swingly

All of us, at one time or another, probably wished we could swing from building to building like Spider-Man, but the laws of physics (and lack of web-shooting glands on our wrists) make that dream impossible.

Fortunately there are iOS games that let you use ropes and grappling hooks to go for the greatest distance. Each has different objectives and skills you'll need to master, but the swinging mechanic is what sets them apart from other games in the iTunes App Store.

This week's app collection is all about swinging games. The first lets you methodically swing for … Read more

Pull back, aim for the cheese, then hit the cat. That's pretty much all you have to remember to play this unique, addictive, and whimsical platform game.

In Bouncy Mouse, you are the colorful, cheese-loving protagonist. Your special power? An elastic, prehensile tail. With it, you can sling yourself to and from the small knobs strategically placed throughout each level, and earn points by picking up as many pieces of cheese as you can along the way. Also, thanks to your round, rubbery exterior, you can bounce your way to hard-to-reach pieces of cheese and even bounce yourself out … Read more

Hook Worlds is the latest sequel to one of our all-time favorite game franchises in the escape genre on iOS, Hook Champ. Though there are four different game types in Hook Worlds, the object remains mostly the same as in its predecessors: use your grappling hook to swing from object to object to achieve the longest distance possible. The graphics are smooth with high frame rates as you swing through caves, under rooftops, and over hot lava. Unlike the earlier games in the genre, Hook Worlds has dynamically created maps with no end--you simply need to last as long as … Read more

I would like to install a swing set in my backyard. And I want it to be the SkyScreamer. At 236-feet in height, it may run afoul of my local zoning laws, but I don't care. I want to feel the 43 mph wind in my face as I rocket through the air.

Most extreme amusement park rides wrap you up in a cocoon of carts with cushioned safety accessories for an encapsulated experience. The just-opened SkyScreamer at Six Flags St. Louis strips a lot of that away and just dangles you out there with the clouds and birds. It's like a ski lift with a lot more adrenaline.

This is what you have been training for since those early days on the playground with your momma pushing you on a swing. It makes the swing ride at the state fair blush and tuck itself back into its trailer. It would have completely changed the feel of Hitchcock's "Vertigo," had it been around in 1958.

SkyScreamer's manufacturer, Australia-based Funtime Group, already claims the title for the world's tallest tower swing ride, the 384-foot StarFlyer in Vienna, Austria. The Six Flags version may be shorter, but it is still high enough up to scare the pants off of you. Just remember, you must be at least 48-inches tall to ride.

… Read more

Thin is the line between party and sex party.

A few more drinks, a little more Prince, and suddenly what started out as innocent suburban fun turns into debauchery that will be gossiped about for years to come.

The makers of a new game for Wii and PS3 called "We Dare" seem to want to help you cross that line. Created by Ubisoft, "We Dare" is, according to Kotaku, a game that may swiftly replace social icebreakers like the key party as the favored Friday night couple-relaxing entertainment in your subdivision.

While I wouldn't dream of encouraging such socially divisive behavior, the makers of "We Dare" would like to offer you about 35 "fun and flirtatious" games that will help you relax in the company of Mrs. Galloway from number 47. And her slightly creepy husband who always wears a check cardigan.

The "We Dare" trailer is already enjoying so many parody versions posted to YouTube that Ubisoft appears to be scrambling to protect its behind--I mean, copyright (YouTube has already yanked a few of the clips).

Some people, though, will be less concerned with Ubisoft's copyright and more concerned about how uber-titillation can make their weekends complete.… Read more

Mirror's Edge was already available for iPad, but it now makes its debut on the iPhone as probably the best of the running/escaping genre on iOS devices. Based on the popular 3D first-person running game for consoles and desktop computers, Mirror's Edge for iPhone manages to keep the overall aesthetic of the 3D versions, but with a side-scrolling 2D (2.5D?) variation. Even with the lack of first-person views, Mirror's Edge for iPhone manages to be very fun and visually intense (especially on the iPhone 4's Retina Display) as you run through increasingly challenging levels … Read more

While Facebook is busy amassing questions and answers from its 500 some million members, a new service called Swingly, which is coming out of stealth on Tuesday, is thinking a little bigger. Like the entire Internet bigger.

As described to me last week in a call with Swingly's managing partner Andrew Hickl, Swingly is a machine-generated answer engine that contains somewhere around 100 billion to 150 billion question and answer pairs. "It's the first one of its kind," Hickl said. "Our gimmick here is that Swingly uses our system and the Web."

What that … Read more

Super QuickHook is the sequel to one of our favorite iPhone games of 2009, adding brand-new locations, new obstacles, and more fun and addictive gameplay.

As with Hook Champ, the object of the game is to swing from obstacle to obstacle using a grappling hook you shoot ahead of you by touching the screen to swing through levels. Super QuickHook adds a scrollable level-selection screen with new maps and environments, OpenFeint connectivity for high scores and leaderboards, and a new Endless Mode that challenges you to see how long you can last ahead of an avalanche.

With Hook Champ's … Read more

Natali Del Conte joins us in the studio to discuss really important issues such as boobquake day, cartoons, and violent video games. Oh, come on, we also discuss Google's failed attempts to reinvent the mobile phone sales paradigm, unfounded causal links between violent video games and sociopathic behavior, and the dangers of colonization. Good show, guys.

Google Nexus One Gone From Verizon Lineup http://jkontherun.com/2010/04/26/no-nexus-one-on-verizo/ http://preview.bloomberg.com/news/2010-04-26/verizon-says-it-has-no-current-plans-to-distribute-google-nexus-one-phone.html http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20003397-251.html… Read more