TouchArcade.com Highlights iPhone and iPod Touch Gaming

[MacRumors]

TouchArcade.com (rss) is a new site dedicated to iPhone and iPod Touch gaming. Cofounded by myself, Arnold Kim (blog, twitter), and Blake Patterson (home, twitter), the site hopes to become the definitive resource for gaming on Apple's new handheld platform.

We've already highlighted some hidden gems in iPhone gaming and compiled excerpts from some recent articles in this early iPhone gaming roundup:



Dizzy Bee (iTunes link) - It’s a fun time to be an iPhone owner when a gem like Igloo Games’ Dizzy Bee appears out of nowhere as a pleasant and inexpensive surprise.

Tilt and turn your iPhone to guide a friendly bee to rescue fruit while avoid obstacles and baddies. The game provides a remarkable level of polish throughout and provides an excellent value at only $2.99.



Aurora Feint: The Beginning (iTunes link) - 23 year old developers Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron have been slaving away at this game for only 10 weeks, but have already won the praise of early App Store commenters who are amazed that the game is free.

Some have compared the game to Pokemon Puzzle League where the basic gameplay is to arrange three blocks in a row, either vertical or horizontal. But what’s unique is the Role Playing component to the game along with level-ups which provide you with useful skills such as “Time Stopper” and “Strategist”. These level-ups can aid in gameplay and increase your multipliers. The graphics and music are also of impressive quality.

A couple of other fun and free games introduced to the App Store include Cube Runner (iTunes link) and Tap Tap Revenge (iTunes link) and other related topics include the effectiveness of alternative input controls and the iPhone's built in rumble pack.

Visit TouchArcade.com for more gaming news and reviews.

Article Link

[Xeem]

I should be getting an iPhone within a couple weeks, and I am very excited by the prospect of it as a new major gaming platform (I even owned an nGage!). Touch Arcade might not be the first iPhone gaming site, but seeing that it is arn and blakespot means a lot. I hope that it will quickly grow into a great, well-polished source of info on the slew of upcoming iPhone games.

[furrot]

Wow I was just thinking "damn monkey ball is terrible, where can I find out which iPhone games aren't a waste of my money?" and decided to check Macrumors... Thanks guys this should help me avoid going broke.

[gcmexico]

sweet site Arn, thanks!!! there some Amazing games on the iphone!

[iPastor]

Arn,

While I certainly respect your decision as your life, is well, your life... I can't help but wonder why you would spend years in school doing something that has real impact on people's lives, as being a Doctor would, and transitioning to macrumors.com and other sites as a career.

It is evident by this site, and your new one, that you are gifted, and I will tell you for one that I am sad to see your gifts being used on something people want, rather than something we need.

I hope you will reconsider and go back to giving your self to people who need the gifts you offer as a Doctor. Many others can fulfill our wants, but few, as yourself, can really save our lives through your mind, and heart.

My two cents...

[Stampyhead]

Originally Posted by kjs862

As a medical student, all I can say is wow. All that hard work to become a doctor and your quitting to become a full time webmaster. I'd take the being a doctor. Think about it helping people with their health and potentially saving lives opposed to helping people get their Apple/iPhone fix. But anyways, whatever makes you most happy.

Originally Posted by iPastor

While I certainly respect your decision as your life, is well, your life... I can't help but wonder why you would spend years in school doing something that has real impact on people's lives, as being a Doctor would, and transitioning to macrumors.com and other sites as a career.

It is evident by this site, and your new one, that you are gifted, and I will tell you for one that I am sad to see your gifts being used on something people want, rather than something we need.

I hope you will reconsider and go back to giving your self to people who need the gifts you offer as a Doctor. Many others can fulfill our wants, but few, as yourself, can really save our lives through your mind, and heart.

My two cents...

Ha ha, you people make me laugh with your god-like worship of doctors. The last thing this country needs is more of them. Better doctors, maybe...
But anyway, it takes all different types of people and professions to make the world go around and Arn is able to help a lot of people in an entirely different way with MR. I applaud his courage to leave a cushy highly paid profession and head out into the somewhat unknown to follow his dreams.

Thanks for the toucharcade link. I found a few games on there that I hadn't seen while browsing the app store.

[PCMacUser]

Originally Posted by Stampyhead

But anyway, it takes all different types of people and professions to make the world go around and Arn is able to help a lot of people in an entirely different way with MR. I applaud his courage to leave a cushy highly paid profession and head out into the somewhat unknown to follow his dreams.

Wow, doctors must really have it different in the USA compared with the rest of the world if you consider them to have a 'cushy' job. Doctors here in New Zealand and in other places I've lived work 14-16 hour days and barely sleep or see their families...

I'm sure that while Arn's medical skills will no doubt be missed in a world with too few doctors, perhaps this change of lifestyle with provide him with a healthy prescription of relaxation, sleep and happiness.

[Andrew07]

Originally Posted by iPastor

Arn,

While I certainly respect your decision as your life, is well, your life... I can't help but wonder why you would spend years in school doing something that has real impact on people's lives, as being a Doctor would, and transitioning to macrumors.com and other sites as a career.

It is evident by this site, and your new one, that you are gifted, and I will tell you for one that I am sad to see your gifts being used on something people want, rather than something we need.

I hope you will reconsider and go back to giving your self to people who need the gifts you offer as a Doctor. Many others can fulfill our wants, but few, as yourself, can really save our lives through your mind, and heart.

My two cents...

Where does he say he's leaving his position as a nephrologist?

[sananda]

good luck with new site, arn and blakespot (and with the new full time job, arn).

[iPastor]

Originally Posted by Andrew07

Where does he say he's leaving his position as a nephrologist?

His Blog

[Bubba Satori]

Originally Posted by iPastor

Arn,

While I certainly respect your decision as your life, is well, your life... I can't help but wonder why you would spend years in school doing something that has real impact on people's lives, as being a Doctor would, and transitioning to macrumors.com and other sites as a career.

It is evident by this site, and your new one, that you are gifted, and I will tell you for one that I am sad to see your gifts being used on something people want, rather than something we need.

I hope you will reconsider and go back to giving your self to people who need the gifts you offer as a Doctor. Many others can fulfill our wants, but few, as yourself, can really save our lives through your mind, and heart.

My two cents...

It's a free country. We all get only one life to live. I wasn't aware of a shortage of doctors anyway. Better a happy webmaster than a disenchanted doctor.

[Plutonius]

Originally Posted by iPastor

Arn,

While I certainly respect your decision as your life, is well, your life... I can't help but wonder why you would spend years in school doing something that has real impact on people's lives, as being a Doctor would, and transitioning to macrumors.com and other sites as a career.

It is evident by this site, and your new one, that you are gifted, and I will tell you for one that I am sad to see your gifts being used on something people want, rather than something we need.

I hope you will reconsider and go back to giving your self to people who need the gifts you offer as a Doctor. Many others can fulfill our wants, but few, as yourself, can really save our lives through your mind, and heart.

My two cents...

Congrats Arn !!! With health care currently being directed by the insurance providers and with universal health care almost guaranteed after the next election, I would not be surprised if many health providers left the industry.

- The amount of money and the time needed to become a doctor.

- Insurance company or government telling you when and how to treat a patient and then telling you how much you can charge for the treatment.

- Paying unbelievable sums of money for malpractice insurance.

[flyfish29]

Good luck Arn. I applaud your decision to be happy with your career! I changed mine 8 years ago from a high paying marketing job to a low paying teaching position and never looked back! (well, maybe a few times as I would now probably be living in a big city and have access to an iPhone 3G network and have that new macBook and iPhone I so desperately want! But for now I will stay living in the middle of nowhere with little cell phone access and an old iMac.)

Anyway, you have to enjoy your career AND have the skills necessary or else it becomes a job. Keep up the great work!

[dvkid]

Originally Posted by iPastor

Arn,

While I certainly respect your decision as your life, is well, your life... I can't help but wonder why you would spend years in school doing something that has real impact on people's lives, as being a Doctor would, and transitioning to macrumors.com and other sites as a career.

It is evident by this site, and your new one, that you are gifted, and I will tell you for one that I am sad to see your gifts being used on something people want, rather than something we need.

I hope you will reconsider and go back to giving your self to people who need the gifts you offer as a Doctor. Many others can fulfill our wants, but few, as yourself, can really save our lives through your mind, and heart.

My two cents...

I enjoy that you manage to state that he has a gift and also that he should shirk it in favor of a skill in the same breath. Wow.

If his ability to write and edit these sites is something he does well (it obviously is) and something he enjoys (he's made that apparent too) than who is to say he shouldn't? Certainly not you. Some other person coming out of med school will take his place in the all-healing world of benefactors that call themselves doctors and Arn will be able to put to daily use his skills to do something he finds enjoyable.

Is it wrong for somebody to become a businessman when they could have gone to med school? So by Arn's attending med school he is automatically unable to make another decision?

If there is one thing I doubt I can take much more of it is judgmental pastors. What happened to the unconditional love of the church? Certainly has changed since I worked in the church.

[DeaconGraves]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

Aurora Feint: The Beginning (iTunes link) - 23 year old developers Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron have been slaving away at this game for only 10 weeks, but have already won the praise of early App Store commenters who are amazed that the game is free.

Some have compared the game to Pokemon Puzzle League where the basic gameplay is to arrange three blocks in a row, either vertical or horizontal. But what’s unique is the Role Playing component to the game along with level-ups which provide you with useful skills such as “Time Stopper” and “Strategist”. These level-ups can aid in gameplay and increase your multipliers. The graphics and music are also of impressive quality.
]

Question (for those who may know): What's the difference between this and Puzzle Quest from the XBox 360 Arcade?

[Bodypainter]

congratulations to apple - while people THINK the iphone is now open, it is in the cage made by apple. has anyone looked beyond monkey-ball? isn't it strange that there is NO iphone skype, ICQ or google earth? i am curious how many people got rejections from apple, it is incredible that apple can prevent people from developing for the iphone - if apple doesn't want them. what is this, dictatorship? ps: the main feature of the ipod touch update is the app store and security improvements for safari. why does apple charge 9,90 $ for this? this is as if mc donalds would start charging an entry fee - doesn't apple want touch users to buy in the app store??? obviously NOT.

[RonCarr]

So far I am loving the games, all the apps actually! The controls do take a little time to get the hang of but once you do it is awesome! I can definitely see this device being a major player in the mobile gaming market very soon, and I cant wait till it is!

[a1016neo]

Arn why are you going from a Nephrologist to a full time Mac Rumors blogger???!!!

[Doctor Q]

For a list of games in the App Store, click here.

For a list of free Apps of all types, click here.

These are the free games I know of in the App Store:

Advent
Arcade
Aurora Feint The Beginning
Avatar
Blip Solitaire
Break
Cube Runner
iMaze
iPint
Jam (later changed to $0.99)
Japan Jirbo Match
Jirbo Match
Jirbo Says
Jive (later changed to $0.99)
LifeGame
MathQuizK
Morocco
RubyRepeat
SimStapler
Spinner Prologue
T4Two free
Tap Tap Revenge
World 9

[MacGohil]

Not only my human side wants more and more of these fancy games in the app store but my evil side is still craving for a Quake-3 like game for the iPhone platform. C'mon ID-Labs where are ur developers? Why so slow, I was expecting ID games would be one of the first to be in race but I believe Apple favouring Sega and holding up other devs has to do something with the limited titles we've seen so far.

I want Quake, Doom if not, even old school Wolfenstein will do ID....

[LillieDesigns]

Cube Runner = way too addicting.

[LaDirection]

"the site hopes to become the definitive resource for gaming on Apple's new handheld platform. "

It's already mission accomplished.

[tk421]

Originally Posted by normalkid.com

The most likely reaction I expect from regular MacRumors readers is “You weren’t working on MacRumors full time already?”

You're right, Arn. I was surprised to read about your "real" job on your blog.

Congrats on the success of the site and best of luck with everything!

[Greenbird600]

Just tried cube runner. Awesome game. Reminds me of an game I used to play on my calculator in high school. Pulse its free which is great.

[blakespot]

Originally Posted by LaDirection

"the site hopes to become the definitive resource for gaming on Apple's new handheld platform. "

It's already mission accomplished.

Thanks for the compliment! Glad folks are liking the site.



blakespot