Magazine, and it’s an excellent controller. Folks, in short, this bundle is a good deal.

For more on why this is a happy day for Apple TV gaming, hit the page 2 button below.

Apple Streaming September 12 Event Via Apple TV

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It’s official. What the rest of the world are calling the iPhone 8 event, ATVG is calling the Apple TV event.

Apple today announced its upcoming Special Event, noting via its offical site that the keynote will be streamed live and viewable on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation Apple TVs. By this stage it seems reasonably safe to assume that by the end of the event, the previous generations of hardware will feel a little older, being joined by a 5th generation Apple TV.

The 4K rumours are strong, which is all well and good for media consumption, but what we really care about on this particular site is gaming. If Apple does announce the next generation Apple TV on September 12, bringing 4K muscle to the ring, will it also lean into promoting the gaming potential that this extra grunt under the hood would make possible?

Prior to WWDC this year, we reached out to some developers and asked what they would like to see in a 5th generation Apple TV, netting some interesting results.

Join us on September 12 to see whether rumours crystallise into a playable future, or evaporate into what might’ve been.

Blowfish Studios Announces Delay for Morphite Release

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A quick public service announcement – the release of the promising looking Morphite has been delayed.

The previously announced September 7 release date has been pushed back, but only by two weeks, and will now hit digital storefronts on the 21st.

The announcement came today via social media, as Blowfish Studios posted on its Facebook page:

“We’re sorry, everyone! But we want to offer you a good experience on launch, so the #Morphite release has been delayed to September 21 for all platforms!”

While delays are never fun for any party involved, we’d rather see a more polished release than a hastily patched post-release fix.

You can read a bunch more about this collaboration between We’re Five Games, Crescent Moon Games, and Blowfish Studios right here.

In the meantime, open world survival FPS Radiation City just hit Apple this week, check it out.

Zombie Survival FPS Radiation City Out Now on Apple TV

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My memory tells me that ninjas were at the top of the food chain in the ‘80s, as far as B-grade action movies and games go. The ‘90s and ‘00s saw various combinations and permutations of aliens, pirates, vampires and werewolves taking turns at being the flavour of the day, sometimes even fighting each other. More recently, for the last half a dozen years or so, zombies have ruled the entertainment roost. Despite having no personality, no sex appeal, and no table manners whatsoever, these disgusting, decomposing freaks just simply cannot be killed.

Let’s face it though, zombies make for great cannon fodder in video games, and combining the walking dead with the open world survival genre, results in a match made in post-apocalyptic heaven (or as some might say, hell). Open world survival games are in short supply on the Apple TV platform, with Minecraft possibly being the only example. Until now.

The release this week of Radiation City from Atypical Games makes two.

Mash the page 2 button below for more.

Brain&Brain Announce PS4 Release Date, Tease Art from Upcoming Game 

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A recent email from studio Brain&Brain – the artful creators of Burly Men at Sea – came baring both information and a mystery. One unknown vanquished with a release date, replaced by a new unknown in the form of physical art being created by Brooke Condolora for an as yet unannounced game.

As to the first, we now know that PS4 and Vita players will have the opporurtuniy to spend time with Burly Men At Sea come September 19th. You can check out the full details on the PlayStation Blog here. ATVG had a lot of fun with the bearded whimsy and storybook wisdom of Brain&Brain’s adventures on Apple TV (don’t just take my word for it, read my review), and it’s great to see this delightful title being made available across as many platforms as possible.

But what of the email’s mystery?

And what does a wolf have to do with any of this?

Wait…what wolf?

Hit the page 2 button to find out what the hell I’m talking about.

Early Impressions: Super Phantom Cat 2

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Apple TV gamers looking for a fresh new 2D platform game to ride into the weekend are in luck – Super Phantom Cat 2 released roughly 24 hours ago, and it won’t cost you a cent to get into the action. (Players will require a controller though).

Chinese studio Veewo Games has switched to a free-to-play structure for its sequel, with monetisation supported by currencies and timers. While players on iPhone and iPad will see ads as well, Apple TV gamers have a unique advantage (and developers a unique disadvantage) in that ads on Apple TV games are disabled. It’s an interesting quirk that separates the platform from its portable cousins, and one that I’m sure would be a great jumping off point for some editorial rambling. Not now though, there’s games to play.

Should you make room in your life for yet another 2D platform game? There are certainly some excellent options available – check out ATVG’s reviews of Leo’s Fortune, Le Parker: Sous Chef Extroadinaire, and Dan The Man for some great ways to start exploring the genre on Apple TV.

As for Super Phantom Cat 2, hit page 2 for more.

Watch 2017’s Total Solar Eclipse on NASA’s Apple TV App

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Totality is the time in which the Sun is completely covered by the Moon during a total solar eclipse, and having experienced it myself, I’ll simply report that words cannot do those precious minutes justice. I can completely understand how those with the means to do so make a lifestyle of chasing the experience repeatedly. There is even a name for them – Umbraphiles.

Total solar eclipses occur frequently enough, but rarely in populated and easily accessible locales, reminding us just how vast this blue marble on which we balance really is.

In just over a week, on August 21st, the USA will be treated to an eclipse that will cross from coast to coast, viewable by a fortunate many. Not all of us will have the luxury of being in the right place at the right time, but thankfully, NASA has us covered, creating a new, modern breed of armchair-umbraphiles.

Hit page 2 for more.