Games

Zynga's Matching with Friends for iOS is likely to be a hit

Matching with Friends (2.99, full version - Free, ad-supported version) is another in a long line of Zynga apps that let you play turn-based games with a friend on mobile devices. But instead of playing word games loosely based on Hangman, Scrabble, or Boggle, this time you'll be strategically placing matching colored blocks on a gameboard, then sending your move to a friend.

Like other Zynga games, Matching with Friends makes getting connected with your friends easy. Upon launch you'll be asked to sign in through either your Facebook or Twitter account. Once logged in, you can search for other players from your friends list or get automatically matched with a random player.… Read more

Put the pedal to the metal in these games for iOS

Ever since I was a kid I've had a fascination with racing. My father took me to motorcycle GP races at the age of 4 and we went every year for most of my young life. The big-name racers of the day, the roar of the engines, and the smell of formula fuel as they sped around the track all added to the fun and excitement for the young version of me.

These days I'm not much of a spectator racing fan, but if a new racing game comes out (really on any platform), I somehow automatically become interested. A big racing game release today on iOS got me looking for more fun driving games -- and while I know they're not for everybody -- if you like to "go fast," these games are for you.

This week's collection of iOS apps is all about racing. The first lets you upgrade cars and compete on numerous tracks with a 3D top-down view. The second challenges you to compete, driving old-school go-carts around tracks and has a great overall feel. The third is a well-polished sequel that many racing game fans will probably automatically download.… Read more

Get Norton 360 6.0 3-user edition for free

How's the security on your PC? Is your current software's subscription coming to an end? Are you unhappy with the performance hit it imposes? Do you feel your system is underprotected?

Whatever the case, this might be just the deal you need: Newegg has Norton 360 6.0 3-user edition for $0 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCNDHJ227 at checkout and redeeming a $50 mail-in rebate (PDF). (Also, you need to be a Newegg newsletter subscriber.)

True to its name, Norton 360 protects you against just about everything: viruses, spyware, phishing threats, spam, identity theft, and … Read more

Indie Gala Mobile bundles Android games for a good cause

Game bundles are fairly commonplace these days, but most of them focus on PC and/or Mac titles. Here's something a little different.

Indie Gala Mobile lets you set your own price for four Android games, with the proceeds going to your choice of destinations, including two worthwhile charities.

Available through Friday, June 22, the bundle includes the following titles:

Cardinal Quest: an arcade-style dungeon crawler. Great Little War Game: a 3D turn-based strategy outing. Legends of Yore: a " roguelike" with 8-bit graphics. Smiles HD: a Bejeweled clone with some cool twists (literally).

The minimum buy-in is $… Read more

Microsoft updates My Xbox Live for iOS, adds Xbox control

Now at version 1.5, My Xbox Live enables iPhone users who have XBox 360s to control their console using their iPad or iPhone in a whole new way.

Previously the My Xbox Live app only allowed users to track and compare user profiles and achievements, connect with Xbox Live friends, and manipulate your 3D avatar. … Read more

Hot new action games for iOS

I look through the new iOS releases and popular apps several times a day to find hidden gems to talk about here at the end of the week. Usually I try to come up with a theme to tie them all together, but I've been tracking some games over the past couple of weeks that are all good, but can't be wrapped up neatly in a nice little package.

Still, though the games are from different genres, each one has something unique to offer and I hope you'll be able to pick a game from the genre you like best -- I promise you won't be disappointed.… Read more

Bonus-deal Friday: Five bargains you won't want to miss

Just as mystery-novelists often write the ending first, I sometimes start my daily Cheapskate post by writing the bonus deal. And today, the bonus deals just got away from me, to the point where they consumed the whole post.

In other words, it's like all dessert and no dinner. But, somehow, I don't think you'll mind.

Bonus deal: The Xbox is rapidly evolving into a home-theater hub, what with the recent additions of HBO Go, SmartGlass, and the like. Alas, you need an Xbox Live membership to enjoy most of those features (including Netflix), and that'll … Read more

PlayStation Mobile and PlayStation Vita: Too many screens for Sony?

LOS ANGELES--If E3 2012 is The Year of the Second Screen, then what does that make Sony, a company that seems to have one too many solutions to a single problem? The PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation 3 form a perfect hardware tandem, theoretically: with as many inputs as a Wii U tablet and a screen just an inch smaller, the Vita could the PS3's best friend. … Read more

Create a disease to kill off humanity with these iOS games

Pandemic, the first game in this duo, was released for Web browsers back in 2007. The object of the game was to infect a person with a disease you created, then manage the outbreak and evolve the disease to create the most worldwide damage. I agree that the game's subject is morbid, but the huge popularity of Pandemic showed that the actual content doesn't make it any less addictive.

At the beginning of last month, Pandemic 2.5 was released for iOS and quickly shot up the App Store's most-popular lists probably based on the Flash version's popularity. But at the end of May, a very similar game was released that might even be better than the original.

In testing these games, I infected most of the world with my various diseases, but never had one that destroyed all of humankind. Those who have played Pandemic in the past might guess that Madagascar was my downfall (it's a joke among Web gamers that Madagascar is always the one to close its shipyards at the first whiff of danger), but it was Iceland that put a stop to the deadly Parkerism.… Read more

New Angry Birds Space episode leads to Utopia

Those Angry Birds in space are still making me angry, only now they've added a new episode to thwart me even further.

The latest update to Angry Birds Space for iOS launches a new episode into orbit, this one dubbed Utopia. Unfortunately, I haven't progressed past the initial Pig Pang, so Utopia and all the episodes leading up to it remain locked to me. (Anyone know a good unlock code?)

Rovio describes Utopia as a delicious food planet with 10 new levels complete with popcorn, cookies, and candy apples to tempt the hungry pigs. Players can "bounce … Read more