This morning I met with the guys behind Sword & Sworcery EP: Craig D. Adams of Superbrothers, Nathan Vella of Capybara Games, and musician Jim Guthrie. In its current state, Sword & Sworcery EP, is less of a game and more of an "experience", but both Blake and I were completely blown away by the music, atmosphere, and profound feel of the whole thing.

Sword & Sworcery EP seems like a classic pixelized old school adventure game where players find themselves in a mysterious world to explore. The game has two distinct play modes currently, a landscape mode for exploring, and when you enter combat, turning the phone sideways changes the game to the battle mode, which plays a lot like the classic NES Punch Out. You can swing with your sword, dodge, and block.

The team has put together two videos of the first section of the game, which they've described as "like the tram ride in Half-Life." If you've never played Half-Life, the game started with a minimally interactive train ride of sorts that did a fantastic job of setting the mood for the entire game. After taking the Sword & Sworcery tram ride, all I can really say is wow.

Horizontal "sworcery" mode:

Vertical "sword" mode:

Sword & Sworcery recently won an achievement in art at IGF Mobile 2010, and is scheduled for a Q2 2010 release. The team is planning on slowly releasing more details (and hopefully gameplay videos) over the next few months. Out of all the games we've seen so far at GDC, this is the one we're by far the most excited for.

At this point in the life cycle of the App Store, it's starting to seem like games are often very similar to existing games, with one or two tweaks or a vaguely different feature set. Sword & Sworcery feels unlike anything I've played on the iPhone, and I can't wait to dive deeper in to it.

In the midst of the GDC news blitz, we just got word from ngmoco that GodFinger is live in Canada. If you're unfamiliar with this song and dance, it's almost impossible to do large scale beta testing with iPhone games. Ngmoco's solution to this problem is a limited release in Canada to test their server infrastructure with real players.

From our Macworld preview of GodFinger:

In GodFinger, you are an all powerful deity who control the people and environment of a small planet. The planet environment is a side view cross section that you can navigate by swiping on the screen and pinch zooming in and out. When the game begins, you are given a very small planet with one inhabitant. As you demonstrate your powers to the inhabitants, they become followers and earn you gold and mana for their efforts.

We'll take a closer look at the game when it hits the US App Store, but in the meantime if you've got a Canadian account you can get an early edge on the competition. Otherwise, check out the thread on our forums that has oodles of different gameplay videos.

Canadian App Store Link: GodFinger, Free

Touch Arcade at GDC met today with Stephane Portha of Eurocenter and had a look at several impressive upcoming iPhone and iPad game titles that will arrive from the studio in the coming months.

Eurocenter is readying an iPhone version of the open source artillery game Scorched 3D developed by Gavin Camp, itself a modern take on the classic, 2D title Scorched Earth. The studio has gotten Camp's blessing on this enhanced iPhone port and, down the road, intends to submit progress made on the iPhone version back to the core project.

Open source PC release

Scorched 3D for the iPhone, like the open source desktop version, is a turn-based game that presents the player with a series of islands to defend by means of highly controllable artillery weaponry. The task at hand is to take the lay of the land and aim your turret at the enemy's tanks as best you can by adjusting the angle, rotation, and power of your ordnance. Cash is earned by successful hits and can be used to purchase a variety of available weapons, including dirt clods, missiles, napalm, and nukes (some, obviously, being more effective than others). Once you've made your adjustments, pull the trigger and your turret, as well as your enemy's, will exchange fire and find out where the carnage will lie.

The iPhone version features a combination of drag-control to manipulate the camera angle and slide-control to turn two onscreen aiming gears. The visuals in the game go beyond the desktop version and, along with the fluidity of the animation on the 3rd Gen iPod touch demo device we previewed, are highly impressive. What's more, iPhone 3GS-class devices feature real-time shadows and shader effects that add to the eye-candy.

Interestingly, the title will be released as two separate games. The first release will feature single-player modes as well as on-line head-to-head action. It will follow the "freemium" pricing model that, in the base release, will offer the full game experience, with an option to pay in to gain more money, islands, and weapons for those wanting to move things along more quickly, as opposed to spending the time required to progress through the game the hard way. A second release will follow, that delivers an MMO-type experience where many players can compete to amass islands, defending them against other players in an ongoing game world. It's really a sort of heaven in your pocket for all the Scorched Earth fans out there.

See our gameplay video for a look at the title in action.

The initial release of Sorched 3D for the iPhone is expected to appear in the App Store in late April. Stay tuned for a closer look when the game goes live.

As for the other titles we previewed from Eurocenter, well, we can't talk about those just yet, but you definitely won't be disappointed. Stay tuned...

I've always been a huge fan of the Resident Evil series, and having likely spent weeks of combined playtime in my life playing and re-playing the games of the Resident Evil universe. It's more than a little weird to me that Gameloft has somehow managed to make a better Resident Evil game than even Capcom, the original creators of the series, has on the iPhone.

If Gameloft's highly "inspired" games make your eyes roll, you should turn back now because when I first saw Zombie Infection today there was little I could do to stop myself from groaning at the first level we were shown-- A nearly identical African cityscape to the one found in Resident Evil 5, with an equally similar premise to the game complete with a second character you come across named Shawna who serves as your female sidekick.

Zombie Infection comes loaded with 10 levels, some lifted directly out of Resident Evil games, and others in locations that could either be described as "ridiculous", "awesome", or possibly even "ridiculously awesome". One such locale we were shown was a zoo, filled with zombie zoo animals. After just barely making it out alive after fighting a zombified lion, my play session was brought to an end by some gigantic crocodile that sprung up from the water.

Like other similar Gameloft games, controls work exactly how you would expect. A virtual joystick handles all your movement, while context sensitive buttons appear that do things like open doors, shoot, holster your gun, unleash melee attacks, etc. Speaking of melee attacks, there's also a number of "finisher" moves that you can pull on nearby zombies. For instance, if a zombie is knocked to the ground you can run over to them and a button will activate allowing you to stomp their head. Also, like Resident Evil games, you cannot move and shoot at the same time.

I wasn't able to get a solid answer on the graphics engine powering Zombie Infection, but the polygon count of the character models, scenery, and all the texturing was extremely detailed. On top of that, it was running at an excellent framerate, making the whole package that much more impressive.

Aside from the standard campaign mode, there's also going to be a survival mode Gameloft is calling "Arena Mode" where players fight off endless swarms of zombies. Other details are scarce at the moment, and much like Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell we only had enough time with the game to blow through a few levels. Needless to say, I'll be giving Zombie Infection a thorough play through as soon as its released sometime later this month.

Here at GDC 2010 we had the chance to meet with Benjamin Zuckerer of CipSoft and have a look at the upcoming iPhone version of their popular TibiaME mobile MMO.

TibiaME is an exclusively mobile, top-down 2D MMO that made its debut on Nokia platform devices six years ago and has been growing its community ever since. At present there are approximately 50,000 active players in the game world, which consists of 67 islands, with 16 levels each. The islands exhibit a variety of different terrain types, such as forest, dungeons, ice, and "undead."

TibiaME places the player in the game world as either a warrior or a wizard. The islands of the world are peopled by other online players and a host of enemy characters that range from squirrels to demons -- 56 types in all. There are magic-using boss monsters to contend with, as well. During the demonstration we were given of the pre-release iPhone client, there was no lack of activity in the world, as can be seen in our demo video.

While the iPhone version of the game client ties into the same game world that has been running these six years, it is a complete, ground-up rewrite that has been under development for a year and a half. The 20x20-pixel character graphics of previous versions of the game have been redrawn at a rather more detailed 50x50 pixels for the iPhone version, a new user interface has been implemented, and fight sequence animations have been added to the mix, as well.

The iPhone release will make its debut mid-year and follow the "freemium" price model. The base release can be downloaded free of charge and offers two (of the total 67) islands to explore. Characters playing in this mode are limited to a maximum of level 20 experience. Those wanting to experience the full game world can buy play time in blocks of one (5 euros) or 4 months (12 euros). Any character that has been built up in the pay model will retain all stats in the event an unrenewed block of time, but will be unable to level higher without the purchase of additional play time. The developer estimates that the base, free play experience delivers about one month of engaging play for the typical user.

To keep the game fresh, the developer has been in the practice of releasing a series of updates over the course of a year: 12 small that alter various game details, and 2 large, bringing new features and notable enhancements.

The only stand-out negative we saw about the title is its complete lack of any in-game music or sound effects. The iPhone version will allow the user to play tracks from their iTunes song library, however. And, of course, the main stand-out positive is the six years the game has been live and the sizable community that has grown within it, a most iPhone MMO's can't point to.

See our gameplay video for a look at the action in the pre-release client.

TibiaME for the iPhone is expected to debut mid-2010. Additional screenshots of the game can be seen at CipSoft's TibiaME Facebook page.

The first game that Gameloft showed us at GDC this year was the latest in a long line of Splinter Cell games, a series that also has several books associated with it along with a movie that may or may not still be in the works. In the games, you play as Sam Fisher who is an extremely experienced member of an elite team within the NSA called the "Third Echelon". Splinter Cell games are episodic in nature, and this is the sixth installment in Sam's adventure.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction for the iPhone closely follows the console game with the same title. In fact, they are so alike, they even share cut scenes and voice work. (And because of this the voice acting is much higher quality than typical Gameloft games.) There is also a surprising amount of chatter between the bad guys you come across, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction is one of the few iPhone games that frequently drops the F bomb. It will be interesting to see how much of that remains in the final version of the game.

There are 10 included levels that Gameloft estimates will take players anywhere between 4 to 5 hours to burn through, and of the few levels we were able to see in the demonstration the locales vary wildly from night time stealth missions to missions in middle eastern cities complete with sand blowing everywhere. Overall the game looks amazing, and according to Gameloft is running on the next evolution of the NOVA engine.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction controls well, using a virtual joystick for movement, an array of context sensitive buttons that appear when needed as well as the same buttons that act like dials seen in many other Gameloft games that can be swiped to select different weapons and gadgets. There's a cover system, different instant kill melee attacks, and a "tag and execute" aiming mode that can potentially allow players to slay entire rooms full of bad guys.

For the few minutes I was able to play of the game, it's hard to form much of an opinion on it. Initial impressions are positive, but we'll need to put the game through its paces once it's finally released. Gameloft isn't discussing release dates with Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction yet, but the console versions of the game are due to be released on April 13th, so it's unlikely that we will see the iPhone game before then.

Namco held a press event last night where they announced the iPhone version of Pool Pro Online 3. This represents the 3rd in the franchise which originally began on mobile phones but is now extending to smartphones and even the desktop.

While the game may be of interest to those who enjoy pool, it also represents a few first of potentially a series of games using their UniteSDK which allows cross-platform online play. Jonathan Kromrey, general manager of apple games for Namco Networks, writes "This is only the beginning of where we are going as a company. Over the next several months, we will roll out a series of other features and games that are powered by UniteSDK, including tournaments for Pool Pro Online 3."

Pool Pro Online 3 will eventually be also available for PC, Mac, Android, Java, BREW, RIM and Windows Mobile, and will allow instant online play across all the platforms. UniteSDK also includes the usual friend lists, leaderboards and such that we've already seen in OpenFeint and Plus+. Namco is also opening up UniteSDK to 3rd party developers as well.

As for Pool Pro Online 3, it allows both single player and online play in 8-ball, 9-ball and Snooker. Players can also make in-game wagers against their opponents and use winnings to upgrade table felts, cue sticks and new pool halls. The 3d game allows you to rotate your view and pinch/zoom to line up your shot.

The iPhone version of the game will be released on Thursday for $4.99.

A few weeks back we posted gameplay videos of an unexpected and since, highly anticipated, title coming to the iPhone this month. Well, the wait is now over, with Street Fighter 4 [AppStore] launching today! Whilst many were skeptical at Capcom's ability to port such an critically impressive console title to the portable devices, our time with Street Fighter 4 reveals a surprisingly faithful rendition, if somewhat watered down to suit the smaller scale of the iPhone.

Street Fighter 4 gives you control over 8 characters from the console version; Abel, Blanka, Chun Li, Ryu, Bison, Dhalsim, Guile and Ken (in order of appearance). The game offers an impressive move list, featuring all the special attacks from the console version, leaving out the low and medium punch/kick buttons and their respective moves. The purists amongst you may find this too much of a downsize as it undoubtedly poses a change in pace from the original and diminishes the ability to hit those ridiculously high combos. Having said that, there's no doubting its authenticity-- this is Street Fighter 4 in all its glory.

It is hard really to see how any additional attacks could have been squeezed in, as the on-screen controls already take up a sizeable portion of the real estate available. Super and Ultra attacks are performed by simply tapping their respective bars (which may irk some), though they can still be pulled off in their traditional, anologue stick fashion via the SP button. This SP button also activates EX attacks and together with a Focus button, complements the kick and punch attacks on the right part of the screen. It should be noted that these on-screen elements can be moved around and have their transparency adjusted, to accommodate left-handers and minimalists alike.

Street Fighter 4 looks and runs exquisitely on the 3GS device we tested it on, with impressive animations and the same gorgeous backdrops we were treated to in the console version. Combat in Street Fighter 4 is fast and fluid, and button input is as responsive as we hoped it would be. The AI does a good job at keeping you on your toes too, and can be configured at 4 difficulty levels from beginner to gruelling. There are a number of game modes, from the standard Tournament mode (against 7 competitors, with Bison featuring as the end boss), to a "Dojo" challenge mode, together with a training mode and a single player versus mode. For those who prefer human competitors, a Bluetooth multiplayer mode is available too.

To round out the impressive feature list, Street Fighter 4 sports a full blown replay system and local leaderboards, to record your matches for later viewing, and to breakdown your winnings in both tournament and versus modes. Capcom has certainly created a comprehensive Street Fighter 4 offering, with only WiFi multiplayer and online leader boards remaining on our wish list, together with the inevitable cries for a more extensive character roster.

Street Fighter 4 is easily recommended to any Street Fighter fan or fighting game aficionado. At its core it is a lightweight port of the exceptional console title, so don't go expecting anything different if you've had your SF4 fill. On the other hand, it is amazing that such a game was ported to the AppStore in the first place and the simple fact that you can now bring Street Fighter 4 around in your pocket should be enough to sway many an eager button masher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GsTS3iHypU

Impressions from our forums are collecting fast and are largely positive. Our readers have noted that there is only minimal slowdown on 3G models compared to the 3GS device we tested, and even 1G users are reportedly happy with Street Fighter 4's performance.

App Store Link: Street Fighter 4, $9.99.

Today we met with Asbjorern Soendergaard and Morten Svendsen of new iPhone development group Tactile Entertainment. Tactile was founded a year ago to focus on iPhone games and their first project Pocket Creatures is finally nearing completion.

While we covered the game's announcement last week, today we had time to see the game in person at GDC. After spending time with it, Pocket Creatures seems a surprisingly complex experience. Soendergaard didn't want this to be considered just another pet game. Instead, he describes the game as an open world sandbox experience partly inspired by Black and White.

The game opens on a deserted island where you find a mysterious egg on an alter in an ancient temple. The egg hatches and you are responsible for the care of the creature. You can treat your creature with love or hate and condition it's behavior based on positive or negative feedback. Environmental objects and creatures can be used and combined in surprisingly complex ways.

Morten Svendsen walked us through the various interactions in the game:

Rubbing on screen will give your creature love/affection while swiping across the screen will slap/hit your creature. Feed it a banana and then slap it, and it will learn to hate bananas and avoid them in the future. Various objects and tools can be combined in different ways (seeds + water + manure = growing plant).

The game keeps running track of all the relationships between the creature and its environment, and the creature will act autonomously even without your interaction and will behave based on this previous conditioning. Meanwhile, different achievements unlock cosmetic add-ons, such as horns or wings, so you can customize your creature's look.

The game remains in pre-beta so the video does not represent the final visuals, which will be further enhanced. Overall, though, I was surprised and impressed at the depth of interaction for the creature and its environment. It was definitely beyond my initial expectations of a "pet" game, so I recommend at least watching through the video to see it in action. The game is about to go into beta, and should be coming in the next month or two.

This afternoon we met with David Whatley of Critical Thought Games and aside from race cars and sniper rifles, we also discussed the future of his company and the geoDefense series of tower defense games.

Following a series of complicated business deals involving his former company, Simutronics, Whatley will soon be focusing full time on game development. Formerly, Critical Thought Games was a very small operation that existed entirely out of David's spare time. In the not too distant future, Critical Thought Games will be expanding, adding employees and setting up a brand new office to build iPhone, iPad, and various Facebook social games.

Fans of the geoDefense series will be happy to know that one of these new games they're working on is geoDefense 2. Initially the sequel will be iPad-only, with levels and gameplay that take advantage of the increased screen real estate available on the device. It will share the same graphical style, only this time instead of a small array of towers with deep upgrade paths, Whatley is debating a Plants vs. Zombies style game that just has tons of different towers to utilize.

Things with geoDefense 2 are still in the air while the new Critical Thought Games offices and staff get settled, but David assured us he does have plans to adapt the iPad version of the game to the iPhone as well. Needless to say, once more details are available on geoDefense 2, we'll post them.

Thanks to the App Store I have been able to experience games I had missed the first time on other platforms. Dare I say it; I missed Monkey Island the first time around. Tale of Tale’s, The Graveyard [$1.99 / Free] recently hit the App Store, it's over two years old and has even won awards but I never played or heard of it.

The Graveyard is not really game, I feel more comfortable describing it as interactive art or poetry. You can argue that’s what games are but after playing this I feel that the word game doesn’t do it justice. But to make writing this a little easier I will pretend I can call this a game.

You play the game as an old lady visiting a graveyard. Your only clear objective is a park bench at the end of the path. I could tell you more but I would spoil it for you. I know that sounds amazingly too simple, but when you play the game you will see there is so much more. I don’t understand it myself, but the game really makes you think about life.

I would suggest downloading the lite version and giving it a try. I would also wait to play the game when you’re alone in a quiet place to get the full effect.

The developer says that there are only a few differences between the computer and iPhone versions. If you do end up trying the lite and enjoying it, download the full version and it will introduce death into the game. I know that doesn’t sound like much but it adds the sense of urgency.

App Store Link: The Graveyard, $1.99, The Graveyard Lite, Free

[via CreativeApplications.net]

Nitrome, a flash game developer, is planning to release one of their popular flash games called Feed Me, on the iPhone. The new version will be called ‘Super Feed Me’ since it will have updated graphics and not be a direct port of the original.

Details about the new game are extremely limited. At the moment all we have is a blog post on Nitrome’s website and a trailer you saw above. If you want to get an idea for how the game will play you can check out the flash version on their website. The game reminds me of Hook Champ, which was a big hit last year.

No release date set yet but they plan to have the game out later this year. Keep an eye on the discussion in our forum for more details.

Chillingo's The Hero launched into the App Store on Monday. We briefly previewed the game back in February.

The game is beautifully illustrated and animated super hero game. You control your hero by using a virtual joystick in the bottom right corner, and can speed up by mashing the on-screen button on the bottom right corner. The controls work well enough, although making precise movements can be challenging as you can't just stop in mid-air and turn around, your hero has to go through his whole turning around animation before you can go the other way.

Here's our hands on video:

First impressions from our forums seem positive, and we'll take a closer look in the near future.

App Store Link: The Hero, $1.99

We've arrived in San Francisco for the 2010 Game Developer's Conference. This year's event includes a two day iPhone summit which should attract many iPhone developers from around the world.

GDC also includes the usual other game related activities, booths and announcements. The IGF mobile finalists will be on demo with a final award ceremony later this week.

One interesting pre-announcement we were sent was from Steph Thirion, the creator of Eliss. Thirion will be introducing his next game Faraway at GDC.

Like Eliss, Faraway is an original concept, and is set in space, but the new game drastically increases the scale of the play area. While Eliss was about planets and space management in sectors, Faraway will be about constellations and infinite space travel.

Faraway will be one of six "one button games" that will be featured at Gamma 4 on Wednesday.

We expect there to be an avalanche of iPhone news coming throughout this week. If you are an iPhone developer in the area, come to the IUGO iPhone Developer Party which we are co-sponsoring. Or track us down via twitter (@arnoldkim, @hodapp, @blakespot) for after hour events.

The party is on Wednesday, March 10, 8pm in the Marriott Lobby Bar, right across the road from Moscone Center West. Drinks sponsored by Team Phobic, Touch Arcade, Venan Entertainment and IUGO.

XS Games, a New York based publisher, announced Friday that they plan to release an iPhone and PSPgo port of “The Red Star” early this spring. The Red Star was a popular shooter/action game for the Playstation 2 that was based off the graphic novel of the same name.

The game was a blend of top down shooting and side scrolling beat ’em levels. It also had some RPG elements, with characters being able to upgraded abilities at the end of levels.

Here is a trailer for the PS2 version:

XS Games says that both the PSPgo and iPhone are the perfect new home for the game. They say by releasing the game on these platforms it will allow them to improve the game play and graphics of the game while keeping the price fair. We will have to wait till spring to see if they deliver.

Screenshots of the iPhone version: