Temple Run returns

As if running away from those screeching monkeys and sliding under skulls and vaulting walls wasn’t scary enough in the original Temple Run, Guy Dangerous’ quest to keep his hands on that ruddy idol has got a whole lot harder with the release of Temple Run 2. For those who are unfamiliar with the game set up, the aim of the game is to run as far as possible along the temple walls by swiping left or right to turn, up and down to jump and duck, and tilting to collect those all important coins. Coins mean upgrades. Upgrades mean running further. Running further means getting more coins and more upgrades. Addictive, right? Seems pretty simple from the outset, but factor in randomly generated obstacles to navigate and the potential to be eaten alive by your pursuer (only if you’re slow or stupid enough to trip) and you’ve got gaming gold.

Pictures by Shutter_Hand Mobile

Temple Run 2 swaps monkeys for a scary skull gorilla, and boring wooden planks and walls for forests, rivers, bridges and mines. There’s a lot more to look at and a lot more to avoid – the fact that the game now changes dimension because the path isn’t a straight line makes the experience a lot more fun. Factor in the addition of sliding down zip wires and trying your luck ducking in a runaway mining cart (that actually forces you to tilt… Which I always tried to avoid because I’m rubbish) and you’ve got even more reason to keep hitting “Run Again.” That’s partly what’s so successful about this game. While the time it takes you to sprint your way towards 10 000 metres is in itself short, the compulsion you feel to try and run further each time means you’re guaranteed to play for a lot longer than those five runs you promised yourself as a break during your work. Ooops.

It’s not all plain sailing. The app ironically runs slowly on my iPhone 4 (maybe I’m the one in need of a system update or a general upgrade?!), meaning that a lot of the time it’s easy to die simply because the game hasn’t been quick enough to register my swiping and tilting. But hey, that just makes hit “Run Again” to try and get further… And plus, there’s always time for free future updates right? The volume of additional features and improvements added to the original Temple Run made it a pleasure to keep playing up until the drumming became unbearable. Hopefully Imangi will do the same again. If not, turn the volume off.

Kitty Howie, Online Lifestyle Editor

University launches iExeter app

Returning students can now benefit from the launch ‘iExeter, the “new app for everyday campus life”.

The free app for smart phones provides students with up-to-date personalized information and services, including PC availability and timetables.

The launch follows in the wake of numerous strategies to improve the visibility of the Students’ Guild on campus. The app includes full listings of Freshers Week events, as well as information about campus accommodation, the student health centre, libraries and key contacts. The app also features a ‘to do list’ for new students.

Students have reacted positively to the launch of the new app. Lewis Ireland, a third year Physics student, said: “Having iExeter on my iPhone allows me to finally have an up to date personalised timetable in my pocket; no more missing rescheduled lectures last minute!

“Also, the maps feature will come in handy when trying to find new lecture rooms this year. A fantastic push into the smartphone age by the university!”

iExeter also allows students to access their library accounts and search the library catalogue. Nick Davies, Guild President, says: “the app mobilises the ability for students to effectively study across campus. This would be without the need to carry a laptop, or needlessly heading to a PC cluster only to find it is full.”

“The Freshers events guide is extensive … if used alongside the ‘Map’ function, it is a quick way of finding out where the event is and how to get there.”

iExeter can be downloaded from most app stories and is available for iPhone, Blackberry and other smart phones.