Burnout Crash comes to iOS this fall with help from David Hasselhoff [Interview]

Earlier this year, Criterion Games and Electronic Arts released Burnout Crash for XBLA on Xbox 360 and PSN on PlayStation 3. The game takes auto destruction to a new level with plenty of gameplay modes and speed. The game allows you to send cars crashing into one another, detonating massive explosions with the press of a button. Boss vehicles like limos, pizza trucks and ice cream trucks are thrown into the works, with the game still looks to retain a fast-paced environment. While console gamers have already been able to get their fill of this arcade title, mobile gamers will finally be able to do so this holiday season.

Burnout Crash will be launching on iOS this fall, for iPad and iPhone 4. The game has 18 traffic junctions (settings), three different gameplay modes and an '80s inspired soundtrack featuring songs by Vanilla Ice and Gloria Estefan. The game will feature Autolog technology, bringing a major social edge to the experience, as users will be able to connect with others and compare their stats across the game's different modes. You'll also be able to challenge friends directly via "Autolog Challenges," for some head-to-head fun.

While the mobile version of the game has just now been officially announced, the console versions of the game already come with some pretty heavy backing and publicity, thanks to a partnership with the Knight Rider himself–David Hasselhoff. David has been featured in three commercials for the game, each one funnier and crazier than the last, and we were lucky enough to get to speak to David about his experience creating them, and his thoughts on Burnout Crash in general.

We asked David what it was about Burnout Crash that made him want to partner up with EA, and he could answer in a single word: "Explosions." Going into more detail, the Hoff told us that he "love[s] to blow things up," and that even as a child, he was all about the stunts and explosions. He told us of a go-kart he had as a child that he would send off of makeshift ramps, and that his role as Michael Knight in Knight Rider, it was fitting because "Knight Rider had tons of explosions" as well, so these explosions really "drew him" into the game.

But aside from explosions, what else makes Burnout Crash great? According to David, the game is simply "fun and funny," and that it makes you "use your brain to figure things out." With each level in some of the game's modes (both on iPhone and console) allowing you to earn higher and higher scores so long as you keep the explosions going, we suppose he's right.

While the ideas for the three commercials weren't David's, he says that he did ad-lib in the phrases of his "Chicken Man" and "Cheerleader" personas. "I said the things like 'Eat my pom poms' and 'Time to get plucked.'" At first, EA wanted him to dress as a female cheerleader for the second video in the series, but after dressing as a woman in The Producers on stage, he said he would rather stick to the male outfit this time around, "especially after putting on the wig." This isn't to say that David doesn't know how to have a good time. He says he loves "self-effacing humor that the kids will love or relate to." "If you can stay relevant with the kids, then you'll last forever," Hasselhoff tells us.

We asked David what he thought about Burnout Crash coming to iPhone, and he instantly unleashed his excitement. Apparently, the Hoff has become quite the mobile gamer. He says people are often shocked when he tells them "I'm going on a 21 hour flight around the world." They wonder how he can remain sane while being isolated for so long, but he says he thrives on it. "I love it. It lets me catch up with television shows." He also spends some of that time gaming on his iPhone.

"I wasn't always a big mobile gamer," he says, but that a happy accident got him into it. "I needed a roadie, so my 25-year old nephew has started traveling with me. He accidentally loaded all of his games onto my iPhone." He says that it's funny when he's surrounded by people on a plane, and here are these "two grown men are playing with rollercoasters, going ooh!"

We here at Games.com love what the united front of Hasselhoff and EA have been able to put together, so make sure to check out one of David's commercials below, and keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Burnout Crash on iPhone in the future.


Are you excited about Burnout Crash on iPhone / iPad? Have you already tried the game on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3? What do you think of the trio of commercials filmed with David Hasselhoff?

It was ... Mafia Wars malware that infected the Air Force drone fleet?

I guess when local politicians are too busy playing CityVille to attend meetings, you really can't put this sort of thing past anyone. The U.S. Air Force has revealed new details on just what virus has infected the remote cockpits of its drone fleet, Wired reports. They're quite revealing as to what these remote crews might be up to on the job.

An anonymous defense official told the Associated Press that the malware that infected the remote cockpits' hard drives "is routinely used to steal log-in and password data from people who gamble or play games like Mafia Wars online." The official didn't explain why remote drone crews were playing Mafia Wars or gambling online while on missions overseas.

And according to Wired, insiders say that the virus has been particularly difficult to remove, forcing crew to erase and completely rebuild the infected hard drives. The Air Force said that the virus is "a credential stealer," transmitted by thumb drives. So, Air Force drone crews were either playing Mafia Wars/gambling online using military computers, or using thumb drives in said computers that had been used in outside computers with access to Mafia Wars.

But do you really think those thumb drives ever leave base? If that's the case (fat chance), then this is another issue entirely. Remotely piloted drones are on slippery enough of a slope already. Come on, people, couldn't you at least have been playing a new Zynga game, like Mafia Wars 2?

[Via Kotaku]

[Image Credit:: TSgt Erik Gudmundson/U.S. Defense]

Have you ever played a social game on the job? What do you think of the remote drone program, given news like this?

Ngmoco names former Mattel exec as CMO to oversee Mobage launch

DeNA and Ngmoco really want the Mobage platform to succeed in the states and elsewhere. And who can blame them: Mobile is the proverbial final frontier for games companies. This must be why Ngmoco just announced that it has hired former Mattel marketing executive Michael Staskin to oversee the company's marketing push for Mobage, DeNA's mobile social gaming network for Android devices (and soon iPhone and iPad).

Staskin most recently served as VP of marketing and communications at Milan, Italy-based gaming and lottery company Sisal SpA. At Ngmoco he will "lead all global marketing and communications efforts for the company," according to a release, and that includes things like advertising, public relations and customer acquistion. In layman's terms, it's Staskin's job to get more mobile gamers to use Mobage.

"ngmoco is poised to forever change the way people interact with content on their mobile devices," new Ngmoco CMO Staskin said in a release. "I'm excited to introduce consumers around the world to Mobage, a new way to consume, share and experience mobile entertainment."

A report by JP Morgan in Tokyo, via Serkan Toto, said there have been between 50,000 and 100,000 installs of the Mobage app for Android devices, calling that number "extremely small." So yeah, DeNA and Ngmoco could certainly use a guy like Staskin to get more players on their mobile social gaming platform. And with developers like Grasshopper Manufacture and Atakama Labs on board, perhaps Mobage has yet to "arrive."

[Image Credit: Business People Italy]

Do you think Staskin will bring what it takes for Mobage to come out on top as the premier mobile social gaming platform? Have you tried Mobage for Android?

Find free Android games through OpenFeint's Game Channel app

Gree and OpenFeint just opened fire on DeNA and Ngmoco's Mobage network for Android. DeNA's primary competitors abroad just announced that Game Channel has arrived on Android devices. Known on iOS devices as OpenFeint's mobile games discovery platform, Game Channel offers Android gamers a way to discover new games to play, namely free-to-play games.

Through Game Channel, OpenFeint will display games to users such as the Featured Game and Free Game of the Day, which the company says will include free in-game items, too. As for curation, OpenFeint will recognize notable free games under its Free Games That Rock category, and highlight game personally recommended by the company within Feint's Featured Picks.

The Game Channel app will also recommend games based on the seasons and other themes like holidays. Players will get to access their profiles and other social features right from within Game Channel, and OpenFeint will recommend new releases. This news comes just as OpenFeint finds itself with a new CEO, former Gree exec Naoki Aoyagi, and a new director of developer relations, Sarah Thompson.

Gree and DeNA have begun to battle for mobile social gaming supremacy vicariously through their strategic acquisitions, OpenFeint and Ngmoco, respectively. While Ngmoco is reportedly seeking more users to bolster its rather small number of Mobage users, OpenFeint reports welcoming 128 million players across all platforms. But it's also important to note the amount of developer support DeNA and Ngmoco have garnered recently. And now Zynga is heavy into mobile gaming--oy vey.

Are an Android gamer that has trouble finding new mobile social games to play? Do you think OpenFeint will provide that solution better than Mobage can, and which do you prefer?

Angry Birds maker Rovio looking at $1 billion IPO next year

Thanks to those irate, wingless birds, Rovio is worth lots and lots of money, apparently. Speaking with Bloomberg, the Angry Birds creator's CMO Peter Vesterbacka said, "We're not ready to file for an IPO tomorrow. Maybe a year from now." And speaking to the recent estimations that Rovio is worth around $1 billion, Vesterbacka all but confirmed the guesswork.

"We're happy with our valuation but we think it's probably a bit north of that," Vesterbacka said to Bloomberg. So, there you have it: Regular folks like you and I might be able to invest in the creator of Angry Birds by sometime next year. Also known as Rovio's Mighty Eagle, a play on the in-game character, Vesterbacka said that the company is "insanely profitable."

While we're not sure, we're going to make an educated guess and say that the Angry Birds' insane profitably comes from, oh, I don't know, the fact that they're everywhere? From big-time movie deals to plush toys, cookbooks, board games and stadium screen games, Rovio's flagship franchise is everywhere. And it's through this massive push that the company looks to be the first entertainment brand with 1 billion fans.

The two never seem to come up in the same conversation, but Rovio sounds more and more like Zynga every day, though with a vastly different strategy. As rumors stir of a FarmVille movie in the works (sound familiar?), Rovio toys with the idea of becoming a games publisher (again, sound familiar?). It makes one wonder if the two will ever clash. Hey, Angry Birds is supposedly in development on Facebook, after all.

[Via Mashable]

Do you think Angry Birds can sustain the Angry Birds fever into 2012 for its potential initial public offering? Do you think Zynga and Rovio consider each other a threat?

FarmVille Express, Words With Friends, Zynga Poker hit Facebook Mobile

Just when you thought Zynga might be through with HTML5 gaming for the time being, the developer has launched three of its most popular games to the mobile web. FarmVille Express, Words With Friends and Zynga Poker are all available now through either Facebook Mobile directly or on the mobile web.

Revealed earlier this week, the company announced the three games as part of its continued push into mobile gaming with the upcoming Dream Zoo and Mafia Wars Shakedown for iPhone and iPad. FarmVille Express is a stripped version of the native iOS game that's already available, but it allows players to plant crops on their main farm, send free gifts to their friends and respond to help requests.

There's no visual representation of your farm(s) in FarmVille Express--this is merely a companion app that's meant to let you keep up while on the go. While this is brilliant for those who don't own iPhones or other iOS devices, we can't see much reason for an iOS device owner to use this. And since the full Facebook Mobile platform is only available for iOS at the moment, that leaves Android and other smartphone users with just mobile web access to FarmVille Express.
Zynga Poker HTML5
Words with Friends HTML5Words With Friends and Zynga Poker were designed with users who have access to only the mobile web in mind, as attempting to launch either from Facebook for iOS either moves you into the native app, or isn't available at all. And Word With Friends for mobile web appears no different from its native mobile counterpart. The presentation looks nearly identical to its iOS and Android cousins, albeit with less than stunning polish.

However, the game has full sound effects and smooth animations as you navigate its menus. That said, this version of Words With Friends is probably the most impressive HTML5 game we've seen to date. It tracks your finger movements with great accuracy and little to no lag, and it even has advertisements--just like the original! But if you already have Words With Friends for either iOS or Android, there's not much reason to play this version.

Zynga Poker, which must be played in landscape mode, is a somewhat stripped down version of what you'll find on Facebook, but more features are promised to be on the way. However, this too is an impressive HTML5 outing for Zynga. The game lets players sit down for poker hands in real time with other players. Sure, you can send free gifts and will soon be able to buy chips from right within the browser game, but just seeing players interact in real time over HTML5 within a browser is remarkable.

These games are certainly an impressive improvement over recent HTML5 games we've seen, and will only become more robust over time. However, it's tough to recommend these versions over their iOS counterparts or even their Android cousins, when it applies. If anything, consider these games a smooth step in the direction nearly everyone else in the social games world is headed.

Click here to launch all three of Zynga's new HTML5 games Now >

Are you interested in HTML5 gaming more so than native, downloadable gaming apps for your smartphone? Do you think Zynga was smart in releasing these games before a majority of the competition did?

Zynga: Mafia Wars is not connected to Air Force drone fleet virus

It seems that Zynga's Mafia Wars might not have anything to do with this Air Force drone scare, after all. Speaking to Kotaku, Zynga Chief Security Officer Nils Puhlmann said, "We have no indications that suggest Zynga's Mafia Wars was connected with the malware that infected the Pentagon's drone program."

Earlier this week, an anonymous defense official told the Associated Press that the virus that has infected the hard drives of remote cockpits used to pilot Air Force drones "is routinely used to steal log-in and password data from people who gamble or play games like Mafia Wars online." While the official simply name-dropped Mafia Wars, it seemed terribly specific.

However, Zynga's Puhlmann said to Kotaku, "We actively take steps to maintain and protect the trust of our customers, including educating our players about the risks associated with visiting untrusted sites and downloading untrusted applications. Both of those actions can increase the risk of getting infected with malware."

The malware that infected the cockpits' hard drives was first found on a connected thumb drive, but according to Air Force Space Command spokesperson Colonel Kathleen Cook, the malware has since been isolated and has not affected the drones directly. While it's possible that the drone crews weren't specifically playing Mafia Wars while said thumb drive was connected to either a personal or military PC, the malware was likely designed to attack social networks with such games on them.

According to Cook, the malware was found on a stand-alone, Windows-based support network and was considered a nuisance rather than a threat. However, the origins of the malware have yet to be determined, only narrowed slightly. Whether a social network website like Facebook was accessed through a military computer with the drive connected, or the infected drive was used on a personal computer, is still a mystery.

[Image Credit: Sky News]

Now that Zynga has made a statement looking to clear things up, what do you think might have caused the virus? Have you ever logged into Facebook while at work or played a social game at work?

GREE's mobile social games network to be 'borderless', to hit Q2 2012

And still, we know little about just exactly how the Japanese social game publisher's platform will work. GREE has revealed a sliver of information about its upcoming mobile social games network, namely that it will be "borderless". While company says this means that users will enjoy single sign-on into GREE on their iPhone or Android phone, we hope this means cross-platform play.

The company goes on to say that the platform will feature a global payment solution and a series of "robust out-of-network cross promotional opportunities," which sounds to us a lot like in-game advertisements. The OpenFeint-powered platform will provide developers with rich analytics tools, meaning game makers will be able to read and evaluate your actions within the GREE games you play. (That might sound a bit too much like Big Brother, but Facebook game makers do the exact same thing.)

"This new GREE platform continues to show the commitment we have to building a truly global, free-to-play ecosystem for mobile developers," GREE founder and CEO Yoshikazu Tanaka said in a release. "Our goal is to offer the best social gaming experience to players around the world. GREE worldwide has the largest cross-platform network and this is a step closer to our goal of reaching one billion users."

GREE's mobile social games network will offer games discovery to players as well as all the latest social features. Of course, leaderboards and achievements will be a staple in GREE's offering. However, the company plans to take the mobile social games world by storm in Q2 2012, or as early as April. With DeNA's Mobage network already out of beta testing on Android and Zynga's Project Z on the horizon, that sounds like a lifetime.

Hey, if Angry Birds can do it: Fruit Ninja gets its very own plush toys

Look, if the creator of Angry Birds can put out a cookbook for Pete's sake, then Fruit Ninja can get its own official plush toys. Here's the thing, Halfbrick: Rovio has a cast of adorable characters with which to make plush toys. You have ... an old guy and some fruit--not exactly ready to leap off the shelves. Nevertheless, the Fruit Ninja maker has released two official plush toys.

The first is a plush version of the sensei you see in the game daily (we know it's daily) for $15.99. The second? A watermelon with eyes and a headband that's split in half for $14.99. Wait a second, the watermelon has eyes and a headband! That looks freaking adorable, now take us to where we put the magic numbers in. Now that we're out 15 bucks, it looks like Fruit Ninja has finally "arrived". (You can also buy both in a bundle for $29--some deal, huh?)

Well, we'd take the fact that Halfbrick plans to open a studio dedicated entirely to the Fruit Ninja sequel as evidence of that. But really, we're smelling a trend here: Not only is Rovio in on the plush toys now, but so is Zynga with more FarmVille plush toys than we can afford shake a stick at. And if Fruit Ninja has arrived, where are our customizable Sims plush toys?

[Via TechCrunch]

Would you buy either Fruit Ninja plush toy? What Facebook or mobile game franchise do you think deserves its own plush toys now?

The dust finally settles on Zynga, MegaCity maker Vostu's legal battle

This year's proverbial title bout of social game legal disputes has finally come to a close. And walking away from the dust as it settles is Zynga, as Vostu unfortunately limps away in the opposite direction. Hyperbole aside, the two social game makers have settled their multiple disputes in both US and Brazil courts, and sounds like Vostu ended up having to pay. Here's the statement provided to us by both companies:

    Zynga and Vostu have settled the copyright lawsuits and counterclaims against each other in the United States and Brazil. As part of the settlement, Vostu made a monetary payment to Zynga and made some changes to four of its games. The parties are pleased to have settled their disputes and to now put these matters behind them.

Unfortunately, it sounds as if Vostu lost out on this one. As for exactly what changes are to be made to four of Vostu's games, neither company could comment. Our guess is that changes will be made to four of the games involved in Zynga's initial lawsuit (filed way back in June of this year)--MegaCity, PetMania, CafeMania, and Mini Fazenda--to reduce their similarities to their Zynga-made counterparts.
CityVille vs MegaCity
Vostu Poker was also part of Zynga's lawsuit, but it's our guess that this game will be left unchanged, because, well, it's poker. While Zynga seems to have won this war, the company is no stranger to copyright disputes. Just recently, the developer opted to thwart Night Owl Games's attempts at creating either a game or game level called DungeonVille based on use of the 'Ville suffix. But that isn't to say the FarmVille maker hasn't had some issues of its own.

What changes do you think will need to made to Vostu's games in order to honor the settlement?

An Angry Birds 'social' game (and three others) is in the works for 2012

Angry Birds Facebook
So, we're just going to assume that by "social", Rovio game designer Jaako Iisalo means "Facebook". During the Social Games and Virtual Goods World conference in London, England, the Angry Birds designer told Pocket Gamer that four new Angry Birds games will launch next year. More specifically, one of them will be a "social" game.

And, will you look at that, Angry Birds is already on Google+. Granted, there are versions of the iconic everywhere mobile game on Facebook, but none of which seem legitimate. (One even seems to stream the Google Chrome version of Angry Birds through to Facebook.) While this could just as easily mean an Angry Birds game on a mobile platform with heavier social features, the developer has said in the past that the franchise will hit Facebook.

Honestly, how Angry Birds is available on the Intel AppUp store and in retail stores across Europe before officially on Facebook is beyond us. At any rate, we can likely expect these other three Angry Birds games to tap into new genres, since Rovio has expressed interest in exploring new types of games for its irate avian creatures. And just when you started to grow bored of it.

Would you play Angry Birds on Facebook more than elsewhere?

GreenSpace on Facebook wants you to make the (distant) future tidy

With the way waste management around the globe is going, the Earth probably won't look so hot in a few decades. Canadian social game maker RocketOwl Inc. asks gamers to fast forward a couple hundred years in its new Facebook game GreenSpace. In that time--assuming we've yet to destroy ourselves--our planet will likely be inhabitable if we maintain this track, and it's up to you to reclaim a previously colonized and, of course, dirtied up planet one piece of litter at a time.

GreenSpace has officially exited its open beta period today, and is now available for all to play hopefully bug-free. The game tasks players with managing a colony as they transform it from a heap of trash into a lush, green mountain valley. While GreenSpace's presentation doesn't seem terribly different from games like CityVille, RocketOwl touts the game's animations, artwork and addictive cleaning actions. Fast-paced mini games are also said to play a role in GreenSpace.
GreenSpace in action
"We've been working with players over the past few months to fine-tune the game,"RocketOwl CEO Graeme Barlow said in a statement. "Now that GreenSpace is coming out of beta, the entire team is really excited to see the public reception of the launch. We could not be happier with the final product and hope that you enjoy playing it as much as we've enjoyed putting it together."

GreenSpace strikes us as quite similar to a recent green-themed Facebook game, Guerillapps's Trash Tycoon. Both games revolve around reclaiming a territory from the clutches of clutter, though the latter is attached to real-life organizations looking to do the same in the world around us. Based on the looks of GreenSpace, RocketOwl seems to be dedicated to at least raising awareness of the same issues, but make that call for yourself.


Click here to play GreenSpace on Facebook Now >