Welcome to our weekly installment of Picks of the Week at iSource where we provide our expanded coverage of Apple accessories and applications Here we will promote our favorite iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac and Apple TV related items, as well as bring you occasional tips and tricks. Hopefully many of our favorite items will also be of interest to you. Please feel free to comment on our selections, and suggest picks of your own. Check out this week’s picks after the break
The Last Rocket (v1.1)
Picked by: Alex Jordan
The Last Rocket is a charming little game for both the young and the young at heart. I was immediately drawn to it’s 8-bit aesthetic and overall playful delightful feel. The mechanics of the game are simple enough. Tap to propel the rocket, and swipe to change directions. It’s simple, good-looking, inexpensive, and of course, fun. What more could you want.
With a massive update in version 1.1, there are now even more ways to help Flip escape through the 64 rooms of challenging achievements. In addition, there are multiple endings, a rocking soundtrack and even Game Center integration so you can compete against all your friends.
($2.99) iTunes Link
Wizard Hex (v1.3.2)
Picked by: Jay
A great strategy game I want to highlight this week is the app, Wizard Hex. I love simple-to-learn yet strategically challenging games to play (my favorite being the classic, Pente).
The objective is pretty easy: you win primarily by having the greatest number of your elemental token on the hexagonal board (or completely eliminating your opponent’s tokens from the board). Depending on the number of players, there are different configurations for 1 to 6 players and include pass & play, 1 player vs. computer, or online multi-player through Game Center.
In one version of two person play (or 1 person vs computer) two opponents sit opposite each other on the board so the primary element is in front of you. On either side of the primary element is an ally element that helps attack or defend against your opponent. Using your three elemental tokens (the primary and two allies), play advances with two moves in which a player may expand, stack, or attack.
Expand means to put a piece on the board to expand the number of tokens you have on the board;
Stack is similar to a “king me” move in checkers, except here you can have a token stacked up to 3 tokens high, and makes your elemental tokens more likely to survive attacks;
Attack is where one of your pieces takes overtakes your opponent’s and removes it from the board. The twist on this is how only certain elements can attack the other.
Fortunately, the gameboard helps players by highlighting the locations a piece can go.
Wizard Hex’s design is artistic and beautiful to look at while playing on either the iPhone or the iPad. It’s a game that makes me think, and I’m all for that!
($2.99) iTunes Link
Apple Store App (v2.0)
Picked by: PatrickJ
Apple’s own Apple Store app is a solid app that just became a whole lot more useful with this week’s update to Version 2.0. This app had already proved itself as quite a handy one to have around during the last couple major Apple product launches, when many users found they were able to get a pre-order though with it when it was impossible to do so via a desktop browser.
This week’s update added two very slick new features: Personal Pickup and EasyPay. Personal Pickup lets you make a purchase within the app and pickup the order at any of Apple’s retail stores. Most in-stock orders can be picked up within an hour (in the US only). EasyPay allows you to buy accessories in Apple stores (again, US only and only on an iPhone 4 or 4S) by scanning their barcodes and carrying out the transaction within the app. Self service basically.
As lovely as most Apple stores are, and as fun as it can be to mosey around and lust after all their shiny products, more often that not (as with any shopping destination) I’d much rather be in and out as fast as possible. The Apple Store app is now making that much easier to accomplish. The two Apple stores here in Austin are nearly always heaving with people, so this is a big plus in my book.
(Free) iTunes Link
Zombieville USA 2 (v1.1)
Picked by: Brandon
My pick of the week is the excellent Zombieville USA 2 from Mika Mobile. I spent countless hours with the original Zombieville USA when it came out a long time ago, and I kept following along with developments as the developer released the details for the new version. The original Zombieville was basically a left/right scroller where you upgraded weapons, killed zombies, collected ammo and cash to see how many levels you could survive through.
Zombieville USA 2 changed up the game a bit. You’re still tasked with killing zombies, and collecting cash for upgrades, but in this new version the developer has set specific levels (no more last as long as you can), added the ability to move up and down on the screen so you’re not just stuck walking a straight line through the levels. This added dimension forces you to confront new zombies (like the one who explodes) and pick a best path of attack in order to survive. The controls haven’t changed so much that fans of the original will be lost, but the game itself has changed enough so you won’t feel like you’ve just spent cash on the same game. Overall Zombieville USA 2 is a highly recommended follow up to the original!
($0.99) iTunes Link
DaisyDisk (v2.1)
Picked by: Renkman
Ever start running low on hard drive space and wonder where it all went? Ever start looking for ways to recover some of that lost space, and have a hard time locating files/apps/programs that you are willing to part with to free up said space? Well look no further, DaisyDisk is a fantastic utility that provides a visual representation of all your hard drive space, and displays it as an interactive map that you can further explore. After you install DaisyDisk, you simply point at the hard disks you want scanned, and sit back and wait a few minutes as it divides up your space into color coded sectors. I was amazed at how easy it was to use, and how much “junk” I had cluttering up my hard drive. I was able to free up nearly 40 GB of space with little effort. Each color coded segment represents a different file—click on it, and you can further explore the subfolders, as they fan out into a circle of new colored segments. Want to give it try, but not sure you want to pay the $9.95 price tag (on sale, down from $19.95)—you can still download the program and run it in test-drive mode. It is also available in the Mac App Store for a similar price on sale as well.
($9.95) Link (Test Drive mode available)
($9.99) Mac App Store
There you have it! Hope you enjoyed this week’s installment of Picks of the week. Please let us know what you think, and share with us some of your favorites.
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