If you’re not familiar with Tap Tap Revenge (you must not own an iPhone, or read our site very carefully), then you probably don’t know that it’s essentially a clone of games like Dance Dance Revolution and Rock Band, redesigned specifically for the iPhone’s unique interface. It’s fun, and incredibly addictive, which probably has something to do with its impressive degree of success.

Tap Tap Revenge has reportedly been installed more than 20 million times (although that isn’t necessarily unique installs) and people have played more than 600 million rounds. Rough estimates put the total install base of the game at one-third of all iPhones currently operating. Considering the iPhone’s success, that represents a hefty payday indeed.

The source of revenue stemming from the Tap Tap Revenge series is varied. Most of the apps themselves cost at least 99 cents, though Tap Tap Revenge 2.6 is free, and artist-specific special editions cost more. But the real money is made from ads in the games, and from a cut of the in-app purchases available in the latest version, which allow iPhone users to buy and download playable, often themed tracks from their favorite artists.

Obviously, Tapulous is the exception, not the rule. The vast majority of iPhone-only devs don’t make anywhere near that kind of scratch, but if nothing else, this simple rhythm game proves the money’s out there to be made.

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It had to happen sooner or later. EA Mobile’s Rock Band is now available in the iTunes App Store.

From the EA Mobile web site:

Take your band on the road with 20 legendary songs from great bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Lynyrd Skynyrd & the Beastie Boys, all delivered with the highest, MP3-quality sound.

Rock out solo on lead bass, drums, guitar & vocals, or start a band with other rockers from around the world! Jump into Quickplay for casual jam sessions, or take it on the road in Tour Mode in EA Mobile’s ROCK BAND!

The big-brother version of Rock Band (for major consoles such as the XBOX 360 and PS3) requires the use of mock instruments, which lends a certain sort of verisimilitude to the gaming experience — that is, so long as you can ignore the Thunderbirds-style avatars and the fact that you’re not actually playing an instrument, you’re just thumbing buttons on a plastic stick. Oh, and you absolutely must be prepared to ignore how foolish you and your friends look while you’re doing it. But that’s really all part of the appeal of Rock Band. It’s supremely silly and mountains of fun.

Obviously the iPhone’s 320×480 pixel capacitive touchscreen is hardly reminiscent of a Stratocaster. Without the faux-instruments, Rock Band for iPhone offers an unavoidably watered-down gameplay experience. In short, it loses the original feel of Rock Band. Instead, it becomes a clone of the hugely popular Tap Tap from Tapulous, which was first released in the App Store way back in September 2007.

Rock Band for iPhone and iPod touch launches with 20 songs (listed below), and it’s probably only a matter of time before more tracks are made available via in-app purchasing. If you’re a fan of Rock Band and want a complete collection, you’re probably already firing up iTunes to get it. Otherwise, take a look at the bundled songs and decide whether there’s enough here to warrant hitting that Buy App button and parting with $9.99.

• Attack – 30 Seconds To Mars
• Girls Not Grey – AFI
• Move Along – All American Rejects
• Sabotage – Beastie Boys
• All The Small Things – Blink-182
• Hanging on the Telephone – Blondie
• Learn To Fly – Foo Fighters
• Everlong – Foo Fighters
• Bad to The Bone – George Thorogood & the Destroyers
• Hymn 43 – Jethro Tull
• Bad Reputation – Joan Jett
• Simple Man – Lynard Skynard
• Ace of Spades ‘08 – Motorhead
• Debaser – Pixies
• Ladybug – Presidents of The United States of America
• Give It All – Rise Against
• Lazy Eye – Silversun Pick Ups
• Cherub Rock – Smashing Pumpkins
• Take The Money and Run – Steve Miller Band
• We Got The Beat – The Go Go’s

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Each studio showed off one of its new titles. While not particularly enthralling when you’re watching mostly for the thrilling possibility of revolutionary software/hardware announcements by Apple itself, considered after the fact, there were some impressive showings from third party guests at today’s presentation.

Madden NFL 10

EA presented last, but announced a title that’s nearest and dearest to my heart. Just in time for the start of the NFL’s regular season, EA released Madden NFL 10 ($7.99, iTunes link) today, after demoing it onstage at the event. It’s on sale until the real kick-off this Thursday, too.

The game features all 32 NFL teams, real players, and real stadiums. The playbook isn’t too shabby either, with almost 300 plays available to choose from. You can also draw your own passing routes on the screen using your finger and the iPhone or iPod touch’s screen. Season play is included, and roster updates will be part of an upcoming feature update. The game also auto-saves the state on exit, so you never have to worry about losing your game when you take a call.

Nova

Gameloft also got some facetime at today’s event, and it took advantage of the opportunity to show off its new first person shooter. Called Nova, it features a space marine hero (original!) blasting aliens, presumably in space somewhere.

Nova makes use of Gameloft’s powerful 3D graphics engine that’s found in titles like Modern Combat: Sandstorm, and has a similar control scheme, with movement on the left and firing controls on the right. Multiplayer via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is supported, as is iPod library access. Is it Halo called something else? Is Gangstar actually GTA? Either way, Gameloft is very adept at what it does, even if it’s actually only what other people have already done, except smaller.

Nova will be available later in the year. No word on pricing yet, but expect it to be somewhere around the $10 mark.

Riddim Ribbon

Presumably pronounced “Ride’em Ribbon,” this game puts you in the DJ/driver’s seat. It’s by Tapulous, makers of Tap Tap Revenge, and it follows in the popular rhythm game’s footsteps. You race down a ribbon track, and you have to follow the groove and create a dynamic track in the role of DJ in order to further your progress.

You control your racer via tilt, and use the accelerometer to jump at certain points. The Black Eyed Peas will provide featured music for the game. Completing a track essentially remixes it, and you can then share that remix with others online. Pricing and availability have not yet been announced.

Assassin’s Creed 2

French Studio Ubisoft showed off the sequel to its flagship title, Assassin’s Creed today. Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery puts new emphasis on the fighting aspect of the game, featuring more realistic combat.

There are also some interesting iPhone-exclusive features, like the ability to take a photo of yourself and use it in wanted posters in the game. The iPhone and iPod touch version will be a puzzle and platform-based side-scroller, unlike its open world console counterpart. The game’s setting does match the console’s Renaissance-era backdrop, though. Expect it sometime later this year.

A lot of these games look like they will be pushing the envelope of iPod gaming, which is probably why Apple chose to highlight them today. The only one I’m picking up for sure is Madden, but that’s because I’m a degenerate Madden addict, no matter the platform. Any of these catch your eye today?

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iPhone-owning fans of Lady Gaga, rejoice: Today a new version of Tap Tap Revenge, Tapulous‘ iPhone rhythm game phenomenon, hits the App Store, loaded with 14 tracks from the breakout pop star. It’s also the first version of TTR that can be played with the iPhone held sideways during “boss tracks,” which require all four fingers.

The release of Lady Gaga Revenge is actually part of a much larger partnership with Universal Music Group, one of the big four record labels, that will see more Universal artist-branded versions of TTR come out later this year, and a track-purchasing system so TTR owners can buy songs for gameplay via Apple’s new in-app commerce feature. (When that service launches with Tap Tap Revenge version 3.0, cuts will cost you 50 cents each.) Tapulous’ partnership is similar to the one between the major labels and the video game studio Harmonix, which sells singles for play on their blockbuster, Rock Band (which have consequently sold 40 million tracks).

The Tapulous/Universal deal is a pretty big one for an app that launched only last July, first incorporating music from indie artists, then gradually coming out with versions with big-time acts like Nine Inch Nails and Weezer. In that time, TTR has remained among the top 25 apps and earned an install base of 11 million, Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem told me in a phone call yesterday. He credits that continued popularity to the frequent release of new TTR-playable content, and estimates the game has already sold an incredible 4-5 million songs.

Those sales numbers are particularly impressive because up until now, players had to exit out of Tap Tap Revenge to locate and download new content in the app store. Consequently, Decrem estimates only 4-5 percent of Tapulous owners have bought tracks. However, the addition of an in-game purchasing system will likely increase that conversion rate.

Along with new versions of Tap Tap Revenge featuring UMG music, look for Tapulous to expand the game’s online community experience. Tapulous’ Andrew Lacy told me TTR’s chat feature already processes a million messages a day, sent by hundreds of thousands of players who participate regularly. “We’re just scratching the surface of the community in Tap Tap,” as he put it. With that kind of engagement, I wouldn’t be surprised if Universal stars began showing up in TTR chatrooms to promote their Tap Tap music themselves.

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Taking the iPhone’s potential even further, Tapulous is here to show us how games can play good and sound awesome.

The Tap Tap Revenge series has come a long way since its humble beginnings almost two years back. Indeed, back in September ’07, indie developer Nate True spent a couple of days designing the game’s first incarnation: Tap Tap Revolution.

The latest edition of the game, aptly titled Tap Tap Revenge 2, arrived at the App Store today. Tapulous has been hard at work polishing and updating the original, bringing it right up to spec with App Store high-flyers like Rolando and Zen Bound.

The game sports a wealth of features — online multiplayer, a library of free tracks to download, career mode — alongside a serious graphical overhaul, taking the title into 3D territory.

Start!

Taking its inspiration from the rhythm-action genre, in particular the Dance Dance Revolution series, Nate True’s original 2007 creation squashed the rhythm experience down to the touch and iPhone. It was a different time though — there was no App Store and therefore no official Apple-sanctioned place for True to develop his creation.

And so Tap Tap Revolution found its first home on jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches across the globe. The game design and aesthetic evolved, the community grew and bustled, Tap Tap Revolution became an illegitimate classic.

Jump to present day, almost two years later, re-named Tap Tap Revenge, the rhythm-action series has found its home at the App Store. Now published by Tapulous — the crew behind Twinkle and Friendbook, amongst others — it’s got serious backing and has been embraced by the music industry, evident by the wealth of tracks available in the latest edition.

The folks at Tapulous have been crazy busy since releasing the original Tap Tap Revenge. Capitalizing on the game’s engine and boiling hot reception by iPhone and touch owners alike, TTR has become a series in its own right.

In the past year, Tap Tap Revenge has been followed by two other editions. There’s TTR: Nine Inch Nails, a re-skin of the game which exclusively features Reznor’s weird industrial dabblings and, for folks who fancy something a little more upbeat, TTR: Dance which includes tracks from Justice, Moby and Daft Punk.

No Limit

The latest addition to the series, Tap Tap Revenge 2, isn’t just a small tweak, it’s a complete update, upping the ante with a new features, new graphics and new modes.

The basics of the gameplay are still intact, though. After picking a tune to tap along to, you’re presented with a playing field with lots of glowing orbs flying towards you from the distance. Once the orbs hit the threshold at the bottom of the screen, you simply tap them.

For beginners to the whole rhythm-action thing, it can seem a little strange and unnatural at first, kind of like putting your jeans on backwards to be just like 80′s hip-hop sensation Salt-n-Pepa — it works but it doesn’t feel right for a while.

After some practice, you get your head round the notion of tapping in time to the music and your focus can turn to the brand-new achievements board accessible via Career Mode.

Modes And Scales

It’s an all-encompassing game, as is evident in the various different modes offered; there’s One Player for soloists, Two Player for those who like to swing to the groove together and, ideal for those with a competitive temperament, a feature-rich Online Mode.

The One Player mode comes with the standard difficulty options — Easy, Medium, Hard and Extreme — but also includes a new one that I’d not seen before: Kids.

The Kids mode is a particularly clever addition on the part of Tapulous. The idea is that the game is stripped down to a kind of immensely simple level, nothing too demanding, flashing light to tap on.

Testing Kids mode out, though, I couldn’t help but think it would be perfect for beginners, too. There’s a whole raft of potential new players who would find this mode an ideal starting point but may find the fact that it’s called Kids a tad alienating. But I’m nitpicking because, so far, there’s so much to love and so little to complain about.

The other difficulties seem to be paced just right for players looking to skill up before learning the game’s nuances — like scoring even higher by using Revenge Mode — and taking it online in an attempt to advance up the ranking board.

When I’m not writing for TheAppleBlog, or making music, rhythm-action games are something I adore and like to think I excel at. As such, after a few practice rounds on the lower difficulty levels, I tried out Crystal Method’s exclusive TTR 2 track Double Down Under in Extreme and had a serious blast: It was challenging, fast-paced and, I’m pleased to note, seriously good fun.

Getting The Band Together

Several months back, I was sat on a train speeding through Finland. My travel companion and I had an array of tech goodies to keep us entertained, including a Nintendo DS, Macbook and iPod touch. We ended up playing TTR’s original Two Player mode on my touch.

The updated version of Two Player overhauls the graphics and adds in a catch-up feature, but keeps the essentials that made it so appealing in the first place. The big thing is that two people can play off one device, simply by laying it flat on the table and putting the iPhone between you.

It leads to crazy, kinetic tsunamis of tapping as both of you frantically tap and bash away, trying to eek out the track’s rhythm amid the flurry of tapping and confusion which ensues. There’s not much to it but there doesn’t have to be, it’s quick and easy fun, and a great way to get beginners involved in the game.

TTR has a dedicated following and its this base of users that will make for a vibrant TTR 2 community in the weeks and months to come. The online mode certainly makes sense in the general scheme. One Player becomes a place to practice alone, building up your technique and learning tracks, then, when you’re ready for live musical carnage, take your game online.

Unfortunately, while testing the game, the Tapulous server seemed to be inaccessible a couple of times. Not a good start but I have faith in Tapulous. This game is a big deal and a massive investment of time and money to them; as such I know that they’ll be working to resolve any day-one toothing issues and I’m already looking forward to some hectic online battles in the coming weeks.

Wired For Sound

The music selection on offer in TTR 2 is a seriously big deal. The folks at Tapulous have been hob-knobbing with the industry big wigs, meeting with the fresh talent and even getting independent artists in on the action.

What essentially results from all this deal-doing is that there’s an immense library of music on offer. Before you even get to the downloads, there’s an exclusive track included with the game from Crystal Method which, while it isn’t my cup of chai, fits the game perfectly.

Tap on over to the downloads section and there’s purportedly over 150 tracks on offer, absolutely free. In among the stuff you’ve not heard of, there are some big names in the Tap Tap Revenge 2 library, including Death Cab for Cutie, Daft Punk and The Whip.

As if that wasn’t generous enough, apparently there will also be new tracks released every Thursday. It’s not all about giving though, dig a track enough that you’ve just got to have it and you can also buy it by clicking a handy iTunes link. It’s savvy on the part of Tapulous and genuinely useful for us players.

Summing Up

Tapulous seems to have gone above and beyond anything I expected for Tap Tap Revenge 2. The game is still very much part of the series, there are no massive, paradigm shifting changes, however what is on offer is an overwhelming evolution, a bold and engaging step forwards.

I’m pleased to be awarding this game TheAppleBlog App Review’s first Gold Award. This is no small thing, these awards will be rarities reserved for essential App Store releases. For iPhone and iPod touch gamers, Tap Tap Revenge 2 is an essential download.

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Tap Tap Dance

Built on the 2.0 engine of Tap Tap Revenge, Tap Tap Dance is an all new version of Tap Tap Revenge featuring top hits from the biggest DJs in the world like Moby, Daft Punk, Tiesto and many more. The application offers a far richer gaming experience than previous releases from Tapulous, starting to feel almost like an interactive music video.

At the most basic level, you tap to the beat as the balls cross the line. When you see an arrow, you give a firm shake to the left, right or forward (as you would hit a pingpong ball) as the arrows cross the line. Levels are unlocked as the game progresses, and there are ‘boss tracks’ at the end of each difficulty level: Daft Punk’s Technologic (Easy), Moby’s Disco Lies (Medium) and an epic 7-minute version of Justice’s Phantom Pt.II (Hard).

When commenting on the new application, the award-winning music duo the Chemical Brothers said:

We love giving fans new ways to collaborate and interact with our music. It’s exciting to see how Tapulous have added a new dimension to ‘Midnight Madness

The music featured in Tap Tap Dance includes (among others):

• Justice: Phantom Pt.II (Soulwax Remix)
• Moby: Disco Lies (The Dusty Kids Fears Remix)
• Daft Punk: Technologic
• Digitalism: Zdarlight
• The Chemical Brothers: Midnight Madness
• Basement Jaxx: Where’s Your Head At

Tap Tap Dance is available now for $4.99.

Tap Tap Dance

Menu

Opening Menu

Main Game Play

Score Screen

Daft Punk Screen

Moby Screen

Justice Screen

Christmas With Weezer

Christmas With Weezer is a version of Tap Tap Revenge themed for the holidays, aimed at both Weezer fans and families, featuring six classic Christmas songs recorded exclusively for this game by Weezer. As with Tap Tap Dance, the game takes full advantage of the innovative Multi-Touch capabilities and accelerometer as players tap and shake their phones to the tunes of six classic Christmas songs covered by Weezer.

The Christmas music featured in the app includes:

• Come All Ye Faithful
• First Noel
• Hark The Harold Angel Sings
• Oh Holy Night
• Silent Night
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Two bonus Weezer hits are also included: “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” and “Pork And Beans.” Weezer is standing true to the Christmas spirit, explaining that they agreed to do these special recordings for the game because they are a fan of each of the songs. “The melody and vocal lines are incredible and it was fun to sing them,” said Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo.

The application is very topical for the holidays, will be priced at $4.99, and is scheduled to be released in the next few days.

Christmas With Weezer

Ornaments Level

Santa's Sleigh Level

Business Direction

These new updates illustrate the maturing business focus of Tapulous, who have moved towards both the family-oriented market and also created an industry first — a top band has gone into the studio and recorded a set of tracks exclusively for an iPhone app.

When asked what makes Tap Tap Dance stand out, Bart Decrem (Tapulous CEO) highlighted that Tap Tap Revenge is a relatively simple game, but here they are tapping into the full power of OpenGL to offer a much richer visual experience and, especially with the three boss tracks on Tap Tap Dance, an experience that is moving towards almost an interactive music video experience. Tapulous is carving out a new music gaming experience, fully utilizing the the unique features of the iPhone and iPod touch.

Both apps show Tapulous’ success working with bands and labels. Tap Tap Dance has ten of the most highly regarded tracks of the last few years, including an exclusive remix by Morgan Page, the “hottest remixer in the industry” (Madonna just hired him to do the official remix for her upcoming single). In the case of Christmas With Weezer, it’s the first time a major band has gone in the studio and recorded six tracks exclusively for an iPhone app.

Looking Ahead

So, what should we expect from Tapulous as we move into 2009?

Expect us to do more of this in 2009, and continue to offer premium versions of Tap Tap Revenge featuring really awesome music and a great experience. We will also continue to develop the free edition, with Tap Tap Revenge II slated for early 2009 release. These powerful technologies will be rolled back into the free version – it will be ad-supported – and users will be able to get access to the premium content they’ve purchased in the free game.

Hopefully, Tapulous will continue to grow and develop their line-up of applications over the coming year. I’m sure many users will appreciate these advanced features feeding back into the free version of the app, but the market for premium content from prestigious musicians seems to be thriving.

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Guitar Rock Tour has arrived to challenge Tap Tap Revenge‘s rhythm-action throne. The new arrival touts a bevy of terrific tunes to tap along to, plus the option to play drums or guitar, loads of characters and unlockable awards.

While Guitar Rock Tour may be Rock Band squished on to the iPhone, it’s just as loud and rocks just as hard. Whereas Tap Tap Revenge is free, Guitar Rock Tour costs a few bucks ($9.99) and as such is polished better than a factory fresh Fender Strat.

At the core of any decent music-based game is the soundtrack and, while all of the song in GRT are sound-a-likes of the real thing, these are well performed covers and during a frenetic, in-game jam session the tracks come across as hard-rocking and suitably authentic.

Choose your track in Guitar Rock Tour

There’s a real range of tunes too, most of them classics in their own right, from contemporary tunes like Bloc Party’s Banquet across to classic hits with recognizable riffs such as Message in a Bottlee by The Police. Conversely, Tap Tap Revenge is heavy on excellent, yet obscure, indie and electronic artists spiced with a few chart-topping acts like Kaiser Chiefs and The Offspring.

In essence, the soundtrack for Tap Tap Revenge is more experimental and certainly more edgy. Where Gameloft call on a Blink-182 cover for some cool caché in Guitar Rock Tour, the folks at Tapulous feature girl-kissing chart topper Katy Perry’s latest hit in Tap Tap Revenge.

Play drums too in Guitar Rock Tour

One thing that Guitar Rock Tour implements wonderfully is multiple instruments. For each track you’re able to choose between shredding your way to fame on guitar or beating your way out of obscurity on the drums. In particular, playing the guitar is a joy: with chords executed in a smart way and techniques included for hammer-ons and pull-offs.  As a result, it’s far more tactile-feeling than TTR.

Another feature in Guitar Rock Tour that is absent from Tap Tap Revenge (though not necessarily missed), is a Tour mode. After picking a character and signing a cartoony contract, you and your amateur band take to the road, playing tunes across the U.S. and Canada, and rocking your way to stardom.

Along the way you also pick up various awards, meet some odd characters and unlock new tracks to play live. The story is indeed silly, yet it’s great fun and certainly a compelling way of playing through the game’s selection of 17 tunes.

Stylized clarity in Tap Tap Revenge

In terms of the graphics, the aesthetic in Tap Tap Revenge has a stylized clarity, suiting tons of musical genres, while Guitar Rock Tour is designed with a gritty rock feel — it’s like Guitar Hero meets one of those dingy little bars where the bands jam around Hendrix tunes. Effectively, it’s cliché but it works and screams of console-gaming.

But although Guitar Rock Tour clearly means business, there’s a show-stopping bug that lets the entire game down. On tracks that require more shredding and finger-picking, the backing track falls out of sync with the guitar track. As a result, the game suddenly becomes a lot harder to play and the music ends up sounding like a bad covers band who can’t seem to play in time.

The folks over at Gameloft have made a raucous rocker of a music game, with a stomping soundtrack too, and yet sometimes it just doesn’t work. For now, we’d say hold back from investing until Gameloft patches the problem and releases an updated version of Guitar Rock Tour.

In the mean time, grab Tap Tap Revenge, it may not have all the extras of Guitar Rock Tour, but it’s free, plays very well and includes some fantastic tunes too.

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Get ready iPhone-bearing fans of Trent Reznor, a special edition of Tap Tap Revenge has just been released featuring the music of Nine Inch Nails. The game features 16 NIN tracks, from albums Slip and Ghosts I-IV, hand-selected by Reznor himself.

Tap Tap Revenge was one of the first and most popular games on the iPhone platform, and according to some claims boasts more than 2 million users. Tapulous, Tap Tap Revenge’s developer, purchased the game from Nate True, who’d released the original version as Tap Tap Revolution for jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches. The track list for the original release version of Tap Tap Revenge is made up of independent artists, and the NIN edition marks the first time a major label release has been used. This is also the latest in a recent string of attempts on Reznor’s part to experiment with alternative methods of music distribution, like the decision to release “The Slip” for free in downloadable, non-DRM format.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Tap Tap Revenge resembles rhythm-based games like Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. Players tap glowing dots as they come down one of three neon-colored lines, trying to hit the dots in time with the music as they hit the bottom of the iPhone’s screen. The original version has been featured in Apple commercials, and it is highly likely that their endorsement will see more major artists following NIN’s lead, depending on the success of this most recent release.

Tap Tap Revenge: NIN not only features the band’s music, but also sports a custom red-and-black theme with all new graphics, and unlockable difficulty levels and tracks. You can get it in the App Store now for $4.99, or try the original version first for free.

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