TheAppleBlog

In this week’s enlightening installment of the App Developer Diary, I pitch my game concept to the coders, preach the gospel of the Game Bible and muse upon the possibility of the project imploding.
Straight after submitting last week’s App Developer Diary, I packed up my MacBook Pro and headed down to Nolla, a local bar [...]

For the past two weeks, I’ve been completely engrossed in following Plants vs. Zombies. For those who haven’t heard, this isn’t about the Supreme Court case, but about the latest game from PopCap, makers of the infamous Bejeweled and Zuma games.
Planets? And Zombies? Do those even mix?
You may have seen the cute viral video that [...]

This is the first installment of one journalist’s diary designing a game. It is a genuine, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to develop an app, from conception to release, for Apple’s iPhone.
This isn’t your regular developer diary. There’ll be no talk of code and classes, no discussion of the intricacy of integers or vileness [...]

A hand-picked selection of the latest releases for iPhone? Plus, a handy summary of Apple news from the past seven days? We’ve got it all, you lucky person, you.
Despite the deluge of announcements at last week’s WWDC, we’ve had no time to rest this week, either. Indeed, the news hasn’t stopped rolling in, so before [...]

One of the great things about gaming on the iPhone is the mindless entertainment it provides on my long commute. When that mindless entertainment actually forces me to use my brain, it’s a bonus.
At its core, Bookworm is a simple game. You have a grid of randomly-placed letters from which you form words that at [...]

The week may be drawing to a close, but here at TheAppleBlog we’ve got an array of apps to get your through the weekend.
As ever, I’ve got four notable new iPhone releases from the App Store to tell you about. Before we jump into the apps, though, let’s take a look at the week that [...]

A genie, a load of balls, and an ancient labyrinth come together to create a frustrating, but fun, puzzler.
One of the big boys in the movie biz, Warner Bros., has been solidly churning out iPhone apps for the past few months. Most of these apps have been global franchises, though, including Terminator Salvation, Watchmen and [...]

I was not terribly impressed with The Sims 3 for iPhone, but as I said in my review, it did whet my appetite for the Mac desktop version of the game. So much so that I went out yesterday afternoon to pick it up. Best Buy was all out of the collector’s edition, but I [...]

It arrived shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the same day as the release of the desktop version, and I was all over it. “Pumped” would probably be the best way to describe me at 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning as my iPhone was syncing with my Mac mini and the Sims 3 ($9.99, iTunes link) [...]

What’s that, you say? You’re looking for iPhone app recommendations alongside a smattering of the week’s Apple news? Read, on my friend, I have just the article for you…
Before I present you with my four recommendations, hand-picked from the freshest apps to launch for the iPhone, it’s time to take stock and review this week’s [...]

What happens when you bring together four engineers and one über-artist, all sharing a rich background in both game design and development experience on a “very popular 3D earth-rendering application,” lock them all in a studio in Boulder, Colo., and let them loose on the iPhone SDK?
Well, you get Backflip Studios. Pretty obvious really, if [...]

A bag of metal balls, a rockabilly soundtrack, exploding pegs: Rockchinko is the pachinko machine from hell.
Harking back to the old American parlor game Corinthian Bagatelle, pachinko has captured the imagination, and yen, of Japan. While the game may not have invaded Western casinos, there’s a steady stream of pachinko apps arriving for the iPhone.
Rockchinko [...]

As a general rule, racing games tend to leave me cold. My brother is the car buff and racing fan. I’ve enjoyed a few, like Gran Turismo, but I tend to give them a pass. Need for Speed Underground for the PS2 was another exception to the rule, mostly because of the RPG-type elements of [...]

All of the thrills, adrenaline and drama of ping pong arrives on the iPhone, courtesy of Skyworks.
I’ve tried many sports — rugby, basketball, hockey, even lacrosse — and discovered that physical exertion is not my bag. I much prefer my Macbook Pro and a bowl of edamame for company any day. As a sport, ping [...]

It’s only fitting that a serious crossword puzzle app has a seriously verbose title.
The daily puzzles offered up by The New York Times are a classic staple in many crossword puzzle players’ diets. Kicking off each week with Monday’s easy offering, the puzzles get gradually more difficult each day, peaking with a fiendishly difficult grid [...]

Gameloft continues to release big titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and their most recent release is no exception. The title in question is Ubisoft’s runaway success, Assassin’s Creed, which was wildly successful when released for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms in 2007. Prequel Altair’s Chronicles came out for the Nintendo DS [...]

Don’t let life get you down, put your punchin’ gloves on and show the world you’re a champion in this retro boxing game.
In these economically egregious times, we all need a little release from the fiscal pressures dumped upon on our already strained shoulders. Even I need some respite from the current monetary melee, having [...]

An epic RPG has arrived on the iPhone, featuring battles, leveling up, upgradeable weapons and online features. Forget goblins and warlocks though, The Void takes the adventure to the final frontier.
The gaming section of the App Store has been subject to a serious cute overdose as of late, with Rolando, Topple and even Zombieville USA [...]

It’s still the only Mega Man game I’ve ever actually played through to completion, and it’s still a cult favorite among fans, and now it’s available for the iPhone and iPod touch. I’m talking about Mega Man II (iTunes Link), Blue Boy’s second adventure, originally released for the NES in 1989. Obviously, I had to [...]

Welcome one and all to the weekend, a time for rest, relaxation and fresh pickings from the App Store.
Before checking out this week’s apps, we’ve got seven days worth of Apple happenings to run through.
First up, the week kicked off with a scathing review of the Daniel X graphic novel — an utterly dull comic-book [...]