Games

Barbecue companion and a NFL football game: iPhone apps of the week

Before I get to the iPhone apps of the week, I want to share with you an interesting tidbit I read over at AppleInsider regarding the long-awaited Mac tablet. It's one of those cloak-and-dagger-type stories, where an unnamed, (possibly) credible source made a mysterious phone call to an editor about new hardware from Apple. It all sounds kind of fishy to me, but the source apparently described how he had been at a meeting with Apple and had handled what looked like an iPhone (touch screen, black back panel, home button, and all), except it had a 10-inch screen. … Read more

Can NFL 2010 for iPhone topple Madden?

NFL game fans, we feel your pain. Ever since EA locked up video game-publishing rights to consoles and PCs, Madden has become the only game in town--a monopoly on NFL gaming that eliminates free choice and, some say, removes a competitive need for change. We played the new Madden 10, and we happen to like it. Still, we miss the days when competitors such as NFL 2K5 actually existed.

But, in fact, one still does, and it's made by Gameloft. NFL 2010 (App Store link) hit the iPhone last week with relative quiet. Not only is it an NFL-licensed game, but it's a full-3D game with playbooks and complete league-accurate rosters. In case you're wondering how this happened, EA Sports doesn't own exclusive rights to NFL mobile games. In the mobile arena, competition still exists. Gameloft currently has a license to make NFL games as well, although only on phones and not for DS/PSP hardware.

EA is reportedly preparing an iPhone version of Madden, but for now, Gameloft's title is the only real-deal gridiron action on Apple's App Store. Of course, we were extremely curious as to how it would play, especially with no physical control pad. Read on for our impressions, and check out the gallery below. … Read more

Nintendo DS lookalike app hits the App Store

Apple might have let one slip by. An app that looks awfully similar to the Nintendo DS is now available in its App Store.

Dubbed DS Double Sys, the iPhone app from ZM2 Dev "can turn your device into a 'Handheld Game Console.'" When users boot up the app, the DS's familiar design is featured on the screen, including its dual displays. App owners can change the color of the DS to match their real-life version, zoom in on individual screens, and even play games. ZM2 Dev said that gamers receiving higher scores on its Pixel Mania … Read more

Five heavily discounted iPhone games

Nothing beats a good iPhone game when you've got five minutes to kill (or pummel, as it were).

Much as I love freebies, sometimes you have to pony up to get the games you want. Fortunately, even the top titles occasionally go on sale, as with these five gems:

Fist of Fury Boxing: Normally $4.99, this Nintendo 64-style slugfest is on sale for just 99 cents. Galaga Remix: Includes both the original arcade classic and the amped-up "remix" version, which features power-ups, boss fights, and the like. It's on sale for $2.99, normally $5.… Read more

PC classic Civilization makes iPhone debut

Following in the footsteps of PC classics like Doom, Myst, and SimCity, Sid Meier's legendary Civilization just landed in the App Store.

Not only has it arrived, but also it's on sale for $4.99--but only until tomorrow (Aug. 12), at which time the price jumps to $9.99.

Of course, die-hard Civilization fans (of which there are a few hundred bazillion) would probably pay any price for a mobile, iPhone-optimized version of the beloved game. If you're new to the world-building party, there's a single-scenario Lite version available for free.

Civilization Revolution for the iPhone … Read more

Search for words and provide planetary defense: iPhone apps of the week

The latest Apple rumor is that the iPhone 3G will soon be replaced by a low-priced 8GB iPhone 3GS. Apparently, Rogers Wireless in Canada sent out a memo that implies the $99 iPhone 3G pricing announced at WWDC earlier this summer was to get rid of inventory to make way for the faster 3GS. Though nobody knows what the price might be on the new iPhone (or even if this rumor is true), it would be exciting to see a smaller 3GS for those who don't need all the space. While we wait to see what the next thing … Read more

Find concerts easily and enter a boxing ring: iPhone apps of the week

I went to Portland, Oregon, to visit my parents last week and had a great time spending time with my family and checking out the local breakfast spots. I even found new places to explore (thanks to my trusty iPhone). One thing I knew going up there is that my father and his girlfriend had already bought two iPhone 3GS phones and I would not be hearing the end of how much better theirs were than my year-old iPhone 3G. But my mother and stepdad live up in Portland too, and once they saw how cool and fun my iPhone … Read more

Get a Nintendo Wii for $199.99 shipped

Here's something you almost never see: a deal on a Wii. (Sorry for the accidental rhyme; that'll be the last time.) Newegg has recertified Nintendo Wii systems for $199.99 with free shipping. I must be tripping! (Seriously, no more.)

There's probably nothing I can tell you about the Wii you don't already know. It continues to outsell both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and with good reason: It's a blast. (Not that those other consoles aren't, but to me they're not nearly as family-friendly.)

Just in case you don't know … Read more

The iPhone's best neo-retro game: Space Invaders Infinity Gene

While Taito has already released an iPhone port of the original Space Invaders, we'd recommend you slide past that and buy, instead, a spectacular revamp that launched this week on the App Store by the name of Space Invaders Infinity Gene.

As you'll quickly see from the trailer above and gallery below, this shooter is Space Invaders in spirit and design, but in execution it's a full-fledged arcade onslaught of power-ups, boss battles, and a thumping techno soundtrack that pulses along perfectly. This isn't Taito's first reinvention of Space Invaders: its Space Invaders Extreme was … Read more