This Week at 148Apps: June 20-24

This week, June 20-24, 148Apps interviewed top application developer Dave Castelnuovo, lead programmer behind Pocket God. The interview is the first in a series focusing on the top sellers in the App Store, as part of the 500,000 App milestone. The application has become a multi-media phenomenon in the mobile app industry, spawning weekly episode updates, fan art, a Facebook game and even a line of comic books. "When I asked Dave where he got his inspiration from, he explained that he’s always had a love of good stories" writes Gianna LaPin, who interviewed the programmer. "An avid comic book reader and collector, he explained that he wanted his new line of Pocket God-inspired comic books – just released and already outselling Marvel and DC in the App Store — to be more than 'just a bunch of stories all strung together'. He sees cohesive plot lines tying the series together, with unanswered questions creating a sense of mystery." Read the full interview here.

On the applications front, 1-Bit Ninja picked up this week's Editor's Choice award for its consistent re-play value and excellent gameplay. The $1.99 game received four stars, even though it is only in its first version. "1-bit Ninja might borrow elements from former classics, but I think it is only to pay tribute to a golden age of gaming" writes Timothy Smith. "[The game] is a worthwhile purchase for old schoolers, new schoolers, and anyone else looking for a challenging retro platformer." Read all about it right here, and click below to download.

1-bit Ninja

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Released: 2011-06-23 :: Category: Game

$2.99

Chillingo has been a notable worker in the App Store lately, releasing four new titles on top of its extensive range of games. D.A.R.K. is a dual stick shooter with action-packed gameplay; Powerslide Penguin is quite the opposite; Peter Packer is a fast-paced parcel-packing game that tests speed and agility; and Ewe Doodle is a cute game where you direct sheep to safety. There really is a game for everyone.

148Apps Founder Jeff Scott commented on iOS console gaming this week, noting AirPlay's Mirroring feature as Apple's ticket into the console world, whereby an iPad 2 screen is mirrored onto your TV via an AppleTV at up to 1080p. "We can also see that if games are developed like Real Racing 2 HD, they can provide full screen output on your TV, not just the 1024×768 window that you will see otherwise. Real Racing 2 HD looks absolutely amazing when output full screen on a TV." Phil Harrison, former Sony boss, also weighed in on the topic, estimating: "[fast] forward for ten years – if [Apple] carry on unrestrained in their growth, then there’s a pretty good chance that [they] will be the games industry." More details here.

Finally, Episode 90 of The Portable Podcast is now available, featuring guests Zach Gage of Bit Pilot and Jeff Ruediger & Pete Parisi of FuzzyCube Software. Download now.

That's it for this week - check back regularly for all the latest updates, news and reviews. Don't forget to check out our lists of top apps, both paid and free, for all your iOS devices. And remember, you can find us on Twitter and Facebook too!