Earlier today I got a live demo of Ovelin's WildChords [Free], an edutainment musical game that never really had much reason to be on my radar. But using nothing more than an iPad, any kind of guitar, and some technical wizardry on their end, WildChords can teach you how to play the guitar. There are a number of fairly exhaustive overview videos on YouTube, and something like this is really better to just see in action, so check this out:

The crazy thing about WildChords, is that it really works exactly like it shows in the video. Watching someone play a guitar in front of the iPad, along to a game, that is able to recognize what chords you're playing and slowly ramp up to teach you actual songs flat out feels like a mixture of magic and something you'd see in a sci-fi movie. Better yet, it's totally free to try. You can download the app and get access to all of the early lessons, which will give you a great idea of just how well it works. It's worth repeating that you seriously don't need anything but an iPad, and a guitar. There's no wires, accessories, or anything else.

After you complete the free content, additional lessons are purchased for $2.99 a pop via in-app purchase, and they have plans to roll out all sorts of additional IAP packages. The music recognition technology they're using apparently has the potential to be stupidly exact with future possibilities of detecting whether you're strumming with an upstroke or a downstroke, as well as all sorts of other nuances that flew right over my non-musical head.

I think there's tons of potential in these kind of real-world musical instrument games. Imagine if instead of spending a cumulative week of your life playing Guitar Hero you invested your time in WildChords. You'd know how to actually play an instrument instead of just being especially proficient on pressing buttons. The cost savings are incredible too, as even if you bought every piece of IAP in WildChords, you'd likely still have spent less money than a single guitar lesson.

If you don't have an iPad, or a guitar, but just want to see more of WildChords in action, check out the Ovelin YouTube channel. If you do have an iPad and a guitar, you really need to download WildChords.

Despite is charmingly designed appearance, Bike Baron [$.99] is a cold and cruel game made for those of us who like to fail and feel rewarded whenever we do manage to land a pixel-perfect jump. The game's developer, Mountain Sheep, on the other hand... it seems a lot more open and friendlier than its product. Case in point: it's giving users a brand new, insane-big free update and it's asking for nothing, not even a beating, in return.

At the top, Bike Baron 1.3 sees the introduction of Domovoi Biker playability in every one of the game's levels. Mountain Sheep reckons that he's "just as cool as" Baron, but notes that he's a tad easier to play with. The fact that he gets more checkpoints, basically proves that.

But that's not all -- Mountain Sheep is featuring 22 of the 'best' user levels with new goals. This update also adds a "retry from beginning" button, more sound effects, and "various small fixes in level flow and structure," including those new Domovoi checkpoints we just mentioned. Oh! And Twitter integration is now a thing. Try not to spew to many profanities across the world wide web, eh?

As I write, I often consider whether or not my take on a game might be biased. For instance, I am clearly going to adore the idea of a game where I get to pilot a flying catmobile that spits screaming mice at grumbly enemies over a real-time war simulation. On that note, Don't Run With a Plasma Sword [$0.99] is clearly the kind of game that I gravitate towards -- its comic-inspired, it features an alien invasion, I'm basically running around with a lightsaber, and its got that modern retro feeling. In other words, I'm already smiling at the prospect. Biased? Maybe just a bit.

That being said, if a game sucks, it doesn't get my stamp of approval no matter how many hallmarks of my tastes it contains. I'm happy to report that Don't Run With a Plasma Sword not only features really cool, kitschy themes and humor, but it's actually a hell of a lot of fun to play as well.

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When Call of Duty: Zombies hit the iOS app store way back when we praised it for what was, at the time, a great adaptation of the console secondary game mode. Now, over two years later, the zombies have finally returned with Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies [$6.99], the first true sequel to iOS CoD Zombies (strange psuedo-sequel notwithstanding). While Black Ops Zombies does succeed in providing improved visuals and extra variety in the addition of the excellent Dead-Ops mode, a frustrating selection of controls, spotty multiplayer, and a very limited map selection on the onset may make some fans hesitant to purchase now.

For the uninitiated, Black Ops Zombies is a first person shooter zombie survival game based off of the survival mode found on some console versions of Call of Duty. Zombies is map-based, with each map typically featuring numerous rooms and weapons that must be unlocked in order to provide the player with better weapons and defense. There are some small secondary objectives, but the primary goal of each play through is to simply survive as long as you can. Zombies come at you in waves, and you earn money for each one you take down, giving you the currency needed to unlock everything. There are also power-ups, such as extra ammo or double currency, which can randomly drop from the slain undead.

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The week of PR shenanigans is still going strong, the latest of which involving a late-day surprise release of EA's new iteration of Tetris [99¢] which we mentioned seeing at EA's recent winter preview event. Here's what The Bearded One had to say about it:

Basically everybody on the planet knows the falling blocks puzzle game Tetris, and we’ve had an iOS version of the game almost since the very beginning of the App Store. While that is a fun and totally decent version of the game, the touch screen controls left a bit to be desired. That’s where the new One-Touch mode comes in. Here, when blocks appear at the top of the screen you’re given an assortment of spots to automatically place the block at the bottom of the screen, represented by outlines of the block’s shape.

This seemed like a weird idea to me at first, but after actually playing this mode I was a believer. It’s such a simple change but it dramatically changes how you would typically play Tetris, almost transforming it into a different game and bypassing any imprecise control issues from the touch screen. There’s regular Marathon mode as well as a progressive level-based Rush mode in addition to One-Touch, so this version of Tetris should appeal to purists as well as those looking for a fresh take on the classic gameplay.

Unfortunately, it seems that this new version of Tetris has replaced the old version of Tetris on the App Store. So, this will be a new purchase for everyone instead of an update, and you might as well back up the old Tetris .ipa somewhere in case you ever want to re-sync it to your device.

The week of weird PR shenanigans continues with Ubisoft's surprise release of Assassin’s Creed Recollection [$2.99]. We've been posting about the few details that Ubisoft has been leaking out, specifically how the game boasts things like "deep tactical gameplay" and "challenging political battles."

Now that the game is finally released, we'll get to see just how challenging these political battles are. Hopefully my opponent doesn't use the "reveal 13 year long affair" ability. We're downloading the game now and hope to have a review up shortly!

While the iOS device's multitouch screen has introduced a whole new way of interacting with software and enabled game developers to rethink the fundamentals of game control, there are definitely areas where it falls short. One such area is in the on-screen approximation of a physical control stick or D-pad. Ever since we first mentioned the iControlPad, three and a half years ago, button mashers particularly frustrated by virtual controls began eagerly waiting for such physical controller accessories to arrive. This summer, the iCade and iControlPad did arrive and developers wanting to go that extra mile began adding in support for these controllers, where it made sense.

Gametel controller

In a short time from now, the controller market will be gaining another iOS-compatible unit for gamers to choose from in the form of the Gametel Bluetooth controller from Fructel AB. News on this one began spreading a couple of weeks back, but we only just learned of the device, likely due to the Android-centric PR that surrounds it; there's scant mention of iOS devices on the product webpage. Luckily, C64 for iPhone [App Store] developer Stuart Carnie of Manomio pinged me to let us know that the unit works quite well with iOS devices (by way of an iCade emulation mode, the addition of which was driven by Stuart, himself), and that he is particularly impressed by the unit's ergonomics.

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We put incredibly powerful devices in our pockets and on our laps daily, but rarely do we see games that utterly embrace this like Infinity Blade has. It's a showcase piece; a technically and visually gifted game that consistently delivers eye-popping stuff.

Infinity Blade 2 [$6.99] is a step a step or two beyond what was accomplished in the original, adding in layers and layers of next-level environmental and character texture detail on top of a ton of fantastic ambient touches -- sharper shadows, stronger lighting, and a glut of atmospheric effects bolster what's already a visual delight, especially on iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.

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Love or hate Square Enix, you gotta appreciate the support its throwing behind Chaos Rings Omega [$11.99 / HD] for the iPhone and iPad. For the sixth month in a row, the studio has put together a substantial update to Omega. This latest, which hit the App Store yesterday, raises the bonus content level cap to 150 and adds a new hidden boss, more treasure, two new Piu-Piu collections, and fresh weapons. Huge, right?

Square seems to be missing more than its hitting on the App Store, but the Chaos Rings series falls into the latter pretty safely. Both are fun, iOS-native RPGs with tons of unique content from the get-go. These updates to Omega are icing on an already delicious, and fairly well-rounded cake. Here's hoping more are to come, though. We like free content.

Hey guys! It's Thanksgiving, and being a holiday that means exactly one thing for iOS gamers: Absolutely massive price drops everywhere. The best part about this is that all of these sales seem to be in effect worldwide, so even if you don't get to partake in the tradition of gorging yourself on turkey, you can still partake in buying games on the cheap.

Here's the larger sales we've posted about:

• Alert: 'The Dark Meadow' is on Sale for a Buck
• Com2uS Sale: Pigs, Towers, And Balls
• Gameloft Sale: 'Starfront' And A Bunch Of Licensed Titles
• Heads Up: 'Infinity Blade' On Sale; Chair Releases New 'Infinity Blade 2' Video
• Kairosoft Sale: School And Rest
• Konami Sale: Soccer And Sneeze
• Namco Bandai Throwing a Week Long Thanksgiving Sale
• Sega Sale: 'Sonic,' 'Monkey Ball,' And Many Others
• Thanksgiving / Black Friday Sale Odds And Ends

For even more sales you can stop by our Price Drops, Must-Have Freebies, and Deals forum, where everything that's even remotely worthwhile is being posted about. In specific, SirAwesome is doing a awesome job keeping this compilation of sales rolling. In addition, you can find all the sales out there by checking out our sister site AppShopper. I wrote up a guide on how to do this back on Labor Day, but here's the links you need in a nutshell:

• The AppShopper app (which is free).
• All games with price drops.
• Popular games with price drops.
• All previously paid games that have been made free.
• Popular games that were previously paid that are now free.

This week was (somewhat predictably) incredibly slow both for newly released games and overall iOS news. All you really need to do to get caught up is check out our Infinity Blade 2 preview, and be aware of The Desert Bus Child's Play charity drive. In other news, Apple did some supreme waffling with subscription-based gaming on the App Store. Allowing the first game then pulling the plug quite literally the next day. That's too bad, too, as giving developers more flexibility on how they can sell their games is never a bad thing.

Oh also, Imangi Studios' Temple Run [Free] is available again after some approval process drama. They managed to work with Apple to get it back online and slide in a new update. There's better Game Center integration, two new playable characters, six new achievements, three unlockable wallpapers and even iCade support. If you haven't grabbed it yet, get on it.

That's about it! I'm not sure much will be happening around here on Black Friday, so if there aren't any new iOS developments we'll see you guys on Monday!

Needing no introduction for any iOS Action fans, the Gangstar series has been Gameloft’s answer for folks looking for the city sandbox experience popular on gaming consoles. While we enjoyed the previous two Gangstar titles, there were outstanding issues in both games that prevented each from becoming a truly ‘must-own’ title. With Gangstar Rio: City of Saints [$6.99], Gameloft looks to up the ante in all aspects from the new location to cleaner graphics to even a new character advancement system. While Rio falters in its voice overs and the overarching story, everything else makes this the best Gangstar yet.

Gangstar Rio continues the tried and true gameplay of previous titles that closely mimics the gameplay of sandbox games like the Grand Theft Auto series. All the elements from previous games – from the mission based main story, to the large amount of collectibles, to even the side jobs attached to various vehicles – make a return. However, Gangstar Rio improves on its predecessors by making everything just a little bit better. For example, the Rio de Janeiro locale seems to be bigger and is a lot more unique compared to the previous locations. The entire world just feels more alive than previous titles. In addition, the developers have improved the controls by adding a few new options and tightening the existing schemes. However, I was extremely disappointed in the lack of cloud saving/syncing as that should be an essential requirement for lengthy games such as this (moreso since Rio is a universal title).

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Chair's Infinity Blade [$2.99] hit the App Store late last year and was met with nearly flawless critical reception. We couldn't help but give it five stars in our review, saying "It doesn't get much more 'must-have' than this." We then went on to name-drop Infinity Blade all over our Best iPhone Games category, listing it highly in every buyer's guide, and every other opportunity we could think of to tell people to download it.

At the iPhone 4S press event, Chair announced Infinity Blade 2, and I'm not sure it's possible for another iOS title (aside from a potential Infinity Blade 3) to have this much pre-launch hype. It's well deserved, too. The original was fantastic, and really, all Chair would have needed to do is phone in a sequel with new monsters, new equipment, and maybe even a new setting and we all would have been happy. Instead, what they've done, it take nearly every element of the original and turned it up to eleven.

One of the few criticisms people had of Infinity Blade was the oddly cyclical nature of the game, which wasn't held up by any more than a vague shell of a story involving your entire bloodline serving the single purpose of throwing themselves at the God King. Penny Arcade nailed it in a comic, and Infinity Blade was a much better experience if you didn't focus on just how silly it was that you decided to take up the sword after your father, grand father, great grandfather, great great grandfather and however many "greats" you needed to add to get back to the original knight who foolishly decided to make this your family's purpose.

Infinity Blade 2 feels like it has an actual story, and this time it's told through actual voiceovers. It picks up where the first left off, and you've got the God King's Infinity Blade in your hands, and are off to find "The Worker of Secrets" now that every deathless in the world is interested in taking the Infinity Blade from you. The initial hook involves searching for Saydhi, an information dealer. Thankfully, Saydhi seems to love duels, and offers up prizes for winning. I won't spoil more than that (and this hardly counts as spoilers since it all transpires in the first cut scene) but the way things branch out from there is substantially more interesting than the original even though you'll be doing a similar series of loops through the game.

Combat, the main draw of Infinity Blade seems to be greatly improved. Chair must have either tweaked the combat animations themselves, how the swipe input is handled, or both as it feels like you have an even more direct control link to your character. This shines even further in the new combat options which become available, allowing you to trade your shield to either dual wield or carry a massive two handed weapon.

The three fighting styles feel substantially different, and help greatly in making the game feel not quite as repetitive. With two weapons in hand, you attack much faster and blocking with your shield is replaced with being able to duck. Two handed weapons are much slower, and your defensive abilities are swapped with blocking using the actual weapon itself. It's really cool how it all works out.

The item store is back, and just like the first game you'll be trading your gold for gear at regular intervals. A new gem system allows for higher levels of customization though, and it won't take long before your equipped set of gear has all sorts of slots that you can socket gems into which can do basic things like boost stats all the way up to imbuing your items with various magical properties. If coming across gold in battles is a problem, Infinity Blade 2 offers a similar IAP purchase system to buy more gold if you want. Although, like the original, there's really no reason to and buying gold to get the best items seems to just remove any drive to actually play the game since equipment upgrades play such a big role.

Outside of fights, the gameplay is nearly identical with a world you can explore in an on-rails fashion, panning the camera around and tapping to move to the next location. Hidden items are back, encouraging you to stop to look around on every screen so you don't miss anything. You'll want to, too, because Infinity Blade 2 looks gorgeous. While you might be rewarded with items for doing it, you'll also be taking in the scenery just to marvel at the graphics your iPhone is capable of pumping out.

The rest of the game can easily be summed up with, "It's Infinity Blade, but more." There are more enemy types to fight, more visual effects, more flexibility, more customization, and they managed to do all this while removing how repetitive the original felt after blasting through the game a few times. It's everything I wanted in a sequel, and I can't wait for it to be released.

Infinity Blade 2 will be available on December 1st as a universal app for $6.99. We'll have a full review then, so stay tuned.

I had expected to hear my geriatric iPhone 3GS to croon its swan song when I loaded up Minecraft: Pocket Edition [$6.99] for the first time. It didn't. To my surprise, Mojang's inaugural iOS title actually got along swimmingly with my hardware. Was it a sign of good things to come? Perhaps. Deeply pleased with this turn of events, I went ahead and generated my first world.

And that's when the disappointments started rolling through the door. To be fair, I don't blame Mojang. If anything, they've done a rather masterful job at porting their world-famous IP onto the platform. Nonetheless, there's only so much you can do around technical constraints. Regardless of how you slice, the truth of the matter is that Minecraft just doesn't work here (not yet, anyway). To paraphrase the Genie from Disney's Aladdin, phenomenal cosmic power and itty-bitty living spaces do not mix.

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Bit Blot's 2D side-scrolling adventure game Aquaria [$4.99] for the iPad is a gorgeous and well-produced title with a sharp emphasis on world-building and character growth. It's good, and I think the reason why it strikes me as such a quality download has more to do with its atmospheric allure than anything else. Aquaria begs you to explore with every ounce of its being by consistently introducing mechanical novelties, alien setpieces, fascinating creatures, and drip-feeding a not-quite-but-totally convoluted story that keeps you thinking that you're on the precipice of figuring out what's going on with your mercreature in the game's beautiful underwater world. It has a few minor problems, though.

One of the bigger missteps in Aquaria is tied to the limitations of its new platform. Indie developer Bit Blot and its partners have masterfully replaced the cursor with finger, allowing for complete character movement without virtual pads. But the shooting and "singing" components? Those require virtual buttons and that sticks out. Also, when these actions are coupled with the need to evade, you may inadvertently start playing Finger Twister instead of Aquaria.

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Last month we posted news that DotEmu would soon be bringing retro classic Rod Land: A Fairy Tale [link] to the App Store as the fifth game in their Jaleco series. The game has just been released and we've got a closer look to share.

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