iSmashPhone

Guitar Rock Tour Comes To The iPhone

Gameloft's Guitar Rock Tour, a Guitar Hero/Rock Star-style game already available on numerous cellphone platforms, is now an iPhone app.  Players can select either guitar or drums and bash away to seventeen songs, ranging from the Police to Michal Jackson to Nirvana to "Smoke on the Water."

Interestingly, the iTunes listing for GRT comes with the following warning: "GUITAR ROCK TOUR MAY CRASH IF YOU HAVE NOT REBOOTED YOUR iPHONE IN SEVERAL DAYS (as with all large iPhone apps)."  Gameloft promises improved stability in upcoming updates.

GRT (US$7.99) requires the iPhone 2.0 software update.  Caveat emptor: it's also not compatible with the iPod Touch.

[Available on iTunes]

CityTransit NYC Subway Guide: Navigate the Big Apple

CityTransit NYC Subway Guide

For those who are not familiar with the complexity of the New York City transit system, it can be quite intimidating.  CityTransit NYC Subway Guide from Magnetism Studios serves as a companion for those who are traveling via the MTA, tourists and locals alike.

Features

• Comprehensive maps of the MTA Subway, Manhattan Bus, Long Island Railroad, and more
• Up-to-date service advisories allow you to plan your route accordingly
• GPS and Maps integration enables you to find your desired station stop  
• Expandable architecture will allow for download of bus maps, commuter rail lines, and more  

 Limitations

• No way to map out a specific route
• Bus maps outside of the Manhattan area would be a nice addition 
• Not useful if you're outside of New York...!  

Summary

CityTransit NYC Subway Guide is a handy resource for both NYC natives and visitors.  The inclusion of bus maps for areas such as Brooklyn and Queens, plus a route planner, would be appreciated.

Available

App Store; $2.99

Onyx Online: The Fine Art of Playing Well With Others

First, he hook thousands of iPhone gamers on Trism -- and made a boatload of dough in the process.  Now, Steve Demeter wants to change how said gamers actually PLAY games -- which is: together, rather than separately.

Demeter's newest brainstorm is Onyx Online, a free tool which allows app developers to add a slew of "social media" features to iPhone games, like leaderboards, achievements, forums, and the like.  Onyx would also allow gamers to not only compare their scores with other players, but actually see what other games said players are participating in...and, hopefully, encourage them to add said new games to their skill set.  Argues Demeter:

"Right now games don't introduce the social aspect at all on the iPhone.  If there is a social aspect it's an island. If these users are playing Trism, they're playing Trism; it's an island. How does that tie into other puzzle games? If players are still connected to a larger whole then they're more likely to keep playing other games."

Noble intentions, indeed -- but there's also a layer of CYA buried in there.  Despite the explosive growth of the App Store, Demeter has found business slowing down for himself and other indie coders, as their work gets buried under an avalanche of new and/or inconsequential releases.  His fear is that before long, only the big developers like Sega will survive.  In Demeter's eyes, the social-networking aspect of Onyx would benefit developers, because by connecting the games in one network, the developers would essentially be sharing each other's customers, leading to growth.  He's even gone so far as to declare that adopting Onyx will "save the App store."

[Via Wired]