We’ve moved our blog here.

We finally migrated our blog from our old name to our new one
with better formatting, better navigation and all-in-all, a better experience.

We hope you enjoy it!

This month (especially this week) has been a crazy one. E3 showed us a lot of awesome games and tech,
but one developer stood out above all in the mobile gaming category this month – and that is Gameloft.

Asphalt 8: Airborne

Brothers in Arms 3

Despicable Me: Minion Rush

Epic – Official Game

Gangstar Vegas

Modern Combat 5

Total Conquest

UNO & Friends

Not to mention…  major updates to My Little Pony and Zombiewood!

My Little Pony

Zombiewood

Also, make sure to check the Windows Phone store for N.O.V.A. 3, Dark Knight Rises and more!

iOS 6 has been out for a long time, and we’ve been without out a jailbreak just as long…
until now… and it’s untethered.

The awesome team comprised of @pod2g @planetbeing @pimskeks and @musclenerd,
now known as the @evad3rs, has released the long-awaited jailbreak tool, evasi0n.

Download Links Are Below for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

As always, please remember to backup your device before doing anything to it.
This jailbreak is for iPhone, iPod and iPad on iOS 6.0 – 6.1.2

Download evasi0n here:
(these links have been updated to evasi0n version 1.4)
Mac: https://evad3rs.box.com/shared/static/flvifqy9csegg2dyk79n.dmg
Windows: https://evad3rs.box.com/shared/static/eesitqovp4ac444txvau.zip
Linux: https://evad3rs.box.com/shared/static/f6llokbz8k2a3ag08d54.lzma

Download Mirror(s) from iNsaneOS.com:
Windows

The evasi0n website can be found here. The @evad3rs can be found here.

We are not responsible for anything that may happen to your device.
This is all done at your own risk.

Need to Unlock Your iPhone?:
If it’s an AT&T iPhone, we’ll unlock it for $12 – email us at unlock@iNsaneOS.com
If it’s a different carrier, check out @chronic on Twitter and tell him @iNsaneOS sent ya!

Hackulo.us – famous for providing apps like install0us and crackulous to install pirated apps and crack paid apps, respectively, has finally shut down.

Hackulo.us has given the jailbreaking community a bad name since day 1 and now developers and Apple can breath a sigh of relief and get the income they deserve.

Jailbreaking is about about customizing and utilizing your device to the fullest.
It shall no longer to be marred by its association with pirating, which was never its intention.
Jailbreak devs have long hated and tried to stop install0us, as it ruined their name and moral intentions.

install0us no longer works. Developers, who work very hard and pay their costs, will get the money they deserve.

Legit jailbreakers rejoice – we can no longer be viewed as scum, due to filthy pirates, but as human beings once again.

[UPDATED]
Since publishing this article, some people are using the “try before you buy” or publicity excuse,
explaining that if someone can’t afford an app and pirates it, they’ll spread the word of the app if it’s good.

1. There are many demos of apps available.
2. Many people can afford the apps, but choose to pirate them.
3. These statements are arguing to protect something that is illegal.
4. Pirating has caused jailbreaking to be wrongly looked upon as evil, when it is the exact opposite.
5. There’s also the “kids pirate because they can’t afford it” – does that make it right in any sense? Not at all.
6. Advertising and spreading the word about an app is no excuse for what pirating has to done to the iOS platform.
7. One more thing: Most (all?) pirated apps are well-known and don’t need that advertising pirates use as an excuse.

Now Apple barely has an argument to get jailbreaking to become illegal, as they have tried to do in the past

If the world is going to end tomorrow, I have a few things to say:

I’ll start off with what caused the apocalypse:

1. Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, 1D
2. The morons that gave robots emotions.
3. Westboro Baptist Church
4. That bitch you used to date.
5. Anyone who blames the non-religious folk.
6. Anyone who blames the gays.
7. Anyone who thinks Chris Brown and/or Kanye West are cool.
8. MySpace
9. People who wear scarves when it’s 100 degrees outside.
10. Fat people that wear small clothing and/or thongs.

My second statement is why you should care:

You shouldn’t. The world isn’t going to end. If you’re one of the people who sold off all their belongings to enjoy your last days, then you’re a moron and deserve the poverty you just put yourself in.

My third statement:

If you’re still reading this, you’re a true friend and I’d be on your team when the zombies and aliens arrive.

R.I.P. Twinkie

Ravensword: Shadowlands by Crescent Moon Games is only $6.99 in the App Store! BUY NOW!

Ravensword: Shadowlands, the successor of the highly-acclaimed Ravensword, makes its way to the App Store. This title does not disappoint and is much improved since the original.

Graphics and Audio:

The graphics in Ravensword: Shadowlands are superb. They’re closer to console-quality than most of the games that claim it. The environments and large open world look fantastic – rolling hills, roads, buildings and much more. Of course, it’s Ravensword, so you go inside the buildings, which look very nice as well. Framerates are great throughout the game. The customization of your character is great and also really easy to do. You can choose the size of your nose or even your eyebrows and your character looks great, even while running. The audio – also quite amazing. The goblins grunt, the the trolls roar, the sword and shield clink, clang and clunk when they’re supposed to and the sound effects were chosen wisely. Voice-overs sound great, too, unlike most games. The graphics are definitely stunning and looks like a AAA title for iOS. The same goes for audio. Not many games can compare in either of these departments. This is definitely a huge improvement over the original 2010 title.

Gameplay and Controls:

Gameplay, a very important factor in a game, is great if you know your way around an RPG. If you’re a newcomer to the RPG genre, it may take a little while to get used to the mechanics, controls and everything else, but you should be able to figure it out pretty quickly. This is a long game, meaning it’s not something you should expect to finish within just a few hours. You’re travelling through an open world of enemies, shops, animals and more. Make sure you get some food or you won’t last long! This is, by far, the best RPG in the App Store and filled with awesome goodies. Trolls, boars, goblins, bears, yetis and much more awesome creatures are walking around – make sure you get their skin before they get yours! Travel through caves, water, buildings and more to fulfill your quests. Defeat enemies to get to treasure chests (some require a lockpick), ride on horseback and even fly! Use your smarts for stealth and you’ll do well in this game. You can even become invisible temporarily and hide for stealth attacks. Weapons, armor, skills, talents and more can be upgraded, enhanced and/or dropped so your load is lighter (yes, even the weight of your gear was taken into account for this game). You can buy food if you weren’t skilled enough to get some of your own. Food keeps you alive. You can also sell your items in order to upgrade yours. Weapons can be improved with stones – giving them an ablitity, improved agility, improved endurance, etc. The menus are very easy to understand, yet filled with all the RPG goodness, and loads quite quickly too (practically instantly). This is a huge game and will most likely be in our Top 10 Apps of all time for quite a while. This RPG kicks all others in the App Store – it’s definitely a must-buy for those who like these kind of games. The controls can use improvement – sometimes it doesn’t register a block and takes a while between slashes and blocking. Backing up and seeing all your enemies surrounding you may be difficult, but you should get the hang of it soon enough. Your character may die a few times before learning the controls and the game. Controls do seem to improve later in the game (possibly because of talent point upgrades). An update for these issues would be nice and Crescent Moon Games is good with updates. This is definitely a game RPG players won’t want to miss. Load times are great and did I mention the dinosaurs? There are many creatures we haven’t mentioned – possibly the best ones in the game!

Finally:

Ravensword: Shadowlands is an epic complete RPG for iOS. Fearless enemies, great voice-overs, amazing graphics and a huge environment make it a must-buy for any player of the genre or even newcomers. This is definitely a worthy sequel to the original 2010 title, Ravensword: The Fallen King, and something that can be played for many, many hours.

Ravensword: Shadowlands receives 8.5/10 for its amazing graphics, audio, addictive gameplay and good controls.

Puzzle Craft by Chillingo Ltd is Free in the App Store! Get It Now!

Puzzle Craft is a time management, match 3, city-building game released by Chillingo, who have released numerous games for iOS.  This one, in particular, has just been voted into the App Store Best of 2012.  The game has several aspects to keep the casual gamer coming back to it and the hardcore gamer actively involved in it.

Graphics and Audio:

The graphics of Puzzle Craft are simplistic, yet realistic.  The city landscape is done to represent a small village, yet it shows intense detail for several of the buildings and citizens. The colors are vibrant and the menus are easily read.  The only downside to the graphics would be that some of the animals seem a bit cartoonish. The audio does not have a lot of depth to it.  There are several sound effects when a correct match is made and when you’re on the village screen, there is basic music. It would be great to have access to your music library to increase the audio aspect of the game.

Gameplay and Controls:

The gameplay is very simple, yet involves strategic moves.  The player begins with little gold and a small simple village.  Over the course of the game, the gold amount increases by collecting taxes and acquiring resources.  In order to continue to increase the size of the city, the player must farm and mine for resources.  The strategy behind the gameplay is that the farming costs money, whereas the mining costs resources.  There are numerous resources that open up along the course of the game.  Additionally, there are citizens that can be hired by resources to help generate certain resources faster.  A key example is a lumberjack, which allows you to get more wood piles quicker.  The match 3 aspect comes into play when the player farms and mines.  One must find resources which are alike, in order to clear them from the board. The trickiest part is that there are only a limited number of days that one can farm and mine. However, you can use specific tools (found or made) to help you collect resources.  HINT: When a tool is used, it doesn’t count as a day.  There is a level-up system that unlocks new buildings to build and citizens to hire.  The one downside is the noticeable aspect of IAP (in-app purchases), which is not needed to advance at all in the game.  Hardcore players can achieve total completion by playing the game strategically. There are very limited controls in the game.  Everything that happens is either a button to tap or a quick trace of the finger.  The buying and hiring is done by scrolling and selecting, whereas the match 3 is done by tracing on the resources that match, using a finger.  It is easy to learn, but can be difficult to master in the higher levels.

Finally:

Puzzle Craft is one of Chillingo’s better titles.  The time management and match 3 gameplay makes this game seem more like multiple games all rolled into one.  The graphics are “cute” and the IAP is completely voluntary.  The game can easily be beaten within a few weeks. However, Chillingo has announced that an update is coming in early 2013!

Puzzle Craft receives an 8.5/10 for its great graphics, controls and worthy gameplay.

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour by Gameloft is only $6.99 in the App Store! BUY NOW!

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour is the fourth installment into the Modern Combat series, which is the number 1 FPS franchise on mobile devices. It seems to get better with every release and Zero Hour takes FPS gaming on mobile devices to a new level.

Graphics and Audio:

Graphics are amazing. It is that simple. For a mobile game, the graphics are unbelievable. Good colors are used and everything is very crisp. Gameloft advertises the game as “console-quality graphics”, but that might not be justified. The graphics are amazing for an iOS devices, but not as if it were for console. To put it in perspective, graphics are crisp and all, but look cartoonish at times. Character faces don’t move well when speaking and this can be improved upon in the next Modern Combat game. Guns look fairly realistic and other things, like blood spurting everywhere and the rag-doll effect when enemies die, are very realistic and look good in the game. In all, graphics are truly amazing for a mobile game. Audio, just like with most well-recognized games, is perfect. It’s a very simple part of the game that is mastered by developers. Gun fire sounds happen at the appropriate time and it’s really good how sometimes when you shoot an enemy down, one of the other soldiers will say something like ‘enemy down’. Explosions also sound very good and when you run you can hear your equipment moving about.

Gameplay and Controls:

Gameplay is really good once again for a mobile game. There are two game modes: campaign and multiplayer. The actual story in the campaign is really good. It’s easy to follow and you get your money’s worth with 12 missions that take around 20-30 minutes each depending on how good you are at these games. (Compare this to a recent $50 Vita release from an even more famous and praised franchise, which takes about 30 minutes to complete in its entirety.) Multiplayer is fairly simple, but enjoyable. All the normal game modes are in there with leveling up and creating custom classes. The actual gameplay, in terms of how the game runs, is very good. The AI is amazing and realistic like it would be in real life. Though the game is hard to play, though, mainly because of the controls. The controls just aren’t right. It is a mobile game, meaning you are limited in controls, though there are many other FPS games for iOS that never had much of a problem. This becomes very annoying. You can customize the controls, which may and probably will help, but the default controls just don’t play right. An update to improve this would be great. Gameplay is very good as a whole, but the controls make it a rather annoying game to play and some users may end up rage-quitting a lot, especially in multiplayer, as it is so hard to get a kill.

Finally:

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour is for people who like a challenge and want a quality FPS game for their mobile device that will keep them busy for a long period of time. This is one shooter you won’t want to miss. To put some of this in perspective, here’s a small comparison between this game and the recently-released Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified for PlayStation Vita:

Compared to our recently-reviewed Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour has much better graphics, a more enticing and longer campaign and equally great audio, but the controls need tweaking. The control issues are understandable as it’s a mobile game. Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour wins this battle, especially considering it’s a $6.99 mobile game that beat a $50 well-respected franchise on PlayStation Vita that costs $49.99. Is this the first time a mobile game has won over a well-respected franchise? This may just begin to be a new trend. We can say this is basically a “Call of Duty” for mobile devices, but that would be an insult to Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, as Call of Duty’s handheld game pales in comparison. If Gameloft decided to publish this title for the PlayStation Vita, it would most likely not only selling tons of copies, but also be a major selling point for the Vita system itself.

Gameloft and SONY need to talk!

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour receives 9/10 for incredible graphics, audio & gameplay, though controls need tweaking.

This review by: Bill from Sydney, Australia
Some additions by: iNsaneOS

Graphics and Audio:

Graphics for Black Ops Declassified are alright. They are nothing special and they don’t fully utilize the PS Vita’s qualities. There are some games on the iPhone that have better graphics, such as Gameloft’s new Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour. The framerate is fine, so that’s great, but characters seem to have white outlines, which obviously shouldn’t be there and can be irritating at times. Objects are very choppy and are not smooth at all. Colors are alright and also the guns look pretty good. When the gun is fired, you see the appropriate fire coming out of the gun. One big problem with graphics is the fact that all enemies look exactly the same! This is very unrealistic, as everyone should look different or at least a few varieties in character. The best thing about graphics is most likely the fact that you can see dust and papers flying around, which is exactly like the console version (and the iNsaneOS office). Audio is the same as console versions, which is really good, so no audio issues here. You hear that same voice which tells you what game mode you’re playing in multiplayer or the fact that hostiles are incoming. The appropriate sound occurs when firing the gun and when the characters move in different locations, the correct sound occurs as well. For example, when you are in the snow you can hear the snow crushing under your feet. Overall, graphics are not bad, but can be worked on and audio has no real problems at all and is great.

Gameplay and Controls:

Gameplay is the biggest problem of the game. There is so much wrong with it, this article might not even cover it all. There are still some good things with it, but the majority is bad. The game runs smoothly and looks like a normal Call of Duty game. One thing good about the game in particular is that in hostiles mode, you can shoot a person and they go down, though they sometimes get back up again. This is realistic, as it is possible that in real life a person can get back up after being shot, so this is a neat little feature. A really annoying thing about gameplay is that you can’t shoot through objects like in the normal console version. There are three modes you can play: Campaign, Hostiles and Multiplayer. Campaign is an absolute joke. For the amount of money you pay for it, you really wish you would get more from Campaign. There’s no story to it, anyway. You just get dropped into different locations and basically all you do is shoot people with no real objective. It is hard to follow and the story could have been created better. Missions are also very short. To make this easy to understand, one of our reviewers finished half of the entire campaign in less than half an hour and reckons a better player can complete the entire campaign in the same time slot. The most annoying thing about the missions is that there are no checkpoints, so if you die just at the end, you have to start over! Even though missions are short, it still is annoying to play the same thing over and over again. In Campaign, you also get killed way too easily, which is bad as well with the no checkpoints. For example, with Mission 2, it may say it took 2 minutes to complete it, but it could’ve actually taken you half an hour to do it because you die too easily and there are no checkpoints. This is very aggravating at times. Hostiles mode is simply you fighting waves of enemies and trying to get a high score. Nothing much to it. One problem again is that you get killed way too easily. It can’t be that the player is awful if they fly through Call of Duty games on console without so many problems. Hostiles is a nice addition to the game, but Zombies would have been nice or, in fact, preferred. Multiplayer is generally good. It has problems, but would be the best mode in the game. You can only play in 4 v 4 matches, which is bad, but they have created very small maps, so there is still a lot of action. There are limited game modes also, which aren’t great, since variety is usually more fun. There are few maps, as well. You can create custom classes just like the console version and there’s prestige mode, like a normal Call of Duty game. Connecting to an online game has gotten mixed reviews – some people barely have any issues connecting and others barely get to play online. The worst thing about online is how responsive it is to kills. You can shoot someone, but they can kill you after you shot them, so you both die. It seems it takes more bullets in this game than the console version to kill someone, which is worse, as it is harder to aim with the smaller analog sticks. There are no replays of how you got killed and there is no final kill cam, unlike the console versions of Call of Duty. Controls are very good. Since the PS Vita has only 2 back triggers, they had to put other controls in. You use the touchscreen to knife people and throw grenades, which works well. When you begin playing, it may be hard to aim and get used to the controls, but it’ll grown on you soon enough. Giving the game some time to get used to may help, but overall, gameplay is pretty bad with many things needing to be fixed. Controls are very good, though.

Finally:

Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified is a start to Call of Duty games on the PS Vita. It’s nothing special, but is an acceptable effort. This hopefully won’t be the last Call of Duty game on PS Vita and it would be great if Infinity Ward, who should be making next year’s console Call of Duty game, makes the PS Vita version, so we can be sure to get a good quality Call of Duty game for the PS Vita. There’s hope that Nihilistic will fix some of these issues, but that’s doubtful. If you’re a patient gamer and can play a game with some problems, then this might be the title for you. Do not get high expectations when buying the game, as it isn’t anything great. Maybe wait until the game goes down in price, as it is too much for what you get at the moment.

CoD: Black Ops Declassified receives 6/10 for console-like audio, great controls & lack of a good campaign or graphics.
This review by: Bill from Sydney, Australia!

NBA 2K13 by 2K Sports is only $7.99 in the App Store! BUY NOW!

NBA 2K13 for iOS is the next installment into the series which has been running for 12 years straight. This is the second time it has been released on Apple’s mobile platform, with NBA 2K12 released last year. Built with the amazing 2K engine, NBA 2K13 offers a highly realistic NBA experience. This year, the game has had some major graphical changes and a new control layout. Multiplayer has also been added. See how this works out later in the review.

Graphics and Audio:

The graphics and audio in 2K13 are fairly good. Graphics are crisp and look like the players, though they could use imporovement. Players sometimes look like cardboard cut-outs with their bodies having edges all around it. Their heads aren’t fully round either, so an update would be great. Other than that, graphics are very good. The court looks very realistic and colors match what an actual game would look like. The crowd moves up and down like they would in real life. Audio is great as well. When the ball hits the ground or hits the rim, the appropriate sound occurs. The ref blows a whistle when the ball goes out of play and the crowd is very realistic with them getting noisier when something exciting is happening on the court. The one bad thing about audio is the commentary. They are real life commentators, but there is way too much repetition and what they say doesn’t fit what’s happening on the court at times.

Gameplay and Controls:

Gameplay is by far the best thing about the game as gameplay is almost the same as the console version, mainly as it is created with the same engine. When you make a basket, players do some sort of victory dance. When you go near an opposing player, you don’t just run past them like in some games, but they push you back or you may even push them over, which is a charging foul against you. When you go for a layup, a player from the other team may come across and push you over. In all, gameplay is just like a real basketball game and is really amazing. Players can also get a role on, meaning if they get a few baskets in a row, then they are more likely to keep going and get harder baskets in. Cut-scenes and replays are good as well, so it has a TV broadcast style to it. You can play in a few different modes including Quick Game, Greatest Games, Multiplayer, Multi-Season and Practice. Let’s talk about multiplayer. There’s one massive problem with multiplayer and that is it rarely works! It’s very annoying waiting for so long and nothing happens. All other game modes work well and fine, but they need to fix the multiplayer. Controls are pretty bad. They would be the worst thing about the game. Touching the shoot button doesn’t always work if you touch it a little to the side. You must touch it in the middle. This can be very annoying at times. Controls seem to get in the way of gameplay sometimes, as well, though this is understandable with an iPhone.

Finally:

NBA 2K13 is for sure the best NBA game on iPhone or any portable device. It does cost a bit of money but is worth it for the amount of content you get. For anyone who has played the console version of the game or anyone who loves basketball, this is definitely a game you want in your arsenal. This is not a quick-fix game, so only get it if you want a game to last you for some time and play for long periods of time.

NBA 2K13 receives an 8/10 for amazingly realistic and enjoyable gameplay and audio. The graphics and controls could use tweaking.
This review by: Bill from Sydney, Australia!