Enigmo [App Store] was originally created in 2003, and since has become Pangea Software's most successful game. The iPhone port was announced at WWDC '08, then went on to a positive reception in iTunes reviews and also was voted the "Best iPhone Game" of WWDC '08.

The goal of Enigmo is simple, water falls from droppers and a certain number of drops need to make it in to the tank at the end of the level. Utilizing a limited number of objects from the variety of different ones that make up the puzzle pieces in the game such as bumpers to bounce drops off of and sponges to collect drops, etc., the gameplay of Enigmo started simple but quickly made way to levels that would leave you stumped for days.

Enigmo 2 [App Store] took the award winning gameplay of the original, made everything 3D, and even added lasers and plasma particles that must also be directed to their respective containers. Enigmo 2 takes place in space, and gravity plays an even bigger part than the original with objects that can be dropped in game to manipulate gravity to steer the plasma particles around.

The graphics in Enigmo 2 aren't the only thing that's in 3D, the game world can rotated using two finger swiping gestures, and some puzzles will require the placing and manipulating of objects in 3D space to complete the level. Pangea Software came up with a remarkable way to handle the placement of these objects, as usually manipulating the position of something in 3D using a 2D interface can be an exercise in frustration.

In Enigmo 2 if you want to position an object under another object, such as the dropper to get something under the stream of water droplets, all you have to do is tap the dropper and every object you drop in to the game field will be aligned to it. It's an elegant solution and I'm honestly quite surprised that it works as well as it does.

Pangea Software released the following video that details nearly every corner of Enigmo 2, and is really worth a watch if you're at all interested in the game:

Enigmo was one of the first iPhone games I spent a considerable amount of time playing. Some of the puzzles in the original would leave me completely stumped, only to find myself having a complete epiphany later in the day as I realized that I was attempting to solve a level completely wrong. If you liked the first game, you will love the sequel. All the additions to the game add to the winning formula of the original, and I can see myself spending just as much time completing the 50 levels in Enigmo 2 as I did in Enigmo.

App Store Link: Enigmo 2, $2.99

Samurai: Way of the Warrior [$2.99] is simply one of the most original and entertaining iPhone hack-and-slash games to date.

The game has a storyline that is well incorporated throughout presented in comic book style cut scenes that honestly conveys a strong sense of adventure and bloodletting. You control the fate of Daisuke Shimada, the wandering samurai as he ventures through the countryside dealing with the villainous Lord Hattoro and his two henchmen Kumo and Orochi. Of course, they have a significant army to carry out their misdeeds, and let’s just say that Daisuke doesn’t take too kindly to village bullies.

Hack and slash is the name of the game, and you’ll be doing plenty of that. Samurai has two game modes: Story and Dojo. Story mode consists of 7 chapters and variety of different enemies presented like a short novel or Japanese DVD. Dojo mode is a survival mode where Daisuke battles fellow hack and slashers in a ring for as long as possible.

The art style is among the best you’ll come across in a game of this nature. The 3D textures and graphics really pop as you explore the different environments with a definite Japanese feel. Combined with the melodic Japanese soundtrack, and this game exudes the charm of the Far East.

To move Daisuke, tap on a specific location on screen (Warpack Grunts-style), and he will move there with full 360 degree movement. The game also uses swipe controls to initiate specific sword maneuvers, and after playing it, I couldn’t imagine this game without swipe controls. Through specific swipe motions, any one of 9 Samurai sword skills are initiated. The sword movements are quite different, inflict different levels of damage, and can be used in unison for combo attacks which inflict maximum damage. Proper swordplay does require some practice and the game becomes particularly challenging at Stage 3.

Controls have been a point of concern in the game for some, and are demonstrated in this gameplay video from AppBank:

Literally, enemies are sliced and diced into pieces, and if you’re good enough, beheadings are in your future as well.

The gameplay starts off relatively easy as you hone your skills. Daisuke’s healthbar is replenished as he defeats enemies and unlocks gates. Enemies become more skilled and more evasive as you progress through the chapters, and the ability to use combos will be essential to survival.

Samurai: Way of the Warrior has to be one of the surprises in the iTunes store. It’s a terrifically well-designed, visually appealing game that I think will catch many off guard.

App Store Link: Samurai: Way of the Warrior, $2.99

Four noteworthy games went on sale today including two from App Store giants. If you've been holding out waiting for a price drop on these titles, here's your chance.

Rolando, $5.99 -> $2.99 / Lite - A game that should need no introduction, Rolando is a puzzle/adventure game developed by HandCircus and published by ngmoco. Gameplay involves tilting the iPhone to move the various rolandos around Rolandoland. Different rolandos have different abilities that all must be used together as a team to make your way through the various puzzles of each level which often hinge on interactive objects like platforms and catapults. Featuring a soundtrack by Mr. Scruff, a ton of new levels added to celebrate the release of Rolando 2 [App Store], and nearly universal praise from the iPhone gaming press, now is a great time to pick it up.

Super Monkey Ball, $5.99 -> $3.99 - As an App Store launch title, Super Monkey Ball has been around forever. Featuring 110 levels starting off easy and eventually graduating to nearly impossible, Super Monkey Ball includes enough content to keep you busy for quite some time. If you're a fan of the series, or like ball rolling games with tilt controls, Super Monkey Ball is worth a look, especially at the sale price.

Boulder Dash Rocks, $4.99 -> 99¢ - A modernization of the Boulder Dash concept. While we had some reservations about some of the artwork and strictly timed nature of gameplay, at only $0.99 it represents a very high quality production with great controls. Boulder Dash Rocks is an action puzzler in which you play the earth digging Rockford who must collect a quota of diamonds to pass each level. Unlike the original game which relied on fast-paced joystick responses, Boulder Dash Rocks seems more suited for mobile / iPhone play.

Ynth, $2.99 -> 99¢ / Lite - A unique iPhone puzzler, Ynth allows you to take command of a small bug who must rotate a box across a marshland without meeting an untimely demise to the plethora of obstacles between the level start and the goal. Controlled with simple on screen buttons, most of the levels require a bit of trial and error to solve. At 99¢, Ynth is worth a look if you're in the market for a colorful brain teaser.

The big news yesterday was that Apple had scheduled a media event on September 9th where they are widely expected to introduce new iPods. The new iPod Touches are likely to be upgraded to similar specs as the iPhone 3GS, incorporating the faster ARM processors and improved 3D graphics hardware.

Meanwhile Android developer Larva Labs reveals that sales numbers on Google's Android marketplace are pretty poor at this stage. Despite holding the #5 and #12 spots amongst the most popular apps in their market, Larva Labs reports only earning about $62.39 / day on average. Similarly ranked games on the iPhone would deliver thousands of dollars a day in revenue. Mobile advertising firm Admobs has recently estimated the iTunes App Store market as being worth nearly $2.5 billion a year.

In fact, Gameloft today announced that they alone have sold over 6 million iPhone games to date.

The company currently has 35 games available on the App Store, of which 18 have made the Top 10 Paid Games list worldwide. The iPhone OS continues to be Gameloft’s number one platform.

Genius Defense Force, Apocalypse Train's third iPhone game is nearing completion. Cashing in on the recent popularity of math games on the App Store, G.D.F. very well could be the most creative game we've seen so far featuring basic mathematics as its core gameplay element. This Japanese-console-games inspired brain game features a ridiculous backstory, anime cut scenes, huge bosses, chain attacks, performance grades on each level, and even a robotic dog. Depending on how big of a math nerd you are, you'll be overjoyed to hear the game also has an option to enable reverse polish notation and there's even talk of hexadecimal mode coming in a future update.

Playing Genius Defense Force is a matter of tapping to select your target, then inputting a set of 3 numbers and 2 operators to result in the target number. If you are correct, a green checkbox pops up to fire your weapons, otherwise you can hit the X to cancel and try again, or the refresh icon to get a different (and hopefully easier) set of numbers. When things blow up, splash damage also blows up surrounding objects which then chain to blow up other objects, so you will often find yourself playing a dangerous game of waiting to line up shots perfectly or just firing as fast as possible to defend Earth.

Check out this awesome trailer for the game:

Genius Defense Force is said to start slow, and is going to be balanced so casual players can complete the game with a "C" grade on each level, but true completionist math nerds will have to practice to get an "A" on each level. Oddly enough, I've really found myself enjoying these math-based game for the iPhone and really look forward to this one. If only I could find a time machine to show my 5th grade self that one day I'd be solving math problems for fun on a portable gaming device...

The developers hope to submit G.D.F. inside of the next two weeks, in the meantime you can check out Apocalypse Train's two other games, both of which are word puzzles-- Ravel [99¢ / Free] and Wordee [99¢ / Free].

Mr. Driller [App Store] started as what was going to be the third game in the Dig Dug series, and even held the unofficial title of Dig Dug 3 by a few members of the Namco staff. Development of the game was eventually suspended, but later picked up again to be released to arcades as Mr. Driller. Since then there have been 8 different games in the series across 11 different platforms including arcades and mobile phones.

In the game, you play as a driller and drill your down clearing screens of blocks, collecting air tanks, and being sure to avoid the falling blocks that become loose after drilling supporting blocks below. When four blocks of the same color combine, they disappear, often creating a glorious chain reaction of countless blocks being eliminated from the screen.

Three different control methods are included: Virtual D-Pad, swipe, and accelerometer. Each control method works exactly as you would expect. The virtual D-Pad obviously puts a D-Pad on screen to control your movement, with swipe enabled swiping in a direction moves your driller, and you can even move your driller by tilting with the accelerometer mode enabled. Also included in the options are four difficulty levels ranging from "easy" to "expert", and you can even change the amount of extra lives you start with from 1 to 5.

Namco published the following trailer to their YouTube page that shows all three included game modes:

In survival mode, you dig as deep as you can before you run out of extra lives or run out of air. In arcade mode, you can either choose a 500m or 1000m goal to shoot for, and time trial mode features 10 included levels that all have a twist to them with clocks that need to be picked up to increase the amount of time you have left.

Mr. Driller is a title I happily paid $30 for when it came out on the Nintendo DS a few years ago, and was just as glad to give another $10 when the port of the game hit XBOX Live Arcade last year. It was launched tonight for the iPhone at 99¢, which needless to say is an unbelievable price for a game released by a developer as big as Namco offering a fairly direct port of such a long-standing puzzle franchise. The iPhone version looks great, performs great, is just as fun as the other games in the series, and is an absolute steal at 99¢.

App Store Link: Mr. Driller, 99¢

Arthur Ham's new iPhone game Run! [$0.99] is a deceptively simple and fun reaction game in which you must slide, jump, punch and shoot your way past a variety of obstacles.

Reaction games like this aren't new, but Run! hits on a winning combination of obstacle variety and smooth controls that kept me coming back for more.

Run! has 10 different obstacles (grouped as destructable, indestructable, and attackable) and 4 different actions (jump, slide, attack, fire) that can be used on different obstacles. The game is set up as a side-scroller with you running towards the obstacles at a constant speed that increases over time. Some obstacles can only be affected a specific action. Brick walls, for example, can be jumped over, slid under or destroyed by firing at them. Steel walls can only be avoided (jumping or sliding) while saw blades must be slid under very quickly. Levels are randomized so you don't find yourself playing the exact same level again and again, and additional obstacles are slowly added as you play. Oh, and did I mention you can punch sharks and zombies?

The developer video shows the game in action:

The controls work very well, and once you get into the game, it carries a very rhythm-like pace that can be a little hypnotic. Add to that global leaderboards, achievements, unlockable obstacles, and you have a great little $0.99 reaction game.

App Store Link: Run!, $0.99

If squad-based first person shooters are your thing, StarByte's NEX [App Store] may just be the game you've been waiting for on the App Store-- featuring a variety of different objectives, ammo types, and menacing aliens at every turn. But how does NEX stand up against the existing shooters for the iPhone?

Your movement in NEX is controlled either by using a on-screen D-Pad, the accelerometer, or a combination of the two. Without any way to adjust the sensitivity of the tilt controls, I found them to be far too touchy and bordering on unusable. Deciding to stick with the D-Pad also created some issues because the control area is positioned so far to the left of the screen that often when I meant to hit the arrow to turn left, I ended up just tapping off the iPhone's screen. The control method I found to be the most effective was just keeping my thumb on the forward arrow and just ever to slightly rocking it to the right or left to turn.

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