Friday Five: April 30th, 2010

April is ending, and May is just around the corner. What better way to end a month than with a smattering of interesting apps from this week's releases?

FOX News
Most major news networks have had apps for a while now, but if you're a fan of the "fair and balanced" network, you'll be glad to hear that their app just hit the store this week. As you'd expect, it features videos, audio clips from FOX radio, headline news stories, and photo galleries. You can also subscribe to alerts and check showtimes for your local FOX broadcast. The app itself looks solid. Some users have reported issues with crashes and video streaming, but don't let that deter you from downloading it—after all, it's free, and using dedicated apps still tends to be easier than using Mobile Safari.

Alive 4-ever RETURNS
The sequel to a zombie shooter from last summer, Alive 4-ever RETURNS is a top-down dual-stick shooter with more zombies, more guns, and more wonderfully bloody action. There's gore a-plenty in the 40 new levels, along with enough features to make Alive 4-ever RETURNS a cut above typical zombie games: 4-player co-op, skills, different zombie and weapon types, OpenFeint achievements, and more. If you're a fan of horror games and zombie massacres, this is one for you.

Linkin Park 8-Bit Rebellion!
Although this game has Linkin Park branding all over it, it's no rhythm game. Instead, 8-Bit Rebellion is a side-scrolling fighting game in which you have to lead the band members in their quest against the evil Pixxelkorp. As you progress through the game's six areas, you'll unlock various Link Park tracks—both the originals as well as some new 8-bit mixes—and at the very end you're rewarded with a previously unreleased track called "Blackbirds." There's a strong social aspect to this musical side-scroller, too; you're constantly connected to the online game world and you'll see other players' avatars wandering around. Fans of Link Park or just simple side-scrollers in general should look into this one...retro-themed games from music groups aren't something we see every day.

Pen Pals
Remember snail mail? If you don't want to go through the hassle of writing a letter (a what?), Pen Pals is an app that automatically connects you with users from around the world who can become your virtual pen pal. The app allows you to send all sorts of messages: voice recordings, text, and photos. Messages will automatically be sent to other users, or once you connect with a particular user, you can becoming lasting "pen pals." The interface is slick and bright and push notifications for new messages are included. I can't think of a better way to take the pen-pal concept onto the iPhone. We can all use some more friends, right?

1112 episode 02
We reviewed 1112 episode 01 way back in February of last year and loved it...and now its sequel has finally arrived. 1112 is an old-school adventure game, in which you must interact with the world around you to discover the plot and solve various puzzles. The narrative is elaborate and the artwork in this episode is wonderful—everything is hand-drawn. This second episode follows Louis, who has mysteriously ended up in New York. It's up to you to figure out the surrounding circumstances. From all appearances, 1112 episode 02 is a great new adventure title. If you want to jump into this one without buying the first episode, don't fret; there's also an included summary of the first chapter within the app.