In Spellsword, you play a young adventurer fighting his way through various missions. There’s some attempt at story here, but it’s all mostly incidental. Actual gameplay takes place in one of (currently) three environments, and each environment is small and static, with waves of enemies coming at you until you achieve the mission goal (collect a certain number of items, defeat a certain number of enemies, etc.). Actual play time for each mission is about a minute. It’s fast and hectic and something of a button-masher. It’s fun in the moment, though it’s also easy to lose track of the action in the chaos.

There’s a fun and heavy RPG element to Spellsword. As you play, you earn coins (“rupees” in the Zelda vein), better equipment, and stronger weapons to help you advance in the game. There’s no strict leveling system, but clearly the more you play, the stronger you will be able to make your character. There are also in-game power-ups, modeled as cards, that are absolutely vital to completing missions. In fact, there are times where the game really feels like “chase the next card” is your primary objective. [Actually, a few times, it literally is.]

As fun as the missions can be, I actually found myself enjoying the Endless Mode more. In Endless Mode, there’s no goal; just wave after wave of enemies. This endurance run not only leads to a longer game, allowing you to practice your play and find your rhythm, but it’s the perfect grinding tool for earning treasure.

In terms of style, Spellsword is really retro, and that’s part of what makes it fun. It’s got a 16-bit style that feels like an old side-scroller and a chipset soundtrack that, while repetetive, will certainly get stuck in your head. While younger players may not fully appreciate the style, I do as a child of the old console era.

All that said, there are a few things about Spellsword that I’d like to see addressed in future updates. The biggest one to me is a lack of iCloud syncing. Like many people, I have both an iPhone and an iPad, and a Universal game like Spellsword is something I’m going to play on both. It should be a standard move nowadays for devs to build iCloud game syncing into any Universal app. It just makes sense.

Also, I really hope that, like other puzzle-style games, future updates bring new settings. It’s not like in a game such as Angry Birds, where the setting retains a theme but the specifics change each time. The levels don’t change for the entire zone. There are times when the completely unchanging levels of Spellsword get repetive; and that, coupled with the limited number of enemies in any given zone, can really lead to a sense of sameness sometimes.

Warts aside, there’s a whole lot of goodness packed into this little 99-cent gem. It’s an easy recommendation for fans of fast and fun iOS games.

Our Score: 4 out of 5.

Spellsword Review: Old School Grind is Quick and Dirty Fun is a post by App Chronicles

3D view of San Francisco from C3's 3D Mapping technology

When we heard news that Apple had purchased a few mapping companies (Placebase maps in 2009, Poly9 in 2010, and C3 Technologies in 2011), there was a lot of excitement and buzz in the air about a possible ground-up redoing of iOS Maps. While the current Maps app is serviceable, at best, it has long been a thorn in the side of a lot of users for quite awhile.

Rumors abound today though about how Apple might in fact be utilizing those purchases over the past few years and be revealing a brand new maps app whenever they release iOS 6. According to “trusted sources” and independently confirmed by All Things Digtital, 9to5Mac is reporting the following:

Apple has an incredible headline feature in development for iOS 6: a completely in-house maps application. Apple will drop the Google Maps program running on iOS since 2007 in favor for a new Maps app with an Apple backend.

So it looks as if not only might Maps be changing, it will be almost a total re-wiring by getting rid of Google’s program for the backend of the app, which is a pretty big step. Could this be another step of Apple working to further distance itself from its one-time ally in Google? One would think so, but it might also be for improved performance and game-changing maps display.

Through the previously mentioned purchases, Apple acquired the rights to a revolutionary 3D mapping technology that is pretty mind blowing. The technology comes from the people at C3 Technologies, and it’s pretty amazing. The company states that their technology comes from previously classified image processing tech, and allows for a seamlessly integrated image of 2D maps, satellite images, street level photos, and user generated images. The result is an astoundingly realistic visual that should have a lot of users quite excited.

Whether or not this actually comes to fruition in Apple’s future release of Maps remains to be seen, but the company does own the rights to this tech, and the possibilities are quite high.  A source told All Things Digital today that the upcoming map app will “Blow your head Off.”  That pretty much confirms this breakthrough mapping technology to appear in the future.

For a taste of what some of the technology might look like, check out the video below.

Apple Reported to Drop Google data from Maps, Debut Game-Changing 3D Maps in iOS 6 is a post by App Chronicles

It’s only every once in awhile that an iOS game of truly blockbuster-status hits the App Store, but this is one of those weeks… Gameloft is releasing N.O.V.A. 3, a title that will likely overshadow everything else for awhile. But there’s more to see this week than just the name-brand first-person shooter. Trailers and details below.

N.O.V.A. 3

N.O.V.A. 3 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4 stars with 1421 Ratings)

$6.99

Maybe we’ve already hyped it enough—but in case you didn’t get the point, Gameloft has launched the latest in their best-selling first-person shooter franchise. As always, the adventure takes place in space, with this go-round promising better visuals and more alien enemies, weapons, and powers than ever before. It features 10 levels and costs $6.99.

Lost Winds 2: Winter of the Melodias

LostWinds2: Winter of the Melodias Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4.5 stars with 224 Ratings)

$3.99

If first-person shooters aren’t your thing, try this sequel of a completely different variety… Lost Wind is an adventure franchise that puts you in control of the wind, and now the seasons, too. The sequel brings new characters, environments, and elemental powers, and it all costs $3.99.

This Could Hurt

This Could Hurt Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(3.5 stars with 69 Ratings)

$0.99

It’s a game of avoiding death by blade, mallet, pitfall, and more… You play as an Oakguard apprentice who is trying to get through the Path of Pain on his way to becoming a “fully-fledged” Oakguard. If that’s a challenge you’re up for, it’ll be 99 cents.

Punch Hero

Punch Hero Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4.5 stars with 3085 Ratings)

Free

In the past, the iOS platform has been surprisingly welcoming to boxing games. Let’s hope that’s the case with Punch Hero, the new—and free—game from GAMEVIL. There will surely be in-app purchases as you work through opponents and improve your fighter in the Skill Store.

Penny Time

Penny Time Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4.5 stars with 33 Ratings)

$0.99

Skate through the side-scrolling world of Penny Time as you look to pickup points, secrets, and more. The post-retro game world looks pretty wonderful, and you can experience it for 99 cents. As usual with skating games, it’s all about the tricks and multipliers, but they look to be presented in quite an interesting way.

N.O.V.A. 3 and Other Hot New Games Hit the App Store This Week! is a post by App Chronicles

If you’re reading this blog, it’s safe to assume that you might be a big fan of all things Apple; but sadly, we couldn’t come close to Dave Hurban.

That’s because Dave took his love of the iPod Nano watch idea to an interesting level. Now, we’ve all seen things like the Lunatik wristband for the iPod Nano, but Dave went one step (or 10) further by having actual magnets implanted into his wrists so he could attach his Nano directly onto his skin without the use of straps or any other peripheral, and he’s calling it iDermal.

You read that right: Hurban, who is also a tattoo artist, modified his own body to wear a Nano. The result is actually a pretty cool looking idea, though it makes me wonder what kind of complications he undoubtedly runs into. Does his wrist ever accidentally magnetize to anything? Does he have to carry credit cards in his other hand, out of fear of rendering their magnetic strips useless?

I’ve seen some pretty interesting body modifications in my day, but this one—though not the craziest of them all—is probably my favorite, even if I would never in a thousand years do it myself.

Man Implants Magnets into his own Arm to Create Strapless iPod Nano Wrist Watch is a post by App Chronicles

But first…

The setting places you in a dark forest world that is in need of sunlight. Five creatures—or CreaVures—are tasked with bringing back the sun, but they’ll have to work their way through an onslaught of puzzles and adventures with your help in order to make that happen. The way to success is by finding the random bits of particles of light hidden throughout the darkness and collecting them. At the end of each chapter, there is a battle with a boss character that you must endure in order to move on.

You’ll start the game as Bitey, a little creature who has the ability to jump and move to an astounding degree. From there, you’ll move on to Pokey, Rolly, Zappy, and Glidey, all of who’s abilities can generally be surmised to a certain degree just by looking at their names. Each of the five CreaVures has a specific and unique ability that you can utilize to aid in the quest, so it’s all about working as a team in order to be successful. From time to time, you can utilize two characters at once instead of swapping them out, so you’ll have to keep track of each character and which of their abilities would be best appropriate to use in specific situations, and how to best proceed further with each other.

While the game is billed as a puzzle-based platformer, I didn’t find the puzzles to be too difficult in the grand scheme of things. Sure, they were challenging here and there, but overall, I expected a little more difficulty than what I was given. This isn’t to say though, that the game is by any means easy and simple to use, but I’ll get to that later.

I want to first address the game’s biggest selling points, and those are the graphics. They’re amazing, to put it simply. The world is an incredibly fleshed out bioluminescent mixture of color and imagination, and it’s sure to amaze gamers upon first playing. Colors seemingly pop off of the screen as you move along while your characters dart from here to there. Which brings me to my next point: the game is rather smooth in terms of animation and rendering. I never once encountered any issues or lagging, and the scrolling animation appeared to move with the swiftness and grace of a Hollywood style steady cam.

This is where I begin to diverge from giving out compliments, though, as the controls were—at least for me—incredibly frustrating. You’re given a virtual D pad, but also the ability to utilize swipes for certain moves and techniques. This all seems pretty straight forward, but I had a lot of issues with the game assuming I was playing one move, when I was actually playing an entirely different one. I don’t know if I just wasn’t clear enough in my controlling (hard to figure out how to be any more clear), but I would frequently command the CreaVures to do something, yet they’d instead do another.

I also have to say that while the game is incredibly stunning in a visual sense, it was lacking in the way of variety. Puzzles were repeated in various forms throughout, and it got a little repetitive. At a certain point, it was easy for me to assume which challenge I’d be met with right around the corner, and I was often right on the money.

While I really want to give this game a high score due to its gorgeous art and visual experience, the physical control deficiencies were just too much for me to overlook. I found myself getting frustrated more with the game than my actual play, and it took away from what would have been an otherwise wonderful visual adventure.

The game sells for $.99, and if Chillingo is able to find out a way to fix the controlling issues (I found on a number of forums that I wasn’t the only one experiencing these frustrations), then I’d give it a solid score.

But for now…

Our score: 3 out of 5.

Creavures Review: A Gorgeously Rendered Game with Unfortunate Controller Deficiencies is a post by App Chronicles

It’s an important question. The obvious answer would seem to be hardcore; after all, the most famous MMORPGs of all time — Everquest, World of Warcraft — thrived on the deep loyalty of a dedicated, long-term player base willing to spend $15 a month to continue playing the game.

But wait! Mobile is a casual gamer’s world. Think about the vast majority of successful games on iOS. Doodle Jump, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Jetpack Joyride, etc. — the list is as long as it is familiar, and each title on it is designed for quick, casual play, the kind of thing you can master in small doses on a tiny screen. Zynga didn’t pay $200 million for Draw Something because the game had a small cadre of loyal fans! Quick play and a low skill threshhold are qualities that can pay off big in the App Store.

Star Legends, from Spacetime Studios

Spacetime Studios, developers of the Legends series, have had much success targeting the casual player base with their fast-action, free-to-play MMORPGs. They thrive on a design that plays fast, rewards cooperation, and does not punish those who drop in and drop out. It doesn’t matter if you joined the party at the beginning of the level, or just as they’re felling the boss; you get experience, you get treasure, you get success.

Of course, there’s a problem with casual players: they’re migratory and fickle. The aforementioned purchase of Draw Something seemed like a good idea at the time, but the game has shed 5 million players in the last month. Ouch! Casual players are not a reliable foundation for a persistent online game world. And while Spacetime Studios has been seeing much success, there’s a definite question as to whether or not they’re really creating MMMORPGs in the first place.

Hardcore players are a different story. The classic MMORPG model rewards hardcore players the most. Order and Chaos is such a game; while levelling a character can be enjoyed by anyone, once a player reaches level cap it becomes a hardcore player’s game. Grinding dungeons, farming materials, improving non-combat skills like tailoring and cooking; these are not things that interest casual players. Only hardcore players are willing to stick with a game long enough to know the value of hard work.

Order and Chaos, from Gameloft

One must also assume that hardcore players are more likely to drop cash on IAPs. After all, IAPs oftentimes confer advantages in-game, such as speedier leveling or access to better equipment. A casual player, faced with a seemingly mandatory IAP to continue playing, is far more likely to move onto another game. A hardcore player almost always ponies up the cash. And with more and more mobile MMOs enbracing a freemium model, that’s a neccessary revenue stream.

But there’s a downside to catering to a hardcore player base: it’s a much smaller group. Again, look at the top apps in the App Store on any given week. How many of them would you classify as “hardcore games”? Not many, most likley. Any MMO drifting too far into hardcore territory risks turning into a real niche market, and a stagnant market.

So, which is better for pocket-sized MMORPGs? It’s a true connundrum for developers of these games. The fair money would seem to be with the hardcopre player, though the casual player base goes much deeper. I suppose a better question might be: Are MMORPGs even a good fit for mobile gaming platofrms?

This writer says yes. But, I don’t think that any developer has quite hit upon the right mix yet. Order & Chaos too much favors the hardcore gamer; the Legends games lean too far towards the causal gamer. There’s a balance to be struck here, and the first dev to nail it stands to make a whole lot of money. I only hope they figure it out soon.

For more about pocket-sized MMORPGs, check out the Massively Portable podcast. 

Casual or Hardcore? Which is Better Suited for Mobile MMORPGs? is a post by App Chronicles

This is that follow-up, though it’s not a formal review so much as a reflection on what’s happened since that review. It’s been an eventful year for OnC. And further, it stands to be a big year to come … provided Gameloft does it right.

The game that we OnC players have today is very different from the game that launched a year ago. Looking back at that review, many of the things I noted as flaws have been addressed. Dungeons? Now present; four of them, with a fifth to come. The cost of teleport and death? Both reduced to much more reasonable levels. Getting around? Much better now that teleporters can send you to any other portal, AND they put one in Greenmont. Order and Chaos is in many ways a much better game today.

One place where OnC has really grown in the last year is end-game content. When the game debuted in April 2011, there was nothing to do once a character hit the level 60 cap. Literally nothing — it was so devoid of content that the community began to organize ad hoc PvP tournaments on their own. A lot of folks would reach level 60, farm a bit for blue weapons, and then start leveling a character again. Or just as often, they’d stop playing.

Today, there’s something to do when you reach level cap. Each of the game’s four dungeons has a Legendary Mode, playable only at level 60. Those Legendary dungeons feature some of the best gear in the game, as well as drops like crafting recipes and soul stones (a form of in-game currency).It is practically a leveling system itself, as you progress through harder and harder dungeon zones and earn more powerful gear.

Order and Chaos is, today, the most solid open-world-style MMORPG you can play on iOS. I’ve tried many others, but none match it. Having said that, I’ll also point out that the game is at something of a crossroads; and if Gameloft does not take the right path from here, we may not be talking about OnC so highly a year from now. For OnC to continue to thrive, two things need to happen.

First, the game needs to grow out. It’s current path of expansion — Legendary dungeons and chasing powerful gear  — has played itself out. There’s little more to be gained by putting in yet another Legendary dungeon with yet more high-level gear. Players who complete the dungeon cycle are already so powerful that they’re practically 5 levels above their newly-arrived-at-level-60 counterparts. Adding more to this dimension of the game will just stagnate things.

Instead, the game needs to begin to add new variables. For one thing, the game needs a true PvP system. Unlike WoW, there’s no natural division of players into factions; there is also no PvP arena, nor an instanced battleground area. Instead, OnC offers certain open PvP areas in four of its six zones. Entering the area automatically flags a player for PvP and there’s no level control within the zones; yes, this means that it’s all too common for level 20 players in the level 20 PvP zone to get harassed by level 60s with nothing better to do.

The second thing that OnC desperately needs is better customer service. Gameloft is a monolith of a company, and their customer service can be found severaly lacking. In fact, the last year has been a comedy of errors in terms of customer service for OnC, and the game has shed more than a few active players because of it.  People have quit playing the game over poor response to glitches, hacked accounts, and other things, some of which could have — and should have — been taken care of faster and more completely than they were. As such, Gameloft is fairly criticized within the community for being deaf to complaints and slow to issue fixes to known issues. Things have improved, especially since the new year, , but they still need to learn a few things about managing an MMORPG community.

So here’s to hoping that Order and Chaos continues to grow and thrive in the next year, and that Gameloft continues to improve the way they tend to this passionate player community. In the meantime, there’s no better time to try the game out, if you haven’t before. If you’re looking for an assist, you can even find me online; my main toon is Alimac, a Mage on the Whispering Islands (U.S.) server.

For more about Order and Chaos and other pocket-sized MMORPGs, check out the Massively Portable podcast.

Order and Chaos Online: One Year Later is a post by App Chronicles

For the uninitiated, the game is a 2D fighting game in the style of Capcom’s classic Street Fighter. In fact, many Street Fighter characters are in this game, along with many characters from Capcom games of the 1980s and 1990s. [My personal favorite is Jill Valentine from Resident Evil, who can send flaming zombies at her opponents.] There’s also a lot of Marvel Comics characters dressed in their 1990s incarnations — so Jim Lee’s X-Men, a McFarlaine-esque Spider-Man & Venom, and forgettable characters like Marrow. They throw down for 3-on-3 tag-team matches, and much gonzo action ensues.

The game feels just like I remember it. It’s clearly an authentic port of the game, probably via the console versions, with all the bright colors, pixilated graphics, cheesy soundtrack of the original. The characters fill the screen to an almost comical degree, and it’s not at all unusual for special abilities to fill the screen with epilepsy-inducing animations. There’s not a moment where this video-game-characters vs. comic-book-characters takes itself even remotely seriously, and that’s one of the reasons it’s so great as a game.

Also, the computer AI is ridiculously hard, even in Easy mode. Which wouldn’t be such a big deal if the controls worked better. But to be honest, this game controls poorly. I’ve played many fighting game ports on my iPhone and iPad, and have experienced varying degrees of successful controls. These fall on the less successful side. And they take up so much of the screen that, especially on the iPhone, my thumbs routinely get in the way of actually seeing what’s going on on-screen. [There is a "compact" mode that shrinks the screen, but I found this to be unappealing visually.]

The game is very faithful to the original, to the point where Capcom has resisted things like alternative iPhone modes or IAPs. If you want to unlock characters beyond the starting 24, you need to play the game. A lot. In fact, the bar for unlocking new characters is almost too high, requiring dozens of playthroughs to earn enough coins.

In fact, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is too straight a port in some ways. The controls feel too literally like virtual versions of the arcade game (even though they’re not), and the video and graphics are too faithfully transplanted from the original. There wasn’t enough concession made, I think, to the differences that a touch screen and a small screen bring to such a game.  The app store is full of old school ports better adapted to the medium … including Capcom’s own Street Fighter! They need to apply some of those lessons here and make this a more broadly playable game, instead of a niche game for those of us nostalgic for the original.

With future updates addressing some of these issues, and hopefully bringing the game more in line with iOS expectations and a little more away from a pure port, this game could begin to shine. As it is now, I can only partially recommend Marvel vs. Capcom 2, especially if you’re on an iPhone. For iPad 2 and new iPad owners, this game is the best bet, as the controls are easier to manage when they’re larger and your thumbs are less likely to block the action.

If you’re a fan of the old game and have faith that Capcom will improve the issues with updates, now is the right time to grab the game. It’s on sale for $2.99, but Capcom has said the price will go up to $4.99 in the future.

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Review: Classic Port Comes To iOS, But Needs Tweaking is a post by App Chronicles

One such app that we’re going to look at today is built on that very premise of making things easier for you the user. It’s called Voice Assistant, and it works on both the iPhone and the iPad.

Voice Assistant is a dictation app that will turn your spoken words into electronic ones to be used in a number of ways. It’s kind of like having your own personal secretary following you around all day, taking dictation for you because you can’t be bothered to do it yourself. There are a number of uses for this kind of app, so let’s start with where Voice Assistant really works best.

One of the great things about this app is that even though it only does one thing, it does it very well. It takes away the hassle of having to type your text, and instead lets you just speak it while it recording your voice and then creates text based on the words you say. It’s kind of like Siri, without all of the other search functions and snarky feedback that you would get in return. All you have to do with Voice Assistant is open the app, tap the Siri-like recording microphone, speak your words, and then voila, you have text. There is a nifty little option to allow the app to detect the end of your speech, or you can just push the record button again when you’re finished speaking. For long bits of text, I go with the end of speech detection turned off since it would automatically close the recording session otherwise, but other than that, it’s almost always on for me. If you’re concerned about punctuation, the app offers a helpful list of ways to speak commonly used punctuations, which is wonderful and informative.

From there, it’s up to you what to do with said text. You can send it in a text message, email, post to Twitter and Facebook, copy the text, or even open it with any apps on your device that are compatible (Dropbox, Docs2Go, Evernote, Pages, to name a few). Beyond that, there’s nothing else for you to do with the app, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

With Voice Assistant, the developers claim that using the app is 5 times faster than actually typing text, which I would believe. The way I have been using it the most is when I’m in the middle of doing something like grocery shopping or walking somewhere. Being bothered to stop and look down at my phone may seem like a bit of a snobbish mindset, but if you think about it, it can get annoying when you have to make frequent stops to stick your nose and eyes to the screen. The app definitely made it easier for me to multitask, and that’s exactly what a smartphone is supposed to do. I also know that a lot of people have said this kind of app is great for cutting back on texting and driving, but we at App Chronicles have to give a healthy warning: please don’t. You’d still have to operate the app and look at the phone, so the potential for disaster is still quite real.

*steps off of soapbox*

Now, where does Voice Assistant come up short? In all honesty, I had very few qualms with it. At first, a lot of my speech to text translation was off. This probably had a lot to do with how I was pronouncing my words, but it was still a bit annoying. In time though, the speech recognition teaches itself to accommodate your voice and improves exponentially. Now I rarely have an issue. You won’t be able to use the app without a WiFi/Data connection, so that could be seen as a limitation by some, but that’s rarely a situation you’ll find yourself in.

Overall, I give Voice Assistant a pretty high recommendation, and at only $1, it’s very worth it.

Our score: 4.5 out of 5.

Voice Assistant Review: A Wonderful Speech-to-Text app that makes your Life a Little Bit Easier is a post by App Chronicles

The App Store has got it all this week, from a classic arcade fighter to a brand-new endless runner. For just a few bucks, you can throw a few of these titles on your iOS device and be loaded for weeks to come… Many of these news games became available in the U.S. around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, so if you act now you can still be the first person you know to get your hands on one of them!

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(3.5 stars with 1483 Ratings)

$4.99

You know what to expect here—a port of a time-tested fighter that is beloved by many arcade and console fans. The game is available as a universal app on iOS devices for $2.99 during a promotion linked to The Avengers movie, after which it’ll jump up to $4.99.

Ski Safari

Ski Safari Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(5 stars with 10799 Ratings)

$0.99

This one would have made more sense launching in the winter, but oh well… Ski Safari lets you play as Sven, an unlucky mountain dweller who finds himself barreling down a mountain when an avalanche occurs. The game is only a buck and looks to offer lots of variety through obstacles and perks found in the icy landscape.

Spellsword

Spellsword Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4.5 stars with 847 Ratings)

$0.99

If you haven’t had enough hack ‘n slash in your life lately, this game from Everplay and FireFruitForge is our pick for the week. It’s priced at 99 cents and offers 60 missions, all presented in a cool retro style.

Escape from Age of Monsters HD

Escape from Age of Monsters iPhone OS

(4.5 stars with 219 Ratings)

$0.99

Continuing this week’s $1 theme, Escape from Age of Monsters is an awkwardly-titled endless runner that has you rushing through hand-drawn environments as you try to save mankind. This one is heavy on the art, and looks to be worth well over $1 on looks alone…

Escape from Age of Monsters HD iPad Only

(4.5 stars with 102 Ratings)

$0.99

The Dictator: Wadiyan Games

The Dictator: Wadiyan Games Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4 stars with 386 Ratings)

Free

In case you haven’t heard, Sasha Baren Cohen has a new movie coming out, and yes, this is related. Expect brash, offensive—and probably very humorous–content as you cheat your way through the olympic games.

Hot New games in the App Store! Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Ski Safari, Spellsword, and more is a post by App Chronicles

Crow is billed as a story-driven, action/adventure game, but approaching it with any of your normal expectations will definitely lead to confusion. The game unfolds in “faraway lands,” where we’re told that an ancient battle is unfolding. And that’s about all you know before you’ll find yourself flying high above a beautiful landscape where there’s lots to discover.

You can approach each world a few different ways—either spend time flying around and taking in the sites while you collect trinkets, or confront the enemies and advance the story as quickly as possible. After going through the game, I’d have to recommend going the exploratory route and letting the story happen on its own. Crow’s main strength is its visuals, and rushing through the worlds in a hurry would be a major waste, especially since the bits of actual gameplay that separate the segments of the game are pretty clunky.

The controls of Crow could be split into two categories—freestyle flying and then a sort of on-the-rails combat system that takes over when you’re in a confrontation… When you’re simply exploring, you control your Crow by tapping where you want to fly, and that’s as deep as it goes. When you enter a confrontation, you gain control over more depth-of-field and control your bird in a virtual-stick style. Attacking is done by slashing your enemies at just the right times… If it sounds limited and frustrating, that’s because it often is, especially since the controls can be unresponsive, leading to short battles that have to be restarted until you get lucky.

Seeing as Crow’s gameplay leaves a lot to be desired, I’d love to say that the story makes up for it—but that’s not the case. It seems like Crow was made to be a meta story that centered on the creation of an atmosphere where “your choices will forever alter the course of this world.” But the whole thing is incredibly vague and bogged down by flowery language that never advances any actual story. Instead, we move from environment to environment, meeting interesting-looking characters and seeing gorgeous sights, but never really feeling like it gets tied together by any epic storyline.

But maybe I’m expecting too much on top of the impressive landscapes that exist in Crow . If that’s the case, it’s only because Sunside leads us to expect big things… When it comes down to it, Crow works in one regard—and that’s as an exploratory experience that lets you see an incredible, shifting world from the vantage point of the sky. It’s a worthwhile experience, but it lacks the breath-taking moments of action that you get the feeling Sunside was going for… Even so, this is quite an introduction of the developer’s in-house game platform called Radiance. Hopefully it will act as an effective warmup and the developer can give us something more well-rounded in the near future. If nothing else, they’ve at least earned that chance.

Our Score: 3 Out of 5

Crow Review: Unlike Anything You’ve Played Before is a post by App Chronicles

Dark Legends, the new vampire-themed massively multiplayer game from Spacetime Studios, recently released as a two-week exclusive to Google’s Play and Chrome app markets. While it will make its way to iOS eventually, I was eager to try it; so I loaded it up in Chrome to take a look.

I was not impressed. In fact, playing the game posed a question, one that I’m still not certain I know the answer to: Is Dark Legends really an MMORPG?

It seems like an odd question, I know. After all, it bills itself as an MMORPG, it’s from a company known for its MMORPGs, and there’s definitely MMORPG in its DNA. But having played it, I’m not quite sure that it is.

Dark Legends plays as a hybrid of Spacetime’s prior Legends games (Pocket Legends, Star Legends) and the the Facebook time-waster Vampire Wars, part of the Zynga stable. You play a vampire in a city full of other bloodsuckers and play through a series of linear missions, powering up your undead hero and collecting treasures. It’s got a high schlock factor, a quick pace, and a design sense straight out of the Blade movies. Sounds fun, right? And it is, kind of.

Club Sanctuary, part of the Vampire District

The character you create is a vampire. Not a vampire warrior or a vampire rogue or a vampire necromancer; just a vampire. As your vampire gains levels there are no stats to tweak nor talents to learn; only a dozen or so pre-determined vampire powers that you can select from (and reset for IAP currency). About the only thing you have complete control over is your toon’s equipment — weapons and a variety of stat-boosing gems — and their clothing, all of which is vanity.

To gain levels, you complete a linear series of missions which must more or less be completed in story order. You don’t select missions from a quest-giver; they’re just there, on a map, waiting for you to click them. Some of these missions aren’t even playable, but instead are animatedcut-scenes. That’s right — your character gets to gain treasure and experience from missions you don’t even interact with. And any mission can be bypassed for the cost of IAP currency.

Furthermore, the game features some elements very reminiscent of casual social games like Vampire Wars. The most blatant is the energy bar. Want to grind the night away in Dark Legends? Good luck. Everything you do in Dark Legends comes with an energy cost. You get 25 energy, max; this does not go up as you level. While your 25 max energy never increases, the cost of missions do — they begin at 1, 2, or 3 energy, but by the time you reach even 10th level they begin to cost 7, 8 and even 10 energy or more. And many of them feature wait-timers, another staple of the Zynga playbook.

So, we have a game with limited character customization, linear quest lines featuring non-interactive events, energy bars that limit play time, and timers that impede play. Can you see why question Dark Legends’s status as  an MMORPG?

At this point we should probably ask “What is an MMORPG”? There’s no single, official definition out there, though that bastion of modern consensus, Wikipedia, defines it thus:

“A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world.

“As in all RPGs, players assume the role of a character (often in a fantasy world) and take control over many of that character’s actions. MMORPGs are distinguished from single-player or small multi-player RPGs by the number of players, and by the game’s persistent world (usually hosted by the game’s publisher), which continues to exist and evolve while the player is offline and away from the game.”

That seems like a fair place to start. And if we unpack it a bit, we get two major components that an MMORPG should satisfy: (1) An MMORPG features a persistent online experience played by many people [the MMO]; and (2) an MMORPG has the features of a role-playing game [the RPG].

Blood, magic, and dead people.

Dark Legends easily satisfies the first requirement; it’s a perpetual online experience centered on the Vampire District, which is a persistent world area where many people come and go. While missions can be completed solo, it’s much easier to play them in a group, the same way you would an instance in World of Warcraft. Dark Legends is an MMO.

But what about the RPG part? I come out of a heavy RPG background, and not just videogame RPGs; I am a longtime player of the graddaddy of them all, tabletop Dungeons & Dragons, the game that invented the genre. I’ve even published game scenarios for that franchise. So I’d like to think I know a thing or two about RPGs.

The focus of an RPG is in taking on a role; you play a character that has powers and abilities, and those powers and abilites are different from other characters, and you develop those powers and abilities as you progress through the game, usually via some variation on “experience points” (XP) and “leveling”.

An amusing little billboard in-game.

While I have a toon in Dark legends, and while she does earn XP and gain levels, she’s not really a unique character. I can give my vampire a name (in my case Alimac, my standard first character in any MMO) and a unique look via vanity costumes; but she has no identifiable class, no unique skillset, no controllable stats. I can’t min-max her abilities, can barely devise a unique build, and I lack any real ability to differentiate her from everyone else except through a limited assigning of Power points. She’s a cipher for the game interface, not a unique character.

Also, she has no role. Tank? Healer? DPS? Those are meaningless here. The vampire is a jack of all trades — she can dish it out, she can take a hit, she can heal herself when she’s weak. Putting together a party doesn’t mean assembling a team of diverse talents needed to survive a difficult encounter; it just means having a lot of vampires killing things a lot faster. I look at Dark Legends and I barely see an RPG.

And then there’s the game’s energy mechanic and mission timers. What purpose do these features serve in terms of game play? None. They force you to come back later. It’s a habit-building mechanic meant first to train you — get you logging in every couple hours — and second, to annoy you so that you spend money to bypass it. It is the very antithesis of “open world” or “open play,” two things I expect in an MMORPG.

I literally have MORE THAN AN HOUR to wait before I can progress further.

So, is Dark Legends an MMORPG? If it is, it’s only barely one, existing in an uncomfortable space at the fringes of the definition. Sure, I’m playing with others, but I’m not playing a role. There are times when I’m barely playing a game, and I can skip those parts if I have deep enough pockets.

Further, I hate what Dark Legends represents for the broader genre. If we accept it as an MMORPG, then we are accepting this insane, Zynga-fied freemium model as the future of pocket-sized MMORPGs — a future where the gameplay is light, wait times are long, and the IAPs are in yor face at every turn. And that’s not what I want to see MMORPGs become.

I’m not here to tell Spacetime Studios what sort of games to make; if they want to embrace the freemium social-play model for their games going forward, more power to them. But they should not be calling their games MMORPGs.

***

Want more discussion? Tune into Massively Portable, the weekly podcast about pocket-sized MMORPGs.

Is Dark Legends an MMORPG? I Hope Not is a post by App Chronicles

Now that you know what’s new this week in iTunes movies, it’s time to take a look at the latest games. As usual, there’s a little bit of everything—from cat’s eating burgers to pigs wielding automatic weaponry. Take a look at the trailers below to see if any look worth the purchase.

Total War Battles

Total War Battles Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(3.5 stars with 279 Ratings)

$6.99

This real-time strategy begans its like on the PC, and now it’s come to the iOS platform for $7.99. At a price that steep, it better bring a full-featured version of the feudal Japanese gameplay that made it a hit in the past.

Burger Cat

Burger Cat Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4 stars with 146 Ratings)

$0.99

Wouldn’t you know it—this title from Ravenous Games is about a cat getting fed burgers… Need I say more? It’s just 99 cents and promises puzzles that require skill and logic to be solved. And here I was, thinking that eating a burger was a simple thing…

Hambo

Hambo iPhone OS

(4.5 stars with 1489 Ratings)

$0.99

Get it? It’s like Rambo, but with ham, cause it’s pigs… Anyway, Miniclip is behind Hambo, which has you playing as a warrior pig that’s out to kill others of his kind. We’re not sure what the other pigs did wrong, but we pity them for the fate Hambo represents.

Hambo HD iPad Only

(4.5 stars with 155 Ratings)

$2.99

Shark Dash

Shark Dash Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4.5 stars with 2991 Ratings)

$0.99

Physics puzzles? Gameloft? We don’t recall seeing those two come together before, but the App Store brings something new each week. This aqua-themed puzzler is just 99 cents.

Illusia II

ILLUSIA 2 Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(5 stars with 1692 Ratings)

Free

The original Illusia brought Zelda to mind, and it looks like the sequels continues the themes of role-playing mixed with action. It’s free to try, and if you like it, we’re betting there are some in-app purchases to enhance the experience.

Total War Battles, Burger Cat, and More in this Week’s Hot New Games! is a post by App Chronicles

Massively Portable began as a podcast dedicated to “pocket-sized MMORPGs” – that is, massively multiplayer online role-playing games for mobile devices. While the podcast continues weekly, I have also teamed up with App Chronicles to provide regular coverage of the iOS MMORPG scene in a column format. Big thanks to Steve from App Chronicles for giving me the opportunity to talk about this subject that I love so much.

So, where to begin? I could, and at some point I probably should, define what I mean when I say “iOS MMORPG.” There are plenty of games out there that use the label, but don’t fit into what I would call a true MMORPG. But for the inaugural column, I thought it would be more worthwhile show you rather than tell you by surveying the MMORPG landscape a bit. The last year has been one of incredible growth in the genre; in fact, two of the top three titles are only now approaching their first anniversaries. So, who are the major players in iOS MMORPGs? Who are the up-and-comers? What’s on the horizon? Let’s find out.

The Big 3

Currently, iOS MMORPGs are dominated by two companies: Gameloft and Spacetime Studios. These two developers produce the three MMORPGs that command the genre.

Gameloft's Order and Chaos Online

Gameloft’s Order and Chaos Online (commonly shortened to OnC) is arguably the definitive hardcore fantasy MMORPG on iOS. Anyone more than casually familiar with iOS gaming already knows Gameloft’s name and has played games like the widely popular NOVA and Modern Combat. Like many Gameloft games, OnC is a deliberate clone of a better game on another system – in this case, World of Warcraft – and like all Gameloft clones, it can sometimes be a generic copy. But that hasn’t stopped it from attracting a lot of players, as it features a very, very playable MMO experience. It has built a dedicated online player community, including a core of hardcore players who have maxed out the endgame and eagerly await new content.

Star Legends, from Spacetime Studios

The second and third top games both come from Spacetime Studios, who has embraced a more social model for its successful MMOs. Their first offering is Pocket Legends (PL), which was one of the first true MMORPGs on the iPhone. It is a fantasy genre game with a furry animal theme. Its play differs significantly from OnC, in that the world is built around social hubs and players port to shared adventure levels where cooperative play is usually required for success. It is also a more family-friendly game with heavily moderated chat and active game admins.

Spacetime Studios also offers the anime-flavored science fiction Star Legends (SL). Built from the same DNA as its sister game, SL sports the same social hubs and cooperative play, as well as the family- and casual-gamer-focus. In addition, both SL and PL benefit from a very hands-on development team that regularly runs special events in-game. With their emphasis on teamwork and social play, PL and SL are very different play experiences from OnC.

Other Notable MMORPGs

Seven Swords, from Asobimo

Beyond these titles, the iOS MMORPG landscape is fragmented, with a handful of games sporting small but still dedicated player bases. Amongst this tier are Celtic Heroes, World of Magic, Seven Swords, Empire Online , and Traveller AR. Each game has a smaller following, but this is sometimes traded off for having a much more involved and dedicated community than one sees with a game like OnC. Any of them could potentially rise to the level of a “big dog” with development updates in the future.

ingZ's Traveller AR

Then there’s the rest of them — titles that seem to have lost player and developer support, have apps that haven’t seen an update in more than six months, and/or have many one-star complaints on the App Store. These include games like Galactic Empires, Yslandia, and Kingdom Conquest. While some of these games could still warrant your attention in the future, right now they look like dead apps walking.

Coming Up

There are also a couple of MMORPGs on the iOS horizon that are definitely worth knowing about. First, there’s Dark Legends, Spacetime Studios’s third game. It bucks the family-friendly trend of PL and SL, instead offering a vampire-themed game with plenty of blood and violence. It will be interesting to see how the successful Legends model translates into gritty noir. It’s expected to arrive in the next month or two.

Promotional shot for Dark legends

There’s also World of Midgard from Veraxon, a fantasy MMORPG in the same mode as World of Warcraft which is aimed squarely at challenging Order and Chaos for the iOS MMO crown. It plans to do so by offering things OnC doesn’t, like PvP arenas and mounts. A playable beta version, called Faction Wars, is also expected to arrive in the next month or two.

And finally, Sega recently announced that it was going to be bringing its highly anticipated Phantasy Star Online 2 to iOS. Yes, that would be the sequel to the classic game from a decade ago. Nuff said! This one isn’t expected until the end of the year.

In closing, let me just say that this is an exciting time to be an MMORPG fan on iOS. The genre is a maturing corner of the App Store, and there’s a lot of cool-looking games on the horizon. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be the one who gets to bring it all to you. And if you want even more information about iOS MMORPGs, why not give the Massively Portable podcast a try? Every week we cover what’s latest and greatest in the genre.

Surveying the Landscape of iOS MMORPGs is a post by App Chronicles

It’s clear right away when you launch the Wonders of the Universe that you’re in for a self-guided trip full of amazing sights and facts. After reading a brief introduction and going through a few navigation demonstrations, the app pretty much leaves you to it… So what do you do when you’re staring at the entire universe on a 9-inch screen? Well, pinch to zoom of course… You could spend a lot of time free styling through the stars as you tap to drag and move in and out, but that would be to ignore a whole lot of information that’s served up by Cox in quite an engaging way. For that reason, it’s definitely worth pulling up the menus and bringing a bit of structure to your exploration.

I could try and recap the information presented in Wonders of the Universe, but I have a feeling you have other things to do in the next few years. Cox and his team have gone to great lengths to use text, photos, and videos to teach us the most stimulating and educational tidbits culled from the sub-atomic level to a universal scale. Whether it’s the Milky Way you’re investigating or the complexity of black holes, you can bet that Cox’s time as a BBC presenter has made him more than qualified to act as your instructor… The information itself interacts seamlessly with the deep-space background. Occupying just the center of the screen, text moves from bottom to top and is interspersed with photos and videos. Whenever an image gallery or video clip comes up, you can navigate by swiping right or left, and then move on by continuing to scroll up. It’s a great system that never gets in the way of your continued travels through space. Even so, I recommend not getting bogged down for too long, cause there’s just too much to see here.

While Wonders does an incredible job of confirming how mind-bendingly big the universe is and delivering salient facts along the way, there are just a few hiccups. Whenever Wonders leaves the rails, it’s usually because of slightly clunky navigational commands. The pinch-to-zoom control is adequate, as are the menus for calling up specific sections or levels of space, but you’re always just a few taps away from getting completely disoriented and turned around–or maybe it’s just me and my lack of base knowledge to begin with.

Another possible area of improvement for Wonders would be a bit more of a hand-holding for people like me. There are two “tours” available in the app, and that’s an area I’d definitely like to see expanded in the future. In addition, some quiz material would be great for sending us off on quests through the cosmos that are less aimless when you don’t know what to do next.

But these are small complaints. You can purchase Wonders of the Universe knowing that Cox will adequately blow your mind with what’s inside. For all the success he’s had in television and other mediums, Cox didn’t phone this one in, and it’s not a half-baked tie-in project for anything else he’s got going on. Instead, Wonders stands as a marvelous example of how the iPad can be used as an educational tool. Long gone are the days of staring at astronomy textbooks (or they should be long gone, anyway). This is an immensely entertaining way to flit through space, and yeah, you can expect to learn a ton along the way.

Our Score: 4.5 Out of 5

Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe Review: A Fresh Look at the Cosmos is a post by App Chronicles

I first realized my need for a tool like Notability after taking a new job. My first 
few weeks were spent studying for certification exams, with all the necessary 
information being provided to me in the form of long PDF documents. Staring at
 a computer screen for hours on end looked daunting, especially when I knew I
 was going to be needing to re-read and do some extensive noting and
 highlighting… Enter Notability: the app is perfectly suited for creating new notes
 and annotating PDFs, which made it the ideal candidate for making my studies just
 a bit more pleasurable.

Though the note creation of Notability is incredibly useful (and blows the built-in 
Notes app out of the water), let’s start by talking about the annotation features.
 Once you get a document imported into the app–which can be easily 
accomplished using Dropbox or the “open in” feature–you’re all set to start making colorful 
notes and highlights, or even adding sections of typed text. All the icons are
 located in a toolbar at the top of the screen (which can be hidden to maximize 
document visibility), and changing the width or color of your writing implements 
is accomplished with a double tap. When a writing tool is selected, navigating the
PDF document is done by scrolling with two fingers or opening up the page view 
represented by the stack of papers on the right side of the screen… For the most 
part, the process is intuitive and easy to navigate, though you’ll probably find that
 your efficiency won’t meet it’s potential till the navigation becomes second nature 
and you stop accidentally marking up the document.

With the ability to annotate tucked in your back pocket, it’s time to turn to the
 creation of new notes. At the risk of getting preachy, I’ll share another firsthand 
example of how Notability can be used… I’m writing this review from inside the 
app, and let’s say I want to insert a hand drawn figure (such as a graph or a funny 
illustration). All it takes is a few taps before I’m taken to a blank slate. After the 
drawing is done, I’m taken back here to the text where I can tap to insert (Side note: stylus or not, making marks is fluid and accurate).
 Notability offers great options for resizing such hand-drawn objects, and the text wrap works 

wonderfully… Similarly easy processes are used for inserting things like web clips 
or photos. With the basics under your belt, you can blow the roof off your
 productivity by getting familiar with more advanced features like audio recordings
 and the zoom feature… While the potential for creativity and variation in your notes is endless, the app doesn’t position itself as a pure text creation tool–meaning it’s more useful for dynamic note-taking that can change direction at any moment (with the end result being packaged as a PDF).

Now that you’re aware of what Notability can do, it’s time to offer a word of 
warning: Don’t be turned away by the app’s lack of flair…Yes, it’s pretty plain and
 doesn’t boast any of the appeal or style of an Apple app, but that has no bearing 
on how it can expand your productivity once you get through the slight learning
 curve. Notability is one of those App Store gems that is worth your investment of 
time and money even though it doesn’t get much time in the spotlight. Pick it up 
now and discover a great example of what you COULD be doing with your iPad in the classroom or 
workplace.

Our Score: 4 Out of 5

Notability Review: An Excellent Note-Taking, PDF Annotation Tool is a post by App Chronicles

This week is just like any other—there are a flock of new iOS games available for your perusal in the App Store. But we’re pretty sure one is going to get the most attention, and that’s Max Payne. The hit console game should be a killer on iPhone and iPad, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also check out hot new games such as Burnout Crash!, Crow, Epic Astro Story, and Sky Landers Cloud Patrol… Trailers and more below.

Max Payne Mobile

Max Payne Mobile Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4.5 stars with 1232 Ratings)

$2.99

We can’t wait to see how all the slow-motion goodness of the Max Payne franchise transitions onto iOS devices. Rockstar has a pretty solid history in the App Store, so there’s reason to hope that this noir-style shooter will be worth the four-dollar asking price… And hey, if things work out, maybe we can expect to see the rest of the trilogy show up in the App Store in the days to come.

Crow

Crow Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4 stars with 388 Ratings)

$0.99

Hard to know what to expect here. We can’t tell you much about developer Sunside, nor are we clear on what it’s like to engage in combat as a bird… However, screenshots of Crow promise a visually-stimulating atmosphere, and early testimonials indicate that this is one to watch. Crow costs $4.99 and is being served up as a universal app.

Epic Astro Story

Epic Astro Story iPhone OS

(4.5 stars with 181 Ratings)

$3.99

Kairosoft has gone off the deep end with this one. While most of their sims stay rooted in the real world, Epic Astro Story promises a more alien experience. Those up for the challenge will have to colonize a brand new planet, and that means completing tasks like building homes and developing transportation systems… The game costs $3.99, and the hype surrounding it indicates that it’s one of Kairosoft’s better efforts.

Skylanders Cloud Patrol

Skylanders Cloud Patrol Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4.5 stars with 7275 Ratings)

$0.99

You’ve probably heard of Skylanders (maybe from your kids), and now you can get them on your iOS device for just 99 cents. The Activision game promises “arcade shooting gallery-style gameplay,” but it’s hard to tell from the screenshots whether or not this title will offer any real challenge for adults.

Burnout Crash!

Burnout™ CRASH! Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4 stars with 274 Ratings)

$4.99

Max Payne isn’t the only console game having its first run in the App Store this week. Popular racing franchise Burnout is also making a grand entry with Crash! The racing game is sure to have all the chaos and crashing of previous versions, but this time using the touch-controls of an iPhone or iPad. At $4.99, it’s looking like this one is worth taking for a spin.

Max Payne Hits the App Store! Along with other Hot New Releases is a post by App Chronicles

There are literally millions of apps in the App Store and Google Play. Anyone who dares to tread waters in the app development arena must somehow make their app at least somewhat popular to earn a decent income. It is not easy. We’ve heard stories of app developers who spent months designing their app, but only to debut that app with minimum downloads for months.

Data suggest each app publisher, on the average, makes around $8500 per year. But keep in mind that the size of each app publisher varies. One app publisher can be comprised of a 25-person team of developers and analysts, while another publisher may be just an one-person indie app developer. If a team of developers is only able to make $8500 per year in the App Store, that team may not last very long. But despite the difficulty in generating a decent income with app development, do you know there are a few app developers who have hit the Mega Million Jackpot with just one or two apps?

Yep, the odds are just 100 times easier than winning the Mega Millions lottery, which coincidentally just landed its biggest Jackpot last month! But still, with a great design, terrific marketing, and a lot of luck, an app can get so popular that multi-billion dollar companies would want to buy out the app developer just to get that app all for themselves. And these companies are willing to pay upwards of a billion dollars. The following app developers beat the odds to take home that Mega-million payout.

Instagram- Bought by Facebook for $1 Billion

Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger (image via NYT)

The biggest news that hit the app industry this week is Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram for 1 Billion! Wow! who could have known making a photo app with a few filters and social interactions can make you ridiculously rich. Perhaps founder Kevin Systrom had already seen the future when he was designing Instagram, which we awarded 5 stars in our review for its ease of use and awesome social features. Sources close to the company show that Systrom owned 40% of the company, which makes him worth $400 million before tax. A $400 million payout thanks to Facebook is worth even more than each of the three winning tickets in the record $656 million Mega Lottery jackpot drawn on 3/30.

Instagram is only a young, small company with 13 full-time employees that Systrom and his friend Mike Krieger cofounded just two years ago. With over 30 million iPhone users and millions of Android users it amassed after the Android launch last week, Instagram is looking to become a dominant force in photography social networks. And that is just enough to get an $1 billion offer from Facebook to make it the biggest mobile app acquisition in history.

Draw Something- Bought by Zynga for $200 million

Another big mobile app acquisition was made in March. OMGPOP was acquired by Zynga, the big daddy of freemium games, for $200 million. Of course, OMGPOP’s uber popular app, Draw Something, is the only app Zynga wants to get its hands on. This pictionary style social gaming app has all my friends drawing in their spare time. It even spurred a web sensation for discovering the best Draw Something artworks. But even OMGPOP is not taking any chances when offered a $200 million payout. After all, many App Store darlings come and go. Who can guarantee this Draw Something mania will last til the end of the year.

Openfeint- Bought by GREE for $104 million

What started out as a puzzle game named Aurora Feint in 2009 turned into a hugely successful social gaming platform for mobile devices. Jason Citron and his team were tired of making little money from designing games. “I wonder if we can take some of our chat and video board stuff and spin it into an Xbox Live for iPhone?” After initially launching with 15 developers and 30 games, thousands more added Openfeint support to their games in the following years. Thanks to all those app developers who put the Openfeint platform in their apps, Openfeint claimed over 75 million users just before Japanese mobile gaming giant GREE acquired it for $104 million.

Words with Friends- Acquired by Zynga for $53 million

Zynga acquired the popular Scrabble clone, Words with Friends maker back in November of 2010.  But it wasn’t until Zynga’s IPO in July 2011 that we finally learned the actual purchase price for the company.  Back then, Words with Friends had already gotten over 12 million downloads before the acquisition.  But just four months after Zynga’s acquisition, Words with Friends is able to double its players.  Currently Zynga’s Words with Friends still sits on the top 50 free app list for the iPad and iPhone.  An estimated 15 million active users play it every month.

Tap Tap Revenge! Bought by Disney for $20-50 million

Remember Tap Tap Revenge?  Yep, it used to be very popular, but you don’t see it in the top free app list anymore in the App Store.  Perhaps the developers got bored with the Tap Tap idea after they had been acquired as a subsidiary of Disney in July 2010.  After all, they haven’t released any new app yet in 2012!  The only app that was updated this year so far appear to be Justin Bieber Revenge.

Unlike the acquisitions above, Disney and Tapulous did not reveal the actual purchase price.  Disney appeared to be ultra paranoid in protecting this little secret.  But experts value this acquisition between $20-$50 million.  Based on the estimates that the Tap Tap franchise was making around $ 15 million in 2010, it’s likely that the deal was near the top of that range.

Are You the Next Winner?

After seeing these app developers raking in ridiculously large sums of money, are you jealous that your app didn’t have millions of users everyday?   Or are you itching to start developing your own apps to enter the MegaMillions jackpot in the app arena.  Everyone can dream, but it will take hard work and lots of luck to create that multi-million dollar app.    Best wishes to our new and veteran app developers!

5 App Developers who Hit the Mega Millions Jackpot is a post by App Chronicles

One of the things everyone was most excited about with the latest iPad was the Retina Display; a display so amazingly dense with pixels that the naked eye can’t see any trace of them. And with a new iPad in your hands, you probably want everyone to see how amazing the new display is, but how could you go about doing that?

Well, with these sweet Retina Display ready iPad apps, of course!

Since most people who have an iPad are typically heavily into social media (according to a survey I made up), let’s start with a Twitter client that shines under the new magical display.

Tweetbot

Arguably the most gorgeous Twitter app there is, this intuitively designed app was retina ready almost immediately after the new iPad was unveiled. With incredible attention to detail having been paid during its build, Tweetbot for iPad is chock full of features and good looks, and all of that comes across even better on the 326 ppi screen. That being said, if you don’t want to lay down a couple of bucks for your Twitter client, Twitter’s own iPad client is available for free AND Retina Display ready.

iLife

Another thing Apple unveiled alongside the iPad was iPhoto for your mobile devices, and it’s packed to the brim with editing features and overlay effects, giving most other editing apps a run for their money. Let’s also not forget to mention that the rest of the iLife suite (GarageBand and iMovie) is available, and it is Retina ready and looking great.

iWork

If you’re someone who uses their iPad for work or school, then the entire iWork suite is a must. Everything has been peppered to take advantage of the new display, and doing your work has never looked so good. Pages (for writing), Numbers (for spreadsheets), and Keynote (for presentations) are all optimized and ready to go, so all of your projects will look fantastic on this high resolution device.

Book Readers

Reading books on the new iPad is an incredible improvement, with words popping out like never before. And now you have two amazingly good reading apps to choose Retina Display material from in iBooks and Kindle for iPad. While the iBooks app looks more pleasing to the eye, in my opinion, the Kindle app has plenty to offer in the way of features as well, if not more. Both apps, though, are well worth the download to see for yourself.

RSS Readers

Organizing all of our RSS readers used to be a chore, but not these days, thank to the litany of RSS readers available in the App Store. Flipboard and Reeder are two that have been updated to take advantage of the new screen, and in my opinion, are the best and must-have feed readers on the market. Flipboard has a greatly unique tile-like interface that is much more easy to use than you would imagine upon first looking at. Reeder is simply the best, in my opinion, though. Clean interface, powerful sharing features, the list goes on.

Art Apps

Art Authority, which has a searchable cache of over 1,000 artists and pieces to choose from and examine, is an app that cultures lovers would die for. With the Retina Display screen, these works of art come to life in a way you never thought possible. Now you don’t have to stand back a certain amount of feet in order to inspect these beauties; you can get up real close. Check out Van Gogh while you’re on the go and let the world see how modern, yet appreciative of the finer things in life you can be.

If you want to show how you can not only appreciate good art, but also CREATE it yourself, then Sketchbook Pro is just for you. With Retina Display capabilities that only further aid you in your artistic endeavors, this app is awesome. Powerful. Full featured. A must have for all artists and hobbyists alike.

Games

While we plan to have an entire post committed to just the must-see-on-a-Retina-Display-iPad games, we couldn’t help but feature these two here today. Infinity Blade 2 is already a household name, as it should be. With its incredible industry pushing graphics and gameplay, it’s the Mac Daddy of all mobile action RPG games, and it looks even more amazing on the Retina Display. Not to be outdone, Real Racing 2 HD has updated their app as well, and now you can race against the best of them in incredible detail.

While this list is by no means comprehensive, it is a great start to figuring out what apps are going to best show off your new iPad’s incredible display. As you would expect, developers are currently working around the clock to bring us more updates and new apps that are Retina Display capable, so keep your eyes peeled and let us know if you find any other apps that are must-see. But for now, go download the ones we’ve talked about here and get started on pushing your device to its technological limits.

Show Off Your New iPad’s Retina Display With These Must-Have Apps is a post by App Chronicles

So your new iPad is going to arrive any day now—what games will you play on it when it gets there? We’ve got some recommendations to be found below, all culled from this week’s hottest new releases in the App Store. Leading the way is Chaos Rings II, the latest in Square Enix’s revered RPG franchise.

Chaos Rings II

CHAOS RINGS II iPhone OS

(5 stars with 420 Ratings)

$17.99

This sequel puts you in the shoes of Darwin, a “chosen warrior” whose job it is to eliminate five sacrifices. Hopefully Square Enix can capitalize on the success of the original with more solid storytelling and captivating gameplay… They’re going to have to in order to make it worth $17.99. For what it’s worth, the developer has already promised multiple updates to be rolled out in the months following the release of Chaos Rings II.

CHAOS RINGS II for iPad iPad Only

(4.5 stars with 164 Ratings)

$19.99

The Island—Castaway

The Island – Castaway™ iPhone OS

(4.5 stars with 230 Ratings)

Free

Developer G5 is back, this time bringing us a mysterious island adventure. All sorts of tasks are in order as you orchestrate an escape for survivors of an ocean liner. The game is free, so why not see what G5 has to offer this go around?

The Island – Castaway™ HD iPad Only

(4.5 stars with 691 Ratings)

Free

Kung Fu Rabbit

Kung Fu Rabbit Universal (Optimized for Both the iPad and iPhone)

(4.5 stars with 140 Ratings)

$0.99

Platformers are everywhere in the App Store, but only this one lets you play as a kung fu rabbit on the hunt for carrots. Bulkypix knows what they’re doing, so check out the trailer and see if this one’s worth your 99 cents.

MotoHeroz

MotoHeroz iPhone OS

(4.5 stars with 2553 Ratings)

Free

If you need to add another arcade-style racer to your catalogue, Redlynx is making a pretty strong case in saying that it should be MotoHeroz. With the promise of “racing game thrills [and] platformer charm,” the game is just 99 cents and features some really eye-catching physics and visuals.

MotoHeroz HD iPad Only

(4.5 stars with 765 Ratings)

Free

Chaos Rings II Leads this Week’s Hot New Games! is a post by App Chronicles