iPhone/iTouch app and game thread

[wonderpug]

Can someone recommend a checkbook or finances app that they're happy with?  So far I've heard that Mint.com's app sucks because it's read-only, I've heard good things about Checkbook, and I've read that the Checkbook developers have just come out with iReconcile which may or may not be even better.

I'd like one that could synch across multiple iPhones and in real time so that if she enters a transaction and I go to pull it up right after, it would have her new transaction in it (this way my wife and I would both have our current status at all times).  Probably would require reporting back to some central server for that, I would guess.

That's one of the selling points of that new iReconcile app. I think you need a $2/month subscription for the feature, not sure.

[The Grue]

Can someone recommend a checkbook or finances app that they're happy with?  So far I've heard that Mint.com's app sucks because it's read-only, I've heard good things about Checkbook, and I've read that the Checkbook developers have just come out with iReconcile which may or may not be even better.

I'd like one that could synch across multiple iPhones and in real time so that if she enters a transaction and I go to pull it up right after, it would have her new transaction in it (this way my wife and I would both have our current status at all times).  Probably would require reporting back to some central server for that, I would guess.

That's one of the selling points of that new iReconcile app. I think you need a $2/month subscription for the feature, not sure.

Nice.  I was looking at their web site, and they didn't really push that point home.  Just browsed it in the app store and see what you mean.  I use a program called Moneydance on our MacBook and am trying to think if I want to replace it with this and pay the $20 a year to have that nice service or not.  I know I can export the stuff to the computer ,but not sure if it works with Moneydance and not sure if I even want to bother with it if we can just have it on our phones at all times.

[The Grue]

Turns out I didn't see the feature because I was on their old web site.  It did make me think about whether I want to risk the possibility of them going out of business, though, with regards to the synch part.  I guess that means I shouldn't replace Moneydance with it, but instead use it to Export, assuming it works.

[kathode]

Final Fantasy 1 and 2 are coming to the iPhone.

Huh, interesting.

[Clay]

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is out now:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars/id344186162?mt=8

[The Grue]

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is out now:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars/id344186162?mt=8

This is probably a good time to bring up something I have been thinking about recently.  I've been buying some of the more "epic" iPhone games and I find I am just not playing them.  Turns out if I want to play something on my iPhone, I only play for a couple of minutes, plus I don't want to use up all my battery running a 3D game.  So I look at something like the GTA game and think, yeah, that would be cool, but I just would never play it.  The games that I have that get the most play time are Word Jong (new puzzle every day and I look forward to playing it), Word Warp, and Canabalt.  I will whip out Minigore here and there, but games I have bought like Zenonia, Hero of Sparta, and Ravensword just sit there unplayed.  I guess I figure if I really want to play a long game, I have my DS and PSP for that.

[Clay]

Yep, me too. I buy them but don't play them. I have a DS that I don't play much either, though, and there's probably a greater chance I'll play the iPhone games since I have the phone with me all day. The on-screen controls don't work really well for me; I find them frustrating.

[farley2k]

Me three.  I have The Quest, Undercroft, Wolfenstien RPG but I constantly play Sword and Poker!  I just love playing quick lite games.

[DonD]

My ratio of games bought:played:finished is pretty embarrasing.  It gets worse if the game is not immediately obvious on what to do and if the game starts out brutally difficult, it doesn't stand much of a chance.

Games that are quick to get into and easy to understand last the longest.

That being said, I've heard enough recommendations on Sword and Poker that I had to grab it.  And GTA..well..I did get that even though I couldn't get into Car Jack Streets or that other game that was similar (Payback or something?).

[Destructor]

Final Fantasy 1 and 2 are coming to the iPhone.

Huh, interesting.

And that's FF1+2 NES/Wonderswan Color, not FF2 SNES.

[denoginizer]

My IPod touch has completely replaced the DS and PSP on my train ride to and from work.

I probably play Geospark and Uniwar the most.  I also play a turn or two of CivRev whenever I get some free time at work.

GTA is a huge game considering it's only $10.  But I am having a terrible time with the controls so far.  I'm hoping I get used to them through repetition.  

[The Grue]

That being said, I've heard enough recommendations on Sword and Poker that I had to grab it. 

Never heard of this before, but I just played the Lite version and love it.  This is the type of game I would play on the iPhone.  Very simple and easy to get into with no story that I wouldn't be able to really follow playing in 2 minute chunks.  Looks like a round in the dungeon takes maybe a minute.

[Gratch]

Final Fantasy 1 and 2 are coming to the iPhone.

Huh, interesting.

Purty graphics revamp, that's for sure.

[rittchard]

Those FF screenies look sweet!

Another thumbs up here for Sword and Poker, it's a lot of fun and a perfect iPhone game.

I also noticed Sega is going to release an official emulator, so look for old Sega games coming soon.  I'm most excited about Shining Force.

- - -

Some recent utilities I'm trying:

iTreadmill - seems to do a decent job of tracking and counting your steps if you are into that kind of information

Air Mouse - neat app particularly if you are doing any kind of Home Theater PC setup, essentially turning your iPhone/Touch into a full featured wireless remote computer/control.  Also good for remote browsing.

Battery Doctor - I haven't got to try out it's "full cycle charge" maintenance yet, but it's a nice battery app regardless

[kathode]

Final Fantasy 1 and 2 are coming to the iPhone.

Huh, interesting.

And that's FF1+2 NES/Wonderswan Color, not FF2 SNES.

It doesn't look like the Wonderswan graphics to me.  Plus you can tell the interface has been revamped for touch.


Edit: Oops, might have misunderstood your post.

[DonD]

Sword & Poker is excellent.  It's easy to understand what to do, quick to play, and highly addictive.  It may be just a touch too easy, but I think that's OK.  I'm not that far into it yet.

[Gratch]

Thanks for the heads up on Sword Poker.  Awesome little game!

[Misguided]

If you like physics based stuff, check out Angry Birds. This is a great little game where you use a slingshot to send birds flying into various structures to destroy pigs. Why? who cares?

[Dreamshadow]

the two FF releases are apparantly using the codebase used for the PSP releases, with modifications for touch interface.

[rittchard]

One more to recommend for word game fans:

WordCrasher

It's a bit like Tetris mixed with Boggle.  Basically you have letters falling down but you can tap them in any order to make words.  Luckily (or not) you don't have to move them all together to fall in place (though  that could be an interesting variation).  The letters are in colorful balls that just kind of bounce around and fall where they may.  It's a fairly simple concept but the graphics and sound effects make for an overall enjoyable experience.

[rittchard]

Couple of cool new releases:

Doom II RPG - looks like a nice port of DOOM, not sure what the RPG is...

http://toucharcade.com/2010/02/08/ids-doom-ii-rpg-comes-to-the-iphone/

And Military Madness, this is an old personal favorite of mine, I used to play hours and hours of this on the Turbografx 16 against my sister...

http://toucharcade.com/2010/02/08/hudson-revives-military-madness-neo-nectaris-for-iphone/

[wonderpug]

Couple of cool new releases:

Doom II RPG - looks like a nice port of DOOM, not sure what the RPG is...

http://toucharcade.com/2010/02/08/ids-doom-ii-rpg-comes-to-the-iphone/

Did you not see Wolfenstein 3D RPG?  These games aren't shooters; they're turn based RPGs. 

[Gratch]

Couple of cool new releases:

Doom II RPG - looks like a nice port of DOOM, not sure what the RPG is...

http://toucharcade.com/2010/02/08/ids-doom-ii-rpg-comes-to-the-iphone/

Cool.  I'm not a Doom fan at all, but thought the first Doom RPG was great.  This'll do nicely for my 6 hour plane trip tomorrow.

[Clay]

I picked up Space Miner: Space Ore Bust based on a lot of recommendations at Quarter to Three. It's the first iPhone game that I've bought in months that I've spent more than a few hours with. It's like a mix of Space Rangers, Star Control 2, and Asteroids, with some RPG elements. Pretty fun stuff.

[rittchard]

Some nice updates for iPhone/Touch fans:

Plants vs. Zombies just released - I never played the original but it seemed like everyone loved it.

Street Fighter IV looks like it's getting a nice port:

http://toucharcade.com/2010/02/15/street-fighter-iv-set-to-ultra-combo-the-app-store/

And Final Fantasy port is looking like it's coming along very well:

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/15/first-look-at-final-fantasy-on-the-iphone/

[wonderpug]

I picked up Space Miner: Space Ore Bust based on a lot of recommendations at Quarter to Three. It's the first iPhone game that I've bought in months that I've spent more than a few hours with. It's like a mix of Space Rangers, Star Control 2, and Asteroids, with some RPG elements. Pretty fun stuff.

I'm seeing a ton of praise for this on other forums as well.  I thought I'd wait for a price drop but the good feedback is so unanimous I might just break down and spend the $5.  I love that an "expensive" game is the cost of a combo at McDonald's.

[The Grue]

When I saw the Street Fighter game, I just thought to myself...why?  Playing that on the iPhone has to be atrocious...I don't care how much Capcom has focused on the controls.  Also, the screen makes it look like you'll be blocking half the screen to play the thing.

[rittchard]

On the bright side, Plants vs Zombies is awesome on the iPhone!  I've never actually played the original so I don't know how it compares, but I'm loving it so far on this format.

[whiteboyskim]

When I saw the Street Fighter game, I just thought to myself...why?  Playing that on the iPhone has to be atrocious...I don't care how much Capcom has focused on the controls.  Also, the screen makes it look like you'll be blocking half the screen to play the thing.

"How do you crouch forward?"

[wonderpug]

Space Miner is awesome and it's down to $2 (from $5) for a limited time. You want this game. Yes, you.

[CeeKay]

Space Miner is awesome and it's down to $2 (from $5) for a limited time. You want this game. Yes, you.

some schmuck was posting about this on Facebook, made it sound kinda cool.  I'll check it out when I get home.

[denoginizer]

Space Miner is awesome and it's down to $2 (from $5) for a limited time. You want this game. Yes, you.

I second this post.

[Zero]

Also on sale is 2360:Battle for Cydonia.  Mechwarrior type game - for 99cents

[Caine]

Space Miner is awesome and it's down to $2 (from $5) for a limited time. You want this game. Yes, you.

I second this post.

i third it, so far.  first game i've bought in months.  i've downloaded a number of them though, thanks to the freebie sales that come up.

[CeeKay]

Space Miner is awesome and it's down to $2 (from $5) for a limited time. You want this game. Yes, you.

I second this post.

i third it, so far.  first game i've bought in months.  i've downloaded a number of them though, thanks to the freebie sales that come up.

played around with it for a little bit, looks like fun.

[Misguided]

I just spent 7+ hours straight playing it through. I couldn't put it down.
I can't stress enough how good this is. They could EASILY add multiple paths into this to create something more like EV, but this has a ton of charm and very fun.

Space Miner is awesome and it's down to $2 (from $5) for a limited time. You want this game. Yes, you.

I second this post.

i third it, so far.  first game i've bought in months.  i've downloaded a number of them though, thanks to the freebie sales that come up.

played around with it for a little bit, looks like fun.

[KC]

I just spent 7+ hours straight playing it through.

I didn't realize that an Iphone/Ipod Touch battery would last that long playing a game

[Misguided]

Not even close. I was on a cable. Then, after dinner, I fired it back up to look at one thing real quick on a new game I started...three hours later...

I just spent 7+ hours straight playing it through.

I didn't realize that an Iphone/Ipod Touch battery would last that long playing a game

[whiteboyskim]

I've been playing this constantly this weekend. I love it. It's like an anime version of Space Rangers 2 to a degree, but most closely resembles an old game called Maelstrom. That's the one I'm having flashbacks to the most. This is very fun, and I like how they continue to mix things up so it's not all about just mining. The "villain" is hilarious by the way.

[Misguided]

Oh Yeah, I remember maelstrom. Great stuff. I never got into space rangers...maybe I should go try it again, but I can't remember what service I got it through. Oh well.