Eliminate [App Store] has been somewhat of a sensation on our forums since its initial release in Canada. Our Canadian members (as well as quite a few "Canadians") have really enjoyed having early access to the game, and aside from the somewhat expected reactions towards the energy system and in-game microtransactions, it seems like everyone is having a lot of fun.

We extensively previewed Eliminate last month, and very little has changed since then short of some tweaking of the energy system and increasing the recharge time. Still, as mentioned in the preview, you can play Eliminate for as long as you'd like to without paying a penny– Your character advancement will just be slowed as you will only earn credits (the in-game currency used to level up and buy equipment) while you're energized.

I highly recommend downloading Eliminate. It's free, you've got nothing to lose. Regardless of how you feel about the payment system ngmoco is using to fund the game, it's still one of the more impressive multiplayer games available on the platform, and experiencing that won't cost you anything.

Update: Eliminate is available in most major iTunes markets, it seems there are still some countries that haven't seen it yet, but most European stores as well as the US store are currently stocked with Eliminate.

App Store Link: Eliminate, Free

After an amazing amount of anticipation on our forums, Eliminate is finally playable for our Canadian friends. Like we mentioned in our previous post, ngmoco is using this initial Canadian launch as a large-scale beta test to guarantee the servers hosting the game are running as well as they should be when Eliminate is finally released in to the wild. Things are still being tuned and tweaked, so I'm reluctant to offer many gameplay specifics as ngmoco indicated to us that quite a few elements of the game are going to be in flux while they make their final adjustments.

What I am willing to say is that playing Eliminate with real people is every bit as awesome as I imagined it being. The last time I had played the game was for our hands on preview we posted earlier this month. So far I've yet to notice any major differences, so everything mentioned in our preview is still accurate short of the energy recharge period which ngmoco says still has not been finalized.

So far the Canadian beta has been lag free, and I've always been able to find a game almost instantly. One of the things I've been dying to find out is how Eliminate performs over 3G, and so far it seems to play just fine. Already the Plus+ leaderboards are filling up as more and more people download and install the game, and I can't wait to see how many people are online tomorrow.

Even in its current beta status, Eliminate is receiving rave reviews on our forums and has seemed to ether meet or exceed the expectations of nearly everyone lucky enough to have a Canadian iTunes account. We have our fingers crossed that the beta goes smoothly and quickly, and as soon as the game is officially released worldwide we will post an in-depth look at the game.

App Store Link: Eliminate, Free – Only Available in Canada

id Software's Doom Classic finally appeared in the App Store after a lengthy wait. John Carmack, himself, seems to have done most of the work in reviving this classic title for the iPhone. Doom Classic brings four episodes across 36 levels and revamps the control system to a touch-screen friendly system.

Those familiar with the Wolfenstein 3D Classic controls will likely feel at home with the adapted Doom controls but there have been several upgrades to the system. Doom Classic offers 3 different control systems with the option of adding accelerometer strafing. These include:

• 1. Combined single stick for movement and turning
• 2. Left stick movement, Right stick turning
• 3. Left stick movement, Right wheel turning

Each of the controls can be customized further by dragging and dropping them on the screen to the desired location. Notably, the sticks are now "floating" sticks by default that allow more freedom in where you place your fingers down.

The #1 control option offers the benefit of simplicity, with a single stick for movement, though at the sacrifice of pure left/right strafing which is more easily accomplished with the #2 control method. Controls seemed a bit sensitive during my early play with no options to adjust the degree of sensitivity.

The following gameplay video shows the different default methods in action:

Meanwhile, there are a number of control customization options, including the ability to fix the location of the controls (similar to Wolf 3D) or turn the control graphics off completely and just use the left/right sides of the screen. This latter option allows the game to emulate the other first person shooter controls that we've seen in Eliminate and Modern Combat. So far, this has been my favorite combination: #2 with Draw Controls: Off and Auto Use: On (so you don't have to tap on doors to open them), and sensitivity here seems better, but not perfect.

When we spoke to Carmack back in June, he had big plans for the Doom franchise on the iPhone, including adding the ability to purchase in-app content for Doom 2, Ultimate Doom, Final Doom, Master Levels.

This initial release also contains multiplayer, but it is local multiplayer only (WiFi). Competitive internet multiplayer was listed a possibility for a later update when we spoke to Carmack in June.

App Store Link: Doom Classic, $6.99

One of the most anticipated titles that we can remember, id Software's Doom Classic is now in the App Store. The game includes the original three episodes as well as Episode Four, They Flesh Consumed. Features include:

• Fight through 36 missions in four action-packed episodes
• Experience DOOM multiplayer on your mobile device, including Deathmatch and Cooperative play for up to four players via wireless internet
• Choose from three different control types and customize the interface to suit your style

We'll post video and impressions shortly.

App Store Link: Doom Classic, $6.99

While we all wait for Doom Classic to be approved in the App Store, id Software has released a major update to their popular Wolfenstein 3D Classic game which adds a ton of new content.

Features include:

• Now with the Spear of Destiny levels – 21 total new maps
• 5 new Bosses
• New enemy – Ghosts
• Download custom made maps
• Double tap to Zoom in-game map
• id Software trivia section
• Scrolling map selection menus

The update is free for existing Wolfenstein 3D Classic owners and remains at only $1.99. The map download instructions are detailed here. Instead of in-app downloads, id allows you to distribute .map files through Safari which load the maps directly into Wolfenstein 3D on the iPhone. To create levels, you will need to download a Wolfenstein 3D map editor for your computer.

App Store Link: Wolfenstein 3D Classic Platinum, $1.99

Following ngmoco's announcement that their upcoming online multiplayer deathmatch game Eliminate is going to be free, our forums have absolutely exploded with activity. Anxious gamers who can't wait to have Eliminate in their hands have created an unstoppable juggernaut of a thread that recently topped 6,000 posts with over 160,000 views. Eliminate is in Apple's hands, and hopefully will be approved and on the App Store soon.

In the meantime, ngmoco released another gameplay video. While it's obviously not as good as playing the game itself, it gives you a fairly good idea of the kind of fast-paced gameplay you can expect in the world of Eliminate.

For more information on Eliminate, take a look at our hands-on preview from ngmoco's press day earlier this month or ngmoco's official Eliminate site.

We just got word from John Carmack himself that Doom Classic was recently submitted to Apple for approval.

According to our previous interview with Carmack, Doom Classic will stay faithful to the original with OpenGL rendered graphics along with slightly better sound quality and a "brand new finely crafted control system".

Recently he posted in our forums asking for opinions on how our forum members preferred controlling first person shooters on the platform, so it should be interesting to see how much of this feedback gets implemented in to the actual game.

We will have more information on Doom Classic and its impending release next week.

We first played Eliminate back at WWDC, and while there wasn't much to the game at that time, it was clear there was potential for something remarkable. This week we played what was one of the final builds of the game before its submission to Apple, and after my limited time with the game it's extremely difficult to find anything negative at all to say about the entire experience.

First off, in case you've managed to miss out on previous Eliminate (also previously known as LiveFire and KillTest) coverage, here's the basic premise of the game– You are an employee of Arsenal Megacorp, a weapons manufacturer whose secret to success is that all their weaponry is tested on live humans.

As an employee in the company you compete in four player deathmatches with other employees either via 3G or WiFi. The premise of the game is extremely clever, and I really recommend reading the memos and watching the videos on the Eliminate web site.

The controls work very similar to other first person shooters on the platform, with two virtual joysticks (though you can "touch anywhere") that handle your movement and aiming. Firing your weapon can either be done by tapping your left thumb on the screen, or enabling auto-fire in the game's options. With that turned on, any time there is an enemy in your crosshairs you will automatically fire. Flicking the left side of the screen causes your view to quickly spin around, allowing you to quickly and easily target things all around you.

(more…)

Today ngmoco released two new videos on their upcoming four player online deathmatch game, Eliminate. Like all ngmoco releases, Eliminate is shrouded in secrecy and little bits of information are slowly being unveiled as the game gets closer to its impending release. Regardless, these two videos have quite a few interesting details in them and are much more meaty than your average ngmoco teaser. Both are worth a look if you're at all interested in Eliminate.

The first video released is a short trailer in the same style of the previous Eliminate trailers that exhibit the various technologies offered by Arsenal Megacorp, your employer in the game:

The second video clip is from the latest episode of the ngmoshow where producer Chris Plummer walks us through the upgrade system and the various weapon and armor available for purchase in-game:

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

The in-game energy and credit system has been a highly controversial topic on our forums since they were both revealed. Something to consider though, per our WWDC coverage of the game, Eliminate will have an in-depth performance tracking system to match players up with other players of similar skill.

If this system works as intended, there will likely never be situations where you are in game getting stomped by players who have been able to purchase much better equipment than you. Those players will have ranked up enough that they will be fighting with players of similar skill and gear levels, leaving newer and lesser equipped players to compete on a more even playing field.

Details are still sketchy on most of the features of Eliminate, but in the meantime feel free to follow the official thread on our forums.

The App Store seems to go in cycles with releases and upgrades coming in waves. Tonight a number of long awaited game updates have appeared, including Duke Nukem.

Here's a partial list:

• Duke Nukem 3D ($2.99) – The long awaited control system update is now available. This fixes the issue with the analog controls. The controls are fully adjustable and many find them to be too sensitive on the default settings, so be sure to adjust these until you find a liking. The controls are still perhaps not ideal, but are much improved.
• Samurai: Way of the Warrior ($2.99) – Stability and performance improvements and…. "minor game balancing" including that of level 3.
• Archon ($2.99) – New 1 player campaign mode called "Conquest" which is said to add hours of individual play.
• Wild West Pinball ($0.99 – New missions, music, tilt, and fixed camera option.
• The Deep Pinball ($0.99) – OS 2.x compatibility, and fixed camera option