There are hundreds of new apps on the iPhone each week. As time permits (every week or so), I'll review a few that I've tried to either help you find the good ones or ward you off the ones that sucked me in that weren't worth the time or money. Here are some of my recent finds (prices may fluctuate):
Accessory Notes
Here are some iPhone accessories I tried recently, with mixed results:
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Payback. Billed as a Grand Theft Auto-style game, it's more about the missions than the sandbox that made this series great. If you ever played the original top-down view games in the series, this is almost actionably similar. Control is wonky since you move your person or car forward or back with on-screen buttons and aim/steer by moving the phone. Also, since it's set in London, you'll need to drive on the left side of the road. Despite the caveats, it's a good game that's worth the current $5 pricetag. Word of warning: It's a hefty 220MB, so you should probably buy it on your computer and sync rather than downloading direct to your phone. |
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Silent Hill: The Escape. This game is perfect for playing in a dark room with headphones. The goal is to navigate dark twisty corridors, find a key and escape quickly. Ammo is limited, and you have to constantly spin to make sure no one is creeping up behind you (or maybe you don't, but I'm wickedly paranoid and always do!). You aim by moving the phone and can choose to tap the front or back to fire. There are only 10 levels spread across five maps, so gameplay is limited - but it's a first-person shooter on the iPhone, and a decent (and creepy) one at that. |
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Pocket God. This is more of a toy than a game, though clearly inspired by The Sims and Black and White - and quite possible Smile, a classic Mac game where you sadistically tortured a painfully cute smiley face until it cried or died for your personal stress relief. You add new islanders by tapping a plus sign and then flick them into a volcano, zap them with lightning, pelt them with coconuts or whatever you want to do within the confines of the game, which is updated regularly with new features. Worth the $1 for amusement value alone, and if the developer continues adding features every few weeks as promised, you'll have good reason to revisit it often. You can even follow them on Twitter to see what updates will bring next ("Jump a shark?!"). |
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Downhill Bowling. The idea here is that all 10 frames of your bowling game's pins are set on a long, winding downhill path lined with bonus points and powerups. Just rotate your phone to aim for the pickups and pins - it's fast-paced and fun. There's a free demo, which may be enough for some. The full game includes 11 more levels for $3. |
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SlotZ Racer. This $2 game is an innovative racer that
simulates classic slot cars right down to the flying off the track if you
speed too fast through the turns. There's even a track editor so you can
make and share your own courses, almost as good as setting up a real
track in the basement on Christmas. Certainly more portable. As a single-player game, it's a bit repetitive - the AI never seems to over accelerate and so you're essentially playing for a perfect run where you have to master the ideal speeds for each section of track and not make any mistakes. You can play with up to four real players on the same phone, each one tapping a different corner for control, though this seems awkward on such a small device - wireless online play would be better. |
Accessory Notes
Here are some iPhone accessories I tried recently, with mixed results:
- Griffin Clarifi iPhone Case with Macro Lens ($25). This iPhone case includes a macro lens that you can slide over the camera when you want to move in close to a subject that blurs out due to the limits of the iPhone camera lens. It does a passable job with pictures (sample pics, along with a hint to the next Free Stuff Friday!). But you're stuck using an included adhesive screen protector - which is removeable but a pain to install while leaving room for the case to slide over your phone without damaging it. I ruined mine and had to buy a 4-pack of slimmer ones from Rocketfish ($15) that work much better. Overall, I like this case more than the full AT&T clear shell I had before - especially since it fits better with my Scosche Wireless Car RF Remote (which always tells me it won't work with my iPhone when I plug it in, but really does!).
- Pogo iPhone Stylus ($15). This stylus promises to help you keep your phone fingerprint free, but only works well if you don't use it with a screen protector. Otherwise you need to pound it against your screen to get it to register.
- PowerDock Multiple iPhone/iPod Charger ($40-50). I ordered the four-slot version from ThinkGeek hoping it would solve our current iPod/iPhone glut. However, your devices only fit without protective cases (which all of ours have) and an array of docking adapters (one per device type). So if you, say, have two iPhones and/or want to keep them in their cases when you dock, it simply won't work. I had to send it back at my own expense - last time I order something like this online.
More mini-reviews in a couple of weeks, if I can keep enough free space on my phone to keep getting new ones. Feel free to recommend any apps and accessories that you love or regret buying...
