SGN, creators of iBowl and SGN Golf, have just released Mafia: Respect & Retaliation [App Store], a location-based role playing game for the iPhone and iPod touch.

This newly released game takes social gaming to another world with ‘Sin City’-like 3D graphics and clever location-based gameplay. Players can complete “jobs” either in real-world locations or on their iPhone or iPod Touch with the ultimate goal of becoming the local ‘Don’ in their city. With the optional location feature turned on, players can complete tasks in real-world areas against local players. Players can challenge their friends, build their mob and or other players online in their geographic area or around the globe.

The game features a wide range of in-game locations including:

• The Empire State Building (New York, NY)
• Central Park Zoo (New York, NY)
• Grauman's Chinese Theatre (Hollywood, CA)
• Miami Seaquarium (Miami, FL)
• Houston Museum of Natural Science (Houston, TX)

Interestingly, the game is offered at a variety of price points that each provide a different starting level of 'Respect Points.'  On the cheap is a free version that lets players work their way to the top of the criminal underworld.  For those willing to pay for a bit of starting advantage, there are several paid versions ranging from $0.99 [App Store] to $49.99 [App Store], with a planned $99.99 version for those wanting the 'Ultimate' respect.

App Store Link: Mafia: Respect & Retaliation, Free, $0.99, $4.99, $9.99, $19.99, $49.99

As Kotaku reports, yesterday at the New York Comic Con Todd Howard, Bethesda Softworks' executive producer responsible for Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls series, indicated that one of Bethesda's very next projects is an iPhone game.

Howard broke the news during yesterday's "Vs. Mode Live" panel, which included BioShock lead Kevin Levine, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal and MTV's Stephen Totilo.  Croal tweeted the news during the panel.

So are we in for an iPhone version of Bethesda's mobile title The Elder Scrolls Travels?  Or better yet, Fallout Touch?  Stay tuned.  We'll bring more details as we hear them.

Stock car racer Days of Thunder [App Store] from Freeverse is based on the 1990 film of the same name and places you in the role of main character Cole Trickle (played by Tom Cruise in the film), a hot-shot auto racing rookie seeking to win on the NASCAR curcuit.  Other characters from the film are also represented, such as crew chief and mentor Harry Hogge who quips words of advice both during and between races and love interest Dr. Claire Lewicki.

NASCAR tracks are generally oval or triangular in shape and, as such, the game's 12 tracks (across six different circuits) present a relatively simplistic and repetitive tour as compared to street racers such as Fastlane Street Racing, Fast and Furious: Pink Slip, or the like, which is something those unfamiliar with NASCAR racing should be aware of.  The goal is, of course, to cross the finish line first, but to truly excel in the game requires a bit more of the driver.

Winning a NASCAR race involves much on-track strategy.  In order to save fuel and pit less frequently, drivers seek to ride closely behind another vehicle in a technique known as "drafting" which dramatically reduces the aerodynamic resistance of the rear vehicle.  In Days of Thunder, as soon as your car is in the draft zone, a hammer bar on the right side of the screen begins to rise.  Once you've drafted long enough, you can "drop the hammer" and receive a boost in speed and invincibility to help push your way to the front of the pack.

In climbing the ladder to first place, quarters get rather tight on the track.  You'll do a lot of "paint swapping" as you slam your way through the crowd.  Above each car is a damage indicator-- a car can sustain only so many impacts with other vehicles and the wall before theatrically exploding into oblivion.  Damage to your own vehicle can be repaired in the pit, but at the price of precious track time.

In each race your charcter has a particular rival that's pointed out at the start of the race.  Hunting him down and sending him "to the wall" unlocks new cars (14 in all) to add to your garage.  Overall performance in the race, both in placement and on-track carnage, will unlock various achievements including new tracks and even a date with the lovely Dr. Lewicki.

Days of Thunder features accelerometer-based steering with touchscreen control of the accelerator and brake peddals (both either up or down).  The game's control mechanics make keeping the car on the track pretty easy.  It wasn't long before I was cornering at full throttle / no brake.  This makes the main challenge of the game staying in the draft zone until the right moment and balancing your own damage levels (and pit frequency) with that of the other cars on the track while huntinf down your rival.

While the game maintains a solid framerate, it breaks no new ground in the area of iPhone 3D graphics.  Though the layouts and backdrop scenery of each track vary, the overall look from track to track is much the same and aren't what one would call a lavish affair.  The vehicle graphics are simplistic and don't change to reflect damage taken on during the race until the final explosion.

Being a much bigger fan of street racers than track racers, my first reaction to Days of Thunder was that it was too basic and monotonous for my tastes.  As I spent more time with the game, however, I started to enjoy the challenge of knocking out my rival, successuflly drafting, and "swapping paint" with the rest of the pack.  Earning achievements along the way and seeing my progress reflected in the race-to-race cut scene dialog turned out to be a nice draw.  I think racer fans who enjoy a little destruction derby and who aren't particularly thirsty for groundbreaking visuals might find Days of Thunder a fun way to spend some track time on the iPhone, particularly at its introductory price of $0.99.

See the developer's teaser video:

Days of Thunder keeps its limited time introductory price of $0.99 until Sunday, after which it will be available for its standard price of $4.99.

NOTE: Freeverse has submitted a v1.0.1 update to the App Store that corrects a localization issue non-U.S. users were experiencing.

GameResort LLC recently released an iPhone version of their 3D game Downhill Bowling [App Store].

Like regular bowling… except you control a bowling ball as it charges down some crazy slopes with jumps, coins, bombs, cannons, speedups, sheep, grow and shrink pickups and mushrooms. Did we mention the raccoons?

The game lives up to its name with the curious goal of steering a bowling ball down a hill while trying to knock out bowling pins and collect coins. Stranger still, it's actually kind of fun.

GameResort is offering a Lite version [App Store] which gives you a taste of the game with the first level. They have also dropped the price of the full version from $4.99 to $2.99.

Finally, this developer video shows off a later (more complicated) level:

App Store Links: Downhill Bowling Lite, Free, Downhill Bowling, $2.99

Decane has released their second game into the App Store. Their first game was Bubble Bang [App Store, $0.99] a nice bubble color-matching game [Lite version]. For their second game, however, they've gone in a different direction: Big Fun Racing [App Store].

The game is described as a "stunt racer" and puts you in control of one of six cars to race around tracks in order to collect all the coins within the allotted time:

Big Fun Racing (BFR) is a stunt racing game where you race against time to collect coins in various stunt levels. Built upon the NVidia PhysX physics engine this racing game brings great driving physics to the iPhone / iPod Touch. Big Fun Racing has 50 built-in tracks for you to drive in 4 difficulty modes, from easy to ultra hard and additionally there is an "Internet Tracks" game mode where you can download new tracks directly to your device and play those tracks, even when you are offline!

The game is on sale for only $0.99 for the first 24 hours and then goes up to $1.99.

I'll say up front that when you first play the game, it feels and looks a little rough. The first level is rather boring, and it takes a little time to pick up the controls. Putting the car in reverse also strangely skews the camera view quite a bit making it difficult to use. But once you get a few levels in, and start getting bounced around, the fun kicks in.

The game offers 50 levels with multiple difficulty settings (which reduce the amount of time that you have to collect all your coins). Also offered are downloadable internet levels, of which there is one at the moment. The developer's gameplay video gives an accurate representation of the game.

If you have any interest in either the game concept or the video, it's easily worth $0.99 (or even $1.99) and we recommend it.

Later levels are shown in this video also from the developer.

App Store Link: Big Fun Racing, $0.99 for 24 hours then $1.99

So, for some reason you didn't buy Rolando. Maybe it wasn't your style or you didn't believe all the positive reviews. Or maybe you just didn't like to feed into the hype. Well, here's your chance to give it a try. Rolando Lite [App Store] is now available.

We reviewed the game in December and pretty much loved it:

The most striking part of the game, however, is the level of polish and production of the entire title. The style, music, and humor that is delivered adds as much to the experience as does the gameplay. The Rolandos will frequently address you at the beginning of each level to progress the plot, and you will genuinely feel bad when one gets killed.

The game has since seen a price drop to $5.99, so you can get it at a discount if you like the Lite version.

[ low bandwidth video ]

The Lite version actually has a lot of play in it and appears to contain the first world (though we haven't finished playing it out). Be sure to see the "Credits" screen as well.

Definitely a "must try" if you don't have the full game already.

App Store Link: Rolando Lite, Free, Rolando, $5.99

HyperDevBox Japan has been kind enough to post a gameplay video of their on-rails mech shooter ExZeus [App Store, $5.99].

The game is a hardcore on-rails action shooter in which you control a mech. The video shows the intro as well as the various options and mech choices. It also plays through the first level with its boss fight and into the beginning of level 2. There are 5 levels in all. The game has continued to get great reviews from our forum members with only a few complaints that the game is a bit hard.

This is a solid arcade shooter that should appeal to any fan of the genre. What the game lacks in story and depth, it makes up for in pure action.

App Store Link: ExZeus, $5.99

We try to cover a broad range of games here at TouchArcade. While some of the big action titles have clear appeal, some of the smaller titles can be a bit more subtle. Two games that I that I think are harder to convey are Sneezies and Skybound.

Both games seem to have their loyal fans, but these games probably won't appeal to everyone. Fortunately, the developers have gotten caught up in the latest rash of "Lite" games that are sweeping the App Store, and both have produced solid Free versions that give you a good taste of the full games.

Sneezies

Cute chain reaction game in which you touch the screen to drop a burst of sneezing powder into a field of floating “Sneezies”. The one will sneeze (popping its bubble) causing a chain reaction with nearby Sneezies. The goal is to pop a minimum number of Sneezies per level.

App Store Links: Sneezies Lite, Free, Sneezies, $0.99

Skybound

Bounce the ball upwards by using clouds that can be drawn with your finger swipes. Avoid obstacles and pick up powerups during your ascent.

App Store Links: Skybound Lite, Free, Skybound, $2.99

PocketGamer.co.uk reports on the long awaited racing title Real Racing from Firemint.

Firemint Real Racing puts you on a super-slick racetrack, allowing for either first or third person perspectives of the action. Despite this video being taken of a pre-beta build, the visuals and game speed are out of this world, and they come with the promise of some expansive connectivity features.

We first heard of the game back in August 2008. The game promises to offer a number of features including head-to-head multiplayer over network and also the ability to save and upload your replays.

This new pre-beta video games you an idea of the gameplay. Update: HD version added.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

Of course, the Freeverse's Days of Thunder [App Store] comes out only moments after we post our preview screenshots and trailer. The latest racer from Freeverse comes in at a surprisingly low $0.99.

Game Features listed include:

• High Octane Racing - Draft off of the cars in front of you and "Drop the Hammer" to get a burst of speed and invincibility.
• Rivals - Advanced AI racers who will stop at nothing to take you out of the race.
• Trade Paint With Your Opponents - Crash your opponent's car and watch the carnage in slow motion
• Earn New Speed Machines - Hunt down opponents, take them out and add their car to your garage. Unlock and collect up to 14 unique new race cards.
• Compete through 39 Races - Covering 12 unique tracks in six different circuits: Amateur, Qualifying, Semi-Pro, Pro, Superstar and Endurance
• Unlock New Tracks - Progress through Story Mode and earn achievements as you progress through the game.
• Strategically Use Your Pit - Pull into the pits to refuel and repair your car.

Teaser video here:

Blake had some hands on (YouTube) time with the game in January. At only $0.99, it seems an easy pick up even based on playing the beta version of the game back in January.

App Store Link: Days of Thunder, $0.99 (normal price $4.99)

Update: There is a bug that may cause the game to not work on iPhones not set to "English". A Fix is in the works.

HyperDevbox Japan has released ExZeus [App Store] for the iPhone. This is another "on rails" shooter in the style of Space Harrier. Unlike Iron Man, however, you can actually control the movement of your character in Ex Zeus on screen.

The game appears to have been originally an arcade game built in Japan based on the research of one guy. It eventually found its way onto the PS2 (in Europe only) and finally the Wii as Counter Force. And Counter Force for Wii has been reviewed by IGN:

Counter Force is a fun game. In fact, once we’re done writing this review, we’re going to sneak away and play it again. Mixing the gameplay of Space Harrier with IR control and some “we do whatever the hell we want” artistic design and execution, Counter Force has the same kind of appeal as niche shooters like Sin & Punishment, if such classics were done by a chop-shop and never really saw the light of day.

IGN made no apologies for the overall roughness to the game, but found it to be a fun time. Other sentiments found on the internet point to the same thing. This is an old arcade on-rails shooter, but that's part of the appeal. In fact, the game was originally slated for release in 1998 on Sega's Dreamcast but was canceled before its release.

Some early opinions from our forum users were quite happy with the game.

Just played until I ran out of credits (you get 4 or 5 continues) and reached a water level, but what a blast! on my 2nd gen touch there was never any slow down and the game has a real smooth frame rate. the best looking and running game I own for my touch right now.

The game is pure arcade from short but sweet levels which run up to boss fights, you have to learn their attacks so next time you can dodge better. - Diablohead

The iPhone version of the controls are as follows;

• Accelerometer moves you on the screen
• Tap right to fire
• Tap left side of screen to lock on missles, then right tap to launch
• Tap and hold to fire mega-laser, which needs time to recharge
• Swipe from top right to bottom left to drop a massive bomb

The game features 5 different stages and is played in "arcade" style. You have 5 lives to continue but must start over from the start once you die. You can upgrade your mech in between levels by buying items in a shop.

There are videos of the Wii version which shares the same gameplay as the iPhone version.

App Store Link: ExZeus, $5.99

Freeverse sent on these screenshots and a new teaser video for their upcoming game Days of Thunder. We took a look at this new title at Macworld San Francisco where they were demoing it.

Based on the 1990 film of the same name, Freeverse is developing Days of Thunder for Paramount and tells me that the iPhone game brings the film’s storyline along with the action. The accelerometer controlled game features a variety of cars to choose from and both Circut and Track racing modes.

While there's no shortage of racers on the iPhone, this one looks a bit more "fun" than many of the existing ones. Complete with crashes:

The teaser video gives you a taste of the action.

Blake had some hands on (YouTube) time with the game in January. The game should be available this week according to what we've heard. So stay tuned.

Now here's an interesting game that shows a lot of promise: Ultimate Finger [App Store].

At first glance, it seems like it may just be another whack-a-mole tapping game, which happens to come in a nice package. As it turns out, the developers have added a number of interesting elements that expand significantly on the gameplay.

The premise of the game is that you are the guardian of a powerful Crystal which you must defend against monsters who hope to use it to destroy the world. The Crystal is in the middle of a field centered on your screen. You must defend against goblins, werewolves, trolls, and wizards who try to drag the crystal off-screen. As guardian, you have a certain amount of magical power that can be used against the invading enemies. These come in 3 different attacks which are invoked with on-screen gestures:

• The Thunder - tapping on the screen
• The Pillar of Fire - dragging your finger on the screen
• The Explosion - drawing a circle on the screen

Each progressive attack is more powerful but drains more of your limited magical power. Fortunately, your magical power regenerates as the game goes forward but you need to use your powers strategically.

The game gets more interesting as you progress in the story mode and find that certain creatures require certain attacks. Werewolves are immune to fire, while trolls will only respond to fire. Wizards are sensitive to any attack until they start casting their spell after which only an explosion will disrupt them.

For each level, you have two minutes to defend and by the end it can become quite a frantic experience trying to cast the proper spells at the hoard of attackers. Story mode increases difficulty with each of the 5 levels. Once you complete story mode, it opens up an untimed endless game mode where you can play for a highscore.

While I enjoyed the game, I can't help but feel there could be more to it. The 5 levels can be completed relatively quickly which leaves you with endless mode to play. Scores are only kept locally so there is no way to compare directly with other players. Meanwhile, similarly structured high-score challenge games (though less unique) can be had in the App Store for less.

I hope the developers expand on the game concept further in the future as there seems to be a lot of potential. For now, it might be worth waiting for further updates before picking up this title at its current price.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

App Store Link: Ultimate Finger, $3.99

Pankaku has recently released the full version of their Tron-like game LightBike [App Store] which is on sale for $0.99 (normally $2.99) until February 10th. The game offers a 3D version of the Light Cycle game in which you must surround your enemies and avoid crashing into walls. A speed boost button adds an additional element to the game.

The game offers the following modes of play:

• 1 player mode (with 3 levels of difficulty)
• Split-Screen Mode (for 2 players)
• Wifi Mode (for 2 to 4 players)

Meanwhile, the developers are promising over-the-internet Wi-Fi play in the future. A free/lite version of the game is also available [App Store] that gives you a taste of the 1 player mode.

App Store Links: LightBike Free, Free, LightBike (full version), $0.99 (on sale until Feb 10th)

Ngmoco just sent word via Twitter that Rolando Lite will soon be appearing in the App Store.

The company recently dropped the price of the paid Rolando [App Store] to $5.99 from its original price of $9.99.  We reviewed the title in December shortly after its launch and found it to be among the best iPhone games.

The most striking part of the game, however, is the level of polish and production of the entire title. The style, music, and humor that is delivered adds as much to the experience as does the gameplay. The Rolandos will frequently address you at the beginning of each level to progress the plot, and you will genuinely feel bad when one gets killed.

Anyone who hasn't yet tried Rolando should take advantage of the upcoming "lite" version and give it a try.