In just a few days Fabulapps plans on releasing its first game called CrossRoads in to the wild. CrossRoads is yet another line drawing time management game, but it sets its self apart by adding a few extra gameplay features all wrapped in a slick art style.

Similar to existing games on the App Store like Car Mania [99¢], you guide cars to their destinations by drawing lines on a map. Fabulapps takes this concept a little farther by adding unique events that occur on each map. For example there is a map were you have to crush zombies in your path as you route cars around. On others, you will need to pop balloons, shake clouds off the screen, and break ice when your screen freezes over.

The feature that most piqued my interest is the multiplayer mode, which allows you to play against another player with the game via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Similar to the multiplayer found in Flight Control [99¢] and Harbor Master [$1.99 / Free], you will be able to route cars off your screen and on to your opponents to add even more vehicles for them to manage.

CrossRoads will launch with 4 included maps (one as a free download) and 3 additional maps available as in-app purchases. Each add-on map includes new music, special effects, and new vehicles. The game should be out sometime this week for $1.99.

For more details on the game as it nears release, take a look at the thread on our forums.

Six months ago MoreGames/Chillingo released a free game called a Quest of Knights Onrush [Free] to promote their castle defense game Knights Onrush [0.99]. What they didn’t expect was that this free promotional game would turn out to be a big hit. The game made it into the Top 10 list in several countries and generated over 2 million downloads. Given that strong response, they quickly decided to begin work on a premium version called Knights Rush.

The gameplay of Knights Rush will be similar to the first game, but instead of just being an endless survival game, there will be a complete campaign to play through. The campaign will feature 8 worlds to explore each with different locations, bosses, and enemies. There will also be 3 different heroes each with different skills and abilities. The more I hear about this game, the more it reminds me of Castle Crashers on the Xbox, which is not a bad thing.

For those of you that liked the survival gameplay of the original, they've included that as well. There will be two different flavors of survival mode: an Endless mode and a Super Endless mode. In Endless mode you play through each predefined world, while in Super Endless mode, levels are generated randomly.

At this time there are no details on the release date, price, or target devices. Keep an eye on the thread in our forums for more details and screenshots as they become available. We will let you know as soon as we find out more.

It seems like I just wrote about this game a few days ago but we have some more information to share with you. Just in case you don’t remember, ESPGALUDA II is a bullet hell shooter from Cave, the leader in creating games of this type. Our forums have been buzzing about this game since it was first announced. If you watch the new game play video we have below you will see why.

The official word on the release date is April 10th, 2010 with an introductory sale price of $4.99. The normal price is going to be set at $8.99. There will also be a lite version so you can see if you can handle bullet hell games before you buy. Also worth mentioning is, the game will only run on the iPhone 3GS and the 3rd generation iPod Touch. I can't wait for this one to come out.

Today Apple sent out a press release announcing that it sold over 300,000 iPads in the US the first day in its Apple Stores. Also, over a million apps were downloaded from the App Store that day. Which is not surprising since a lot of developers worked hard to make sure their app was ready for launch day. Even the iBookstore had some big numbers to share with over 250,000 ebooks being downloaded the first day.

If the release of the iPad didn’t drum up enough excitement the second piece of big news out of Apple today will. Members of the media have received invites to an April 8th press conference starting at 10am Pacific about the future of the iPhone OS.

With the press conference only a few days away it doesn’t give me much time to get my wish list of features together. My fingers are crossed for multitasking.

On April 10th Cave, the world leader in bullet hell shooters, are releasing ESPGALUDA II on the iPhone and iPod Touch. You could of played or seen this game already on the Xbox and you should be happy to know this is pretty much a direct port, other than the new iPhone game mode.

ESPGALUDA II will have two modes of play, iPhone and Arcade. The Arcade version is just like the Xbox/Arcade version with the controls obviously modified for a touch interface. The iPhone version adds new game play with the “Awakening Pulse” system. This is where you tap the screen to send out an energy blast that changes enemy bullets in to spirit stones. Spirit stones are used to protect your character, which is great since everything else on the screen is trying to kill you.

With shooter games, the controls are obviously very important and you don’t want them to hinder your view of the action. Cave feels they solved this with track pad like controls at the bottom of the screen. I have played other games that used this method and found it a dream to use once you get the hang of it.

The game will only run on the 3GS and 3rd gen Touches. This is expected with the amount of sprits that are on the screen at the same time. Older models will probably have unplayable frame rates for this kind of game.

ESPGALUDA II is expected to be released April 10th for $4.99. The response in our forums has been very positive and expectations are high for this game.

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

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

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

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

App Store Link: Bebo Crash, $0.99

TouchArcade Rating:

I have played a lot of match 3 games since I got my iPhone and there all pretty much the same. A few like Trism [2.99] and the recently updated Puzzle Quest [4.99] change the formula but there still just another match 3.

Well PlayBrain's soon to be release game called, ‘Babo Crash’ doesn’t change the formula. But it does add a whole lot of insane power ups and gem busting heroes to it.

‘Babo Crash’ uses the cast from PlayBrain’s Madballs: Babo Invasion game for the PC and Xbox Arcade. The object of the game is to collect enough gems in a set time limit to pass to the next level. This part of the game plays just like Bejeweled Blitz, but with a twist.

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

There was so much going on while I was playing this game that I forgot I was playing a simple match 3 game. Also, when I went back to other match 3 games, they seemed slow and uneventful. This game totally refreshed how I look at games like this. And to think, I almost didn’t even give it a chance because it was “yet another match 3 game”.

PlayBrains is planning to release the game once they finish an update to have it iPad ready, which should be any day now. If you like match 3 games but have been bored with them lately, give this one a try. I think it adds excitement back in to the genre.

Update: Babo Crash [0.99] is now available in the app store.

The long wait is now over; you can finally play through the whole Puzzle Quest story on your iPhone. Today, TransGaming’s Puzzle Quest was updated to version 1.5 enabling in-app purchases and a few other graphic, sound, and bug fixes.

If you already have Chapters 1 & 2, all you have to do is update your game and visit the in-game store to buy Chapter 3 for only $1.99. If you not sure about buying one of the best RPG puzzlers, download the free version, then purchase chapters 1, 2 and 3 for only $4.99.

TransGaming says that the trilogy includes content from the Revenge of the Plague Lord expansion pack and the original game. Making this a great deal for $4.99 or $6.98 depending on what route you take.

Discussion in our forums has been positive and so far no issues have been reported about the update.

App Store Link: Puzzle Quest Chapters 1 & 2, $4.99, Puzzle Quest Free, Free

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.

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:

With the launch date of the iPad now set for April 3rd (wi-fi version) developers are gearing up to have games in the app store for you to download. Secret Exit was kind enough to send us an email with details about their upcoming Zen Bound 2, the sequel of their smash hit Zen Bound.

Earlier this year we posted screenshots of Zen Bound 2 running on a 3GS with very little details about the finished game. The new screenshots we were sent today only show the iPad. At this point it seems like they are focused on the iPad version for launch, with iPhone version possibly coming at a later date.

What we do is know, the new version will include upgraded versions of the levels in the last game and brand new levels with new kinds of gameplay. It will also include the same great sound track from Ghost Monkey with a few new songs thrown in. You can listen to one now on sound cloud.

They plan to have the game ready in time for the iPad launch in April. There has been a lot of discussion in our forums about this highly anticipated game.

Screenshots:

When you look at the lineup of iPhone games in the App Store you will notice a few genres that seem a little crowded. One of these is castle defense type games, so I was kind of surprised to see a developer working on one to join the ranks of the many other castle defenders such as the highly detailed 2D Knights Onrush [99¢] and Gameloft's 3D Castle Frenzy [99¢].

Gamedoctors, an independent developer form Germany, is hard at work putting on the finishing touches on a game they call, ZombieSmash! In an effort to have their game standout they’re using the strangely popular (and arguably overdone) theme of zombie killing to draw gamers in.

After watching the trailer you can see the game has cartoony look and some amusing killing methods. ZombieSmash! also includes something they're calling the "splatter engine" that is powering the zombie ragdoll physics and excessive amounts of blood spewing everywhere. Gamedoctors is trying to get people to call it a survival comedy, but we’ll have to wait and see if that sticks.

The game should hit the App Store in March for $1.99.

With the NHL playoffs quickly approaching and after an amazing gold medal game at this year’s Winter Olympics a lot of people (and not just Canadians) are excited about all things hockey. I am one of those people, so when I found out that a new hockey game was coming out of the iPhone I just had to share it with you all.

Ice Hockey Nations 2010 is the first full hockey game to come to the iPhone. When I say full I mean, six on six hockey with all the trimmings. The developer, Distinctive Games, claims they will be able to pack all the action and strategy of the sport onto the small screen of the iPhone. They even went as far so to do live motion capture of real players for the game at Centroid 3D. We will not be able to see if that paid off until the game comes out, the developer has yet to release game play footage.

As you can probably already tell by the title, the game is not licensed by the NHL. So instead of playing with your favorite pro team you will have to pick your nation of choice out of the 14 nations featured in the game.

The game is set you be launched in March with a price tag of 4.99.

Features include:

• The first full 6 on 6 Ice Hockey simulation game on iPhone/iPod Touch.
• Take control using touchscreen d-pad and control buttons.
• Make line changes at the touch of a button.
• Sin-bin and powerplays
• Real player movement animation using motion capture.
• 14 National teams to choose from.
• Quick play, practice, tournament and league game modes.
• No waiting for the Zamboni in between periods.

Screenshots:

Tactile Entertainment is working on what they call an “open-world pet sim” and it’s called Pocket Creatures. At first glance it just looks like another pet sim but after watching the new trailer it looks like there is potential for more.

Something worth mentioning regarding this developer is that their founder and CEO, Asbjoern Soendegaard, was also the development manager on Crysis, a PC game released in 2008 that is still used as a benchmark for pushing gaming PC's to their limits today. In Pocket Creatures you will be able to explore a tropical world, plant a garden, and find other NPC creatures to interact with. Everything you do effects the world your creature is living in. There also appears to be a magic element to it too. Admittedly, with the links to Crysis, our expectations are high.

Screenshots:

Tactile Entertainment hopes to have Pocket Creatures on the App Store by the end of March. Also, be sure to check out the developer’s blog, where they have a lot of character development sketches up. We will be meeting with CEO Asbjoern Soendegaard at GDC, and should have some hands-on time with Pocket Creatures as well next week.