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If you are looking for a simple iPhone app to convert your photo to a sketch, then Instant Sketch is a great choice. I was lucky enough to catch it on sale for free, but for $0.99, you have a... Read the full review at AppSafari

In the latest episode of CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” titled “Beta Test Initiation”, Raj Koothrappali starts a relationship with a well-known woman – Siri.

After buying an iPhone 4S, Raj starts building a creepy relationship with Siri – taking her out for coffee, inviting her on double dates, and even dressing her, in “a nice black case”.

If you are a fan of the show, you’ll know that one of Raj’s personality traits is that he has difficulty talking to women, so when Siri makes a human appearance, hilarity ensues.

You can check out the clip of humanised Siri below, but be sure to watch the full episode on CBS.

 

ToDo 360 is a utility app that blends to-do lists and project management together. ToDo 360 does not replace your go-to to-do list iPhone and iPad app, but it would be a great extra resource for... Read the full review at AppSafari

With all the freebies that have been flying around each week, it’s a wonder we haven’t run out. Then again, how many hundreds of apps and games are released each week? Yeah, I suppose when I think about it that way it’s no wonder we’re still going strong. Strong with savings!

… I’m sorry. Just ignore me and take a look at this week’s list. I’ll be sitting over here. In the corner.

Baseball Superstars 2012 – People love baseball. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. So yeah, here’s a baseball game. But what about the rest of us who aren’t nuts for “America’s Favorite Pastime?” Well we have this, too. Because it’s absolutely insane, anime-style baseball. Like with unnatural pitching abilities and totally wacky players. That, and the last one was pretty cool, too.

Derby Days – Now I know there are a lot of free-to-play “build X” games around these days, but none to my knowledge combine the concept with horse care. It’s usually either or as far as I know. So why not get excited about being able to build and run a horse ranch, while also caring for and breeding horses? If it were possible to trade the diminutive equines with friends than I’d say this is a sure-fire thing. Wait a second, we can do that already? Well then I guess there’s no point in holding off on downloading it.

Zombie Battle – Zombies staggering in from the right side of the screen across several “lanes.” Seems a tad familiar. This isn’t a strategy game, however. It’s more of an action defense thing. Sure, zombies have been done to death (har-har) these days but that’s no reason to discount this upgradable blast-em-up. Besides, vaporizing the living dead is almost always tons of fun.

2XL MX Offroad – Some people out there might argue about the superiority of dirt bikes versus ATVs. People like that can now have tons of fun with various what-if scenarios thanks to 2XL MX Offroad. People unlike that who don’t care much either way can also have plenty of fun with 2XL MX Offroad because it’s a crazy motocross-style racer with lots of stuff to do and stunts to (hopefully) perform.

Apps mentioned in this post: 2XL MX Offroad, Baseball Superstars® 2012., Derby Days, Zombie Battle About: FREEday 1/27/12 – “FREE is the Way, I Got to Be” is a post from 148Apps

 

Paper Monsters is a traditional platformer for iOS devices, one that adheres to many genre conventions, and that is both what makes it strong and holds it back at times. Players control a smiling, papercraft-style protagonist who runs and jumps his way through 16 levels containing floating platforms, hazardous enemies, and secrets to discover.

The game has the overall feel of a Mario title, with the hidden items to collect, the pipes to travel in, and even the underwater levels carry hints of that classic series. It’s a far more traditional platformer than many on the App Store, which makes it stand out, in a way. Put this game on the 3DS, and it would be a perfect fit, especially with the level sections that take place deeper in the background. The game also comes with a bonus minigame, Drag ‘n Dash, that is an endless runner mode. It’s not just a fun distraction that uses the same mechanics of the traditional platformer mode in an endless runner context, it also awards players with gold buttons that can be used to buy cosmetic upgrades for the main mode’s protagonist. Otherwise, gold buttons are entirely optional, though additional ones are available through IAP.

Paper Monsters‘ protagonist runs at a speed that’s just slow enough to be frustrating. A run function of some sort would make the game just feel much better. The controls never really feel comfortable; both the floating and static joysticks are difficult to accurately control with. The endless runner mode is fun, sure, but I feel kind of disappointed that it uses a different character from the main game. Especially considering that gold buttons can be earned in this mode, controlling the benefactor of those buttons would be appreciated!

So, for fans of platformers, this game doesn’t break any barriers, but is a familiar, enjoyable experience. Of course, it also comes with the traditional trappings of a Crescent Moon title: incredibly polished visuals, and it is universal to boot. It’s not groundbreaking, but I can think of worse ways to spend $0.99.

Apps mentioned in this post: Paper Monsters About: Paper Monsters Review is a post from 148Apps

Many big-name companies are switching to the iPhone, and though BlackBerry is the biggest competition in the enterprise arena, iOS is doing a great job of cutting Android out of the picture. According to the latest data from Good Technology,  the iPhone 4S was just as popular new device among businesses as it was among consumers in the last quarter, commanding 31% of enterprise activations. The iPhone 4 has had a bit of a head start, but even then, only accounted for 17.6%, followed by the iPad 2 with 14.9% share. The top Android phone was the Samsung Galaxy S II, which only accounted for 1.7% of Good’s business customers. The data spanned October 1 through to December 31, and included thousands of companies that had at least 5 activated devices.

The Good data also broke down smartphone activity by sector, which showed that 35% of all mobile activations in the last quarter were in financial services, followed by business and professional services at 16.2%. The iPhone 4S specifically managed to be fairly popular in the business and professional services market, snagging 25.7% of all corporate iPhone 4S activations. Unfortunately, Good didn’t have any metrics on BlackBerry activations, but seeing as they’re essentially the alternative to RIM’s enterprise server software, I would wager their BlackBerry activation data would be lower than average anyway.

While Android smartphones were still pulling in more interest than iPads, it was a pretty close race, and combined with the massive popularity of iPhone activations, iOS is firmly planting itself in businesses. I’d love to see some more large-scale studies comparing iOS penetration in enterprise compared to BlackBerry, especially internationally, since RIM claims much of their popularity abroad. Data from November (PDF) suggests iPhone is leading BlackBerry in businesses, but there haven’t been a lot of other studies backing up that research.

How many iPhones are you guys seeing around the office? Is it a common sight, or does BlackBerry still reign supreme? Maybe Android has started to make some inroads…?

Source: Good

 

On the PC, Machinarium shone as a point-and-click adventure game that didn’t need dialogue to catch the eye, instead relying on its unusual, lateral-thinking puzzles and lovingly detailed visual style. After playing it for a few minutes, I thought The Passenger from Loading Home might prove to be its spiritual sibling on iOS.

While not as animated as Machinarium, The Passenger presents a 2D urban wilderness with a noir-like overlay and some curious psychological twists to be discovered. The game seems to take place in the mind of the protagonist, a father who leaves his family in the first cut scene. He slowly trudges through the weird world in his trenchcoat and trilby, all to the backdrop of understated, melancholy music. At any given moment the game is gorgeous to look at.

The puzzles are another plus point. They require a bit more thought than your typical adventure game, or at least a little more endeavor in terms of searching through the environment. Sometimes they’re a little under-explained, but more often than not they are satisfying to complete. An early highlight includes attaching a magnet to a wire, then lining the contraption through a drain cover to try and pick up a key at the bottom, all using the tilt functions of the device.

I say “early,” but the major problem with The Passenger is that it’s all over way too early – frankly it’s criminally short. The game barely takes an hour to play through, and even then that’s only because the protagonist walks so slowly. This is also frustrating because the story is left so vague in that time that it barely gets any time to breathe. The game ends with a ‘to be continued’ note, but it’s unclear if that’s going to surface through updates to the game or through a second, separate release.

At its current price, compared to other apps, it’s difficult to recommend The Passenger at the time of writing except to those who really enjoy their adventure games and have money to burn. If that price drops or, more importantly, if the app receives updates that add further puzzles and exposition then there’s the potential for The Passenger to be one of the quiet, understated gems on iOS. To be continued…

Apps mentioned in this post: The Passenger About: The Passenger Review is a post from 148Apps

Crystal War: Blood Field by Digitalfrog is a side-scrolling, real-time strategy game for iPhone and iPad with a strong resource-harvesting element. Digitalfrog markets it as a ‘battle sim,’ but that... Read the full review at AppSafari

 

As with many a popular Facebook game, it’s now PyramidVille‘s turn to get an iOS port. However, PyramidVill Adventure is a bit more than a simple copy. The basic structure is the same, but a number of small additions have made it better suited (and more fun) for on-the-go players.

The Facebook original shares many similarities with other popular free-to-play titles. Players can plant crops, build structures, set up a sprawling metropolis of sorts and generally get stuff in order to get better stuff. What sets this new iteration apart is its apparent understanding that the iOS crowd expects a bit more. While all of the primary features remain intact, the interface has been completely overhauled in order to cater to touch screens. Mini-games have also been included, and typically bookend most major activities. There’s also a new commodity trading system in place which allows players to exchange goods with neighboring kingdoms.

All of the freemium aspects that keep people playing for much longer than they probably should are here. Harvesting crops, supplying homes, cutting down trees and even clearing debris from the ground will cause a number of tiny icons (symbolizing energy, experience, etc…) to erupt from the ground. The desire to snatch them all up as quickly as they appear is automatic. Similarly, it’s hard not to get caught up in the endless cycle of making/collecting things in order to make/collect fancier things. And the mini-games! They don’t just break up the tedium of all the point-and-click actions, they also effectively shorten the amount of time required to wait for certain actions to finish. For example, one can greatly cut down the amount of real time required to trade with another kingdom by taking part in a couple of them. It’s actually kind of ingenious.

The only problem I’ve encountered with PyramidVille Adventure is the camera. Or more specifically, how it relates to the interface. It defaults to “A Bit Too Close,” but that can be remedied with a quick pinch of the screen. The real problem I keep having is the way the Confirm button (for placing crops, building homes, etc…) always tends to fall just below the bottom edge of the screen. Zooming out doesn’t help because the selection wheel stays the same size. Readjusting the camera by dragging helps, but when placing multiple objects down it realigns itself. Which, of course, pushes the button I’m trying to hit out of reach. The Cancel button, on the other hand, is usually right in the middle. Le-sigh.

Minor irritations about the stubborn selection wheel aside, PyramidVille Adventure is a very entertaining freemium title. It’s got all the trappings that… well… trap, as well as a healthy amount of new-ish additions. Whether or not it’ll replace someone’s farming addictions depends on their love of Egyptian themes, but it’s certainly a worthy contender.

Apps mentioned in this post: PyramidVille Adventure About: PyramidVille Adventure Review is a post from 148Apps

Things are ramping up on the App Store with Christmas well and truly behind everyone. While most of these apps and games will be covered in reviews, we take a look here at five of the best from the last week.

Orphion

Turning an iPad into an unique musical instrument by the same name, Orphion creates a fantastic sound that’s reminiscient of a string instrument and percussion. Like all musical instruments, it takes some practice to master but it’s immensely tactile and doesn’t take much effort to see some great results. Surely the ideal app to spend some time with over the weekend.

Super Snake HD

Games featuring snakes have been around for as long as cell phones. Super Snake HD offers a fun twist on the usual format with 100 levels of puzzles and power-ups keeping things fresh and fun. There’s even head to head multiplayer functionality so that friends can join in. It’s a fine reintrepretation of a classic game.

Shakespeare In Bits: Hamlet

An ideal way to learn a classic play in a simple, study guide style manner, Shakespeare In Bits: Hamlet offers over 2 and a half hours of unabridged text, animated re-enactments and the classic play broken down into easily digested sections. Biographies of each character and key theme discussions go a step further to helping analysis of the play. Ideal for those studying at the moment and those who just want to learn more.

My Little Monster

On a lighter note, My Little Monster lets players return to their youth with a dinstinctly retro appearance as the player takes care of a monster while training it to take on 31 enemies. Simple yet nostalgic, it’s smile inducing.

NewsFlash

News moves fast in the world and it can be tough to keep up. NewsFlash lets the user quickly catch up with all the breaking news from many leading publications, all merged into one single news feed. Easy to use and understand, it’s a great time saver and highly informative.

Apps mentioned in this post: My Little Monster, NewsFlash ~ Breaking News & World Headlines RSS Reader, Orphion, Shakespeare In Bits: Hamlet iPad Edition, Shakespeare In Bits: Hamlet iPhone Edition, Super Snake HD About: Five For Friday: Week Of January 27 is a post from 148Apps

As you might expect, anyone in the market for an iPhone is leaning towards the latest and greatest. A recent survey conducted by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners shows that 89% of U.S. consumers who bought an iPhone between October 14 (the day the iPhone 4S launched) and December went with the 4S, while 7% picked up an iPhone 4, and 4% bought a 3GS. Of the iPhone 4S buyers, 21% bought the 64 GB model, 34% went with 32 GB, and 45% bought the 16 GB version. The CIRP co-founder, Mike Levin, provided some additional context to the study.

“An amazing 19 percent of all iPhone buyers upgraded from the iPhone 4, a phone barely a year old at the time of the launch. Forty-two percent of iPhone buyers broke existing carrier contracts to get the new iPhone 4S. And 19 percent of these iPhone 4S buyers sold their old iPhone in the secondary market. Early upgrades, broken contracts, and selling used phones — all allow buyers to purchase the new iPhone 4S, when conventional wisdom suggests that these users would follow the two-year contract cycle, or at least purchase the cheaper models.”

It’s surprising to see such a disparity between the iPhone 4 and 4S, given form factor is the same, most of the capabilities are intact, and the 4S is significantly more expensive. On the other hand, Apple fans aren’t well-known for skimping on their gear, if only by virtue of the traditionally high pricetag their devices. Plus, there’s bound to be a bit of a spike, as the study’s timeframe includes the iPhone 4S launch day; maybe over time things will even out a little bit.

Quick show of hands – how many of you upgraded from the iPhone 4 to the 4S? Know any friends who did? Any regrets? Other surveys show iPhone 4S satisfaction is through the roof, so I doubt it.

Source: AllThingsD

 

When a game is so much fun that I don’t notice the passage of time until my iPhone points out the battery is running low, I consider that a very good sign. That’s exactly what happened while playing Cytus.

Cytus is a music rhythm game – a genre that’s taken off massively in recent years due to its ability to make the least musical of gamers feel like they can actually perform a tune. Or at least that’s why I love them.

Unlike some titles, realism is dispensed with in Cytus. Orbs appear on screen with an ‘Active Scan Line’ moving up and down from one side to the other. The trick to success is to tap an orb just as the line goes across it. It’s not quite that simple. Orbs take a split second to grow larger which means optimum points are gained when they have a purple halo around them. Cytus is very forgiving when it comes to the ideal time to hit the orb but for a flurry of perfect scores, good timing is still important. Some orbs have a line attached to them and must be held down in order to get full marks, others need a swipe in the direction of the diagonal line.

On Easy mode, no track is very difficult to complete, much of this being thanks to the forgiving ‘Active Scan Line’. On Hard though, action can get furious but, ultimately, satisfying.

With over 15 songs and 30+ variations, there’s plenty to master, especially for the perfectionist gamer. Most of the songs are catchy too, covering various different genres from J-Pop to Trance and Jazz. At times, the orbs don’t seem to completely sync with the music but I didn’t find it very distracting from the fun I was having.

Slightly oddly, the difficulty level doesn’t seem to be on a steady curve. New songs are unlocked once previous songs have been completed but the songs leap from Level 1 difficulty to Level 4 then back to Level 2. It’s a strange design choice to make although at least the forgiving difficulty counteracts this potential issue.

Cytus isn’t going to challenge the rhythm experts of the world. For those who love the genre but frequently stumble their way through it, however, Cytus is an immensely enjoyable title to play.

Apps mentioned in this post: Cytus About: Cytus Review is a post from 148Apps

Disney’s physiscs puzzler Where’s My Water has gotten a new update that adapts the familiar mechanics in new ways with the new Cranky’s Story levels. The goal of these levels is to help out Cranky, the alligator who tries to thwart protagonist Swampy in the main mode. Now, he’s hungry, and being an alligator, he is content to eat things like safes. However, he is not content to eat them when they’re covered in moss. So, the player must get the moss-killing purple water to Cranky’s food so he can eat it.

The mechanics are still the same – use a finger to cut through the dirt and navigate the fluids through the level. It’s just that now the purple water is the one that needs to get to the goal point, and this changes the dynamic of the game. Suddenly, the water becomes the substance that needs to stay away from the rubber ducks lest they are made to disintegrate upon contact with a non-grimy surface. Of course, the purple water still reacts with the other fluids in the same way, but the levels are designed to take advantage of the mixed-up dynamics.

Also in the app are the new Cranky’s Challenges which are difficult new challenges that require Swampy’s levels to be played in different ways, like trying to collect three of the cranky ducks with purple water while still filling Swampy’s tub with blue water, or trying to get rid of all the blue water in a level without even a single drop reaching Swampy.

5 of these levels and 3 of the challenges are available for free; the rest are locked away as a $0.99 IAP, containing 50 regular levels and 16 challenge levels in total. The game will still receive free Swampy updates, and possibly even more Cranky levels in the future. This update is available now for iOS.

About: Where’s My Water? Gets Cranky With Gameplay-Changing Cranky’s Story Update is a post from 148Apps

In an App Store stuffed to the brim with clones and tired ideas, a game like Triple Town is a rare treat. Like chess, it’s a strategy game with a set of simple rules that govern the actions of a variety of pieces. Also like chess, the deeper you dig, the more complexity you unearth. To top it off, the game is mega-addictive, and it's free to play. Not bad for a game full of cartoon bears.

Technically it’s a freemium game, but don’t let that scare you off. At no point do you ever have to spend money on the game, and in fact buying the in-game currency effectively nullifies the leaderboards. That's unfortunate, but the leaderboards aren't the star of Triple Town-- it's the gameplay.

The playing area in Triple Town is a six-by-six grid, and you’re given one playable piece at a time. The pieces are things like grass, shrubs, trees, houses, and the aforementioned bears. You can place the pieces in any empty square, but if you lay three in a row, all three get sucked up and combine into a new, more valuable piece. Clearly, the game has roots in the Match-3 genre, but the developers have added so many extra layers and innovations that it’s barely recognizable.

The goal is to combine and re-combine your pieces in order to rack up as many points as you can before running out of space. There are lots of variables that get in the way, however, like wandering bears that block spaces you might want to use, robots you can drop to destroy things, and crystals that act as wild cards. If you play well, you’ll end up with a bustling city, full of houses, churches, mansions, trees, and cathedrals. Little people will even come out of the structures and wander around town while you play.

The biggest caveat is that you're given a limited number of moves for free. These will last you a couple of hours before running out, and if you stop playing they'll restock over time. If you don't want to wait once you run out of moves, you can buy unlimited moves for a few bucks through in-app purchase. By that point, you'll certainly know whether or not it's worth the price.

Triple Town is a clean, simple game with loads of strategic depth. Everyone with a love for puzzle or strategy games should give it a try. Just make sure you clear out a chunk of your day to devote to it, because it's that good.

 

Spirit of Wandering – The Legend is a pretty traditional Hidden Object game. The story focuses on the crew of a ship that have been imprisoned in the spirit world. That means plenty of pirates and nautical themes throughout the title. I’ll admit it. The story isn’t overly gripping. I found myself tapping through the storyline wanting to get back to the main action of the title rather than take in any of the narrative. Fortunately, the gameplay is quite fun.

Hidden Object veterans will notice one key difference early on in the game, compared to what’s usual in the genre. There are no lists of items to collect. Instead, the items are listed as silhouettes which changes expectations quite a lot. In some cases, it makes it much easier to find certain items. There are no cryptic clues to decipher for instance. However, other shapes are quite vague which adds to the challenge. It definitely makes for a change from the usual style of doing things.

A familiar folly for the genre is that of items that are extremely difficult to spot because they’re so carefully hidden in the scenery. This is a problem that Spirit of Wandering – The Legend suffers from and I found myself saving the hint button for such ocassions. It’s not too heavily to the detriment of the game but it is a minor niggle.

The hint button in the game is a neat touch. Rather than clearly stating where an object is, it’s a compass that sends players in the right direction. Once all the objects have been found for a section, play switches to using a Crystal Orb which helps the player find spirit world objects by lighting up a path and tying into the ghostly side of the story.

Spirit of Wandering – The Legend is a very traditional Hidden Object game but it’s a solid example of the genre and quite enjoyable. It won’t convert naysayers to the genre but fans will have a great time, much as I did.

Apps mentioned in this post: Spirit of Wandering - The Legend HD About: Spirit Of Wandering: The Legend Review is a post from 148Apps

For today only, the iMore Store has the Speck Products PixelSleeve Plus for iPad on sale for only $22.95! Get them before they’re gone!

Get the Speck Products PixelSleeve Plus for iPad now!

The Speck PixelSleeve Plus is protective, portable and lightweight. A stretchy neoprene skin snugs up to the Apple iPad, while a tough, flexible reinforced middle layer guards against rough handling and impacts.

Inside, a soft micro-fleece lining and padded zipper protect against scratches. Easy to stash and easy to carry with its integrated handle, the Speck PixelSleeve Plus also makes airport security check points quick and easy.

Features:

Three layers of protection help keep your iPad looking new Lay-flat airport checkpoint-friendly design — keep iPad in sleeve without removing during security checks Integrated low-profile carry handle for comfort and convenience Textured neoprene exterior is soft, grippy and stylish

Apple has successfully defended the second UMTS (3G) patent infringement claim from Samsung in Germany today, though the battle’s far from over. The first complaint from Samsung was dismissed last week, and Apple promptly fired back at Samsung with a slide-to-unlock infringement claim. The Galaxy Nexus isn’t one of the phones in Apple’s countersuit, though there are still plenty more Android devices Apple’s complaint does include. Even if Apple manages to chew through the other 3G-related complaints, Samsung has another two lawsuits lined up related to smiley emoticons.

Apple and Samsung haven’t only been duking it out in the courtrooms, either. Samsung has been running a tongue-in-cheek set of ads that depict desperate, near-sighted Apple fanboys being faced with the grim reality that the Galaxy S II is plainly a better phone. Yeeeeeah, because we’ve all seen how Android’s voice-to-action implementations are way better than Siri.

While Apple is duking it out in Germany, Dutch courts have sided with Samsung in Apple’s design patent infringement claims against the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Patent squabbles are a natural part of the high-tech game, but Samsung and Apple in particular seem to really be going blow-for-blow against one another – although I’m sure Apple would be equally willing to attack any manufacturer siding with Android. Steve Jobs, as you might recall, had an intense loathing for the Android platform, and that mission will likely live on in Apple.

It sure would be nice if we could all just get along, if only to avoid having to figure out who’s suing who for what and where.

[via FOSS Patents]

The International Mobile Gaming Awards committee, including notable members of the press such as our own Jeff Scott, have announced their nominees for the best mobile titles of the past year. Over 500 titles were submitted for review, and thirty titles in six categories have been nominated for the awards to been announced on March 1st in Barcelona, Spain. Here are the titles in the 6 categories.

Best Casual Game

These titles have been nominated for their excellence in being accessible to gamers of all kinds, while maintaining quality experiences.

Read on for the full list of nominees.

Best Real World Game

These nominees include games that utilize geolocation to fuel gameplay, along with those that use augmented reality to bring real-world environments into the gameplay.

CityRace – not yet released Flatmates – not yet released

Best Sports Games

These games include not just titles that are traditional competitive sports, but also racing games, and titles that take place on vehicles, which could vaguely be considered part of the ‘sports’ genre.

Trial Xtreme 2 (Android)

Best Mobile Social Game

This category includes games that are part of the traditional ‘social’ genre where farms or cities are developed, as well as titles that involve socializing with other players, including turn-based multiplayer games.

Excellence in Gameplay

This all-encompassing category includes games that have been nominated based on the strength of their core gameplay. These are some of the best-playing games of the past year.

Most Innovative Game

These games have been nominated based on innovation in their design, structure, artwork, and everything that comprises them.

Kodo

The winners in each category are set to receive €100,000 of free publicity from ProSieben Sat1 Games, and the game named overall winner will receive €400,000 of free publicity. According to Maarten Noyons, CEO and founder of the IMGA, “We have had an unprecedented response for the year’s awards. We see a trend of very high quality, big productions coming to the mobile platform and on the other hand a lot of fresh innovative casual games. I think the jury has made a very interesting choice. The 8th IMGA shows a wealth of new ideas and ground-breaking quality coming from studios all over the world. I would like to congratulate each of the developers that have games nominated and thank everyone who submitted games to the awards.”

Apps mentioned in this post: Battleheart, Bike Baron, Charadium II, Contre Jour HD, CreaVures, Death Rally, DrawRace 2 HD, Flick Tennis: College Wars, Forever Drive, Funpark Friends, HECTOR: Badge of Carnage Ep1, Infinity Blade II, Jetpack Joyride, KuraKuraMaze, Meatspace Invasion, NBA: King of the Court, Poker Pals, Shadow Cities, SpellCraft School of Magic, Sports Car Challenge, Sprinkle: Water splashing fire fighting fun!, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, The Blocks Cometh By Halfbot, The Pirate King !, Touchgrind BMX, WildChords About: IMGA Nominees Announced, to Honor the Best Mobile Games of the Past Year is a post from 148Apps

The votes have been tallied and the people have spoken. Jetpack Joyride is 2011′s Best App Ever.

Halfbrick’s latest title was one of the most-hyped iOS games of the year: we were reporting on it back in March when the game was originally known as Machine Gun Jetpack. Back then, the concept was the same: Halfbrick protagonist Barry Steakfries flies at a high speed through tunnels on a jetpack that fires bullets so quickly that it propels him upward. It’s the kind of concept that’s completely ludicrous but instantly intriguing. After all, when it was just a powerup in Monster Dash, it was entertaining enough, but now a full game is built around it? That’s exciting. Afterward, the game became more extensive, adding a variety of new jetpacks and powerups along with the eponymous jetpack.

This is why the game was so extensively covered on the site, making a pre-release post announcement, and then running a 5-star, Editor’s Choice review on launch day when the game came out. The game was talked about on The Portable Podcast multiple times, with glowing praise. Finally, we named it one of our top games of the year.

So what made Jetpack Joyride such a hit? Maybe it is that the game is extremely easy to get into. The controls require no real explanation, just tap to go upward, let go to go downward. No virtual buttons were necessary at all, just tap anywhere on the screen. It works perfectly on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

But it’s also the way that it compels players to keep playing that makes it so addictive. The objectives compel players to play the game in a particular way, and to make a specific session have a goal to it, from trying to skim so many red lights, to running on the ground for so long. They introduce variety to a game where the goal is the same each time out: get as far as possible without dying.

Jetpack Joyride‘s use of currency is also especially modern: gaining coins for upgrades and new costumes is something that a variety of games are doing now, but is one that Jetpack Joyride excels at. There are the different levels of items to buy, from the simple costumes and jetpacks to buy (who doesn’t love a Fruit Ninja-inspired jetpack?), to upgrades for the powerup vehicles, to finally the extra-distance bombs and second chance lives for high rollers. These generally require money to purchase reliably, but they can be earned in the game itself through the tokens collected and used in the slot machine.

In many ways, the game is about luck, as sometimes a high score requires that a second chance be earned in the slot machine, or a powerup be earned at the right time, or even just that a laser barrier show up a pixel later in order for the player to not die. It can be frustrating, but the fact that luck could easily turn back in the player’s favor is part of what makes chasing that high score so gratifying.

But if all these secondary elements were taken away, if there was only one jetpack and no upgrades, no coins, nothing but pure skill involved, then it would still be one of the best games of the year. It’s just that simple to get in to, and that desire to play just one more time, dive into just one more session is based not just on a desire to earn more coins, it’s because the game is fun at the heart of it. Plenty of games have snazzy costumes and upgrades to unlock, but they aren’t as addictive as this one is.

In many ways, the success of Jetpack Joyride is exactly like how Fruit Ninja has succeeded from a gameplay standpoint. Both are games that are not limited by the touchscreen, as both use direct input for control. Fruit Ninja has 1:1 actions with the tracing finger on the screen, and Jetpack Joyride responds whenver the finger is on the screen. They are not held back by the need for virtual buttons, and that direct user interaction is part of why the games have been such smash successes, and why people voted Jetpack Joyride 2011′s Best App Ever.

In fact, the success of Jetpack Joyride is currently resonating throughout the App Store. Games like Sea Stars and Seal Force both take obvious direct inspiration from Jetpack Joyride in not just gameplay but in structure. The endless runner is certainly very popular nowadays too, as Temple Run‘s current success attests to.

I personally have had great experiences with the game. I first got to play it about a week before it released, which was also a day I had jury duty on. Jury duty was not very fun, but getting to play Jetpack Joyride during any chance I had to take a break? My growing addiction to the game was probably more memorable about that day than being selected for a long trial. It’s the power of gaming, and it’s the fun that a game like Jetpack Joyride can provide that can be memorable, and it’s why it is a worthy choice as Best App Ever of 2011.

About: Jetpack Joyride is 2011′s Best App Ever is a post from 148Apps

Sam and Max, the quintessential dog and bunny duo, are coming back to iPhone to start the next season of their episodic game series. Episode one of “Beyond Time and Space” is called “Ice Station Santa”. The illustrious personification of Christmas has gone on a rampage, so Sam and Max hoof it to the North Pole to find out what’s going. Hilarity ensues, as it is wont to do. On top of the game, Ice Station Santa also includes a soundboard with which you can create bizarre phrases with sound bytes from characters. Beyond that, there’s a “Whack da Ratz” mini-game, where you shoot up a simple carnival game with an oversized revolver.

I’ve got a particular soft spot for the Sam & Max series, not only because I played the original PC game when I was a kid, but because the dialogue is snappy, the scenarios are hilariously absurd, and Max’s homicidal tendencies hold an indescribable charm. The one downside that I find to the new Sam and Max episodes is that if you haven’t played previous seasons, you’ll miss out on the appeal of many of the recurring characters and inside jokes. Otherwise, it’s a fine point-and-walk adventure game, with memorable dialog trees and puzzles that come at you out of left field. To get a sense of their humour, you should take a look at this comic series written when the franchise was revived in 2005.

Episodes 2 – 5 were already built for consoles and PC long ago, so hopefully we’ll see the rest of the season in the iOS app store soon. In the meantime, you can snag Episode 1 – Ice Station Santa at the link below, or get a taste of the game at the video after the jump. ”Ice Station Santa” is a universal app, so iPad owners, have at it!

• App Store link