Here’s a curious move you can benefit from: Developer Recluse Industries has offered up its latest title Survelliant [Free], a 3D stealth game that has you avoiding CCTV cameras, for free on launch day. The game is a reinvention of Geoff Crammond's eerie and unique 1986 classic The Sentinel. For the next 24 hours you can download the game at no cost, risking little more than hard drive space, which can be reclaimed quite easily if you’re not a fan.
But, hey, you might like it. The game is getting decent traction on our forums and the developer is indeed active in the thread. A couple of people have pointed out that the controls aren’t the greatest thing since 35 calorie bread, but Recluse seems very open to the idea of re-tuning and tweaking in an effort to please. My suggestion is just to try it yourself and keep the game around because, dude, it’s free.
With a week to go before the month is over, we're just now finally seeing some major iOS game releases after seemingly every developer fired off everything they had in to the 2010 holiday season. Tonight's treasures are Dead Space for the iPhone and iPod touch as well as Dead Space for iPad. Dead Space is currently available in New Zealand, and will be appearing in various international App Stores throughout the day until it finally shows up in the US at 11:00 PM EST.
We'll have our full review up later today, but for our friends abroad I'll offer some brief impressions- The graphics and sound of Dead Space are incredible, and really nail the look and feel of the series. This is a game you'll want to play in the dark with headphones. I've found myself preferring the game on the iPad, as your thumbs obscure a little too much of the screen on the iPhone. (It's still a ton of fun on smaller devices, don't worry.) There isn't any kind of aim assist or control customization which makes combat feel clunky and more difficult than it should be, which can be irritating in a game with limited ammo where every shot counts.
We have other minor criticisms which we'll get in to in our full review later today, but even with the few issues Dead Space has, this isn't a game you should miss. With around 6 hours (in our playthrough) of playtime, Dead Space provides an experience that fits perfectly in line with its console counterparts. We just wish they titled the game something differently, as it comes loaded with its own unique story line and will likely be a part in any discussion of Dead Space lore... Things are going to get confusing with Dead Space (for consoles) and Dead Space (for iOS) sharing the same name and being completely different games.
Stay tuned, and in the meantime swing by the Dead Space and Dead Space HD threads in our forums for more initial impressions from international forum members who have already purchased the game in their App Store.
Last September, we reviewedNeuroshima Hex [$4.99/Lite], the iOS adaptation of a highly tactical board game that takes place in the Neuroshima role-playing universe. We enjoyed the title a lot for its deep and satisfying strategic gameplay, and about the only negative about Neuroshima Hex we could find was the fairly steep learning curve and lack of very much in-game assistance for helping new players to the game. Since release, a few updates have hit that addressed some of the game’s shortcomings while adding even more new features, with the most recent update coming last Thursday.
After an initial bug fixing update a couple weeks following release, the second update to Neuroshima Hex in November added a ton of usability improvements. An in-game manual could be easily accessed if a part of the ruleset was confusing to you, an undo button let you undo a previous move, and visual displays of unit information and statuses made it much more clear what was happening during play. Another thing that snuck its way into the second update was Retina Display resolution game board graphics, though the rest of the menus and UI remained at regular resolution.
Neuroshima Hex’s third update last week adds in the rest of the Retina Display support for the remaining elements, and the game looks absolutely gorgeous in high resolution. It has also been updated as a universal build, so iPad owners can now run the game at native iPad resolution and with appropriately adjusted UI elements for the larger screen. Most players in our forums had been perfectly happy running Neuroshima Hex in 2x mode thus far, but I’m sure native iPad support is still a welcome addition. Finally, Game Center is now integrated containing online leaderboards and 54 achievements to unlock.
Neuroshima Hex was a really solid effort on release, and over the past several months it just seems to be getting even better with each new update. Currently, developer Big Daddy’s Creation is looking into adding a form of asynchronous online multiplayer, which would really push Neuroshima Hex into the upper levels of iOS board games along with the excellent Carcassonne [$9.99]. New factions and other new features are also being considered for potential updates. Make sure to update your copy of Neuroshima Hex to check out these latest additions, especially if you’re an iPad or a Retina Display device owner.
After sharing the “real life Fruit Ninjas” with the world, Kotaku has once again posted an awesome video related to iOS gaming. Some fans of Big Bucket Software’s The Incident [$1.99] that have taken it upon themselves to make a sweded version of the game. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “sweding” is the art of remaking mainstream films using homemade props and budget techniques.
The practice started with the movie Be Kind Rewind, but has since gone on to become a popular hobby among amateur filmmakers or people who are just plain bored. Typically movies are the basis of sweding, but it can really be applied to anything - even video games.
Going into this, I wasn’t totally sure how anybody could recreate a game like The Incident in real life, given the dozens upon dozens of different kinds of items falling from the sky. But I have to admit, these folks did a bang up job on this. The music just kills me:
Besides this video being pretty hilarious, it also shows - along with the real Fruit Ninja videos - that iOS games have really arrived as a part of the mainstream culture. It always makes me smile whenever I see something related to an iPhone game outside of my normal TouchArcade bubble, and hopefully fans continue being creative and producing amazing things like the above video.
In-game achievements are a super way for developers to add play incentive to games, and are something Microsoft got right early on with Xbox Live. Happily, thanks to the likes of OpenFeint, Plus+, and Apple's own Game Center, iOS gamers have been racking up achievements for some time now. And, while we've seen achievements land in titles outside of the Games category -- in Education, for example -- we were intrigued to hear of a new Photography app that boasts achievements for in-depth usage.
Kotaku recently took a look at noted photographer Tray Ratcliff's release of 100 Cameras in 1 [App Store], a new photography app that hands out Game Center achievements in an effort to get people to take more photos, and to have fun with them.
"I think it is fun to have some sort of comparative measurement of your experience with the app," he said. "The more you use it, the more achievements and points you get. We also use the achievements to encourage you to discover all the features of the app that you might not otherwise see.
"I think it's fascinating how achievements are both completely unnecessary but really satisfying! Also, there's something about being rewarded when you were not really expecting it. It's like a small Swiss child running up to you in the street and offering you a piece of chocolate, just for being an awesome dude."
100 Cameras in 1 features an impressive 31 different pieces of chocolate to be doled out by the small virtual Swiss children that are the app's integrated achievement system. Taking certain paths through the app or using a certain set of filters triggers the various achievements, which are as interestingly named as the 100 different visual filters that the app places at the user's disposal. Thanks to its ability to combine multiple filters, some rather interesting effects can be rather easily achieved.
With 100 Cameras in 1, Ratcliff wanted to deliver a faster and cleaner picture taking experience, with more flexibility than the alternatives. Having run through the app fairly extensively (grabbing achievements along the way), I feel that he's pretty much met his goals here, and perhaps most impressively on the speed front; despite the complex filter systems, moving through the app and getting to the end product is smooth and super fast.
I like what Ratcliff and developers Lavacado have done here, both for the creative, outside-the-box use of achievements as well as for delivering a solid, artistic photo application. I'm anxious to see what other non-game areas are well met by the use of achievements. Chase Bank, Wells Fargo -- an in-app check deposit seems well worth an achievement, eh??
The match three section is arguably the most overstuffed virtual aisle of the App Store, second only to Doodle games, and more recently, Angry Birds knock-offs. Regardless, developers keep making them, I keep trying them, and rarely do I find one that I'd play over match three staples like Bejeweled 2 [99¢]. Dungeon Raid [$2.99] is a rare exception to this, as it not only has solid matching gameplay with a clever twist, but it also has entirely too many things that I like in video games, making it incredibly hard to put down.
Dungeon Raid begins with you inputting your character name and selecting a difficulty. Don't worry if you can't come up with a good name, the game will suggest tons of random names that fit wonderfully in to any fantasy setting. From there, you're greeted with one of several random introductions to the game explaining how it is that your character has come across this dungeon. These intros are awesome, so I highly recommend actually reading them instead of instinctively mashing buttons to make large blocks of text go away. (I think we're all guilty of this on some level.)
The matching component of the game is quite similar to Azkend [$2.99 / Lite] (Which is another fantastic matching game.) in that instead of swapping pieces around like Bejeweled, you draw chains of similar blocks with your finger. These chains can go any direction, including diagonally, often resulting in massive board clearing matches. In fact, with only five types of blocks, huge chains are quite common.
By now you might be scratching your head wondering why I'm piling shovels full of praise on to a matching game with a matching component that's so simple that it usually doesn't take much skill to clear half the board in one move. Well, it's because of the layer on top of all this that makes Dungeon Raid the game that stole my entire day today. You see, each match you make serves a purpose, and deciding what you're going to match when seems to require quite a bit of strategy, and often some luck, as you never know what's going to replace the blocks you just cleared.
Strategy comes in to play because while Dungeon Raid may initially appear to just be a simple matching game, there's a fairly complex subset of RPG elements that drives everything you do. Enemies are represented by skulls on the game board. "Killing" an enemy involves matching skulls with enough swords to total up more damage than their hit points (which is displayed to the right of each enemy). After every match, every enemy on screen damages you, and special enemies also appear randomly which have increased hit points and other special abilities. One such ability involves their attacks "poisoning" you, at which point you take constant damage until you match healing potions. (Matching healing potions, as you can probably guess, heals you.)
Each skull cleared awards experience. Earn enough experience, and you level up, getting the option of increasing two of your character's attributes. These range from random active special abilities usable with cooldowns, or just flat out increasing your statistics which passively boost how much you're healed, how much damage you do, and things like that. Matching shields repairs your armor, and adds to a upgrade bar. Once your armor upgrade bar is full, you're given the option of improving one of your items, imbuing it with magical properties to increase your health, experience earned, or other effects. Having your armor repaired reduces the damage you take from enemies, so it's important to keep collecting shield blocks regardless.
The last type of block is the coin block. Clearing coins adds cash to your coin purse, and with enough coins saved up you're able to buy brand new items with better statistics than your old items. Also, matching health potion blocks when your health is full does nothing, and matching swords by themselves without skulls also serves no benefit aside from clearing our unneeded sword blocks from the game board. Matching more than three of a particular block gives a bonus, potentially allowing you to collect more of whatever resource it is your matching.
The game is over when your hit points reach zero, and while Dungeon Raid initially starts fairly simple, the more you play the more intense it gets. For instance, when faced with an entire game board full of skulls (often with special enemies as well) and you're forced to figure out whether you've got enough health to handle taking damage for a few turns while you clear blocks to set up a massive skull-slaying chain. Alternatively, you could dispatch the skulls in smaller groups, which potentially would allow you to take less damage and sneak some healing if you're lucky enough for the skull blocks to be replaced with healing potions. Or, assuming they're not on cooldown, you could bust out whatever special abilities your character learned while you leveled up.
Each play through is different too, as the items, abilities, and equipment upgrades you're offered are completely random. One game it might make more sense to play as more of a wizard-type character, focusing on training up active abilities with each level. Alternatively, on another play of the game you might find yourself constantly increasing the raw statistics of your character, focusing on damage, defense, or a balance of the two. Some abilities seem quite powerful, such as one that increases the effectiveness of healing potions. If you have access to this ability early in the game, it can substantially alter how you choose your matches since you can let skulls stay on the game board a little longer as completely healing yourself is as simple as popping that ability off and matching some potions.
The variety and depth of gameplay is just insane for a game, which at the end of the day, is just a simple match three with an entirely too clever RPG layered on top of it. Hell, I don't think I've ever been able to bust out a 1,000 word review on a match three, and that's saying something. Dungeon Raid is an effortless recommendation. It boasts a tutorial that is incredibly approachable, making the game appropriate for even the most casual of puzzle gamers, while offering a top-end that's full of strategy, a bit of luck, and an entire trail of character development decisions. In other words, download this game now.
The watchful european eyes of the ElectricPig recently spotted an Angry Birds [99¢ / Free] cameo on German TV. The 5:21 long video features a number of interesting things. First off, they visit the home offices of Rovio, showing some behind the scenes looks at how Angry Birds levels are made and they even revealed that the Angry Birds team is now 40 people strong. Following that, there's a brief segment on casual gaming with appearances from both Doodle Jump [99¢] and Cut the Rope [99¢ / Lite]. Around the 4:20 mark, the new Angry Birds Seasons [99¢ / Free] Valentines Day update is revealed.
Now it isn't exactly a surprise that Rovio is updating Angry Birds Seasons with a Valentines Day levels, but it is neat to see a sneak peek of what these levels will look like beforehand. Also, while I knew the Android version had ads, I had no idea they were so obtrusive. It really pays to have an iOS device sometimes.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Someone at the top of a large company believes consumers are dropping their PC and gaming handhelds in favor of their mobile phones.
To get just a tad more specific, Capcom is the latest publisher starting to buy into this, and as MCV reports, is funneling money into several iPhone gaming projects. The kicker is this little wrinkle: Capcom sees smartphones as universal gaming platforms. Everyone has one!
“The casual gamer that used to play on the PC and the hardcore gamer that used to play on a dedicated gaming portable now plays on their smartphone,” Capcom Interactive’s president Midori Yuasa told MCV in a recent interview.
“The iPhone and larger smartphone markets are extremely important to Capcom as, like no device before, smartphones have the potential to become a universal game platform.
“We have a lot of stuff on the horizon for both hardcore and casual gamers, so 2011 is shaping up to be huge on Capcom’s mobile front.”
Look, the Nintendo DS is huge, both worldwide and in the US, and while sales might be dragging of late, there’s a lot, and I do mean a lot, of Nintendo DSes out in the wild. In fact, the DS has sold so well over its life span that publisher Nintendo is preparing to give consumers a new handheld called the Nintendo 3DS later this year. It wouldn’t make this business decision if the cold, hard reality wasn’t that people still want handhelds.
But Yuasa does have a point. I mean, where the hell is your PSPGo? It’s definitely not in your pocket like your iPhone is right now. And really, that’s the most compelling argument when it comes to smartphone gaming trumping traditional handheld gaming. As my brother Eli says, the best handheld gaming platform is the one that’s always in your pocket, similar to how the best camera is the one that you have on you when you need it.
We’re still in a period where no one is sure what’ll beat what, but I think, for once, that this statement isn’t as insane as it once was -- and it’s even less insane when you stop to consider just how much awesome is available on the App Store for pennies compared to the recently announced 3DS game pricing ranging from $40-50.
Most everyone who owns an iOS device has heard of Fruit Ninja by now. The definitive fruit slicing game debuted in April of last year, quickly rose up the ranks, and has maintained a steady position in the top of the App Store charts ever since. Fruit Ninja has been downloaded and enjoyed by millions of people, but I don't think any of those millions have taken their passion for the game quite as literally as the comedy group The Misunderstoods.
As Kotaku has pointed out, two members of that group have decided to try and find out what it would be like to be a "fruit ninja" in real life. Or perhaps they just couldn't afford an iOS device and wanted to join in on the fun. Either way, the results are pretty hilarious.
Note: Both of these videos contain shirtless dudes and a couple of naughty words. Either of these things may not be suitable for your current viewing location. You have been warned.
Oh, hey there, pretty funny right? Since you seem to have made it past our first set of warnings, let me offer up one last one for you: Kids, don't try this at home. You don't need to be messing around with knives, destroying your mother's groceries and making a mess in the garage. Leave that to the professionals. For a safe way to be a fruit ninja, grab a copy of the game if you haven't already, as it's one of the most solid purchases you can make on the App Store.
Last week indie developer James Gamble released his newest iOS game SpikeDislike [99¢], and I've been enjoying it a lot ever since (while simultaneously beating my head against the desk due to its difficulty). The goal is to move your bouncing ball to the right as far as possible while avoiding an endless series of spiky objects. As the name implies, you dislike these spikes, as hitting just one will instantly end your run. SpikeDislike is a game that is painfully simple to play, incredibly difficult to master, and even harder to put down.
Your ball will bounce automatically at its own pace, and holding down on the screen will advance it to the right. Spikes are set at various heights throughout the level, and each one you successfully jump over (or bounce under) will net you a single point. A gauge at the top will slowly decrease after clearing a spike, and quickly jumping additional spikes before the gauge runs out adds a combo to your score. Play continues in this fashion as you see how high of a score you can rack up before fatally running into one of the spikes.
It's so simple, yet strangely compelling. The single control mechanic works perfectly, so you always have good control of you ball. The difficulty lies in the risk/reward factor of the combo meter. Playing it safe and carefully jumping each spike one by one will ensure you live a long time, but you'll never approach a meaningful score in this fashion. Trying to move at a brisk pace so as to keep your combo going is what this game is all about, and you can reach some pretty insane scores if you manage to keep it up.
SpikeDislike originally launched with just a single game mode, but has already been updated with a lot more options. You can now choose from 3 overall difficulties, as well as 3 different speeds for the movement of your ball. There's the choice of two different paths of spike placements or the option of having them be randomly placed. Each combination of these options has its own high score associated with it, too. Additionally, there are 4 different graphical skins for the game, which are all various types of retro goodness.
SpikeDislike is one of those games that is frustratingly fun. Every time you die you know exactly what you did wrong, and it's both quick and easy to jump in and give it another shot making it hard to quit playing. The number one thing this game is missing is online scores, as it's just tailor-made for such a thing, and hopefully the developer can add Game Center functionality in the future. He is active in our forums taking in any feedback or suggestions, and although it won't be everybody's cup of tea, SpikeDislike is a simple and fun challenge that's worth checking out.
The folks at iLounge have stumbled upon an intriguing bit of news. It seems that the company Desk Pets, who create tiny robotic toys that are designed to distract you from getting actual work done at the office, are coming out with a new toy called Tankbot that will be controlled using your iOS device of choice. Besides controlling it directly from your device, Tankbot is also equipped with IR sensors that will let it be controlled using hand gestures, or navigate around on its own.
There isn't currently any video of the device in action, but this render of an early prototype gives you an idea of what Tankbot will be like.
This is along the lines of other iOS controlled toys like the remote control robotic balls GearBox prototyped last summer, or the Parrot AR Drone which we reviewed extensively when it was released. Unlike the $300 AR Drone though, Tankbot should be available for under $20, which is right in my spending sweet spot for cool things that I don't actually need. The Desk Pets Tankbot will be available in 4 different colors and is expected to launch this June.
A couple of weeks ago 5th World Media released Bouncer Boot Out [99¢] into the App Store. It's a fast-paced game built upon an extremely simple gameplay mechanic, and features a wonderful art style with a nice dose of humor. There isn't a ton of depth here, but I've been enjoying the gameplay which is perfect for quick bursts of play. The premise is that you play the bouncer at a series of different clubs who must sort the wheat from the chaff in an endless stream of partygoers trying to get in the entrance to the club. You do this by literally flicking the losers out of the line before they have a chance to enter, while letting all the hip, beautiful people inside. Yes it's a judgmental job, but somebody has to do it.
In the Timed mode of Bouncer Boot Out you have 90 seconds to work the front door. Each successful boot out earns you points, and you can even switch the position of people in line and group the unwanted guests together before flicking them out in unison to earn some combo points. Every time you let in an unwanted guest, or accidentally flick a cool person out of line, you'll lose points. There's even a cute little child that will occasionally try to skip her way into the club, and accidentally letting her through the door results in the round immediately ending.
There are 6 different clubs in Bouncer Boot Out, 5 of which start out locked, each with their own sets of unique patrons. New clubs are unlocked by meeting set score criteria in your persistent score total from previously played games. In addition to the Timed mode, there is also a Survival mode that can be played at any of the unlocked clubs. Here you will face an endless line of people that enter the club in an increasingly rapid fashion. You try to earn as high a score as possible before making 3 mistakes, which will bring the game to an end.
What makes playing Bouncer Boot Out so enjoyable is the humorous looking characters that are full of personality. There are 30 different characters, and although there is a visual indication of who to boot out of line at the beginning of a round, this quickly fades away and you must rely on visually recognizing who doesn't belong in line. It's easy to tell that the pregnant lady, blue-haired granny, and homeless fellow are amongst those who don't belong thanks to the great art. One drawback however is the lack of Retina Display support, and for a game with such a huge focus on visuals it would be nice to see this added in the future.
Besides the lack of Retina Display support, Bouncer Boot Out could really benefit from some sort of online high score tracking, such as Game Center. But even with these two shortcomings, it's still a really solid game. The art and music are excellent, the controls are super tight, and the gameplay is simple and well-suited to the touch screen. There's a lot of positive impressions in the discussion thread in our forums as well, and Bouncer Boot Out is recommended if you're looking for a fun high score game with loads of style.
It's possible that Hamlet [$2.99 / Lite / HD] for iOS, is indeed "the last game without MMORPG features, shaders, and product placement" as its title suggests, so I wanted to at least give you a heads up about it. Publisher Alaware Entertainment has finished its porting work on the bizarre PC-based puzzle game and you can grab it now on the App Store.
The coolest thing about Hamlet is its take on "Hamlet." Sure, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve sat through those college level English Lit classes, but I’m pretty sure "Hamlet" had nothing to do with time travel. Or an alien with a light bulb on his head. Or guitars. Or crabs. Or tentacles.
As far as the game part goes, the execution is all over the place. Some puzzles are unguided pixel-by-pixel clickathons while others are straight-up bad. The "Corridor" puzzle in particular, which is your standard puzzle game maze construct, is so wildly obtuse that I’ve been struggling with it while using a guide. But if this kick-you-in-the-junk Flash approach (think Samorost) to puzzle design is your jam, I think Hamlet has a lot to offer you. And I do think it does have a few great things to share. The art style in particular is pleasing and some of the puzzles are indeed the kind of satisfying brain twisters that you want from a solid puzzle game.
The original designer of the game is connecting with our TA forum members and I’d imagine that thread is about to explode as more and more people learn about the game. A Lite version for the iPad and iPhone are indeed out there, so I definitely suggest giving them a shot before you buy. Also, a Retina screen update is apparently in the works, so look forward to that.
Trilobyte's The 7th Guest [iPhone / iPad] is a game with a ton of history that is near and dear to our hearts here at TouchArcade. With that being said, it is an incredibly difficult game. When it was first released, in an era without instant access to sites like GameFAQs I remember being stumped on puzzles for days, or even weeks. Trilobyte decided to make things a little easier for gamers who find themselves stuck while playing 7th Guest by releasing The 7th Guest: Book of Secrets [99¢] a companion app which offers hints, solutions, and a full walkthrough of the puzzles in the game.
Now, I'm not entirely sure why you'd flip out a buck for this considering there are numerous free walkthroughs online. I suppose maybe if you mainly use your iPod touch and/or iPad offline, or you were roaming internationally with your iPhone and didn't want to pay international data rates... But regardless the release of this companion app has given me a good reason to say check out our 7th Guest review, and consider giving the game a shot if you want to see what the CD-ROM glory days were all about. It has even been updated since then to fix some issues mentioned in the review.
When Pro Zombie Soccer [Free] was first released last summer, it was by far one of the most anticipated games on our forums. Developed by Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team, Pro Zombie Soccer is an amusing spin on zombie slaying, in that you play as a soccer player named Jax and take aim with a soccer ball, kicking it in to legions of zombies. We explained in detail how this works in our review, but here's the basics:
By swiping up and down with your left hand you control Jax's shot angle, as you take aim at the approaching decaying horde. Releasing your thumb will let fly a thunderous kick, tearing apart zombie limbs with abandon before the ball graciously returns to your boot. It's a simple game mechanic that belays some pretty frantic action, particularly in the later game. Kicks can be charged by holding down your thumb before releasing, resulting in a power shot that is necessary to kill certain zombies. ...Read More
Chillingo recently dropped the price of Pro Zombie Soccer to free to celebrate the launch of its iPad counterpart, Pro Zombie Soccer Apocalypse Edition [$1.99 / Lite]. The Apocalypse Edition seems to play identical to the iPhone version with the main difference being how much more you can see on screen at once. Like some HD versions, this one opts to use the additional screen real estate and resolution to keep the game elements the same size, and instead just display tons more at a time. This allows for some pretty crazy zombie battles as the screen gets completely filled with undead.
If you already own the iPhone version (or are downloading it free today), I'm not entirely sure how much reason there is to spring for the upgraded Apocalypse Edition. The new high resolution art looks great, and it's cool having more zombies on screen, but the gameplay is largely the same. Either way, you should totally download Pro Zombie Soccer while it's free, and if you're enjoying it on your iPad, consider grabbing the Apocalypse Edition.
Here’s a curious move you can benefit from: Developer Recluse Industries has offered up its latest title Survelliant [Free] , a 3D stealth game that has you avoiding CCTV cameras, for free on launch day. The game is a reinvention of Geoff Crammond's eerie and unique 1986 classic The Sentinel. For the next 24 hours you can download the game at no cost, risking little more than hard drive space, which can be reclaimed quite easily if you’re not a fan. 
Last September, 
In-game achievements are a super way for developers to add play incentive to games, and are something Microsoft got right early on with Xbox Live. Happily, thanks to the likes of OpenFeint, Plus+, and Apple's own Game Center, iOS gamers have been racking up achievements for some time now. And, while we've seen achievements land in titles outside of the Games category -- in Education, for example -- we were intrigued to hear of a new Photography app that boasts achievements for in-depth usage.
Most everyone who owns an iOS device has heard of Fruit Ninja by now. The definitive fruit slicing game debuted in April of last year, quickly rose up the ranks, and has maintained a steady position in the top of the App Store charts ever since. Fruit Ninja has been downloaded and enjoyed by millions of people, but I don't think any of those millions have taken their passion for the game quite as literally as the comedy group 
