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The Week in iPhone Apps: Games, File Sharing, and More Games
Posted by John Mahoney at 7:00 AM on September 13, 2008
At the Let's Rock event this week, Apple pushed the new iPod touch hard (and iPhone too, obviously) as a viable gaming platform. Steve even went so far as to call it the best portable gaming platform out there. Strong words for DS and PSP fans, but the crop of games popping up in the App Store continues to build steam. This week we'll take a look at games both current and upcoming, as well as some other standout favourites as always. Shall we?
Real Soccer: Real Soccer got a quick play during the Let's Rock event and hit the store this week. For US$10 you can play as 198 real teams in 12 different stadiums with FIFA 96-era graphics, all using an on-scree D-pad and A+B button. The other demo at Let's Rock, Need For Speed: Undercover, is still under development and will drop in November. Real Soccer is US$10
TouchGrind: Due to be released in October, we got a look this week at Touchgrind, a novel skateboard game which is billing itself as the "first true multitouch game" let's you do tricks and flips with a mini deck, racking up points for combos. From the demo video, it looks pretty great, especially if you were as obsessed with the old Tony Hawk PS1 games as my friends and I were.
Air Sharing: Air Sharing looks like it may be the king so far of the file storage apps--our friends over at Lifehacker gave it a shakedown and liked what they saw. It uses WebDAV to show up as a shared folder on Mac, Windows or Linux systems which allows you to save files to your iPhone's flash memory, and provides a URL for devices on the same network to connect to and download the files to another machine. And best of all, unlike many of the other iPhone file vaults, it's free. Until September 22, that is, so grab it.
Roller Coaster Physics: Really cool idea for an app that records G-forces from your accelerometers and displays the results on a trend line. It's designed to be used to measure exactly how much force is causing your stomach to drop at Six Flags, but I don't see why you couldn't use it in a car or anything else, when you want to monitor G-forces. And it's free.
Civil Aircraft Identification Guide: These guys had me in mind. As an aviation geek I love spotting jets at the airport, but as anyone else who shares my hobby knows, sometimes telling your 737s from you A319s (look for the slanted section of the tail fin on the 37, but still) is tough. Aeroplane ID gives you top and side views with stats on 40 of the major airliners. Cool stuff. US$2
More Games in Brief:
- EA's Spore Origins hit the store this Sunday - check out our hands-on video here. US$10
- Asphalt 4: Elite Racing will be Need For Speed's number one competitor: as it's been camped out on the top ten most popular apps list. This driving sim gives you on-screen D-pad or accelerometer steering, and lets up to four players join in multiplayer games on the same Wi-Fi network. US$10
- And of course Light Saber Unleashed (formerly Phone Saber). This one isn't a DS killer, but thank God it's back.
- And as commenter Marcelo points out, Cro-Mag Rally (Mario Kart for cavemen) is on sale for US$2 this week, down from US$10. Good deal.
This list is in no way definitive. If you've spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up or, better yet, your firsthand impressions in the comments. And for even more apps: see our previous weekly roundups here, and check out our original iPhone App Review Marathon. Have a good long weekend everybody.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
kaffeen
Posted 7:53 AM 13/9/08
Air Sharing rocks. It really is a great app that works exactly as advertised. All kinds of cool possibilities since it runs a webserver on your iPhone.
Still don't see Giz giving Sportacular props. That app rocks too.
kaffeen
OneEyedJack
Posted 7:41 AM 13/9/08
WiFinder v2.0 was released a couple of days ago. Much improved. Definitely worth the $3.
OneEyedJack
John Mahoney
Posted 7:27 AM 13/9/08
@Marcelo: And you too Marcelo! Adding to the list.
John Mahoney
John Mahoney
Posted 7:24 AM 13/9/08
@CommodorePerry: Nice tip from the Commodore
John Mahoney
Marcelo
Posted 7:23 AM 13/9/08
Cro-Mag Rally is on sale for 1.99 right now. Not worth 10 bucks, but definitely worth 2.
Marcelo
DeadWriter
Posted 7:22 AM 13/9/08
Spore Origins is a fun game. I bet over the next month I will get my $10 bucks worth out of it.
DeadWriter
bandit
Posted 7:21 AM 13/9/08
Let's see that swinging.jpg please
bandit
CommodorePerry
Posted 7:20 AM 13/9/08
An easier way to tell A319's from B737's (and Boeings from Airbuses in general) is to look to the wingtips.
As a rule, Airbuses have tip plates, such that if you were looking at the wing leading edge on, it would look like a sideways T.
Boeings almost universally have winglets, so that looking leading edge on, they look like an L. That is, except where they don't. Some boeings have raked wingtips, which look like a continuation of the wing, just more swept back at the end. However, Boeing's NEVER have tip plates. Tip plates = Airbus.
...err...not that I'm an aviation geek or anything...*hides pilot's license*
CommodorePerry
silverfox840
Posted 7:17 AM 13/9/08
Ohh the Air Sharing app is JUST what I was looking for.
Love it.
silverfox840
jakebathman
Posted 7:14 AM 13/9/08
i can't find the physics app in the itunes store...
jakebathman
Evangelion
Posted 7:12 AM 13/9/08
Nice reviews! I love the Air Sharing app!
Evangelion
Dooosh
Posted 7:11 AM 13/9/08
Grab AirShare for free while you can, def a good pick up
Dooosh
Rabid Penguin
Posted 7:11 AM 13/9/08
How can you even tell what you're playing with your hands all over the screen? That really makes the screen quite a bit smaller.
Rabid Penguin
sygyzy
Posted 8:18 AM 13/9/08
@jakebathman: I also cannot find it :(
sygyzy
Seinosuke
Posted 8:38 AM 13/9/08
There's currently a problem with AirSharing and 64-bit Vista, but apparently they've fixed it and sent an update to Apple, and are awaiting approval from the App Store.
Seinosuke
Wegmans
Posted 8:24 AM 13/9/08
spore was great, I beat it in 1:53 according to the game's statistics. Game got really challengng on the last few levels, more puzzle like. I am looking forward to an update down the road!
Election '08 has also been improved, for those that were hesitant before about buying
Asphalt 4 is very good too, best realistic racing game out there
Wegmans
ALT
Posted 9:09 AM 13/9/08
"If you've spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up"
Review Snatch! Incredible app.
Turns the phone into a trackpad. Amazing number of settings and preferences. Probably the best I've seen. Six bucks, but really great. They even have a trial app for the basic mouse functioning. I hardly think its new, but I dont think I've seen it reviewed here and it is REALLY awesome. Basically that lovely macbook trackpad is now with you on a mac pro or iMac. For those of use that have gotten used to using it in addition to a mouse, this thing is indispensable.
ALT
davebg5
Posted 8:58 AM 13/9/08
Real Soccer is a ton of fun. The controls take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it you can do all kinds of moves; 3 kinds of jukes, thru/lob/soft/crossing passes, hard/soft/lob shots...good times.
davebg5
Dearhaw
Posted 8:50 AM 13/9/08
AirShare sounds awesome. Grabbed it right away.
I'm still waiting for iPhysics to make it to the AppStore... sigh.
Dearhaw
rudez90
Posted 9:16 AM 13/9/08
touch grind looks siiiick
rudez90
The Magnificen7
Posted 9:50 AM 13/9/08
@kaffeen: But it's so damn ugly! I agree, it's a great app though. I use it in conjunction with ScoreMobile.
Touch Grind looks great, hopefully there will be ramps and rails as such as well. Man, the App Store is just over 60 days old... how are we gonna keep up with all the releases???
The Magnificen7
Drummer_Boy
Posted 10:14 AM 13/9/08
Nice. I wonder how many of them will still be there next week?
Drummer_Boy
dmband9
Posted 10:34 AM 13/9/08
Have a good long weekend??? Am I missing something?
dmband9
DisposableInterloper
Posted 11:57 AM 13/9/08
Y'know, Mac sales got bolstered by the massive market for iPods, so this might just mean OS X gaming could get the boost it needs to edge out Windows.
DisposableInterloper
thechansen
Posted 1:14 PM 13/9/08
side note: Spore works well on x3100 based Macbooks. I'm using a Santa rosa c2d 2.2 ghz with 4 gb of ram and I keep the resolution at max with graphics at medium. It's not going to impress your custom built pc wielding friends but at least you can play the game and that's what's important.
thechansen
thechansen
Posted 1:09 PM 13/9/08
the thing that pisses me off about OS X gaming: macbook, mac mini, and iMac make up the majority of the systems yet everything requires a top of the line MacBook pro, mac pro, or loaded iMac. Which is why I love blizzard. Back when world of Warcraft had a choke hold on me, 2gb of RAM and a 1 ghz G4 got me through 60 man raids. Not even the slightest of hiccups. Now I can either torture my self with shitty FPS in the mac version of a game or load up XP on the same system and play the windows version with ease. I bought wow a few months after it came out and I finally bought spore. Quite the gap. But I was angered that EA/Maxis dropped for the GMA 950 which represents a majority of the intel based macs on the market. But the moral of the story, iPhone and iPod touch will work like any other game system and succeed because unlike os x and pc gaming, the system is predefined and the developer knows the limits going in.
thechansen
DeadWriter
Posted 1:07 PM 13/9/08
Let me revise my Spore Origins comment.
Some of the creatures in the later levels look to have influenced by the Fantastic_Planet [en.wikipedia.org] ( La Planète Sauvage). I saw that movie around age 8, and it has haunted me since then. Those levels made the game worth the 10 bucks.
DeadWriter
mrzippy
Posted 2:18 PM 13/9/08
I can't find Roller Coaster Physics in the UK store, plus link for it above gives an invalid error on my touch.
mrzippy
Mr_Hustleufagus
Posted 3:59 PM 13/9/08
I think a true geek would appreciate the free application called Rev Lite, an automotive app that has a cool acceleration meter that measures g-force.
Mr_Hustleufagus
mrzippy
Posted 7:51 PM 13/9/08
I got roller coaster physics now, link works OK on my iMac.
It still does not show up if you search for it buy name though.
mrzippy
judacris
Posted 10:20 PM 13/9/08
I'd think that 2 weeks is a bit long for an introductory offer, especially if it's been marked down to free. Still, Air Sharing is a neat app.
judacris
kaffeen
Posted 12:44 AM 14/9/08
@The Magnificen7: Sportacular is great for Fantasy scoring. It allows you to track your players in real time. This is something the other free sports apps lack. I do use ScoreMobile, SportsTap, and ESPN Mobile as well.
kaffeen
crabbygeek
Posted 12:21 AM 14/9/08
I'm so using roller coaster physics when I fly on Monday!
crabbygeek
Kevin
Posted 1:32 AM 14/9/08
You would think Memories in Mono would have some music on Limewire, no?
Kevin
tabaks
Posted 1:51 AM 14/9/08
WOOWWWW! Guys, go see the X-Plane simulation for iPhone! I already owned all of the post-5 version X-Plane apps for mac but this is out of this world! Austin is just simply amazing! I recommend this app strongly! Go check it out, you'll end up making a quantum leap in thinking of what iPhone is and can do!
[phobos.apple.com]
tabaks
ButtFlange
Posted 6:09 AM 14/9/08
@bandit:
It's a picture of a child on a swing - not what you think. It's one of the examples included with the app.
ButtFlange
EditorinChief
Posted 5:42 PM 15/9/08
Also where are all the freaking pop cap games. WTF? I thought it would be the only thing on the store.
EditorinChief
EditorinChief
Posted 5:42 PM 15/9/08
Air share is a must have. Hope the update for it gets pushed out while it's still free.
Asphalt racer 4 or whatever it's called looks good, but it's too much for me right now.
EditorinChief
mill
Posted 11:09 PM 15/9/08
Kevin >> you might find it easier to download it legally from their website: [www.memoriesinmono.com]
/dev at illusion labs (Touchgrind mentioned above)
mill
SerafinoEurotas
Posted 10:46 AM 13/9/08
Holy cow I'm on Giz! I made the Roller Coaster Physics app. For some reason it is only showing up in the App Store though iTunes. I can't find it through the App Store on my iPhone either. I'll email Apple about it. Check out my free Snake remake called Anaconda as well. Thanks!
SerafinoEurotas
Hadron_Collider_666
Posted 7:11 AM 13/9/08
Airshare Rules!!! Get it!!!!!
"H"
Hadron_Collider_666
Hadron_Collider_666
Posted 7:10 AM 13/9/08
Airshare is pretty bitchin!!!! great for transferring and reading files alike.
"H"
Hadron_Collider_666
PierB
Posted 8:13 AM 13/9/08
I downloaded Real Soccer 09 the moment after they shown it on the Let's Rock event, and it's really worth it's $10. The first iPhone game with on screen controls I really enjoyed playing (Quake was close), and my favorite game for this platform yet, IMHO. Only downside is I can't play it with the game's sound activated, it crashes after a few minutes (I can play with the ipod playing in the background anyway, so I don't know if it's a bug or a problem with my phone).
As for the iPhone being a better platform than the PSP... let's just say this is no Winning Eleven.
PierB