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.

3GS Games = Added Coding

While were mulling over re-posting an OP/ED about the gaming market now driving much of its business development in the direction of the iPhone, we stumbled upon an article on Kotaku and thought, "Moot point. iPhone knew this would happen. They're not trying to gain part of the market, they're trying to become a ubiquitos force in it."

In case you haven't noticed Apple trying to extend itself beyond a brand into a 360 degree "way of life", with highly stylized, super-futuristic phone/MP3player/compasses, unnecessarily re-branded white MacBooks (why anyone would ever prefer that clumpy looking, dirt-magnet over the sleek titanium version is beyond us), specialty mall stores where super-informed Macnerds speak to you in soothing tones, we're pleased to inform that they are succeeding in this endevour and going a step further in their quest for world domination (and domination in the gaming world) by creating a separate programming platform for iPhone 3GS. While game developers (like us!) will still be able to create games for the older generation of iPhones and iPod Touches, they now also have the option of encoding a seperate set of parameters into a game that will be recognized once a game is downloaded and opened on an iPhone 3GS. The added codes will allow for optimized game playability and really take advantage of the meat and potatoes of the iPhone's technology. 

Pretty fascinating we think and we can't wait to see if this broadening of Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch platform will give them that extra edge in the market by creating a further challenge for game development enthusiasts.

Full article via Kotaku