New Apps Discussed on October 26th, 2009:

1. GameCenter – Free – Gamefly’s own application from which you can check out the new releases, some game news, and even add games to your Gamefly queue from the app. Slick, smooth, and nice for Gamefly users.
2. Apptastic – Free – Another app to find apps, Apptastic let’s you rank, recommend, and compile wishlists for the apps that are out in the App Store. There’s also a bit of social networking since you can follow friends and list out recommendations to them through the app. One other notable feature is the ability to filter apps so they don’t appear in your search results or anywhere in the app if you’ve already got them or are not interested in more Fart apps.
3. Wakoopa - Free – More like a social networking app for people to share and review iPhone apps, Wakoopa has a slick interface and a cool idea, but I wish the search function was better, more reviews were up, and that new apps would be in the database when it is searched. A bit slow to start, Wakoopa could be cool with the right community.
4. ZenApps - Free – A review aggregator that functions by providing the hottest keywords appearing in the latest reviews. Compare app reviews, browse the tag cloud, drill down to whole reviews, and even send links to reviews via Twitter and email. Great presentation and a cool browsing concept for apps.
5. Tower Madness Zero - Free Lite version or $2.99 Premium version – A very quick and fun mazing-based Tower Defense game that ranks very highly for the Tower Defense genre. The 3D presentation is actually quite nice and all the standard gameplay elements are present. For a free game (advertising-supported), it’s very good and the paid (ad-free) version is worthwhile as well.
6. NASA - Free – Learn about space missions, check out videos and photos, and follow space coverage with NASA from this handy application. Very interesting for space nuts and very slick and full for those looking to learn a bit more about our nation’s space program.

Apps of the Week:

The Paper Plane Guy’s Starter Kit - (Kevin) – Free Lite version or $1.99 Premium version – Check out a large and slick guide to folding the perfect paper airplane. Instructions for some basic airplanes are included, as is some guidance and an FAQ to get you started. Fun, quick, and well-presented, this is the kind of app that sounds like fun for a Sunday afternoon.

Button Men – (Bob) - $2.99 – A very slick version of a board game from CheapAss Games. It’s dice-based and very cool, but the high price is a bit off-putting given the simplicity of the game. Still, if you want to play with against a computer or with a friend, it’s fun.

Silly Apps of the Week:

Endless Racing Game – (Kevin) – Free – Race along the streets and know that a Dutch Insurance Company is there for you in case of accident. Yes, that’s right. This racing game is sponsored by an auto insurance company. Still, there’s some fun to be had here as you and a friend can link up your phones and trade off on driving a section of the freeway between yourselves as your car jumps from phone to phone during different segments.

Tweet Your Poop – (Bob) – $0.99 – Share your thoughts and comments about your bowel movements via Twitter. You can also include 11 child-friendly avatars with your poop tweets too.

Core Topic: Tap Tap Revenge 3 vs. Rock Band

vs.

Rock Band ($9.99) vs. Tap Tap Revenge 3 ($0.99)

(We also checked out SingSong Karaoke ($2.99) to determine how well a singing karaoke game could work on the iPhone.)

For this week’s core topic, we take a look at the David vs. Goliath rivalry building up between EA’s Rock Band behemoth and Tapulous’ mighty Tap Tap Revenge 3. We discuss the presentation, gameplay, musical selection, and additional features to determine who will reign supreme in the Rhythm Games App world of the iPhone.