Recent Articles
10 New App Store Games To Watch [November 26 - December 2]
This was a great week for iOS gaming. Other than the fact that I wouldn’t have time to finish it, I could have easily doubled the number of entries in this week’s roundup. To start things off we have SEGA’s iOS port of Jet Set Radio. All the skating, graffiti spraying and cop avoidance is there, along with 29 of the 30 original musical tracks from the Dreamcast version. The next installment of the Chop Chop franchise is now available with the release of Chop Chop Ninja World. I’d venture to say this is Gamerizon’s most ambitious title yet, and it seems like it might be one of the most enjoyable as well. If you just can’t get your fill of zombies but are tired of simply shooting them all the time, Activision’s The Bowling Dead might just be for you. Pick up a bowling ball (with assorted upgrades when available) mow down an alley full of the undead, and enjoy a humorous tale of post-apocalyptic strikes and spares.
Gmail 2.0 for iOS has arrived with multiple account support and more
Google has updated their Gmail app for iOS with several new additions, and its most requested feature of all – multiple account support – has finally been implemented. The official Google mail client for the iPhone has improved over various updates, but users were only able to add one Gmail account at a time, which was a deal breaker for many. From Google Product Manager Matthew Izatt:
Six months ago, our team set out to completely rebuild the Gmail app for iPhone and iPad to give you you a faster, sleeker, and easier experience on iOS. The result? Version 2.0. With version 2.0 of the app, you’ll get a totally new look and feel, plus a bunch of improvements like profile pictures in messages, numerous new animations from swivels to transitions and infinite scrolling in the message lists.
iOS Deals of the Day – Babel Rising 3D, Super Mole Escape and more
Looking for the latest app sales and deals for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad? Here’s our roundup today for the most recent freebies and price drops that are worth checking out. As always, they’re only good for a very limited time.
iOS Deals of the Day – GYRO Xtreme, Monster Mayhem and more
GYRO Xtreme is now Free
Looking for the latest app sales and deals for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad? Here’s our roundup today for the most recent freebies and price drops that are worth checking out. As always, they’re only good for a very limited time.
Pay What You Want: The Humble THQ Bundle (PC only)
For the first time ever, The Humble Bundle has teamed up with a major publisher for their “Pay what you want” model in exchange for several quality games. Traditional only indie titles have been featured, but this time around, the games in question are from THQ. Simply pay over the minimum of $1 and receive a steam key (Windows only) for Company of Heroes (and its expansions Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor), Darksiders, Metro 2033, and Red Faction: Armageddon. Pay more than the average price and you’ll also snag Saints Row: The Third. And of course, you decide how much of the money goes to Charity, THQ or ‘Humble Tip’. If you ask me, it’s always a win-win when you can donate to a good case AND score some good games in the process. To grab your bundle, head over the the THB headquarters.
iTunes 11 is now available for download
First officially unveiled during Apple’s iPhone 5 event back in September, the completely redesigned and much improved iTunes software is here. The most obvious change is the new UI, which is much cleaner and browsing through all your media is a more enjoyable experience. By default, the Sidebar is gone, giving it a slick edge-to-edge design (which can be enabled via View –> Show Sidebar if so desired). Other new features include iCloud integration, a new Mini Player, improved search, ‘Up Next’ (easily see and edit which songs are playing next) and a redesigned iTunes store aimed at improving app and content discovery. By and large, I’ve been pretty impressed with iTunes 11 so far. It looks better than ever and it even feels faster. Whether it’s a memory hog remains to be seen…
You can download the latest iTunes here or by going to iTunes –> Check for updates on your Mac/PC. Check out the video demoing iTunes 11 after the break.
FAA’s Free App of the Day – Flick Golf!
We’re working together with the team at Free App Alliance to highlight a great free app for you to check out.
Flick Golf! (TMA Review) is an extremely casual golf game. You don’t have to wear funny pants or hire a caddy in this offering from Full Fat, for example. Oh, and you don’t have to spend countless hours picking the perfect club with which to take your next shot. In fact, there are no clubs.
As its name suggest, you simply flick, spin, and curve your ball by swiping on your device’s screen.
There are still plenty of hazards to look out for, though, including bunkers, trees, pits filled with sand, and powerful gusts of wind. How many holes-in-one do you think you can get? If you dig fun and addictive casual (sports) games, be sure to grab both Flick Golf! for the iPhone and iPad while it’s still free.
Full Fat, Flick Golf! (TMA Review) – Free
Full Fat, Flick Golf HD - Free
Quick Pick: Flexibits’ Fantastical for iPhone
Left: DayTicker view lets you easily view upcoming events/appointments
Right: Adding an event with help of Flexibits’ natural language engine
Flexibits, developers of the excellent Fantastical app for Mac OS (my favorite calendar app by far on the Mac thanks to its beautiful and unobtrusive design), has finally released the long-awaited Fantastical for iPhone. What makes Fantastical special? For starters, its natural language engine rocks, and this feature has made its way on to the iPhone. So you can type (or dictate if your iDevice supports it) events like “Have lunch with Bob at 123 Awesome blvd. next Monday at 1pm” and the app will enter all the appropriate details for you. In addition, Fantastical’s unique DayTicker UI makes it a breeze to view your past/upcoming schedule at a glance.
Fighting Fantasy: Blood Of The Zombies in Review – A 30th Anniversary Treat
One sign that you’re getting older is when things you remember from your childhood start having their 30th anniversaries. Such is the case for me and the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series. Granted I was only 10 when the first one debuted, but you get my drift. In this year that marks the third decade of the series’ existence the man himself, Ian Livingstone, has penned a new entry called Blood of the Zombies. Thanks to Tin Man Games we can enjoy this milestone adventure on our iOS devices, and enjoy is being quite conservative. I’d say this is probably one of the best electronic gamebook adventures yet.
10 New App Store Games To Watch [November 19 - 25]
Hopefully you missed me while I was gone. There were some pretty cool games I wanted to talk about last week, but have no fear because there are plenty of good games for this week’s article as well. To start with, Steve Wozniak has decided to lend his incredible talents to the game design world with Vengeance: Woz With A Coz. It’s a retro platform game that he not only designed and wrote the story for, but also stars in! If you’re a slingshot physics game-aholic but are still craving something a bit different, why not give Temple Raid a try? Sure the mechanics are tried and true to the genre, but this multi-player affair lets you construct your own fortresses and take on folks from around the world to see who the best ammunition tosser is. For the Fruit Ninja fan who thinks they’ve played it all, why not apply those slashing skills to some chocolaty goodness? Yes, thanks to PikPok’s OREO: Twist, Lick, Dunk you can have your cookie and play with it too.
