Similar to Dizzypad, the trick to Captain Ludwig is to time your one finger tap just right to direct Ludwig to the next planet. If you overshoot your mark or mis-time your flight, your hero will find himself lost in the ethers of space and minus a life. In many ways, Captain Ludwig is an improvement over Dizzypad, with a number of traps and pitfalls introduced to make your solitary task that little bit harder. See our full review.
TipTop: The Last March has a fun core gameplay mechanic, and is oozing with style between the excellent art and sound design. If you've been looking for a good Lemmings-like game on the iPhone, look no further. See our full review
If something to satisfy a craving to hack and slash your way through hordes of monsters is what you seek, look no further than the twisting catacombs conveniently located just off the cellar of the Happy Cadaver Inn. See our full review.
Pocket Legends was a big hit with us when it released earlier this month. There was something special about having an full-blown 3D MMO playing in our hot little hands that really wow'd us, particularly as Pocket Legends actually had solid match-up mechanics and an action-packed gameplay to write home about.
Since its release, developers Spacetime Studios have been hard at work pumping out server-side patches to address bugs, tweak balancing, and even introduce a new in-app purchasable level pack in the form of 'The Lost Expedition' -- a set of levels based on the frigid snowscape of a Yeti Fortress, complete with new ice weapons and armors. Perhaps even more exciting though is their first update to the application itself, requiring a traditional iTunes app update to patch your game to version 1.1.
The full feature list is a long one, comprising of a raft of UI tweaks and bug fixes, but the major gameplay features that have been added (as provided by the developer) are as follows:
Gifting: Items can now be traded one way (given) to other players
Stashing: Items can now be stored in a stash, which can also be used to transfer items between your characters
Vendors: NPCs now sell different items in towne
Conversations: NPCs now offer backstory
Consider Mobs: Target display (left of health indicator) shows relative level difference
Booting: Game hosts can kick players from their game
Store: Added Platinum for premium items and packages
While most of the new features are self-explanatory, we'll expand on that last point to clear any confusion. Being the busy, supportive developers that they are, Spacetime Studios have encountered an issue with the in-app content process-- chiefly, they are creating content too fast for Apple to approve it in a timely fashion, and as each in-app download has to be separately submitted, approved and priced, this has caused quite the delay and frustration.
Their solution is a simple but clever one that has financial benefits for its customers too. In-App downloads will now comprise solely of 'platinum' purchases, a new form of currency introduced to Pocket Legends. With that platinum, you can then purchase from a (now much larger) list of in-game items and content, some which may potentially be below the Apple-mandated in-app price of $0.99. This means that Apple only has to approve the platinum in-app purchase once, and the rest of the items are handled by their faster, more regular update processes. Note, the developers have indicated that until the new system is fully migrated and the old in-app system removed, they won't be able to review their prices, so you may want to hold out on item spending until they do so.
With all these updates and both PvP and Secure Trading promised in the next update (the current patch introduced only a lightweight 'gifting' system), there is certainly a lot to look forward to in the world of Pocket Legends. We'd also like to mention that the entire interface has been given a nifty face lift with an emphasis on help tooltips and assisting new players, so there's never been a better time to get on board Pocket Legends!
Puzzle Quest 2, Infinite Interactive's follow-up to the RPG puzzle series, is slated to hit Xbox LIVE Arcade and the Nintendo DS this summer. But will it be released for the iPad and iPhone?
It's possible. In a conversation with us, game executive producer Tim Ramage said that both platforms are "viable platforms" for the game.
“At the moment we are only announced for XBLA and DS but we are looking at all other platforms for possible opportunities," Ramage said via e-mail. "Both the iPad and iPhone would be viable platforms for Puzzle Quest 2 to be a part of.”
The original Puzzle Quest (Chapters 1 and 2)[App Store] launched on the App Store in December 2008 following the full game's Xbox LIVE Arcade release in October.
The iPhone port was met with middling reviews until perfomance updates brought it up to speed with its platform counterparts, but it's always maintained that magical mixture of Bejeweled-style match-three play with RPG trimmings. Definitely check it out if you're a puzzle game fan.
Telltale Games, the creators of Sam & Max [App Store] and Tales of Monkey Island, revealed a new iPhone-bound puzzle game last afternoon at a San Francisco-based event.
It's called Puzzle Agent, and according to IGN's write-up, it seeks to jump outside the usual Telltale mold by integrating the studio's signature story-telling with Professor Layton-style, scene-based puzzles.
The game's visual art is the product of former Telltale designer Graham Annable, the creator of Grickle. His pen and ink, purposefully crude approach comes through prominently in Puzzle Agent.
Players will be controlling an FBI Agent named Nelson Tether and apparently will be tasked with uncovering what hidden mysteries the desolate and snow-laden Scoggins, Minnesota holds.
Telltale Games started teasing Puzzle Agent via a splash page on their official website earlier this month. The page featured the Agent standing in the forefront of an old factory. A sign just behind the Tether's shoulder read "Welcome to Scoggins."
It's possible the secret of Scoggins has something to do with the little red gnomes that appear when mousing over objects on this splash page.
Telltale only showed a brief video of the game at the event, but the developer did share that the game will have a hint system tied to Tether's love of chewing gum.
Puzzle Agent will hit the iPhone and iPad, as well as several other platforms, this June. Unlike Telltale's other IPs, Puzzle Agent might not be the first in a line of episodic titles based on Tether's adventures. According to IGN, this is the flagship project for the Telltale Pilot Program, a program designed around gauging interest in a title before tossing it into the usual episodic model.
Electronic Arts has released its newest addition to the FIFA franchise, FIFA World Cup. This installment is targeted towards the upcoming international soccer tournament that arrives every four years, known as World Cup. The host nation for 2010 is South Africa, in which FIFA World Cup features as the theme for the game.
FIFA World Cup offers 105 of the official international teams, and 10 stadiums and locations from South Africa to play on. There are 6 different game modes to play; Kick Off, FIFA World Cup, Penalty Shoot-Out, Captain Your Country, Local Multiplayer, and Training mode. With 4 levels of AI opponent difficulty settings, players of all skill levels can enjoy, including: Amateur, Semi-Pro, Professional, and World Class.
The first thing people want to know about are the controls. With the previous FIFA 10 [$6.99] game on the iPhone released last year, the main complaint was about the controls. I'm happy to say that the controls in FIFA World Cup are much improved. The learning curve has gone way down thankfully, to a new layout of buttons. Instead of A, B, and C buttons, there are now Pass, Shoot, and Skill buttons for more clear controls. There is also no more complicated "Slide from A to B and back to A to make a 1-2 pass". More natural controls are implemented like, holding longer or double tapping the button for a different desired action. Another new feature is that the player your facing will have a blue indicator above their head, notifying you that if you pass the ball, it will go to that player. It's an extremely nice addition, allowing you to have better precision on your passes. The indicator will turn red if a long pass is available to be made. And also, there are through-ball indicators placed on the ground in yellow to let you know a through-ball can be made and in what direction.
Where I expect people to spend most of their time is playing in the World Cup tournament. Here you can pick any of the teams, even if they haven't qualified for the real tournament, and lead them to victory. You can choose to play your way through the entire qualification stages and then progress to the finals, or start off at the finals in group play and make your way through the last few rounds of 32 teams in 8 groups to make it to the championship match. As you play through, you can see standings from each group, next matches, manage your team, player performance charts, and more.
Here is a video with some gameplay so you can see the new features:
Overall, the game plays great and is a good improvement over EA's first FIFA game, they have learned from their mistakes to provide a better soccer game for the iPhone. With the top-notch graphics, a well-balanced AI, and an enjoyable soccer experience, it's hard to pass this game up if you are a soccer fan waiting for the World Cup to start.
Behemoth studio and creator of the StarCraft RTS series, Blizzard Entertainment, is notorious for its long development cycles. It's an integral part of the studio's "quality first" mindset. But it's also an ethos that is, to some extent, stopping Blizzard from putting SC on the iPad.
Speaking recently to Ars Technica, lead designer of SC 2 Dustin Browder put the breaks on any thoughts that the studio is actively developing for the device: "I don't know," he said, "We're certainly not working on it now."
The reason is wrapped up in control. SC 2 is a PC RTS, and while some devs have been able to have success with their strategy releases on Apple's latest device, Blizzard isn't so sure their game's experience will translate.
"Will we give users the same quality experience?" Browder asked. "We don't put multiple SKUs out there and have like, the good SKU, and the 'Meh, we exploited this SKU, we made some money.' We don't want that SKU, the version that's not the good version."
Would Blizzard make millions if they released an iPad version of SC? It's possible. This is the studio that makes millions on digital animals for their PC MMO World of Warcraft, after all. But for now, Blizzard seems content on doing what it does best: making polished and entertaining PC games.
At GDC 2010, one of the games we got a secret sneak peek of was Imangi's upcoming dual stick shooter Max Adventure. Imangi is finally ready to start revealing some details about their most ambitious project to date.
While Max Adventure is yet another dual stick shooter, Imangi's Natalia Luckyanova promises it brings more to the table. She writes, "There will be plenty of the action-packed survival shooting that you expect from a dual stick shooter. But unlike other dual stick shooters, Max Adventure will also have open exploration in non-linear levels, diverse missions, puzzle elements, and story-driven progression."
They've released this epic trailer which shows some gameplay towards the end:
We played an early build of the game at GDC and were pleased to find it capture great controls with a fluid feel. This smooth dual-stick "feel" is something that games like MiniGore have gotten so right while games like Garters & Ghouls have gotten so wrong. Max Adventure is targeted for release at the end of summer. Imangi has started an upcoming discussion thread for the game.
Last Gladiators Ver.2010 is a port of a 1995 pinball game for the Sega Saturn. In a world where there's so many different options to satisfy your pinball needs available on the App Store, some aspects about this release will stick out like sore thumbs. The price, the dated graphics, a lack of features, no online scores… the price. It can be kind of a hard sell on the surface. But make no mistake about it, this is hands down the best pinball gameplay available for your device. If I'm going to be trapped on a desert island with my iPhone and can only have one pinball app, I want it to be Last Gladiators.
Let's get right to the elephant in the room, the cost. The app itself is $4.99, and comes with the Gladiators table. The other three tables that make up the original Saturn game are sold separately as DLC for $4.99 apiece. Yep, $4.99 for each additional table. I know that most of us who were fortunate enough to have grown up during the arcade era have probably spent well more than five bucks playing a good table for a couple of hours. So asking that much for a table you can play infinitely that fits in your pocket doesn't sound unreasonable. In the App Store economy, however, it's equivalent to an arm and a leg. The pricing alone means this game won't be for everybody.
Pricing aside, Last Gladiators does everything right in the gameplay department. It's amazing that with all the different pinball games that have been released on iPhone, none of them have ever quite felt like playing a real life table. This one's different, this one feels right. The physics of the ball and the design of the tables are nearly perfect. I'm not going to go into specific table detail (a video of each one can be seen in the thread in our forums) but all four feature multiball and more rounds and missions than I can even count. The instructions run 30+ pages for each table so you can familiarize yourself with every scoring nook and cranny, and also get an idea of just how much depth is on offer here.
This isn't the most visually impressive pinball game, after all it is 15 years old, but it still manages to have a great look that functions well. The table designs are more akin to the pinball tables of the late 80's and early 90's, rather than the highly complex mechanical behemoths of the later 90's. A neat effect is a scaling ball, so it looks smaller while in the back of the table and quite a bit larger as it's near the flippers. Handy on-screen indicators point you towards active goals, and it's always clear what you're supposed to be doing even for a beginner. There aren't really any iPhone specific features, and as far as ports are concerned this is pretty bare-bones. This is basically the Saturn game reworked with touch screen controls, and that's about it.
If you're a pinball fanatic, and just want the best experience regardless of price, then you owe it to yourself to drop $5 on the initial Gladiators table. It will keep you busy for a long time, and you can always decide to splurge on the extra tables sometime down the line when you're ready for something new.
There's no official lite version available, but you can try Ultra Legend Pinball which is basically the Gladiators table with slightly reworked functionality and Ultraman artwork. I hesitate a bit recommending this, as it's entirely in Japanese and the Ultraman version of the table isn't nearly as good as the original, but at the very least it gives you and idea of what the Last Gladiators tables are like. Whatever your feelings on the pricing of Last Gladiators, it's a stellar game that shouldn't be missed if you're looking for an accurate simulation of pinball.
Agharta Studios' 1112 Episode 02 [$4.99], the long-awaited sequel to the original 1112 [$4.99 / Free], was released mere moments ago. It's probably a good idea to play the games in order, but Episode 02 includes a brief summary to get players up to speed.
Told through a fantastic hand drawn art style, 1112 Episode 2 has players helping a character named Louis discover what exactly it is he's doing in New York. Along the way you'll need to complete puzzles, and talk to the 14 new included characters to advance the plot and slowly unravel the mystery of 1112.
1112 Episode 01 was well liked on our forums, but also was victim to some harsh criticisms between short gameplay time and translation issues that were later fixed through an update. If you enjoyed the first episode of 1112, then the sequel is a must have, especially if the story of Louis captivated you the first time around.
If this is the first you've heard of 1112, start with 1112 Episode 01 Lite [Free] before deciding if you want to get involved in this episodic puzzle driven mystery.
Ravensword: The Falling King [$4.99 / Free] and Mikado Defenders [$2.99 / Free] are two games we really enjoyed. They both now have Lite versions recently released that you should try if you are any kind of RPG or Tower Defense genre fan.
Ravensword: Reviewed in November and given 4 stars - Review
Overall, Ravensword is a great addition to the somewhat scarce landscape of RPG's on the iPhone. It has some flaws, but it's a lot of fun and at the end of the day that's really all that matters. With an estimated 6-8 hours of gameplay, and side quests to keep you busy long after that, I can't help but recommend Ravensword.
And soon we'll also have some exclusive details on the sequel, Ravensword 2, so stay tuned for that.
Mikado Defenders: A Tower Defense that really stood out - Review
The tower defense section of the App Store is arguably just as crowded as the match three and line drawing sections, but Taito has managed to create a really cool looking game with a decent amount of depth to it that should make any fan of the genre happy. It comes with multiple difficulty modes, as well as both a story and endless mode. Impressions in the thread in our forums have been positive so far, and much like Taito's other iPhone games, Mikado Defenders is a lot of fun.
When we first reviewedAlive 4-Ever back in August 2009, we were thoroughly impressed to see a top-down dual-stick shooter finally delivering both the depth and breadth of content that the genre was really calling for. Since then, we have seen an explosion of dual-stick shooters, with only few really exceeding or even matching the standard set by developer Meridian. Fortunately, the release of Meridian's sequel, Alive 4-Ever RETURNS [AppStore] gives us another look at just how a dual-stick shooter should be delivered.
Alive 4-Ever RETURNS introduces 4 new characters who were fortunate enough to escape the infection that seemed to zombify the planet. The storyline (very) loosely ties in their adventure to the gameplay, providing a short bit of context at the beginning of each level. Meridian have completely overhauled the original game engine, bringing each of the new levels to life with 3D props to give both a sense of depth to the world, and also new obstacles to navigate. If we had to distill just one memorable feature of the original engine, it would undoubtedly be the bloody mess left over at the end of each level. Alive 4-Ever RETURNS amazingly improves on this, adding what must be 10 pints of blood to each zombie you mow down, spraying from each lifeless victim in a satisfying (masochistic) manner.
The whopping 40 new levels in Alive 4-Ever RETURNS are also grislier than their original counterparts. Overall, the mood is darker, there is far more environmental eye-candy, and some of the levels are just downright cool to play through (loved tackling zombies on the football pitch!). Together with the standard mission-based challenges of the first game there is also a self-explanatory Survival Mode and new take on gameplay in the form of Horde mode. In this mode you face wave after wave of increasingly difficult zombies, trying to get through as many waves as possible, with your life and ammo replenished after each wave by spawned items. Each of the new game modes puts you in the role of the character from your challenge mode, meaning they can be revisited each time your character grows to attempt greater feats.
And just as in the first title, there is an impressive laundry list of customization available to your character. The attribute points, equipment slots and the huge armory of weapons featured in Alive 4-Ever make a return, joined by a new skills system. Skills are on-screen button-activated abilities that are made available at certain levels, and give powerful, temporary (but re-usable) boosts to your character. There are 13 skills available which effect anything from health boosts to weapon damage increases, with only 4 slots for skills unlocked as your character progresses. Together with the menu-driven customization, Alive 4-Ever RETURNS also includes a number of new in-game pickups to help you out of tight spots; our favorite easily being the room-clearing dual-wielded handguns, with the new grenade pickups coming in a close second.
Many of the features that made the original great make a return here too, with bonus challenges driving the main source of weapon unlocks and fiercesome, large-scaled boss enemies interspersed throughout the challenge missions. We're also pleased to see that WiFi driven 4-player co-op (with Bluetooth co-op coming in the next update) has been included in the sequel, a feature that was added to the original several months after its release. Competitive types and completionists alike will be pleased to know that the game also makes use of the OpenFeint platform to deliver a full suite of achievements and leaderboards for each of the game modes.
Alive 4-Ever RETURNS is a faithful zombie-massacring sequel, offering a similar experience to the original title albeit in greater quantity and quality. A number of improvements to both the engine and the gameplay itself have solidified Alive 4-Ever RETURNS as much more than just a content update, with some thoughtful touches such as zooming out to see the battlefield when you're not firing or how the gun sounds amplify when a power-up is active really shows how Meridian has really fine-tuned this release. Alive 4-Ever RETURNS is easily recommended for dual-stick shooter fans, and a must-have for fans of the original game. There is an enormous amount of content to shoot through here and the levels themselves are challenging, terrific to explore and look great with a whole heap of zombie blood smeared over them.
Be sure to check out the gameplay trailer above which highlights the new additions to the sequel. So far, comments from our readers in our forums have shown their overwhelming enthusiasm for the sequel and its new features.
Prior to today's release, Kyle Poole's adaptation of Battle of Wesnoth [iPhone: 99¢ / iPad: 99¢] existed only on the iPhone, and while the game was good, it really seemed like it was never intended to be played on a screen that small. Battle for Wesnoth is a turn-based RPG with tons of user created content originally developed for the Mac and PC available for free. Since the game was designed to be played on a computer with a keyboard and mouse, we thought that quite a bit got lost in translation to tiny touchscreen controls in our review.
I'm happy to report that the interface issues found in the iPhone version have been completely eradicated thanks to the massive screen of the iPad. At 1024x768, the game is rendered just as it is on the Mac/PC client, and all of the various buttons and menus work great even with my fat, pepperoni greased fingers. The increased screen resolution also allows you to see much more of the battlefield at once, resulting in much less scrolling too.
Unfortunately, right now the iPad port is a little rough around the edges still. There's an annoying bug where the screen goes black momentarily when the iPad is rotated, but launching the game with the rotation lock enabled fixes this. Also, while you don't need to do much scrolling around anymore, panning about battles feels much slower and laggier than it should.
Developer Kyle Poole has been very active on our forums and has consistently been adding content, fixing bugs, and tweaking performance in the iPhone version since its release. Sure, the iPad Battle of Wesnoth has a few issues, but it's completely playable, and with the current 99¢ sale, you really should grab this game if you're a turn-based strategy lover with an iPad.
Plants vs. Zombies HD soon isn't going to be the only PopCap game on the iPad, according to information we received today.
"We are working on other iPad adaptations of some of our leading franchises," Andrew Stein, director of the studio's mobile business development, told us this morning via e-mail, "so it's probably safe to say that at least one of the games you cite will eventually make its way to Apple's latest device."
In our question put to Stein, we asked if the iPad would ever see a Peggle, Chuzzle, or Bejeweled release.
Chuzzle [App Store] appears to be the unlikeliest of the bunch despite its critical acclaim. Peggle [App Store] and Bejeweled [App Store] probably warrant the "leading franchise" tag considering both IPs have received enough backing to have multiple releases across a diverse range of platforms. It's a list that includes Xbox LIVE Arcade, Macintosh, iPhone, and even browsers.
Needless to say, we're incredibly excited for whatever game (or games) PopCap finally decides to bring to the iPad. All of their existing iPhone games work fine scaled up on the iPad, but after seeing what a fantastic job they did with Plants vs. Zombies, we'd really like to see Peggle get the same treatment.
If I were to tell you a game about paint could offer edge-of-your-seat action, I’d expect you to call me mad. And yet here I am, telling you that very thing. Freaking Inkies puts a new spin on the old experience of matching colored items to make them disappear. That new spin? Freaking Inkies is a crazy shooter about destroying monsters with splatters of like-colored paint.
Placing your thumbs on either side of your iDevice, you’ll touch primary colors on either side of the screen to shoot. If you want blue, place both of your thumbs on blue. If you want red, place them on red. You’ll aim using tilt and make sure to press the matching paint color when you have a monster in your sights. It sounds simple, and it is... until you encounter your first orange monster.
While you only have primary colors at your disposal, monsters come in both primary and secondary colors, meaning you’ll need to mix the colors you’re shooting to take them out. To eliminate orange monsters you’ll need one thumb on red and the other on yellow. To eliminate purple ones you’ll need one thumb on red and the other on blue. If it’s green... well, you get the idea.
Freaking Inkies is fast, frantic, and very fun. Even if the game was made up of no more than this color-mixing combat, it would be a strong enough mechanic to stand on its own. Thankfully the team at Atakama Labs saw fit to simply make this the basis for a variety of game modes that you’ll encounter as you play through the game’s main challenge mode. Try and take out parachuting monsters, hunt monsters in the dark, play a paint monster slot machine... the game styles go on and on.
Freaking Inkies isn’t like any game we’ve ever played before. It’s a paint game, but it’s about twitch-shooting rather than art. It’s also something of a puzzler, forcing you to remember which combination of primary colors will make purple, orange or green in a split second. It is, in a phrase, one-of-a-kind. And it’s a game with a lot of charm. The monsters have an endearing cuteness about them. The backgrounds, made up of interesting visuals like sheet music and old newspapers tinted in an intentionally drab sepia, provide a great contrast to the colourful monsters and paint play.
The tilt aiming feels perfect – not unlike the controls in Tilt to Live. And if thinking on your feet to generate color combinations wasn’t crazy enough, the game is made up of more than 100 challenges. That’s not to say there are 100 game types, but constantly having different game types thrown at you as you progress means you’re never engaging in the same experience for very long. With a tremendous amount of gameplay in the main game and a free play mode for those who master what the challenge mode has to offer, Freaking Inkies is more than just a unique and fun experience – it’s a great value too. If you’re getting tired of the same old genres and experiences, Freaking Inkies is the breath of fresh air you’ve been waiting for.
Can there be life after Cammy? Capcom seems to be considering more character DLC for the iPhone version of Street Fighter 4.
Yesterday afternoon, Capcom-Unity alerted enthusiasts that a three-day celebratory sale for the App was in full swing. For the next two days prospective owners can purchase the fighter title for $6.99 [App Store], 30 percent off the regular price courtesy of Super Street Fighter 4's hotly-anticipated console release on Tuesday afternoon.
Aside from announcing the sale, in the post author Larson teases the prospect of additional character DLC by asking fans to suggest other SF pugilists they'd like "to see as future DLC for the iPhone game."
The request seems plain enough, but it could be an exercise meant to only get fans commenting on the thread, earning them a chance at one of five redeemable codes being given away. We've reached out to Capcom for clarification. Update: They've responded, confirming intent to add more DLC after Cammy.
The first downloadable character, fan favorite Cammy, is set to be added to the game via a free update. She will join a cast of eight characters, all of which appeared in Street Fighter 4 proper.
Street Fighter 4 iPhone might not be as pleasing to the eye or as entertaining to control as its console brethren, but it's still an easily recommended, delightful romp according to our review of the title.
Update: A Capcom representative has confirmed that additional DLC plans are in the works. "There will be additional DLC beyond Cammy, but we haven’t announced anything additional yet," the rep said.
Prior to today's release, Kyle Poole's adaptation of Battle of Wesnoth [iPhone: 
