We had the opportunity to spend some time with Hands On Mobile at E3 and talk to them about their iPhone gaming plans as well as a look at some of their upcoming titles.

Hands On Mobile is a global game publisher that has been around for 6 or 7 years already and is amongst the top mobile game publishers in the world. While they've certainly had an interest in iPhone development, they are now readying a steady onslaught of titles into the App Store throughout the rest of the year. They are also planning on introducing their own original titles later this year and into 2010.

Hands On already has a couple of titles in the App Store and are responsible for Crystal Quest [$4.99] and 3D Hunting [$0.99] and also worked on Yetti Sports [$0.99] which is a port of a popular Flash game. In continuing that trend, they are near completion on a port of the original Kitty Cannon Flash game in which you try to launch a cat as far as you can. Several similar clones have already made its way into the App Store.

Our readers, however, are probably most familiar with Hands On as being the developers behind the first person shooter Prey Invasion that we first reported on back in February. Based on the PC and Xbox game, Prey for iPhone offers 5 levels of first person shooting action that should last you "a couple of hours" in gameplay time.

The controls for the game are very flexible with both dual analog stick controls (left movement, right look) as well as digital left/right up/down buttons. In either case, shooting is done by tapping on the screen. The analog controls are detailed nicely in this hands-on video:

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Prey Invasion has been submitted to the App Store and will become available at $2.99.

Screenshot of Original.

Yes, Marble Madness is coming to the iPhone.

Marble Madness was first published by Atari Games in 1984 and is the original ball rolling game that has always seemed to be a natural fit for the iPhone. The original game included 6 maze-like levels that you must complete before time runs out. Various objects and enemies stand in your way.

Over the years, Marble Madness has been ported to a variety of platforms, and at E3 we were able to spend some time with the iPhone version. Mobile developer Handheld Games has been working with Midway to bring Marble Madness to the App Store. This version of the game includes the 6 original levels along with some modernized tweaks and new look, but also contains a "Classic" mode that allows you to relive the old days.

Additional gameplay modes include: Targets Race, Size Race, Flag Race and Night Race. The various modes introduce a variety of secondary goals (roll over Targets, slalom between Flags) or new challenges (different Size balls, or Night mode with limited visibility) on top of the original levels.

We aren't allowed to provide you any screenshots or video of the game just yet, but will do so as soon as we are given permission. Handheld Games also showed us a couple of their own games including Batting 1000 and Lock 'n Load which we will feature in another article.

Gamevil sat down with TouchArcade today to show us the next iPhone game they are working on for a September release. Hybrid Eternal Whisper is another port of a popular Korean game by the same name.

Gamevil describes Hybrid as a stylish action game where the fighting and special moves take precedence over the RPG storytelling elements found in Zenonia. After their experience with the popular Zenonia game, Gamevil is taking additional steps in adapting Hybrid's interface system to be iPhone native by eliminating the original joystick control interfaces. In this early build, however, they warned that many interface elements were still in transition and the language remained in Korean.

The game is structured around 150 levels where you must fight off a number of combatants on each level. Backgrounds and environments differ across levels and different skills and actions are both learned and earned over the game. The game does carry over some RPG elements including equipment purchases and earning abilities. There are various control combinations and swipe controls that invoke different attacks. Mastering these controls may become essential in progressing through the battles. While no official gameplay estimate has been provide, it seems like this could easily provide many hours of gameplay.

Hybrid Eternal Whisper is said to have been very popular in Korea selling as many copies as Zenonia did. As a result, we're very hopeful to see the final release of this game, and we'll keep you updated over time.

In case you needed more evidence of how remarkable Firemint's Real Racing is going to be when it hits the App Store, the company released this new (final) trailer for their upcoming game:

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Be sure to watch it in HD. The official game description was also released with this list of features (full description here):

• 36 cars in three classes, a dozen unique tracks, five game modes
• Three divisions to play through
• Massive career mode with 57 events to complete
• Ten licensed music tracks from indy artists
• Six cars on screen
• Touch or tilt to steer
• Manual or automatic acceleration and braking
• In-car cockpit view or external camera
• Local multiplayer over WiFi
• Online league play
• Online leaderboards
• Video replays on YouTube
• Create personal leaderboards at www.cloudcell.com

You can follow @RealRacing on Twitter, check out the FaceBook page, and, of course, keep an eye on Touch Arcade for news about this highly anticipated racing game. Real Racing will also be featured at the iPhone Launch Party at WWDC.

As we have mentioned, Touch Arcade will be on-location in San Francisco for the full week of Apple's World Wide Developer Conference 2009, providing keynote and iPhone gaming coverage.  Additionally, TouchArcade (Arnold Kim, Blake Patterson) and MacHeist (Phill Ryu, John Casasanta) will be co-hosting what we hope is the highpoint event of the week, the iPhone Launch Party 2009.

The iPhone Launch Party, which takes place on Wednesday, June 10th from 8 PM to midnight, will serve as the official launch party of Firemint's much-anticipated racing title, Real Racing.  A number of other notable titles will be demonstrated for the first time at the event as well, including Freeverse's Warpack Grunts and Toy Kite's iSamurai games, as well as new apps from Delicious Monster, tap tap tap and possibly more.

A large number of notable personalities will be in attendance as well, including:

• John Geleynse, Eric Hope, and Matt Drance of Apple, Inc.
• Robert Murray of Firemint
• Ian Lynch Smith of Freeverse
• Simon Oliver of HandCircus
• Wil Shipley of Delicious Monster
• Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron of Aurora Feint
• Brian Greenstone of Pangea Software
• Leander Kahney of Cult of Mac
  
• Brian Lam of Gizmodo
• Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova of Imangi Studios

The event will take place at the Cartoon Art Museum at 655 Mission Street in San Francisco and should be an amazing time for all.  And not just because of the free champagne....

If you're interested in attending, visit the official party site to sign up and look for a confirmation email, but space is limited.

Yesterday we took a first look at two particularly promising Gameloft games Real Tennis 2009 and Castle of Magic. While we posted the developer's trailer videos, without seeing them played in hand they never quite capture the feel of the game. So, here are a couple of hands on videos we recorded.

This first video is of Gameloft's upcoming side-scroller Castle of Magic which looks and feels like a console-quality platformer on the iPhone. This video shows a Gameloft representative playing through one of the levels. The beautiful graphics, variety in level design and extra little flourishes really impressed us:

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Now this next video is where I try my hand at Real Tennis 2009. Now, I do manage to lose every point, but to be fair, it was one of my first times playing and I was just getting used to the controls. That said, I did spend a little more time and found the game to be fun and controls pretty solid. Note that swipes can be used to produce different strokes such as lobs, slices, drop shots and more.

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Both games will be priced at $5.99 and are expected this month.

So often with games that have incredibly long development cycles, the final product rarely lives up to the hype that fans have generated amongst themselves between screenshots and trailers. This morning a preview build of Real Racing landed in my inbox, and I feel confident in confirming the hype. This game is unlike any racing game I've seen on the iPhone. In fact, to accurately compare it to another racing game I'd need to look to the PSP or PlayStation.

Firemint has asked that we limit ourselves to publishing hands-on first impressions until the game is released, so I really can't go in to too much detail about the game other than to say it has completely exceeded my expectations. The tilt controls of the iPhone seem to naturally translate to the motions of a steering wheel, so there is no shortage of iPhone racing games, there are just none that are as technically impressive and full featured as Real Racing.

Tilting to drive works just as well as all the other racing games on the platform, and using the default options the game has a brake assist system enabled. With this on, your driver will automatically downshift and brake when approaching corners, allowing you to focus on steering. Of course this can be disabled, and there is a plethora of other control options including full gas and brake control as well as a on-screen wheel to steer using touch controls.

The coolest thing about these options, is depending on what control method you choose, Real Racing can play like an arcade racer or a simulation racer. No matter what control method you decide on, you will have the AI opponents to deal with. Firemint has posted quite a bit on our forums about the work that went in to the development of Real Racing's AI, and they weren't exaggerating when it comes to how well they play.

Being used to racing games on the iPhone where the other racers follow a basic line around the racetrack and don't even play a part in the race aside from lining up at the start and being quickly passed, it came as quite a shock to see how much the Real Racing AI likes trading paint. On one of the first corners of my first race I was being far too aggressive with my racing line, left myself open, and one of the AI racers quickly rammed my back corner, causing a total spin-out.

Also, unless you've really got the track down and can race a perfect line, you're going to be dealing with the AI most of the race. This is not only refreshing to finally see competent AI in an iPhone racing game, but also greatly adds to the excitement of the race. I'm starting to think I may have said too much, but I'll leave you with this-

Real Racing has a career mode, single races, and time trials. All with the complete Cloudcell integration we've seen in other Firemint games. While it remains to be seen how it will be recieved by the iPhone gaming community, it's hard to find a better way to describe the preview build than "technical masterpiece."

Real Racing has been submitted to the App Store, but stay tuned for the official launch date.

Most of the ragdoll games on the App Store are little more than toy apps where you watch whatever punishment you can put your ragdoll through.

Backflip Studios' Ragdoll Blaster [App Store] pulls ahead of the pack by providing a physics-based puzzle game with a wonderful hand-drawn art style where your ammo just happens to be a little blue ragdoll.

The gameplay is simple, all you do is touch the screen and drag a crosshair to determine the direction and velocity you will shoot your little guy, and the physics engine handles the rest. Your goal is to hit the red bullseye on each level, but you won't even make it out of the tutorial before you're forced to put your thinking cap on in how to best deal with the movable obstacles that stand between you and your target.

To achieve the best score you need to take as few shots as possible, so while some levels can be brute forced through by shooting over and over, Ragdoll Blaster will have you revisiting previously cleared levels to see if you can do them in fewer shots as you get better at the game. Included are over 70 challenges, and the simple starter levels with a few movable blocks quickly transition into levels with springs, wheels, and all kinds of other obstacles.

I'm extremely impressed by Ragdoll Blaster, and as a huge fan of physics games, I can't believe I waited until now to play it.

App Store Link: Ragdoll Blaster, $1.99

The App Store has become rather awash with Geometry Wars clones of late.  And, while some are better than others, it's hard to argue with a free app -- especially when it's a lot of fun to play.  And, such describes Jean-Francois Geyelin's PewPew [App Store].

PewPew is a simple vector-based 2D / 3D shooter that features two different gameplay modes reminiscent of corresponding modes in Geometry Wars: Galaxies.  The 'Dodge This' mode challenges the player to zoom about the playfield, dodging a barrage of enemies.  'Assault' mode pits the player against an onslaught of enemies, with the goal of destroying as many as possible in an attempt to stay alive and rack up points.  The 'Dodge This' mode features one onscreen virtual stick, while 'Assault' features dual sticks, one for motion, one for firing. In both modes the playfield pulses to the beat of the trance soundtrack and power-up boxes can be collected for points and shield energy boosts.

While the game does not have the depth or overall polish of the recently released Isotope, it's quite well done.  In fact, it has a more intense sense of speed than Affogato's release, and makes for a very frantic pick-up shooting session.

And what was that 2D / 3D comment all about?  While actual gameplay is top-down 2D, play sessions are recorded and can be viewed from the high score screen in a side-angle 3D perspective (see the video).  A very nice touch.

The developer promises that additional game modes are on the way, along with an online scoreboard.

PewPew is a rather fun game that every shooter fan should grab.  It's definitely worth the price of admission...

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App Store Link: PewPew, Free

At E3, Gameloft was also demoing two new rhythm games that are coming to the iPhone by the end of June: DJ Mix Tour and Guitar Rock Tour 2. Both games bring the traditional formula of tapping to music that has been seen on the iPhone already. The biggest advantage to these games are the officially licensed songs that will be familiar to most.

DJ Mix Tour is aimed towards electronic/dance music fans and includes songs such as Poker Face, Just Dance, Womanizer, Get The Party Started, Open Your
Heart, Four to The Floor, Cry For You, and more. In all it contains 16 licensed hit songs.

Meanwhile, Guitar Rock Tour 2 offers 19 songs including I Love Rock & Roll, Helicopter, and Paranoid.

Both games should be coming out in June.

At E3 on Tuesday, Vir2l Studios demoed to TouchArcade a few gaming titles they will be releasing in the coming months.

AMF Bowling

AMF Bowling is a popular existing mobile game that Vir2l is porting to the iPhone.

AMF Bowling is a more stylized version of bowling with over-the-top characters each with their signature move after you build up enough Psyche points. The game is played across 12 different environments with 12 different characters. Some of the environments listed for the mobile version of the game include Route 66, Spielgasse, Hong Kong Penthouse Palace, Studio 77, Ten-pin Shrine, Highland Bowling, Deep Space Lanes, and more.

The controls of the game were simple but enjoyable. It starts with a simple two-tap swing -- the first tap to start and the second tap timed to give you the maximum power. Once the ball is released, however, you control the direction of the ball with the accelerometer. A simple mechanic, but one that gives you more a feeling of participation over some of the other App Store bowling games.

AMF Bowling is due for release in June.

Legend of WuKong Warrior
Legend of WuKong Warrior is an interesting take on the side scrolling platformer. The game features an intersting mechanic that we've seen before in games such as Skybound [App Store] and applies it to a side scroller.

The game combines the use of the accelerometer and swipe controls to maneuver your character through the levels. Swipes below the character draw small cloud platforms for him to jump upwards. Ongoing swipes continue to elevate the character while accelerometer controls provide direction. Enemies provide obstacles which must be dealt with using swipe attacks.

The game will include 20 levels and is not due for release until July. We'll be very interested to see how this game turns out.

Sexy Lexy

Now this one hardly seems like a game, but it is... well, sorta. Sexy Lexy is a high quality rendered companion which you interact with using a series of gesture swipes. Each successful swipe on the right locations unlock additional animations, and after you find all the right spots, you move on to the next level.

Each level, of course, is marked by new seductive animations and a bit less clothing. In the end, despite its clearly adult nature, the game itself will fall somewhere in the PG-13 arena. Vir2l reports they are working closely with Apple to ensure the App is suitable for App Store release. We should see this one sometime in July.

A new challenger approaches in the castle defense arena, Chillingo's Knights Onrush [App Store] was just released! If you're new to these types of games, the basic gameplay element consists of flicking away enemies approaching your castle.

Most of them also feature some kind of upgrade system where you spend whatever currency the game has to increase the strength of your castle door, along with several other fun defenses like boulders to drop and fireballs to throw. Knights Onrush has all of these features and more, providing much needed depth in to the genre.

On top of having a simple endless siege modes, Knights Onrush comes with a campaign mode and twelve castles to defend, each with slightly different durations and enemy types. Speaking of enemy types, included are eleven different enemies each with their own abilities and behaviors. Knights Onrush has the most extensive upgrade system I've seen so far in a castle defense game, and each element of your castle is colorfully drawn and animated.

Your initial castle includes a hook to hang attackers on to have a nearby dragon come eat them, along with a pit of fire to drop invaders in to. The other upgrades come quick, and Knights Onrush seems to be paced well enough that you're always upgrading something or buying a new defense to play with. This comes as a welcome change compared to other castle defense games I've played which just involve lots of waiting through multiple rounds to buy simple upgrades.

The most succinct way I can describe Knights Onrush is castle defense meets Pocket God. The way all of the different defenses are animated really reminds me of the different punishments you can put your Pygmies through. The enemies are varied enough that you need to use different tactics to defeat them, and as you progress through the levels the choices of when to use which defenses add an unexpected layer of strategy to the game.

I've never really been one for castle defense games, but I've oddly found myself really enjoying Knights Onrush.

App Store Link: Knights Onrush, $4.99

I’ve had my hands on a semi-exclusive preview copy of Luc Bernard’s turn-based strategy game, Mecho Wars for a while now.  I know it’s kind of cliche to compare any portable turn-based strategy game to Advance Wars, but Mecho Wars is hard to liken to anything else. Just like as in UniWars, the touch interface works great in this game, and really feels just like playing Advance Wars on the DS with the stylus.

In the preview copy, there are two factions waging war against each other: The Landians and the Winged Crusade. Each have slightly different units that seem to do the same thing, and included is the standard load-out of different land, air, and ranged forces. While this is all fairly standard for the genre, what I like most about Mecho Wars is how the environment changes depending on the time of day.

One round of combat between both sides progresses the clock one hour, and at night all water freezes, allowing you to send your land units across what was once impassable terrain. This allows for some unique strategy both while defending your base and while you’re on the offensive.

Some of the included maps feature bridges that are only wide enough to accommodate one unit, creating an easy to defend bottleneck. That is, until the water freezes. While I haven’t had that much time to get very deep in to the single player campaign, the potential gameplay elements in a time-aware system are endless, and something I’m very excited to see more of.

The preview build comes packed with single device multiplayer, as well as an “Online” menu option which isn’t active-- so, it remains to be seen if Mecho Wars can compete with UniWars’ full-featured online multiplayer.

I like everything I’ve seen so far, and Mecho Wars is definitely a game we will be looking out for in the future.

Besides Command & Conquer: Red Alert, EA was also showing off an early version of BioWare's Mass Effect at E3 today.

Mass Effect is a critically acclaimed action role-playing game that first appeared on the Xbox 360 in 2007. The iPhone version of the game is called Mass Effect Galaxy and offers fans of the game some additional story connecting Mass Effect and the unreleased Mass Effect 2.

The iPhone game offers similar dialog story telling as the original game, but is a top-down shooter for the combat sequences.

An EA representative walked us through the game at this early stage:

The 1.2 update for Firemint's brilliant pick up and play classic, Flight Control [App Store] just landed at its destination. If for some strange reason you don't have Flight Control yet, it's a devilishly simple game where you have a single task: successfully land as many aircraft as possible. Different planes and helicopters fly in from the side of the screen, you tap them then draw a path to lead them to their runway or landing pad without colliding with anything else.

The beauty of Flight Control is its simplicity. It's like Tetris in that it only takes a second to learn to play, but standing a chance at a competitive high score takes true aircraft pathing mastery. 1.2 features two new airfields, the beachside resort (seen above) and the aircraft carrier (seen below). Each new airfield also comes with new aircraft, such as the seaplane and the navy jet. Also, if you find the pace of Flight Control to be a little too slow, there's also a fast forward button now.

While the two new airfields are cool, neither compare to how awesome the new scoreboards and online leaderboard systems are. Using their tagging system and Firemint's Cloudcell technology you can follow users, create custom leaderboards, and all kinds of other crazy things I never would have expected in a 99 cent game.

Once you get your Flight Control updated, be sure to log in to the Cloudcell and set your tag to TouchArcade, doing so will list all your scores with other Touch Arcade members!

Online Scoreboards: TouchArcade Flight Control tag on Cloudcell

App Store Link: Flight Control, $0.99