We had nothing to go on when EA announced its intentions to port Bullfrog’s theme park simulation game, Theme Park, other than “Hey, a Theme Park game is happening.” As usual, the big ticket marketing machine over at the publisher covered up some of the holes at an event. Earlier this week, EA debuted the title at gamescom in Cologne, Germany, revealing that it’s a full re-make of the original game, complete with a new payment model, new look, new mechanics, and new rides involving EA franchises like Mass Effect and, somehow, even Dragon Age.

Digital Spy grabbed the first image we’ve seen on the Internet, and also had a few specific details. Take this one for example: not only will you be able to build your theme park with in-game money, but you’ll also be able to purchase more in-game money with real-life money. Also, the rides you build will apparently be interactive; the report cites being able to move around pirate ships or prod air-filled castles. I have a feeling the interaction will be strictly limited to basic animations, but hey, I guess we won’t know until we see a full build in some shape or form.

Speaking of builds, the game won’t see a final release until this holiday, but it’ll come with all that fancy Origin stuff we heard about earlier this year. Right now, it’s slated to hit a $0, which makes us think that the F2P stuff is going to roll a lot deeper than in-game currency.

[Via Digital Spy, @robfunnell7]

There's some pretty neat box-rolling games on the App Store, like Edge [$2.99 / Review] and Beyond Ynth [$1.99 / Review] which are both outstanding. But the latest box-rolling game to hit my iPod is Cubes vs. Spheres [99¢] by ShockPanda Games. It's a 3D physics-based, almost "tower defense" game, where you fight off waves of advancing cubes, which roll towards your circular base.

The retina graphics are minimalistic and stylized. It's a sterile white world with ledges, blocky edges and cool structures from which cubes pour down from. The first step is to determine which cubes to attack next (typically the closest, or biggest cluster), then select the most appropriate sphere for the job and finally, swipe the sphere in the appropriate direction, at the necessary speed and power, to smash the approaching cubes into flying fragments.

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We’ve been following Halfbrick’s upcoming effort Machine Gun Jetpack ever since we got our dirty hands on it at GDC this past March. We instantly fell in love with the gameplay that was built around one of Barry Steakfries’ most infamous weapons from Monster Dash [99¢], the machine gun jetpack (duh). We’ve also posted a couple of developer diary videos that the team at Halfbrick has been filming during the creation of the game, giving some insight into their development process of Machine Gun Jetpack.

Except, it’s not called Machine Gun Jetpack any longer. Remove that name from your mind, and say hello to Jetpack Joyride, the brand new moniker for Halbrick’s brand new game. You might be thinking "why on Earth would they change the name of something that sounded so freaking awesome?", and at first I felt the same way. But after watching this following video, Halfbrick’s own Phil Larsen and Luke Muscat put up a pretty strong argument as to why the name was changed.

Basically, the game has evolved so much over the past several months and there’s now so much awesome stuff in there that it’s no longer just about the machine gun jetpack, but rather a bunch of different and equally cool kinds of jetpacks, as well as tons of other crazy goodies. In short, Jetpack Joyride has evolved into a total gaming beast brimming with variety.

Since it’s been nearly 6 months since we last got to hang with Phil from Halfbrick, it warms our hearts to see his bright, shining face in that video. Sure, we got to yap with him on a bonus TouchArcade Show podcast last month, but that doesn’t come close to actually hanging out with the man – nay, the legend – in real, physical reality. Oh, also, Jetpack Joyride looks absolutely bonkers.

We’ve got the final product in our (still) dirty hands, and we’ll give you a hands-on look at it later this week. This should properly whet your appetite for you to get your own (probably) dirty hands on the game on September 1st when Jetpack Joyride launches for 99¢ as a Universal app. Keep your eyes fixed on this space for our preview this week or drop by our forums to discuss the newly renamed Jetpack Joyride.

Look, I’m not one percent sure if HungryMaster’s [$2.99] over-the-top It Came From The East design and approach is supposed to feel like its ridiculing and therefore exposing the condition some Japanese games are in when they come to the West, but I really, really want to take it at face value. Because if it is satirical and as self-aware as I think it is, it’s absolutely brilliant -- the broken English, the ridiculous cast, and the collection of oddball mechanics bolstered by the low-definition approach to audio and visuals paint a truly hilarious picture of sub-par import games in a wholesome and entertaining way.

I know I can’t accurately describe the game’s premise to you, and hopefully that’s the point of HungryMaster. But here’s what I know. You play as an overly bubbly young anime girl with green hair who is visited, suddenly, by a magical talking cat named Saten. The cat tells the girl that she can have magic, too, in some fancifully broken English complete with spelling errors. From there, they have discussions about fruit and monsters that I can’t follow, but I get the distinct impression that it’s all riffing on anime tropes and bad translation efforts.

From a mechanical standpoint, I hesitate to call this a dual-stick shooter, even though it does feel like one. The entire game from what I’ve seen revolves around moving around a small forested environment and killing little monsters with magical bursts. In turn, these monsters drop food that you have to return to houses when a quota is filled. It’s simple and comically offbeat, which is exactly what I expect out of games like these. HungryMaster pushes it all to the next level with its cuteness, horrible dialogue, and hilarious arcade underpinnings which include scan lines and other lo-fi quality presentation tactics. Again, brilliance on display here -- if this is supposed to be riffing on the oddity of the import game.

The sad thing is that HungryMaster doesn’t work so well as an iPad game. The game doesn’t separate its movement and firing mechanics well, as both require you to hold down your finger around the character. With an iCade, however, the game pops. With the joystick, you can move around Delica with precision and ease, and with buttons, you can control your magical attacks in a much more profound and precise way.

Straight-up: I couldn’t stomach the game part of HungryMaster without the iCade, but in using it I was actually able to get into the action -- to really wander around the world and pummel the monsters I wanted to without fumbling, covering up the action with my fingers, or taking damage based on said fumbling. Without a doubt, this game feels as good as it was intended to feel with an iCade, and I've been having a blast as a result. You shouldn't miss this one, I think.

Also, if this isn’t satire, I take all of this back, but still maintain that this is ridiculous fun with an iCade regardless.

Previous games we’ve covered in this series: Mos Speedrun / HungryMaster / Match Panic / Super Mega Worm. Check out our NEW list of iCade titles here.

Well now here's something you don't see every day, especially from a company like EA, and especially from a series that among other bragging rights includes the best selling PC game of all time…! The Sims 3 World Adventures [Free] is free today, as part of a particularly confusing promotion as historically speaking Sims games have had absolutely no problem selling like crazy on the App Store. World Adventures is sort of the odd man out of the bunch on the App Store, as instead of focusing on typical Sims-like activities of decking out your house and simulating the various mundane tasks which you yourself do every day, it sends you off to several exotic locales to complete various goals.

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We think the next update to Liv Games’ Zen Wars [$1.99] needs to include a Rampart-like icon with a similarly constipated man pointing urgently at fire, but the update we’ve just received will keep us busy and, more importantly, on speaking terms in the meantime. In addition to a bunch of bug fixes, Liv Games has added a new “one life” multiplayer mode, which has been designed to dramatically whittle down the time spent in each online, cannon-filled affair. The old three life I Don’t Have Anything To Do Today mode still exists, so don’t panic, please.

Specifically with the bug pass, Liv Games has eradicated the “players playing” bug which showed a perpetual 0, as well as tidied up an issue with survival that kept users from earning achievements. Lastly, Liv has also tuned up the transparency of the HUD when you’re working around the top of the screen.

Zen Wars is a pretty radical game. Jared “Sleeping Beard” Nelson gave it some major props in his review from earlier this month, which you can view here if you’re stilling thinking about jumping on the Zen Wars train despite its awful, awful icon.

Before Mega Mall Story and Pocket Academy, we were pretty sure that Kairosoft’s next big US iOS release would be Grand Prix Story. It seemed like an educated stab since the game was ported stateside to Android phones, translated, and had the appearance of being just as solid as its other titles. We were wrong, but now the developer seems poised again to bring its car themed managing simulation to iOS in the states. As you read this, fans in Japan are getting hands-on with the game for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which leads us to believe that it’ll hit here next, as all it requires is a translation pass with already-translated text.

We could be totally, horribly wrong, and hilariously, we kinda invite that. Grand Prix Story, a game that puts you in the role of a racecar manager, is a known property now. We’d rather get another surprise (or Game Dev Story 2) -- whichever will sate our taste for simulation.

Communication with Kairosoft is something we’re still struggling with at the moment, but we have fired off an e-mail to see what’s up. While we wait, we’re drawing up Excel spreadsheets for Grand Prix Story in preparation just in case.

Normally, multiplayer updates are celebrated by the fans and community surrounding a title, but in the case of Uno [$.99 / HD / Free] fans are bitter over the whole ordeal. According to the 50 plus one-star reviews (and counting) that the game has raked in post-update, Uno has become a bad, crash-riddled title filled with ads, bugs, and broken gameplay. We didn’t see this one coming.

Alongside multiplayer and new leaderboards, several new issues introduced via the update are rubbing people the wrong way, and none more than the bug that keeps the game from launching after its updated, which is a pretty rational reason to throw a bad review the game’s way. Unfortunately, when it does work, paid users are now being served ads, which again, is a pretty rational reason to drag the title under the bus since ads weren’t a part of the original deal.

Users are also complaining about IAP cards leading to bad play. Apparently, you can purchase special cards in the game that can be pulled out whenever, including even in multiplayer. If this is the case, well, wow — that’s definitely not good.

On the bright side, it’s hard to believe that Gameloft won’t answer these concerns in some meaningful update down the line. When that’ll be though is anyone’s guess. We've put in a word to the publisher to see and will update if / when we hear back.

If achievement data is an actual lens into intent, it appears as if Angry Birds Seasons [$.99 / HD / Free] is set to be the second full Angry Birds [$.99 / HD / Free / HD Free] game to be graced by the Mighty Eagle. The dudes over at fan site Angry Birds Nest have spotted several listings for Mighty Eagle in Angry Birds Seasons’ Game Center data, indicating that Rovio Mobile is about to drop the level-shattering and Angry Birds' completely optional IAP bird into the mix.

Seasons, of course, is the holiday-themed Angry Birds joint that Rovio updates whenever an extraordinarily pleasant day in certain joyous months need to be celebrated. Often, players are restricted from playing too much Seasons at once, as it unlocks levels per day. This hits me as something that might put a damper on the Mighty Eagle as a value proposition, but we’ll have to see how Rovio handles and rolls in the update. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be free.

I guess this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Rovio likes money. Also, it has said in the past that the Mighty Eagle will be coming to different platforms, iterations, and versions of the uber-popular franchise. Seasons seems like a natural progression. Also, if you haven't yet, you should debate giving the Mighty Eagle a try in Angry Birds. It's not just a cheat mechanic, it's actually a whole new game mode for each level.

UPDATE: While this story sat in queue waiting for to be published the update was released this morning. Go grab the Mighty Eagle if you're looking for something new to do in Angry Birds Seasons!

[Via Angry Birds Nest]

Chillingo sure knows how to be timely. Their newest game, Conan: Tower of the Elephant [$1.99], was slated to come out around the same time as the 2011 film remake, which means that they hope lots of people will stroll out of the theatre feeling all barbarian-like and search the App store to find this game. I have to hand it them though, giving a nod to one of the original Conan the Cimmerian stories with the title and storyline was a nice touch.

Like the original Robert E. Howard short story it is based on, Tower of the Elephant sees Conan setting his sights on a great tower in order to steal a precious gem from a demon sorcerer named Yara. Using comic-inspired cutscenes to illustrate story arcs and top down gameplay in order to complete quests, the game offers an attractive presentation and makes it pretty easy to slip into the world of Arenjun.

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Late last month, a game we’re pretty fond of called Disc Drivin’ [$1.99/Free/HD] received a meaty new update with 3 brand new tracks and a new obstacle. Now just a few short weeks later and the folks over at Pixelocity Software have gone and released yet another update to Disc Drivin’ and this time have added a couple of great features that people have been asking about for a long time.

First off, you can now check how many of each medal you’ve earned over the total amount of games you’ve played. There’s always been a running list of your 10 most recent games where you can see where you placed as well as replay everybody’s final turn, if you wish, to see how it all went down. That feature is nice, but I’ve always wondered how I’ve done overall, and now I can check on this anytime in the Settings menu.

Also worth mentioning is the new ability to swap the power-up buttons on the bottom of the screen. As most players know, sometimes it can be pretty awkward trying to activate a power-up immediately after taking your turn because the button was always on the right hand side of the screen, and in my case this was directly under my flicking hand. Having the ability to put that button on the left side of the screen is pretty nice.

However, the huge new feature added in this update to Disc Drivin’ is the often requested ability to customize your disc. There are tons of different disc designs to pick from, broken down into packs of 4 or more discs each. Each pack can be unlocked for a 99¢ in-app purchase, and you can further customize the discs by choosing their 2 colors. Of course, you're also welcome to change up the colors on the original "flame" design disc for free.

The disc and color customizing interface is simple to use, and I was really surprised to see how much having a custom disc added to the game’s enjoyment. I mean seriously, aren’t you just totally jealous of my pink and blue disc that looks fit for a 4-year old girl? Thought so. I've nicknamed it "Jared's Magical Ponydisc Adventure", FYI.

If you’re a Disc Drivin’ fanatic like myself and others, then be sure you’ve grabbed this latest update and have pimped out your ride. If you haven’t given the game a spin yet, there really should be nothing stopping you from trying out the fully-featured ad-supported free version.

Sometimes it seems as if there’s nothing more ubiquitous than a game of electronic Solitaire. Even a quick glance at the App Store will yield pages upon pages of Solitaire titles of every kind of variation, theme, and quality. With this much competition new players to the field are going to have to distinguish themselves in order to earn the attention of gamers looking for a Solitaire fix. Solitaire by Backflip [Free / HD], one of the latest entries in the overcrowded Solitaire field, doesn’t particularly offer anything that hasn’t already been seen in this sub-genre. However, what it does offer is a solid card experience with incentive to continue playing, provided you aren’t put off by the prevalence of in-game ads.

You won’t find a multitude of different types of Solitaire in this title. Rather, Solitaire by Backflip only has 1 and 3-card draw. In addition, you can either play with ‘Normal’ or ‘Vegas’ rules (the latter only allowing you to run through the whole deck only once before the game ends). Solitaire also has four different themes, two of which must be unlocked by collecting a certain amount of in-game coins that are earned by making successful card moves and completing a whole game. While the coin amounts for unlocking the themes did seem high, by my calculation you’d have to win approximately 10 games on normal rules in order to earn enough coins for a theme unlock, which seems fair enough to me. Of course, additional coins are available as IAP should you decide you don’t want to play the game.

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By all rights, Drawin' Growin' [$0.99] should be a good game. It was released by Taito, who ought to be riding high off the acclaim they've earned with Groove Coaster [$2.99]. It looks cheery and sweet, with a hand-drawn art style that charms. So how has it ended up so completely bland?

Things began well. Drawin' Growin' has a premise I can get behind. The plants of the kingdom have withered away, and Meu, a plant-loving sprite, is tasked by the King to fill the world with greenery. To regrow all the plants, you need to use line-drawing tactics to funnel sun to the sun-loving flowers, rain to the damp types and so on. You need to tap to keep them free of bugs, use your lines to protect them from lightning and volcanoes, and generally babysit them until they grow. It's a frantic formula, but not a bad one.

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In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show, we battle through a discussion of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the "Eli’s Scuba Diver At The Bottom Of A Fish Tank" (Eli Note: It's fixed in the second half, I'm so sorry.) voice woes in order to bring you the latest iOS video game news. At the top, we dig into the My Virtual Boyfriend, and then smoothly enter into the iCade, a few other delectables. Later, on the Front Page, we don our tin foil hats to chat about the PS Vita and remove them in order to have a discussion on Galaxy On Fire 2 Full HD. It’s a neat show all-round, promise!

If you’d like to give us a listen, you can do so just below via in-browser streaming or direct download. If we’ve somehow convinced you to stick around, you can always subscribe to us on the iTunes or Zune Marketplace.

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Way back in September of 2009, Godzilab released iBlast Moki [Free/Universal], a game that quickly caught the attention of physics puzzle fans everywhere. iBlast Moki went on to earn accolades from just about every corner of the gaming world, including several Game of the Year awards as well as our own 4.5 star review and inclusion in our Best of 2009 Buyer’s Guide. With the success of the original iBlast Moki, a sequel was pretty much a given, and indeed we learned earlier this summer that one was in production.

Following up on that kind of breakout success isn’t always easy though, and I’ve been disappointed on more than one occasion with a sequel to a game that I absolutely loved. With iBlast Moki 2 [99¢/Universal], this is not the case, not even close. Godzilab has taken everything that made the first game special and made it bigger and better in every way. There’s also an improved social aspect which allows you to check your friends solutions to the single player levels as well as share levels created using the robust level editor. iBlast Moki 2 is truly the whole package, and is the epitome of what you'd want out of a sequel.

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