Little White Bear Studios, an active participant in our forums, has released their second game for the iPhone and it's called Zentomino [App Store]. Gameplay is similar to their previous title TanZen [App Store].
Find your Zen again, with Zentomino! Like its award winning sister game, TanZen, Zentomino takes you on an ever expanding journey of peaceful challenges. This time around, explore the world of pentominoes, where you must recreate a shape by using up to twelve differently shaped puzzle pieces. Like TanZen, you'll be given a wide variety of puzzles, which will grow considerably over time!
The object of the game is to completely fill out the given silhouette with the pieces given. 144 different puzzles are offered in this first version and there's no time limit to play against.
iPhone Clan has released an online multiplayer version of Reversi (Othello) appropriately titled Reversi Online Tournament [App Store].
Reversi Online Tournament is one of the first revolutionary online games that is designated to the iPhone/iPod Touch. Meet new people online or play against your friends. Gain points in a special online ranking system, one that rewards you for playing against stronger foes. Fight so that you can make the "Hall of Fame," a list of the top ten best players. You start off with a 1200 rating. How far will you get?
In an effort to build up their pool of players, they are offering their app for free for a limited time. The original price of the application was $2.99.
There aren't that many online players at the moment, but that should improve as more people try the app. We played a brief tournament and found the app to be well implemented and the online play worked well.
Mobile developer Digital Chocolate has brought an iPhone version of its mobile handset title Brick Breaker Revolution 3D [link] to the App Store. Brick Breaker is an Arkanoid style game with a bit more depth than most.
It's a 3D, touch-controlled affair that presents a colorful array of blocks set at an angle. In Classic Mode, the game plays pretty much like the typical Arkanoid clone--use the paddle destroy bricks with a ball, collecting power-ups along the way. In this mode you move through 99 levels and then face a final boss. It's well done and fun, but it's the Revolution Mode that sets this game apart.
In Revolution Mode, each level contains one key brick. When that brick is destroyed the top and bottom walls vanish and a paddle appears at the top of the screen, mirroring the one on the bottom. You can continue destroying bricks by keeping the ball on the screen with the paddles, but letting the ball pass out of the playfield slides the action upwards or downwards to the neighboring level. You can move freely up or down from any level once its key brick is destroyed, and at the top of each series of levels lies an animated brick boss that must be defeated. There's also a Time Trail mode where it's a race against the clock to destroy the most bricks.
Brick Breaker Revolution 3D is a clever twist on the formula that's actually a lot of fun. Revolution Mode is truly unique and the in-game power-ups are some of the most interesting I've seen in a title of this sort. The following gameplay video of the mobile version gives a feel for the action, but with less polish than the superior iPhone offering.
Earlier this week we pointed to a video preview of Namco's then-upcoming Alpine Racer [App Store], a downhill ski / snowboard title that was described as "SSX-like." Since then the game has appeared in the App Store and, as a particular fan of SSX across several living room and mobile consoles, I must say that "SSX-like", Alpine Racer is not.
Oh, it's not the worst ski / snowboard title I've encountered. In fact, it's likely the best such title in the App Store. But I've played better ski / snowboard games on the (original) Playstation and Nintendo 64...and those are 14 year old consoles.
Alpine Racer brings the familiar (for such titles) Story Mode and Time Attack play modes. The game's options screen allows the player to choose between touch and tilt controls, both of which allow easy control of the onscreen character. Gameplay involves racing solo, racing an opponent, or racing a "ghost" to the finish line.
The problem with Alpine Racer is that if feels like the port of a pre-existing mobile handset title that it is. The game's low polygon count combined with its low texture quality makes for a rather unimpressive downhill outing. Not to mention the framerate issues (at least on the iPhone 3G, though the Namco 2G iPod touch video shows, unsurprisingly, smoother gameplay). It just doesn't "flow."
Hardcore fans of the genre may find appeal in Alpine Racer given the lack of other quality downhill options in the App Store, but any other sort of gamer will likely find the game rather lacking. You can try the game out for yourself with the limited (one race) Lite version [App Store]
Space Ninja has been one of our favorite iPhone games with an excellent use of the accelerometer. We first reviewed the game in January and found it to be a unique iPhone experience.
The ship itself is controlled using the accelerometer — which is nothing new — but also provided is an unlimited “bullet time” (slow motion) mode where by simply tapping down and holding your finger to the screen, the action slows down and the view slowly zooms in so you can perform more exact movements with the accelerometer.
The developer has since released a Lite version [App Store] of the game to try out and has just dropped the price of the full version to only $0.99 [App Store] for this weekend.
Also just added is the option for up to 4-way multiplayer on the same device. The developer accomplished this by allowing for a virtual joypad to control each ship's movement. We haven't had time to extensively test this feature out, but the controls worked better than we had thought they would.
We highly recommend at least giving the Lite version of Space Ninja a try, and at $0.99 the full version is a steal.
We recently reported that Chillingo's iDracula [App Store], still sitting at the #1 spot in the iTunes App Store, would soon be getting a major update. The developer posted details to our forums.
Don’t have much time, but wanted to say that a new game mode is amazing - I just love it . As I see in the recent messages, someone suggested it - it’s Wave Attack, where monsters attack wave by wave, with a chance to give you a rest between. I’ve also made a different Perk system for this mode.
Ah, and there will be another mode, which is not done yet, but should be fun, too. I won’t reveal details on this one. Let it be surprise.
We've since learned more of what the v1.1 update will bring:
2 new levels
2 new weapons
2 new game modes
Online highscore system
Various minor fixes and tweaks
Chillingo has recently posted a gameplay screenshot in our forums showing one of the new levels (above) and released a short video that reveals a number of the update's features.
The iDracula v1.1 update should be available in early March.
Chillingo just sent us word that they will soon be releasing a "lite" version of Vector Tanks [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch. Vector Tank is a free version in deathmatch mode--one kill and it's game over. This should help gamers who are on the fence decide if they want to make the paid app plunge.
Vector Tanks feels like Battlezone2.0. It’s a first-person 3D tank shooter with a vector-based battlefield display akin to the classic we know so well, but it features certain modern touches that give the game a fresh, new feel while not sullying the core retro gameplay. The notable enhancements include semi-translucent vectors that glow with a warmth reminiscent of arcade CRTs of old, a smooth inertial “sway” to the motion of the tank, and a convincing jolt resulting from the shockwave of near-proximity explosions. It all fits together nicely.
We reviewed Vector Tanks earlier this month and found it to be great fun and one of the best retro titles available in the App Store.
Ngmoco has released their latest game to the App Store. This time it's a word game called WordFu [App Store]. The game is available for an introductory price of $0.99 and falls in their category of so-called "fast" apps which aim to deliver high quality games at low prices.
WordFu is a word-finding game that's described as "the ultimate word puzzler" which incorporates the use of realistic on-screen dice with word finding.
The game's 3d dice resembles our favorite dice roller Mach Dice -- and for good reason. It appears Ngmoco has licensed the Mach Dice dice engine for the game. That means you get the same realistic dice rolling and pseudo-3d perspective with tilt that also comes with the original app.
The game itself is simple at its core, but is delivered with the style and polish we've come to expect from Ngmoco's titles. You are presented with 9 dice with different letters on each side. You are given a bit of time to shake your phone to rescramble the dice or you may simply choose to re-roll a single die by flicking it. Once you are happy with your set of letters (or time runs out), you can start the game which gives you 45 seconds to find as many words as possible. Letters can be used more than once per word in standard mode or can be limited to one use in Shaolin mode (see options). As you progress, you can even get power-up dice which offer special abilities including freezing time, rerolling one die, and doubling your score.
Here's a developer video showing off some of the game:
The game takes its kung-fu inspiration seriously and is complete with over-the-top (and thoroughly enjoyable) sound effects. The game offers local highscore ranks, achievements and head-to-head Wi-Fi play.
At only a $0.99 introductory price, it's seems easily worth it.
When the iPhone was first unveiled by Steve Jobs during the Macworld 2007 keynote, most of the people in attendance stared in slackjawed amazement. During those two hours we were exposed to perhaps the most innovative mobile device ever created. So much cutting edge technology all wrapped up in a multitouch / accelerometer-based package. And when, a year later, Apple announced the freely available iPhone SDK, it was immediately clear that what we'd seen from the iPhone so far was just the tip of the iceberg. And my first thoughts? Gaming--and no surprise.
We knew then that amazing things were to come... And they have. There are currently over 20,000 applications in the iTunes App Store--a large number of them games. And while, true, many (most?) aren't particularly noteworthy, there are some true gems out there. But of those precious gems, which shone the brightest? Which best utilized the iPhone's unique combination of controls? That was a hard question to answer. A hard question to answer--until Secret Exit's Zen Bound [App Store] made its debut.
I usually save the overall assessment until the end of the review. But I will go ahead and say it up front: Zen Bound is the most polished and ideally suited game created for the iPhone platform.
Zen Bound involves wrapping various shapes of stone and wood--blocks, whales, birds, and the like--in a paint-soaked rope in order to, as completely as possible, cover them with paint. It sounds like a basic and perhaps bland proposition, frankly. But as Secret Exit suggests, it's a calm and meditative experience. And I can tell you--not a boring one.
The game features 51 levels across two different paths: Tree of Reflection and Tree of Challenge. The former consists of animal shapes, the latter more basic geometric objects. Both routes present the player with a tree that winds its way upwards, adorned with a variety of shape symbols, punctuated by lanterns. Selecting a shape symbol brings forth the indicate 3D object to be wrapped with rope. Each lantern is marked with a number that indicates how many flowers must be acquired in order to light the shapes above it. It is possible to achieve up to three flowers per object, depending on the percentage of the object that you are able to cover in paint. (To achieve three flowers requires 99% coverage.)
Each object presented is shown suspended in mid-air in front of a backdrop. The graphics quality of everything onscreen--object, backdrop, rope, and lighting--is superb. The objects look very realistic and exhibit high quality texture filtering and glass-smooth animation. The game presents some of the best graphics I've ever seen on the iPhone. A soothing audio track plays throughout with realistic rope creaking sounds that add greatly to the overall experience. The game features binaural audio processing that, when used with headphones, creates an enveloping soundscape that is truly immersive.
When we inquired into the game's release date with Secret Exit back in January, they underscored the fact that they were more focused on polish as opposed to the earliest release date with Zen Bound. And while screenshots and gameplay videos clearly demonstrate the high level of polish to the game's visuals, what's less easily noted is just how well the touchscreen controls have been implemented. The onscreen wooden objects can be smoothly rotated in any direction with a single-finger swipe and can be spun radially with two fingers. The angle of the rope is determined by the orientation of the iPhone. This all comes together to provide a control system that is, in a word, perfect--it truly makes you feel like you're rotating an actual object in 3D space.
Zen Bound really does cause you to get "lost" in a play session. And the more you play, the easier it is to become fully engrossed, thanks to the increase in skill that comes with experience. And while a PC version of the game exists, its control setup is nothing compared to that of the iPhone version. It's really an iPhone exclusive. I've found myself holding my iPhone at a distance during gameplay on the daily subway commute so that bystanders might see it, so impressive are its visuals and gameplay mechanics.
Any reader who finds some degree of appeal to what I've just described owes it to him or herself to download Zen Bound and spend some quality time with it. It's a wonderful game that perfectly exemplifies just what the iPhone is capable of as a game platform. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Zen Bound is a meditative game involving wrapping objects of wood and stone with rope. It has an appeal that's hard to describe and is the perfect demonstration of what iPhone gaming can be.
Secret Exit and a dozen other companies are presently sponsors of this site, but that does not affect our choice of coverage or influence our review. We simply love this game.
DS Media Labs has released their version of Tron's Light Cycles with Light Rider [App Store]. This is a game we first heard about back in August and is finally making it to market. The company was beat to the App Store market, however, by a now-popular Tron clone called Light Bike.
Light Rider is a more traditional top-down 2D take on the Tron light cycles in which your objective is to surround the enemy players to force them to crash. The game offers local Wi-Fi multiplayer or solo mode against computer enemies.
Developer video shows some gameplay (along with some cinematics):
Austin Meyer of Laminar Research recently sent one of our forum members details concerning his upcoming iPhone title X-Plane Racing, which was submitted to the App Store last night.
This is X-Plane RACING, the FIRST-EVER X-Plane (for any platform, including desktop!) with timed race-courses that let you race against the computer, or your friends, in multiplayer-mode! This is the most polished and optimized version of X-Plane for iPhone yet, with a LOT of testing done on the AI and multiplayer modes!
Of course, as we always do with these types of features, we will soon apply multiplayer as a FREE upgrade to ALL the X-Plane flavors, but FIRST we are introducing it in X-Plane RACING to let everyone test it out. We will then upgrade ALL the X-Plane versions with this new technology as free upgrades as soon as it is proven for a little while in RACING.
So here is how it works: X-Plane RACING comes with 4 regions (for now.. of course we will add more in free upgrades, same as always) and 4 planes (for now.. of course we will add more in free upgrades, same as always) with a race course for each plane in each region... a total of 16 race-courses. These course are presented as 'highway-in-the-sky' 'hoops' that you fly though, racing against the clock, right alongside the AI plane. X-Plane RACING will show you the time through the course, and number of hoops missed, at the end of the race. Can you fly faster than the AI plane? Some courses race down river-valleys.. others through mountain ranges, other through clouds. Some through snow-covered rocky mountains, others through desert. My favorite is the F-15 course in Anchorage, Alaska... can you handle it? To our knowledge, this is the most realistic flight physics for any aerial racing sim ever done. Pulling these peppy WW-2 fighters, or massive jets, through the hoops in the Mach 0.5 to Mach 1.25 range at low altitude through mountains and canyons is... special.
Then, once you get the hang of racing against the computer, it is time for MULTIPLAYER: Race against your friends! Who can get through the courses fastest? Both of your times are tracked and posted. This works on both iPhone AND iPodTouch... you just need to be on the same wireless network for the phones to se each other.
Some of the other features are a tire-skidding sound that is accurately hooked up the street-racing-accurate tire-physics model, visible afterburners, and basic autopilot capabilities.
X-Plane Racing was mentioned when Laminar's first iPhone release, X-Plane 9, hit the App Store. It's been a long time coming but should appear in the App Store in the next couple of days. We'll take a closer look when it goes live.
Rake in Grass has contacted us to let us know that a major update to their iPhone puzzle platformer Archibald's Adventures [App Store] is now available through the App Store.
In Archibald’s Adventures, the player controls Archibald, a boy on a skateboard. Soon, he trades up to a robotic vehicle that can climb along walls and ceilings, and ultimately ends up with a flying jet-powered craft. He can also summon a floating bubble and send it to do his bidding (transporting objects, pressing remote buttons, etc.).
Enhancements to the new v1.3 release:
49 new levels (163 total)
Option to disable ingame music and to listen to iPod music
Option to enable/disable auto-hiding of on-screen control arrows, which some players found confusing
Disabled gravity of professor's jet armchair for easier control
We took a look at the full version of Archibald’s Adventures last month and found it to be a challenging puzzle platformer with nice attention to detail that we could recommend to fans of the genre.
Illusion Labs released Sway [App Store] to the App Store yesterday. The $4.99 game offers some of the most innovative multi-touch controls for an iPhone game that we've seen.
The object of the game is to rescue your friends in the world of Sway by swinging your way through levels by collecting stars and keys to unlock additional Sway friends that you can also use. Each character seems to have some distinct characteristics (speed, strength, arm length) which keep things interesting.
The controls are unique and do require some training. When you first start the game, you are going to fall... a lot. Don't worry, that's normal (I think). There's a bit of a pace that you need to capture to properly sway. Illusion Labs does a good job with this instructional video which teaches you the basics.
I think it's not an exaggeration to say the entire game revolves around the controls. The levels are essentially progressively harder obstacle courses for you to navigate. While this is likely also true for most any platformer, this fact was somehow more apparent in Sway. What this means is that if you love the controls, then you'll love this game. And that's not a necessarily a bad thing, since there are many who do love them.
The 15 included levels, however, can go by rather quickly, and I do wish the gameplay were better "paced". There is no penalty for falling/dying. You simply restart at your last checkpoint, having lost nothing except a little time. While this may mean you get a bronze instead of gold medal, all unlockables can be achieved through brute repetition rather than (necessarily) improving your skills. This also means you can make it through the earlier levels well before your skills might be "ready" for the later levels.
Still, there's a lot to love about Sway. The graphics, music and style are wonderful. The entire package is just very well put together, and you will find yourself replaying earlier levels once you get the hang of the controls. Each level has Bronze, Silver, and Gold achievements based on how many stars can be collected within a certain amount of time. The unlockable characters also add a reason to keep playing.
This gameplay video shows one of the middle levels and one of the later levels:
Despite our criticisms about gameplay pacing, the overall Sway experience is probably one of the most polished and uniquely "iPhone" experiences available in the App Store, and it would be hard not to recommend on that basis alone.
Namco has posted the first gameplay video for their upcoming Alpine Racer for the iPhone.
Apple was demoing the game at a press event. According to PocketGamer.co.uk the game will be a 3D SSX-style snowboarding/skiing game blending racing and tricks. Accelerometer to steer along with on screen buttons. The game is expected for release as early as Friday.
Earlier this week 
Alpine Racer brings the familiar (for such titles) Story Mode and Time Attack play modes. The game's options screen allows the player to choose between touch and tilt controls, both of which allow easy control of the onscreen character. Gameplay involves racing solo, racing an opponent, or racing a "ghost" to the finish line.
That's right--singular, not plural.
The game features 51 levels across two different paths: Tree of Reflection and Tree of Challenge. The former consists of animal shapes, the latter more basic geometric objects. Both routes present the player with a tree that winds its way upwards, adorned with a variety of shape symbols, punctuated by lanterns. Selecting a shape symbol brings forth the indicate 3D object to be wrapped with rope. Each lantern is marked with a number that indicates how many flowers must be acquired in order to light the shapes above it. It is possible to achieve up to three flowers per object, depending on the percentage of the object that you are able to cover in paint. (To achieve three flowers requires 99% coverage.)
When we inquired into the game's release date with Secret Exit back in January, 
Austin Meyer of Laminar Research recently 
There are four planes to choose from in X-Plane Racing: the 
Rake in Grass
