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Favorite 4: Games that Won’t Draw a Crowd

Posted by Rob Rich on October 18th, 2012

In keeping with the recent mass transit theme, this Favorite 4 is all about maintaining personal space. While many of us might enjoy occupying our commute time with bird-flinging or hack n’ slash action this can sometimes invite some unwanted attention. Lining up that final shot can be difficult enough without some complete stranger leaning over us and watching our every move. This is where games that appear uninteresting, but are actually quite fun, can come in handy.

Organ Trail:Director’s Cut
Like it or not, a number of people dislike “retro” visuals. Whether it’s a general lack of appreciation or some self-imposed snobbery depends on the individual, but regardless not everyone thinks pixels are neat. It frustrating, sure, but it can also mean the difference between someone you don’t know trying to awkwardly start up a conversation on the bus about the game you’re playing and being left alone.

Mission Europa
I’ve gone on at length about how much I love Mission Europa, and also about how downright ugly it is. But that’s the “beauty” of it. It’s a fantastic action RPG with some incredibly deep and rewarding systems, but it looks so bizarre and low tech it won’t draw much attention from the guy standing in the doorway just over your shoulder.

DragonSlasher
DragonSlasher is another game with visuals that belie a much more complex experience. It looks like a simple action game with solid color cutouts for characters. It’s most definitely not much to look at and at best might draw a curious glance or two for a moment before any would-be gawkers shift their attention elsewhere. And while they’re busy reading some other poor commuter’s newspaper, you get to enjoy what is essentially a side-scrolling portable Demon’s Souls in peace.

Game Dev Story
This really applies to all Kairosoft games but I wanted to stick with the one we all fell in love with first. Although it’s certainly cute to look at and sports some pretty colorful visuals, Game Dev Story is only really interesting when you’re playing it. Watching it, especially when you have no idea what’s going on, is much less interesting. Which means less random people breathing down your neck and more planning a new console launch.

Favorite 4: Games that Don’t Require Sound

Posted by Rob Rich on October 16th, 2012

This particular commuter-centric Favorite 4 might lean more to the train side of mass transit than the bus side, but that doesn’t make it any less relevant. Anyone who’s used a commuter train to get to work knows just how noisy they can be. Screeching wheels, blaring overhead announcements, business folk screaming into their cell phones, and so on. That’s why it can be important to have a couple of time-absorbing iOS games that can be enjoyed with or without sound waiting in the wings.

Infinity Blade II
Okay so this might seem like a bizarre choice but there’s logic behind it. Completing Infinity Blade II’s story doesn’t generally take long, and once it’s finished it becomes a kind of meta-game about loot grinding. Not much call for atmospheric music and sword clangs there. Besides, the developers themselves suggest that turning off the sound can even improve performance on older devices. Bonus!

Hook Worlds
Rocketcat’s refinement of their hook-swinging formula is a fantastic “endless runner” kind of game that offers up four unique variations on the formula. While the music and sound effects are certainly top notch it’s the one-of-a-kind visuals and character design that really make these worlds feel complete.

Wizorb
I still think combining brick-breaking with RPG elements is ingenious. Doing so with a fantastic 16-bit retro aesthetic is even more brilliant. With or without the sound muted it’s a treat to play, but without the sound it gives us the added benefit of not getting the music stuck in our head for the whole day.

Legends of Yore Full
This cute and simple-looking Roguelike is actually much more complex than it first appears. It’s even got pets! However none of its complexities involve the audio, which is about as simple as one would expect given the visuals. Relevant to the pixilated theme, yes. Necessary to enjoy the all the massive amounts of content, no.

Favorite 4: Games that can Save Anywhere

Posted by Rob Rich on October 11th, 2012

Anyone who takes the bus, train, or subway to work has had this problem at least a few times: You’re in the middle of a game and before you know it you’ve arrived at your stop. You hurriedly close out the game, turn off the screen, stuff the iPhone into your pocket and bolt out the door. Once you have a moment to start it back up you realize that your progress has been wiped. Bummer. If only there were some iOS games that allowed players to save whenever they wanted!

Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer
Ascension was quite honestly the first deck-building game I’d ever played, and it totally made me fall in love with the concept. I also fell in love with the way it saves all the time. No prompts and no menus to browse. The game automatically saves progress at the start of each hand, and it can do so for multiple games whether they’re solo or against other players.

Solitaire by Backflip
I’ll admit that most solitaire iOS games will keep track of a player’s progress at all times, but I like Backflip’s offering so that’s what I’ve decided to go with. Again, there’s no need to do anything in order to save a game and come back to it later. Simply exit the game and the next time it’s started up things will be just as you left them; most likely a step or two away from failure and needing to start another round.

Aliens Versus Humans
It’s an homage to one of the greatest strategy games of all time, and it faithfully reproduces many of the mechanics that even the new contemporary remake has done away with. But more important than that - and the sheer enjoyment of fending off an alien attack without losing a single soldier - it allows players to save their game at any time. Whether they’re in the middle of a mission or on the Geoscape, opening up the options menu and quickly saving progress is always an option. Reloading after getting a soldier named after loved one killed is also just as fast.

Junk Jack
Aside from the fantastic art style and clever adaptation of the block/world-building ideas popularized by Minecraft, Junk Jack also brings constant saving to the table. Pausing the game saves progress. Quitting the game saves progress. It does prevent reloading after losing some favored items or getting killed, but it also makes hopping off the bus or train in a hurry far less detrimental.

Favorite 4: Crowded Mass Transit Games

Posted by Rob Rich on October 9th, 2012

There are a lot of folks out there who take mass transportation to work on their daily commute. Kicking back and enjoying your favorite iOS game is easy enough when you manage to nab a seat, but that’s not always an option. In situations like this - one hand gripping a railing for balance, the other attempting to awkwardly handle an iPhone - having a game or two with simple one-handed control inputs can be a godsend. Which is exactly why we’re providing you with a list of some of our favorite iOS games that won’t require you to sacrifice your balance for entertainment.

Tower of Fortune
I’m still somewhat in awe of just how cleverly implemented this RPG/slot machine hybrid turned out to be. I’m also very impressed by just how much fun I’ve had with a game that pretty much boils down to the repeated use of a single button. This reliance on one button for most of the “action” (i.e. spinning) turns out to be a major selling point when you factor in situations that only leave you with the use of a single thumb.

Puzzle Craft
People like town building and people like matching puzzles. Throw them together and we have an excellent mash-up of genres with the added benefit of being playable in just about any situation. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been stuck on a crowded train and relied on Puzzle Craft’s gloriously simple interface to kill time. It sure has been a lot, though.

The Last Rocket
Looking for a game that can be enjoyed on a crowded bus but offers up a bit more complexity than simply tapping a single button every now and then? How about a complex and rewarding puzzle-platformer about a sentient missile? The beauty of The Last Rocket’s interface is that it’s all gesture-based (tap, swipe, hold, etc) and can be performed on any part of an iOS device’s screen. Making it perfect for holding on for dear life and playing a game at the same time.

Trigger Knight
Trigger Knight is another game that keeps the interface as simple as possible, thus making it ideal for packed buses and trains. Tapping the screen is all a player has to do in order to play, and it can be tapped anywhere. No buttons and no context sensitive swiping, just tap to activate various items or shops at key moments. Then hope it’s enough to get you to the next “refueling station.”

Favorite 4: iOS 6 Maps Alternatives

Posted by Carter Dotson on September 25th, 2012

So, there’s a bit of a brouhaha over iOS 6 switching its maps provider from Google Maps to TomTom and other Apple sources. Yes, the 3D flybys in the maps are pretty, but the lack of details once had in Google Maps and loss of transit directions is a backbreaker for some. Sure, Google Maps has a mobile website that can be added as a web app, but maybe it’s time for something all new. Unless or until a separate Google Maps application is released, here’s four fine alternatives for mapping and directions.

HopStop

Transit directions are notably missing from iOS 6 maps. However, for those needing to get around, HopStop provides valuable directions. Supporting many major North American cities, just choose the starting address, destination, departure/arrival time, and preferred method of transit, and the app provides helpful directions, including alternate arrival/departure times for buses and trains. It even includes some transit options that Google Maps doesn’t, such as suburban Pace buses in the Chicago area.


Waze

This app uses OpenStreetMap data to power its maps, relying on the free user-supported data supplied to provide reliable up-to-date information, similar to Wikipedia. It uses this data to provide a free turn-by-turn navigation solution. The hook is that data on traffic, accidents, speed traps, and more, is all provided by people also using the app. Simply driving around with the app open can help intelligently detect where rough traffic is based on slower speeds. Waze can even find cheap gas along routes based on user-submitted reports.

MapsWithMe

This app offers over 7800 maps of cities and places all over the world, which are all downloaded direct to one’s device. So, where data service is spotty or nonexistent, this app still provides valuable street data along with various locations and landmarks available offline. It’s perfect for the iPod touch and wifi-only iPad. The maps are curated by the development team, including their CEO who wears a sweet hat.

MapQuest

Long before there were Google Maps, there was MapQuest. While The Lonely Island declared Google Maps “The best”, who’s got an app on the App Store now? MapQuest does! Find important places and get turn-by-turn directions using their main app, or use their “Local” app to find the best restaurants and bars based on crowdsourced information. MapQuest is a survivor, and will be around to give us directions when all that's left is Twinkies and cockroaches!


Favorite 4: Endless Runner Games

Posted by Jennifer Allen on September 11th, 2012

Appropriately enough, there's a practically endless supply of Endless Runners to choose from across the App Store. Which ones are the best and most worthy of your attention, though? We took a look at our favorite 4 in recent times and explain just why they're worth diving into.

Solipskier
Solipskier has been quite a hit both commercially and amongst the developer crowd. It's not strictly an Endless 'Runner', instead focusing on skiing but it is fantastic fun. Players must draw the ski slopes while picking up speed and completing some impressive jumps and tricks. It also offers some innovative and memorable music thanks to a feature that means music 'pops out' when skiing fast, adding to the sense of speed as you solely hear the sound effects rather than soundtrack for a time.

Tiny Wings
Yes, it's nearly as huge as Angry Birds (and continues the bird theme well) but it'd be impossible to not mention Tiny Wings when rounding up the best Endless Runners. All about flying endlessly, players control a cute bird as they bounce across many hills. One tap is all that's needed to control momentum with numerous challenges encouraging players to improve for next time. The latest update included an extra mode for even more fun. It's a wonderfully calming yet gripping experience.

One Epic Knight
One of the more recent entries to the genre, One Epic Knight combines dungeon crawling with endless running, pitting a knight against a never ending dungeon as he attempts to collect up all the loot, clear the evil creatures and dodge some fearsome traps. Swipe controls ensure none of this feels too complicated and it's a great change of pace for a normally predictable genre.

Ski Safari
Many games have included avalanche chases, Ski Safari focuses solely on this big problem with Sven the skier desperately trying to escape the cavalcade of snow while using animals to help his escape. Each animal offers a different ability to speed Sven up plus a selection of objectives add extra purpose to the game. It's adorable and addictive in equal measures.

Favorite Four: NFL 2012 Season

Posted by Carter Dotson on September 5th, 2012

Are you ready for some football, in particular the 2012–2013 season of the premier American football league, the National Football League? Well, with the season kicking off tonight with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants playing the Dallas Cowboys, I’ve collected four apps to help make the game-watching and fantasy-football-playing experience better. No matter what, they’re better than the replacement refs are going to be!

NFL ’12: The NFL’s official app offers video, including a single screen scoreboard of all the week’s games on the iPad. Get score alerts for individual games. See highlights and analysis videos from NFL.com, along with news stories. Is that significant other clueless about sportball, and expects you to leave the house on Sunday afternoons? Or do you live outside your favorite team’s market, and don’t want to pay for Sunday Ticketwhich costs about as much as operating J.P. Morgan’s yacht? Then for $29.99, you can listen to every game from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

NFL Game Rewind: Every fan of their team has plenty of things to say about what they think they saw while watching. However, there’s a reason why NFL coaches don’t eat buffalo wings and drink beer while coaching, because it doesn’t provide them cogent analysis. So sober up, and subscribe to NFL Game Rewind, a service that provides the ability to rewatch past games on a play-by-play basis. The $69.99 subscription offers even coaches’ film, which will provide more in-depth looks at games, with deeper archives available. The $49.99 subscription offers this year’s games, available commercial-free and in condensed forms, to relive games in short time frames.

Thumb: Fantasy football is an integral part of the football fandom experience. After all, nothing makes a meaningless blowout more exciting than when your wide receiver scores a touchdown in garbage time to win your matchup that week. But deciding who to start is a pain. Why not rely on the wisdom of random internet strangers? Use Thumb’s fantasy football section to post simple thumbs-up-or-down questions on whether someone should be started on your team, and watch as the guy you benched scores 3 touchdowns in one game and the guy you started sets the NFL fumbles record your fantasy team is led to victory by listening to the opinions of others!

Fantasy Football ’12: You’re the Ludacris of fantasy football, in that you have fantasy football teams in different area codes, or at least on ESPN, Yahoo, and NFL.com. If only there was one app that could manage teams on all those different sites! There is! Based off of Fantasy Monster, this is designed solely for managing fantasy teams from all across different leagues. Remember, the more fantasy leagues you’re in, the more likely you’ll be able to call yourself a fantasy football champion.


Favorite Four: Hidden Object Games

Posted by Jennifer Allen on August 24th, 2012

Casual gamers need never look far to find a Hidden Object based treat on the App Store. It's one of the most plentiful of genres with each title involving a series of puzzles and a variety of different scenes to explore. Because there's so much choice, this seemed like the perfect time for us to round up our four favorite titles and explain just why they're so great.

Time Trap HdO
Time Trap is a particularly distinctive title thanks to its beautiful if surreal landscapes. Deviating away from more conventional Hidden Object settings, the game sticks with a Sci-Fi post apocalyptic style theme for its suitably long story. Its moodiness juxtaposes with its hidden object ways but that makes it stand out all the more. It gains extra value through its spooky soundtrack.

Little Things Forever
Little Things Forever is the antithesis of Time Trap. It's immensely colorful and cheery. There's no storyline to follow with the focus entirely on solving Hidden Object based puzzles, but there's plenty of fun within. Players find objects within intricate pieces of artwork, simply for the joy of doing so. The game's lists are randomly generated, also, so there's limitless fun to be had.

Midnight Mysteries: Devil On The Mississippi
The Midnight Mysteries series is great for combining Hidden Object elements with adventure gaming tropes. Devil On The Mississippi offers precisely that. There's a spooky story to be told but alongside that are plenty of puzzles to be solved and objects to be found. In each case, such interactive elements are some of the finest you can discover within the genre.

Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery
What stands out most about this title is the variety of types of objects to be found. It's a fairly typical but enjoyable title from Hidden Object experts, Big Fish Games, but it keeps things interesting. Some scenes offer a standard list of objects to find while some offer merely the silhouette or clues to what needs finding. It'll keep players on their toes but happy.

Favorite Four: English Premier League Apps

Posted by Jennifer Allen on August 17th, 2012

Arguably the biggest and most famous of soccer leagues, the English Premier League begins once more tomorrow with fans eagerly awaiting a season of soccer that will last them until May 2013. Will Manchester City retain the title once more or will Manchester United manage to snatch it from their grasp? Either way, I'll be keen to see if Swansea City can stay up for another season. We're celebrating the start of the season by taking a look at the four best apps to use alongside your soccer watching experience.

Caught Offside
Caught Offside has been an immensely popular independent soccer website for a while now and its app supplements matters all the more. It offers a wide variety of content from up to the minute news, video highlights, rumors to in-depth features and analysis. As expected, there are also the all important live scores and stats to keep fans up to date.

Live Score Addicts
The ideal way to check the latest scores at speed, Live Score Addicts is guaranteed to keep fans up to date on scores for 420 different leagues and cups around the world, as well as the crucial English Premier League. Push Notifications means you'll never miss a change of score or the presence of an ominous red card. Other information such as substitutions, attendance and even Head2Head comparisons are available.

Premier League 20 Seasons
Premier League 20 Seasons won't keep you informed on the latest developments this season but it will give you fantastic insight on the past 20 seasons of the Premier League. The app offers more than 100 classic moments from that time, along with interactive quizzes to test your knowledge of the Premier League. It's not always perfect at streaming the content but there's no denying it's exciting stuff checking back on the iconic moments that have been and gone.

FourFourTwo Soccer Stats Zone
Predominantly UK based soccer magazine FourFourTwo has released an app that stat fans will absolutely adore. Soccer Stats Zone doesn't stop where other apps do, it provides every stat imaginable from passes and tackles completed to a broken down analysis of every single manoeuvre performed during a match. Analysis on how a match has changed after a key incident such as a goal or red card is included as well as player versus player and team versus team comparisons. Your head will explode with facts in no time.

Favorite Four: Video Game Companion Apps

Posted by Jennifer Allen on August 8th, 2012

Many of us don't solely game on our iPhones or iPads, we game on consoles and PCs, too. Coinciding with that is one of the most exciting developments when it comes to iOS: apps that tie into other games. Whether it be through providing the latest match statistics while on the move, or through providing a new and cool way of controlling a console, there are some great crossovers going on. We take a look at the four best out there at the moment.

My Xbox Live
My Xbox Live ably demonstrates just how an official app for a console should deal with things. It leaves the currently EU only Official Playstation app behind in terms of functionality. Users can easily track and compare their achievements, change their Xbox Live avatar and check in with friends, all via the app. Most excitingly, iPad users can control their Xbox 360 with the app with media controls as well as access to a quick list of recent console activity.

World of Warcraft Mobile Armory
Despite a lull in subscriber numbers, World of Warcraft has continued to dominate the hearts and free time of many MMO gamers. The Mobile Armory means that even away from your PC, you can't escape the allure of the game. The app provides a way to view all your characters, along with stats, equipment and achievements. Guild stats and the in-game calendar are also viewable, so there's no excuse to miss that all-important raid. For the aspiring auctioneer, it's also possible to view how the latest auctions are progressing.

Call of Duty Elite
The biggest multiplayer FPS of them all? Maybe. Call of Duty Elite requires an Elite subscription but the app provides a plethora of statistics to make it worthwhile. Users can review recent matches, check how they're improving over time and what areas of the game they need to work on, such as if they excel at a particular weapon or not. It's also possible to view and edit custom classes, ready to implement when you're back in front of a console or PC.

Halo Waypoint
Another hugely popular multiplayer FPS is Halo. Unlike Call of Duty, there's no need for a separate subscription, users can dive right into Halo Waypoint. The app provides similar stats, offering game history breakdowns, campaign progress, weapon stats, as well as overhead views of all the maps. Challenges can also be created and tracked from the app, making it an ideal tool to dabble in during a lunch break.

Favorite Four Apps To Use While At The London 2012 Olympic Games

Posted by Rob LeFebvre on August 1st, 2012

Last week, we brought you a list of apps to watch and track the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games from anywhere in the world, because let's face it - most of us are not going to the UK for the games. For those of us who are able to get there, or who already live there, here's a nice list of four of our favorite apps to help you get around the Games this year.

London 2012: Official Join In App for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
This app, by The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, is for the folks at the games this year. It provides a full-featured guide to being there, including maps, event and venue schedules, and up-to-date calendars of the events happening around the Olumpic games themselves, with free and paid local and cultural events listings. There are searchable maps, facilities details, and even augmented reality views to help you get the most out of your trip to the London games. Create a personalized schedule and then share with friends on Facebook, Twitter, and FourSquare. This is a pretty comprehensive app for the Olympic visitor this summer.

London 2012 Information
In addition to the Olympic information contained in this app, like medal and athlete info, London 2012 Information includes something the other big apps don't: the ability to search for nearby useful things, like banks, bars, take-out food stalls, ATMs and the like. Get stuck without cash when on the way to a particular event? Use this app to search near the venue and find one that doesn't take you too far out of your way.

Journey Pro - London UK by NAVITIME
Available in both free, ad-supported and ad-free paid versions, Journey Pro covers the London tube, London bus, DLR, Overground, Tramlink, River Service, National Rail, Birmingham Tram, Glasgow Subway and domestic flights. Trying to see an out-of the way event? This app will help you plan your route across all these public transportation services. The app includes interactive, zoomable maps if you have an internet connection, live departure information, and real-time push notifications for London tube service updates and weekend closures. You can even share your routes with friends from within the app itself.

London Bus Checker Live Countdown
London Bus Checker offers a live countdown for all of London's 20,000 bus stops. That's got to be helpful in getting around the city by bus, right? And surely any olympic event trip will involve some bus travel at some point. This app doesn't use schedules, but real-time information relayed to servers from each bus as it travels around London. It includes route maps of all 700 bus routes, letting you search by name or post code. Heck, it'll even notify you with an alarm when you reach your destination.

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Favorite Four iPhone Photo Apps for Vacationers

Posted by Lisa Caplan on June 6th, 2012

Summer is here and more people are taking to the skies, roads and rails to travel than at any other time of year. It's great to bring a proper DSLR camera along for professional quality photos, but they are bulky and not always the best options when you are on the move. And, with the iPhone 4S, it's no longer necessary to bring along a standard point-and-click digital camera at all. Whether your iPhone has the latest optics or not, there are tons of apps that make taking, enhancing and sharing vacation pics easier and more fun. This week we look at our four favorites.

Simply HDR

HDR, when speaking of photography, stands for High Dynamic Range and there are many apps that achieve a full range of tones, lighting and detail by superimposing different photos of the same composition onto one another and manually or semi-automatically adjusting them to achieve rich realistic end results. The photos can be beautiful, but most apps require at least some degree of knowledge about HDR to function well. Simply HDR, however, takes both the mystery and layering away. With a single image and some behind the scene magic, photos come out looking lush with no effort. That said, the app does come with a slider for smoothing and several HDR effects including black and white.

360 Panorama 

If you are vacationing anyplace with a killer view - skyline or landscape - a panoramic image allows you to capture a much wider view than traditional photography. As always there are many apps for that, but for ease of use and great results 360 Panorama remains our choice. This universal app allows you to take individual photos and patch them together seamlessly to create stunning vistas. The app uses the iPhone's gyroscope to enable a full 360 degree view and stitches the images with amazing speed.

GroupShot/StillShot

Group and family vacations call for group and family shots. But trying to get a photo on the fly where everyone looks good is next to impossible. Someone is always looking away, blinking, or making a funny face. GroupShot solves this problem by letting you import several snaps of the same group in the same setting - you really want to snap the base images quickly so everyone stays aligned - and then with the simplest gestures you can swap out funny faces from one photo and replace them with a better facial expression from other images.

The same developers also make  make StillShot, another great tool for travellers, specifically those who shoot more video than they take photos, but still want to have an album to browse through later. All this app does is capture frames from video and convert them to stills, but it does so with remarkable ease and great looking results.

Facebook Camera

Facebook is still the most popular photo sharing venue, and they recently released a dedicated camera app that puts all your friends' photos in an easy-to-navigate stream and let's you share yours. The app has a few fun Instagram-like effects, and pictures can be cropped or rotated, but what makes Facebook Camera shine is speed. Uploading pictures to Facebook is not only faster than with third party apps, it even beats uploading to Facebook directly by several seconds. Vacation time is precious time, and this app will help you keep your eyes on the view, not on your iPhone screen.

Favorite Four: Apps for Zombie Awareness Month

Posted by Carter Dotson on May 30th, 2012

May is Zombie Awareness Month. While pop culture seems intent on making us aware of zombies on a regular basis, this is the special month for zombies. May is almost over, but that doesn’t mean there’s not just enough time left to celebrate with some zombie-themed apps.

Zombies, Run!: Rule #1 of zombie survival? Cardio. What better way to get that than with a fitness app/game that has players trying to outrun virtual hordes of zombies? Missions can be done and survival accessories completed by jogging. There’s even a “Zombie Chases” mode that turns interval training into having to occasionally go faster when the zombie horde nears. Custom playlists can be used, with in-game audio occasionally cutting in to advance the story.

Zombieville USA 2: The best way to survive a zombie infestation is by sticking together. Thankfully, Zombieville USA 2 comes with multiplayer options, including online over Game Center for 2 people. Ever see a man in a trucker hat with a shotgun ward off zombies together with a goth girl using a katana? Zombieville USA 2 players have.

The Walking Dead: The best way to understand the enemy is to read about them. Also, to learn from the mistakes of those who tried to survive before. This app lets users buy issues of the groundbreaking comic written by Robert Kirkman, and read them on iPhone and iPad. The app features all the latest issues, as well as collections of past issues.

Zombie Gunship: After trying to survive the zombies, why not eliminate them? This shooter has added new environments to kill since its original launch, but the goal remains the same: take out hordes of zombies from a hovering gunship, while keeping them away from the humans’ stronghold. After years of zombie media where frantic and panicked survival on limited resources was the focus, being able to blow zombies away with deadly weaponry is just satisfying. Also satisfying? The game’s AirPlay Mirroring support, for watching zombie guys going everywhere on the big screen.

Favorite 4: Euro 2012 Apps

Posted by Jennifer Allen on May 23rd, 2012

In a matter of weeks, one of the biggest soccer tournaments out there begins: Euro 2012. Qualification is over and 16 European teams are all lined up to prove which one is the best of the bunch. As a Brit, I'm ever hopeful that England will achieve glory but regardless of what happens, I'll be enjoying seeing some high quality action. In honor of such good times ahead, we thought we'd take a look at the four best apps out there to use alongside the tournament.

Total Euro 2012
We might have covered Total Euro 2012 previously but it's unparalleled in what it offers and deserves mention again. The app offers pretty much everything any soccer fan could want during the tournament. Detailed statistics on every player are offered, along with past performance analysis. This will all tie in perfectly with the app's future live updates, formations and live commentary that will be offered with every match during Euro 2012. Arguably, fans won't need another app when they have this.

Football Attack Euro 2012
Soccer fans love to discuss with friends just what they think the score will be in each match. Heck, we've all been there. I always have a competition with a friend every tournament where we predict each match and whoever gets the most right, wins a prize. Football Attack Euro 2012 is the internet based equivalent using Facebook accounts to collate everything. It's simple yet immediately appealing to groups of fans.

Official UEFA EURO 2012 app
For obvious reasons, UEFA is guaranteed to have the most reliable information on all things Euro 2012. Official UEFA EURO 2012 app keeps all that knowledge on an iOS device with the latest articles and news, as well as a calendar, group standings and lineups. Personalized alerts can be set up so users can see all the news about their favorite team quickly. Highlight clips and video interviews are set to be included during the tournament.

Euro 2012 Football Quiz

Think you know everything about football and the Euros? Euro 2012 Football Quiz tests this knowledge with 500 questions on the tournament. Everything from fixture dates to memorablia questions are asked here and it's a fun way of learning some new facts.

Favorite 4: Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Posted by Kevin Stout on May 4th, 2012

Cinco de Mayo, the celebration of the Mexican victory over the French in the 1860s, has increasingly become a celebration in America as well as Mexico. Check out our favorite four for celebrating Cinco de Mayo including apps on food, dancing, and history.

Rick Bayless: Mexican Essentials
Good Mexican food is the first thing that comes to mind for Cinco de Mayo. I remember sneaking into Spanish class one year in high school on May 5th to steal some food (I was in French). Rick Bayless: Mexican Essentials is a cookbook app that also contains instructional videos by award-winning chef and Mexican cuisine master, Rick Bayless. The app not only contains Rick’s 35 essential Mexican recipes, but also 40 videos on his tricks and techniques, 32 key ingredients with advice on how to buy and use them, a shopping list aggregator, and social media sharing. I think I’m going to give the Tortilla Soup a try this year.

Salsa Fresca HD
Keeping up with the food theme, what’s Cinco de Mayo without some good salsa? Salsa Fresca HD is an iPad cookbook with various recipes for salsa. There are all kinds of salsa types included in the app like tomato, corn, bean, and more. Each salsa recipe is accompanied by a picture and suggested “good with” ideas. It even contains tips and tricks on how to perform various salsa-related tasks like roasting tomatoes and rehydrating chiles.

Pocket Salsa
Another salsa app? Not quite. We’re still on salsa, but this time we’re talking about dancing. There are Cinco de Mayo celebrations all over the world and most consist of dancing as well as food. Pocket Salsa is a portable salsa instructor. For partiers looking to learn to salsa dance before their favorite Cinco de Mayo celebration, this app includes 150 video salsa lessons, salsa rhythms, a salsa podcast, and even more videos through in-app purchases. The app even has AirPlay support to watch the lessons right on a TV.

Cinco de Mayo: The Battle of Puebla
It can’t hurt to brush up on the history of Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo: The Battle of Puebla provides users with a detailed video on both the Battle of Puebla, the military victory that led to the traditional celebration on May 5th, and the history of the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The videos include accompanying text for users impatient users that want to read ahead. The app also includes two games, a quiz and a paint game, that can be unlocked for an in-app purchase of $0.99. But the app is free and so are both videos.