Javaground's turn-based stategy game UniWar has been released to the app store at an introductory price of $0.99 [App Store]. We exclusively previewed this game at GDC 2009.

The game is a turn-based strategy game which offers what appears to be remarkably deep level of gameplay as well as unlimited online replayability.

The game is centered around grid-based maps in which your goal is to take control of the enemy bases. For each base you control, you earn more resources per turn. These resources can be used to buy additional units. Units vary in a number of statistics and special abilities.

Different capabilities include mobility, attack strength (ground, aerial, aquatic), defense strength, ability to capture bases, ability to attack after move and more. An example of one of the special units is the "Engineer" which can not attack or defend but can re-program enemy mechas to join your army.

The game lists the following features:

• 3 races, each with varied units
• 50+ maps to choose from with up to 8 players
• Play up to 20 games at once
• Team play allows 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4
• Campaign mode with 21 missions
• Play modes: Multiplayer online, VS the phone A.I., VS friend on same device (hot seat) and campaign mode
• Worldwide Global Ladder
• Email notifications when it is your turn
• Cross-platform game. Play your friends even if they have another phone model.

Campaign mode acts as a tutorial to start and walks you through 21 different missions to complete very specific tasks. Early tasks show you how to move, attack and build and you progress from there.

Solo mode allows you to pick a map (most are locked to start) and simply play head-to-head against the iPhone's AI. The gameplay alternates moves between you and the iPhone until a winner emerges (bases captured).

Multiplayer Online is what adds unlimited replayability to the game. As a turn-based game, the online play is designed to be done asynchronously. That is, you can have up to 20 games running simultaneously and you can simply check-in at your convenience to make your next move. Your move is uploaded to Javaground's servers and transmitted to your opponents when they check-in on their side.

Javaground walks through the online play and basic mechanics of the game in our GDC video:

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Even given our short time with the game, it feels solid, stable and a bargain at only $0.99. If you have any interest this sort of strategy game, it's hard to believe you'll be disappointed. Early impressions from other TouchArcade members are being recorded in this discussion thread.

App Store Link: UniWar, $0.99 (introductory price)

The first Silent Scope hands-on previews are starting to roll out. MacLife published some impressions from the 1999 arcade sniper game that is coming to the iPhone.

The iPhone commands are fairly simple, scaling the arcade cabinet's rifle controller into tap-happy play. As nondescript, black-clad villains lean out from distant rooftops, you double-tap to zoom into the scope perspective. Often, I tapped nearby, but still far enough away to lose all context when zoomed in. Helpfully, the game shows pointer arrows towards the baddies. Swipes realign the perspective, and single taps shoot.

The gameplay is as expected with zooming and tapping to shoot.

As it is, the game sounds like it will deliver what was expected -- a premium-priced tap-to-shoot sniper game. Fans of the 1999 original may certainly enjoy the port, but we're not sure it's going to break much new ground on the iPhone.

IGN publishes the first screenshots for Gameloft's upcoming Assassin's Creed for the iPhone. The game is set to be released "in just a few weeks" and will be largely based on Altair's Chronicles for the Nintendo DS.

You must rely on a medieval form of parkour -- think urban gymnastics with minaret flair -- to clamber up walls, scurry along rooftops, and generally avoid detection from numerous guards, thugs, and vicious Templar knights. Altair's acrobatics are controlled with on-screen virtual controls that look quite a bit like the successful set-up from Gameloft's Hero of Sparta.

The game will be released in the next few weeks and we'll provide a closer look when it becomes available.

Com2uS has released their first of two planned baseball games this weekend with 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2009 [$4.99].

The $4.99 game offers baseball fans another gaming option on the iPhone. Features include:

• Season mode: Select from 8 teams and play 126games to win the season. If playing 126 games is too much, then skip some games with auto-play.
• Tournament mode: If you are more intrigued with tournaments like the world baseball classics, then play tournament mode. It gets tougher and tougher as you make your way into victory.
• Exhibition mode: Have a few games and feel what 9 Innings of pro baseball 2009 is all about.
• Manager: you can pick from 8 managers and upgrade them.
• Homerun derby mode: Try hitting as many homeruns as possible in this homerun derby mode.

Com2uS is also planning a more casual baseball gaming experience with a game called Baseball Slugger that should also be arriving in the near future. That title will focus on batting alone in a homerun derby type game with the ability to customize characters and equipment.

A gameplay video for 9 Innings is provided by the developer here:

First impressions are being recorded in a discussion thread which has been generally positive. There have naturally been comparisons made with Gamevil's Baseball Superstars game which has recently seen a 2.0 version update. [App Store]

App Store Link: 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2009, $4.99

2XL Games are no strangers to the extreme racing genre. They’ve been at it for over 10 years, starting with the Motocross Madness series on the PC, then graduating to releasing six Xbox racing games based on all kinds of off-road vehicles (and watercraft) as well as BAJA: Edge of Control for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

They’ve taken their decade of experience combined with the track design of Motocross champion Stephane Roncada to create the most graphically impressive racing game we’ve seen yet on the iPhone, 2XL Supercross [App Store].

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Those who weren't quite sure what to make of IUGO's quirky Freeballin' pinball game can now try one of the tables for free with Freeballin' Lite [App Store].

The free version of the game offers the Monsteropolis table in Time Attack mode in which you try to reach one million points in the fastest time.

The full version of the game offers 4 different tables with 3 different gameplay modes and remains available for its $1.99 introductory price [App Store].

IUGO has also told us that they will be releasing a new version with a fifth level called Toy Ballin' which will include elements from all Toy Bot Diaries game episodes:

The new level pack is due for submission the week after next. Toy Bot Diaries was a popular puzzle platform game for the iPhone also created by IUGO.

This new gameplay video was provided by IUGO:

App Store Links: Freeballin' Lite, Free, Freeballin', $1.99

Gimme5games has recently released an iPhone port of their charming, cartoonish mobile platformer known as Balloon Headed Boy [App Store] that Pocket Gamer called "a cute, cleverly designed platformer that delivers more fun than a balloon animal sculptor at a kiddies' party!"

Help Balloon-Headed Boy race through more than 20 levels of rubberised madness - collect farty flowers to inflate his head and soar between the platforms, thwop those frogs, keep your head above the rising waters, and rescue the balloons so the birthday party can go ahead as intended!

As the developer's description indicates, Balloon Headed Boy is a platformer (touch controlled) that goes beyond the typical run and jump scenario, adding the element of floating -- thanks to an inflatable head -- to the mix.  Collect all the balloons to move to the next level and gain the gift of flight by snatching flowers.  It sounds a bit corny -- and it is -- but the presentation and overall gameplay does bring a smile to the face.

See our brief video of the first few levels to get a better notion of the game.

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The developer has released a limited, "lite" version [App Store] for those wanting to try before they buy, or play the full web-based Flash version here.

App Store Link: Balloon Headed Boy, $3.99, Balloon Headed Boy Lite, Free

Back in October we got word that Artificial Life would be releasing Red Bull Air Racing World Championship, a game that simulates the increasingly popular air sports competition, for the iPhone and iPod touch.  The developer has just released a "lite" version of the app [link] for $0.99.  The full version will follow shortly.

In the Red Bull Air Race World Championship the world’s best pilots compete in a high speed race against the clock, navigating low-level aerial tracks and flying between air-filled pylons known as ‘Air Gates’. The 3D mobile phone game takes the player into the cockpit of a race plane and challenges them to compete in different race tracks around the globe. Just like in the real Red Bull Air Race, skill, speed and precision are the name of the game.

The developer lists the following features:

• High quality customizable 3D race plane models
• Realsitic control of planes supported by the accelerometer of the iPhone
• Authentic simulation of the race environment
• Action-packed race tracks modeled off the official Abu Dhabi and San Diego events

While the lite version offers but two planes and two race venues, the full release will offer much more, including races in Budapest, Detroit, London, Porto, Perth, and Rotterdam.  A taste of the full version can be seen in this gameplay trailer.

We captured a short video of the lite version in action (though, obviously, I'll not be receiving my lifetime supply of Red Bull anytime soon...).

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Our forum members have been discussing the game in a lengthy thread where reactions are mixed but generally positive.  Member 'tosui' posted a particularly close look.  We'll post a review of the full release when it goes live in the App Store.

App Store Link: Red Bull Air Race World Championship Lite, $0.99

The Easter holiday is giving developers an excuse to put their games on sale. Here's a list of notable games that have dropped their price for this weekend.

Free

• Imangi Word Squares ($1.99->Free) - word game
• Imangi ($1.99->Free) - rubic's cube meets scrabble

$0.99

• Little Red Sled ($1.99->$0.99) - charming sled racer
• Downhill Bowling ($2.99->$0.99) - title says it all
• Hoopster ($2.99->$0.99) - shoot baskets
• Wordsworth ($1.99->$0.99) - Bookworm-like word game
• Rogue Touch ($2.99->$0.99) - dungeon crawler
• 2079 ($1.99->$0.99) - geometry wars-like shooter
• Mini Golf Ace ($1.99->$0.99) - mini golf game

$1.99+

• Chocolatier ($4.99->$1.99) - build your chocolate empire
• Bobby Carrot Forever ($4.99->$2.99) - challenging puzzler
• Low Grav Racer ($5.99->$3.99) - futuristic racer

iPhone developer Naquatic has just released Touch Ski 3D [App Store], a touch-screen iPhone skiing game that's a good time on the slopes for $0.99.

Touch Ski 3D makes use of the iPhone's multitouch capabilities by providing individual ski control -- one finger per ski.  When the skis are held parallel (about one inch apart), the score counter glows green and it's full speed down the slope, but when they're held either together or apart, travel down the mountain slows.

Touch Ski 3D is really two games in one.  A Race mode challenges the player to complete a downhill slalom course in the best time possible, darting to-and-fro amongst dual color markers that line the mountainside.  The game offers a surprisingly realistic "feel" (if skiing down a slope with two fingers can be called "realistic") with a nice lean / sway to the motion, thanks to the game's well done physics and momentum system and high overall framerate.  There are 16 courses across four levels of difficulty in slalom mode, most of which are locked initially.

The other side of the game is Ski Jump mode.  In Ski Jump mode, the objective is to make it to the bottom of the ramp in as fast and straight a shot as possible in order to jump the greatest distance.  Pulling both fingers off the screen at the moment the skis cross the red line at the bottom of the ramp adds a boost to the jump.

The game also features an online scoreboard as well as the ability to choose your preferred ski color for use in either game mode.

At $0.99, Touch Ski 3D is a good value, given it's varied gameplay and solid overall feel.  I actually found it hard to put the game down in order to write this post (just one more run down the slopes...).  We do recommend that players experiment with a variety of different finger combinations to find the best fit.  (I find the index and middle finger of one hand to work very well, but have real trouble using two index fingers as shown in the video.)

See Naquatic's game trailer for a look at the action.

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App Store Link: Touch Ski 3D, $0.99

ChronoSoft has just released a significant update to Rogue Touch [App Store], it's iPhone adaptation of the classic dungeon crawler Rogue.  In celebration of the v1.5 release, the developer is running a weekend sale (4/10/09 through 4/12/09) of the game, now priced at $0.99, down from $2.99.

According to the developer, aside from various new features, Rogue Touch v1.5 fixes most every reported gameplay and stability issue.

ChronoSoft's list of new features in v1.5:

• Find your previous game's corpse in the dungeon on your next play through! Maybe even find some of the goodies you were carrying when you died in the previous game
• Chance to disarm a known trap when stepping on it. The higher your rank the more likely you will succeed.
• Minor new features: Get experience for finding secret doors... Find loose gold pieces randomly on the floor while searching... Find scrawling on the walls!
• Minor gameplay tweaks: Resting with the dedicated Rest button will heal you at a slightly faster rate than walking around. New message warning for treasure rooms. Healing and Extra Healing Potions now cure hallucinations too.
• New rings (2): Disarming (to help give you a good chance of disarming traps!) and Narcolepsy (cursed, randomly... Zzzzzz!)
• New scroll: Safe Passage- when read, it will reveal all secret doors and disarm all traps on the current floor.
• 8 more new secret characters! Yep, even though you haven't found most of the last batch yet A hint for this batch- we had some special requests from female gamers!
• D-Pad is now 25% more transparent. Your thumb is still 100% opaque!
• Screen layout adjusts automatically for playing while talking on the phone with people when you'd rather be playing Rogue Touch (player status used to be obscured by green phone call bar, but not anymore)!

( Other tweaks, bug-fixes, and improvements are listed after the jump. )

Rogue Touch is really a dream-come-true for fans of the genre.  It's an impressive adaptation of a true classic that has gained quite a following thanks to its solid implementation and the degree to which its developer, active forum member 'CommanderData,' has listened to the community and let their feedback shape the evolution of the title.

See our review of the game, posted back in February.

App Store Link: Rogue Touch, $0.99 (weekend sale)

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It's been a busy 24 hours in the App Store. A number of anticipated releases have been released into the app store including Fishing Cactus' maze / puzzle game Equilibrio [App Store].

The $3.99 title is a gravity-based game in which your job is get your ball to the end goal by navigating ramps, trampolines, spikes, and more. While the premise of the game may seem familiar, the game incorporates a number of twists to keep it interesting.

There are 5 types of balls each with different properties and gameplay characteristics. These include rubber, glass, steel, stone and paper. Levels include obstacles such as spikes and acid that destroy the balls on contact. Tilting your iPhone will allow you to build up momentum to jump obstacles and avoid danger. Part of the challenge, however, is also avoiding shattering your ball, so proper control becomes a major issue and you can't just speed through each level.

The game offers 3 play modes including Conquest, Challenge and Random Level challenge.

• Conquest - complete all levels in sequence, though you can skip levels to avoid frustration
• Challenge - Play 5 of the levels with specific rules (within a time limit, don't lose more than 2 lives, play against a ghost ball)
• Random - a level is give to you at random

This gameplay video shows some of the early levels:

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The challenge mode with its unique level goals offers you longer-term replayability in quick 5-level sessions. Individual levels, unfortunately, have a rather poor high score system. As it stands, it's very hard to tell which levels you could improve on. While individual scores are kept for each level, they are relatively hard to access.

Overall, the game is very well produced and is easily one of the better "tilt/ball" control games in the App Store. Like all of those games, however, there is a distinct level of frustration that can accompany them. Equilibrio, however, does offer level skips and "solution" replays to allow you to bypass being completely stuck at any stage of the game.

App Store Link: Equilibrio, $3.99.

French development house Antek Studio has recently released Pirate Wings [App Store], a futuristic racing game featuring casual combat elements, for the iPhone and iPod touch.

3D racer Pirate Wings puts you in the shoes of monkey rocket jockey Raoul or one of his friends in a cartoony but dangerous race to the finish line.  Besides dodging the course's twists, turns, and obstacles, there's also the element of combat; you've got lasers, rockets, and mines to help eliminate the competition.

The game features three play modes:

• Races Mode with 9 race circuits, 3 different environments (Canyons, Underwater world, Outer Space), 4 characters and 12 ships available for 3 levels of difficulty. Use your lasers, missiles, mines and Boost to finish first.
• Story Mode where you'll discover the incredible adventure of Raoul, a canyon pilot who will ally with the space pirates to avoid the trap of the defiant commander Burp in 19 original missions.
• Ghost mode to improve your lap time and compare your scores online.

Pirate Wings features accelerometer-based ship control (that automatically re-calibrates at the start of each race) with onscreen touch and swipe controls for speed boost, brakes, firing lasers, launching rockets, and dropping mines. An upbeat electronic / techno audio track compliments the gameplay.

The game is being discussed in a thread on our forums but has had mixed reactions for the initial release. Issues that users (and we've) seen include crashing and intermittent control issues. A member of Antek's Pirate Wings team has jumped into the discussion and indicates that several of these issues are being addressed in an imminent update.

While it would have been hard to recommend this first version at its $5.99 original price, the developer has temporarily dropped the price to $0.99 -- making it a far less risky proposition.

See the developer's game trailer for a closer look.

App Store Link: Pirate Wings, $0.99 (on sale)

Mobile publisher Handmark has provided us with a series of screenshots from an upcoming Wipeout-like anti-gravity racing game for the iPhone developed by Pazzazz, who brought us Hellfire [link] and GTS World Racing [link].  The game is still in development and some of the graphics aren't yet final, but these shots provide an overall glimpse of what's to come.

We should have more details surrounding this title in the next few weeks.

Majic Jungle Software has just released Chopper Lite [App Store], a limited, free version of their paid app Chopper [App Store], which itself is at a limited time, 80% off price of $0.99.

Frampton's Chopper was inspired by the the classic game Choplifter from the 80's. In Chopper, players guide an accelerometer-controlled helicopter to complete missions which involve rescuing civilians while fighting off tanks and bazooka wielding men.  While the paid app features 20 levels across four different difficulty settings, Chopper Lite includes the first five levels, payable at the two easiest difficulty settings only.

Chopper was one of the early App Store sucess stories and is part of Majic Jungle's 5 Fingers Games Bundle [App Store] (five games from five developers for $4.99).

App Store Link: Chopper Lite, Free, Chopper, $0.99 (sale)