Those “Choose your own adventure” books were impressive back in the day. Nowadays, however, most people will likely want something shinier, something all new – something they’ve never seen before.
Developer NARR8 Limited has created a digital book reader that it hopes will be all that, and more.
We spoke to Alexander Vaschenko, founder of the team that developed NARR8, to find out about the what the app does, how it is constantly expanding and improving, and the reasons for making it free to download.
What exactly is NARR8 – and why should people be excited about it?
Alexander Vaschenko: There’s no all-in-one application or place where interactive books of different genres – from motion comics to non-fiction – are done in series sets with constant episode updates.
What does NARR8 offer that you can’t get from reading a comic book or ordinary book?
The integration of rich multimedia elements – such as animations, visual effects, sounds, music and interactive elements. This is a new thing, especially in non-fiction. The aforementioned series principle is also another new thing in terms of comparing NARR8 to an ordinary book.
How have you made sure the app is easy to use, and that it caters for all tastes?
There’s some tutorial in the first episodes where to click and how to navigate. Also we’ve tried to make all the navigation as obvious as we can. And we’ll improve it in the future for sure. In terms of tastes, the app is a 12+ because of some scenes in Subject 9, Prodigal Angel and Final Feat. Currently there are three enres though, which are motion comics, interactive novels (sci-fi and horror) and non-fiction (world history and popular science).
What challenges did you face during the app’s development?
The main challenge was to make rich and fast performing cross-platform content utilizing HTML-5 and other universal technologies. It’s all about making episodes again and again, remaking them until they work and look great.
The app is free to download – but are there any items that can be purchases within it?
This year the app and the content is completely free. Why? We want to get as much users as possible to polish our platform and content, but we have lots of thoughts on how to monetize the content and will decide how that will work better for users in 2013.
Have you got any famous artists or writers to work on some of the stories?
Not yet. We’ve started with unique, specially done content to show our vision. In the future we plan to sign famous artist and writers — we’re really open and will provide them the technology and the distribution platform.
How often will the updates for the app be?
Currently we update the app every eight to ten days, and new episodes in each series are coming every two weeks.
Have you any plans to bring the app to other platforms, such as Android?
Yes. In the first quarter of 2013 we plan to launch Android and Web-versions of the NARR8.
You can download the NARR8 app on your iPad for free now [iTunes link].
The trailer for the app can also be found below:
Gallery
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For those of you that have downloaded any of the Disney Storybooks before you know that you are in for a treat as they bring the books to life on the iPhone and iPad.
Across the 28 interactive virtual pages of the book you can either read the story, have it read to you by the narrator or record the words and have those played back. This is great for your children to practice and listen back to their reading of for a parent to ‘virtually’ read the book to thier child when their not around.
Each page is beautifully illustrated, animated and can be interacted while the narration is clear and easy to listen too.
The storybook also includes additional activities including a matching game, 6 puzzles of increasing difficulty, 6 paintings and a talking Dory which acts similar to the talking animal games that are available.
At $6.99 it’s not cheap but it is an engaging way to re-live the Finding Nemo story.
The Finding Nemo Interactive Comic re-tells the story of Finding Nemo in a panel by panel comic book. You can either have the panels automatically appear or tap and swipe the screen to move through the story.
For your creative children you also get a step by step guide to how to draw the four main protagonists and you can either draw them directly onto the iPad or use the skills you learn and draw them elsewhere too.
Finding Nemo Interactive Comic is a universal app and is available from the App Store now for just $1.99
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Back in 1996 I played the original Playstation game, Resident Evil. It was the first game that actually had me on the edge of my seat and literally jump out of it at times too. Ever since then I’ve been hunting for a game to re-create the same atmosphere. Despite valiant attempts however by such games as F.E.A.R. and Condemend, I’ve never found one that quite hits the mark in the same way. That is until now.
Walking Dead: The Game, to give it its full title is a point and click adventure game that follows the storyline of the Walking Dead comic book series. If you are more familiar with the TV series you’ll still know what’s going on even though the TV show used some ‘creative license’ when bringing it so successfully to the big screen.
The cell shaded comic book style graphics do a great service to the comic book series and along with the awesome atmospheric soundtrack and possibly some of the best voice acting in an iOS game, if not any game, that I’ve seen Walking Dead: The Game sucks you in from the moment you start it. (The game recommends that you use headphones to play the game and I couldn’t agree more.)
You take the role of Lee Everett while be transported in the back of a police car you manage to find yourself free after the car hits a walker. From this point on it’s you and a collection of other non-walkers that you get introduced to along the way against the ever growing numbers of undead that walk the earth.
The interactions with the walkers is impressively done to ensure maximum shock value and excitement as they attempt to take your life and that of the people that you band together with.
The game moves along at a good pace and this is helped by the way that the storyline and the action sequences where you control the action are intertwined. The controls are easy to pick up, move Lee around the screen to investigate the environment is a simple case of dragging your finger across the screen while objects that can be interacted with are highlighted.
This may initially appear to make the game seem rather linear, however, thanks to the short time limits that you are given to make your decisions and how these decisions affect the gameplay that’s certainly not the case.
The characters interactions are expertly done and as mentioned before the voice acting is so good you sometimes forget that you are playing a game and not watching a movie. Decisions of how to interact with the other characters and what to say to them are given as a set of choices and making the wrong one, in the allotted time could have catastrophic ramifications.
The game is a universal app but unfortunately there is no syncing of your progress so you can’t jump between playing on the two devices which would have been nice. Some people may baulk at the price too as not only is the app a cent shy of $5 that will only get you the first episode, subsequent 4 episodes will set you back an additional $4.99 each, or $14.99 if you buy them all at the same time.
Personally the price doesn’t put me off and therefore I would highly recommend that your shell out the initial $4.99 for episode one, enjoy a thoroughly engrossing and atmospheric game and then decide whether you want to purchase the additional episodes.
Some, but not all, people are reporting issues with performance especially on older devices, I reviewed Walking Dead: The Game on both an iPad 3 and an iPhone 4S with no such issues.
[rating: 4.5/5]What we like
What to know
My relationship to comic books has only been with the old school form of British comics in the form of Whizzer & Chips and Buster while for the super hero’s of comics in the form of Superman, X-men, Batman and Spider-Man my relationship with them has been through the form of the big blockbuster American movies, where, for the most part I’ve enjoyed them.
However Spider-Man: Total Mayhem takes us back to the comic books days of Spider-Man and it’s been beautifully recreated on the iPhone/iPod Touch to bring the fun and enjoyment of the spidey action to your hand-held device.
As you would expect with a title from Gameloft the game has great production values, from the excellent cut scenes and atmospheric music to the menu system that appears to have been lifted straight from the comic book itself the game oozes quality.
On starting the game you’ll need to select one of four difficulty levels between easy, normal, hard and ultimate with the latter only becoming available after completing the earlier difficulties. Each level is preceded with a some scene setting and the obligatory headline from none other than the Daily Bugle before you are launched into action.
Action is the key word here too as there is never a moment to rest as you rush through the city defeating endless hoodlums and of course the multiple bosses in all their colorful larger than life glory.
The controls work well, a virtual d-pad controls your movement while three action buttons allow you to punch, use your web skills and jump/swing. All these controls respond very quickly to your touch which makes the fights between you and the bad guys very enjoyable with every punch and kick seeming to land perfectly. Combo’s work here too and with quick fingers you can quickly put many bad guys to the sword. Ultimately when your power gauge is full you can also activate the Ultimate Web Combo which brings ultimate destruction to all around you.
Your enemies aren’t defenseless of course and that’s where you’re spider-sense comes in handy, using this at the appropriate time will enable you to either avoid an enemy attack or even perform a counter attack.
There is more to do than just beat up on the enemies as you roam through the city which in itself looks great. You’ll find yourself swinging between tall buildings, climbing walls, rescuing hostages and finding comic books as you save the city from destruction.
Success in the game, from defeating enemies to progressing through the game itself is rewarded with both with health to stop you from losing a life and skill which you can use to upgrade your skills. Your skills are split between strength, defense and speciality and it’s well worth paying attention to them as when the going gets tough in the later levels you’ll need more than just your spider-senses to help you!
The game is spread over 12 levels that are filled with action replay value too as on top of the four difficulty levels there are 150 pieces of artwork to be collected that any Spider-Man fan will very much enjoy and a 2nd game mode called Boss Russ where you can beat all the unlocked bosses against the clock.
If you are a fan of Spider-Man or comic books in general then you will probably love this game and for non-Spider-Man fans the game is just as good. Despite it’s linear nature I never grew tired of beating down the endless supply of baddies and the mix of fighting along with navigating the city make Spider-Man: Total Mayhem and great addition to your gaming collection, even at $6.99!
Reviewed on an iPhone 4
Price: $6.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Games
Released:Sep 01, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0.0
Size: 467 MB
Languages:English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish
Seller:Gameloft S.A.
Software © 2010 Gameloft. All Rights Reserved. Gameloft and the Gameloft logo are trademarks of Gameloft in the US and/or other countries. Marvel, Spider-Man and all related character names and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment, LLC and its subsidiaries and are used with permission. Copyright © 2010 Marvel Entertainment, LLC and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. www.marvel.com. All rights reserved.
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
This milestone for the wildly successful app also comes just days within Bolt Creative releasing Pocket God #1, a new comic book based on characters from the game, which will be the first issue of a new four part mini-series.
Starting out as just a week-long pet project for Dave Castelnuovo and Allan Dye, Pocket God became a breakout success just months after its release. What began as a great sandbox app where the only premise was to torture loyal islander subjects has transformed into one of the most beloved titles on the App Store. With more than 30 free updates, which have introduced a slew of mini-games, new islands, and creative ways to end Pygmy lives, Pocket God continues to remain in the top 50 Paid App list on iTunes, consistently impressing players old and new with its deviant humor and all around fun.
“We can’t thank the fans enough for all their support, enthusiasm, fan sites, YouTube videos, suggestions for content, and everything else,” said Bolt Creative CEO Dave Castelnuovo. “Since day one we’ve embraced our community and we’re ecstatic to see that feeling reciprocated. We’ll continue to push Pocket God into new realms and keep giving the legions of PG fans out there more tools to become great deities. Deities great at offing the little islanders that is!”
For more information about Pocket God, please visit www.boltcreative.com.
For more information on the Pocket God comic book, please visit www.ape-entertainment.com or www.boltcreative.com.
To read the misadventures of Ooga and the rest of the Pygmies, check out Pocket God #1 on iTunes at http://bit.ly/pgcomictp073010
Pocket God can be purchased in the iTunes App Store by pointing your browser to http://bit.ly/pgtp073010
Bolt Creative is a San Francisco-based developer creating original iPhone applications and games, including 2009’s blockbuster iPhone game Pocket God. Bolt Creative’s goal is to create games that are not only fun to play, but fun to develop and make them laugh. For more information, please visit www.boltcreative.com.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/pocket-god-hits-monumental-threemillion-sales-mark/feed/ 1Pocket God #1 showcases the mishaps of a tribe of Pygmies who have been gifted with immortality and are constantly marked for death by the Gods. Issue #1 starts off as a typical day on the island, with the Pygmies pranking each other to death, literally, until a twist turns their tropical life topsy-turvy. Follow the adventures of Ooga, Klik, and the rest of gang as they experience death by falling objects, sudden lightning strikes, sharks with laser beams, and more comical scenarios based off the popular app. Alien probing may or may not also be present.
“Pocket God has been a huge success on the iOS platform and we’re excited to bring the hilarity and fun to a whole new medium,” said Dave Castelnuovo, CEO of Bolt Creative. “We’re certain fans of the game will get a kick out of this new comic series and, vice versa, we can’t wait to show the comic world our universe full of death inducing satire.”
For more information about Pocket God, please visit www.boltcreative.com.
For more information on the Pocket God comic book, please visit www.ape-entertainment.com or www.boltcreative.com.
To read the misadventures of Ooga and the rest of the pygmies, check out Pocket God #1 on iTunes at http://bit.ly/pgcomictp073010
Pocket God can be purchased in the iTunes App Store by pointing your browser to http://bit.ly/pgtp073010
Bolt Creative is a San Francisco-based developer creating original iPhone applications and games, including 2009’s blockbuster iPhone game Pocket God. Bolt Creative’s goal is to create games that are not only fun to play, but fun to develop and make them laugh. For more information, please visit www.boltcreative.com.
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