Apple Caps '09 By Revealing Top Selling iPhone Apps

A couple of days ago we featured here, on SMERC's blog, the top 10 handheld application purchases Apple also put out a definitive list. 

 

Theirs is a year-end survey of their best selling iTunes apps and like another iTunes app list we've looked at here, the top selling downloads are classic games. Take a look at this list yourself: for the holiday season and earlier this week: 

App Store's 10 Best Sellers of 2009

1. The Sims 3 (EA Games)

2. The Oregon Trail (Gameloft)

3. Need for Speed Undercover (EA Games)

4. Madden NFL 10 (EA Games)

5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour (EA Games)

6. Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles (Gameloft)

7. Flight Control (Firemint)

8. Cooking Mama (Taito)

9. Civilization Revolution (2K Games)

10. Wheel of Fortune (Sony Pictures) 

Top-rated Games in Apple's "Best of 2009"

1. Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor (Tiger Style)

2. Real Racing (Firemint)

3. Zenonia (Gamevil)

4. Ravensword: The Fallen King (Gameloft)

5. Earth vs. Moon Ep. 2: Enter the Perk Shop (Low Five Games)

6. Sally's Spa (Games Cafe)

7. Ragdoll Blaster (Backflip Studios)

8. Canabalt (Semi Secret Software)

9. Blades of Fury (Gameloft)

10. Doom Classic (id Software)

So if you couldn't tell, games like Wheel of Fortune, Madden NFL, and Doom made it onto the lists and it seems that in the gaming world the popularity of certain concepts, however relevant or relevant they've transitioned to become in the mainstream, remains high, and certain ideas remain infinitely replayable.

Game manufacturers out there, take note. Game players, download our own entry into the iTunes marketplace here.

Decades Slays, All The Others Just Stand By In Awe

Check out this review of Dungeon and this review of the new lame for dead promo Left 4 Dead if you need to find out about games and apps that are a little behind the times or just plain confusing. Check out THIS ANNOUNCEMENT if you need to find out that one of the brightest, best, most multi-platform games this year just became available for iTunes, Android, PC and Facebook.

We've JUST announced Decades for all four gaming platforms and that makes the game one of our widest releases to date!!!

If you have any sense in you you'll click over to www.decadesthegame.com to find out more and if you're preferential of one platform over another, here are the separate links for access to each one:

On Facebook: apps.facebook.com/decadesgame

On iTunes: itunes.apple.com/webobjects/mzstore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=329690750&mt=8

On Android: www.decadesthegame.com/android

On PC platform: www.decadesthegame.com/playnow 

Decades is brilliant, addicting, and truly truly fun. Enjoy and thank us later!

A Case For Mobile Gaming

As we had previously mentioned, the iPhone is more surely the biggest driving forces in mobile gaming at the moment. It's sales at the designated point of purchase location, iTunes, trump sales of any other mobile gaming retailer, bar none. But, did you know that the collected mass of Apple mobile gaming venturing may be having a positive impact on traditional console concepts?

We caught an interesting bit via GameDaily today, that was begun as a cautionary tale of the adverse affects mobile gaming may be having on the console/computer gaming market. The piece was eventually concluded with the realization that mobile gaming in fact, boosts interests of the casual/passive game player and make individuals who are not particularly passionate about gaming as entertainment that much more involved in all aspect of it, not just in mobile gaming alone.

Ask about the potential disinterest in console gaming mobile applications may cause, VP of Marketing at GameStop, Tony Bartel, had this to say:

“I really see a lot of growth in both of those areas...they appeal to two different audiences... I've been looking at Madden and Assassin's Creed on my iPhone, and while they're fun to play, they're far from the experience I can get on a console or even on a handheld. So I think in some cases they could lead people over into that (console) area."

Well said, we think and as Bartel himself says:

 "I really see the [iPhone market] as more complementary than competitive at this point.” 

And so do we. Check out our newest mobile gaming entry (Decades) for iPhone/iTunes right here.

Samsung Makes Bid For Stake in Mobile Gaming

According to this week's Develop Online post, Samsung has openly initiated a bid for the mobile gaming market by offering a quarter of a million dollars to game development companies or individuals that can produce a winning mobile game idea.

 

According to Handmark's senior VP of Global Sales, Chris Barnett:

"This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone, including big brands, mobile developers or any individual with a unique, creative idea to make it a reality"

A.k.a. (or as Joystiq commented last night), because the company has "lost a sizable chunk of the mobile consumer base to iTunes, Samsung is now reaching into its pockets to ensure the company's slip in market share doesn't turn into a complete mudslide". We agree, but, are also simultaneously excited by the prospect of the mobile market opening up to a myriad of platforms, and see this as a step in that direction.

New RWBW Levels

Jesse James: Red Wire Blue Wire has just been updated .
• Added 35 new levels
• Reduced memory footprint and load times
• Removed memory related crashing
• Improved controls for 3 of the game types

http://tinyurl.com/mr4r4e

You can become a Facebook fan here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home&__a=1#/pages/Jesse-James-is-a-Dead-Man-Red-Wire-Blue-Wire/89634739213?ref=s

Red Wire Blue Wire

iTunes just released our awesome new bomb diffusing app for Spike TV's "Jesse James is a Dead Man!" Red Wire Blue Wire challenges you to disarm a series of bombs rigged to the vehicles in Jesse's shop.

Face 5 different puzzles types in increasing difficulty and complexity until you meet the ultimate challenge - a live nuke!!

It's fun, challenging, and here's the best part - it's free! Download for iphone and ipod touch today!

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftwa
re?id=319067875&mt=8