adventure

The big news this week from the world of Apple was the discovery that iPhones have been tracking users' locations as they go about their daily lives. Apparently, whenever you use Google Maps, or take a picture, or do anything that consults the GPS, your location and a time stamp are recorded in a log file on your iPhone. Apple is not using this information for anything, but it's not surprising many people find this particular previously unknown feature pretty unsettling.

Like probably anyone who heard this news, I had a lot of questions about what was being recorded, why it's being recorded, and what Apple has to say about it. Fortunately, our very own Josh Lowensohn and Elinor Mills put together an extensive FAQ to help you get all the info about the iPhone location-tracking function. Apple has not yet commented, but it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks and whether the company will strip this functionality from later versions of the iOS.

This week's apps are a DJ app that lets you mix music on the go and an artistic adventure game that is both challenging and very engrossing.… Read more

Atari's Greatest Hits lets you relive the early history of video gaming, giving you tons of old-school arcade and Atari 2600 hits on your iPhone. But it's not without flaws. Games like the original Asteroids, Tempest, Gravitar, Crystal Castles, and many more are available via in-app purchases packaged with their associated Atari 2600 games and some extras. In other words, the Atari Greatest Hits app itself is free, but if you want to play Tempest, for example, you'll need to buy the Tempest pack (99 cents), which comes with Tempest, Tempest for Atari 2600, Outlaw (2600), and … Read more

If you're a fan of the graphical adventures of yesteryear and/or the beloved "Back to the Future" movies, today's your lucky day.

Game developer Telltale Games is offering Back to the Future: Episode 1 for PC and Mac absolutely free. All you need to do is sign up for a Telltale account (also free), then download and install the game.

As I wrote in my recent review of the iPad version, the Back to the Future game is kind of an anachronism, a wonderful throwback to the graphical adventures of the past. If you ever … Read more

So many great games, so little time. Actually, I don't mind carving out the time (who needs sleep?)--it's dropping $40-50 on a single game that pains me.

Fortunately, as I've mentioned many times before, if you don't mind being patient, game prices can and will drop--sometimes steeply. Today, I've rounded up four top-rated games (for Windows) that are all fairly recent, and all heavily discounted. (Note that all prices are subject to change and were accurate when I wrote this post.) Take a look:

Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition for $6.42. … Read more

Shortly before the calendar struck 2011, gamers and movie fans alike were treated to something special: a new "Back to the Future" adventure for PC and Mac. It was, by most accounts, a terrific game.

Now it's time for iPad owners to get their, er, McFly on: Back to the Future: Episode 1 HD ($6.99) has arrived. And it's the best thing to grace my tablet in recent memory.

Time (heh) didn't permit me to check out the PC version, so this represents my first look at the game. Ironically, it's something of … Read more

If you're under the age of 30, the name "Riven" might mean nothing to you. But for us old fogies of PC gaming, it's instantly recognizable: Riven is the sequel to Myst.

Myst, of course, was the groundbreaking, best-selling puzzle/adventure game--of 1993 (and for the next decade, until The Sims came along). That title made its iOS debut back in May 2009.

Now comes Riven, which features all the sights, sounds, and gameplay of the original. It's available in the App Store now for $5.99 (quite a bit less than the PC version).… Read more

Rimelands: Hammer of Thor is a fantasy dungeon-crawler RPG with turn-based combat, grid-based movement, and charming art and sound.

The first in a planned Rimelands series, Hammer of Thor puts you in the role of Rose Cristo, the heroine of a Norse-themed, fairy-filled, post-apocalyptic steampunk storyline. Using experience points and a system of branching skill trees, you can advance Rose's abilities down three different "paths": Barbarian, Assassin, and Shaman, corresponding to melee, ranged, and magical combat. Each path has its own "talents"--active skills and passive boosts that make you deadlier. The game gives you … Read more

This is a "repeat" of a deal that first appeared about a year ago.

Normally $19.99 and originally twice as much, the PC version of BioShock is on sale for just $4.99. (Today only!)

Update: Sorry, but I guess Steam decided not to honor the "through Nov. 1" language that accompanied this deal. The $4.99 price is no longer available.

There's no shipping or sales tax (except in Washington)--it's a digital download. It's also one of my all-time favorite games. BioShock is like a suspense novel come to life, … Read more

Space Adventures, the company that brokered eight private flights to the International Space Station aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft, is working with Boeing to launch wealthy space tourists and other non-NASA fliers aboard a capsule under development by the U.S. aerospace giant, officials announced Wednesday.

The Boeing CST-100 capsule, being designed to launch atop Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rockets, Boeing's Delta 4, or the SpaceX Falcon 9, is intended to carry NASA and European Space Agency astronauts to and from the International Space Station under a NASA initiative to encourage development of private-sector spacecraft.

Under a separate memorandum of … Read more