[07.19.12] OUYA gains support from Handy Games

OUYA

There's no denying the incredible success the new gaming console, OUYA, is having on Kickstarter. It's now surpassed $5 million in pledges from over 40,000 backers. Yesterday, they gained yet another, this time with a little more prestige behind it. Handy Games, the company behind Guns 'n' Glory, Aporkalypse, and Super Dynamite Fishing, is now backing the OUYA full force.

Handy Games has joined five others in the top-tier pledge level on the Kickstarter page. Not only that, but they've vowed to bring several of their popular Android titles over to the OUYA. Markus Kassulke, the CEO of Handy Games, has a very strong opinion about mobile gaming that he's not afraid to share.

"When HandyGames started out more than 12 years ago, no one really took mobile gaming seriously. It was pretty much seen as joke. Now, more than a decade later, I don't think that these are tears of laughter running down the faces of all those big publishers and console makers who see the very core of their business model pummeled by the onslaught extremely affordable indy games on smartphones and tablet PCs."

He's right though. Lately, many big name publishers have spent more time focusing on mobile gaming and less on their console or PC counterparts. Along with the creators of the OUYA, he too thinks it’s about time these companies start to feel the pressure from smaller competitors.

"OUYA has the potential to be every bit as disruptive to the traditional TV consoles market as smartphone games were to the handheld console business. It’s yet another nail in the coffin of walled-garden ecosystems and traditional publishing models.”

Christopher Kassulke, another CEO of HandyGames, is also in agreement.

"Over the past year we have been working hard to take our games beyond the mobile space. OUYA is a perfect match for our long-term strategic goals, but it's not just the business side. We strongly feel that the OUYA team has a vision of the future of gaming that is very similar to our own. It's not about powerful hardware or big brand names, it's about innovation and great gameplay and openness to developers and users alike. OUYA gives us just that, a chance for independent developers to flourish and experiment on a platform that is affordable to users and open to free-to-play and freemium models. We see huge mass market potential here and we’re already looking forward to attending the OUYA launch party!

So not only is openness something that gamers want, apparently it's something that some developers want too. Between the potential support from Mojang, the blessing from the likes of Jenova Chin and Adam Saltsman, and the now confirmed support of Handy Games, the OUYA is gathering an incredible amount of momentum.

Despite the doubts of many, it now seems there's no way the OUYA won't be made. Clearly, it's something that gamers want, and clearly, the demand and financial support is there. The only question that remains is, "can they pull it off successfully?" for the sake of the gaming industry, let's hope the answer is yes.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you!

[05.02.11] Review: 'Super Dynamite Fishing

Handy Games

Super Dynamite Fishing for Android

Rating:

5 Stars

Dynamite fishing, the often joked about alternative to fishing poles, is brought to life in today’s free game Super Dynamite Fishing. Although it may seem crazy, dynamite fishing is a real practice, so with that in mind the game does open with a disclaimer, although a mildly satirical one at that. This game is meant to be all in good humor, which is obvious in the over-the-top way Super Dynamite Fishing presents itself. Armed with the task of winning the heart of Rosemary, you set out in your bathtub loaded with a gun and sticks of dynamite. Kill the fish, sell them, and then go kill some more fish. At any point, you can go spend your hard earned cash on weapon upgrades, gifts to win over Rosemary’s heart, or even upgrade your vessel to something a little more seaworthy. As you progress, you’ll unlock new areas and items.

The Good:

It’s a simple game design that never gets old. Do a task, and you’re rewarded so you can buy more things. In this particular game, it’s applied to a very humorous situation and embraces wackiness. Instead of keeping things ‘realistic’, you have the chance to buy RPG’s, a naval ship, or adopt a baby for Rosemary. The sound effects are goofy, and the music makes you feel like you’re really a redneck out on the lake with explosives. Everything has a backstory and manages to draw you into the fight for Rosemary’s heart. It really makes you want to keep playing so you can read every goofy weapon description and see what the next ridiculous item is you’re going to be gifting to the girl of your dreams.

The Bad:

The ‘daily goal’ can get a little bit annoying since it takes money away. It feels like it really just hinders your progress than provides you with something to work for. There is also a “quick fishin’” button which conveniently automates the task of purchasing everything, however there’s no confirmation screen which can be frustrating if you hit it on accident. Also, if you run out of weapons in the middle of a fishing trip, there’s a “click to return” button that allows you to conveniently skip straight to the end of your trip, however this has a timer, so if you don’t click it, it will automatically launch anyway. If you’ve just thrown out a fridge or battery, this can be quite frustrating too as it doesn’t wait for those weapons to finish.

The Ugly:

The app has memory management issues, as can be seen in the Amazon reviews, so there are some force close issues, and it occasionally will cause the phone to freeze. That’s really only complaint about this though.

Bottom Line:

Super Dynamite Fishing is an unexcitingly well thought out and designed game, with lots to do. There is also a full featured, ad-supported version of the game for those of you who didn’t manage to get it while it’s free, or don’t think it’s worth dropping the $0.99 on. If you’ve got spare space on your phone and want a switch from the few games that keep getting plagiarized on the market, this may be just what you’re looking for.

Super Dynamite Fishing was created by Handy Games and is Amazon’s free app of the day for 05/02/11). It typically sells for $0.99