Star Trek [App Store] is the latest movie to use a game as a marketing tool, and upfront, if you’re a Trekkie, this will appeal to you right away. If you’re not, then there are probably better top-down shooters in the world of iTunes.

For a Trekkie, the game offers a fair amount of content and enjoyable gameplay, but the game also doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking that you haven’t seen with similar games. The basic premise is that Capt. Kirk and his crew must destroy enemies of the Federation and do so in enemy space on board of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Star Trek has two modes: Campaign and Quick Play. In Campaign mode, there are 12 missions where you battle the 3 major races: Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans. You’ll need to defeat the Klingons and defeat the boss before proceeding to the Cardassians and finally the Romulans. A map is provided that tracks your progress objectives.

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It was a long time coming, but the greatest iPhone racer of them all has arrived in the App Store.

We first caught wind of an iPhone installment of EA's highly popular and long-running racing franchise back in August, and after several delays, Need For Speed Undercover [App Store] has finally arrived.  Was it worth the wait?  Most definitely.  Let's take a look.

NFS Undercover, in keeping with much of the franchise, is a mission-based racer, as opposed to the 'round-the-track variety.  As the title might suggest, you play the role of an undercover wheel man infiltrating a series of street racer / chop-shop gangs to try and bust an auto theft ring wide open.  Your point person is a seductive get-the-job-done savvy operative who guides you from mission to mission and gang to gang.  And the key to it all?  Own the road, screw with the cops, and just generally cause mayhem to build street cred.

Getting the job done involves taking part in various types of street confrontations, including Circuit Races, Highway Battle, Cop Takeout, and Sprint -- there're eight in all.  Sometimes the only objective is to cause as much public property damage as possible in the course of a run.  And that, I can tell you, is a whole lot of fun.

Your weapons of choice are many: Ponitac Firebird, Porsche Carrera GT, Nissan Z34, Lamborghini Gallardo, Pagani Zonda F, and many more.  Each have their own distinct characteristics and can be purchased, along with handling, speed, nitro upgrades, and the like, with cash won from various street competitions.  It's rough out on the mean streets, but there's cash to be won -- and lots of it.

The game features fairly obvious controls that work quite well.  Your car accelerates from stop to maximum speed automatically, so there's no accelerator to speak of.  Tap the screen to brake.  Swipe upwards to engage nitro boost.  Swipe downwards to enter a slow-motion mode that lasts but a short period but can be of considerable help when barreling through a busy intersection under the glow of a red light.

Graphically the game is superb.  It takes me back to the first time I saw Gran Turismo on the original Playstation (though NFS Undercover looks much nicer) and found it hard to believe what I was seeing onscreen.  The quality, animation flow, and overall "tightness" of the graphics are truly far more suggestive of a PSP title than an App Store release.  (We're finally getting there!)  The menu system and effects are top notch, as well.  The car models, with reflective windshields and paint jobs, whizzing through the game's various high quality environments, are highly realistic and really give the game a top-notch feel.  And that's not to mention the big-studio caliber sound effects and music tracks.  It's polished, tight, and clean -- an iPhone dream title, in short.

In the area of complaints, I can't really offer much, though a few roll-your-eyes moments do arise from the game's live action cut-scenes.  The drama is laid on pretty thick and, after a while, it just becomes amusing to watch those actors seriously fume about the street battleground scenarios.  But it's nothing so bad as to warrant a dodge of the title.

Need for Speed Undercover is easily the best iPhone racer in the App Store and one of the best iPhone titles -- period.  In digging into the game for this review, I spent a notable amount of time playing on my daily commute to and from the office.  I received three separate comments from fellow commuters regarding the visuals dancing across my iPhone's screen.  "That's not an iPhone is it?!"  And, really, it's no wonder.  This is a game that every racing fan needs to own and is well worth the price of admission.

EA really knocked one out of the park with Need For Speed Undercover.  A title definitely worth the wait.

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When one loooks back on the truly classic handful of video games that set the stage for what was to come and made a real mark with a simple, solid gameplay mechanic, one does not forget Namco's Dig Dug.  Released in 1982, Dig Dug challenges the player to eliminate level upon level of underground-dwelling monsters.  In a unique twist, Dig Dug arms the player with an air pump in order to inflate enemies to the point of exploding.  It was scads of fun.

And, now, that's fun you can carry around in your pocket.  Namco has just released Dig Dug REMIX [App Store], an iPhone port of the '80s classic, to the App Store.

Dig Dug REMIX for the iPhone features a graphically updated version of the arcade classic that strives to bring the dig / inflate / explode game mechanic into the 21st century.  Happily, a classic version featuring the original graphics and audio is also included.

Famous enemies, “Pooka” and “Fygar” also appear on the scene. Dig through the dirt while destroying all enemies using an air pump and rocks! With all the cool new features, this game is sure to deliver countless hours of digging fun.

Dig Dug REMIX offers two methods of controls: swipe-and-hold as well as a virtual D-pad arrangement.  In my time with the game, I found the swipe-and-hold method to be superior to the virtual D-pad, which is rather small and, as such, suffers from inaccuracy for anyone with human-sized fingers.  Niether control method is perfect, but at least swipe and hold presents a respectable chance of coherent control.

Whether you're a nostalgic arcade button-smasher or completely new to the game, you really can't go wrong with this new take on the classic known as Dig Dug.

See a gameplay video of the REMIX side of the action:

App Store Link: Dig Dug REMIX, $5.99

React! Games has released the first screenshots from the iPhone version of the 1983 classic Archon. We first reported that the port was underway back in January after React! had announced that they had secured the licensing rights from Free Fall Games.

The game was a huge hit in its time and was ported to a countless platforms. The game, itself, resembles chess but taking another player's piece is not as simple as just moving onto their square. Instead, the two pieces enter a full screen combat mode where they must face off in a battle arena to determine who takes the square.

Chad Lee, founder of React! Games, provided these early screenshots as well as some notes about the game. Archon Classic is currently undergoing final debugging and is expected to be submitted to the App Store in mid-May. Lee reports they've worked hard to make the control system "perfect" and fun.

We've worked in a nice virtual D-pad, since most people are used to that, but we also have the option to play it (at least on the Combat Screen) with the accelerometer. It is really fun to play it both ways and the response is quite fast. For the Combat Arena, we've worked in what we call, "Smart Fire" which is a little AI to help players aim and shoot in the proper direction, since it's really hard to get a fast twitch response on the iPhone. It works out great and makes the game really fun.

The battle area itself can be zoomed in or out to compensate for the relatively small size of the iPhone's screen.

The first version of the game will include the Classic game with several difficulty settings and a ranking system. Future plans, however include Campaign mode, Multiplayer mode, Worldwide leaderboard, Achievements and Stats recording. Some features such as Achievements and Stats are expected to come as soon as the next update which should be released shortly.

Lee concludes:

We are very excited about this game...it's not a simple port from another platform, but a game made specifically for the iPhone, taking advantage of it as a console. This game really plays a lot bigger and better than most other games and will definitely be a favorite of all who actually play it.

Additional screenshots (click on thumbnails):

Read more about the game at React!'s Archon Classic website.

TouchArcade will, of course, take a closer look at the game when it is released.

Sentinel [App Store] is one of the best tower defense games out for the iPhone, and it's just getting better with age thanks to Origin8's commitment to updates and improvements. 1.4 features a hefty helping of new content, as well as some much needed balance changes.

At $2.99, Sentinel was hard to pass up, but with the addition of new maps, enemies, and turrets and $0.99 price drop, this is a must-have for anyone interested in the genre.

Here is the complete list of changes in 1.4:

• New map added
• New type of turret added
• New enemy added
• New destroyably structure added
• In-game music is now available
• Repair drones now have a toggle for repair/harvest
• Easy and Medium skill settings are now easier
• Hard and Psycho skill settings are now harder
• Many minor balance changed and bugfixes

My favorite feature of Sentinel is the repair bots, and having the ability to toggle their functionality is going to add a whole new layer to playing the game. Getting them out early gathering extra resources is vital for quick tower upgrades... But can your base manage without repairs?!

As soon as I'm finished with this week's Star Defense Tournament, I'm sitting down for some quality time with the new Sentinel update.

App Store Link: Sentinel, $0.99 (sale)

Zenonia is GAMEVIL's epic RPG which has absolutely decimated the mobile sales charts in Korea this year and I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to play the English iPhone beta for a while now. While we had previously previewed an early version of the game at GDC, the text had not yet been translated at that time.

If you've been looking for something on the App Store that compares to the classic 16-bit RPG's from days of yore, Zenonia may just be what you've been searching for -- especially since according to GAMEVIL, Zenonia comes packed with over 40 hours of gameplay.

Zenonia isn't as simple as just completing the main quest and being finished, included is a good and evil decision system that reminds me a lot of Knights of the Old Republic. As long as you choose a slightly different alignment every time in how your character responds, Zenonia should have a decent amount of replay value. (Not that replay value is even a big deal if the 40 hour claim holds true.)

New trailer from the Developer:

The game controls using an on-screen D-Pad which feels clunky at first but quickly becomes second nature. GAMEVIL seems to have put a lot of thought in to how the D-Pad functions and the limitations of on-screen controls. You don't need to always be facing what you're attacking, just getting in range and tapping the attack button will make your character automatically turn to the nearest monster. It's kind of like the 2D version of aim assist that is common in a lot of iPhone 3D shooters.

I'm reluctant to compare Zenonia to the Zelda series, but it is inevitable. GAMEVIL seems to have designed this game specifically for gamers clamoring for a classic action RPG experience, and the beta I've been playing is exactly that. Instead of summarizing the setting of the game, I decided shooting a video would be more appropriate:

Zenonia is on track to be submitted to Apple on May 15th, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the final copy.

The past week has seen a number of sales and price drops on some prominent titles. Here's a list of some great titles that have been discounted.

Lite

• UniWar Lite (Free) - Well, technically not a sale, this is a new Lite version for our favorite turn-based strategy game. No reason not to try it now.

$0.99

• UniWar ($1.99 -> $0.99) - And if you liked the Lite version, here's your chance (again) to get the full game at only $0.99. Be sure to check out our review
• Sentinel ($2.99 -> $0.99) - One of the better Tower Defense games, version 1.4 adds a number of new features.
• Sally's Spa ($4.99 -> $0.99) - Not a game we've covered before, this is a high quality time-management game set in a Spa. Normally $4.99, it seems a steal at $0.99.

$1.99

• Wolfenstein 3D Classic ($4.99 -> $1.99) - id software's classic game at a discounted price. Grandfather of first person shooters. See our previous coverage and video.
• Bounce On ($3.99 -> $1.99) - A side-scrolling platformer for the iPhone. The developer have been regularly adding new levels to this game and is a bargain at $1.99. We previously reviewed this title.

$2.99+

• Flick NBA Basketball ($4.99 -> $2.99) - A very well put-together "skills" basketball game. The $2.99 price makes this game much more appealing. See our hands on/video
• Underworlds ($4.99 -> $2.99) - A great dungeon-crawler which we thought was a great value at even $4.99.
• Car Jack Streets ($4.99 -> $2.99) - The king of Grand Theft Auto-alikes. We recommended it in our review and video.
• Pandemonium ($4.99 -> $2.99) - A 1996 2.5D platformer from EA that is a lot of fun.
• Galaxy On Fire ($5.99 -> $2.99) - a massive space commerce shooter that we've looked at before.
• SimCity ($5.99 -> $4.99) - EA's classic SimCity.

This has been an busy week for the App Store!

Gameloft's Terminator Salvation [App Store] just went up for sale following an already impressive lineup of big name titles released recently. Fans of the Terminator universe should find themselves right at home as they dive in to the action of this third person shooter.

• Play as John Connor and Marcus Wright, each having their own strengths and special abilities.
• 4 different controls that take advantage of the iPhone-specific touch screen and accelerometer to fit any playing style.
• Counter hordes of 11 different enemies sent by Skynet, including some exclusive models exclusively designed for the iPhone & iPod touch game.
• 6 weapons from shotgun to surge cannon and grenade launcher.
• 360 degree view of 3D environments through 8 levels.
• Play as a T-600 in an unlockable game mode.

Terminator Salvation is a 3D shooter that gives you a 360 degree view and has 8 missions where you play John Connor who is battling alongside Marcus Wright and Kyle Reese.

After sinking my teeth in to this game for a bit, I like what I've seen so far. Terminator Salvation comes packed with a pretty generous aim assist system, which greatly assists in easing the frustrations in playing a game where you control both your movement and aiming on the iPhone. Also featured is a cover system which reminds me a lot of Gears of War. Terminator Salvation is also loaded with plenty of scripted events and cut scenes rendered inside of the game engine that keep the plot flowing.

The game should feel very familiar to those who have played Gameloft's Brothers in Arms which shares a similar (if not same) engine.

As a huge fan of the Terminator movies (and even the new TV show), I've really been enjoying the game so far.

The game is being heavily discussed in our forums with some detailed impressions already provided. While the game itself seems solid, it's relatively short length seems to be the main criticism. At least one player already completed the game once-through, confirming the originally estimated gameplay time of only 2-3 hours. So, while Terminator fans will likely enjoy the game, the short gameplay time may not justify the $9.99 price for those with a more casual interest.

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App Store Link: Terminator Salvation, $9.99

Flashback [App Store] is a game developed by the long-gone french game developer Delphine Software for the Amiga in 1992. Since then it got picked up by various other companies and ported to a ridiculous amount of different platforms. Notable at the time for its unusually fluid, rotoscoped animation, Flashback has existed on everything from the Acorn Archimedes to the Sega CD, and most of the consoles in between. As far as cinematic platformers are concerned, it has few rivals.

I first came in to contact with Flashback on the Sega Genesis, originally attracted to the game because of the comic book that came with it and the way they marketed the cartridge. (Supposedly it was the largest cartridge ever sold at the time.) In a time before GameFAQs I'd quickly get stuck or die, but still had a lot of fun.

You play the role of Conrad B. Hart who is trying to regain his lost memory to save the world in the cyberpunk dystopian world the game is set in. On your journey you come across plot twists, conspiracies, aliens, and everything else you'd expect to see in a solid science fiction game. Similar to Myst [App Store], Flashback can be a fairly short game if you know exactly what you're doing. Fortunately, figuring out where to go and what items to use where is half the fun and if you don't cheat by looking at guides, completing the game should take you a decent amount of time.

In the iPhone version of the game, buttons that control your character's actions line the left side of the screen and movement is controlled by using a virtual D-Pad that pops up wherever you place your finger on screen. Unfortunately, controls can be a little awkward, as the use of the "Fire" button needs to be used in combination with the virtual pad to accomplish running and running jumps.

One curious thing I noticed about the iPhone port is while the file size of the download from the App Store is only 1.1MB, it  has you download another 3MB the first time you launch the game, so be aware of that if you have limited connectivity.

App Store Link: Flashback, $4.99

One of TouchArcade's forum moderators wastedyuthe has turned developer and released his first game: Punk Justice [App Store].

Play Jed, a local punk who wants a peaceful life for his family, as he rids his local parks of the gangs that have claimed them as their own.

The $0.99 fighting game offers simple controls (2 dodging, 2 punching) but can be combined for different attacks. See the strategy guide for more info. The game offers 4 gangs/opponents, each having their own speed of attack and 4 ranks of increasing difficulty.

The game is, of course, being discussed in our forums with some first impressions offered. Congrats wastedyuthe!

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App Store Link: Punk Justice, $0.99

Ngmoco has just posted a Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid trailer video on the studio's Rolando 2 website.

The trailer video reveals that the game, created by ngmoco and HandCircus, features very clean "2.5D" gameplay with an impressive perspective shifting mechanic that flows along with the motion, as can be seen in the latter portion of the trailer.  As Matt from ngmoco had hinted in our forums, Rolando 2 has a rather new look, indeed.

The studio provides the following details.

With dozens of levels and four unique worlds, Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid builds upon the success of the original with an epic new quest filled with action and surprise behind every touch. In Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid players will face innovative physics-based puzzles, a host of new enemies and an exciting new world with a fresh new look. Available in Summer 2009, Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid features an innovative non-linear story design where player choice determines how the tale unfolds. Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid has been exclusively created for the iPhone™ and iPod touch by Simon Oliver’s micro-studio Hand Circus.

Stay tuned for more details on Rolando 2 as we get them.

To promote the game, ngmoco is submitting new levels and updates to the original Rolando [App Store] and Rolando Lite [App Store] titles each week until Rolando 2 launches.

Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid is due for release in "Summer 2009."

Last month we took a look at Naquatic's Touch Ski 3D, an iPhone touch-screen skiing game that we found to be a very well done, simple title with an interesting control mechanic.  At both its initial $0.99 and $2.99 regular price, it represented a solid value and was a great ticket for on-the-go fun on the slopes.

The California-based, two-brother team has just released a huge update to the already great title: Touch Ski 3D v2.0 [App Store].  And, while the first release was really two games in one (slalom downhill and ski jump), this new version brings a whole lot more to the table, while maintaining the excellent feel of the original.

It features 42 course and 7 game modes across 4 difficulty levels - triple the content of the original:

• Four Freestyle Trick Parks
• Sixteen Race Courses
• Sixteen Slalom Courses
• Four Tight Slalom Courses
• Distance Ski Jump
• Freestyle Trick Ski Jump
• Ski School Training Mode

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.  In Distance Ski Jump mode, at lift-off, the skis are held in a "V"-formation to maximize air travel.

A variety of in-air tricks have been added, including: Rocket Air, Japan Air, Daffy, Spread Eagle, and Spins (360, 720, 1080, 1440...).  These are carried out by swiping and tap-holding the screen's quadrants, while aloft.  Combinations bring the most points.

The game is visually well done and offers a surprisingly realistic "feel" (if skiing down a slope with two fingers can be called "realistic") with a nice lean and sway to the motion, thanks to the game's Bullet Physics Engine and high overall framerate (as tested on iPhone 3G and 2G iPod touch).  An online scoreboard adds an extra incentive to become master of the slopes.

To mark this significant update, Naquatic has lowered the price of the game to $0.99 for a limited time, making it one of the very best values in the App Store.  We urge anyone who finds the following v2.0 demonstration video appealing to take the plunge.  This really is one not to be missed.

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(A free, lite version of Touch Ski 3D [App Store] exists, but is currently still a v1.0 release.  A lite v2.0 update will be in the App Store shortly.)

App Store Link: Touch Ski 3D v2.0, $0.99

SGN has released screenshots and some details about their upcoming dogfight game for the iPhone.

The unnamed title will deliver an accelerometer controlled flying game that will allow you to battle others around the world over WiFi.

The social fighting feature is a key element that Social Gaming Network's developers will continue to evolve as it serves CEO Shervin Pishevar's vision for platform agnostic game play that engages people in a unique and entertaining way.

The game is expected to launch in early June and will be offered as a free game. According to TechCrunch later upgrades will be offered as pay add-ons once iPhone 3.0 arrives.

SGN is also responsible for popular existing iPhone titles such as Agency Wars, iBowl and Mafia Respect and Retaliation.

Update: SGN has clarified that there will be Free and Premium versions and the game will only be playable over WiFi.

In the past week, we've seen a number of lite/free games come out for games that we've previously covered here on TouchArcade.

Each of these games is certainly worth a free trial, and there should be something for everyone. Be sure to click back to our original reviews for a more detailed look on each title.

App names link directly to the App Store and all Lite versions are Free:

• SnakeGalaxy Lite - We previously reviewed this impressive spin on the classic "snake" game. In SnakeGalaxy, you are a snake, but in a departure from the standard formula, the playfield is a 3D planet. The game features five different planets, each well rendered and of a different theme, and with a different set of challenges.
• Perfect Balance: Harmony Lite - An iPhone port of a popular flash game, this is a puzzle game in which you are given a number of different shapes that need to be stacked on top of a stationary object. The task, of course, is easier said than done as the pieces become more unusual. See our review and video.
• Reflexion Lite - We looked at this refreshing take on the brick blocker formula in April. The game begins with a rather standard grid of bricks that must be destroyed. Instead of a moving paddle along the bottom, however, you are allowed to simply "draw" the paddle in any location on the screen with a simple swipe.
• Hysteria Project Lite - An interactive movie which drops you in a strange cabin where you must try to escape alive. The gameplay presents multiple choice options in a "choose your own adventure" style game. See previous coverage and gameplay video.
• Dropship Lite - Ngmoco's excellent shooter which we looked at back in December. The game's controls really shine, and we highly recommend everyone giving this one a try.
• Iron Sight Lite - iShoot in 3D is the quickest way to explain this game. A turn-based trajectory battle game that offers online multiplayer. See our prior review and video of this game.
  

Updated graphics

A few days ago we previewed the classic game of Boulder Dash for the iPhone. Boulder Dash was a game that was originally released in 1984 for a number of home computer platforms such as the Commodore 64 and Apple II.

As seems to be the case with many classic ports, several of our readers were disappointed that the game included only enhanced graphics rather than the original set.

First Star Software's founder and president Richard Spitalny noted these concerns and revealed in a comment that the company will be including a menu-selectable "Retro" mode in the game.

Based on the concerns expressed by some of you, we (First Star Software) have decided to 'let the cat out of the bag', so to speak, and include the 'retro' mode/option as a menu item, rather than including it as an 'Easter egg' as originally intended.

Original graphics also included in iPhone version.

Richard was kind enough to send on some screenshots of the retro mode though their publisher Chillingo. The game reportedly plays otherwise identically with 3 different controls modes as we previously detailed.