Apple Thoughts - News & Reviews on all things Apple

"After Valve's series of teaser images, it's now been revealed that their upcoming sequel Portal 2 will also be coming to the Mac. The above image comes from a series of scans from the latest issue of Gameinformer magazine which carries a cover story about the much anticipated sequel."

A friend of mine has the Orange Box compilation and Portal was one of the games. Very interesting game and it really made you think. Can't wait to see what they come up with for Portal 2, due out this fall.

"Before Cloud, Squall, and Yuna there was Princess Sara, Garland, and Firion. Though most known for the later installments of the iconic fantasy RPG series, Final Fantasy has been a successful franchise since the late 1980s. Now, thanks to the efforts of Square Enix, Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II (the first two installments of the series) are available on the iPhone and iPod Touch."

Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II, both available now and both a hefty $8.99 USD. However if you are a fan of these games it might be worth it. One bonus is that each game features extra dungeons that weren't in the original Nintendo releases, and are available after you complete the adventure mode. They have also "optimized" the control systems for the iPhone and iPod Touch according to the press release.

"Ubisoft has released a multiplayer version of its popular Assassin's Creed II game exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch."

Head on over to the iTunes Store and download this normally $2.99 USD game for free, but only for approximately 48 hours. This version allows you to compete with up to three other player-controlled assassins via Wi-Fi connection. This is part of a 48-hour launch promotion.

"It's hard to kill a Sith Lord. Long thought to be a dead project, The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition made its surprise arrival on the Mac platform Tuesday."

And for $40.00 USD you can download the game at gameagent.com to see if it was worth the wait for "one of the most popular console games of 2008." This game is "set in the years between Episode III and IV of the Star Wars saga, The Force Unleashed follows the story of Darth Vader's secret apprentice as he tracks down rogue Jedi and does the bidding of his villainous master." This was supposed to be released last November, but with problems at the game company Aspyr, it never materialized until now. Hopefully they have fixed the frame rate problems the game had on the PC version.

"After a bit of a delay, GTA has finally made it's way into the App Store with it's guns blazing. Back in September we told you Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was coming to the iPhone and now it is finally here."

I have a few of these game, but none on the iPhone. However, after watching a bit of the video for this game, I think I may have to pick it up. It appears to be done very well, and according to the review over at Touch Arcade, that seems to be the reviewers opinion as well. You can check out the video here, and the game is available now in iTunes [affiliate link] for $9.99 USD.

"SPB Software, a leading mobile applications and games developer announces the release of the iPhone version of SPB Quads - an extremely addictive mobile game created to help killing time with use. Now iPhone users have a good way to spend 5 boring minutes in line or challenge their Windows Mobile rivals' dominance in our online score table."

SPB Quad is available now in the iTunes store, another option to while away the minutes on your iPhone or iPod Touch!

"A group of developers plans to launch has launched FreeAppaDay.com, a Website that will offer paid iPhone programs for free for 24 hours. The program, which kicks off next week, results from the efforts of developer ICS Mobile; OpenFeint, the leading iDevice social gaming network; Tapjoy, a mobile advertising and promotion firm; and Blacksmith Games."

I checked out the site at FreeAppaDay and they appear to have started the program already. For 24 hours, they will offer an iPhone/iPod Touch app for free for 24 hours. Every 24 hours the app changes so you get exposed to a variety of different gaming apps in different genres.

"This video is all over Twitter this morning, and you can see why. Never mind a rotating Lego iPhone dock - here's one with added steering wheel, so you can use it to play all your fave tilt-to-steer racing games."

Very clever.

"If an angry, perspiring Steve Ballmer took over control of my iPhone and said I could only have one third-party app on it, I know which app I'd keep."

And that app is Monopoly, the World Edition. But now there is another option with the release of Monopoly Original. The difference? The world edition used names from places all over the world but the original, obviously, uses the names from the original game such as Boardwalk, Park Place etc. You can also play against real or AI opponents, up to 2 via bluetooth and 3 or more via Wi-Fi. "Monopoly" is available now in the iTunes store for $4.99 USD.

"Gameloft just released the fifth edition of its highly successful iPhone car racing game Asphalt. This 5th edition comes with 30 cars to choose from, 12 highly detailed racetracks and 8 different game modes."

This has been a pretty popular racing game for the iPhone platform, and with this version they add more of everything, including the price. Version 5 goes for $6.99 USD in the iTunes store, and if you aren't sure you will like it, you can always check out the video.

"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 hit the App Store today, bringing with it new features and some unique iPhone 3.0 capabilities."

This one, unlike previous versions, will set you back $0.99 USD, but you also get the ability to add to the game from within. You can earn coins to spend within the game for slick clothing for your avatar as well as bonus themes and tracks. The Tapulous site has more info, and it is available now in iTunes. 

"EA Sports is one of the few game companies that's managed to successfully charge $9.99 for a game in Apple's App Store. Madden NFL 10, priced at 10 bucks, remains a top seller, and now FIFA Soccer 10 has hit the App Store for $9.99 and seems destined to make a run for the top spot in the games category."

EA throws down the gauntlet with this game, challenging GameLoft's Real Soccer 2010 for soccer dominance in the iTunes store. EA does have some advantages in that they have more teams to choose from and let you create your own player to track through matches. But on the downside it has only been around for two years thus comes into it with less of a customer base, and they have also priced their game $3.00 USD more than Real Soccer 2010. I guess it's up to the fans/gamers to decide now.

"Some iPhone app/gaming stats we heard at this week's New York Gaming Conference: Most iPhone games are free. There are 16,000 games available on the iPhone, and only 28% are paid games, says Michael Klotz, senior manager of Games business at NPD Group."

They also heard that most game downloads are unpaid, games are cheaper than other apps and games extremely popular. Interesting that 65% of the 2 billion apps downloaded are games, the average user downloads 9 games and that the average amount an iPhone user spends on those games is roughly $7.00 USD. I know I've spent more than that, but I have a couple kids. How much have you spent on games?

"Many iPhone gamers had requested for additional controls such as a D-Pad or external joystick and 22Moo has responded by developing the GameBone Pro. 22Moo also has announced the immediate availability of the Argo MPA and Argo DVD/TV LTD "Made for iPod" iPhone 3.0 compatible video eyewear and S100 mono / stereo convertible Bluetooth headset."

Thus begins the press release announcing this new product from 22moo. This is an Australian company that sells a variety of products. Products such as "video eyewear" to give you that theater feeling while you are watching videos from your portable device to multi-purpose bag handles. They also develop iPhone/iPod Touch applications, with 9 applications currently in the iTunes Store. While I like some of their products, I'm not so sold on this one. I really don't see the need. If I am going to be playing a game on my iPhone I'll just play it, why do I need to carry around another accessory? But I don't do a lot of gaming on my iPhone, other than ones that don't require a game pad like this. How about you? Anyone think this might be something they would use?

"Want to be a Peggle Master? Take your best shot! Shoot and clear all the orange pegs in the peg-busting phenomenon from the makers of the award-winning Bejeweled! You'll reach Extreme Fever as 10 outlandish Masters help you rise to Peggle greatness. Conquer 55 levels and wield 10 Magic Powers in Adventure mode... and the fun is just getting started!"

Peggle fans, your iPhone fix has arrived. It's May 12 down under, and the game has just surfaced in the Australian App Store for AU$5.99 (US$4.99). North American and European readers, expect it in your regional App Store when the clock ticks past midnight.

The iPhone version is pretty much a carbon copy of what you've seen on the PC/Mac and Xbox 360 - from the eye-catching colours to the peg-busting effects. There are some touch optimizations, such as a dial on the side to control the cannon, and a "double-tap to zoom" feature. Long story short, the implementation is top-notch. Anyone planning on picking this up?

"For you nostalgia fans out there, Myst just hit the App Store for $5.99. It is a whopping (for an iPhone) 727MB download but promises to bring all of the realism of the 1994 classic Macintosh game. If you don't remember, go grab a refresher."

I still have my copy of this for my Mac, and throughly enjoyed the game when I played it years ago. It is amazing to me they are bringing it to the iPhone/iPod Touch, and with higher quality images than the original. It is a very large download and because of the way apps are installed you will need at least 1.5 gig of free space for the initial install (you'll get the extra space back after it is complete).

"EA Mobile, a division of Electronic Arts Inc., today announced the availability of five new games for mobile phones, including AMERICAN IDOL, Downtown Texas Hold'em, Mystery Mania, CRANIUM, and Hell's Kitchen. From singing to poker, potions, puzzles, and cooking, this month's line up includes a range of gameplay experiences that will appeal to all kinds of mobile gamers. EA Mobile develops games for multiple mobile platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, and, of course, Apple's revolutionary iPhone and iPod devices."

I like the variety of games they released, seems like at least one of them would appeal to just about everyone. However not everyone is going to be able to get every game. If you are anywhere in the world besides North America you can get any of the five games. For the poor suckers in North America (like me), there are only three choices: American Idol, Downtown Texas Hold 'em and Hell's Kitchen.

"If anyone had doubts about the viability of a business that is purely focused on making videogame applications for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, venture capitalists aren't among them. Ngmoco, known for iPhone games like puzzle-adventure game Rolando and word game WordFu, said on Monday that it raised $10 million in a new round of financing led by Norwest Venture Partners."

It doesn't hurt to have the connections that Neil Young, the founder of Ngmoco, has when you are looking for investors. Young was a longtime executive at Electronic Arts before he quit EA last year to start Ngmoco. He expects to launch at least 15 premium games, priced between $5.00 USD and $10.00 USD, this year to go along with the 5 they released last year. I guess the VCs are expecting big things with the games, and can hardly blame them since out of the 25,000 apps available on iTunes, almost 7,000 of them are games.

"For the first time in the App Store (at least as far as games are concerned) competing developers are joining forces to release their wares as one in the 5 Fingers Bundle ($5 in the App Store). Similar in concept to MacUpdate, these five developers are offering their great games as one, for almost a 60 percent savings."

So what do you get for your $5.00 USD? Chopper (previous #1 game), BurnBall, Up There (previously featured by Apple), Blackbeard's Assault (a Zuma-style game) and Sneezies (a bubble popping game). Doesn't seem like a bad deal for a wide variety of games. Makes you wonder how many other developers will band together and offer similar packages in another genre.

Figure 1: A new game of Wordsoup begins!

Close your eyes. I want you to imagine the name Pocketmac. They're the company behind Pocketmac for Blackberry and Pocketmac for Windows Mobile. Essentially, if you have either of those kinds of devices, you've run into Pocketmac. Now what if I told you they were now making games under the Giant Crayon brand?

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