iPhone/iPod Touch apps and games

[sadude]

I'm not sure how many people here have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, but I figured I'd give this a shot.



As you may or may not know, last July Apple created an app store in iTunes for iPhones and iPod Touches. Since then, thousands upon thousands of applications have been made for it, of quite varying quality. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... hatthe.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' /> It's hard to keep up with all of them, and I'm curious as to what people I know have and use.



I have a bunch, but some of my main ones right now are:

(links go to appshopper.com)



Byline ($4.99) - It's an RSS reader that syncs with Google Reader and caches the linked pages of starred items and notes (i.e., any web page you want if you mark it as a note) for offline browsing. It hasn't been updated in a while, though, and works weird sometimes. I wonder if there are any better alternatives by now.



iShoot ($2.99) - It's a multiplayer tank angle shooting game! Badass. There's a free Lite version that you should definitely check out. It reminds me of my glorious Gunbound days, minus all the cute Korean crap and the RDY UP messages.



iDracula ($0.99) - The latest game that everyone is praising and got really popular. It's a twin-stick shooter (like Geometry Wars) which works surprisingly well on the small touchscreen because the pacing is slowed down. It's really fun, and it's a freaking dollar!



DDR S ($6.99) - This doesn't work too well because of the timing and lack of tactile feedback, but it's DDR, so I got it. Shut up.

Plus, it has Miyabi in it! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wheely:' />



Kindle (Free) - I don't have a Kindle and don't plan on getting one anytime soon, but this is good for reading the first chapter of books for free. I do have Stanza for free e-books, but I haven't set up very much on it yet.



ShiveringKittens ($2.99) - This looked too cute to be any fun, but I was wrong. It looks tetris-like, but it has a few key differences. For one, the blocks fall all the way to the bottom and don't leave gaps. Getting a row of ice and/or frozen kitties straight across unfreezes that row, and getting any combination of 5 or more shivering kitties that are touching rescues them. Sounds dumb, but it's pretty fun. There's a Lite version you can check out to get an idea of how it plays.



Baseball Superstars ($4.99) - I got this yesterday when it was $1.99, and it's pretty fun. It seems like this is how a GBA baseball game would play, even though I never played any on that system. It's slightly retro but still cute and fun.



Huh, it just so happens that most of main apps are paid apps. I started off pretty averse to them and only getting free apps, but after reading up on certain ones I got a few.



Anyone else have any favorite ones that they use all the time?



Edit: See post later on in the thread for updates.

[AEUGNewtype]

[quote name='sadude' post='61910' date='Mar 9 2009, 08:19 PM']Plus, it has Miyabi in it! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' />

[/quote]

Fucking awesome, seriously. The idea of Emi actually growing older to look like Miyabi is about the best thing I've seen from the DDR series in many years.



Also, I don't like iPod Touches or iPhones, but I have played a few of the games on my boss' iPhone and they're really not very good. Very novel, yes, much like most DS games, but good games they are not.

[Solitudity]

[quote name='sadude' post='61910' date='Mar 9 2009, 09:19 PM'](Aside from the DDR one, these are not my screenshots. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /frown.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' /> )[/quote]



You mean you don't read Twilight and Marley & Me? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wheely:' /> Aww.



I don't have an iPhone or an iPod Touch. Or any iPods anymore. I love my Zune. iPods felt too involved for me. Though some of those apps look really cool!

[AEUGNewtype]

[quote name='Soli' post='61912' date='Mar 9 2009, 08:46 PM']I don't have an iPhone or an iPod Touch. Or any iPods anymore. I love my Zune. iPods felt too involved for me.[/quote]

High-five!

[Zounder]

Gunbound

Man, does that bring back memories... We had a bunch of people in high school that used to play, everyday when we got home from school we'd hop on our computers and play for hours... good times.



I downloaded it again recently (like, in the past year) played it once and it didn't feel quite the same.

Plus, it has Miyabi in it! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />

Hey, that's kinda cool how the characters seem like they're growing up. Though I only ever played as Rage when given the chance. Or else I just random'd it.



On topic: I was just looking through the apple website the other day out of curiosity cause I didn't even know what the heck an iTouch was, and I browsed through the apps. There's a ton. But I think I'll just stick with my trusty iPod for now; I don't really need anything more. But I can definitely see the perks with all these cool apps.

[vanillacat]

[quote name='Soli' post='61912' date='Mar 9 2009, 09:46 PM']I love my Zune.[/quote]



*has to restrain self from launching into huge tirade about getting a Zune last year and finding that it didn't have foreign character support*



[quote name='sadude' post='61910' date='Mar 9 2009, 09:19 PM']It reminds me of my glorious Gunbound days, minus all the cute Korean crap and the RDY UP messages.[/quote]



Aw, man! I played Gunbound briefly in elementary school with some of my Korean friends. It was so precious! I never got the hang of it though, for whatever reason... I had suspect cognitive skills in my younger years, plus I've never been good at shooters, haha. I kind of want to go back and play it, but I'm sure it's been replaced by ~better~ and ~brighter~ as far as Korean MMORPGs go.



My 60GB classic and I (his name is Kangboobles!) have been getting along peachy, but these look damn cool. I know my friend uses her iPhone for things like Facebook & Youtube (which are probably apps, right?) but I didn't know it had so many cool games.

[Vikitty]

NINJA ROPES is the best.

[sadude]

[quote name='The☆AEUGNewtype' post='61911' date='Mar 9 2009, 09:25 PM']I have played a few of the games on my boss' iPhone and they're really not very good.[/quote]

Which ones?

[quote name='vanillacat' post='61923' date='Mar 10 2009, 12:26 AM']My 60GB classic and I (his name is Kangboobles!)[/quote]

<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' />

[quote name='vanillacat' post='61923' date='Mar 10 2009, 12:26 AM']I know my friend uses her iPhone for things like Facebook & Youtube (which are probably apps, right?)[/quote]

Yeah, those are apps. Youtube is an official app that comes built-in, and facebook is a downloadable one.

[quote name='Valerie' post='61924' date='Mar 10 2009, 12:31 AM']NINJA ROPES is the best.[/quote]

What's that?

[AEUGNewtype]

I have played a few of the games on my boss' iPhone and they're really not very good.

Which ones?

I played a number of them, most of which I don't remember, but I remembered Finger Maze, that Hero of Sparta or something, and Brothers in Arms, among the half-dozen I can't recall the names of. Most of the others up there are just ports or rehashes of other games except now play it on your "phone" with a touch screen!

I know my friend uses her iPhone for things like Facebook & Youtube (which are probably apps, right?)

Yeah, those are apps. Youtube is an official app that comes built-in, and facebook is a downloadable one.

This is so fucking annoying. I'm in training at my new job right now, and around 50% of the people sit in our training class and text message, send messages on Facebook or surf the internet on their phone when we're supposed to be paying attention and learning something. People are so hopelessly addicted to their stupid networking devices that it blows my mind. And these are supposed to be mature, working professionals, and they've equated themselves to no more than an excited high school kid in my mind. This is disrespectful not only to the instructor, but to everyone else in class.



On the same note, I've also seen a few books written on this subject recently that I really want to read, but it would probably just make me mad. I'll remember the names tonight when I go to work.

[sadude]

I have played a few of the games on my boss' iPhone and they're really not very good.

Which ones?

I played a number of them, most of which I don't remember, but I remembered Finger Maze, that Hero of Sparta or something, and Brothers in Arms, among the half-dozen I can't recall the names of. Most of the others up there are just ports or rehashes of other games except now play it on your "phone" with a touch screen!

Finger Maze is awful. I downloaded it and played it for about 4 levels before I got bored of its crappy gameplay and crappy controls. Half the time it wouldn't read my finger correctly and I'd get "stuck" somewhere in the maze. The graphics are obscenely unnecessarily flashy, too. Keep in mind that it's a free app, also, and don't think that it's indicative of every other iPhone game out there. Most of them suck, yeah, but companies like Konami are getting involved in developing apps, so there are bound to be some gems in there. But keep in mind that there are about 25,000* apps in the app store in just 8 months, so there's bound to be the biggest ratio of complete shit on any system ever.



I'm not exaggerating: they hit 10,000 apps on 12/05, 15,000 on 1/15, and 20,000 on 2/10. They had 500,000,000 downloads on January 15th, and who knows what that number is up to now. They're making such a killing on that app store, it's absurd.



I haven't played the others you mentioned, by the way.



The way I see it, it's like Live Arcade but waaaay cheaper and includes utilities as well as games. I commute a couple of hours on the subway each day, so these games and apps are perfect for me. These are even better than PSP and DS games, since they're less involved and most can be played/used one-handed while standing on the subway.

I know my friend uses her iPhone for things like Facebook & Youtube (which are probably apps, right?)

Yeah, those are apps. Youtube is an official app that comes built-in, and facebook is a downloadable one.

This is so fucking annoying. I'm in training at my new job right now, and around 50% of the people sit in our training class and text message, send messages on Facebook or surf the internet on their phone when we're supposed to be paying attention and learning something. People are so hopelessly addicted to their stupid networking devices that it blows my mind. And these are supposed to be mature, working professionals, and they've equated themselves to no more than an excited high school kid in my mind. This is disrespectful not only to the instructor, but to everyone else in class.

...what? That they're available as apps is "so fucking annoying"? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> What they're doing is disrespectful, yeah, but that's their fault, not the fault of whatever programs they're using. They could just as easily be texting on a random cell phone or whatever.



I guess I'm talking to myself at this point, but dang I'm SUPER addicted to that baseball game. It has RPG-y elements, which I'm usually not a fan of, but I like how they were done here. There's a mode where you create a character, stick him on a team, and manage his stats. Then when you play through the 36-game season, you only bat when your player comes to the plate, and everything else is sped through automatically. I'm on my 4th season already, and have finally built up my stats to get my lifetime batting average to .280. That's really good considering that a season and a half ago I was at .190. :/

[AEUGNewtype]

[quote name='sadude' post='62083' date='Mar 11 2009, 11:00 PM']...what? That they're available as apps is "so fucking annoying"? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> What they're doing is disrespectful, yeah, but that's their fault, not the fault of whatever programs they're using.

They could just as easily be texting on a random cell phone or whatever.[/quote]

They could be but them having a regular cell phone highly takes down the probability of them doing that kind of stuff. These phones with 8 million apps and ability to surf the web just enable a lot of people who otherwise wouldn't be doing these things in this situation. I'm not going to argue about this because there's too many variables and its mostly just a rant from me, anyway.

[sadude]

Anyone get one of these since I last posted this topic? iPhone and iPod Touches seem to be getting more and more popular as time goes on, with more and more good aps coming out for it as time goes on.



So a lot has changed since the first post.



Byline I still use every day. It (Google Reader) is my main source of news and general keep-up-with-ness nowadays.



iShoot, iDracula, DDR:S, Shivering Kittens, and Baseball Superstars were all fun, but I stopped playing them. Some other recent game obsessions: Peggle, Bookworm Adventures, The Secret of Monkey Island, Isotope (very similar to Geometry Wars), and Kolonists (clone of Settlers of Catan with some tweaks).



Kindle has been replaced by GoodReader, a PDF reader with an awesome distinguishing feature: it loads ginormous PDF files, which every other PDF reader chokes on. $5.99, but highly recommended functionality.



I finally got an IM client in BeejiveIM. It was pricey, yes, but it does what I need it to do (multi-protocol IM with notifications, so you stay logged in and get messages even when the app isn't running). I should've gotten this way sooner than today. I've only had it for a few hours, but I can already tell that I'm going to be using it a ton.



There are a few apps that I use everyday that aren't very exciting to describe much here, like PocketMoney to keep track of my finances, a TI BA II Plus emulator (<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/wub.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':riot:' />), and Todo as a (*drumroll*) to do list. Weatherbug is the best weather app out there, also. And I'm trying to like Evernote, but I get annoyed because I can't use it properly when I'm in the subway and have no signal.





And finally, the major thing I got was a jailbroken system. I don't have anything too elaborate, just a few minor tweaky things:

- Backgrounder, which lets me run apps in the background

- 3G Unrestrictor, which removes the dumb 10MB limitation over 3G

so I can use Skype, get better quality Youtube videos, and download apps and podcasts larger than 10MB from the app store and itunes.

- Categories, which lets you organize your apps into folders

- SBS Settings, which adds quick and easy settings that are accessed via swiping the top bar, and can let you do things like turn on and off airplane mode and wifi from there, and view running processes and kill them.









*tumbleweeds*

[Shoujo Q]

I got a few apps. It's difficult for me to find Apps that work on my iTouch and don't need the internet to function. I end up scrapping half of them. Thank god for free apps or I'd be totally throwing my iTouch into the garbage and calling it a total waste of metal.



My favorite new app is Sketch which works really well and lets me doodle. :3 The handling is pretty good too.

[Zounder]

Since my last post in this thread I got an iPhone, but I've been kinda cheap and haven't actually bought any non-free apps except for one: Myst, mostly for the nostalgic value. I forgot how darn hard that game is.

[tsukinobyouin]

I really like the (new?) genius feature for apps, I was trying it out yesterday and already found one they recommended that sounds good. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but at least the recommendations they're making really make sense and generally have good reviews.



The first game I got really excited about was Sally's Spa, but once I beat it I was kind of dissapointed =/ It's a great game, but they haven't made any updates to it (like with new levels and such). I got Cooking Dash which is basically the same thing but with food instead of spa treatments. It's a little more challenging and is taking me longer. I loove Peggle, and even though I've beat the regular mode, I'm still stuck in the challenge mode. Some of those "get a certain amount of points" rounds are really hard. I like Bejeweled too, that's a good one that sort of never ends. I played that back in the day on the computer when it was free to play all the levels xD



I also have one called Space Envi, which I like because it basically gives you access to a ton of NASA photos. I use it to look at the Astronomy Picture of the Day each morning, or if I'm bored but don't think I'll have time (/battery life) to start up a game, I'll go through some of the other slide shows.



I got Oregon Trail for nostalgia's sake, but it seems like it was too easy/quick to beat. Maybe I just had less time to play the computer game back in the day and that's why it felt like it took longer.



I downloaded Shazam since it was free, and it is pretty cool but I really don't have a lot of opportunities to use it.



I grabbed AppBox Pro the other day, and it's pretty cool. It basically has a ton of convenience apps all rolled into one - a currency converter, a date calculator, a days until countdown, a flashlight, a loan calculator, a sale price calculator, a tip calculator, a unit converter, a ruler, and a few other things.



I wish I could find a good diet helper. A lot of the "track what you eat" apps are such a pain in the ass to use they're not worth it. They never have exactly what it was that you ate, and I suck at guessing how many grams or tablespoons or whatever of each ingrediant I had. I'd also like to get something for viewing word docs. I haven't actually looked for that, but I'm sure it exists.

[sadude]

Has anyone gotten Rock Band? I'd like to try the online play to see what it's like.

[sadude]

*poke poke*



Does anyone have Words with Friends or Chess with Friends? I want to try them out, but I don't want to bother unless I know people who have them that I can play with.



Also, does anyone have any Texas Hold'em recommendations?

[sadude]

Last attempt at reviving this thread with two of the best games on the system:



Phoenix Wright





Full port of the DS game, well worth it for $5 measly bucks.



Carcassonne





I haven't played this version yet (just know the game from the Xbox Live version), but it's supposed to be very well done, and it supports asynchronous multiplayer: make a move, the other player gets a notification. Close the app, and you'll get a notification when it's your turn and you're next online). If you get this, let me know so we can play.



Words with Friends and Chess With Friends both have asynchronous multiplayer, also, so let me know if you want to play me in those as well. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... iggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' />

[Geof]

Y'know what'd be a totally awesome app? One that let you use just about any provider other than AT&T.





Anyway, I've had a 3G iPod Touch for about 4 months, and I've become quite app-happy. The damn things are mostly a buck or even free, how can you NOT gorge? In fact, often the thing that'll keep me from getting an app is it's reliance on in-app purchases, which require wifi use, which I'm rarely in any position to use. Hence, as much as I enjoyed Rock Band on my Verizon phone (about a billion times more than Guitar Hero,) I will probably never play it until I get an iPhone, which simply will not be until it's available outside AT&T staggeringly bad model. Seriously people - AT&T, Motorola & Nextel: three companies that have gone on far too long relying solely on name recognition as opposed to actual working products.



That said, here are some apps I like:



Street Fighter IV - I paid the full $10 the day it was released & I have no regrets. In fact, I'm still pretty amazed how well it can be played with no physical controls. The only genuine complaint I feel is valid is that there's only 8 characters in a 200mb+ game. But there's supposed to be a update coming that adds Cammy & possibly another character, so yay I guess. If you like Street Fighter enough to wish you could play it on breaks at work, this is your app. If not, wait until it goes on sale again.



Metal Gear Solid Touch - Admittedly, there's probably no way I was going to dislike anything Street Fighter or Metal Gear, so I'll admit that I probably find a Point Blank-style game in the MGS4 world more appealing than most people would. I think it's pretty well done, with plenty to keep you jabbing your screen frantically. I actually bought this app back in December before I even had an iPod Touch, just kinda planning ahead. It was 99 cents then, and now that it's iPad compatible, it's 7 or 8 bucks now, hahahaa suckers.



Fruit Ninja - This app completely makes up for whatever apps I bought that may have been overpriced. It's been 99 cents from day one, and they've had like 5 updates in the past couple months since release, each time adding new features, modes, fruit. I almost feel like I should have to pay again for all the stuff they've added. Simple premise: swipe your finger (or fingers) across the screen to slice fruit as it's thrown in the air, being careful not to hit random bombs or let the fruit fall unsliced. Simple as that, and you'll probably play it over & over.



Mini Squadron - It's a cartoony dogfighting game set in a side-scrolling venue, but it's really just an area about 3 screens wide that you can freely move around in. It's also really simple, but there's plenty of fighters to unlock & levels to go through, and it's got online modes which I'll probably never try, haha.



Tilt To Live - You are an arrow. You have to destroy all the dots that swarm around you, using only the powerups that appear randomly onscreen. If anything touches you, you die. Oh, and control is strictly via the iPod's accelerometer. Good stuff.



Guerrilla Bob - Dual-stick shooter set in a kind of Crash Bandicoot 3D perspective. In fact, this game reminds me a lot of that series, and improves on it by not sucking like Crash did. Honestly, the only good Crash Bandicoot game was Crash Team Racing. Don't let anyone try & tell you any different. But back to Guerrilla Bob, it's a fun, kinda comical shooter with a decent amount of weapons to upgrade. I think I bought it for a buck or maybe two, good game at that price.



Assault Squadron / ESPgaluda II - 2 recent bullet hell shooters (and if you even think of using that faggotty term "shmup" I will ram your iPhone down your throat & out your ass, THEN the other way around) that have a lot going for them. ESPgaluda's still a bit overpriced at $8.99, but it's probably the superior shooter. Assault Squadron is $3 & offers top-down AND side-scrolling modes, but it's a little short. If ESPgaluda ever goes on sale (it WAS $4.99 for it's 1st 3 days of release, but it only worked on 3GS iPhones at the time) I'd call you a commie pinko fag junkie assrammer for NOT buying it. "Shmup", good fucking lord...

[Shoujo Q]

My niece made me get the T-Pain autotune app for my ipod. It doesn't work, stupid app wont even load. :< But I'll keep it, so maybe one day it will be useful!



I also bought an app, It's 27 games in one, called a Gamebox. It's okay, there are a few good games in the bunch but I barely play it.



Oh and the Cooking Mama app is total crap!





SNSD Run Devil Run app is total love! If you buy the paid version that is. ;D So worth it!

[Geof]

Apparently, jailbreaking is now legally considered fair use.