Friday Freebie: Match three, jumping, and farming...
...but not in the ways you might think
Welcome one and all, fellow freeks.
Another week has passed, and much speculation has been undertaken as to what budget cuts will be made by the newly formed coalition government of Blighty.
Of course, the repercussions could be felt around the globe, so although stability seems assured, we should probably try to cut costs wherever we can.
With that in mind, owning a Nintendo console is looking dangerous, as they are yet to provide anything close to free.
Wielding Sony hardware, however, will net you a ModNation Racers demo at no cost at all. We really enjoyed the game, so have a go and see what you think.
As ever, though, it is perversely the people who have locked themselves into a regular monthly fee that come off the best in the land of the free. And inhabitants of that sainted iLand will already know to check the Trawler report and free iPhone podcast (which this week sees the return of Rob).
And you should also follow us on Facebook to ensure you’re in with a chance of using the many free promo codes that we’re giving out in our feed. If you want to be sure, click the button below to 'like' our page.
Every code is a free game, so it’s worth doing.
You can't buy friends
There are a few free gems in the App Store update this week, too. First up, is Gyrotate, a nice take on the match-however-many puzzler that tasks you with rotating rows of coloured gems around the centre of the board.
Matching three to six gems will cause them to disappear and be replaced by more. There's no time limit, and planning ahead will net you the biggest scores. A pleasantly surprising title.
Secondly, as if to further prove the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover”, jumping game Heights first level is free for download. Whilst we were just as guilty as you of initially dismissing it as yet another Doodle/Papi Jump clone, having now played it we owe the developers an apology.
Heights’s aesthetic is charming and painterly, backed up by a beautifully melancholic score. Jumping is achieved by tapping the screen (tap again to double jump), and holding will allow you float slowly back down. Negotiating the moving clouds is great fun, and, again, requires some forward planning to succeed.
Lastly, Farm Story has cropped up in the Hot New Games section. Yet another FarmVille type experience, Farm Story distinguishes itself by operating in minutes, not hours, making everything decidedly more engaging.
Whilst the pace may still be too slow for some, this is a nice take on the bizarrely popular farm management genre, and is certainly worth a look, even if you wish a plague of locusts on FarmVille.
Of course, not everything free need be software based, and you will no doubt be aware of the Pocket Gamer competition we are currently running.
Entering couldn’t be easier (well, it could, actually, but it’s more interesting this way): just upload a photo of yourself to our Facebook page, pocket gaming with your car in situ.
The competition closes this weekend, so get your entries in quickly.
