Some animals just have no taste and this Pug is definitely one of them. Picture the scene; he is happily lying on his owner’s bed watching TV when a commercial comes on. The commercial is for the latest and greatest iPhone 4S but this Pug is having none of it. It sends him into a barking and growling frenzy, stamping his feet, gnashing his teeth, it really is a site to behold. As soon as the ad is finished, he settles down again and continues watching the TV.

Now as we all know, the iPhone 4S is the best iPhone ever, this little Pug must either hate the music on the ad or just hates ads all together. I am sure it has nothing to do with the iPhone 4S!

Source: TNW

Not content with any of the existing Siri parodies on the web, TiPb contributor George Lim and the guys from TEChBrits decided to have some fun of their own. It’s a shot-for-shot remake of Apple’s own intro video, only… with not so happy results. For them.

There are a couple of adult-ish references, so if you’re super-easily offended, steer clear. Otherwise, enjoy!

Source: YouTube

I have seen Final Freeway in the App Store for a while and just glanced by. When looking at apps to review this week I felt a little nostalgic and thought I would give this little gem a spin. The result? Well, if you enjoy old-school arcade racing, if you remember when Out Run was the arcade game, then Final Freeway is for you!

Off the bat, the game is dead simple. Start off by going to Options and you can change your control type from accelerometer to to touch steering. I really prefer the accelerometer steering and once you turn on horizon tilt it gets a lot better.

Jumping into a game starts with two choices: Normal or Expert. Be warned, this game gets tough as more traffic and the time limit starts to hinder your progress. Next you have three choices for music. Unfortunately you can’t select iPod music at this time (the developer says they are working hard on a substantial update, we shall see what this brings). From here, the race begins!

Controls are precise and responsive as you fly really fast around the tracks. You have a few different control layouts in options for gas, break, etc. From here it is time to beat the clock and avoid the traffic. When you reach a check point, the game continues, but you do not have any branching paths, you continue through six total levels for the high score.

I had a lot of fun with this game. Since the levels are relatively short and with fast task switching, it makes for an excellent pick up and play game when you have the time. Sure there is a big “Cons” list below, but for $.99 this is a must have app for any classic racing fan; no regrets.

[$.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Classic racing action
• Similar to the arcade classic “Out Run”
• Fast frame rate- almost too fast!
• Retina display support for iPhone 4
• Universal app for iPhone and iPad
• Pick back up and play with iOS4

Cons

• No “tree” to show level progression
• Only three music tracks
• No iPod music option
• Only one car to choose from
• No Internet scoring fro global high scores (Plus+ or OpenFeint for example)

Once in a while there is a game that comes out that is simple, fun, addictive and priced for the masses. Ladies and gentleman I give you StarDunk!

StarDunk is brought to us by the fine folks at Gozilab that made iMoki. The premise behind StarDunk is to make baskets (as in basketball) with a ball and complete globally against other players. You have two basic game modes; offline and online. Offline is where you hone your skills and when ready you are ready, compete online.

The ball is positioned on the right side of the screen (there is a lefty mode) with the basket on the left. There is a limited guide that repositions itself on screen as you move your finger across for aiming of the ball. When you release, the ball shoots. There is more to the game than just making baskets. There are four vertical bars directly behind the basket, like a backboard. If you hit one before the ball goes in, it lights up. When all four are lit, you turn the bonus on. Bonuses range from a temporarily wider basket to three balls shooting at once for maximum scoring.

Each match lasts for a couple of minutes and to add to the drama, the last basket is in slow motion. After the match you are ranked on the specific contest you played as well as your global ranking. You can also view your scores against your own countrymen and friends on the Plus+ network.

I have a lot of fun with this title. I find no real flaws. It is a blast to play and is one of the ultimate pick-up and play titles.

[$0.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Quick fun
• Global multiplayer
• Plus+ integration
• Great techno music to keep the blood flowin’

Cons

• None!

My latest favorite iPhone game is Fruit Ninja. The premise of Fruit Ninja is simple; slice fruit, don’t miss any and don’t slice a bomb by mistake. Sound easy? Think again grasshopper! After beginning a game, fruit flies up from the bottom of the screen. You use your finger (or fingers) to slice the fruit. If a fruit falls back off the screen without being sliced, you receive an X. Three X’s and it’s game over. To make things interesting, bombs are thrown into the mix as well. So, not only are you trying to slice a lot of fruit coming at you and not missing any, you have bombs that shoot up as well. The challenge is, if you slice the bomb, it’s instant game-over.

When it comes to difficulty with this game, it is a nice and smooth curve. The issue is that once you get good at it, it would be nice to start at a higher difficulty. However, Fruit Ninja always starts you back at the beginning. Your efforts are not at a loss though, the game has plenty of achievements via Open Feint and unlockables. Different colored swords and backgrounds can be unlocked if you have the dedication and skill of a true ninja.

Fruit Ninja also has two different play modes. First is Classic. This is the primary play mode I have described above. Score points by slicing fruit while avoiding the bombs. Zen mode is fun and fast. There are no bombs, but you have a time limit to slice as many fruits as you can. This is not hard, what is hard to is to slice with combos to rack up more points. Check out the Open Feint leaderboards and you will see what I am talking about.

I can’t say enough about this game. It has great art direction, animation and fun. When you lose, it even gives you facts about fruit. This is a near-perfect game, I love it!

[$0.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Fun gameplay
• Great graphics
• Unlockable content

Cons

• No option to start at a higher difficulty

You’ll probably hear from a lot of people who attended WWDC that the app demo section of the keynote was much too long and even :gasp: boring. But the games showcased at WWDC continue to prove that the iPhone is going to be a force in mobile gaming.

• Super Monkey Ball - First shown in the March Event, Sega has expanded on Super Monkey Ball including over a 100 levels and four classic Monkeys. The graphics in Super Monkey Ball for iPhone is on par with anything from the DS.
• Enigmo - A physics based game using reflectors to put water in a bucket. Ported in three days, looks like frustratingly mindless fun.
• Cro-Mag Rally - A racing game using the iPhone’s accelerometer as a steering wheel. Nine different tracks, 10 unique cars and looks really fun. That too was ported over in three days.
• Digital Legends Entertainment – They demoed a 3D fantasy game that displayed the graphical prowess of the iPhone. It probably didn’t reach the high end level of PSP but it only took two weeks to develop. Available sometime in September.