Touch Arcade forum user Cougarcat let us know that Cyan has quietly announced that they are porting Myst to the iPhone.

This is a small project that probably a very few of you know about. We are porting Myst to the iPhone. Ok, before some of you start groaning, this is an outside funded project that is keeping a few developers employed… but it is really more than that. It is an interesting and fun project. This is also a very small team with three of us (which includes Derek, Rand (not Randy) and myself).

For those not familiar with Myst, the game was first published for the Mac in 1993 and was both a critical and commercial success. While technologically rather simple from today's standpoint, the game's graphics and soundtrack were remarkably immersive. The game starts you on a strange island where you must explore your surroundings, solve puzzles and figure out the backstory.

Myst was recently ported to the Nintendo DS platform, and the following trailer provides a look at the DS version of the game:

Swedish game developer Resolution Interactive has released a preview of their forthcoming flight / action / sports hybrid Clusterball 2.

Clusterball 2 for the iPhone is a conversion of the developer's existing PC title (pictured) and offers unique, fast-paced gameplay that, as the demonstration video illustrates, translates well to the iPhone's accelerometer-based control systems.

Clusterball is a high-paced, adrenaline pumping flight sport demanding skill, tactics and ball control – designed as a first person shooter but without the splatter and gore. Played in midair with high tech aircraft, your objective is to gather and score as many balls as possible while trying your best to keep your opponents from doing the same. As your tail grows longer, your ship will gradually slow down, making you more vulnerable to attacks. Thus, each extra ball gathered involves a calculated risk.

According to Resolution Interactive, the game will feature various online components including gamer profiles, public scoreboards, and challenger features and sport graphics that are above and beyond what is available for the iPhone today.

Clusterball® 2 for iPhone will aim to make a mark on the iPhone market by offering the highest quality of graphics and maneuverability through the gyro controls. With a fast-paced gameplay and obstacle rich environment, Clusterball® 2 for iPhone will be an adrenaline filled experience for young and old alike.

"Clusterball® 2 for iPhone is very exciting, and will be a new start for us." Say Lars Lindstrom, founder at Resolution Interactive. "We look forward to present our new demo as well as our coming titles at the GC convention next week".

Resolution Interactive will be demonstrating the title at next week's Game Convention in Leipzig Germany where we hope to hear additional details including an App Store release date.  Stay tuned.

A demo video of the PC version offers an additional glimpse at gameplay.

[ via Pocket Gamer ]

Late last week we covered EspressoSoft's rather promising looking upcoming iPhone shooter, StarSmasher.

We're pleased to report that the author, John Bowers, has posted a sample gamplay video which, although just a short glimpse, shows the game to be everything we'd hoped for.

Strong work, John. We can't wait for the App Store release.

StarSmasher is expected to debut in the iTunes App Store in the next few weeks and will be a $2.99 download.

Ever since that little Italian plumber jumped in a squat racing vehicle on the Super Nintendo back in 1992, gamers have been obsessed with kart racing.  And with good reason.  Dispensing with any particular realism (Gran Turismo 5, this is not) and focusing only on fun, the kart racer is a pleasant way to white-knuckle it across the finish line.

The iTunes App Store currently features two very popular kart racers for the iPhone, Pangea's Cro-Mag Rally [App Store] and Vivendi's Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D [App Store].  We thought readers might appreciate a head-to-head…or kart-to-kart…comparison between these titles in order to better choose the racer right for them.

A QUICK OVERVIEW

Cro-Mag Rally:

• 9 different ractracks (including 'Atlantis' which is underwater)
• 11 different vehicles
• 9 types of powerups
• Play modes: Race, Gather
• Game size: 58.3MB
• App Store price: $9.99

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D:

• 12 different racetracks
• 6 different vehicles
• 8 different weapons
• Play modes: Quick Race, Cup, Story, Time Trial
• Game size: 7.0MB
• App Store price: $9.99

Cro-Mag Rally

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A title that is a bit of a curiosity recently appeared in the iTunes App Store.  SoMoGa's Vay is a hefty download, weighing in at 50MB.  That's no surprise, really, given that Vay is an iPhone port of a highly acclaimed SegaCD (CD-ROM meets the Mega Drive/Genesis) role playing game released in 1994.

MobyGames gives a synopsis of Vay in a review of the SegaCD original.

“Long Ago In A Forgotten Corner Of The Universe….”-Opening Narration, Vay- In Vay, the player assumes the role of Sandor, Prince of Lorath. The game begins on Sandor’s wedding day. He is going to wed the lady Elin. The beautiful and mysterious woman that ended up in Lorath, it truly was love at first sight. (RPG veterans may recall a similar plot in Phantasy Star III, not that that’s a bad thing.-MM-) Sandor and Elin are about to exchange vows when, Lorath is suddenly attacked. Large mechs rain destruction down from the heavens. Most of Lorath is destroyed, many lie dead or dying. And it seems than the goal of the attack was the abduction of the Lady Elin.

From here Sandor, decides to go after Elin, rescue his love, and avenge the people of Lorath. It turns out the only way to defeat the might of the Danek Empire, and their awesome technology, is to claim the legendary armor of Vay. The very same armor that, nearly destroyed the world a millenia ago. (What a twist!-MM-) As per RPG tradition there are many twists and turns, monsters to slay, deaths to avenge, and good old fashioned saving the world. Thankfully the lengthy story is well written. (As we have come to expect from a Working Designs translation.-MM-) And filled with interesting characters. Speaking of characters.

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23 year old developers Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron have already generated a slight buzz amongst early App Store adopters.

After being presented with over 500 iTunes Store applications at once, it can be hard to figure out what is even worth taking the time to download, much less figure out what's worth paying for. Fortunately, Danielle and Jason's first iPhone game is generously priced as a free download and certainly worth taking the time to try. The game is cryptically titled Aurora Feint The Beginning [App Store].

According to their site, Danielle and Jason have been slaving away at this game for only 10 weeks, but have already won the praise of early App Store commenters

A great puzzle game, I can't believe it's free! A brilliant use of the accelerometer and multi-touch… All wrapped in a very well done RPG-type leveling system that lets you buy and unlock new items and abilities, with gorgeous artwork! – Monk Edsel

A nice review and an accurate description of the game.

Some have compared the game to Pokemon Puzzle League where the basic gameplay is to arrange three blocks in a row, either vertical or horizontal. But what's unique is the Role Playing component to the game along with level-ups which provide you with useful skills such as "Time Stopper" and "Strategist". These level-ups can aid in gameplay and increase your multipliers. The graphics and music are also of impressive quality.

The documentation for the game is a bit sparse, so watching the demo movie below can be quite instructive. The use of multi-touch and the accelerometer is inventive and even surprising.

While tips do appear during the game to guide you to these features, I came across the use of the accelerometer by accident. In just exploring the game, I unintentionally tilted the iPhone toward its side and suddenly the pieces of the game tumbled towards gravity.

Unfortunately, I did run into some stability issues with the game, but it does little to take away from this great 10 week effort. We certainly recommend you take a look at this game and hopefully we'll see more from Danielle and Jason in the near future.

Game Details

Name: Aurora Feint The Beginning
Developer: Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron
App Store Link: Buy
Price: Free
Compatibility: iPhone and iPod Touch

Hudson Soft and Prometech Software are bringing Aqua Forest, a most unique title, to the iTunes App Store.  Fully utilizing the iPhone's touchscreen and accelerometer controls, Aqua Forest is a game in which players can manipulate on-screen water and various other substances by touch.

Catch water drops falling from the tree leaves without spilling, guide a water drop through a maze, or bounce rubber off barriers that you draw. Play with water in one of 3 fun ways! Select an editing function of OctaveEngine Casual (choose from options like wind, heat or cold), tilt the handset in any direction to activate the accelerative sensor, or draw shapes on the touch panel with your finger.

Choose between puzzle mode or free mode. In free mode, experiment by choosing different physical properties (such as water, fire, rubber, gel, hard barriers, heat, cold, and more) and manipulating them with movement and drawing tools (Hold, Move, Brush, Pen and Eraser). You can also get creative making free drawings on the screen with OctaveEngine Casual. Then play with your pictures in real-time with operations tools (create water droplets and steam, melt solid objects, or set an image rotating with wind).

As the YouTube video demonstrates, the player can, for example, choose water as a medium, swipe a finger across the touchscreen, and watch a blue slash transform into a falling bolt of water that splashes about convincingly and responds to the orientation of the iPhone.  As the developer states, it's a mesmerizing experience.

Aqua Forest features a 2D "multi-physics engine" known as OctaveEngine Casual, a particle system which drives the behavior of the various elements in the game.  The game offers 5 play modes across 10 stages for a total of 50 play rounds.  With the successful completion of each stage, the playfield's forest backdrop grows slightly.

Aqua Forest might not be the hardcore gamer's cup of tea, but it seems a rather pleasant and curious distraction.

With the launch of the iTunes App Store and the arrival of "iPhone 2.0" just days away, the buzz surrounding the many games that will make their debut when the store goes live is growing louder and louder.  The previews we've seen over the past few months leave no room for doubt that the iPhone is an extremely capable gaming device and that we will see some very solid titles available on launch day.  Given this, we thought it a particularly good time to have a look at just what makes the iPhone thusly capable.

There has been much coverage of the rich Software Development Kit (SDK) Apple has made available, at no cost, to developers.  The Cocoa programming environment with its collection of robust frameworks and APIs–not the least of which is OpenGL ES–gives developers an elegant and powerful way to interact with the iPhone hardware.  Less has been said, however, about the hardware itself.  What gear gives the iPhone its game?

The iPhone's core system-on-a-chip (SoC) hardware is a Samsung S5L8900.  Being a SoC, the device consists of various discrete components that have been integrated into a single device in order to provide a wide range of functionality in a small, low-cost package.  Two components are of particular importance in quantifying such a device's ability to function as a game platform: the processor core and the graphics hardware.

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