[Every week, Gamasutra sums up sister iPhone and iPad site FingerGaming's top news and reviews for Apple's nascent -- and increasingly exciting -- portable game platforms, as written by editor in chief Danny Cowan and authors Tucker Dean, Jason Johnson, and Ryan Hibbeler.]
This week, FingerGaming covers
Crimson Gem Saga, The Manhole, and
NFL 2011, among other notable debuts.
Also within are the lists for top-grossing, most-downloaded free and paid Apps from Apple's store, as well as reviews for
Zen Bound 2 Universal and
Fling Pong.
Here are the top stories from the last seven days:
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Top-Grossing Game Apps: Monopoly, Updated Bejeweled 2 Climb Charts
"
Monopoly and
The Game of Life rank high in today's charts after recent sales, though neither title is able to unseat Clickgamer's reigning chart champ
Angry Birds."
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PSP RPG Crimson Gem Saga Premieres for iPhone and iPod Touch
"App Store publisher Nate Games has launched an iPhone and iPod Touch version of
Crimson Gem Saga, a traditional, Japanese-style role-playing game previously released for the PlayStation Portable."
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Review: Zen Bound 2 Universal
"The beauty, and mystery, of
Zen Bound is in how it ever-so-casually solicits latent feelings, and in some cases horrors, from the user. It's at times unsettling, but it's always compelling how the unconscious will slowly creep up on you."
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The Manhole: A Point-and-Click Adventure Game from the Creators of Myst
"Geared toward children,
The Manhole offers exploration-based gameplay with no end goal — the object is simply to explore and interact with the animal inhabitants of a bizarre world."
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Top iPhone Game Apps: Hungry Shark Series Ranks High in Free and Paid Charts
"
Hungry Shark leads as the iPhone's top free game download this week, leading to a rapid rise in popularity for its sequel in the paid charts."
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Apple Narrows Hardware Support for Game Center Social Network
"Beta 3 of the iOS 4.1 firmware update limits Game Center support to iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and third-generation iPod Touch devices. User speculation suggests that Game Center's infrastructure proved too taxing for earlier hardware generations."
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Review: Fling Pong - The Planets
"Sinking a shot triggers one of several delightful pinball-inspired sound effects. It feels good. The controls are nuanced. You develop a certain degree of touch as you play."
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Gameloft Beats This Year's Madden to the App Store with NFL 2011
"After being the first publisher to launch an NFL-licensed football sim in the App Store last year, Gameloft has upgraded its flagship sports franchise in advance of any updated offerings from rival EA Sports."
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Top iPad Game Apps: AirAttack Topples Angry Birds
"Developer Art In Games claims the top spot with its 99-cent vertically scrolling shooter
AirAttack HD. Clickgamer's
Angry Birds HD drops to second place in its wake, as
Promini HD debuts ahead of
Chopper 2 at third."
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Kometen Creator Releases Shot Shot Shoot for iPad
"Erik Svedang, creator of IGF Grand Prize winner
Blueberry Garden and the iPhone hit
Kometen, has launched
Shot Shot Shoot, a head-to-head competitive multiplayer action title for the iPad."