Major iOS releases today: Macguffin’s Curse, Sketch Nation Studio, more

By Mike Schramm | April 19, 2012 - 3:00 pm | iOS, iPad, iPhone

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As is customary Thursdays, a bevy of great iOS releases debuted on the App Store today, including several we've been waiting for. Here's a sampling of what you'll find out there (all prices are USD):

If you just pick up one of these, MacGuffin's Curse should be it. It's a very well done puzzle/adventure title that's been in the works for quite a while. It's also destined for the Mac App Store, but at $1.99 on the App Store, you probably shouldn't pass it up now.
Sketch Nation Studio is another big release we've been waiting on. I saw it in action at GDC earlier this year, and was impressed that it lets you build a game that can potentially be released to the App Store and earn real money. Sketch Nation Studio is basically a platform inside Apple's platform, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out going forward. It's a free download.
Downhill Xtreme is also free. It's a longboard racing game from veteran devs Distinctive Developments. I can't say I was super impressed with the controls on this one when I played it at GDC, but there is some excellent music in here, and it's free, so it's worth a download for sure.
Monster Words is a freemium title that combines two of my favorite things: Monsters and word games.
Illusia 2 is also free. It's a sequel to Gamevil's popular RPG platform, with lots of customization options and some really nice 2D graphics.
Finally, Sega has released Total War Battles on iOS. This might be the one exception to only picking up MacGuffin's Curse this week. If you're a real-time strategy fan, this is definitely the one to buy. Total War is the acclaimed PC strategy series from developers Creative Assembly, and in bringing the game to iOS, they've made several smart moves that preserve the core of RTS, while simplifying the interface for the touchscreen. Definitely check this one out. It's $6.99 right now and worth that price if you love Total War or real-time strategy, but Sega price drops its games often, too.

This is just the cream of the crop out today, too. Stay tuned, as we'll be featuring more big releases every day going forward in our Daily App series.

Major iOS releases today: Macguffin's Curse, Sketch Nation Studio, more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New games and updates on the App Store: Hunger Games, Dragonvale, more

By Mike Schramm | March 22, 2012 - 7:30 pm | iOS, iPad, iPhone

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Angry Birds Space wasn't the only big new release to hit the App Store last night. Here are some other noteworthy apps and updates that are now available (all prices are USD).

Canabalt creator Adam Saltzman's new game, which is based on the upcoming Hunger Games movie, is now available as a free promotional app. It looks excellent, and features Saltzman's game design prowess as well as music from composer Danny B.
Hunters 2 is a sequel to the great turn-based strategy title that looks awesome. It's $4.99.
Chillingo has dropped an endless runner game in which you control a roller coaster called MadCoaster, as well as a good-looking physics puzzler called Light the Flower. Both are 99 cents.
Swordigo is a 2D hack-and-slash RPG with impressive graphics. It's launching at $1.99.
BattleLoot Adventure is a Final Fantasy-style RPG that looks excellent. It costs $0.99
Smule has released a brand new title called Beatstream that turns your own music into a playable game for $0.99.
Pocket Gems has released a new freemium title called Tap Paradise Cove.
99 Games' Nightclub Mayhem has arrived on the iPad for $0.99.
Big updates include the beautiful Zen Bound 2 ($0.99) which is now ready for the new iPad.
DragonVale (free) got a nice update with a new dragon to seek out, and new buildings to put up.
And Scribblenauts Remix ($0.99) has some new spring break content to download and play with.

Man, that's a lot of new games and content to play with. Stay tuned, as we'll be covering a few of these more closely in the days to come.

New games and updates on the App Store: Hunger Games, Dragonvale, more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some excellent new apps today: AAaaa!!, Hookshot Escape, lots more

By Mike Schramm | March 1, 2012 - 11:00 pm | iOS, iPad, iPhone

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It's Thursday, which means the new Apple-approved games and apps went up on the App Store yesterday, and there are quite a few good ones out this week. I'm not sure why devs decided to drop so many games on us (maybe just aiming to get them out by GDC next week), but if you need something to play this weekend, you've got it.

Dejobaan Games has released its popular "falling action" title AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! on iOS, and it's available right now for $2.99. The game has you falling down through a series of skyscrapers, and trying to perform certain stunts and actions on your way down. It's just as good as the award-winning PC version, and worth a look if you haven't played it before.
I've really been looking forward to Secret Base's Tobe and Friends Hookshot Escape, and it's also out now for $1.99. The graphics are charming as all get out, and my only complaint about the game so far is that it's not out on iPad yet.
Chillingo's got a new freemium dual stick shooter called Mafia Rush. And that company has also got a new version of a Flash favorite, a platformer called Fancy Pants, for 99 cents.
A beautiful puzzler called Incoboto has arrived on the iPad for $2.99. Looks great, supposed to sound very good as well.
Ubisoft has released yet another Prince of Persia title, but this one's for old schoolers -- it features the old Prince of Persia game combined with a graphical style from the latest series. The iPhone version is $1.99, or you can go HD for a dollar more.
And finally, the folks behind the very popular Spider: Secret of Bryce Manor have released a followup called Waking Mars, available as a universal app for $4.99. This one has you exploring underground Mars in 2097, and finding all sorts of interesting sights (and things) down there.

Whew, those are some quality titles for sure. I'm sure some of these will show up in the Daily App posts very soon, so if you're not sure about pulling the trigger yet, stay tuned and we'll let you know. In the meantime: Just go ahead and get Hookshot Escape. It's awesome.

Some excellent new apps today: AAaaa!!, Hookshot Escape, lots more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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