Friday, October 31, 2014

20 best iPhone and iPad apps and games this week | Technology

It’s time for this week’s roundup of the best new iPhone and iPad apps and games released on Apple’s App Store.

As ever, the prices provided in brackets are for the initial download only: when an app uses in-app purchases, this will be listed as (Free + IAP).

More interested in Android apps? They’re covered in a separate weekly Best Android Apps roundup . But if it’s iOS you’re after, read on for this week’s selection.

APPS

Auxy (Free) [1]
Reviewed at greater length earlier in the week, Auxy is an accessible but deceptively powerful music-making app, where you create beats, bass lines and melodies then string them together into tracks to share online. It’s stylish, fun and has plenty of flexibility.
iPad

Makies Fashion (£1.99) [2]
British startup MakieLab started off as a way to customise then order 3D-printed dolls, but has since diversified into mobile games and apps. Makies Fashion is a well-crafted dress-up app for children, getting them to create outfits for their own virtual doll, then send them down the catwalk. Creative and fun.
iPad

Tidal (Free + subscription) [3]
Tidal is a streaming music service with a couple of differences to the likes of Spotify and Deezer. First, audio quality: its streams (which can be cached for offline listening) are lossless FLAC-quality. Second, the way it mixes videos and articles â€" interviews and features â€" with the basic music. For now, it’s US and UK only, costing $19.99 / £19.99 a month.
iPhone / iPad

Code School (Free) [4]
One of a growing number of apps aiming to teach programming skills, this one skewed more towards professionals (or at least experienced amateurs) rather than complete novices. It serves up videos for courses in JavaScript, HTML and CSS, Ruby and iOS, among other topics.
iPhone / iPad

Blloon - Read for free (Free) [5]
Blloon is an interesting take on e-reading: a catalogue of nearly one million books to read for free, with a system that includes earning more pages by inviting friends, reviewing books and giving feedback. But it plans to also offer a £3.99 in-app upgrade to “read anything you like”. Most importantly, there are books you’d actually want to read, from large and indie publishers alike.
iPhone / iPad

Intro by about.me (Free) [6]
A few startups have come and gone trying to replace the traditional business card with a mobile app. Intro is one of the more convincing attempts yet though: you enter someone’s email address who you’ve just met, then decide which contact details to send them. It ties in to the about.me site for profiles, if people have them.
iPhone

Bitmoji - Avatar Emoji Keyboard (Free) [7]
Bitstrips were huge on Facebook last year, for a while, as everyone and their aunt rushed to turn themselves into a cartoon avatar. Now the company behind that craze is back with an emoji keyboard, still featuring the avatar you’ve created to look like yourself. Will it be as viral as the last time, though?
iPhone

CityMatchDay (Free) [8]
This is an interesting app for Manchester City fans, promising to be “the ultimate companion” for matches this season. No, that doesn’t mean it’ll buy you a pie at half-time. Instead, it offers a mix of video interviews; a live “tactical cam” and highlights videos (these two only if you’re at the match); and audio and text commentary for everyone else.
iPhone

Ellentube (Free) [9]
This is a brand new thing from US chat-show host Ellen DeGeneres, who’s building her own online video community outside YouTube (although certainly not abandoning the latter). It’s a mixture of videos “curated” by Ellen â€" expect plenty of cats, apparently â€" and a way for fans to share their own clips.
iPhone

Frankenstein at the National Theatre (Free + IAP) [10]
If you like your theatre, this is an intriguing example of how companion apps for plays might work. Accompanying the broadcast version of the National Theatre’s 2011 production of Frankenstein, it offers interviews, photos, artwork and videos as a “digital programme”.
iPad

Audio Defence: Zombie Arena is an audio-only game for iOS.
Audio Defence: Zombie Arena is an audio-only game for iOS. Photograph: PR

GAMES

Audio Defence: Zombie Arena (£2.99) [11]
If you’ve not played developer Somethin’ Else’s Papa Sangre audio games, they’re brilliant: capable of spooking you through sound alone. This is their latest effort using similar technology: a zombie battler where you can’t see anything, so have to rely on sound to know where to hit. Technically inventive, yes, but also enjoyable to play.
iPhone / iPad

Rival Stars Basketball (Free + IAP) [12]
Developer PikPok’s Flick Kick Football Legends was a marvellous blend of flicky football and card-collecting. Now it’s trying a similar blend for basketball. Your job is to build a team by collecting cards and plotting your strategy, before getting your fingers involved to shoot the hoops.
iPhone / iPad

Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf (Free + IAP) [13]
Having grown up with Warhammer 40k, I’m always a bit cautious about games promising to bring the roleplaying game’s sprawling universe to digital life. This game has made a promising start though, with its blend of tactical battles and card collecting, and plenty of atmosphere.
iPhone / iPad

Football Chairman (£2.99 + IAP) [14]
I lost dozens of hours to the free version of Football Chairman when it first came out: an addictive game that sees you playing chairman rather than manager, developing your club from minnow to might. This is the full version, with more features, tournaments and in-game achievements to track your progress.
iPhone / iPad

Boogie Woogie (£0.69) [15]
In theory, this is a game for children. I think plenty of parents will have fun with it though. It’s part memory game and part rhythm-action music game, with some wonderfully cheeky monsters responsible for the dancing. The key feature for kids, though, will be the ability to fart and burp. In the game, I mean: they’re more than capable of it in real life.
iPhone / iPad

Star Wars: Galactic Defense (Free + IAP) [16]
Disney’s recent Star Wars: Commander was a Clash of Clans-style take on the galactic battle. This new game from DeNA takes a more traditional tower defence approach, as you marshall the likes of Luke Skywalker and Yoda to fend off the hordes. Although as with Disney’s game, you can choose to play as the Dark or Light side, according to your mood.
iPhone / iPad

Woah Dave! (£1.49) [17]
Nothing to do with the TV channel, this: it’s less about “witty banter” and more about pleasingly-retro platform gaming, as you steer the hero (yes, Dave) through an alien invasion. It’s quirky, humorous and very, very playable.
iPhone / iPad

Haunt the House: Terrortown (£0.69) [18]
Originally a PC game, Haunt the House: Terrortown has made its way to mobile devices just in time for Halloween. It’s really good fun: a game where you have to haunt a variety of locations, scaring the willies out of anyone you meet. The illustration and animation style mean it’s full of character.
iPhone / iPad

Underworld: Sugar Wars (Free + IAP) [19]
This game has an infamous past, having been originally focused on drug dealing before Apple nixed the idea. Cue a rebrand to focus on a sugar black market instead, as you push sweets and soda. But there’s an interesting game here too, with location-based elements to pit you against other players in your area.
iPhone / iPad

Twisty Hollow (£1.99) [20]
Finally, Twisty Hollow: another game with a papercrafty visual style that’s all its own, and 50 levels of puzzling. The gameplay is a breath of fresh air too, as you match characters and objects on spinning wheels to create items to feed customers. If you’ve reached gem/sweet-matching overload on iOS, give this a try.
iPhone / iPad

That’s my choice, but what iOS apps and games have you been using recently? Make your recommendations â€" or give your views on the picks above â€" in the comments section.

• 40 best iPhone and iPad games of 2014 (so far)

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