If like me you've been wondering what in the world happened to EA's Mirror's Edge following our preview late last year, we just found our answer in this evening's App Store push of new iPad titles.

Mirror's Edge currently holds the title of most expensive iPad game, weighing in at $14.99. It's unclear at this point what if anything has changed from the iPhone version we got a look at. Needless to say, this is going to be one of the first games we download once we all get our iPads on Saturday morning.

As we get closer and closer to iPad zero hour, even more details on the device are hitting the internet. Most interesting from a gaming perspective is a brief hands on with an actual iPad showing several games running on the device that we haven't seen before including a few seconds of Plants vs Zombies for the iPad in this video from ABC News:

PCMag also put up a video review of the iPad which goes over most aspects of the device, but if you skip to about the four minute mark you can see a few brief clips of Real Racing HD:

Other reviews are also coming in from the usual suspects:

• David Pogue @ The New York Times
• Walt Mossberg @ The Wall Street Journal
• Edward Baig @ USA Today
• Andy Ihnatko @ The Chicago Sun Times

And finally, AppShopper shows another huge push of iPad games and apps. We're likely going to spend the rest of the night combing through these and post anything we find that's interesting. Stay tuned!

iPad screenshot

VH! Classic is bringing back six of the original Intellivision games from 1981. Intellivision for iPad will be launching on April 3rd alongside the iPad and will be delivering the following 6 games:

• ASTROSMASH - Spin. Blast. And drop into hyperspace to avoid a killer asteroid shower. Power on. Attack computer engaged. Fire a quick burst at the alien antagonists. Got 'em!
• CHIP SHOP GOLF - Fore! Select an easy or a hard course, or put together your own from a selection of 99 holes, many based on the most famous holes in the world!



• NIGHT STALKER - You're on the run. Your attackers are relentless robots. Destroy one and it's replaced by an even smarter, faster robot. It's a nightmare.
• THIN ICE - You control Duncan the penguin. Skate around the other penguins, dunking them in the pond. Avoid or dunk the seal and polar bears. Gobble shrimp cocktails for extra speed.
• THUNDER CASTLE - Guide your knight through the deadly mazes of Thunder Castle, slaying evil dragons, sorcerers and demons as you go.
• SKIING - Take a deep breath, dig your poles hard into the snow, push off...and you're speeding down a world class slalom course.

No word on when/if an iPhone version will be arriving, but the iPad version will cost $2.99.

Update: It appears an iPhone version is on the way.

A few weeks ago I previewed Babo Crash from PlayBrain and I told you how it made me excited about match 3 games again. Well it’s now been released in the app store so you too can experience the gem destroying joys of this game.

Basically, Babo Crash takes the standard match 3 formula and adds to it crazy power ups. I explained how it did that in my preview:

When you match more than three gems you create a hero gem. Each color of gem creates a different hero, when you use them in a match you activate their special ability. This is where the game gets good. One of the abilities creates a ball on the screen that you control by tilting you iPhone which destroys every gem it touches. There is something very satisfying about destroying gems in this manner.

The responses in our forums have been positive with a few reviews posted by our readers. Some people are upset, however, that there is no survival mode. Still, this is a great game to pick up if you are bored of other match three games but don’t want to give up on the genre. It did refresh the way I look at match three games since it proves that you can make one that's visually stunning and features frantic game play.

App Store Link: Bebo Crash, $0.99

I really wanted to like the original Monster Trucks Nitro back when it was first released last year, but poor controls combined with a lackluster framerate and gameplay that didn't make a whole lot of sense somehow managed to even make monster trucks not fun. Miniclip.com went back to the drawing board, and with the release of Monster Trucks Nitro 2, the game is much, much closer to what I wanted it to be the first time around.

Your truck is controlled by tilting the iPhone, with a slider along the bottom that controls your speed. The whole setup feels much more responsive compared to the first. Competing in a series of timed events, you'll come across all kinds of crazy jumps and nitro tanks you can drive over for a temporary boost of speed. Hitting these tanks is vital, not only for good times, but also to get enough air to do flips which also rewards a small amount of boost.

As you can see in the following gameplay trailer, the developers really amped up the amount of action in the game with cars to smash, bridges that break, explosions everywhere, and other over-the-top obstacles to run over with a number of included trucks:

The game is still in development and won't be available until next month, but in the meantime, Monster Trucks Nitro 2 needs to be on your watch list if you're a fan of monster trucks. I'm really glad to report that the sequel is a night and day difference from the original, and a lot of fun.

While we enjoyed Bravo Game Studios' Touch Racing Nitro game, like others, we had some trouble getting comfortable with the touch-ahead controls.

The developers have provided this video showing, well, "proper" gameplay technique that shows how it handles for an experienced player.

As we previously mentioned, two game modes are included: tournament and time trial mode, but no online leaderboards yet.

App Store Link: Touch Racing Nitro, $3.99

For those anxiously awaiting Deliverace after our hands on preview, here's the latest trailer from Pixelbite Games.

The new trailer shows some closeups of the action and impressive graphics in the game as well as a brief look at the steering wheel controls with a skilled driver:

Still no word on a release date.

On the first day of PAX East I met with Rob Lemon and the rest of the Gilded Skull game to get a closer look at a fairly functional build of Galactic Keep: Dice Battles. Inspired by table top RPG's, Galactic Keep is set in a sci-fi fantasy universe and as the title would hint, weighs heavily on dice battles amongst the various enemies you come across on your adventure.

The game is still in development, but you can get an idea of what's to come by this brief teaser trailer and series of screenshots:

The developers have been very active in the thread on our forums where they've been answering questions and holding various contests to include forum members in the game's development. Galactic Keep: Dice Battles is still a ways off, but as a fan of dice powered RPG's, I cannot wait to finally have this game on my phone.

Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL

Like many other developers IUGO has promised iPad versions of many of their iPhone games. The current list includes:

• Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL with enhanced graphics, new UI, and new character
• Cliffed XL with same device head to head, new characters, improved graphics and new background
• Implode! XL with iPad-only editor, new UI and new levels for both iPad and iPhone users
• ESCAPE: Norm’s World XL - brand new game for iPad and iPhone

IUGO, however, revealed yesterday that these new iPad versions will come as free updates to their existing iPhone games. That means the same app will work on both iPhone and iPad and support the iPad-specific features. This should be welcome news to existing iPhone/iPod Touch owners.

App Store Link: IUGO's games

Bravo Game Studios' Touch Racing Nitro [App Store] reminds me a lot of one of my favorite NES racing games, RC Pro Am, which is a very good thing. In Touch Racing Nitro you race one of twelve RC cars around the eighteen included tracks. (Both are slowly unlocked as you play through the game.) There are a number of games that look similar on the App Store, but Touch Racing Nitro's single finger control method makes playing the game feel substantially different.

Instead of the somewhat expected racing controls where you're either tilting or using some kind of virtual joystick/steering wheel with on screen buttons, the developers have implemented this scrumptiously simple single finger input where the car goes in the direction of your finger, with your speed controlled by how far away your finger is from the center of the screen.

Our forum members seem somewhat divided on how they feel about the controls in the Touch Racing Nitro thread, but I really think once you get a hang of them they work quite well, especially since you can effectively play a fast paced racing game with one hand which allows me to multitask and do things like race my car in game while I drive my car in real life.

Like any good racing game, Touch Racing Nitro has its fair share of jumps for you to get massive air off of. This is assisted by using nitro that you pick up while burning around the track. Tapping on the screen with a second finger fires off your nitro which can either send you flying over jumps and ahead of the pack, or cause you to lose control entirely through a turn.

Two game modes are included: Tournament mode where you race against AI opponents and the self explanatory time trial mode where you can play any track you've unlocked. Sadly, there isn't any online leaderboards currently and the iTunes description only mentions Facebook Connect coming soon. After seeing how well Jet Car Stunts implemented their leaderboard and replay system via OpenFeint, it's hard to really imagine a racing game without that.

With how polarized the reactions on the forums have been regarding the controls, it really seems like Touch Racing Nitro is a game that badly needs a lite version. Once I got used to the single finger controls, I liked them a lot, but without anything to accurately compare them to it's hard to give a full recommendation on picking up the game if you're on the fence. So, it might be worth seeing how the online leaderboards play out and if a lite version ever materializes.

App Store Link: Touch Racing Nitro, $3.99

Craneball Studios, the developers behind Blimp and 33rd Division, have recently released their latest iPhone game Superfall.

Superfall is a surprisingly enjoyable ragdoll physics game that combines tilt-controls along with numerous achievements and upgrade system that rewards you for continued play.

The core gameplay of Superfall involves a falling ragdoll that you control with left/right tilt. Along the way, you need to avoid obstacles to minimize damage while grabbing power-ups and avoiding getting stuck. The goal is to fall the furthest while staying in one piece.

Rotary wheels, pistons, grinders, blackholes, vents, traps, bumpers, and mines block your way during your descent. Special powers include "time warp" which slows down the action so you make a more planned descent, as well as the ability to shake your iPhone to wiggle your way out of a jam. Both can only be used a limited amount of time, so you need to conserve.

If that's all there was to the game, you'd still have a solid casual game, but the game also offers you a steady supply of 30 unlockable ragdolls that provide improved capabilities:

Earned in-game experience can be used to upgrade to the a better ragdoll, though some ragdolls can only be unlocked by accomplishing specific achievements. The early pacing seems really well thought out, giving you an incentive to play just a bit more to unlock the next achievement/ragdoll.

Check out the developer video:

Overall, SuperFall is a great combination of casual ragdoll gaming with an extensive achievement/upgrade system that may lure in both casual gamers and hardcore completionists.

App Store Link: SuperFall, $1.99

Donut Games seems to have figured out the formula behind fun casual gaming with another great game release in Action Buggy. We profiled the developer in February after they'd found success with games like Rat on a Scooter XL, Titanic Rescue, and Comet Racer.

Action Buggy may have a Moon Patrol vibe but the actual game feel is somewhat distinct. You control a constantly moving moon buggy and have two controls: jump and shoot. Shooting fires rocket forward, and jumping sends you skyward. Your job is to last as long as possible, while destroying moon rocks, trees and basically avoiding death. Crashing into a rock, falling into a hole or driving into open flames will bring your game to a quick end.

One distinct feature behind the controls of the game is that neither your jump nor your shooting is a simple on/off toggle. Press longer while jumping and you can do long jumps or press multiple times for mini jumps -- but only up to a certain point. When you press to shoot, the longer you press the further your shot will go. The result is a hard but really fun game.

Forum user Boardumb captures the resulting challenge well in his evaluation of the game:

This is a pretty hard game. It has that "pat your belly and rub your head" thing going for it. It's tough to wrap your brain around doing both the jumping and firing appropriately. At first, I was just spamming the rockets while only concentrating on the jumping. I thought, how could they overlook such a cheap mechanic? Then I discovered that if you rocket the bare ground, it creates a crater that will crash your buggy. So basically all that spamming will get you is unrideable terrain and a quick death. You have to actually put effort into aiming your rockets while jumping hazards, and not screwing yourself over on your landing. It balances things out nicely, and makes for some frantic fun.

Here's the developer video showing it in action:

Action Buggy is one of those games where the average game session is measured in seconds rather than minutes, but in that elusive "success is just another try away" way. The game contains global high scores, costs just $0.99, and is recommended.

App Store Link: Action Buggy, $0.99

If you're a word game fan, I have little doubt that you don't already know about Words with Friends - Newtoy Inc's excellent turn based Scrabble-like iPhone game that you can play with your friends at your own pace. If you are a fan of the game, here's another reason to get an iPad.

Newtoy just sent us the first screenshots from the iPad version of their game shown here (click for full size):

If you happen to be located in or near Frisco, TX, Newtoy is holding a party/mixer at the Apple Store in Stonebriar Mall. They will be giving away Words with Friends T-Shirts and promo codes for the HD version.

App Store Links: Words with Friends Free, Free, Words with Friends, $2.99

Earlier this month mobile developer AdAdo released a retro space shooter that's pretty sparse on eye-candy, but should have definite appeal to oldschool gamers who have fond, long-ago memories of feeding quarters into a certain video game known as Star Castle. Star Keep for the iPhone [App Store] is pretty much a straight-up clone of Cinematronics' 1980, vector-based classic.

Like Star Castle, Star Keep challenges you to use your laser-equipped spaceship to obliterate a powerful enemy turret that lies at the center of a series of rotating, regenerating shield rings. In order to destroy the turret, you must eliminate outer shield segments, exposing segments within, and so on, until you've laid the turret bare and can get off a clean shot. But be warned, the turret is always tracking you and firing homing bolts that chase your ship. As the levels progress, other enemy craft emerge from the shields, bent on turning you to space dust.

The game is controlled via on-screen buttons: Left / Right, Fire, Thrust. The controls work well enough, but even the arcade cabinet, which utilized botton Left / Right controls, would've benefitted from a rotary knob. The trick is to keep moving and to think ahead, so as not to let your momentum get away from you.

For Star Castle fans, this is probably a no-brainer grab. For those unfamiliar, be aware that Star Keep delivers very basic gameplay by modern standards. If you can enjoy basic (and challenging) arcade action without a lot of flare, then maybe you, too, will find fancy with this simple (but sometimes mind-bending) formula.

App Store Link: Star Keep, $0.99

We've been following the development of Freeverse's Warpgate for nine months now, and it sounds like the game's epic development cycle is coming to a close with Warpgate's impending release early next month.

We've posted about the game numerous times in the past, between its initial unveiling at WWDC, the appearance at the iPhone Launch Party, and other previews such as a early combat video and a demo of the graphics engine. Meanwhile, the thread on our forums has been building in anticipation, and the impressions I've managed to juice out of a few beta testers I've talked to have been remarkably positive.

Warpgate is a space conquest game with tons of ships to pilot, factions to fight with, planets to take over, and a string of missions that expand the plot of the game which are supplemented by randomly generated missions that players can accept and complete as many times as they want to always have something to do.

First off, the cinematic trailer sets the scene of the game:

And a gameplay trailer from the iPhone:

I've been looking forward to this game since I first got wind of it last year, and I cannot wait for it to be released. Following the previews we've done, it's amazing how far the game has come since we first saw it. At WWDC, the game was little more than a tech demo where you could zoom the camera in and out. Judging by the response on our forums, I doubt I'm alone in being really excited to finally play the full version of the game.