One genre that seems to be overlooked a bit on the App Store is tank games. Sure, there’s certainly a ton of them available for download, but it always seems as if they contain the same boring gameplay, drab military-esque visuals, and awkward controls. Enter Tank Riders [$1.99], the latest title from Polarbit (maker of Reckless Getaway) which attempts to differentiate itself from the rest of the genre with vibrant visuals and objective-based campaign gameplay. Unfortunately, the lack of content, multiplayer issues and frustrating controls keep Tank Riders from reaching its true potential.
At its core, Tank Riders is a somewhat simplistic, top-down 3D tank driving game. Players run through approximately 25 colorful levels (with five additional tutorial levels) with the goal of either getting to the other end of the map or collecting items to advance to the next mission. At the completion of each level, players are scored via a number of categories (such as health and speed) and are ranked via a 3-star system.
This seemed to slip through the cracks a few weeks ago, but The Pinball Arcade, a project we told you about in October, has released a new video showcasing several of the tables that will be included in their game. The Pinball Arcade is an effort to bring digitized representations of some of the most beloved real life tables to have ever existed to the iOS and many other platforms, all in one tight little package. Developer FarSight studios, well known for their work on the Pinball Hall of Fame series, has partnered with four of the biggest pinball manufacturers in history in order to secure official translations of their pinball games into The Pinball Arcade.
In the following trailer, you can see Tales of the Arabian Nights, Theatre of Magic, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, and Black Hole. It's downright uncanny just how similar these digital versions look and sound to their real life counterparts:
The Pinball Arcade is slated for an "early 2012" release, and should come equipped with all the games shown in the trailer. The plan is to then frequently update the app adding new tables, for years to come, until you have the ultimate pinball collection sitting right in your pocket. I'm eagerly anticipating actually trying out the finished product, so we'll be keeping our eyes out for a solid release date for The Pinball Arcade in the coming months.
Grand Theft Auto III [$4.99] hit the App Store mere moments ago, and after getting the game downloaded and installed on our iPads, we'll have a full review first thing tomorrow morning. Initial impressions are remarkably positive, although at this writing we've only played it so far on our collective iPad 2's. But, it's Grand Theft Auto III on iOS devices. The controls are about what you'd expect, virtual buttons everywhere, but they seem entirely workable once you get your head wrapped around where everything is.
Check out the forum thread where impressions have been rolling all evening, and stay tuned tomorrow for our full look into the world of Grand Theft Auto III!
The only way I can start this review is with a little history lesson, both for people who aren't familiar with Sonic CD, as well as those of you who might not have been reading TouchArcade since the summer of 2009. Let's start at the beginning, so everyone can truly appreciate just how wonderful the very existence of this game is.
Sonic CD, or Sonic the Hedgehog CD was originally released in late 1993 for the Sega CD, Sega's CD-ROM accessory for the Genesis console. Sega CD had actually come out earlier that year, and many gamers (myself included) couldn't wait to get their hands on one as the promise of full motion video powered gaming seemed incredible. Unfortunately, both due to the many technical limitations of the system, as well as the games themselves just not being very good, the Sega CD never really took off quite how I imagined Sega wanted it to. (There's actually a bunch of reasons I could also get into, but I digress.)
Rocketcat Games's utterly fantastic action RPG, Mage Gauntlet [$2.99], is now bigger, better, and much more Universal. In a brand new update, Rocketcat has added Universal support and rolled in fancy new flip-screen functionality to one of our most favorite RPGs of the year. On top of this, it's rolled in various tweaks: some spells have been changed around, the rabbit's foot now increases hat drops by five times, revives grant a free spell, save files can now be exported via iTunes, and some levels have received some shortening to make them better.
Surprisingly, that's not all -- bug fixes and a few other notable changes have been introduced. If you're particularly curious about what's up, check out the game's new patch notes here or on iTunes. It's a long list. Also, if you're still somehow on the fence, definitely give our review a read. You don't want to miss this game.
Hot off the heels of the announcement of a brand new Command and Conquer at the VGAs, EA has announced... another Command and Conquer game. This one, however, isn't being hailed as the Next Great Thing From BioWare, and more relevant to our interests, is being targeted specifically at mobile, and the flavor of the moment, social.
So, what is it? It's called Command and Conquer Tiberium Alliances, and it's "the first MMO and first free-to-play" game in the often off-the-wall real-time strategy series. In the game, users will embark on a quest "for world domination" that will apparently have them squad-ing up with pals in order to form alliances. Real-time stats, news feeds, and "completely interactive and dynamic gameplay" are all being promised. Sounds neat!
That's all pretty vague, and that's a bummer considering this is an otherwise exciting bit of news that fans will definitely want to discuss. Hopefully we'll get our hands on the cross-compatible browser or mobile version soon and give you more concrete stuff.
While you wait, actually, you can sign up to participate in the game's closed beta on its web site. This beta starts on December 15 and rolls until whenever.
If you've been sitting on a massive emergency food supply waiting for the right occasion to open the first gallon sized can of preserved potato chunks, this might be it. With the holiday season almost upon us and the iTunes freeze quickly approaching, it seems like everyone who has a game to release decided to pull the lever today instead of waiting until next week. The iTunes Connect freeze takes place this year from December 22nd all the way through December 29th, so while there won't be any games released that week, we have another potential week of release madness ahead of us.
Regardless, there is absolutely no shortage of games to choose from tonight. If everything goes as it usually does, these games should all be available in the USA at 11:00 PM Eastern, or potentially much earlier if you're in a region east of North America.
Here's what's on our radar:
Blobster Christmas, 99¢ - Forum Thread - If you've found yourself thinking, "You know, I really liked Blobster but I wish it was more festive," Chillingo totally has your back. We liked the original in our review, and if you did too, give this a spin.
Blockwick, Free - Forum Thread - If sliding puzzles are your cup of tea, Blockwick is the newest kid on the block. (See what I did there?) Anyway, I really dig puzzle games like this which are free with an initial level pack with additional levels available via IAP, so you only ever need to pay if you both enjoy the game and have cleared the free content.
Bloons 2, 99¢ - Forum Thread - The guys from Digital Goldfish are the masters of bringing popular Flash games to iOS, and Bloons 2 is their latest port. You can play it online for free with ads, or spend a buck and have it forever on your iPhone. Not too shabby.
Derby Days, Free - Forum Thread - Another free to play farming game from Com2uS, except the gimmick of this one seems to centralize around breeding and racing horses.
Frontline Commando, Free - Forum Thread - This third person shooter looks like it could be promising, but it all depends on how Glu implemented their free to play model. I hope there are no $500 guns.
Ice Rage, 99¢ - Forum Thread - An ice hockey game from Mountain Sheep, the dudes behind both Minigore and Death Rally with Enviro-Bear as a playable character? Take my money.
Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World, Free / HD - Forum Thread - This adventure game unravels the great Space Age conspiracy. It's also free, with a single $9.99 unlock, assuming you like the taste they give you.
Mad Tracks, Free - Forum Thread - The above video is actually from the Wii version of the game, but judging by screenshots, the iOS version might even look better than that. Hopefully the free to play mechanic is OK.
Monkey Quest: Thunderbow, 99¢ - Forum Thread - This physics-powered game seems to provide a minor variation on Angry Birds style gameplay with monkeys, zombies, scorpions, and mummies. What a mix!
Puppy Panic, 99¢ - Title - An endless runner of sorts featuring a variety of playable puppies? Whatever, I'm in.
Save The Furries!, $2.99 / HD - Forum Thread - 60 levels are included in this physics-based puzzler where Bulky Pix puts you to the task of making sure no harm comes to the Furries. My question is, what have the furries done for me?
Snoticles, 99¢ - Forum Thread - Another physics puzzler! This time from Adult Swim, one of the few outfits on the App Store that you can blindly buy games from knowing they'll be great.
Sonic CD, $1.99 - Forum Thread - I've always considered Sonic CD to be the best of the series, and this port is so good it makes me want to cry. Seriously, so much love went into this that it's incredible, it even features both US and Japanese soundtracks. Download. This. Now.
SubTub, 99¢ - Forum Thread - The iTunes text for this game has left me with practically no clue what you actually do in this game, but I'm always oddly drawn to games with mega-bright art styles like this one.
Tongue Tied!, $1.99 - Forum Thread - One of my favorite things about the App Store is the ridiculous lengths developers need to go to in order to come up with game premises that haven't been done before. A physics games where two dogs have their tongues tied together. That's it, pack it up, I've seen it all.
Trenches II, $1.99 / HD - Forum Thread - The sequel to Trenches is finally here! Trenches was ridiculously popular, and it seems like this is a great sequel.
Toy Shot, 99¢ - Forum Thread - This catapult-style game from Gamevil actually looks sort of neat, I dig the Lego art style.
Venture Towns, $3.99 - Forum Thread - Hey! It's the latest Kairosoft game. Expect some hardcore simulation action, this time managing an entire town.
Wind Up Robots, $1.99 - Forum Thread - 7 unique robots to send into the fray, 12 enemies, and tons of hats you can buy. I like hats.
Bejeweled Blitz [Free], now a Universal app for iPhone and iPad, is a stellar game. It takes the glorious match-three mechanic of the classic puzzle franchise, pumps up the volume on the jewel and match bonuses, and then condenses it all down into frantic, one-minute bursts of eye-gasmic, point-laden play.
Do you know a dude who hasn't see Bejeweled yet? At this point, I'm pretty sure that the only people who aren't into Bejeweled don't have computers or phones, which pretty much eliminates them from reading this web site. So, I feel like there isn't much need to go on and on about how the match-three mechanic works or what makes Bejeweled feel good.
Let's talk about what's more relevent: what Blitz does differently.
One of the coolest tactical turn-based games we've ever seen on iOS, Hunters: Episode One[$.99 / HD], is getting a sequel. Rodeo Games, the original creator of Hunters, have revealed with us that it is indeed working on Hunters 2. And guys, it sounds and looks radical.
Hunters 2, which is slated to hit Spring 2012, will build on the same combat that made the first game so popular, but it'll also throw in some notable new systems and weapons. For example, the team is dropping in a new mini-gun that fires blistering bursts of 10 rounds. That's especially hip, we're told, because it'll show off the game's new projectile system, which lets you see every round fired.
New enemies, environments, and mission types will naturally be part of the fresh package, but so will a fleshed out and scripted campaign mode featuring Rodeo's new hero character Caius Black. One of the promotional images we've received notes that he'll be "alone, wounded, and betrayed."
As if that wasn't enough, the game's engine has been scrapped in favor of a new one that'll integrate real-time dynamic lighting and "loads of customization options." Get a taste below:
Speaking of customization, that's something Rodeo is focusing on character-side, too. In Hunters 2, each Hunter will have a talent pool and you'll assign points in specific skill and build trees. Rodeo tells us that this system "really individualizes your Hunters and brings all sorts of new tactics" to the fold.
We'll be getting our hands on Hunters 2 in the coming weeks. If you'd like to try the original game, now is a great time -- both versions are on sale now at $.99 instead of their usual $4.99 and $6.99 price points.
Bohemia Interactive, alongside Idea Games, have launched its interesting companion, er, experience to Arma 2 across iOS. Arma 2: Firing Range [Free] as it's called, is a pretty strict weapon simulation game that tasks you with hitting targets with a dizzying range of guns equipped with a variety of mechanical compliments such as red dot sights.
It's interesting because it's so strict, which is basically why Arma 2 the full game has been receiving love despite its variety of technical issues. Firing Range's connection to the full experience stops at the guns, but it's notable that you can view them all with previews and even "study" the specifications of each.
Firing Range at $0 includes a single firing range and three weapons. With an IAP of $1.99, you'll get access to all the current crop of weapons and challenges. We've been told that more guns and firing ranges will be added later.
Civilization Revolution for the iPhone [$6.99] and iPad [$12.99], one of our favorite simulation games on the entire platform, has just received iCloud support in a massive update that sees some notable tweaks across the two games.
Starting now, you can upload and sync your saves between iPad and iPhone, which allows you to rock out in the same conflict regardless of iDevice on-hand. Also, 2K Games has dropped in achievement support and added to the game's visuals. New resource and unit icons compliment all new environmental animations including moving water and animated seagulls and fish. Seems small, but you'll be surprised when you boot it up.
Civilization Revolution for iPhone, by the way, has also just received "Create Your Own Scenario" challenges, which brings it up to date with the iPad version. This mode in particular is the most entertaining and rich one that Civ Rev has to offer, so definitely give it a look. You'll be saying, "Oh, god, it's 2AM" in no time.
Kinectimalson Kinect is an experiential game that does a solid job of luring its users into forming an emotional bond with its assortment of on-screen, rascally pets. As an adult, you see why the user's relationship to the pet is so important: without one, the entire experience falls apart. If you aren't clicking with your animal, you don't want to pet it, you especially don't want to get up and interact with it, and you sure as heck don't want to do the game's mindless assortment of mini-games alongside it.
Little ones, from what I understand, generally respond to its adorable baby cheetahs, its equally adorable Bengal tigers, and its other scarily expressive animals. When the game asks, kids enthusiastically move about and shout and jump, and reach to the TV.
That's well and good, but now Kinectimals has made the jump to iOS. Obviously, the Kinect hook has been dropped with this particular version. So, this begs the question: does the game and its, er, magic still work?
In August of last year, developer Oyatsukai released Final Freeway [99¢], a retro-racer that was lovingly crafted as an homage to the classic arcade game OutRun. We totally enjoyed the game in our review, and were especially impressed with the high framerate and crazy sense of speed in Final Freeway. This past October, the developer announced that a sequel to Final Freeway was in the works, and right now that sequel is going by the working title of Final Freeway 2: Retro.
Oyatsukai released a new gameplay trailer a few weeks back for Final Freeway 2R which shows the slightly new look of the game. While the first Final Freeway seemed like it was going for a more realistic, digitized look, this second entry has more of a cartoonish feel with hand-drawn sprites and bright colors. I think the result is a more accurate take on OutRun, from the video you can see other tiny new touches like your choice of different characters and the ability to actually crash and flip your ride.
Once again, the framerate and sense of speed in this new Final Freeway sequel are just crazy. Despite being so simplistic and a bit short, I still regularly bust out the original Final Freeway for my retro arcade racing fix, so I'm definitely looking forward to a new entry that offers a refined experience. Development seems to be slow but steady, and when the game was announced in October the developer was hopeful that it was about 3 months off from being finished, which would put it at an early 2012 release. Hopefully they are on track for this still, and Oyatsukai has started a campaign at the Kickstarter-like Appbackr in the hopes of crowd funding the cost for the final push towards completion.
We'll keep tabs on Final Freeway 2R and will hopefully see it in the not too distant future, and until then you can join the discussion of the game taking place in our forums.
In early February of this year, we learned that a rogue developer named Daniel Blezek was spending his spare few minutes in-between a full time job and a full time family life toiling away at bringing Bungie's seminal FPS Marathon to Apple's iPad. The port was in progress at the time and looking great, but there was still a bit of uncertainty whether or not a release of Marathon would completely jive with some of the rules of App Store and the open source licensing of the codebase.
Then in June, Bungie sort of shocked everyone by announcing that they had picked up the project and would be officially supporting its release. Just a couple of weeks later, on Bungie Day no less, Marathon 1 [Free] launched for the iPad and we thought it was pretty dang awesome. Perhaps the best part was the choice of business model, as the entirety of Marathon 1 was available for free, with the ability to purchase hi-res assets or a cheat mode as optional IAP. While having the entire first entry in the Marathon trilogy literally at my fingertips was fantastic in its own right, we still couldn't help but wonder if the second and third entries in the series would make it to the App Store too.
We've been giddy for the Sonic CD iOS release since it was finally officially announced back in August, Sega has finally revealed the release date for the game: and it's tomorrow! This will coincide with the release of Sonic CD on the console digital download platforms Xbox Live and PSN this week as well. Pricing on consoles will be $4.99, but iOS gamers get a special introductory price of $1.99. Sega has also confirmed via their Twitter that Sonic CD will be coming to Android and Windows Phone 7, but not until early next year.
This was going to be an absolutely insane week for releases already, but when you throw a heavy hitter like the beloved Sonic CD, coming with all sorts of enhancements and bonuses over the original, into the release mix then things quickly get turned up to 11 and beyond. We'll let you know as soon as Sonic CD officially hits the App Store, and you can be sure we'll be playing the heck out of it with a review soon to follow.
One genre that seems to be overlooked a bit on the App Store is tank games. Sure, there’s certainly a ton of them available for download, but it always seems as if they contain the same boring gameplay, drab military-esque visuals, and awkward controls. Enter Tank Riders [$1.99], the latest title from Polarbit (maker of Reckless Getaway) which attempts to differentiate itself from the rest of the genre with vibrant visuals and objective-based campaign gameplay. Unfortunately, the lack of content, multiplayer issues and frustrating controls keep Tank Riders from reaching its true potential.
Grand Theft Auto III [
Bejeweled Blitz [
Civilization Revolution
Kinectimals 
