The Update Scenario

    Hey, everyone. I was just playing a few games on the I-Pad and went to Asphalt 7: Heat. I was greeted by this little jewel. It says that a new update is available. Please update to play on-line. When you hit okay it takes you to the app store. There is no way to play the game without doing this.
    I never play this game on-line and don't want the update. It is a huge file, 1.12 Gigs, and I have a limit on my monthly data usage. So, this is a paid-for game that I cannot play unless I bow to Gameloft's wishes. The game has been playing fine for me. I don't want the update. My question is this. I had a game, they have locked it up where I can't play it. I had it, I don't have it. Is it just me being critical or is that like...stealing? Did I ever truly own the game? Or was Gameloft, in their beneficence, allowing me to use it for a while? One more thing. I had all my notifications turned off on my I-Pad. There should have been no communications with Gameloft. Yet they were able to put this dialogue box on my screen. So, can we assume that all our games are just chatting back and forth, at their leisure, with some remote outpost of Geekdom?
    What is the Gameloft sudden interest in forcing updates? Is this an effort to stop pirating? Will it instead just irritate all their honest customers? Are they trying to usurp EA Games title as The Most Hated Company In America? Stay tuned to more of this fascinating subject, As the Game Turns.

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Four Free Games

Hey, everyone. If free games makes the start of a new week a little better, we're in luck. Check these out on your friendly, neighborhood app store. 1) Cowboys vs. Aliens vs. Ninjas- This is a dual stick shooter, much like Mini-Gore . You are an old-west cowboy with a vast array of weapons (earned gradually). You have to move and shoot, avoiding death, as you battle Ninjas and aliens. Some aliens are quite large. Some enemies are big Sumo Wrestlers. There are sword-wielding ninjas and these aliens that yield a mini-nuclear explosion when killed. When your enemies die they leave behind little stacks of money, or skulls. You collect these items because of a strange hobby of trophy grabbing for your macabre collection. Just kidding, the items can be spent or used as the game progresses. This is a good game and I played it for a while last night. 2) The Heist - A puzzle game with a twist. As you try to open a bank vault, you must face a series of different puz...

Game Review: NFS, Hot Pursuit

This game was one which I refused to download for a while, even though it was on sale for 99 cents. I thought that it looked boring and narrow. Boy, was I wrong! This game totally kicks butt. It is one of those rare games that will actually give you an adrenaline rush. It is that intense. The developers, EA Games, have recently updated the app to include two main avenues of play. You can either be the cops or the racers who are trying to evade the cops. As a racer you have to deal with cops trying to hit you and make you crash, cops buzzing you with helicopters, oncoming traffic, tack strips spread across the road and roadblocks. In the cop mode you are a cop and you are trying to stop a reckless racer by any means, fair or foul. As a racer you can use nitrous oxide for increased speed, overdrive capability and oil slicks. You also can jam the cops communication with a jamming unit. Like almost all games these days, it gets harder as you go along. I prefer my games to...

Shadowgun: Killing The Windbreaker

Hey, everyone. I thought it might be a good time for a bit of an update on the riveting game called Shadowgun. Consider this your spoiler alert and tune out if you want to. Once you get past the dreaded Driller, things get better but you are certainly not out of the woods. You will want to make sure you keep a full clip in your gun as you stroll through the realm of the evil and crazy Dr. Simon. But hey, you're John Slade, the Shadowgun, and wherever you set your foot is the place to which your authority extends. I love the way that some of the barriers disintegrate under the impact of bullets. I didn't learn this at my mother's knee but I darn sure know it now. I have learned that there are certain places it is good to plan on using the rocket launcher. Keep your stock of those filled. There are these transporter guys who are aggressive punks. The only way they respect you is if you kill them, so that's the way I roll. As...

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