If you remember back at Devcon, EA Mobile gave us a tease of the Open GL ES Support with the game Need for Speed Shift 3D. Well it looks like the time has finally come, and it is now available for purchase in BlackBerry App World. The game looked amazing when we first saw the demo, and I'm sure the full release won't disappoint. Highlights of Need for Speed Shift 3D include:

• Take a Real Racer's Point of View - The dynamic camera angle gives you a hyper-realistic driving experience.
• Get Precision Fingertip Control - Touch to break, swipe to activate boost, and activate drift with a quick tilt of your device. Finely tuned accelerometer steering and touch controls respond to you.
• Choose Muscle or Performance or Both - Purchase, upgrade, and personalize cars in the Career Mode workshop.
• Race to the Top - Get gold stars for winning events and bonus blue stars for driving with precision and aggression. Get enough, and unlock more thrilling and challenging events!

Check out the video about for a look at the version that was shown off at DevCon. Once we get it fired up we'll do a little video of our own. Also, as it stands it looks as if its currently only supported on the 9550. While the $9.99 price tag is a bit steep, if the game plays as good as it looks it may be well worth it. If you do purchase it, give it a ride and drop a comment with your thoughts.

• More information and purchase of Need for Speed Shift 3D >>

Tafasa has had a great year and cranked out some awesome games for BlackBerry. To celebrate their first birthday, they are running a sale on all of their games. You can pick up 4-In-A-Row, Bubble Burst, CodeBreaker, Hangman, Memory, WordSearch and more for just $0.99 through March 14th. They have been hard at work converting the former Storm-only games to work on other devices, so why not pick one up as your way of saying thanks? Head to the CrackBerry App Store to check out the full lineup. Happy Birthday Tafasa!

• Check out the full line of Tafasa games on sale >>

To celebrate the end of the 2010 Olympics, ToySoft is offering up 2010 free copies of their BlackBerry games. Everything is first come, first served, so get in on the action now so you don't miss out. You can choose from Ballz, GoFish, Lucky7Slots, Battleship, TapOMania, WackOMole and PicPuzzle. Hit up the links below and head to the mobile app store, then use the coupon code OHCANADA to receive the 100% discount. After you download, be sure to hit the up the forums and say thanks. You better hurry - these are sure to be snatched up quick!!

• Download Ballz for Storm >>
  
• Download GoFish for Storm >>
  
• Download Lucky7Slots for Curve, Bold, Tour, Storm >>
  
• Download Battleship for Curve, Bold, Tour and Storm >>
  
• Download TapOMania for OS4.2+ >>
  
• Download WackOMole for Storm >>
  
• Download PicPuzzle >>
• Download PicPuzzle for Storm >>

PS: yeah, yeah, I lost the bet to Kevin that the USA would win the gold in men's hockey, but at least with the wonder of Photoshop this photo says otherwise :-)

The folks at Concrete Software are having a sale on two of their best selling games. From now through March 7th you can grab Aces Traffic Pack and Civilization IV: War of Two Cities for 40% off. This brings both games down from $4.99 to just $2.99. Both of these are sure to give you plenty of enjoyment in your Berry downtime. Aces Traffic Pack requires you to navigate a car from a packed lot. A great puzzle game involving a bit of skill and a lot of strategy. Civilization IV is based on the classic game which thrusts you into a quest for nothing other than world domination. The games are discounted through the CrackBerry App Store so you won't need a coupon. Hit the links below to download.

• More information and download of Civilization IV: War of Two Cities >>
• More information and download of Aces Traffic Pack >>

 

One of my favorite BlacBerry games, Freddy Falling, has been overhauled with new art and features. We first checked out Freddy Falling way back in June of last year, and it has come a long way since. The opbject of the game is to guide Freddy down through a series of platforms, collecting coins for points while evading a swarm of angry mosquitoes. With the update comes a great new look, improved game play, support for more devices, the option to play your own music and more. Freddy Falling is available for most devices including the Storm, Storm2, Bold 9700, Tour 9630 and Curve 8900. Get it now through February 28th in the CrackBerry App Store for just $1.99.

• More information and purchase of Freddy Falling >>

Solitaire Buddy Gold by Nickel Buddy is one of the best solitaire games out there, including much more than just your simple solitaire game. The application comes with Klondike, Freecell, Pyramid, Pyramid Golf, Spider Golf, Will o Wisp Poker, 3-Peaks Black Widow, Canfield, Beetle and Spiderette They have recently updated this game, improving upon many aspects of it such as better compression for graphics (reducing file size) and more readable/better looking font for the cards. Overall Solitaire Buddy Gold is a very nice game to have, ensuring entertainment at those boring times in your life. You can pick it up for $2.99 (40% off) until this Sunday, February 14. It is compatible with all BlackBerry's running OS 4.2 and up.

• More information and download of Solitaire Buddy Gold>>

One of my all-time favorite games is the classic card game Mille Bornes. I used to play it on family vacations for years, and although it has a pretty big learning curve, it is loads of fun to play. The premise is a road race where you take your "car" through a 700 mile trek, while your opponent(s) play hazards to hinder your progress. You are scored various points along the way, and the game requires multiple hands to win. Mille Bornes has been ported to BlackBerry by On Queue Software and while it doesn't have the greatest graphics, it still gets the job done and provides a load of entertainment. Mille Bornes is available now for all devices at ShopCrackBerry.com for $2.99.

• More information and download of Mille Bornes >>

Weekend Sale: Save $2.00 and Get Road Mania this weekend for only $2.99 >>

The folks from Mobigloo, makers of such BlackBerry game classics as Nintaii, Next Dual Pack and Air Traffic Control, are back with a new game for BlackBerry Storm users called Road Mania. The goal of Road Mania is simple yet oh soooo challenging (and addictive and fun).... All you have to do is keep the traffic flowing! Here's the official verbage:

Road Mania puts you in charge of keeping the traffic flowing on busy junctions and preventing crashes. Vehicles approach the crossroads from all directions. Your role is to either speed them by flicking them with your finger or make them stop by simply tapping on them. For every vehicle that makes it to the other side, you score a point. But if there's a crash, the game ends. Features include:

• 9 scenes to play (Main Street, Freeway, Downtown, Interchange, River, Rio, Tramway, New York and Roundabout)
• Many types of vehicles: cars, convertibles, bikes, trucks, pick up, buses and even a tramway!
• Amazing graphics and smooth animation
• Warning: highly addictive

The graphics are really solid in this one and the game play is smooth and fun. I gave it a go and like it a lot. Two CrackBerry thumbs up! Road Mania works on both the BlackBerry Storm 9530/9500 as well as the BlackBerry Storm2. Road Mania sells for $4.99 and you can learn more and purchase from the CrackBerry App Store by following the link below.

•  Learn More Purchcase Road Mania for the BlackBerry Storm >>

Between the upcoming Super Bowl and Winter Olympics, game fever is in the air. So in the spirit of the games, we're holding a BlackBerry Games sale starting today and running through January 30th. While the BlackBerry Game MobileHeist is running, you can save 50% off 10 of our Best Selling Games, including titles iike Addictive Tower Defense, Druglord Wars, Swoosh Sudoku, Wrath and more. Follow the links below to discover all of the games selling at half price and get your BlackBerry game on!

• Browse the MobileHeist BlackBerry Games Deals from your Computer >>
• Browse the MobileHeist BlackBerry Games Deals from your BlackBerry >>

After having won the CrackBerry award for best game of 2009 and sitting in the top downloads of BlackBerry App World for a while. There is no doubt that Druglord Wars is a fan favorite and hugely popular game among BlackBerry users everywhere. In celebration of winning the CrackBerry Best of 2009 award, Epic Applications has reduced the price of Druglord wars to just $1.49 from now up until January 14th. That's over 70% off of the original price. Big thanks to Epic applications for the sale.

We here at CrackBerry also want to send birthday wishes out to Laura (Epic Applications founder Derek's girlfriend) who also helps out and well ... lets Derek live despite his obvious BlackBerry and gaming addictions. Happy birthday Laura!

• Grab Druglord Wars Today For Only $1.49>> 

   

This one I totally could not resist. Aside from Spy Hunter, Zaxxon has to be one of my all-time favorite games. I remember playing this for hours on my old DOS PC back in the day. The simple premise lets you take your spacecraft into deep space in a quest to defeat the evil robot Zaxxon. Plenty of arcade goodness still packed into this one, and any gamer is sure to love it. Now I realize that $6.99 is quite a bit for a game like this, but hopefully die-hard fans won't mind shelling out the extra cash to snag a piece of their youth again. It looks like Zaxxon is supported on most devices. If you pick it up, be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

• More information on Zaxxon in BlackBerry App World >>

Happy 2010 to all! Hope you had an enjoyable holiday, and a safe (and fun) New Years... I know I did. With CES in full swing, let's get right down to business. Covered in the App Roundup this week are the following titles:

Freebies of the Week: Dictionary and Thesaurus App, Project Vegas

In Case You Missed It: CES Mobile for BlackBerry, UberTwitter Beta 6, SmartWiFi

New This Week: Massage for BlackBerry, GyPSii for BlackBerry Updated, Biodiesel Buddy, Gridiron Theme, Qdial, BerryJoose

Cool at BlackBerry App World: WeatherBug Elite

I got word from Tafasa that they have released another cool game for BlackBerry called Griddler. Griddlers (aka Nonograms) are logic puzzles that are very similar to Sudoku, where the goal is to fill in the boxes based on numbers along the sides. The game may seem daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it Griddler is definitely a good way to kill time and occupy your mind.

Griddler offers three different board sizes providing fun for all ages. Your goal is to try to get the fastest time for each board. The game provides an infinite number of randomly generated puzzles, which means the fun will never end! If you don't have enough time to finish the puzzle in one sitting, Griddler will save the puzzle state when you exit the game so you can finish later. A detailed How To Play section will help answer any other gameplay questions. 

Griddler sells for $2.99 in the CrackBerry App Store but is on sale for just $0.99 through January 31st.  We have 50 copies of Griddler to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Contest ends this Sunday at Midnight PST.

• More information and download of Griddlers >>

Were you one of the lucky ones to open that unexpected present and see a BlackBerry Smartphone staring back at you? If you were, you were probably filled with joy and excitement, and then as the day went on you began to think what else you could possibly need for it to function, or how you can make it a great counterpart of your everyday life. While there are endless amounts of ways to make the device your own, the hunt can be a difficult one because of just how much is available. As always, we are here to try and help make your hunt an easy and painless one.

Let's start with some free applications, because well, we all know the holiday's just passed and not everyone has money to spend on additional applications and such for their device. There are a lot more than this out there, but as a new BlackBerry owner we're just looking to help you get your feet wet in the world of BlackBerry and CrackBerry. Enjoy!

If you're a fan of Air Traffic Control, you should definitely check out Maritime Master. The game has a simple premise, but it is highly addictive and has endless replay value. You have to guide your ships to the dock by drawing their course through the water. After the cargo is unloaded, you draw another path off-screen for the boat to get away. The more you play the harder it gets, and you can unlock all 5 levels as you progress. Maritime Master is currently available for the Storm and Storm2 only (due to the unique "drawing" gameplay) and is available in the CrackBerry App Store for $3.99.

Contest: We have 30 copies of Maritime Master to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Contest ends this Sunday at Midnight PST. Please only leave one comment, multiple entries won't count.

• More information and download of Maritime Master >>