http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/index/ Taking aim at the best of the internet through posting and podcasting web criticism en chrismaslin.design@gmail.com Copyright 2011 2011-11-20T18:58:59+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/highnoon/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/highnoon/#When:18:58:59Z A brilliantly crafted, addictive and original western style gunslinging game for iOS.The two key features we believe make this game really really work are. 1. The game mechanics have really been thought about, they suit the touch screen platform incredibly well. Producers of the game Happylatte have done what very few game studios actually do, think how the user is going to play the game. A lot of games that are churned out by even some of the biggest studios are more of a technical achievement with stunning 3-D graphics, incredible frame rate or some other graphical gimmick. Very few of these games make it past a novelty, when finally the companies realise that maybe a dual virtual stick multi button all action shooter doesn’t play so well when around 50% of the screen is covered up by the persons thumbs actually playing it. High Noon has simple enough controls but also enough depth that you can become a skilled gunslinger and dispatch any inferior foes who haven’t put the hours in! 2. There are over 7 million users online playing this game right now! That is an awesome achievement and really enforces how well this game is doing. But this success came from the fact that all of characters you fight in the game are all controlled by real people, which makes getting in that final headshot before your opponent all the more satisfying. On top of these two key features are a whole host of elements to keep you playing for a long time. The general store, western wear, gun shop, indian trading post and the barber shop will have you spending and saving masses amounts of gold as you upgrade and pimp out your outlaw. The ‘freemium’ model used in High Noon is a great way to get people playing the full game for free, with the option to buy more credit in order to fight, buy and upgrade quicker than anyone else. Odds and ends 2011-11-20T18:58:59+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/spotalike/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/spotalike/#When:18:26:28Z Name a track and get a Spotify playlist in an instant!This is a great online utility which can rustle up a 50 track playlist in a matter of seconds. All you need to do is start by entering a track name, selecting it from the drop down and hitting the big red button. Your playlist will then appear with a link to listen to it via Spotify. Spotalike is a good for discovering new music even when starting with a track or artist you may know well. Powered by Last.fm’s massive data base which has been growing since 2002 means the results are detailed and will throw up some artists you won’t hopefully be familiar with but will be closely related to the artist you started with. A great tool for finding something new Music 2011-11-20T18:26:28+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/site-fanroom/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/site-fanroom/#When:16:32:41Z Where will you watch the match? Find your ultimate venue to enjoy sport-watching.Capacity crowd A site that lists all the pubs, bars and other venues that play sport isn’t exactly ground-breaking. But it’s surprising how poorly it has been done up until now. When I sat down with an old friend and decided to tackle this problem, we wanted to have a site that would tell you what games were showing in any given pub but we pretty quickly realised this kind of information would be a) really hard to get and b) pretty unreliable. So instead we set about just chronicling every venue in London showing sport and which channels they have and open it up to ‘the community’ so it’s kind of a Sports Bars Wiki. Getting reviews and ratings from users made much more sense than the model used by most competitors: bars paying to be on there. This way we’re hoping to build a ‘Trip Advisor for sports pubs’. Fanroom is where we’re at and we’re already the biggest listings site for sports bars in the UK with 500 venues. We’ve got a top ten that we’re very happy with and actually represents some genuinely nice places to watch sport - unlike many of the dives that come to mind for a lot of people. There’s lots more info about our thinking over on the Fanroom blog but if you need to find somewhere playing the match, we’re the best option in town. Sport 2011-11-09T16:32:41+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/whale-trail/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/whale-trail/#When:08:33:01Z Design studio ustwo™'s latest creationWhale of a time Design Studio ustwo™ have just launched their latest creation and first real serious game (which is not bad for a studio that doesn’t make games) Whale Trail tells the story of Willow the Wale, who flies through the clouds collecting blubbles to keep him in the air, whilst avoiding the black clouds (a.k.a Thunder Bros). Catch enough stars and FRENZY mode will activate giving Willow super speed and invincibility to smash through the evil clouds trying to stop his trail. This description may sounds slightly kiddy and on the surface it may seem like that. But once you get into it, the gameplay takes over, and all of a sudden the clouds, rainbows and colours all make sense. With one finger you control Willow, press anywhere to climb higher into the sky and release to drop down. (holding for around 1s will perform a loop da loop, which is great for stalling and planning your route) Once you get a feel for the response of Willow the game really opens up as you progress through the 7 colourful worlds, with each level containing less blubbles which basically means you can make less mistakes. The early stages are easy enough for anyone to pick up and play, and get real tough after the 4th/5th world. Which we think will keep everyone happy from the 1 year old with the magazine that wasn’t an iPad to the most hardcore high score hunter around. Overall a beautiful, simple & down right addictive game perfect for a quick spin on the bus, or a long session when settled down at home. Buy it here Trailer here Watch the awesome making of Whale Trail here Odds and ends 2011-10-20T08:33:01+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/app-wunderlist/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/app-wunderlist/#When:16:02:41Z A sexy-looking to-do list by those efficient Germans.Ta-da! Now I know there’s quite a few different to-do list apps out there and I’ll be honest and say I haven’t used any of them. So I don’t know what other hot features may exist on other competitors but I don’t think I really need to. Because we’re talking about a to-do list here. I’ve been making them for years on notepads and post-it notes. Realistically, that’s all it needs to compare to (writing ain’t broken yet). I just want something as simple as that, which can be with me wherever I go. It’s really easy to add a task – check. It’s really easy to tick off or delete a task – check. You can put a date on a task and it notifies you – check. In various ways actually, from choosing the day within the app, to the notifier badge on the app to even being emailed by the app. Ticked off tasks stay in there – check. I always think this is actually very important, especially to give you the sense of achievement. It’s glorious simplicity is complimented by a beautiful interface. Really elegantly done, from the subtle icons to the ability to change the background image, all the details are there. It feels like an app and more importantly it feels the same on every platform: the desktop app, the mobile app and the web app. Great consistent UX work. Oh and it’s all free. You really are spoiling us. Odds and ends 2011-08-10T16:02:41+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/desert-island-discs/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/desert-island-discs/#When:15:57:56Z The longest running music radio show now has a great website.Buried treasure The concept is legendary. The show is exemplary. It’s been an institution for decades. Now the website does it justice too. If by some reason you don’t know what it’s all about, ask your parents. Or grandparents, it’s been around since 1942. Essentially it’s a show where people pick their favourite eight tracks whilst being gently interviewed about their (usually fascinating) lives. The secret is in the amazing guest list. There is a mega archive here: all 2863 guests have a page with their choices listed and about 550 have audio (full programmes back to 1998 at the mo) with more on the way. This is exactly the kind of thing the BBC should be doing: exposing the incredible archive for all to enjoy. If this can be done for more amazing programming then talk about value for money on the license fee… This website is a victory for simply and intuitively linking data together. It’s a lesson in how it should be done: give every guest it’s own destination and then allow exploration of the interesting links between them. Want to search by occupation? Want to find people by year? Want to see which other guests chose this artist? Even want to see who chose a similar luxury - yep you can even do that. This is the power of meta data in action. I’ve spent hours with these on in the background while I work, it really is a treasure trove. Music 2011-08-03T15:57:56+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/soundboard/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/soundboard/#When:08:24:15Z A crazy world of buttons and soundsA soundboard, for those who may have somehow never come across one online, is in most cases a webpage that contains a bunch of button that when clicked on play a short sound clip. The clips are usually quotes, lines or sounds from TV shows, sitcoms, films and personalities. No one is safe. There is not much else to say apart from it’s a great way to kill some time, or create an intro for your own podcast or something. Here are out top 5 favourites: 1. Roy Walker (Catch Phrase) 2. David Brent ( The Office) 3. Ned Smanks (Nathan Barley) 4. Gareth Keenan ( The Office) 5. Alan Sugar ( The Apprentice) So get clicking! Web tools 2011-07-22T08:24:15+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/abeano/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/abeano/#When:07:51:34Z A new music blog, that's actually good!Abeano is a new music blog that was started in 2008 with the aim to bring the freshest and newest UK music to the people that want it. They have of course by now also branched out to include music from all over the World. Yes, there are tons of ‘music blogs’ about but Abeano stands out from the rest, with its clean simple design, minimal adverts, and most importantly great content. You can listen, download and watch hundreds of carefully selected music video, exclusive mixes, or stream the latest track by up and coming artists. The downloads are top quality, usually remixes which can often be rarer to get hold of in high quality. The ‘What’s on the Abeano Stereo’ is a nice touch that is a great way for any newcomers to ease their way in if they are unfamiliar with the site. To sum up a nice looking site with great content, give your ears a treat, they deserve it. Music 2011-07-22T07:51:34+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/trend-infographics/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/trend-infographics/#When:14:41:41Z The internet is awash with them (tech blogs in particular). Good or bad thing?Firstly, it has to be said that I enjoy a good infographic as much as the next man. In fact I enjoy making them and do so for The Football Ramble (you can see them on my website). I find it’s a really interesting challenge to visually represent sometimes complicated data and make it easier to understand. It’s like a meeting of science and art – or more accurately, maths and design. And it’s really hard to get right. So much so, that when you do crack it, you feel like you’ve created a little timeless nugget. People speaking different languages and with little understanding of the subject should be able to ‘get it’. So I don’t think anyone gets it right all of the time. But those that have a good hit ratio and do interesting things include the New York Times (leaders in the field), David McCandless (great original approaches, very colourful) and Good (hit and miss but some epic ones). The Spanish newspaper Marca are awesome for sport stuff too. So explore these and learn what great infographics are about - they should give you an understanding of tough content or tell a story visually. And if you’re anything like me, get you a bit excited. Web tools 2011-06-22T14:41:41+00:00 http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/youtube-alan-partridge/ http://www.webgun.net/index.php/site/youtube-alan-partridge/#When:14:26:12Z Alan's back but this time in bitesize chunks and with a sidekick.Cashback! So Coogan’s revived his most popular (and possible his only genuinely funny) character, Sir Alan of Partridge, and put him on Youtube for some short episodes with the help of a lager brand. Why this is a great thing: 1. This could be a model for future comics or popular characters that TV isn’t so interested in: get a bit of sponsorship (the right sponsor who is prepared to give creative freedom); bypass the commissioners; go straight to the fans. This kind of thing is a great use of the web. 2. The setting of a digital radio station is spot-on for Partridge. Are there any other comedy characters we’ve been able to watch the career trajectory of quite like this? From a mainstream chat show to the smallest of niche radio stations, it’s a brilliant study in modern celebrity. And it understands the current media landscape with the webcam-style views and the memo/jingle in episode one is very apt: “sustaining and maintaining our core listenership, in an increasingly fragmented marketplace…”. 3. Tim Key. Filling the role of Sidekick Simon, Key is the perfect foil for Partridge and could genuinely be his sidekick for years to come. A lot of his comedy is in the subtle stuff: facial expressions, use of language etc. He knows how to wring laughs out of the smallest of lines. I’m already a massive fan of his but if you like him in this, you should definitely see him live, he’s unlike anyone else. 4. Finally, putting any character in a one set location is a great test of just how funny they are. Very few could pull this off. Arguably this is Coogan at his best. Video and film 2011-06-15T14:26:12+00:00