Growing up, I was a subscriber of Nintendo Power and the later (manlier) Game Informer as I grew into my predestined Xbox phase. High school was great for zombie killing, but between college and MacStories I’ve little time to play or let alone get a heads up about the latest upcoming games. Gamerami is a mobile news stand that makes sifting through the latest titles easy and rather painless, and it just might save your butt when you’re on the spot. At least now I don’t look like a total nobody when I’m asked what cool & new games are coming out on the PS3.
Gamerami offers users to delve into one of six categories as the app is launched so gamers can get their 360, PS3, or Wii fix without hassle. Oddly the title screen is named “format selection” which leads me to believe this was either a build oversight or really bad naming convention. Still, tapping on any of the categories presents a series of notification sliders that eventually unfold into a scrollable list of games. The games and their prices appear as rotatable cards, from which more information can be discerned or shared with a simple tap.
From the cards, you can choose to view screenshots of the game, bring up a list of youtube videos, or review what various pundits have to say about the latest hit title. These items aren’t always populated (varying from game to game), but most of the time you’ll find enough to give you a glimpse at what the title will have to offer. Personally I find the addition of Youtube videos to be a nice touch, though game screenshots tend to be laggy when scrolling between views and are often positioned oddly towards the bottom of the display.
For the most part, the app is fast and responsive on my 4th generation iPod touch. Searching for Halo, I was immediately granted an instant result and rating list where I could read more about the franchise and its various games such as Halo: Reach. These elements are all highly interactive – tapping on the price for example will bring you to Amazon where you can purchase the game.
If you’re just looking for news, there’s a section for that too. The latest news in gaming is delivered via websites like Planet XBOX 360 and N4G, you can share what you find via Twitter or Facebook, or you can load the articles via the in-app browser (somewhat misleading because of the Safari icon). Various tags such as “multi” will be pre-appended to titles to inform users of what platform the mentioned game is for.
Also built into the app is the option to change currencies and enter your Instapaper username and password. Come across an epic gaming article? You can save it off to every iOS user’s favorite read-it-later service right from within the app.
Where does Gamerami stand? Despite the few issues I noted above, Gamerami offers a fast and easy way to get access to your platform’s upcoming titles. The app is quick, fluid, and pops with attractive and vibrant colors that contrast well against the dark background. Both visually appealing and informative, Gamerami is available for iOS in both lite and paid editions on the App Store.
