A pre-hovercraft face-off between Dan and Valentin. Can you feel the tension?

We are pleased to announce the arrival the latest version of our Top 5 App Store smash, Top Trumps Collection.

The latest update sees the addition of the ‘Celebs’ pack and taking the pack total within the game to a stat-tastic 5. More choice than you can shake a oneupmanship-hungry stick at.

In blinging, champagne flavoured celebration of this event, we have decided to get all lavish and to give out some prizes. Those willing to enter a game of chance put themselves in the running to win either:

• 1st prize of an iPad 2 plus Top Trumps Tournament board game
• 2nd prize of an iPod touch 4 plus Top Trumps Tournament board game

Plus, 8 lucky-but-not-as-lucky-as-the-winners runners up will win a Top Trumps Tournament board game and NBA Top Trumps card pack.

Feel like a winner? Enter at the Top Trumps Game website.

All three of us finished under the hour – which is a fantastic achievement as it was all our first competitive run.

The results are as follows:

Aaron 54:40 – Position 4112
Dan 56:16 – Position 4690
Will 56:16 – Position 4692

It was a fantastic day and something I’ll look forward to again next year. However, you don’t have to wait until then to donate to the very worth cause, as the JustGiving page is still live at http://www.justgiving.com/mobilepierunners!

In other sporting news, me and Tom will be playing football over at Swindon Town FCs ground on Friday, also for GamesAid. Places are now all sold out, but you can come along and spectate! More info here.

We believe those would be the words sung by the little hungry orphan child Oliver should he:

A. Be working at an award winning mobile games dev in the heart of Bristol, and;
B. Have a blatant disregard for all known rhyming schemes.

Yes, by popular demand the scientific venue-value cluster-stacked column chart aka Lunchometer is back and it’s better, bigger and updated for a whole new decade.

Let’s feast our eyes on it shall we?

(click to enlarge)

Those with a head for data will instantly notice a new differentiating parameter: variety. “What is variety and why is it’s bold purple face all over the once elegant Lunchometer?” you may, foolishly, ask.

Well, over the 11 months that it’s been since we gathered the original data, we have had ample chance to revisit all the venues (other than those which have closed, with their allegedly fraudulent owners allegedly fleeing the country allegedly owing thousands of pounds to angry creditors*) multiple times. Therefor range offered at a venue has become a key differentiator when hunger hits and we need to get our lunch on.

* This rumor may or may not be true, we don’t know.

Clear out in the lead again is the old favorite Bristol Sausage Shop. However the venue was nearly eschewed from the list owing to the holiday-hungry lifestyle of Sausage Man (as he’s affectionately know here). In December last year the stall close because he went to Cumberland, then in August this year he was in Lincoln and then Glamorgan, most recently he spent two weeks in Frankfurt. Strange.

Hanging on to the second spot is St Nick’s Italian, despite a huge price hike of 25p on a salad, pasta and garlic gread combo. Large portions and a diversification in to soups and sandwiches have seen them through however.

Stalwarts, Cafe Amore, pick up the third position whilst new kids on the block, Rocking Chair Cafe, arrogantly slip in joint fourth with the confusion-inducing Maximillions, despite only being around for under two months and having had a shaky start (bare fridge displays?). They’ve been helped by generous portions and a competitive price point. Well done them.

Runt of the litter is the even newer kid that is Mexican Kitchen. Overly priced, poor quality food, service and portions that leave you asking: “Please, sir, can we have some more?”. There’s clearly a market for quality Mexican wraps and nachos and we hope that this time next year they’ll be worthy of a most improved gold star. Come on Mexican Kitchen, you can do it.

Until then, remember it’s not what you eat or how much, but about the data you gather when you do it.

What happened next is a magical camcorder moment.

So, onwards with this week’s end of week merrymaking. It’s in celebration of a new arrival in The Oven. She’s 20 years old and from Japan. Her name is SEGA Master System II:

To be this old takes AGES!

This beloved mass of silicon and injection molded plastics has been especially introduced to the Mobile Pie team for tonight’s big (belated) B-Boy Beats launch retro gaming party! Ever the sharing type here in The Oven we want you to be in on the fun, by joining us in a little game.

To play:

Below is a series of pictures, each displaying a section of a classic Master System game’s box art. Some are obvious, some are more obscure. Simply identify the game and pop your answers in the comments.

Game 1.

.

Nintendon't like the publisher of this classic arcade puzzler

Game 2.

Radical!

Game 3.

Everyone was shiny and muscly in the early nineties, even criminals

Game 4.

A very underrated shooter - a Transformers game in disguise

Game 5.

A very buggy title that featured a hint-giving professor in the manual

The correct answers will be revealed on Monday and muchos kudos goes to the person who gets the most right!

Answers

Game 1: Klax
Game 2: California Games
Game 3: Streets of Rage
Game 4: Transbot
Game 5: Teddy Boy

These days of course I’m in The Oven where we actually create that special thumb-destroying magic. And what a magical year it has been…

*Wavy dream sequence*

We’ve seen the release of two versions of our critically acclaimed word puzzle game Oh, My Word! 2 which also featured, alongside a couple of fantastic jumpers, in ustwo’s Christmas romp Crazo.

We announced our partnership with iPhone publishing premiers Tag Games to bring B-Boy Brawl to your iPod touches and iPhones in early 2010.

Myself and Matt Aranha joined the pie, adding a delicious creative aroma and robust C++ flavours (respectively).

I was all over the media with two appearances on local radio and a cutting edge article on videogame design techniques at the industry website, Gamasutra. Oh, and there was also the handful of YouTube videos, Richard was on this podcast and the whole team got interviewed by Pocket Gamer!

We announced Bristol’s first and only Global Games Jam.

All the way back in September we had a brilliant time at igfest ’09 and early still in the year Rich and Tom rocked SXSW and the GSMA Mobile World Congress.

Our much hyped and loved business cards arrived in August.

We moved to our spanking new eco office and stuck I Am 8-bit Bliks everywhere.

And just last week the team were pap’ed for Heat magazine whilst enjoying the festive cheer at the Mobile Pie christmas party:

From left: Will, Matt and Tom D relax after a feast of Christmasy proportions

2009 was a great year, but look out 2010 because we’re heading right at you, full steam ahead with great games and entertainment for your mobile. You’ll never be bored again.

But until then:

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and your family!

With love,

Mobile Pie x