iOS (iPhone, iPod, iPad) / Mac App Stores -- Ongoing Sales

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ryanflucas

ryanflucas

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This is a continuation of this previous thread. Since it was getting very close to the 5,000 thread mark, I figured it was time for a reset.

Post any deals you find, recommendations, requests for deals, etc. Please keep things as civil as possible. There's no such thing as a bad deal post and reviews are opinions.


Games in the App store are constantly going on sale. While I originally posted games and prices in this post, it's become almost impossible to keep up with it all. Feel free to post in this topic on good deals and games you enjoy. Developers are also encouraged to join in, especially if they are running promos or sales.

If you want to check out a particular game, try the following review sites, or ask in here so fellow CAG's can assist you.

Price Drop Sites

• 148 Apps
• App Shopper iOS / App Shopper Mac
• Free App Alert
• Touch Arcade
• Free App A Day

App & Game Review Sites

• IGN Wireless
• MacLife iPad
• MacLife iPod/iPhone
• Slide to Play
• Touch Arcade
• Touch Gen
• TUAW Games

Free App offers from Developers
• Get a free copy of the Number Fill app for iOS by sending an email to [email protected] with subject "iOSApp:" (while supplies last).

YouTube Video Reviews

• iPad Game Reviews
• iPhone\iPod Touch Game Reviews

Apple Game Center
Apple Game Center allows you to keep a friends list, track your in game achievements, and compare with your friends. Many games are starting to support this. Currently this only runs on iPod & iPhone, but an update will be coming soon that enables this for iPad users.

Make sure to checkout the official CAG Game Center Exchange Thread. You can post your game center name and see the names of your favorite CAG'rs. You can also exchange OpenFeint & Plus+ names there.

ITUNES GIFT CARD SALES
Gamestop: 6/8 to 6/14, $25 iTunes gift card for $20

Important Notes:

1. Make sure to check for periodic updates either in iTunes or on your iOS devices. For each release of new firmware, there's usually a bunch of games updated right afterward.

2. Some applications also go on sale by their authors when they reach 1 million download and similar milestones.

3. Apps often have specials the day before, during, and after holidays, regardless if said game/app is related to the holiday.

4. Newly released apps will often have a % or dollar amount off for a limited period of time to gain a large following quicker. While browsing the app store you can go to a particular type or genre and order according to release date. This can make finding new app discounts faster.

5. Make sure to backup your purchases in iTunes to CD/DVD for safe keeping. You can do this by clicking File-->Library-->Backup to Disc. Then choose all purchases, applications only, and full or incremental backup. How often is up to you, but I do this monthly, or more often if I buy a lot of apps.

6. Apps can be re-downloaded without incurring an extra charge if you previously purchased it. This is good if you have a crash and forget to backup your purchases. I don't know if this is a permanent feature so backing up regularly is still important.

7. I strongly advise not to buy iTunes Gift Cards by 3rd parties unless you know they can be trusted. Retail stores, receiving cards as gifts, etc are the best ways. There are many credit card scams, stolen cards, hacked cards going around, especially on Ebay.

8. If you are the victim of a iTunes Card scam or get your account locked due to one not all hope is lost. Apple has been fairly lenient on these issues. Call Apple directly at 1-800-MY-APPLE or check the iTunes Store support page. Also going to your local Apple Store to discuss it can help. The account locking is an automated process and can be reversed. This can take time so be cautious if you use gift cards from 3rd party sources.

9. If you somehow break your iOS device, you have some options. If you bought the Applecare warranty it should be covered for most items. If your Applecare ran out or you don't have one, try using one of the repair guides on iFixit to repair it yourself. Apple Stores have been known to give discounts if you bring in a iOS device that they will not fix since it's not in warranty. This discount however is very small.

10. Using a screen protector can extend the life of your device. Most stores carry these, but they can be hard to install. The best I have personally used are made by a company called Power Support. They have both clear and anti-glare protectors. They are easier to install because the protector is a firm yet thin piece of plastic. Two come in a pack, average price I've seen is $20. Griffin Technologies and Zagg are also very good.

11. Universal Apps have a small plus sign in the upper left corner next to their price. They can be played natively on both the iPad and iPod/iPhone. iPhone games that are not universal can still be played on the iPad with a lower resolution. Non universal iPad games cannot be played on the iPhone.


Recommended Games by Genre
Feel free to add games, genres or move titles as needed. This list is to give CAGs a chance to catch up on missed high-quality games and to get new users started on "can't miss" titles to download for their new idevice. Underlined titles are universal (ipad and iphone/ipod touch). Italic are iPad only.

Casual - Tiny Wings, Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope. World of Goo, Osmos, Bird Strike - GOLD EDITION, Parachute Ninja, Pilot Winds, Depict, Flight Control, Time Geeks: Find All!, Bird Zapper!, Tapper World Tour, Amazing Breaker
Shooter - Tilt to Live, Galaxy on Fire 2, Espgaluda II, Dodonpachi Resurrection, Space Miner: Space Ore Bust, Radiant, Warblade, MetalStorm: Online, Minotron 2112
F/TPS/Action - Shadowgun, N.O.V.A., N.O.V.A. 2, Infinity Blade, Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus, Dead Space, Shadow Guardian
Dual-Stick Shooter - Age of Zombies, Minigore, Solomon's Keep, Solomon's Boneyard
Action/Arcade - Jet Ball, Super Mega Worm, Zombie Highway, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Plunderland
Adventure - Super Brothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Broken Sword: Director's Cut, Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror Remastered, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, Monkey Island 2 Special Edition, Sam & Max Episode 1, Scarlett and the Spark of Life, Back to the Future Ep 1 HD, Back to the Future Ep 2 HD
Platformer - League of Evil, Mirror's Edge, Kami Retro, Pix'n Love Rush, Soosiz, Fastar!, Frogatto, Rolando, Rolando 2, Creepy Caverns, :Shift:, Robot Wants Kitty, Perfect Cell, Beyond Ynth, Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, Hoggy, Edge
Endless Runner - Hook Champ, Super QuickHook, Hook Worlds, Monster Dash, Solipskier, Robot Unicorn Attack, Inspector Gadget's MAD Dash, Run Like Hell! Deluxe
Tower Defense - Plants vs. Zombies, Holy Moly Dragons, Defender Chronicles, iBomber Defense, The Creeps!, Geodefense, Geodefense Swarm, Epic War TD, Sentinel Mars Defense, Sentinel Earth Defense, Sentinel Homeworld, Guns'n'Glory, TowerMadness
 RPG - Zenonia, Zenonia 2, Zenonia 3, Battleheart, Dungeon Hunter I & II, Across Age, Chaos Rings, Sacred Odyssey, Eternal Legacy, Secret of Mana (yes, that Secret of Mana :D), 100 Rogues
Puzzle - Azkend, Sparkle, Bejeweled 2, Dungeon Raid, Drop7, Puzzle Agent, Trainyard, Puzzle Quest 2, Crosslogic, bitFLIP, Love Battle Princess, Heroes of Kalevala, Antrim Escape 1/2
Card/Dice - Sword & Poker 1 & 2, World Series of Poker Hold'em Legend
Sim - Game Dev Story, Hot Springs Story, Sims: Ambitions
Strategy - Civilization Revolution, Trenches, Crystal War, Legendary Wars
Sports - NBA Jam, Backbreaker Football, Backbreaker 2, Flick Kick Field Goal
Fighting - Street Fighter IV, King of Fighters-i002
Racing - Asphalt 6, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Need for Speed: Shift, Real Racing 2, Reckless Racing, Disc Drivin', Jet Car Stunts, Death Rally, Tires of Fury
Time Management - My Kingdom for the Princess 1 & 2, Hotel Mogul, Airport Mania, Roads of Rome HD
Board Games -Small World, Carcassonne, Catan, Words With Friends, Reiner Knizia's Samurai, Neuroshima Hex
Trivia - MovieCat, You Don't Know Jack
Hidden Object - Little Things, Pictureka
Non-Game Essentials - Appshopper, Atomic Web Browser, Stanza, CloudReaders, Flipbook, TuneIn Radio Pro, Dropbox, Air Video+, Evernote, Video Stream, mBox Mail, Genius Scan, Urban Spoon, Documents To Go Premium
 
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$16 for FFT reallyyyyyy? I was expecting $12 at the most. I'll wait until it price drops or until I can get a universal or ipad version.

I would pay $10 for FFT just because I love it so much, but $16 is pushing it when I already have the PSP and PS1 versions.
 
It's either ludicrous or a steal, depending on how you look at it.

By iOS standards, it's a laughing stock of a price.

But if the PSP version had been released for $16, people would've been pissing themselves in excitement over the great bargain. For the exact same game.
 
Doodle Devil Ep 1 is the new main FAAD game.
"You’ve already created a whole Universe from the four basic elements and you don’t know what to do next? Destroy everything to the ground! Discover the seven deadly sins and there will be no coming back for you! Try to combine elements and invent murder, death, demons, beasts, zombies... which will destroy everything.
Embrace the world of lust, gluttony, greed and theft to find out what Doodle Devil was doing while Doodle God was busy creating the Universe and life in it."

Super Sheep Tap is the current OpenFeint FGOTD.
"Super Sheep Tap is a cute rhythm game in a completely new fashion. In this game, you tap anywhere on your screen to tag sheep jumping over the fence. The coming sheep's pattern is random, but they always jump with the rhythm. You don't need to time your tap precisely like other rhythm games, but recognizing the pattern of coming sheep is the key!"
 
$16 on a platform of $1-5 vs. $16 on a platform of $30-40.

Also, a PSP version would include saves you had control of. Iphone STILL doesn't let you see or copy your saves, which is absolutely indefensible. Consider the amount of gameplay hours potentially lost should you have to switch devices.
 
$16 might make sense if it was Universal. Even then, I'm leaning toward no.

I'm sure the price "increase" has to do with the same reason Cave increased the prices of all its games across the board: currency conversion.

That said, I just don't know how they think any of these games are going to sell well with prices as high as that with as many alternatives that people are equally satisfied with that are so much less. It almost feels like this is a Japanese old guard pushing against the new guard who are scrapping to get noticed and the old guard are just completely out of touch...

Kinda reminds me of Nintendo, actually. Poor Nintendo. They're going to lose every single dollar of their cash reserves trying to shove that App Store genie back in its bottle. As are the Old Guard. I think it'll take a few years of high profits for those willing to turn gaming into a high volume, low price market before they realize that games sell better when you can see them as an impulse item and nothing's as impulse as $1-5. Certainly, no $11-16 game is going to be considered an impulse item any time soon for the vast majority.

If you really must charge more, I think they'd be smarter to cut the overall length of the game and release it in segments, billing each segment either a new "part" or a sequel. The advantage to this is they can recycle the engine and art as they "continue" the line of "games." And they have the advantage of releasing to see what works, then enhancing the parts that work while improving (or at least minimizing) the parts that suck mid-release of parts. They can give you the option of starting with a default character for subsequent parts (in case someone decides to join in for a later part without the preceding), but also give you the option of carrying your character over if you have a pre-existing one.

Cut it into segments and people'd be willing to pay $4 for the first part to see how great it is. Then you can either iAP the rest or release as separate titles (probably the better option if only to give people a sense that they're buying "something.") Paying $4 four times is better than expecting someone to shell out $16 sight unseen.
 
As much as I enjoyed playing FFT when it first came out on the PS1, I can not see myself paying that much to play it again. Maybe one day when it hits less than $5 I might give it another play thru.
 
I'm sure everybody who wants it has it by now, but Jet Ball has dropped to free again and I recommend it. Very good, and probably my favorite on iOS, arkanoid clone: http://appshopper.com/games/jet-ball

Garmin released new GPS apps with offline maps. I've not tried their GPS, but figured it was worth a mention. Alas, it's way more expensive then FFT. ;) Here's USA: http://appshopper.com/navigation/garmin-usa

Also, finally, Skype for iPad! http://appshopper.com/social-networking/skype-for-ipad

Ok, so some of those aren't games. It's not like people were posting deals. :)
 
Well what is even more outrageous is that this is the Iphone version. I guarantee that means the Ipad version is going to be $20, thus it will cost TWICE as much as the PSN version.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Well what is even more outrageous is that this is the Iphone version. I guarantee that means the Ipad version is going to be $20, thus it will cost TWICE as much as the PSN version.[/QUOTE]

I don't think so. I think they'll do a permanent drop on FFT when the iPad version comes out and the iPad version will probably be $16 at launch as well
 
They have another version called Battle Fury XD and that went free as well. I downloaded both but can't tell a difference from the descriptions. I have a feeling this game is crap but i havent tried it(them) yet
 
I don't understand the complaints on FFT's price. I bought this for the PSP for $20 like 3 years ago and thought that was an amazing price.
I'd get it on my iPhone in a second but i wanna hold off and get it for iPad (when i get an iPad). just a bit too small on the regular iPhone.
 
just wanted to give a shout out for Army of Darkness Defense. fun tower defense game, still free for both iphone and ipad, and even a little bit funny.

I know it's been mentioned several times before (I actually downloaded it a month or so ago) but just started playing and I've been quite happy with it.
 
[quote name='Daviddenton3']I don't understand the complaints on FFT's price.

I bought this for the PSP for $20 like 3 years ago[/QUOTE]You answered your own question.
 
[quote name='Daviddenton3']I don't understand the complaints on FFT's price. I bought this for the PSP for $20 like 3 years ago and thought that was an amazing price.
I'd get it on my iPhone in a second but i wanna hold off and get it for iPad (when i get an iPad). just a bit too small on the regular iPhone.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Who cares if it's an app. This is one of the greatest SRPG/SquareSoft game ever made. 50-100 hours for under 20 bucks is not outrageous at all. I know this is CAG, but c'mon. Only reason I'm not getting it on my iPad is because I just picked it up again on PSP a few months ago and don't feel like starting over again. If I didn't I would be all over the iPad version day one.

No shame in paying full price for this.
 
[quote name='bigdbo622']Agreed. Who cares if it's an app. This is one of the greatest SRPG/SquareSoft game ever made. 50-100 hours for under 20 bucks is not outrageous at all. I know this is CAG, but c'mon. Only reason I'm not getting it on my iPad is because I just picked it up again on PSP a few months ago and don't feel like starting over again. If I didn't I would be all over the iPad version day one.

No shame in paying full price for this.[/QUOTE]

It is not about the fact that its an app that costs this much, its that this is cheaper elsewhere. If they released a game that had never been released before that I thought id love like lets say FFT 2 then yes id gladly pay $16 for it(hell id pay double that easily)regardless of it being an app. However I refuse to pay $16 for an app that is $10 for a non app elsewhere. Hell I only paid $10 for my freaking PSP version!
 
[quote name='bigdbo622']

No shame in paying full price for this.[/QUOTE]

Except I paid $40 for it on my PS1, $40 for my UMD, $10 (?) for the PSN download... I'd rather not pay $20 more... 10 more and I would probably do it though.
 
Personally, I'd pay the $17 if it were a universal app, but it's not cool to sell two separate apps when it's perfectly possible to combine them.
 
Gah! I got The Incredible Machine when it was .99. I didn't expect it to go free at all. It definitely was worth the .99. It's definitely fun, but my only complaint is that the first few sets are pretty easy. In other words, get it.
 
[quote name='Hirou']Gah! I got The Incredible Machine when it was .99. I didn't expect it to go free at all. It definitely was worth the .99. It's definitely fun, but my only complaint is that the first few sets are pretty easy. In other words, get it.[/QUOTE]

Same here. I don't mind paying for it, though. I want a sequel!
 
[quote name='bugeeker']Awesome, thanks so much! I used to play this game a decade ago on the PC. Looking forward to it on my iPhone.[/QUOTE]

Better read the reviews first, some of them say it's nothing like the PC game was.
 
A little off topic but has anyone ever been able to play SFIV Volt online? I can never get a match going... The update was to penalize quitters but I have never been able to play online and it's pissing me off!
 
[quote name='keithp']Better read the reviews first, some of them say it's nothing like the PC game was.[/QUOTE]

The reviews say that you can't even place the pieces, basically making it Cut the Rope (not that it's a bad game, but I already own Cut the Rope)
 
[quote name='eliter1']A little off topic but has anyone ever been able to play SFIV Volt online? I can never get a match going... The update was to penalize quitters but I have never been able to play online and it's pissing me off![/QUOTE]
I've been playing online since day 1 and it's pretty great. Lag is a problem, especially since there are no indication of the connection quality for the match. Actually, matches are completely blind right up to the character VS screen. Sometimes I'll quit if I see people with Chinese, Japanese or Korean text in their pre-battle quote right before the match begins to load.
 
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