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New Android app for Console Gamers

T

tfinch2

Lifer
Just posted my new Android app on the Market, Video Game Scanner. If you scan the barcode of a console game, it will display information such as a short description, rating, and various links if available. Hopefully it will help those that make impulse game purchases without much research. 🙂

I am currently using the gamesradar.com API to pull game information. It seems to provide decent content, and it was the only gaming site I could find with an open API.

I plan on investigating to add a way to search for reviews on your favorite review site that you set. Right now I'm leaning toward using "I'm feeling lucky" on a Google site search. For example:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:gamespot.com+modern+warfare+2+review&btnI
http://www.google.com/search?q=site:1up.com+modern+warfare+2+review&btnI
http://www.google.com/search?q=site:gamerankings.com+modern+warfare+2+review&btnI

If anyone has any suggestions or hits any issues, let me know. Mods if this is not appropriate, feel free to lock.

Edit: appbrain.com link for QR code: http://www.appbrain.com/app/video-game-scanner/com.bigbird.gamescanner

chart


Edit 2: Just pushed an update to the market. Added scan history, sharing capabilities, Google Shopper integration, and general bug fixes. Rate me! 🙂

Edit 3: Added support for PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube, as well as platform selection improvements.
 
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I don't have an Android to test, but it sounds pretty cool. I've always wanted something like this but to look on metacritic for reviews. I wonder how hard it would be to include a button that directs the browser to search metacritic for that game. I assume it doesn't have an open API so you couldn't integrate it fully, but I always find metacritic to be the best way of scoring a game since it's a weighted average of many reviews.

Got any screenshots of the UI? I'm just curious what I'm missing 🙂
 
tfinch2 said:
Just posted my new Android app on the Market, Video Game Scanner. If you scan the barcode of a console game, it will display information such as a short description, rating, and various links if available. Hopefully it will help those that make impulse game purchases without much research. 🙂

I am currently using the gamesradar.com API to pull game information. It seems to provide decent content, and it was the only gaming site I could find with an open API.

I plan on investigating to add a way to search for reviews on your favorite review site that you set. Right now I'm leaning toward using "I'm feeling lucky" on a Google site search. For example:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:gamespot.com+modern+warfare+2+review&btnI
http://www.google.com/search?q=site:1up.com+modern+warfare+2+review&btnI
http://www.google.com/search?q=site:gamerankings.com+modern+warfare+2+review&btnI

If anyone has any suggestions or hits any issues, let me know. Mods if this is not appropriate, feel free to lock.
Click to expand...

You should throw a QR code on your OP to make it easy for people to get your app.
 
gorcorps said:
I don't have an Android to test, but it sounds pretty cool. I've always wanted something like this but to look on metacritic for reviews. I wonder how hard it would be to include a button that directs the browser to search metacritic for that game. I assume it doesn't have an open API so you couldn't integrate it fully, but I always find metacritic to be the best way of scoring a game since it's a weighted average of many reviews.

Got any screenshots of the UI? I'm just curious what I'm missing 🙂
Click to expand...

It wouldn't be hard for metacritic. Google site search is a beautful thing:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:metacritic.com+modern+warfare+2+xbox+360+review&btnI

I basically want to add a list of popular review sites, have a preference the user can set for which one they want to use, then do a site search for the review if they click that link. It might not be 100% accurate, but I'm willing to bet it will be pretty darn close.

Here are some screenshots:

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/tfinch2/home.png
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/tfinch2/scan.png
 
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I'll keep thread open if you make a Windows Phone 7 version. 😉

Seriously, nice idea.
 
Tristicus said:
I got BF:BC2 to scan last night, but JC2 wouldn't. PS3.
Click to expand...

Can you clarify what JC2 is? Just Cause 2? And when you say wouldn't scan, do you mean the barcode would not scan at all, or the result was wrong? If the result was wrong, were you able to select the game when you clicked "Wrong Game?"? I'll have to try this one out to see what the issue is. Thanks.
 
279 downloads on the first day. Way more than I expected. Will probably fall off now that I am no longer "Just In" though.
 
Just pushed an update to the market. Added scan history, sharing capabilities, Google Shopper integration, and general bug fixes. Rate me!
 
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