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TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Occurro! - The Game of Stellar Combat
Occurro is, I would say, an above average space-based dual stick shooter for the iPhone. It doesn't offer much more than an arcade experience, as you pilot a small ship around the screen with one thumb while shooting in any direction with your second thumb. But Occurro is a particularly well-done version of this genre, with controls feeling really speedy and precise, and a few nice touches such as a double-tap screen-clearing bomb and a shield around your ship for a little extra time to play instead of just a one-hit kill. Occurro actually came out a few years ago, but it's recently been revamped, with new graphics and extras such as multitasking support and Game Center. Plus, as a bonus, developer Acceleroto has dropped the game down to the low, low price of free until further notice. It's definitely worth a grab at that price: Occurro is available in the App Store right now.
TUAW's Daily App: Max Adventure
Max Adventure has been quite a while in the making. I first saw it at 360iDev earlier this year, and then again at WWDC, where we met up with the husband-and-wife team of Imangi Studios to talk about how it was coming along during development. You may have also seen this video of a level being made in the game. Finally, everything is done, and a few days ago, the game itself showed up on the App Store. It's a hit so far, too. Even though it's a dual-stick shooter, a genre that's been done to death on the iPhone, Max Adventure's got a fun and original sense of humor -- you play a little kid fighting off parent-kidnapping aliens around the neighborhood. There's an excellent story mode to play through, with progression, power-ups and quests to find and do, and if you finish that, there's a survival mode as well, complete with Game Center achievements and leaderboards. Just as you'd expect from Imangi, the folks behind Harbor Master (who recently updated their original app with Retina Display graphics just for the heck of it), the quality is excellent all around. The team at Imangi has put a whole lot of love into this one, and it shows. At the introductory price of just 99 cents (for the universal app!), Max Adventure is a bargain, even during the crowded holiday season. Odds are you've already picked up a few games this year, but even if that's the case, go find another buck in your couch because this one's a must-buy.
