Alto's Odyssey

As sequel to stellar snowboarder Alto’s Adventure, it’s not surprising that Alto’s Odyssey keeps its formula: high-speed platforming, precision takeoffs, and coin collecting while accomplishing stunts, objectives, and tricks to further your distance and score.

- Erik Paolo Escueta

While similar titles like Jetpack Joyride take a more action-oriented approach, Alto’s Odyssey goes on a more adventurous streak— moving beyond the simple yet beautiful snowy mountain aesthetic of its predecessor to include deserts with sand dunes ripe for leaping and forested jungles hinting at unexplored riches in the background. The majestic visuals and sense of adventure are, and will always be, the main highlight of Alto and in this latest outing, it does not disappoint.

It’s also thanks to the expanded aesthetics that Alto’s Odyssey reduces the inevitable monotony and repetitive intensity of its endless gameplay. The music now changes as you travel across each new land. Likewise, new special effects add seasonal changes and weather transitions that add more vibrancy to the game’s atmosphere. Amazingly enough, none of these visual flairs detract or distract from the game’s snowboarding core; from jumping to wall-riding, everything is accurately executed with ease via a single finger tap.

Microsoft Soundscape

Microsoft Research has a new project that should help the visually impaired make sense of their surroundings. All that’s needed are a pair of headphones—and a smartphone, naturally.

Microsoft Soundscape makes use of 3D audio cues to help establish landmarks that users can listen for. The app can call out your current location and use environmental cues to dictate nearby street names, storefronts, and any important spots from their positions so that users can make a mental map of what’s around them.