Instacast

| $1.99 | Vemedio

The iSource iOS 6 Wishlist - iSource

The Worldwide Developers Conference will take place in early June, and with it will likely come a preview of iOS 6. As such, we’ve put together a team list (organized by author) of the improvements we’d like to see in the next iteration of iOS. The wishes here are varied, but it’s clear (due to a bit of repetition) that notifications, iCloud, and the file system on the iPhone and iPad could do with some loving this year. New Maps Need to Kick Ass: If all the strong rumors are true and iOS 6 is ditching Google Maps for an in-house Apple solution, then they need to be awesome – at least as good as what Google offered. I’m happy to see the change, as long as we don’t lose functionality or features. 1) Free Facetime! I love Facetime but I think it needs to meet its true potential as a WhatsApp, BBM killer by accepting users on other platforms. Let the BB, Android and heck, Windows Phone users, in and I think it has the potential to even take over Skype. Seriously. Apple can make this work. 2) Simplify “Other” iOS 5 makes it difficult, if not impossible, to know Read More

Universal Movie Tycoon

| FREE | Fuse Powered Inc.

Universal Movie Tycoon - App Safari

Universal Movie Tycoon, developed by Fuse Powered Inc. and available on both the iPhone and iPod touch, is very similar to other city building games such as the classic SimCity. What makes Universal Movie Tycoon different is that, rather than develop a city, you are developing a movie studio. From a humble beginning with only one movie set and a script for Uncle Buck, your goal is to create a sprawling movie juggernaut in the vein of Universal Studios. Gameplay is simple; select the type of movie set you want to build, select a director and an actor and, once the movie is completed, you reap the rewards in terms of experience and coins. You are also in charge of decorating the studio and building new sets all from a touch based interface. For the most part, the game controls well; however, when it comes to precision controls used to place small items, such as a bed of flowers, the controls start to falter a bit as it becomes difficult to pinpoint the exact location to place your item. There are two types of currency available in Universal Movie Tycoon: coins and Movie Magic. Coins are used to hire directors and Read More

Brandnew Boy

| $3.99 | Oozoo Inc.

'Brandnew Boy' Review - A Little Bit Of Style, Panache, And... Batman? - Touch Arcade

As much as we may not want to admit it, a game’s style goes a long way—especially in a market as crowded as the App Store. With so many games from so many developers, the right icon and the right visual presentation are often the be all and end all of standing out from the pack. And while those of us who love games know that graphics don’t make for a good game, it’s hard to ignore the allure of stylish games. That’s why I jumped on Brandnew Boy [ $3.99 ], the latest action RPG from Oozoo. Sporting the Unreal Engine and a beautiful cel-shaded art style rich in color, the game is instantly stunning—especially in motion, where the smooth framerate and fast action prove to make an already-attractive game even more gorgeous. Much of the attention the game has received is because of its presentation. Thankfully, unlike some pretty-yet-disappointing games out there, Brandnew Boy manages to delight in terms of gameplay, as well. It’s certainly not the best action RPG on the platform, but its unique combat controls and hearty adventure make it worth a spot on your home screen. The game puts you into the shoes of a Read More

Zombies, Run!

| $7.99 | Six to Start

How to distribute Kickstarter apps: Ask Apple - TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Republique is an upcoming iOS title that's made a lot of noise by getting funded on Kickstarter recently, to the tune of half a million dollars, but I've had one nagging question about it: How exactly are they going to distribute the app to all of their backers? The most obvious solution would be to put a password gate inside of an app, but Apple doesn't allow that. If you have to lock content in your app, then you're clearly selling it outside of the App Store, which means you're dodging Apple's 30% cut. So what's their plan? Republique hasn't yet said, only that it's still being decided. Fortunately, however, here's the answer. The folks behind Zombies, Run! say that all they had to do to distribute an app for Kickstarter backers was ... ask. Apple agreed to let them have two versions of the app on the store -- one just for sale, and another that was free with a password gate in it. There were two limits, however: There had to be at least some content in the password-closed app, so people who just randomly came across it weren't confused. And Apple made the app developers take down any Read More