Featuring both touch and accelerometer controls, EDGE requires both quick thinking and fast reactions to progress past the first few levels.

We enjoyed EDGE, and recommend picking the game up now — both because it's a great game and also in case it gets pulled again as it's unclear whether or not EDGE is here to stay. An official statement from Mobigame is said to be coming soon.

If you haven't kept up with the "Edge" dispute which has caused quite a stir on the Internet, EA recently petitioned to get the "Edge" trademark thrown out, and Langdell responded calling the petition a "desperate attempt by EA". For a complete background on the dispute, check out the summary provided by TIGSource. Needless to say, the whole situation is unfortunate, and it's sad to see such a great iPhone game caught in the legal crossfire.

App Store Link: EDGE, $4.99

• Frogger from Konami ($5.99 -> $.99)

  One of Konami's first App Store releases, Frogger [App Store] for the iPhone is available for more than 80% off August 20th (today) through the 22nd.

  The game is an adaptation of the studio's 1981 arcade original featuring updated graphics, an updated soundtrack, and a choice of touchscreen or accelerometer controls–or both combined.

  Like the 28-year-old original, the goal of the game is to direct five frogs, one by one, from the starting point at the bottom of the screen to their homes at the top before the timer runs out.  It's a treaturous journey.  The lower half of the screen consists of a busy roadway with five lanes of speeding traffic.  The upper half contains a rushing river filled with logs, turtles, alligators and other such hazards.  The challenge is getting the frog home safely without getting flattened, drowned (this was always puzzling…), or eaten.  It sounds simple, but can be rather frustrating challenging.

  We took a look at this one back in August.

  App Store Link: Frogger, $.99 (limited time)

• Pole Position: Remix from Namco ($5.99 -> $2.99)

  Pole Position: Remix [App Store], Namco's iPhone adaptation of their classic 1982 arcade racer, is available for a limited time at 50% off.

  As the title suggests, Pole Position: Remix is a (somewhat) modern adaptation of Namco's 27-year-old classic arcade racer.  Retro gaming nuts will appreciate the fact that, although the title brings a graphical overhaul, the gameplay remains rather faithful to the original.

  The game offers three methods of control: tilt (accelerometer-based), slider (swipe right and left), and steering wheel mode (radially control a steering wheel, capable of flick-spin, with your finger).  A semi-translucent, on-screen pedal controls either braking or acceleration, depending on settings.

  We had a look at this one back in September.

  App Store Link: Pole Position: Remix, $2.99 (limited time), Pole Postition: Remix Lite, Free

Pac-Man Remix is indeed Pac-Man at its core, but features various enhancements that add variety to the well-known formula.  Aside from the standard maze full of dots and power-pellets, there are power-ups that enable things such as an invincible, mirror image Pac-Man ghost that helps with the dot chomping and the ability to jump over pesky, travelling arcs of electricity (a new hazard).  Many of the mazes are dual-height, with elevators and transporter pads providing access to the upper and lower areas.  What's more, at the end of each stage is a boss showdown that demands dodging skills beyond those called upon in the standard mazes of dots.  Animated cut-scenes between certain levels help illustrate play technique.

The game offers two methods of touchscreen control.  The swipe-anywhere technique introduced in the earlier Pac-Man for iPhone is available and works better, but still not ideal.  Alternatively, an onscreen directional button control mode is offered, but the layout is a bit awkward.  I'm guessing it will see little use.

Pac-Man Remix succeeds in delivering a colorful new take on the original Pac-Man formula, but what concerns me is the challenge that the game provides.  I began playing it on the default 'Normal' difficulty setting and got through all six stages in just over an hour.  The 'Hard' setting adds to the challenge, but the game just feels too easy — far easier than either Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man.  And that certainly doesn't have you coming back for more. It's an official Pac-Man license from Namco, and that's a notable mark in the iPhone's repertoire, but at $5.99 — big name license or no — the game should provide more than an hour's playtime.

My recommendation on this one is to take a good look at the gameplay video to get a feel for the title and be quite aware that you're in for a short-lived gameplay experience, going in.  My guess is that only true, die-hard Pac-Man fans could find Pac-Man Remix a sound value.  The casual Pac-Man fan looking for a modern take on the formula may want to wait for the upcoming iPhone adaptaiton of the highly rated XBLA title Pac-Man Championship Edition.

App Store Link: Pac-Man Remix, $5.99

With Pac-Man Remix [link] fresh in the App Store, iPhone gamers in a love affair with that little yellow dot-chomper are busy getting their retro maze munch on.  But don't fill up too much, because a dose of Pac-Man goodness that should far exceed Remix will soon be making its way to the App Store.  G4tv has gotten word that Namco Bandai will be releasing the highly acclaimed Xbox Live Arcade title Pac-Man Championship Edition for the iPhone and iPod touch later this year.

What many have called the first "real" update to Pac-Man in 29 years, Pac-Man Championship Edition contains major differences from the 1980 original.  The Xbox Live version, aside from supporting on-line leaderboards and high-definition graphics, is a race against the clock in every game mode.  There are several different play lengths to choose from for each electric-looking maze, and the goal is simply to score as many points as possible in the relatively short time limit.  The more points you score, the faster the pace of the game.  Each maze is divided into two halves.  Eating all the dots in one half causes a bonus fruit to appear in the other.  Eating that fruit causes a new maze (that may differ in layout from the previous) to appear in the other half.  It's back and forth, back and forth.  And enormously fun.

We've got no information at present as to how the iPhone version will differ from the Xbox Live original, but will keep you updated as details come our way.  But, if it's anything like the Xbox Live version, Pac-Man Championship Edition for the iPhone is going to bring some serious addiction to the platform.

See a video of the Xbox Live version to get a feel for the game.

The main game mode of Treasure Grab is Master Thief. In Master Thief, you take control of main character Alya Loot and one by one drive the nobles out of the city by stealing their heirloom items and everything else they own while you're at it. Each level has one special heirloom item hidden in it, and collecting the heirloom item doubles the value of everything you stole that night. Steal all the heirloom items in one mansion and that noble leaves the city.

When each night starts, you're greeted by your fence who tells you what he's looking for that night and it can be anything from furniture to books. These items pay triple when collected. The desired loot type is randomized each night, so there should be a decent amount of replay value as you go back looking for the specific things the fence asks for.

The more things you steal, the more alert the nobles become to your presence, and the more guards they will have patrolling their estates in future nights. Get caught by a guard and you lose all your loot. If a guard notices you, you may be able to run and hide but the more loot you pick up the slower you move so there is a delicate balance between how greedy you can get in picking up items before leaving the mansion. Pick up too much and you'll be too encumbered to stand a chance at getting away from guards. Leave too much behind and your score will suffer.

Assisting you along the way are various trickster spirits which you slowly unlock. At the start of each level you choose which spirit will be by your side, these spirits give you special abilities like being able to look around the map, briefly disguise yourself, loot everything near you instantly, and other perks. All the ones I've come across so far have been pretty useful, but I've stuck to using the instant loot trickster spirit as it really increases how quickly I can fill my pockets.

Each level has a loot timer, and when the timer reaches zero an alarm sounds and you're unable to steal any more items or use trickster spirits. All you can do is run to the nearest exit without getting caught.

The guards in game behave a lot like guards in other stealth games, but really remind me of the phantom guards from The Legend of Zelda – Phantom Hourglass. They patrol around, stopping to think and talk to other guards. Little red arrows on the side of the screen indicate where the guards are, which are easy to avoid in earlier levels but once the nobles dispatch more guards the game becomes very tricky.

The controls are very well done and work great with the game. Instead of a static virtual D-Pad, you simply touch anywhere on the screen and that becomes the new center of movement. To steal items you just walk close enough to them, and to use your trickster spirit you tap the button in the top right corner. Treasure Grab has fun music, and cute sprite based graphics that are reminiscent of sixteen bit games.

Aside from the main game mode, there are also 36 time-based challenges to complete where you have a certain amount of items to steal as quickly as possible. These challenges add a neat twist on the standard gameplay as in Master Thief where you would previously cautiously wait for the guards to pass, in Challenge mode you have to try to run by them and don't have time to wait.

The one unfortunate thing is that Challenge mode lacks global leader boards. I'd really like to see how my speed runs rank with other players, but really this is a fairly minor complaint.

Here is a brief video of me playing a level in Treasure Grab:

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

Overall Treasure Grab is a fun game and you can definitely feel the design inspirations as you're playing. All of the mansions have a very Pac Man level maze-like feel to them and infiltrating houses to steal heirloom items is very Thief-ish. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first read the Treasure Grab App Store listing (Especially after playing other THQ iPhone games.), but I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised.

App Store Link: Treasure Grab, $2.99

Namco Networks has just announced that it has submitted Pac-Man Remix, a modern take on its 1980 arcade classic, to the App Store.

Based on the world-famous arcade hit, PAC-MAN REMIX showcases enhanced graphics and lots of new exclusive features like boss battles, stage-specific gadgets, and power-up items! Guide PAC-MAN through the maze and avoid the brightly colored ghosts while chomping up all the dots. Eat a power pellet to temporarily turn the tables on the ghosts. Gobble up as many ghosts as possible while they are blue. Chomp the ghosts consecutively during one power pellet to score major bonus points!

The game holds onto the core Pac-Man game mechanic, but expands greatly upon it, both as far as visual presentation and gameplay are concerned.  Pac-Man Remix is played across six different stages (with five levels each) and features various power-ups that can be acquired to help beat those familiar ghosts and their six new boss ghost friends.  These include:

• Jump — jump over ghosts or walls
• Dash — move faster
• Lucky Item — all the pellets turn into Power Pellets
• Ninja Item — Trick the ghosts with an illusion of Pac-Man

Two methods of control are offered in the game: on-screen directional buttons and swipe controls, like those used in Namco's iPhone version of classic Pac-Man.

The game appears to be an evolved / extended adaptation of the studio's well-reviewed 1996 release, Pac-Man Arrangement, which is an excellent remake I've spent considerable time with on the Gameboy Advance.  If Remix is anywhere near as good as Arrangement — which it should certainly be — then iPhone gamers are in for quite a treat.

Pac-Man Remix has been submitted to the App Store and should appear later this week at a price of $5.99.

Namco also took this opportunity to announce the launch of a new division within the company, dedicated exclusively to the iPhone and iPod touch.  The new 'Apple Games' division is headed up by former I-Play Mobile Gaming producer and designer Jonathan Kromrey.  And while the announcement of Pac-Man Remix brings a smile to my face, the creation of the new division within Namco focused entirely on iPhone gaming, and the studio's commitment to the platform that such a move reveals, is a much more significant turn of events.

We can't wait to see what the studio has in store.

• GloBall Lite (GloBall, 99¢) – Take a basic accelerometer ball rolling game, add in all kinds of crazy power ups and particle effects, then pile a surprisingly well done location-aware global scoreboard on top and you've got GloBall.

  Being discussed here.

• Leaf Bound Lite (Leaf Bound, 99¢) – A hand drawn jumping game with similar gameplay mechanics to the Orisinal classic Winterbells, you jump from leaf to leaf collecting food and stomping on mechanical monkeys before reaching the end boss of each level. This Leaf Bound video shows the different levels and bosses.

  Being discussed here.

• Radial 50 Lite (Radial 50, $1.99) – A new "spin" on brick breaking games, Radial 50 features a circular array of blocks to bust with a paddle that rotates along the outside by sliding your thumb up and down the right side of the screen as shown in the gameplay demo video.

  Being discussed here

Did you ever have an IBM PC in the early '80s? Did it have a monochrome screen? Did you game on it anyway? If your answer is yes to all three, then you'd have loved spending some time in front of 8bit Games – Flying [App Store] on that clunky classic computer.

And, if you answered no to any of the above three questions, then move on — nothing to see here….

8bit Games – Flying is what arcade heaven would have been way back when on your Hercules graphics-equipped 8088-based PC. With a gameplay mechanic similar to Cube Runner, the game puts you in accelerometer control of an airplane flying through a cityscape with the goal of dodging everything. And it's a challenge, because your eyes are bleeding while you play.

The game offers three different monochrome screen colors (with a fourth that's unlocked based on true play skill) and a global scoreboard. It's fun, but retro, retro, retro.

If you don't crave retro — do not buy this game. But if you do, it's pretty amusing. You've been warned.

App Store Link: 8bit Games – Flying, $1.99

But sadly, not in a good way.

Ghostbusters for the iPhone sounded pretty meaty.  As we posted back in March, Sony indicated an iPhone version of the game was on the way, alongside the the X360 / PS3 / Wii release, and that it would feature a storyline written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and would effectively serve as the third installment of the big-screen ghost-hunting story, according to Aykroyd.  Voice roles from most of the movie actors were promised, as well.

This appealing description may apply to the home console version of the game (which I've spent no time with), but it definitely does not apply to Ghostbusters for the iPhone, which is a port of the mobile version.

In short, Ghostbusters for the iPhone is basically Magnetic Joe 2 [App Store], but with lesser graphics and choppier animation.  Though it does feature a dash of Ray Parker Jr….

The goal of the game is to use your proton packs to move a ghost through various mazes from start to finish, ultimately trapping it in the ghost trap at level's end.  The game features all five NY boroughs and three play modes that are unlocked based on skill: Adventure (standard play), Time Attack, and Ghost Fever (limited ammo), as well as a novelty collect-the-Ghost-Cards mechanic.  The player must avoid slime covered walls and pedestrians to prevent the ghosts from taking over the city.

If you have an '80s Ghostbuster poster framed in gold on your wall, you might enjoy the home console version, but even the most diehard fan will be haunted (in a bad way) by this release.  Spectral goodness, this is not.

App Store Link: Ghostbusters, $4.99

After devastating the largest cities of Earth and extracting all of its natural resources, the Xugg'zak left behind a planet buried in debris.

As the pilot of the Graviton ship, your mission is to salvage the scarce energy spheres that the Xugg'zak have left behind, and take them to a safe place where will be processed to rebuild what's left from the human race.

In Graviton, the player is given tilt-based control of a ship equipped with a magnetic grappling hook.  The mission is to pick up a metal orb with the hook and carry it through a series of five different post-apocalyptic environments filled with a variety of obstacles, some of which are interactive (drop the orb into a moving cart, charge the orb to unlock doors, etc).

The game features "2.5D" graphics and a realistic physics model that delivers gravity, inertia, and momentum, adding to the challenge of completing the objective.  In-game tutorials explain the action, three levels of difficulty help tune the game to the player's particular skill level, and on-line leaderboards add to the competitive value of the game.

I've played through several of the game's environments and find it to be a worthy take on the Thrust formula, with particularly clever obstacles.  My only real complaint with the game is to do with its hovering mechanic.  While most gravity games require constant triggering of downward thrust to remain aloft (which can be very challenging in close quarters), Graviton's ship will remain safely pinned in mid-air if the device is held at the proper angle.  It's a control mechanic that I find a bit too forgiving for my taste, but isn't reason enough for me to recommend that gravity fans pass on this challenging title.

See Virtway's trailer video.

Chillingo indicates that if the game sells well, additional levels will be provided in a free update to owners.

App Store Link: Graviton, $1.99