Tag Archives: app store

SNES RPG Classic Chrono Trigger Hits The iPhone!

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Holy cow! They’d been teasing it forever, but all of sudden, now it’s here: Square-Enix has just released their beloved SNES era classic Chrono Trigger on the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch!

If you’ve never played Chrono Trigger, you’re in for a treat. It’s one of those classics that, unlike many of its peers, continues to impress 16 years later. A time-travel based RPG,  Chrono Trigger‘s development team included three designers that Square dubbed the “Dream Team”:  Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square’s Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a freelance designer and creator of Enix’s popular Dragon Quest series; and Akira Toriyama, a freelance manga artist famed for his work with Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball. 

Square-Enix’s ports in the past have been a little rough around the edges, and it’s too early to say if Chrono Trigger follows that pattern, although my initial reaction is positive. Sadly, like most Square-Enix games, this one’s a bit expensive at $8.99, and it also sadly isn’t available as a universal binary for playing on the iPad.

Still, if you like RPGs at all, this is one to install on your iPhone post-haste. I’ll see you at the End of Time.

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What’s The Best iOS Game Of 2011? [Poll]

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2011 is quickly drawing to a close, and before we shut down our computers and get drunk for Christmas, we thought it would be a good idea to celebrate some of this year’s finest iOS games. We’ve compiled a list of our favorites and we’d like you to vote for the game the you think is this year’s greatest.

Now, Apple approves thousands of new iOS apps each and every day, so it’s impossible for us to keep track of every game released in 2011. However, we think we’ve put together a pretty great shortlist that includes 20 of the most popular titles this year.

And if you don’t agree with us, all you have to do is write-in your answer, or leave a comment with your suggestions down below.

On Thursday, December 15, we’ll announce the top 10 finalist, then the following week declare 2011′s best iOS game as chosen by you. So, what are you waiting for? Get voting!


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Instagram, Snapseed picture-perfect in Apple’s best of 2011

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Apple revealed iTunes Rewind 2011 on Thursday, its latest installment of the annual feature where it lauds the best content available on its network of iTunes media stores. The list highlights the best in music, apps, TV shows, movies, e-books and podcasts for 2011, covering various genres and devices.

The App Store list is the most interesting to me, as you can definitely see a trend in what the Apple team values in apps. The iPhone App of the Year (iTunes link) went to Instagram, which is an iPhone-exclusive (for now) photo-sharing network, and the iPad App of the Year (iTunes link) was Snapseed, which is basically a simple photo editor for iPad that lets you apply Instagram-like filter effects to your photos, but with more granular control.

In both the iPhone and iPad categories, runners-up for App of the Year included music-related titles. VidRhythm on the iPhone is an app for creating mashup music videos with friends; Band of the Day highlights one artist each day, as its name implies, and provides track selections, biographical information and more for each band it profiles; and djay on the iPad, which is a digital turntable, also got a nod.

Games on the iPhone and iPad singled out for praise include Dead Space on the iPad as Game of the Year, and Tiny Tower named the same for the iPhone. It was a “Tiny” sweep on the iPhone as Tiny Wings came in as a runner-up, with indie darling Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP grabbing that honor for the iPad, alongside another unique title, puzzler Contre Jour HD.

On the Mac App Store, Apple also picked favorites, including Pixelmator and Civilization V. Djay got another nod on the Mac as a runner-up, alongside game Anomaly Warzone. Check out the rest of the list in the MAS section (App Store link) created specifically for this year’s list.

Check out all the top picks for apps, and all other media, including artist, album and song of the year at Apple’s iTunes Rewind 2011 (iTunes link) dedicated page.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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Apple Names Their Choices For Best Apps And Games Of 2011 With iTunes Rewind

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Following their annual holiday tradition, Apple has just published iTunes Rewind 2011, their list of their own personal best apps and games across twenty-one categories. And as usual, there’s some surprising choices.

Perhaps most surprising is the choice of Tiny Tower as the iPhone Game of the Year, over other best sellers like Tiny Wings. Best iPad Game of the year is also a strange choice: Dead Space, which is a perfectly enjoyable game, but not quite as good (or as popular) as choices like Infinity Blade II. Sword and Sworcery was declared runner-up for best iPad game of the year.

For the apps category, no surprise, Instagram was voted Best iPhone app of the year, while Snapseed was declared the best iPad app of the year (djay and Jamie’s Recipes by Jamie Oliver came in second and third, respectively).

Finally, on the Mac App Store side of things, Pixelmator was declared the App of the Year, while Civilization V was voted game of the year.

Here is the complete list:

Top Paid iPhone Apps:
1. Angry Birds
2. Fruit Ninja
3. Angry Birds Seasons
4. Cut the Rope
5. Tiny Wings
6. Angry Birds Rio
7. Words With Friends
8. Camera+
9. Doodle Jump
10. Plants vs. Zombies
___
Top Free iPhone Apps:
1. Facebook
2. Pandora Radio
3. Words with Friends Free
4. Angry Birds Free
5. Skype
6. Netflix
7. Angry Birds Rio Free
8. Groupon
9. Fruit Ninja Lite
10. Twitter
___
iPad Apps

Top Paid iPad Apps:
1. Angry Birds HD
2. Pages
3. Angry Birds Seasons
4. GarageBand
5. Angry Birds Rio HD
6. Penultimate
7. Fruit Ninja HD
8. Cut the Rope HD
9. SCRABBLE for iPad
10. Keynote
___
Top Free iPad Apps
1. Angry Birds HD Free
2. The Weather Channel for iPad
3. Netflix
4. CNN App for iPad
5. Angry Birds Rio HD Free
6. Kindle
7. Skype for iPad
8. Calculator for iPad Free
9. Pandora Radio
10. Calculator Pro for iPad Free

These are actually some pretty good choices, but obviously, there’s a lot of room for debate. Do you think Apple dropped the ball by not recognizing a particular app? Let us know in the comments.

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Twitter Releases New iPhone App

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Today, Twitter announced a new design for the popular micro-blogging site that will start rolling out over the next couple of weeks, which they hope will make it easier than ever to connect with other users and discover great new content.

If you go to Twitter.com, you won’t see the sexy new interface for a while yet, but as part of their push to update all officially supported Twitter platforms to the new paradigm, Twitter has pushed out a totally overhauled version of the Twitter for iPhone app.

Twitter for iPhone 4.0 is a free download, and by all accounts, it’s even faster and more pleasant to use than ever before.

The main addition to the new Twitter app is four new buttons that act as hubs for the way you interact with Twitter. The official description lays out the methodology of the hubs:

Home is where you start from: a personal collection of Tweets from the sources you care about. The Tweet details show rich information such as replies, retweets and embedded images.

Connect is the place to see who followed or mentioned you, retweeted or favorited one of your Tweets. It’s where you keep the conversation flowing.

Discover is where you can tap into the stories and trends people are talking about in your world. You can also find friends, browse interests, and explore hashtags here.

Me puts you and your interests front and center. From here you can exchange Direct Messages with your followers.

The new app looks great, but the changes haven’t yet come to the iPad version, so unless you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you won’t see any changes.

What do you think of the new Twitter app? Let us know.

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iTunes Match Won’t Be Very Profitable For Apple But That’s Okay [Analyst]

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When it comes to Apple’s iTunes Match, profit motive goes out the window — indeed it’s “immaterial.” Although Apple is most known for iTunes and the App Store, the Cupertino, Calif. company remains a hardware company — and very profitable at that. The real value of the iTunes Match service is as the latest member of Apple’s vast iTunes ecosystem, acting as a honeytrap for hardware purchases.

Much of the $25 annual fee for iTunes Match is likely eaten up by music royalties and storage fees, believes Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Munster expects the service will earn $33.8 million annually if one percent of U.S. users sign up for iTunes Match. The figure could reach $169 million per year, if 5 percent of U.S. fans pay the $25 annual fee.

This isn’t the first time Apple dismissed profit for larger sales. Despite the iTunes Store and App Store costing the Cupertino, Calif. company an estimated $1.3 billion a year, Apple continues the services which is admits are break-even, at best. It’s obvious why there’s such little concern: the music downloaded from iTunes and the apps downloaded from the App Store have to be stored somewhere, and Apple would prefer it be an iPod, an iPad or a Mac.

But iTunes Match could kill the goose that lays Apple’s golden eggs, Munster fears. The iTunes Match service , which works by providing access to music not bought at the iTunes store, may reduce the need for consumers to purchase very profitable high-storage devices. Just 19 percent of early iPhone users bought the 64GB iPhone 4S versus 32 percent who chose the 32GB version.

There is some solace in the fact that the survey was of early adopters. The analyst said cloud-based storage appears not to be hampering hardware purchases.

“We still see benefits of higher capacity devices given the speed and convenience of local content, and limited access to the internet for some users (air travelers, for instance),” Munster writes.

In other words, Apple should push the iCloud, but not too hard.

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OnLive Announces New iOS App That Offers Console-Quality Gaming On The Go

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We’re huge fans of OnLive’s terrific cloud gaming service here at Cult of Mac, and we’re even more excited to hear that it’s coming to iOS devices. The company has announced that an OnLive app is on its way to the App Store, which will allow users to play top-tier console-quality games on the go.

In its press release, OnLive promises the app will deliver “the latest, top-tier, high-performance games,” to the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad:

OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of cloud gaming, announced that it is bringing console-class gaming to tablets and phones with the revolutionary OnLive app for tablet and mobile platforms. The latest, top-tier, high-performance games—previously limited to only consoles and computers—will be available for instant play via the free OnLive app on over 500 million mobile devices over Wi-Fi or mobile networks in the US and UK.

You may have already experienced OnLive on your Mac or PC, and if you have, you’ll know just how groundbreaking this service will be on mobile devices. Regardless of your device’s specifications, OnLive allows you to stream games from the cloud that are traditionally only available on the latest consoles or high-performance PCs.

All you need is a broadband connection that’s capable of both streaming video from the OnLive server, and sending your controls back.

OnLive says that 25 console-class games have been adapted for touch-based input on smartphones and tablets, including titles like L.A. Noire and LEGO Batman: The Videogame; but for an even greater experience, you can pickup an OnLive wireless controller for $49.99.

With the controller, you can play any of the games available through OnLive on any supported mobile device. To see just how impressive OnLive will be on your iPad, check out the video below from PocketGamer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTvOtKxadJQ

Unbelievable, right?

The OnLive app will be free to download from the App Store — and it should arrive imminently — but you will need to pay to play OnLive games. However, anyone who downloads the OnLive app will get LEGO Batman: The Videogame for free.

[via MacRumors]

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OnLive brings cloud gaming service to mobile with iPad and iPhone app

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OnLive has just announced (via TechCrunch) a new iPad app capable of accessing their cloud game streaming service previously only available to PC, Mac, and OnLive console owners. Launching in the US and UK first, 25 console titles have been ported to the smaller screen with touchscreen controls, and almost all 200 of the service’s library of console quality titles will be playable via the $50 OnLive wireless controller.

The OnLive service allows streaming of console quality games like Assassins Creed, L.A. Noire, and other titles typically reserved for consoles like the PS3, directly from the company’s servers. The service has received mixed reviews, mostly due to inconsistencies in performance. The same appears to be true for the mobile version, with an early hands-on by TechCrunch highlighting the same performance issues common on PCs. These are “console-class” games, but not always a console quality experience. It’s playable, but really laggy.

The free app should be launching in the App Store any second now, and will still of course require that you purchase or rent the games. Fortunately, any purchased or rented content is instantly playable through any compatible device. You can check out a full list of titles that have been ported with touch controls here. IGN already got their hands on the app for iPad (video below), and they seem to have better first impressions than TechCrunch:

OnLive has also launched an Android version of the app with support for a long list of devices including the Kindle Fire. Get the full story on 9to5Google.com.




Microsoft Releases Official My Xbox LIVE App In The App Store

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Microsoft has released its official iOS companion app for Xbox LIVE users. My Xbox LIVE is now available as a free download in the App Store for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

The new app allows users to interact with their Xbox LIVE accounts and talk to friends.

Take your Xbox LIVE experience wherever you go with the My Xbox LIVE app. Track and compare your achievements, connect with your Xbox LIVE friends, and change up your 3D Avatar. Review all your recent great games you and your friends love to play and compare achievements with them. Jump into our games hub to learn about the latest LIVE games and apps. Access Xbox Spotlight feeds, get breaking news from Xbox LIVE, game tips and tricks, gamer spotlight and much more.

The app is divided into three categories: Home, Social, and Games. While there’s nothing absolutely earth-shattering in the app, it’s still a welcomed addition for Xbox LIVE users. My Xbox LIVE is available for free in the App Store.

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Flipboard For iPhone Is Like Having A Personalized Magazine In Your Pocket [Review]

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Flipboard released its official iPhone app last night. Many users were frustrated initially with error messages during installation and adding services.

The initial surge in traffic caused Flipboard’s servers to buckle under the strain, but the app came back online for most people this morning and it’s been working fine for me since. After playing with Flipboard on the iPhone, I love the way that it aggregates my news and social network feeds into a personalized magazine. The future of media consumption is here, and it’s all about curation.

Flipboard isn’t perfect, but the new iPhone app is about as good as it gets. There are some minor things I would like to change, like setting the ‘star’ option to save links to Instapaper instead of adding them as favorites to Twitter, but I have very few complaints overall. The folks at Flipboard did a fantastic job on this release, and all of the attention the app has been receiving is well deserved.

If you’ve used Flipboard on the iPad then you already know how it works. You add feeds and services (Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, Instagram, Tumblr, etc.) as separate tiles. The app offers all kinds of recommended sources to add (Cult of Mac is proudly featured in the “Tech & Science” section) with a variety of topics (Travel, Sports, Entertainment, etc.). The most trusted brands and sites can be added there, or you can search for other RSS feeds and add those manually.

From a design perspective, Flipboard gets a lot of things right. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d like the card-like flipping animation that remains incredibly prevalent throughout the app, but the idea of flipping up and down through stories isn’t as non-intuive as I thought. Everything feels smooth and fluid.

The biggest feature that Flipboard is touting in its iPhone app is Cover Stories. The creators call Cover Stories the “place to quickly catch up on some of the most interesting news, updates and photos being shared with you right now.”  It’s also a curation tool, as the “more you interact with your friends and the stories being shared, the smarter Cover Stories gets.”

While I haven’t used Cover Stories enough to really see if it actually does adapt to my habits, I appreciate that Flipboard is trying to quiet the noise by offering a simple, relaxing way to consume news and social media in one place. It’s meant to give you the news that you care about, not everything that’s posted in the ether. Cover Stories is supposedly coming to the iPad soon, and I can see it being an even more attractive feature on a bigger screen.

The best thing about Flipboard for iPhone is that it’s free, so you have absolutely no reason not to try it. From what I can tell, this is only the beginning of what Flipboard has planned. The company wants to take the way we’ve traditionally read the internet and turn it on its head. And I’m ok with that.

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