Today Gameloft tipped us off to their next title in what I suppose is now appropriate to refer to as the Modern Combat series. Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus is the sequel to Modern Combat: Sandstorm [$4.99 / Free / HD] and while we don't know many specifics about the game yet, it's probably safe to assume it will come loaded with the same military-centric Call of Duty inspired gameplay that made the original so much fun.

We liked Modern Combat: Sandstorm quite a bit in our review, and I expect that the sequel will be fun as well especially with how much Gameloft has evolved their graphics engines and gameplay mechanics since then. If you've been looking forward to another Modern Combat game, you might not have to wait too much longer.

About a month ago, Gameloft's N.O.V.A. [$4.99/Lite/HD] received a nice update adding high resolution graphics and gyroscope aiming for players of their Halo-inspired first-person shooter with an iPhone 4. Today, their Call of Duty-inspired shooter Modern Combat: Sandstorm [$4.99/Lite/HD] gets the same treatment with its new update. Our impressions for this new update are pretty much the same that we had for the N.O.V.A. update last month, and what was once old feels relatively new again. The game looks as crisp as ever on the Retina Display, and gyroscopic aiming allows for much finer precision while leaving your hand free to mash away at the fire button.

This new update isn't the only news out of Gameloft today, as they have also released a teaser trailer for the sequel to Modern Combat: Sandstorm which is so far only known as Modern Combat 2. The trailer is, well, interesting to say the least:

Unfortunately the video doesn't demonstrate any gameplay of Modern Combat 2, but it's certainly good for a laugh, and it definitely makes me wish I had an iPad capable of shooting rockets (is there an app for that yet?). The video pegs the release for Modern Combat 2 as this fall, so most likely Gameloft will be offering more information and showing off the game in action in the coming weeks. Until then there is a discussion going in the Modern Combat 2 thread in our forum, and if you're an iPhone 4 user or have an iOS4 device capable of fast app switching, make sure and download the new update for the original Modern Combat: Sandstorm and check out these new features.

It's been a good week for content updates, as not only did Battle Bears -1 [99¢] receive a massive update with new levels, weapons, and enemies but another one of my favorite shooters Puppet War: FPS [$1.99/Lite] has expanded on their original game in equally impressive fashion. Puppet War puts you in the role of an unfortunate janitor who is trapped on the set of a popular kids show. The puppets that star in the show have decided to take over the world, and it's up to you to fight them off with the many dangerous weapons that are inexplicably lying around the studio. The completely silly style of the graphics and story coupled with the satisfying first-person shooting action combined to make for an incredibly fun experience that we really enjoyed in our review.

This new update takes that concept and runs with it, adding some great new features and tightening up the game overall. One of my main complaints about the initial release of Puppet War was the lack of different locations, and this has been remedied with an entirely new map and a variation on the original. Puppet Town is an L shaped arena made to look like a city street. It features cardboard cutout cars that can be destroyed and puppets that pop out of trashcans that fire tomatoes at you. Also, the original Studio map gets a nighttime version. Lighting is dim here, and the set decorations are outlined in bright neon lights. It sets a terrific mood, and while it essentially plays the same it's different enough to feel like a new location. It's also the perfect setting to debut one of the new enemies, the zombie puppet (the other new enemy being a ninja puppet). There is a nighttime version of the new Puppet Town set as well.

Another big addition is a Survival mode. Here, you can choose one of the four locations and battle an endless onslaught of all the various puppets. The goal is to see how many puppets you can take out before dying, and they will occasionally drop ammo and health packs to keep you going, but there is no money to be earned. Instead, you'll use the weapons you've unlocked during the campaign, and the Survival maps are unlocked through the single player story as well. A zombie Survival mode can be unlocked too, and features a foggy haze in the level and strictly zombie enemies. The Survival mode is a ton of fun, and is a good way to jump right into some action when you feel like taking a break from the campaign.

Besides these major additions, a ton of other refinements have made their way into Puppet War. OpenFeint has been integrated for high score and achievement tracking. Also the game plays quite a bit faster in regards to weapon switching and ammo drops, and it feels like an all around tighter experience. There is now 3 difficulty settings to choose from, and options to invert aim and change left/right handed controls have been added, which was another complaint I had from the initial version. Puppet War was a fun game to begin with, and this update has gone a long way to making it even better.

If you haven't picked up the game yet, you can give the game a try with the brand new lite version that was released today and features an exclusive boss fight that will make its way into the full version down the road. Screens of the new boss and player impressions can be found in the game thread in our forums. Previous owners of the game should make sure to update and check out all of the new stuff in Puppet War: FPS.

App Store Links:

• Puppet War:FPS, $1.99
• Puppet War:LITE, Free

Early last month, Villain's Archetype [$2.99] hit the App Store, and we thought it was great in our review. Archetype is an incredibly impressive game, providing 5 on 5 team-based deathmach that works well regardless of if you're connecting via WiFi or 3G/EDGE. The new iPad version plays the same, with graphics and controls that have been optimized for the large screen of the device.

Archetype HD [$4.99] comes with all the same maps and game modes from the iPhone game, including the new rocket arena mode and Avarice map that dropped not long ago in an update. You can even play with people who are playing the game on their iPod touch or iPhone. It's a bit of a bummer that Archetype wasn't just updated to be universal, but if you've been enjoying the iPhone game, the iPad version is worth picking up as well as it controls a lot better with the iPad-specific controls instead of the pixel doubled iPhone controls.

For more information on Archetype, check out our review and/or the thread on our forums. There's also a thread specific to the iPad version as well as a thread filled with people trading usernames if you're looking for someone to play with.

Last week during the QuakeCon keynote address, John Carmack pulled an iPhone 4 out of his pocket and shocked the audience by showing a demo of id Software's next game, Rage, running on the device. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Rage will have elements of racing games and first person shooters. There's also said to be RPG elements in the game as well, making it sound similar to both the Fallout series and Borderlands. Information is still limited as the game isn't slated to launch until 2011, but either way the following demonstration is beyond impressive:

We've spoken at length with John Carmack in the past, where he's mentioned potential upcoming id Software titles such as Doom 2, Quake Classic, and the rest of the id back catalog coming to the App Store. Wondering what the state of all these projects were, we once again pow wowed with Carmack to see what he's been up to since we last spoke.

According to John, id has restructured a lot last year and several people from the mobile team has since been sucked in to other big projects, and they've only recently got the mobile team staffed back up to the proper size for iPhone development. Carmack admits that after releasing Doom Classic [$6.99] he hadn't even opened up Xcode until last month to start working on Rage technology.

Currently, id is completely focused on Rage, and John isn't sure when they will get back to the classic games "even though it makes a lot of sense." He also explained that while both Doom II RPG [$3.99] and Wolfenstein RPG [$1.99] have done well on mobile phones, their performance on the App Store has been less than ideal, leading to the decision to not bring the Orcs & Elves games over to iOS.

Carmack admits he's had a lot of fun working with iOS 4 recently, and wished he had more time to devote to it. And while it's more than a little disappointing that we won't see the classic id games anytime soon, with how impressive the Rage demo was, I'm A-OK with John Carmack and the rest of the id Software team working on the forefront of iPhone development instead of focusing on porting retro hits-- I doubt I'm alone in that.

QuakeCon 2010 is a free four day gaming festival that takes place down in Dallas, TX every year. QuakeCon is host to a massive LAN as gamers from all over bring their PC's to come play games locally, see the latest software and hardware from various vendors, and compete in various tournaments. I've never been able to make it to the event, but it's always been high on my to do list as friends of mine who go every year routinely rave about what an awesome time QuakeCon is.

...But just because we're not in Texas this weekend doesn't mean we're missing out on all the QuakeCon festivities, as to celebrate the event id Software has significantly dropped the price of all of their iPhone games. These games are all worth owning, and highly recommended.

DOOM Resurrection, $6.99 → $1.99 - Everything that is awesome about a modern Doom game applied to a rails shooter. The fact that the game is on rails was a point of tons of controversy when the game was originally released, but we thought it was absolutely awesome in our review and is still high up there among the best looking iPhone games to this day.

Wolfenstein 3D Classic Platinum, $1.99 → 99¢ - It's hard to get much more classic than Wolfenstein 3D when it comes to first person shooters. The iPhone port has a wide array of control options and since its initial release was update to Platinum which includes more maps, more bosses, and even custom map support. There's also a lite version to try.

DOOM Classic, $6.99 → $1.99 - This game hardly needs an introduction, but much like Wolfenstein 3D, this classic first person shooter is right at home on the iPhone with a ton of control options, along with 36 missions to play through across four episodes. Doom Classic has both deathmatch and cooperative multiplayer, but unfortunately you can only play with local players.

DOOM II RPG, $3.99 → 99¢ - This odd spin on the Doom universe still has you killing demons with huge guns, but this time it's in a turn based RPG setting. It's a little weird, but once you get past the whole Doom going from a first person shooter to an RPG, Doom II RPG is a ton of fun. For more details and gameplay video head over to our review.

Wolfenstein RPG, $1.99 - This isn't on sale as it's published by EA, but it's odd to mention the rest of id's lineup without Wolfenstein RPG. It plays very similar to Doom II RPG, although the plot and events that transpire in Wolf RPG seemed substantially more wacky. Check out our review for more information on exactly how many chickens you'll be kicking in this game.

QuakeCon goes all weekend, and these sales will only last for the duration of the event. If you've been thinking of picking any of these games up, make sure you do it by Sunday night.

If you're like us and have way more apps in your iTunes library than you can manage without a dedicated personal assistant on the job (Ahh, first world problems truly are the worst.) then you might have missed some of these updates that have hit the App Store recently. If you've grown tired of any of these games since you first downloaded them, mash the "update all" button and give them a go again.

Archetype, $2.99 - We were blown away by Archetype as evident by our review. The game features gameplay similar to Eliminate [Free] in that it's an online first person shooter that's playable over everything from EDGE to broadband via WiFi. Archetype ups the ante significantly by providing 5v5 team-based deathmatches that are a ridiculous amount of fun, and the fact that it runs at Retina Display resolutions on the iPhone 4 is the proverbial cherry on top of this multiplayer fragfest sundae.

The update that just landed adds a new level called "Avarice" which focuses on vertical combat with tons of jump pads. Also, the new game mode "Rocket Arena" pits players against each other using only rocket launchers. If you're playing with an iPhone 4, the game now can take advantage of the gyroscope, and there are a number of other tweaks and fixes as well.

---

Bejeweled 2 + Blitz, $2.99 - This game should hardly need an introduction, but in case you've been living in a cave on Mars with your fingers in your ears and your eyes closed, Bejeweled is PopCap's insanely successful match 3. The original Bejeweled was released nearly 10 years ago, and since then the game has seen a few sequels and spinoffs which have been ported to nearly every platform imaginable.

The latest update further fleshes out the Blitz game mode which can be played sharing online leaderboards with any friends of yours who play the Facebook version. The iPhone version of the game now has coins and boosts, which basically just amount to yet another layer of complexity on top of the game where your Facebook friends can score millions of points more than you, leaving you wondering how people get so good at this game. Coins spawn randomly and are collected by matching the associated blocks, and then those coins are spent on power-ups (or "bosts") to boost your score even more.

---

Doodle God, 99¢ - I fully admit I don't understand the appeal of this game, yet nearly everyone I know can't get enough of it. Peter explains how the gameplay works in our review, and Doodle God basically amounts to combining various "elements" to create others such as combining earth and fire to create lava. From there, lava can be combined with other elements to create even more, and it just snowballs from there.

Episode #3 just landed which adds even more content to the game. There are over 100 new reactions along with 40 new "modern age" elements. There are also now parental controls to make sure your kids can only create kid-safe elements along with several other additions and tweaks such as not draining your battery quite so much while playing.

---

Aqua Moto Racing 2, $2.99 - Free - I really liked this arcade aquatic racer in my review, and while these updates haven't been released yet, they're worth keeping your eye out for. 1.0.2 is adding Retina Display support, 1.0.3 is adding universal support to turn the iPhone game in to an iPad game, and 1.0.4 is adding a new "storm mode" which apparently is going to be for "hardcore riders" only.

It's always exciting to see a game get this much post-launch support, and I love when iPhone games I like turn in to universal apps so I can play them full screen on my iPad. Aqua Moto Racing 2 already looks great on my iPhone, and I can't wait to see it at Retina Display resolutions.

Ever since the demonstration of the iPhone 4 at the WWDC keynote, the far and away most talked about feature has been the stunning Retina Display. When the iPhone 4 finally released, some developers took the opportunity to update their existing games to harness the power of the eyeball burning high resolution. Previously, we've covered games that have added retina support including Real Racing, Flight Control, Archetype, Sword of Fargoal, Jet Car Stunts, Zen Bound 2, and a host of games from Pangea Software. Well it's time to add another to the list as Gameloft's Halo inspired first-person shooter N.O.V.A. has been given the Retina Display treatment as well, along with support for the iPhone 4's gyroscope.

N.O.V.A. wasn't a bad looking game to begin with, but with this latest update it's hard to believe that I ever thought so. Gone are the many jagged edges that are rife within the game, replaced with silky smooth graphical models that can only be possible with the four times as many pixels on the iPhone 4 display. The game literally pops of the screen now (although the voice acting remains comically terrible). I could go on about the enhanced visual clarity of N.O.V.A., but these comparison screens tell the story better than I ever could:

Perhaps an even more intriguing addition to N.O.V.A. is support for the iPhone 4's gyroscope. The gyroscope must be enabled when starting a new game or from the control options, and is actually a combination of screen swiping and movement. Swiping still moves your aim in an extreme manner, so you still pretty much move and turn the same throughout the game. But the gyroscope offers refined accuracy within your current view (unless you are moving your entire body around, in which case your entire view changes with you), and it works beautifully. It can be a little disorienting to get used to at first, but one you do you'll never want to play an FPS game any other way, and this is coming from someone that typically hates tilt-to-aim in FPS games. This slightly cheesy video demonstrates the new controls:

The touch and gyro combination just sings, and makes N.O.V.A. feel like a whole new experience. The new updated graphics are gorgeous, and still impress even for a seven month old game. And there's the always handy iOS4 fast app switching thrown in this update for good measure. Needless to say, if you're an iPhone 4 owner with a copy of N.O.V.A., don't hesitate to grab this latest update and play through one of the better iPhone FPS games all over again.

Ever since we spotted the online first-person shooter Archetype in limited release, we'd been dying to try the game out. At long last, Archetype was released to the global App Store this past week to much fanfare and a huge marketing campaign. After finally getting our hands on it and spending some quality time playing, we can safely say that Archetype is one impressive game, and developer Villain has, for the most part, followed through on their promises for the title. That's not to say there aren't a few issues with it, or a wish list of things we'd like to see added, but all said, Archetype delivers one of the most robust, beautiful, and most importantly fun FPS experiences that can be had on the iPhone.

For starters, if you have Apple's new iPhone 4 then you are treated to some unbelievably crisp graphics. The textures that make up the levels and player models aren't the most detailed -- which is fine, as this allows the game to run at an ultra-smooth clip -- but, on the retina display, it really approaches a high definition console game running on the small screen. For all other devices, including the first generation of iPhones and iPod touches, the game is still very graphically impressive and maintains a solid framerate. The five stages available in the game are also visually quite nice, and are all indoor arenas with a high tech industrial look similar to games like Eliminate or the Halo series. It's not a groundbreaking style, but it gets the job done while maintaining good performance across all devices.

Controls in Archetype are a familiar dual analog stick setup that works well, though doesn't leave many options for players that prefer different control schemes. The two sticks are visually situated in the usual spots in the lower corners, but can actually be activated by touching nearly anywhere on either half of the screen. This lends itself well to people who like the “touch anywhere” or “swipe the screen to aim” mechanics of similar touch screen FPS games. Your weapon can be very quickly changed by touching the upper right corner and grenades are thrown by touching the upper left corner. A melee attack is performed by touching the bottom of the screen anywhere in between the two analog sticks, which is also where the radar is displayed. Minor options to invert the aiming axis or adjust sensitivity are available, but the default control scheme described is basically all you get. This isn't really a bad thing though, as they do work very well and are semi-flexible, but surely won't suit every single gamer.

(more...)

TouchArcade Rating:

A couple weeks ago we first caught wind of Archetype, an online first person shooter by iPhone developer MunkyFun which is comprised of veterans of LucasArts and the creators of both Shift [99¢] and Ivory Tiles [99¢] for the iPhone. Much like ngmoco's Eliminate [Free], Archetype is said to work over WiFi, 3G, and also EDGE connections. Players will rank up as they play, earning experience and winning medals along the way.

The main differentiator between Archetype and other similar online shooters is that Archetype will be playable with up to ten players at once, in teams of five, with an assortment of six different weapons to choose from. We're anxious to see how the game works, and likely won't have to wait too long as per the Archetype web site the game is launching in "early July" for $2.99.

For more information on the game, including a few hands-on impressions from a few people who managed to snag the game early, check out the thread in our forums. I'm not entirely sure how MunkyFun is going to be able to provide a solid 5v5 first person shooter experience that will even play well over EDGE, but needless to say we're going to be keeping a very close eye on this game to give it a try once its released.

SGN's Exo-Planet made its first appearance on the App Store in early April as Exo-Planet Elite for the iPad [$6.99], a few weeks ago Exo-Planet Elite [$4.99] was released for the iPhone, and it wasn't until a few days ago that the DLC-powered free to download Exo-Planet [Free] joined the ranks. Exo-Planet is an online shooter, somewhat similar to ngmoco's Eliminate [Free], but with a third person perspective, multiple game modes, and an always-equipped grappling hook.

The game is controlled similar to most shooters, and a brief tutorial tells you practically everything you need to know about playing. Movement is controlled with the left side of the screen, and sliding your thumb around the right side of the screen allows you to look around. Virtual buttons are scattered about that do things like allow you to view the scoreboard, switch weapons, and fire. Every player is equipped with a grappling hook that can be shot at most surfaces, and grappling is as simple as tapping where you want to fire it and waiting for your character to reel themselves in.

Exo-Planet takes place in space, and hopping around and sticking to magnetic surfaces with your boots is highly reminiscent of the zero-gravity extravehicular activity portions of Dead Space. The third person view is actually really nice for all the maneuvering you'll be doing, as you can really get a great look at both your surroundings and the locations of your opponents with the pulled back over the shoulder viewpoint.

Exo-Planet includes three gameplay modes, two online and one offline. Online modes include capture the flag and deathmatch, and both are 2v2 team based battles. The offline gauntlet mode is substantially less exciting, with players competing in timed sessions shooting a series of moving targets. I suppose this answers the common complaint of most online-only games in giving iPod touch users something to do when they're not near WiFi, but gauntlet mode doesn't provide much challenge and really only seems useful for grinding scrip, learning the controls, and killing time.

What's this "scrip" stuff? Well, like similar games, Exo-Planet uses an in-game currency system to purchase various upgrades for your character. Everything from tricking out your weapons to increasing your run speed or even making your grappling hook reel in quicker can be purchased with scrip. This seems to be the major division between the free and paid versions of Exo-Planet.

If you shell out some cash for Exo-Planet either for the iPhone or iPad, you get something called "scrip boost" which increases the amount of scrip you earn by playing matches and fighting in gauntlet mode. In the free version, you have the ability to buy scrip in increments ranging from 99¢ all the way up to $19.99.

Playing online is a lot of fun, although in my testing the quality of the games I get matched up with varies wildly. Some are fast paced 2v2 matches with little or no lag filled with players who know what they're doing (capture the flag is particularly fun in these situations) and others are 1v2 lag fests that either end with the timer running out while you return the flag over and over or kill inactive players, or just simply lagging out. There isn't any Eliminate-like energy system, so you don't really lose anything but the time it took to load in to the game when you get a bad match... Which oddly enough has made me much more willing to put up with intermittent connection and lag issues.

Few games match the experience Exo-Planet provides when you find yourself in a game with 4 solid players with good connections. Playing with skilled players amounts to constantly grappling while firing, grappling again to avoid incoming fire, and either trying to stay alive or capturing as many flags as possible which can be a lot of fun. Connection issues are a problem, and it remains to be seen how much post-launch support SGN is going to give Exo-Planet, as you can really only play the same maps and use the same weapons so many times before getting bored. People on our forums are really digging the game, and I really recommend at least giving the free version a spin if nothing else-- Especially if you've found yourself even slightly enjoying games like Eliminate in the past.

Activision recently released a pseudo-sequel to the surprisingly popular Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies [$9.99], a first person zombie defense shooter made famous by its online four player coop multiplayer modes that we were very impressed by in our review. Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies II [$9.99], aside from having a title that's an even bigger mouthful than the first, comes loaded with the new Shi No Numa map. Shi No Numa is a very large swamp filled with buildings, new weapons, monsters, and zombie traps that fans of the original game will no doubt quickly fall in love with.

What's odd about this "sequel" is that the only thing different it has over the first, which is little more than the new map and everything in it, is available via a DLC purchase in the original. Also, Zombies II has Verruckt and Nacht Der Untoten (the two old maps from Zombies) available as optional DLC. Basically, it doesn't matter which game you have, as each one has the content of the other available in DLC packs.

If you've enjoyed Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies, be sure to check out the in-game store to give this new map a try. So far, the thread on our forums is filled with people who are having a great time with it, so if you have yet to pick up the game it might not be a bad idea to dive directly in to the sequel to have the newest map which most people will likely be playing. You can always pick the others up later.

Double experience point weekends are commonplace these days, as big traditional developers like Infinity Ward, Epic Games or Treyarch award their hopelessly addicted, and often most demanding, players with free points. But even the mobile folk are getting into the game. Take, for example, ngmoco.

Starting this afternoon, the developer is awarding "double credit compensation" in its free-to-play competitive shooter (with a newly added cooperative mode), Eliminate [Free].

Until Monday at 12 PM PST, players eager for progression will earn double the points in deathmatch. The official Eliminate blog notes that the double credits don't extend to cooperative play. The blog also threw down this dandy quotable immediately following the note: "A stronger employee is a better employee, two stronger employees working together are an insurance liability."

Users on the Touch Arcade forums still seem to be digging this game quite a bit, and now seems like the best of times to jump in.

Two free, lite versions of paid iPhone games recently appeared in the App Store and we wanted to make sure that readers who may not have tried these titles had them on their radar.

Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front FREE

Back in February we took a look at Gameloft's Brothers in Arms 2 [link], a follow-up to the late-2008 release Brothers in Arms Hour of Heroes [link] which was one of the most impressive games in the App Store at the time of its release. We found much to like about the sequel.

Brothers in Arms 2 was designed as an iPhone game from the ground up. Weighing in at over three times the filesize of its predecessor, it brings to the iPhone a much larger game experience. This time around it's a first person affair, as opposed to the third-person, over-the-shoulder experience that is the first title. Actually, when in duck-and-cover mode, BIA2 does jump out to third person — and that's something you'll see often, as using crates, walls, and tanks for cover is pretty much par for the course in this title. That is, when you're not sprinting across the battlefield, manning the turret in a jeep or tank, or piloting a "glider" through heavy flack. Yea, it's a pretty intense affair.

Gameloft's recently posted Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front FREE [App Store] is a scaled down version that offers a taste of the full release through a battle mission set in the Pacific.

---

The Simpsons Arcade FREE

Late last year everybody's favorite cartoon family came to the iPhone in the form of The Simpsons Arcade [App Store], a touch-controlled beat-'em-up of a different sort. In the game you play as Homer, who is on a quest to chase down a mysterious doughnut which also happens to be host to a USB flash drive that holds some kind of secret information that nearly the entire population of Springfield seems to be in on. Using an on-screen joystick and two buttons Homer can perform a variety of simple moves and combos on the seemingly never-ending supply of henchmen that are dead-set on keeping you away from the doughnut in question.

While it's certainly not the most ambitious fighter we've ever seen, well -- hey -- who doesn't want to fight as Homer?

EA's The Simpson Arcade FREE [App Store] delivers the first level of the paid release to get gamers hungry for more Springfield smackdown.

Late last week we posted a bundle of trailers of four upcoming games. Since then, a couple of them have since been released and are worth a look if you like dirt bikes and/or zombies.

Giant Moto, 99¢

We were extremely hopeful that Giant Moto would scratch our iPhone Excitebike itch, and since giving it a spin, it's hard to say how good of a job it does. Right now, the game seems to have tons of potential, but isn't quite as amazing as I was hoping. Giant Moto really nails the look and feel of a 3D Excitebike-like game, but ultimately falters in several areas. The controls are a little awkward, with a combination of on-screen buttons and tilting to make your way through the included courses. Also, only six tracks are included which really leaves you wanting more.

With more tracks, a track builder, or even randomized tracks coupled with some control refinements and I could see Giant Moto becoming really appealing through updates.

N.Y.Zombies, $1.99 - Free

Yes, there are a ton of zombie games on the App Store, but N.Y.Zombies manages to do a decent job of differentiating itself with the rest of the pack. Controls are simple and work well, you slide your finger around the screen to change your view and tap to shoot zombies. A set of buttons on the bottom of the screen allow you to switch between the over 20 included upgradeable weapons, and there are also over 20 different locations to slay zombies in ranging from corn fields to subway cars.

If you still have it in you to kill zombies, definitely give the lite version of N.Y.Zombies a try.