Zombie Bieber Rock: The latest in bizarre iPhone games

The iPhone is quickly replacing Flash as the go-to platform for half-baked game ideas. Apparently, if you're only charging a few bucks and only promising a few hours of play, anything is worth a try. Each week, in fact, I get so many strange press releases for so many strange new apps, I have a hard time keeping up.

So rather than force an equally half-baked story out of each one, here's a quick collection of recent "Huh?!" for you to scratch your head over.

PRIDE %26amp; PREJUDICE %26amp; ZOMBIES

Yes, the classic novel that became the forced school reading assignment that became a few dozen films starring Colin Firth that then became another novel – only this time starring undead flesh-eaters alongside all the 19th-century socialites – will now become an iPhone game.

I somehow doubt that Pride & Prejudice & Zombies will focus very much on the first two words in that title. Based on thethrowaway qualitydisplayed by the rest of the iTunes app store, I expect the developer (which also made Flick Fishing and Flick Bowling) will simply throw a few zombies into fancy breeches, charge $5 and move on to Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters.

LINKIN PARK 8-BIT REBELLION

Imagine an app that was an 8-bit retro sidescroller, a fast-paced shooter, a customizable music player, an exclusive art gallery and a social networking club all in one. Sounds pretty cool, right?

Now imagine all of that filtered through "the imagination of Linkin Park" and accompanied by the tagline, "One band has declared war for the sanctity of all things… AWESOME." And that the 8-bit sprites are just pixelated members of a band you probably don't care about. And that the music is just their music, the art is just their art and the socializing is between just their fans.

Still, for those leftover Linkin Park fans… pretty awesome, I guess. Here's a trailer you will definitely either love or hate:

JUSTIN BIEBER REVENGE

What a disappointment. This game is nothing more than another in the Tap Tap series, which mimics Guitar Hero and Rock Band by asking players to touch their iPhone / iPod Touch screens to the beat of whatever music happens to be popular that month. See also: Tap Tap Coldplay, Metallica Revenge and Lady Gaga Revenge.

Honestly, with a title like Justin Bieber Revenge, I was hoping we would be the ones exacting our revenge on him. Oh well:

Mar 31, 2010

Charlie Barratt
I enjoy sunshine, the company of kittens and turning frowns upside down. I am also a fan of sarcasm. Let's be friends!