MikaMobile's first iPhone game was released into the App Store today and should appeal to zombie-fanatics everywhere. Zombieville USA [App Store] is a simple but nicely illustrated survival shooter in which you must defend your town from zombies.

As the lone survivor of a zombie apocalypse, it's up to you to battle legions of the undead in a never ending fight for survival! How long can you hold out? Scrounge for cash and ammunition, and buy up to 15 upgradeable weapons as your inevitable doom closes in around you...

The developer says he was influenced by both Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid.

The game is a deceptively simple survival shooter in which you must kill as many zombies as possible with your limited ammo and weapons. Jumping into houses will protect you from the zombies for a little while but in the end you need to make it to the end of the level to progress. Cash and ammo can be accumulated in houses and killing zombies will also increase your cash reserve. Cash can later be used to buy weapon upgrades between levels.

While the game's mechanic stays the same throughout, there is a bit more depth than first apparent. Judicious use of your ammo is critical to avoid being overcome by zombies. I'm still struggling the find the right balance between shooting more zombies (earning more cash, using more ammo) vs making my way through the level (longer survival, less cash for upgrades) but very much enjoying the challenge.

Controls are left/right buttons to move, tap bottom to shoot, and tap on door to enter house.

There have been a few scattered reports of instability, but I personally had no issues when played on a 1st gen iPhone.

App Store Link: Zombieville USA, $2.99

It seems any holiday is an excuse for developers to hold a sale. For Valentine's weekend, here are some notable titles that have temporarily dropped in price.

Free

• Paper Airplane ($0.99 -> Free) - forum thread
• Prohibition 3: Candy Wars ($1.99 -> Free) - from former Newton developer Catamount software. Candy wars is the App Store friendly version of Dope Wars. Unfortunately Dope Wars was rejected by Apple, so instead of selling cocaine, you're selling sour tarts. Basic game is the same. And free for now.
• Sky Thunder ($1.99 -> Free) - A vertical shoot'em up.

$0.99

• Sentry Alpha ($1.99 -> $0.99) - A very nice vertical shoot'em up that we looked at (with video). The game has been updated significantly since we first saw it and reminds us of Xevious.
• SlotZ Racer ($2.99 -> $0.99) - Freeverse's very fun and non-traditional racing game that has become a reader favorite. Now with a online custom level sharing. Easily worth $0.99.
• The Creeps ($4.99 -> $0.99) - A very fun Tower Defense game. See our review. Highly recommended for $0.99.
• Flick Fishing ($1.99 -> $0.99) - Another well loved game from Freeverse. Gameplay video.

$1.99 and Up

• Gemmed ($2.99 -> $1.99) - A strategic Match-3 that we quite enjoyed. Review/video.
• 7 Cities ($4.99 -> $1.99) - Some feel this is the best Tower Defense game on the iPhone. Video.
• Melody Match ($3.99 -> $1.99) - Match with your ears, not your eyes. Review/video.
• The Price is Right ($4.99 -> $2.99) - Classic game-show turned into video game.
• Aurora Feint II: The Arena ($4.99 -> $3.99) - The sequel to the original. Challenge others online.

Hill Billy's developers must have noticed our eager fascination with their upcoming first person shooter for the iPhone. They sent us a note yesterday that their game has finally been submitted to the App Store and that they are now simply awaiting Apple's approval.

Readers may remember the impressive but strange gameplay video (embedded below) that they posted back in December.

The game premise is as follows:

You are Hill Billy: the world's largest carrot grower. You have a problem: a strange invasion of biomechanical creatures hungry of vegetables. You have a solution: your shotgun...

So get ready and try to rescue all the carrots by stopping those strange creatures; Explore and defend Hill Billy's properties, find his homemade weapons and hidden odd items… Where those footprints will lead you?

Features listed by the developer include:

• Smooth Accelerometer-based control.
• Next-gen shading, using up to four maps on a single mesh.
• Dynamic normal mapping to enhance realism on all 3d models.
• Self illumination (glow), even on a carrot!
• Particles-style effects.
• Complex hardware-accelerated skeletal animations.

The developer tells us the controls for the game rely on the accelerometer for movement with the exception of two on-screen strafe buttons. There are 6 weapons from the Poisoned Carrot to the Shitgun (not a typo) in 5 game scenarios. Oh, and, of course, a lot of rabbits!

The game will be priced at $5.99 (US). Bring it on!

Retro shooter fans won't want to miss Spheroids [App Store], a recent iPhone release by Fabio Policarpo.

Spheroids takes the classic, black-and-white game of Asteroids and wraps it around a wireframe sphere.  Your familiar-looking ship remains centered on the screen while rotation of the sphere is controlled by tilting the iPhone in any direction.  A one-finger tap to the screen fires while a two-finger tap sets off a bomb.  Large asteroids drift lazily about the sphere and break into smaller pieces when fired upon.  On higher levels, homing mines are added to the mix.  Various power-ups, dropped from large asteroids, can be picked up to enhance your ship: a weapon power-up to increase your rate of fire, a bomb power-up, and a shield power-up.

The game looks and plays much as I imagine Super Stardust HD would, had it been released for the Vectrex.

Spheroids convincingly conveys a sense of the vector displays of old thanks to its clean anti-aliasing and the subtle glow present on the brighter vectors.  I find this title quite enjoyable and my only gripe is its lack of an accelerometer calibration feature (the neutral point is exactly parallel to the ground)--hopefully the developer will do the right thing here in a future release.  I feel that most gamers who enjoy a nice retro remake will find Spheroids to their liking.

See our gameplay video for a closer look.

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App Store Link: Spheroids, $1.99

We've seen a lot of retro titles coming through the App Store of late and the trend doesn't seem to be slowing.  (And that's fine by me!)  ChronoSoft is putting the finishing touches on Rogue Touch, their iPhone port of the classic dungeon crawler Rogue.

Rogue Touch is the classic dungeon adventure-RPG completely reborn for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Explore the Dungeons of Doom while trying to retrieve the Amulet of Yendor...

Features as listed by the developer:

• Random dungeon layouts and items: no two games are ever the same!
• Graphical, animated actions, special attacks, traps, and more.
• Ambient background dungeon sounds.
• Auto-mapping feature with map overlay.
• Keyboard command system replaced with streamlined inventory-item-action
  system for simple touch gameplay. Read scrolls, Drink potions (or throw them
  at your enemies!) and much more with a clear, simple interface.
• Dedicated on-screen buttons for resting and searching for traps/secret
  doors.
• Auto save system so you can resume where you left off next time.
• All of the monsters and items as seen in the Rogue ports of the mid 1980s,
  plus new items!
• Secrets to be found!

Rogue Touch appears to use an enhanced set of the well done graphics tiles found in the Atari ST commercial release of the game, giving it a nice appearance and a retro feel.  The developer tells us that the game will be submitted to the App Store in the next few days.  It will be available at a first-week introductory price of $2.99.

A future update will bring multiple difficulty levels, achievements, and new equipment and monsters.

Have a look at ChronoSoft's demo video to get a feel for the game.

Users interested in this title may also want to have a look at Gandreas Software's solid iPhone port of Rogue [App Store, Free] which we looked at back in November.

HD Publishing has recently released the iPhone version of Magnetic Joe [App Store] to the App Store. Magnetic Joe started out as a mobile phone game a few years ago and even won Mobile Game FAQS' Best Casual Game of 2006 award.

In an effort to establish themselves on the platform, the developers have released Magnetic Joe for the iPhone as a free game.

Magnetic Joe - iPhone is not a demo, it is a full version game that you can now get for FREE. For free, because we would like to introduce this fabulous title to the proud iPhone owners and then soon bring you the second and the third part as well.

The gameplay is essentially an inertia game in which you most control the path of "Joe" while avoiding the obstacles. But instead of rocket thrusters, you influence the movement by strategically activating Joe's magnetic abilities. Simply tap on the screen to turn it on, and the magnets will do the rest. You have to be strategic, however, to avoid hitting unwanted obstacles (such as spikes).

The game is quite fun and provides 40 levels of play. The graphics are a bit primitive and show their roots as a mobile game, but it's hard to complain for such a fun and free game.

Magnetic Joe 2, of course, is in the works and is expected in April of 2009. It will offer 100 levels, unlockables, 3 game modes, interactive obstacles and an online hall of fame.

This is video of the non-iPhone version of Magnetic Joe, but since it's free you may as well try it out for yourself.

App Store Link: Magnetic Joe, Free.

Firemint has kindly provided this annotated video of their upcoming Real Racing game which reveals some features of the game. These include:

• Up to 6 cars on screen
• Animated cockpit with driver and instruments showing race data
• Touch on right to accelerate. on Left to brake
• Licensed songs, different types of vehicle types
• Realistic physics and collision response
• Camera button to switch views
• Different AI personalities

The game is still in "pre-beta" but they are paying attention to viewer feedback in forums. In fact, Alex Peters of Firemint has become an active participant in our forums. She notes that the company has a lot of experience with racing titles:

Also, you guys might be interested to hear that we have quite a long pedigree of racing games on mobile, including The Fast & the Furious: Pink Slip iPhone and mobile versions, as well as F&F: Fugitive and FIA World Rally Championship on mobile.

Welcome Alex, and we're anxiously awaiting this title.

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Looks like Transgaming is taking iPhone gaming seriously with a number of steady updates to their Puzzle Quest [App Store] game. The most recent 1.2 update added enough "performance, graphics, text and sound improvements" to where even the early nay-sayers seem appeased:

I just had a chance to play the 1.2 update and if you remember, I was probably complaining as loudly as anyone about readability issues. Well, I am very happy with the 1.2 update, which fixes almost everything I was dissatisfied with. The text is bolder and brighter on the battle screen and a filled-in font was substituted for the translucency effect in other screens. The game should now be playable without problems by anyone who needs reading glasses.

These were major improvements. I will be looking forward to the next two chapters and anything else released by transgaming, since it is clear they are listening to consumers. - amn624

But perhaps the most remarkable gesture, however, is the fact that Transgaming has told us that they will be releasing Chapter 2 of the series as a free update to current Puzzle Quest owners. Yes, that means 20+ more hours of gameplay to be added as a simple free upgrade in the next few weeks. Chapter 2 was originally planned to be an additional application that would be sold separately.

This means the $9.99 Puzzle Quest: Chapter 1 will become Puzzle Quest: Chapters 1 & 2 which represents a remarkable value in the App Store. By our reasoning (not confirmed by Transgaming), this should include the entirety of the original Puzzle Quest Nintendo DS release, while Chapter 3 seems to represent a later expansion pack.

In addition, a Lite version of the game will be released early next week so you can try the game before you buy.

But given the ongoing improvements and now with over 40 hours of gameplay, it certainly represents a great value at $9.99.

Gameplay video from version 1.0 and article about gameplay:

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App Store Link: Puzzle Quest, $9.99

Early this week we posted screenshots and details of Chillingo's forthcoming iPhone hack-'n'-slash monster smasher iDracula, developed by the creator of Orions: Legend of Wizards.

It’s a point, shoot and run affair — stop to bag the goodies, guns and power-ups but watch out for the werewolves and other bad guys.

Chillingo has recently tweeted a few updates, including a link to two new in-game screenshots posted to our forums.  The publisher indicates that the game is nearly complete and will be submitted to the App Store "soon, soon!"

Since our original iDracula post, Chillingo has provided us with some additional details of the game.

It's actually a survival shooter. You begin with a simple gun and slow/weak monsters, and as the time passes, they grow stronger and faster, dropping better weapon. You will also be able to gain "perks", as you earn enough experience. There are 6 different weapons - Gun, Rifle, Crossbow, Grenade Launcher, Machine Gun and BFG (yes, it's big). We have also implemented a very nice multitouch controls, so you're like using two sticks to control a hero, and it's very cool. It is also the most intense game in the appstore.

We're very anxious to see this lovely looking $0.99 game in action--and judging from our reader's comments and forum posts, we're not alone in this.  Stay tuned for a closer look when iDracula goes live.

Tired of "Tap-to-Target" shooting games? It looks like Paramount's upcoming movie-inspired Shooter game could be the answer.

The promo video they've provided shows off a very nice-looking sniper-type game in which you are in control of the aiming. Few gameplay details were provided but it appears that you may use a combination the iPhone's tilt-control (or an onscreen directional pad) for aiming while on screen buttons control the firing and reloading action.

More game details should be coming soon.

Like Paramount's other iPhone titles such as Days of Thunder [App Store], Shooter is inspired by one of their movies of the same name.

The game is expected for release as early as next week.

Smiles is a wonderfully polished Match 3 game by Sykhronics that has been somewhat under the radar since its release in October, 2008. Despite highly positive reviews and even being named a finalist of 2009 IGF's Best Mobile Games, the game has never broken the Top 100 list in the App Store.

The game has also been prasied by our forum members as one of the best Match-3 games in the App Store.

Just purchased Smiles earlier today after all the praise I've heard about it and checking out the video at the dev site. It really is worthy of all the praise, fantastic polish, charming graphics, nice variety of gameplay modes, and incredibly addictive. By far the best of the match 3 games I've played on the iphone, and worth a look even if you are tired of them for the most part. Smiles Zen in particular is a fantastic more puzzlecentric twist on the genre. - stephennn

We've been meaning to cover Smiles at some point and this weekend's (small) sale on Smiles Zen gives us a good excuse.

The original and full version of the game Smiles [App Store, $4.99] is actually composed of two different games: "Zen" and "Drop". The developer has also separated out these into their own individual apps: Smiles Zen [$1.99 (on sale)] and Smiles Drop [$2.99].

Drop is the more traditional version of the game in which items are the items are matched in 3 or more to be eliminated from the board. The remaining tiles fall into place to fill the gaps. Unique to Smiles is the use of large reservoir tile on the bottom of the screen. Instead of swapping two adjacent tiles, you are exchanging a tile on the board with this large tile. The use of this exchange method allows you to create lengthy chains of matches by planning ahead.

Zen is a described as a more "relaxing" puzzle game. While the basic mechanic of the game remains the same (swap tiles, match 3 or more), the end goal is to simply light up the entire board. Matches are no longer removed but stay lit in place.

The developer's gameplay video provides a good overview of the different modes:

A free/lite version of the game [App Store, Free] is available with both Zen and Drop modes to test out, so you can try this "Best Mobile Game" finalist for yourself.

App Store Links: Free Smiles, Free, Smiles, $4.99, Smiles Drop, $2.99, Smiles Zen, $1.99

Sykhronics is presently an advertiser on this site. We give no special treatment to advertisers and it does not influence our coverage or reviews.

Last week Cowboy Rodeo released an iPhone version of Digital Illusions' classic 1992 Amiga pinball game Pinball Dreams [link] through the App Store.  We took a close look at the game and found it to be a superb conversion of an excellent pinball simulator and likely the best pinball experience to be found on the iPhone.  Our readers have voiced extremely positive opinions of the game in both our review comments and our forums.

When Pinball Dreams was released the developer indicated that if sales were solid, both of Digital Illusions' sequels, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions, would be ported to the iPhone as well.

Tap To Play recently got word from Cowboy Rodeo that an iPhone coversion of Pinball Fantasies is already in the works and is set to arrive sometime in the Spring.  We contacted the developer and confirmed that indeed the game's release is certain.

Pinball Fantasies generally received even higher marks from critics than Pinball Dreams when it was originally released for the Amiga.

Stones 'N Bones from Amiga version

Pinball Fantasies features four tables, each with one or more high scoring rounds that are started by achieving certain targets.  Each table is vertically taller and generally more complex than those in Pinball Dreams.  Level details as described by the game's Wikipedia entry:

• Party Land - a table oriented around an amusement park, where the letters of either PARTY or CRAZY must be lit to start a high-scoring event. This is the easiest table due to several high scoring targets such as the Arcade and the Loop Ramp. This is the table included in the shareware release
• Speed Devils - focused on car racing, and the player must overtake cars to take the lead. This is more difficult due to much fewer high-scoring targets
• Billion Dollar Gameshow - a gameshow-style table where the player attempts to win prizes by achieving certain combinations of ramps. This is the most difficult, as if the player loses the ball before winning the jackpot the prizes are lost
• Stones 'N Bones - based on a haunted house, where the player must go through different modes of play (by hitting targets spelling out "Stone" and "Bone"), with the later modes scoring more points. This is generally considered the highest-scoring table. It is similar in theme to Nightmare in Pinball Dreams.

See a gameplay video of the Amiga AGA Party Land level.  (Note that the iPhone has a much "taller" screen than the Amiga, and will require less vertical scrolling to track the ball.)

Stay tuned for a full review of this retro classic when it hits the App Store.

Gameloft has released their latest iPhone game Wild West Guns [App Store, $4.99]. While it is another "tap to shoot" targeting game, as always, Gameloft delivers a well polished experience and adds extras to keep it interesting. The game involves your typical target-shooting but also adds environmental bonus targets to shoot (passing birds, rats, bandits).

Features listed include:

• 18 challenges featuring typical Far West environments (saloons, deserts, stables, trains, etc.)
• Diverse targets and enemies (cowboys, sheriffs, signs, flying sombreros, balloons, vultures)
• Interactive backgrounds that allow you to shoot elements in the environment to earn more points
• Extended lifespan thanks to 5 different game modes
• Exclusive weapons available only in this iPhone version: enjoy using the shotgun for extended damage and the machine gun to blast the background
• Use the touch screen to aim and shoot and the accelerometer to free yourself from the grip of an enemy

Gameplay video provided by Gameloft:

App Store Link: Wild West Guns, $4.99

Since it was first shown in September, we've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Secret Exit's unique and tranquil puzzle game Zen Bound.

It is something to be enjoyed at a slow pace: a game where a high score is not the goal. Zen Bound is designed to challenge in a subtle way, it does not attack or force the player. There is also an element of self-reflection, for each of the sculptures is a representation of a state of mind or a human emotion.

Early last month the developer released a series of new screenshots that made it all the more difficult to patiently wait for this excellent looking title to arrive in the App Store.

Since then Secret Exit has revealed more still on their Zen Bound webpage, setup not long ago.  The page features new screenshots of the game, a new gameplay video, and a list of features:

• The most beautiful graphics yet seen on the iPhone
• Intuitive and natural multi-touch controls (tilt supported)
• 51 levels included (Tree of Reflection and Tree of Challenge). Additional free 25 levels (Tree of Nostalgia) coming in March.
• A captivating 22-minute downtempo soundtrack from 'Ghost Monkey'
• Game soundtrack 'Bound' available as a free download to all customers in uncompromising 320kbit MP3 quality

At our last update Secret Exit had indicated to us that they were aiming for a release sometime in January but were prioritizing polish over schedule on the release.  It looks like the team opted to keep polishing and, while there's no set date on the new Zen Bound page, there is an indication that the game is "coming soon" and the developer has said in our forums that they have "high confidence" that it will be out this month (Feb).

See Secret Exit's latest demo video. Gameplay involves "painting" the entirety of a 3D object by wrapping a rope around it.

Zen Bound is an IGF Mobile Audio Achievement and Best iPhone Game finalist.

EA Mobile's Craig Law has been slowly releasing new screenshots from their upcoming Need for Speed title that has been long anticipated. The screens are said to be unenhanced screenshots straight off the iPhone itself.

Click thumbnails for more: