Tech Talk

For those still waiting for that elusive action role-playing game (RPG) Diablo III, there is one pretty nice action RPG  on your iPhone now – the Dungeon Hunter.

You play a young king on a quest to eradicate the dark forces from his land. It’s a cliched storyline that gives you the excuse to hack and slash through dungeons and crypts, killing evil denizens and picking up plenty of loot along the way.

You get to choose your character class – a sword-wielding Knight, a stealthy Rogue or the magical Mage. Personally, I prefer to hack and slash my way through in true Diablo style!

The game plays very smoothly without any drops in frame rate and the controls are simple and intuitive. The graphics is fantastic for an iPhone game, and the audio track is great as well.

There are a few side-quests you can complete other than the story-driven main quests in order to get more experience points. With more experience, you level up and get more abilities to strengthen yourself for the quests ahead. Basically, it feels like playing Diablo II on an iPhone!

Fallen foes will drop plenty of loot for you to pick up, like weapons, rings, armour and potions. In fact, managing your inventory takes up as much time as your hack and slash. However, there’s no way to teleport to town to sell your loot, but you can transmute your loot into gold at a lower price.

Another quirk I have with the game is that its viewing angle sometimes gets blocked by the surroundings. In addition, although your character level is saved automatically, you can’t save your progress. In other words, if you exit when you are in the middle of the quest, you have to play again from the last checkpoint.

These quirks aside, Dungeon Hunter is one hell of a game for anyone who loves Diablo, or for anyone who loves a nice piece of action while waiting to catch your flight, or your spouse to show up or just to kill time during lunch breaks.

So, what are you waiting for? Get it at US$6.99 from iTunes Store now!

Tags: gameloft

It’s encouraging to see the startup scene in Singapore grow so fast. The groundswell isn’t only happening locally though; many startups in Asia see Singapore as a hub of sorts for the region, and some are even looking to set up shop here because the country has government-backed initiatives for startups from the likes of IDA or MDA, good IT infrastructure and an active entrepreneurial community. I came to this conclusion after attending unConference Singapore 2009 last week, an annual event organised by E27, (a local grassroots community that supports entrepreneurs and startups) where startups from across Asia can network and demo their latest products and services. The event is already in its third incarnation and most of the attendees I spoke to noted how much livelier and crowded this year’s session was.

It was also a chance for me to try out something new: blogger-style video interviews. I took the chance to interview three promising startups:

1. Klout by Duration Inc.

Aung Si Thu Hein, vice-president of Singapore-based Duration Inc., presents Klout, a tool it has developed that can help Twitter users track their influence across the web, and also for companies to identify who the big influencers and connectors are in their respective industries. Singapore brands and companies are already using Twitter as an alternative way to spread the word on their services and products. I reckon tools like Klout will grow in importance as social media takes centrestage on the web, and measurement and analytical tools are needed to quantify how effective the medium is.

2. Sparkle by Genkii

Ken Brady, chief executive of Tokyo-based Genkii, gives me a peek at Sparkle, the first virtual world on the Apple iPhone. I’m particularly impressed at how easy it is to use and how neat the graphics looked on the smartphone. Virtual worlds, though exciting and immersive, can sometimes be hard to use and delve into. And you need to be tied to a desktop because it needs hefty processing power to render 3D graphics and you need to be connected to the web. But when you combine virtual worlds with the ease-of-use of devices like the iPhone and the smartphone’s ability to be mobile and perpetually connected to the Internet, it might make it all the more accessible.

3. eJAMMING AUDiiO by eJAMMING

Ben Scherrey from US-based eJAMMING showcased eJAMMING AUDiiO – a piece of software and accompanying service that allows musicians in remote places to meet and make friends and most importantly, to jam together live across the web with little latency (that’s delay to you and me) thanks to peer-to-peer technology. I’m somewhat of a bedroom musician (very amateurish at that) and love twiddling knobs on old synthesizers but find it more fun to jam with others, so I thought eJAMMING was a great idea – it’s been dubbed as a kind of Skype for musicians or an Internet-enabled incarnation of Apple’s Garageband (eJAMMING’s available for both Mac and Windows).

Tags: Music, P2P, social media, Twitter, Virtual worlds

If you are a fan of the Disgaea role-playing video game series, you’ll be familiar with the lovable, combustible, peg-legged penguin Prinny that loves to say “dood!” and explodes on impact.

Now, instead of merely being thrown as bombs against the enemies, the Prinnies have a game of their own. Can a Prinny really be the hero? Let’s find out, dood!

In this 2D platform side-scrolling action game, Prinny Squad commander Etna loses her “Ultra Dessert” and assigns 1,000 Prinnies to find the ingredients within 10 hours. In other words, you have 1,000 lives – and this itself is a warning of the game’s difficulty.

You can only be hit three times before you die when you play the Standard level and only once when you play the Hell’s Finest level. With the hordes of enemies attacking you, you’ll find yourself dying very often even on the Standard level. You will fare even worse when you meet the level’s boss. You have to die a lot more times before you figure out a way to defeat the boss. The treacherous platforming doesn’t help either.

In addition, you can’t save the game at any stage. Though you can activate a Revive Point that makes you reappear when you die during the game, you won’t be able to return to that Revive Point if you quit the game.

Thankfully, the controls of the game are straightforward, allowing you to dive straight into the action. The soundtrack and the colourful graphics add plenty of spice to the game. The conversation between the Prinnies and the level bosses can be hilarious as well.

VERDICT 3.5/5

Despite its difficulty, the game is pretty addictive, thanks to the intuitive controls, the simple gameplay, and your sheer perseverance to stay alive.

You’re In The Movies uses the Live Vision Camera accessory for the Xbox 360 console to capture movies of you and your friends. You can read what our reviewer, Grass-Hopper, has to say about it in the paper (PDF or text).

As you can see from the movie we’ve posted up (the lead actor’s Grass-hopper’s brother!), the game’s “green screen” effect doesn’t work quite well if your interiors are dimly-lit. This results in some patchy results. So if you’d like it to work well, Grass-Hopper recommends putting up a big, white screen (mahjong paper backdrop, anyone?) with even and bright lighting.

Tags: Gaming, Xbox 360

Every now and then, when an act of violence or a crime is committed, there’s an uncanny enthusiasm from the media to report the perpetrators’ liking or love for video games if they manage to find a link. It has become an all-too-convenient “truth”.

For example, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold’s liking for the video game Doom was repeatedly highlighted and even blamed for the massacre after they had killed 13 at Columbine High School in 1999. Some suggested Cho Seung-Hui, the mentally-ill loner behind 32 deaths in the Virginia Tech massacre of 2007, had been influenced by the online multiplayer first person shooter (FPS) CounterStrike. The list goes on and on.

Closer to home on Monday, Indonesian undergraduate David Hartanto Widjaja allegedly stabbed Professor Chan Kap Lup before falling to his death at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Again, media here felt compelled to put Mr Widjaja’s interest in playing World of Warcraft (WOW) into their report. Some local tabloid Chinese newspaper even highlighted that Mr Widjaja played “WOW3” (By the way, there’s no World of Warcraft 3, but it’s second expansion pack Wrath of the Lich King) an hour before meeting Prof Chan. I doubt these reporters could even differentiate between Master Chief and Super Mario, let alone the difference between a role-playing game (like WOW) and an FPS.

Then, during a discussion with a former colleague on the tragedy, she insinuated a link between video games and psycho killers. I must say I was really surprised to hear that from someone with a mass communications background. But with the constant media harping on on that topic, it is no wonder such a perception lingers in the mind of the public.

Undoubtedly, these are sad tragedies but to point the finger at video games only covers up the real reasons behind such attacks. It’s not only counter-intuitive but baseless on many counts.

In terms of scientific studies, there is very few evidence that could prove even a casual link between playing violent video games and actual violence. No doubt there are studies that show a correlation between the two factors, but it might be a case of the person who has violent tendency exhibiting such behaviour in front of the computer screen.

Even a meta-analysis of 200 published media-violence studies by psychologist Jonathan Freedman in 2007 found no casual link between violent video games and actual violence. In fact, a new study this year by researchers from the University of Rochester found that violence does not make video games more enjoyable but quite the opposite: Violence decreases gamers’ interest and pleasure when playing the game.

So, I seriously don’t see why video games have come to become the scapegoat for violent acts committed in our society.

Perhaps, there is a lack of understanding with regard to video games and their contents. Perhaps, the typical stereotype of gamers being introvert nerds who can’t string a line of conversation with anyone runs deep in people’s minds. Perhaps, people still don’t take video gaming seriously, even though it’s a billion-dollar industry.

Thus, gamers should do their utmost to change people’s perceptions, not sit and wallow in their mistaken sorrows.

Let the world know that video gaming is no longer about Pong or Pac-Man. Let the world knows that video gaming requires teamwork, strategy, communication and mental strength to succeed. Let the world get rid of this convenient untruth altogether!

Tags: video games, violence

Last month, Apple happily announced that more than 500 million applications have been downloaded for the iPhone since App Store’s inception in July last year.

However, a study by Pinch Media released a few days ago found that less than 5 per cent of iPhone users still use an application actively a month after downloading it. Only a paltry 1 per cent of total downloads are used long term. Unsurprisingly, paid applications retain users for a longer period of time than free applications, though the drop-off in usage is still pretty sharp.

As I don’t have the full copy of the study, I don’t know for sure how representative the sample size (30 million applications) is of App Store. Still, results of this study run contrary to the news we hear everyday, that independent iPhone developers are chalking up hundreds of thousands of dollars working out of their garage or basement.

I’m wondering if these developers are earning their fortunes from impulse purchases of App Store users, or did they just plain get lucky? Probably lucky, I think.

From personal experience, I would concur with the study results, as I’ve quickly grown tired of playing some of the games I buy from App Store. On the other hand, utilities are generally better worth the purchase as you tend to use them longer.

For example, I bought the application Things to keep track of deadlines and things I need to do, and have been using it regularly ever since. In contrast, I quickly grew tired of Real Soccer 2009 within two weeks of purchase, and soon started looking for new games to buy.

I find myself slowing down the pace I was playing games in order to enhance their longevity. In fact, I have stopped playing Hero of Sparta for fear of completing it too soon! It’s my favorite iPhone game right now, but if I complete it, I don’t think I’m going to play the whole game all over again. Yes, there will be a higher difficulty level unlocked, and you can retain all your weapons, but I still refrain from playing it.

Hero of Sparta

As a result, I’m more picky in purchasing items from App Store these days. Some of the games are either too short or will not sustain interest long enough for me.

Thus, for those lucky developers who struck gold, their pots of gold might not be full for long if they don’t come up with updates or additional contents for their iPhone applications or games. For example, new free levels for Hero of Sparta will be greatly appreciated and might attract new purchases, too.

If not, port some of the most addictive games in gaming history to iPhone, and you are sure to retain users for the long run.

Now, can I have Diablo on my iPhone please?

There is just too much bad news these days: The credit crisis, imminent recession, salary cuts, impending retrenchments. The list goes on.

As everyone starts to curb his spending to tide over the tough economic situation ahead, I can’t help but wonder if the electronic gaming industry will become victims of the financial tsunami, too.

I don’t have any statistics offhand, but as far as I can remember, since I started playing computer games seriously as a teenager, computer and console games sales have never been affected to a great extent by dire economic situations. In fact, there is anecdotal evidence that computer/console games sales go up during times of financial hardship! I wouldn’t be surprised if this is true. Or rather, I want to believe it is true.

With more companies implementing four-day work weeks or enforcing leave to save operational costs, consumers are going to find themselves with more and more free time. With more time to kill but less money to spend, I say – at the expense of looking like a total nerd – that the best way to beat the recession blues is to game!

If you go out shopping on your days off, window shopping might ultimately translate into credit card sliding operations. Even if you go out for just a movie, it will cost at least $15 (throw in the popcorn and drinks) for just two hours of your time – and you might walk out from the theatre disappointed. Let’s not even talk about clubbing, which will make you spend way more than you should.

If you buy a game, say, Fallout 3 (my favorite), this $70 game will give you at least 60 hours of gripping entertaining! Now, that’s value for money, don’t you agree?

Of course, I’m not recommending anyone to cut off contact with the outside world and sit in front of the monitor to play for 60 hours straight. And I’m not saying you shouldn’t be strolling in the gardens with your family, or going for a workout (actually, there’s the Wii for that), or attending some skills upgrading lessons.

I’m simply recommending a nice and cheap alternative to spend your free time at home while stimulating the economy with a little purchase. Or, if you want it totally free, there are always plenty of free MMO (massive multiplayer online) games, iPhone games and Facebook games.

The ultimate aim, I hope, is to shelve your worries aside for that period of time when you are immersed in your game, while maintaining your mental and financial health.

So … want to play a game?

As the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2009 in Las Vegas drew to a close on Sunday, tons and tons of new electronic products, from the latest LED TVs to the eyebrow-raising watch phone, have been announced and introduced to geeks around the world.

I wasn’t lucky enough to be in the Sin City to get my hands on all these new gizmos. But if I were to pick one gadget that caught my attention among the avalanche of products, my vote would go to Razer Mamba.

Of course, there is the symbol of Palm’s probable resurgence, the Palm Pre, or Sony’s tiny but very expensive netbook VAIO P, which are pretty eye-catching in their own right.

So why the Mamba? The reason is simply because Razer Mamba is a wireless gaming mouse!

The term “wireless gaming mouse” is an oxymoron to most gamers. They will never use a wireless mouse even if they are paid to do so. In fact, no first person shooter (FPS) gamers will even think of using a wireless mouse, especially when they are on Counterstrike servers where the slightest of lag decides who wins.

Wireless mice, whether using Bluetooth or 2.4GHz Radio Frequency, have the knack of suffering from lag or battery problems. No one wants to suffer the agony of defeat simply due to the fact you can’t move milliseconds faster or if your mouse runs out of batteries suddenly.

Thus, I can’t comprehend why Razer, the maker of arguably the best gaming rodents in the market, would defy convention and come up with a wireless gaming mouse.

Well, according to Razer, Mamba is a lag-free gaming mouse with 2.4GHz gaming grade wireless technology (whatever that means), 5600DPI 3.5G laser sensor, 1000Hz ultra polling, 1 millisecond response rate, and up to 200 inches per second.

But knowing the anxiety of gamers, Razer has thus included the ability to switch from wired to wireless play in Mamba.

This is a really fast rodent, even when compared to normal gaming mice, but all these specifications and features mean nothing if it cannot handle the practical test.

So, where is my review unit, Razer?

Tags: Razer

“We’ve all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.” – Robert Wilensky

Just kidding. The wisdom of crowds tells us that it’s quite the opposite really. The web is alive with the effervescent chatter of blogs and hey, yours truly will finally be joining in the fracas fun.

So welcome to Tech Talk, a blog on technology from TODAY.

I’m a technology journalist for the paper and joining me will be Trevor Tan, a TODAY photojournalist.

Rather than bore you to tears with formalities, kick your shoes off and join in the conversation. We’d like to see how bright a billion ideas can get and how deep the rabbit hole goes. Leave a comment or send us an email and tell us your thoughts on technology or what you’d like to see more of. We’re listening.