Dollar Dash Turns Friends Into Frienemies

Like any good party game, Dollar Dash plays by the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

You and any combination of three other players – be they bots, local friends or online pals – collect scattered cash from around each of the game’s 31 maps and return it to the getaway car. Whoever collects the most coin wins, so even though you all arrived at this crime scene as brothers in illicit arms, it’s ultimately every man for himself. Simple enough, right?

Yep, and that’s the point. Dollar Dash is meant to be a pick-up-and-play party game, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without clever nuance. For instance, because loot weighs you down, you’ll need to decide on your strategy. Will you make frequent, speedy trips to the drop-off point? Or will you instead opt to gather more dinero and make a slower stroll back to the getaway car that leaves you more vulnerable to attacks from your frienemies?

And attack they will. When your competitors lay traps or shoot pellets at you, you’ll start spraying change as if you were the punchline of a Daniel Tosh stand-up bit. Change that said competitors are free to then collect for themselves. But power-ups will help you even the odds. Tools like speed shoes can help negate the effects of being flush with stacks of greenbacks, while a shop system allows you to purchase upgrades that affect the gameplay. Weapon upgrades like Nuke+ mean you’ll be immune to your own mega-blasts, and Call of Duty-like perks will let you take more damage, carry more ammo, and move faster. Hats, character faces, taunts, and dances are examples of benign unlockables that spice up the fun a bit.

Four-player mayhem puts the "dash" in Dollar Dash.

As we played, we found that the rounds dragged on a bit long for our tastes, but otherwise, the cute art style, extra game modes (like Hit ‘n’ Run, in which the goal is solely to beat up your competition), and approachable gameplay should make Dollar Dash a bargain at the $10 price it’s likely to go for.

Ryan McCaffrey is the Executive Editor at IGN Xbox. He used to own a DeLorean, which is weird. Follow him on Twitter, on IGN, catch him on Podcast Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Source : ign[dot]com

Green Day Update Coming to Angry Birds Friends

Rovio has announced that Angry Birds Friends will receive a Green Day-themed update. The new content will include 10 themed levels and new pigs inspired by band members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool. The update will also offer access to Green Day’s newest single, “Oh Love,” as well as an exclusive song called “Troublemaker.”

“We’re all fans of Angry Birds,” Armstrong said. “It’s such an addictive game that when we first started playing it we couldn’t stop. Go Team Green!”

Rovio notes that the collaboration is “the first of its kind for Rovio” and will blend music, video and gameplay. According to a Rovio blog post, the Green Day update will arrive later this fall and will be followed by additional exclusive content and levels.

Angry Birds Friends is the Facebook version of Angry Birds, which Rovio announced earlier this year. It’s not clear if Green Day content will eventually come to other versions of Angry Birds, but we’ve reached out to Rovio and will update this story if we hear back.

For more on Angry Birds Friends -- including all of its features and Facebook integration -- check out the answer to the question you’ve been asking: What the hell is Angry Birds Friends?

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Wilfred: "Control" Review

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode to follow.

It was only a matter of time before Ryan attempted to integrate Amanda into his established group of friends -- or rather, Jenna and Drew. We already knew that there would be some unresolved tension between Amanda and Wilfred, given Amanda's darting looks of disapproval in episodes past. In this week's "Control," we got a chance to see Ryan confront the situation head-on.

It all started with a remixed auto-tune video of Jenna's infamous "Squishy Tits" incident from Season 1. Even after all the time that has passed, her televised black mark is still causing trouble (to the tune of 1.4 million views, I might add). Right off the bat, we were introduced to Ryan's first hurtle between Amanda and Jenna as Amanda caught Jenna and Ryan in a consoling embrace. It was that nail-biting anxiety that would set the tone for the rest of the episode. And things only got worse at Ryan's dinner party... thing.

Among the overall cumbersome atmosphere, it was a stroke of genius to incorporate Drew into the butt of every awkward pause. Some of his lines were unintentionally brilliant, particularly his analysis of the difference between Monet and Manet, which, as we learned, are "both correct." I never thought of Chris Klein's character as anything more than a one-note joke -- and in many ways, he still is -- but the degree to which they use him has been expertly played this season.

Meanwhile, Wilfred had his own problems with getting to know Amanda, who was immediately repulsed by Wilfred's clumsy gestures of affection. Pretty much every interaction that could go wrong, did go wrong. And "Bear's" drunken antics certainly didn't help matters.

Jenna and Amanda's polarizing stance on dogs was another fun (and inevitable) dynamic for the episode. Matters became doubly uncomfortable when Ryan started lying for both women to save face with either side, and the culminating trauma story for Amanda was the icing on the terrible cake.

However, in a rare moment for the show, I was pleasantly surprised to see Wilfred actually resolve everything with his final act of redemption. I supposed we should never underestimate the awesome power of the doggie snuggle. Once again, Ryan was able to narrowly escape a complete disaster.

As a self-proclaimed Amanda (Read: Allison Mack) fan, it seems as though we've seen our first real drawback in her relationship with Ryan. While this week's conflict did conclude rather nicely, who knows how long the peace will last. Nevertheless, it was great to see Amanda playing a central role in the story this week, as well as the return of Jenna and Drew. Now that the formal introductions have been made, it will be interesting to see where this newly formed ensemble eventually ends up, especially now that Amanda and Jenna are so buddy, buddy.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

How Many Men Want to Play Mass Effect with Obama?

Our friends over at AskMen have announced the results of the 2012 Great Male Survey. The survey took a look at what it means to be a man in 2012, analyzing categories from gaming to dating, and everything in between.

More than 50,000 men were polled worldwide in this year’s survey, and the full results are available over at AskMen. Here’s just a few of the interesting findings from this year’s respondents:

Which presidential nominee do you feel you could beat in a game of Mass Effect 3?

• 65% Mitt Romney


• 35% Barack Obama

Other than for playing video games, what do you use your console for most often?

• 31% To watch tv shows and movies/films on DVD or Blu-ray


• 31% I use my console strictly for gaming


• 22% I do not own a console


• 13% To download or stream TV shows or movies/films


• 3% To surf the web

Who do you play video games with most often?

• 28% No one. I play by myself


• 22% With my friends, in person


• 21% With my friends, online


• 21% I don't play video games


• 8% With strangers, online

What do you play video games on most often?

• 52% on my console


• 21% on my computer


• 20% I don't play video games


• 5% on my mobile device


• 2% on my tablet

What type of smartphone do you have?

• 41% iPhone


• 26% Android


• 17% I don't have a smartphone


• 15% Blackberry


• 1% Windows Phone

That’s just some of the findings of this year’s survey, which also looked at dating, sex, lifestyle and more. Check out all of the Great Male Survey results over at AskMen, and be sure to stop by the AskMen YouTube channel for all kinds of helpful advice, news and entertainment.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com