TibiaME is an exclusively mobile, top-down 2D MMO that made its debut on Nokia platform devices six years ago and has been growing its community ever since. At present there are approximately 50,000 active players in the game world, which consists of 67 islands, with 16 levels each. The islands exhibit a variety of different terrain types, such as forest, dungeons, ice, and "undead."

TibiaME places the player in the game world as either a warrior or a wizard. The islands of the world are peopled by other online players and a host of enemy characters that range from squirrels to demons — 56 types in all. There are magic-using boss monsters to contend with, as well. During the demonstration we were given of the pre-release iPhone client, there was no lack of activity in the world, as can be seen in our demo video.

While the iPhone version of the game client ties into the same game world that has been running these six years, it is a complete, ground-up rewrite that has been under development for a year and a half. The 20×20-pixel character graphics of previous versions of the game have been redrawn at a rather more detailed 50×50 pixels for the iPhone version, a new user interface has been implemented, and fight sequence animations have been added to the mix, as well.

The iPhone release will make its debut mid-year and follow the "freemium" price model. The base release can be downloaded free of charge and offers two (of the total 67) islands to explore. Characters playing in this mode are limited to a maximum of level 20 experience. Those wanting to experience the full game world can buy play time in blocks of one (5 euros) or 4 months (12 euros). Any character that has been built up in the pay model will retain all stats in the event an unrenewed block of time, but will be unable to level higher without the purchase of additional play time. The developer estimates that the base, free play experience delivers about one month of engaging play for the typical user.

To keep the game fresh, the developer has been in the practice of releasing a series of updates over the course of a year: 12 small that alter various game details, and 2 large, bringing new features and notable enhancements.

The only stand-out negative we saw about the title is its complete lack of any in-game music or sound effects. The iPhone version will allow the user to play tracks from their iTunes song library, however. And, of course, the main stand-out positive is the six years the game has been live and the sizable community that has grown within it, a most iPhone MMO's can't point to.

See our gameplay video for a look at the action in the pre-release client.

TibiaME for the iPhone is expected to debut mid-2010. Additional screenshots of the game can be seen at CipSoft's TibiaME Facebook page.

Features and functionality of the app are still in the process of being worked out, and Blizzard admits that since this is a fairly complex addition to the integration seen with both the armory and the iPhone so because of this they don't have any kind of release estimate yet. Also mentioned is that parts of this service will be "premium-based", and more details on what exactly that means will be revealed at a later date.

Blizzard isn't exactly shy about charging players for in-game services between character server changes and sex changes, so it's anyone's guess as to where the "premium" will come in to play with this new app. Previously released Blizzard iPhone apps, World of Warcraft Mobile Armory [App Store] and Battle.net Mobile Authenticator [App Store] have been popular amongst our community, so we will be keeping a close eye on the development of the auction house app.

Thanks to everyone I used to play World of Warcraft with relentlessly IM'ing me about this today.

If you decide to subscribe, Anrufen Online will run you $12.99, paid quarterly. This gameplay video provided by the developers shows what you're capable of both while fighting monsters and other players as you progress in the game:

Reactions on our forums seem mixed so far, but in my time with the game there seems to be a lot of potential here if you can overcome the cumbersome menu systems which seem to be directly ported from the Symbian version of the game combined with an overly cluttered interface. Still, if you're looking to get your MMORPG fix on the go, Anrufen Online seems to be one of the more complete offerings available on the platform.

App Store Link: Anrufen Online, Free (Subscription: $12.99 quarterly.)

The game is quite similar to a 2D version of EVE Online, and the game concept has remained the same since our preview:

Outer Empires takes place in a persistent galaxy where players can choose from a variety of different activities as you play in the intergalactic sandbox. There are tons of quests (or "Missions" as they're called in game) to complete that range from simple transport jobs to exploring and bounty hunting. Once you establish yourself in the world, you can set up colonies as well as run or join a guild (or "Factions" in Outer Empires).

There's a whole array of upgrades, ships, and other things to buy as you rank up in game. While the iPhone client costs $1.99, you can play the web version for free and neither version of the game has mandatory subscriptions. If you do choose to subscribe, you will get double the experience and space bucks of free users for completing the same missions. Subscription prices range from $3.99 a month with options for 3, 6, or 12 month discounts along with a $99.99 lifetime subscription.

Outer Empires is a cool concept, but like any online game how much fun you have with it will likely depend on the community inside of the game. I'd definitely at least give the free browser version of the game a try if the idea of a mobile space MMO interests you, and if you find yourself captivated by the Outer Empires universe, pick up the iPhone client.

App Store Link: Outer Empires, $1.99

Outer Empires takes place in a persistent galaxy where players can choose from a variety of different activities as you play in the intergalactic sandbox. There are tons of quests (or "Missions" as they're called in game) to complete that range from simple transport jobs to exploring and bounty hunting. Once you establish yourself in the world, you can set up colonies as well as run or join a guild (or "Factions" in Outer Empires).

Of course you have access to a wide variety of ships and upgrades to those ships which can all be purchased from player-created manufacturing plants. Having only clocked a few hours in to the beta so far, I'm reluctant to compare it to EVE Online, but there's not much else to compare it to.

The cool part about Outer Empires is that the game runs both in a browser on your computer, as well as in the app on your iPhone. Accounts are shared between both versions of the game, and you can literally log out in your browser, log in with your iPhone, and be exactly where you left off with all the same functionality of the desktop client on the go.

Ironwill Studios has an ambitious update cycle planned to patch in additional ships, player races, and other content supported by monthly subscriptions. Talking to Producer and Development Lead Paul Hutson via Skype we were told the monthly subscription fee would be "Around £2.50" which at current exchange rates is in the neighborhood of $4.00 per month. Initially subscriptions will be managed via PayPal, but Hutson has hopes to implement 3.0 in-game purchases for subscriptions soon.

Overall the concept of Outer Empires is really neat, and I've enjoyed playing both the browser and iPhone versions of the game, although once you get used to playing in the browser the iPhone client seems cramped in comparison. It remains to be seen how the community will react to a monthly subscription based game, but don't worry, you can try it for free without any time limits.

Free players can only reach a maximum level of 10, which will allow you to get a good feel for the game to decide if you want to bite on a paid membership or not. If you decide not to, you can still log in, chat, and do anything you want including completing all the missions for players level 10 and under.

If you decide to take the plunge on a subscription, all the experience you gained from doing extra missions after you hit the level 10 cap is applied. This is a unique approach on MMO trials, as they're usually based on a firm time limits before forcing you to pay up. If you play at a leisurely pace, it could take you quite a while to reach level 10 and if you just prefer the social aspect of chatting in Outer Empires you may never have to pay at all.

Outer Empires is currently under development, and according to my chat with Paul Hutson, they hope to submit the game to Apple later this month. If you want to know more, check out the Outer Empires web site which is absolutely packed with all kinds of information.

That's right citizens of the Horde and defenders of the Alliance, Blizzard's recently released app allows you to keep track of all your World of Warcraft characters, along with their stats, equipment, achievements and more. You can access your guild's stats and calendar, as well as other informational and planning tools. Experiment with talent trees or search for items, the World of Warcraft Mobile Armory can do it all.

Blizzard released this fairly impressive trailer walking users through the various functions of the app:

The World of Warcraft Mobile Armory is available as a free download, but requires a World of Warcraft or Battle.net account to use.

App Store Link: World of Warcraft Mobile Armory, Free

Warner Bros has released their online multiplayer Watchmen: Justice is Coming game [App Store]. The $0.99 release is described as an "advanced release edition" with promises for "more updates to come".

WATCHMEN: Justice is Coming is an online role playing game developed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch and inspired by the highly anticipated WATCHMEN film.

Explore the incredible Watchmen universe in the year 1975, where crime is rampant and average citizens take matters into their own hands. Create your own unique character and begin adventuring through the dark and gritty streets of New York City while following an original Watchmen inspired storyline through a real-time 3D world. Discover hidden artifacts and level up your character by completing story objectives, defeating criminals and challenging other players to battle in a dynamic strategy fighting game.

Our forum users have had mixed experiences with the game. Those who have been able to log-on seem to be happy with the game:

You start out by creating a new character with a name, gender, skin color, and personality type(chosen by looking at an ink blot and choosing "what you see"). You're then thrown into a 3D "New York" where the story is set for you.

The load time for this true MMO is great for an iPod/Phone. Like others have said, you touch the screen to where you want to go in the fully 3D environment. You collect costume parts, follow a story, fight RL players and in game bots. All of this gains you EXP so you can level up. When you level, you gain ability points when you level that can go into health, attack, defense, and movement.

However, some users have been unable to login — instead, seeing server-timeouts and crashes. In fact, we've also seen some timeouts and crashes, so we can't really recommend paying for this title yet.

App Store Link: Watchmen: Justice is Coming, $0.99

Parallel Kingdom is a role playing game that uses GPS (or WiFi locate) to overlay the virtual world on top of the real world. In the Age of Exploration, there will be items, creatures, and other players in the world to use and fight with. Enjoy unique creature personalities, items to upgrade, players to chat and team with, and a global player ranking list to see how you compare to your friends.

The first version of the app is being distributed for free.

App Store Link: Parallel Kingdom, Free

PerBlue

A recent blog post by PerBlue CEO Justin Beck tells the latest:

Today we have some exciting news. On October 31st, 2008 the Parallel Kingdom Age of Exploration will be released! This is the first of many ages to come. This age will be a free beta that will run on any iPhone, iPod Touch, or Android Handset device. Parallel Kingdom uses location-based features to place the virtual world over the real world, where you can kill creatures, collect gold, and destroy your friends. We hope you enjoy this age, and look forward to many ages to come.

Parallel Kingdom is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)–or as PerBlue describes it, a mobile multiplayer trans-reality game (MMTRG)–that overlays the real world with a location-based game world, allowing the most humble neighborhood street to host the mightiest of towered citadels that must be breached for loot.  It holds the promise of turning the daily commute into a bold adventure and we expect it to be a hot download when it appears in the App Store.

More screenshots can be seen at the Parallel Kingdom website.

Stay tuned for more information on this title as well as a full review once it makes its debut in the App Store.

Graal Online has released an iPhone version of their Graal Game Client. The game comes in two flavors, a free version called Graal Zone [App Store] and a $5.99 version called Graal Zone+ [App Store]. Graal Zone is described:

Graal Zone is the first massively multiplayer arcade battle game for iPhone/iPod. 

Play alone or with a team and enter battlefield joining hundreds of other player[s] for a unique game play experience.

Both versions claim to offer the use numerous "futuristic weapons" such as laser guns, pistols, grenades to overthrow your enemy. Graal Zone+ offers access to more powerful weapons and the ability to drive vehicles such as hover bikes along with special access to other maps.

The game is a quite spotty at the moment with numerous complaints about poor controls. Your character movement is controlled entirely using the accelerometer. According to lockergnome online levels will open on Friday, but it seems there's a lot of work to be done.

Graal Zone is available for Mac OS X, Linux and Windows so you can try a fuller version on your desktop computer.