To celebrate the holidays, Bottle Rocket Apps has developed new missions, characters and holiday theme for its popular iPhone and iPod touch game, “Doodle Bomb”. The new version, available to existing owners of the game as a free download from the iTunes App Store, adds a holiday theme as well as new missions to continue to challenge players.

Doodle Bomb is one of the most popular physics puzzle games on the iTunes App Store, with more than 1 million downloads since its release in early 2010. The game features physics driven bombs, strategically placed machines, and hilarious characters and sound effects. It’s easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master, requiring strategy, timing and precision. The game has been played more than 7 million times, and players have already completed more than 25 million missions, in less than a year.

This free holiday update gives Doodle Bomb fans 12 new challenging missions on which to earn “Bomb Badges,” plus a new present machine that acts as a springboard to send virtual bombs hurling into hard to reach places. The game’s cast of characters has received a holiday facelift as well: the enemy soldiers and bomb-bouncing rats have dressed up for the season with hats and antlers.

“We wanted to give our fans an update that didn’t just provide new mission content, but also gave them a reason to go back and explore the missions they have already played to see what has changed in the Doodle Bomb world for the Holidays,” said Bottle Rocket’s Matt Johnson, designer of the game. “Nothing gets people into the spirit like giant peppermints falling out of the sky and rats with antlers toting shotguns!”

Since its release at the beginning of the year, Doodle Bomb has garnered critical acclaim from industry review sites, including a MacWorld Editor’s Choice Award and being named as one of the five best doodle games of the year by Appolicious. The game consistently receives great customer reviews, and even celebrity interest: in a recent Entertainment Weekly interview with actor Neil Patrick Harris before hosting the 2010 Video Game Awards, he praised Doodle Bomb as a “great game,” saying that it was one of his favorites!

Bottle Rocket’s Doodle Bomb is available for both the iPhone and iPod touch and is compatible with the iPad. The new version of the game can be purchased on the iTunes App Store now for $0.99 (U.S.), or downloaded for free by existing users.

Today we were both surprised and honored to have our Voice Valentines selected as an Apple Staff Favorite. It feels good and makes us want to develop even better apps.

Thanks again Apple. All of us at Bottle Rocket appreciate it.

Starting today, developers logging into their iTunes Connect account to post or manage their apps will see this sign.

That said, even Apple is taking the next 4 days off. Good for them. So, should we take the hint and lower the shades on Bottle Rocket for at least a few days.

The answer is, well, no comment…

We will actually keep at least one Bottle Rocketeer on duty for any of your support requests. Responses may take longer than a few hours, but we’ll be here for those last minute holiday questions about our apps. Heck, it’s the holidays. It’s the least we could do for our customers.

Happy Holidays everyone from all of us at Bottle Rocket.

[tags]iphone apps, holiday, iTunes Connect[/tags]

Mistletoe is our latest contribution to this year’s collection of holiday apps. It joins Santa Wings and Voice Cards-Seasons Greetings (still waiting for Apple to give the nod) as our “triptych” of holiday apps.

It’s just 99 cents. Are there other mistletoe apps out there? Yep, quite a few actually. But we like ours best. Let us know what you think.

Wave Mistletoe above your head at the next holiday party, ask for a kiss and see what you get. Mistletoe will keep your score, kisses vs. slaps, while it rewards you with sound effects and professionally rendered “animated” images of mistletoe.

Just something fun to pass the time, and our way of saying Happy Holiday Everyone!

[tags]iphone apps, holiday[/tags]

You loved Wings.  Now try Santa Wings.  This holiday version of Wings offers the same action packed gameplay as the original but now you have a critical mission to accomplished.  Fly around the world as the Jolly Big Guy to deliver presents by Christmas but take care not to crash too many times or the children won’t find anything under the tree come Christmas morning.  Santa Wings is a great distraction from the holiday hustle and bustle or let Junior take a whirl to give yourself a moment of much needed sanity.  It’s perfect for all kids, young and old. 

And how about a little love this Christmas?  How about an ingenious little app called Mistletoe?  Beautifully rendered and works just like the real thing.  Hold it over your intended for a holiday smooch or hang your phone in a door way to catch an unsuspecting recipient.  Be careful though or you might just get slapped!  Either way, you’ll be about to record your exploits on the handy kiss/smack counter!  Find out how much love (or not) you receive this season.

[tags]iphone application, holiday[/tags]