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Art or Virus? Symantec Villifies Spoof Apple “Trojan”

Written on November 05, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 6 people have commented

Security firm Symantec is warning computer users about a new Mac-specific Trojan that deletes files on the user’s hard drive, according to Techworld.com. It has dubbed the piece of malware “OSX.Loosemaque,” and uploaded a YouTube video of how it goes about its nefarious purpose.
Basically, it’s a Space Invader clone wherein when you kill an alien, [...]

Command & Conquer: Red Alert Brings the Red Menace to Your iPhone

Written on November 04, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 4 people have commented

It’s a game series that’s gotten much love over the years, despite, or perhaps because of, the cheesy live action cut scenes featuring actors like Tim Curry. Now, Command & Conquer comes to the iPhone with Command & Conquer: Red Alert ($9.99, iTunes link), named after its PC and console counterpart released in 1996.
How well [...]

Ngmoco’s Eliminate and Touch Pets Dogs Come to the App Store

Written on November 03, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 6 people have commented

Ngmoco has been talking up its new offerings for a while now, including the visually stunning first-person shooter Eliminate, and the virtual pet Touch Pets series of apps. Both of these are now available, free of charge, on the App Store, as of yesterday.
Even though the apps are indeed free to download and install on [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: October 31, 2009

Written on October 31, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 3 people have commented

As another week passes, the seams of Apple’s App Store have been stretched even further with a deluge of new releases. Digging through the latest apps, I’ve selected four fresh picks for you to check out.
It’s Halloween and so my top pick for this week is Alive 4-ever, a top-down zombie shooter with plenty [...]

Cult Hit Settlers of Catan Comes to the iPhone

Written on October 26, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 8 people have commented

If you are or ever have been the board gaming type, you may have run across Settlers of Catan, or at least heard of it from a fanatic friend. The game, which is a bit like Risk but without the war (at least in its basic incarnation), is all about resource gathering, trading, and colonization.
Fans [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: October 10, 2009

Written on October 10, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 8 people have commented

It’s the weekend and I’m over in London investigating a host of new iPhone apps out later this year. In the meantime, I’ve hand-picked four of the latest releases from the App Store for you to check out.

This week I’ve selected a smattering of fun games. My top pick for this week is Canabalt, plus [...]

Tap Tap Revenge 3 Arrives in the App Store, Features In-App Purchasing

Written on October 06, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 11 people have commented

Tapulous took the App Store by storm with its inaugural Tap Tap Revenge rhythm music gaming title. It followed that up with the no less successful Tap Tap Revenge 2, Tap Tap Dance, and various Tap Tap games branded for individual artists. Tap Tap Revenge 3 (iTunes link) hit the App Store today, bringing with [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: October 3, 2009

Written on October 03, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 5 people have commented

Fueled by a burning desire to bring you the latest iPhone app recommendations, I’ve kept a keen eye on the new App Store releases this week. As ever, I’ve hand-picked four apps for you to check out.
This week I’ve given my picks a social twist, whether it’s tweeting, traveling or just talking. My top pick [...]

Dungeon Hunter: Gameloft Continues Its “Homage” Hit Parade

Written on October 02, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 4 people have commented

I’m going to get this out of the way right now: Dungeon Hunter is Gameloft’s version of Diablo for the iPhone. No need to insult anyone’s intelligence by dancing around it. Now, does that mean I enjoy playing it any less? It does not.
In fact, Gameloft was very wise in porting this game to the [...]

App Review: Ramp Champ

Written on September 18, 2009 by Chris Ryan and 8 people have commented

Arcade bowling style games are very popular. In the real world, skee-ball is probably the most recognized of these. In the iPhone world there have been several who have risen to the challenge, but Ramp Champ, the newest game from The Iconfactory and DSMediaLabs, brings a very interesting and addictive twist to this genre.
Boasting an [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: September 12, 2009

Written on September 12, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 4 people have commented

The Beatles may not have arrived in the iTunes Music Store just yet, but it’s not all disappointing news: the App Store has been updated with a new look and a stack of new iPhone apps have been released. As ever, here are my picks from the latest additions.
My top pick for this week is [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: Aug. 29, 2009

Written on August 29, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 6 people have commented

Snow Leopard isn’t the only exciting release this week, as ever there are tons of new additions to the App Store. Here are my top picks from the week’s releases.
This week I’ve been looking at iWound, Star6, Gangstar: West Coast Hustle and Tasker.
iWound ($4.99)
If I’m not in the mood for gaming or tweeting, I tend [...]

App Developer Diary 5: Building on a Budget

Written on August 26, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 4 people have commented

Going behind-the-scenes of a real iPhone app’s development, in this installment I investigate several methods for cutting development costs and adding value to the game.
I have to admit that I’m still working on the Game Design Document. Something which I thought would take only a few days has grown to incorporate minute details alongside gargantuan [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: Aug. 15, 2009

Written on August 15, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 6 people have commented

It’s time to take a look at my recommendations for iPhone, hand-picked from the week’s App Store releases.
This week I’ve been looking at Mujik, Whiteboarder, Qik and Civilization Revolution.
Mujik (Free)
There’s a special screen on my iPhone dedicated just to sound toys and music apps. Top of the list is FourTrack, which recreates the classic [...]

App Review: Mass Effect Galaxy

Written on August 04, 2009 by Olly Farshi and No one has commented

For its latest title, EA has brought Bioware’s Mass Effect to iPhone. This installment builds on the story from the original critically acclaimed console game.
Set in the same universe as the original console game, Mass Effect Galaxy features a rich story peppered with action-packed gunplay.
As you’d expect with a game set in the Mass Effect [...]

Now Boarding: Airline Tycoon Gaming

Written on August 03, 2009 by Chris Ryan and 6 people have commented

Though no gaming platform has a shortage of “simulator” tycoon style games, few have enough engaging gameplay to really stand out among the crowd. Now Boarding, a tycoon style game revolving around routing passengers at an airport, is one of these little treasures and a great game to help you relax and escape from the [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: Aug. 1, 2009

Written on August 01, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 1 person has commented

The weekend has arrived, bringing with it the opportunity to reach that perfect state of iPhone-related relaxation: open the App Store and get ready to download the latest recommendations.
Before we get to the weekly picks, it’s time to take our usual look back at Apple news for the past seven days.
First up, more odd goings [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: July 18, 2009

Written on July 18, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 3 people have commented

Once again, it’s that special time of the week when we all join hands, take a deep breath and exhale as we take a spiritual journey through the latest app picks for iPhone.
Before we reach app Zen, however, it’s time for a refreshing run through of the week’s iPhone news and Apple happenings.
Credit cards at [...]

App Review: Rolando 2 — Roll On the Second Coming

Written on July 09, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 3 people have commented

Rolando 2 is the sequel to Rolando, a game which proved that the iPhone can compete with Sony’s PSP and Nintendo’s DS in the handheld console wars.
Just over a year after opening, the App Store is coming into its own. Indeed, there’s the dodgy dirge of novelty joke apps, but at the other end of [...]

Rise of Lost Empires: Like Warcraft for iPhone, but Not Nearly as Good

Written on July 03, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 6 people have commented

I think I may have achieved a grasp of Gameloft’s concept design strategy for their iPhone catalog. It seems to have something to do with being “inspired” by titles and franchises that are already wildly successful. You can’t help but see the similarity between Hero of Sparta and God of War (even syntactically). Likewise, with [...]