Created using openFrameworks, DropBlocs is a new block dropping game created by Lloyd Harrison. You score points by dropping blocks onto their matching counterparts whilst trying to manage the tilt on the iPhone. When you find the block on the screen, by panning around, tap the screen and select matching block to drop. To match you will also need to rotate the falling block while maintaining the spotlight around the square you are matching. Move too fast and you will loose the points. Tricky but fun.

Lloyd is a designer/developer specialising in creating rich and engaging interactive applications for web, kiosk and mobile devices. Currently working at Liquid Digital, he is responsible for developing the creative talents and output of the creative team. He has several years experience working with large clients like Motorola, Tesco, Asda, WHSmith, Coca Cola, Cabvision and many more. For other projects see lloydharrison.co.uk

Platform: iPhone
Version: 1.0
Cost: Free
Developer: Lloyd Harrison

Designed and developed collaboratively by Polytron and Kokoromi for Gamma3D, Super Hypercube is a game of falling blocks built with support for red/cyan 3D glasses, and wiimote headtracking.

Super Hypercube is a game about holes, and the cubes that love them. It explores the vast, mostly unexplored TRON-like tundra of stereoscopy and head tracking in games.

You will need the .NET 3.5 SP1 framework installed, and TV3D requires some oft-missing DirectX DLLs which you can get with the End-User Runtimes. I unfortunately had little luck with installation. This may be due to running Windows XP on a Mac and quickly got lost in the endless Windows SPxxx/ DLL nightmare and gave up. Do let us know whether everything worked ok for you.

Download + more info here.

See also Power Pill [iPhone, News]

Somewhat inspired by bejeweled, Piyo Blocks in a game by Big Pixel Studios where the task is to swap adjacent Piyo Blocks to match 3 or more of the same kind to capture them.

Adopting wonderful pixel art style graphics with subtle but very effective animations and although quite similar to bejeweled it nevertheless feels like a new experience. In other words if you are fan and love pixel art, it’s the one for you.

Piyo Blocks also comes in a Lite version which will only allow you to play time attack mode. The full version also includes piyo (capture the target number of Piyos to level up) and hyaku (capture 99 or more of any Piyos to level up) modes as well as rank list.

Platform: iPhone
Version: 1.0
Cost: $0.99
Developer: Big Pixel Studios.

Created by Simon Strandgaard, Graphic Designer Toolbox is an alternative graphics editor. Instead of manipulating graphics directly as you do in Photoshop, in GDT you build blocks for bitmap and vector manipulation. Not too dissimilar from Quarz Composer, GDT allows you to create generative artworks using visual object based programming. It’s all created realtime, non destructive and easy to learn.

You start out with an empty grid, insert a Photo building block, combine with many other effector blocks and adjust the parameter. The great thing is that you can create assets. In other words, you have made this cool web button out of a few building blocks but at some point you need a variation of this button. All you have to do is to copy it and adjust a few parameters. Within seconds you have your new button.

Whilst i haven’t yet had a chance to play with the app properly, it does nevertheless sound like a great way to remove yourself from the traditions of thinking about image graphically and more about construction. If the process is as important for you as the final outcome, you should definitely give Graphic Designer Toolbox a go. A demo version is available and the full version will cost you $42.94 (€29.95).

Graphic Designer Toolbox

Continue reading.... Iso [iPhone, Games]