Mobile developer Big Blue Bubble has released an iPhone version of its popular mobile turn-based role playing game Elven Chronicles [link], winner of the Pop Vox awards, through the App Store.

Turn-based RPGs, such as SoMoGa's popular Vay, are few and far between in the App Store.  And so, if our forum readers' reactions are any indication, iPhone RPG fans may find fondness with this release, reworked from its mobile original for the more capable iPhone platform.

Features as listed by the developer:

• Classic Console RPG design
• Massive World Maps
• Captivating Story
• Countless Spells, Weapons, Armour and Accessories
• Random Dungeon Maps
• Stunning Characters and Scenery
• Over 20 hours of Gameplay

Pocket Gamer spoke with Big Blue Bubble regarding the challenges faced in porting the game to the iPhone platform.

…We ported the game from BREW using our own code converter tools and the iTorque engine. This port went very smooth and we had a playable game in a matter of days.

Re-doing all the art took much longer than anticipated and we had to put several artists on the project. Also, as we didn't have the same memory limitations as on the cell phones, it was hard to resist adding more art content so this took some time as well.

Finally, we had to re-do all the controls and menu system. Even though fully functional, it just didn't feel right. This is last thing we need to complete before sending the game to Apple.

The studio indicates that they have their ear to the ground and updates, including expansion packs, will be forthcoming, including features added via microtransactions.

Elven Chronicles is currently being offered at a limited time, introductory price of $3.99.

See the developer's game trailer for a closer look.

App Store Link: Elven Chronicles, $3.99 (limited time)

Korean game developer Gamevil released their latest entry in the Baseball Superstars series last night with Baseball Superstars 2010 [App Store]. According to Gamevil, the original Baseball Superstars is the best selling baseball game on the App Store, and given my experience with Baseball Superstars 2010 so far, it's safe to say they've got another hit on their hands.

Baseball Superstars 2010 is a full featured baseball game with multiple game modes ranging from simple exhibition games to full seasons or homerun derbies. What sets the game apart from the pack are the RPG elements that allow you to create your own pitcher or batter and build their statistics in "My League" mode.

Various exercises and social events are available to train your players along with items to purchase such as bats and shoes with your annual salary. Once you have built up your players (up to 4 batters and 2 pitchers), you can use those players in the full season mode where you will need to manage your team's ability to work together as well as their morale.

If this sounds crazy, that's because it is. Both Baseball Superstars games have this odd mixture of really solid Baseball gameplay and these strange RPG elements that seem silly at first but start to have the same allure as leveling up any character in an RPG. I've never really been a sports gamer, but the RPG elements in the original Baseball Superstars really sucked me in, and the sequel is doing the same.

There's an additional level to the lovable absurdity in Baseball Superstars 2010 with the included "super" players. There is a pitcher that's a robot, a batter who is some kind of nurse, and in a game I just played the opposing team's pitcher performed a super move turning all the baseballs they pitched into bombs. These crazy components to the game with the RPG elements mentioned earlier somehow really make this game appeal to me, and I'm not even a baseball fan.

Baseball Superstars 2010 also offers an interesting solution to online multiplayer. Everything is done via a asynchronous match mode where you can go online to search for teams to play. In this mode, you're essentially downloading the player statistics of the team you select and playing against them locally on your device.

Sure, it's not real-time multiplayer, but the ability to download your friend's team and play against them when you have time should fit in well with the portable gaming habits of a lot of iPhone gamers where you're only playing in small increments while you're on the go.

If you don't want to get involved in a full baseball game, the homerun derbies and missions are great for playing for a few minutes at a time. Competing in both of these game modes will earn points that you can then spend to unlock additional characters and buy items.

Gamevil released the following gameplay trailer:

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

Similar to how the Madden games work, Baseball Superstars 2010 is the annual evolution of Baseball Superstars. There are many small tweaks and refinements that make the 2010 edition worth owning if you enjoyed the original. If you haven't played a Baseball Superstars game, there is no lite version for 2010, but there is a Lite for the original Baseball Superstars [Free] that can give you an idea of what to expect out of the sequel.

App Store Link: Baseball Superstars 2010, $5.99

Pixel Mine Games has released the Chapter 2 update for their action RPG Underworlds [$2.99]. Chapter 2 adds more than 2.5x the content that was in the launch version of Underworlds. Features include:

• Visit a new city
• Level cap raised to 50
• Repeatable dungeons
• Thousands of new items
• New quests and creatures
• Revamped Interface
• Quest Log
• Mini-Map
• World Wide Agon Rankings with Facebook and Twitter support.

One area of major improvement in the game is an interface overhaul which improves the screen layout and character controls. While we very much enjoyed the first version of Underworlds, the new features seem to address any complaints we had.

This video walks through the many interface changes in Underworlds:

The Chapter 2 is a free update to existing Underworlds customers, and the full game is available for $2.99.

App Store Link: Underworlds, $2.99

Zenonia fans will be excited to hear that Gamevil's latest game Hybrid: Eternal Whisper [$5.99] has arrived in the App Store.

Hybrid is a hybrid of action, adventure and RPG genres. It is an action fighting game at its core but with an extensive skills upgrade system, RPG elements and is tied together with an in depth story line. You play the role of Grey a young kid with a mysterious history who is looking to defend his land and avenge his brother. The story walks you through your training which teaches you how to fight. The D-Pad offers movement and an action button for attacks. Grey also has two different sword grips: standard and reverse. The two grips are more effective for different scenarios and can be combined together to form longer attacks.

Additional special attacks and skills are introduced over time and there appear to be a massive number of possibilities. The game is a series of fights strung together with a story. Surviving the fight is, of course, the ultimate goal, but you also get graded on your style and performance with each fight. As you level up and pick up items from enemies, you can upgrade your personal stats and equip stronger weapons and defensive items.

The game features 70 battles, 10 hidden stages, and an endless mode. Some of the skills and attacks are demoed in this video:

We do plan on offering a full review of the game, but, in the meanwhile, the early forum impressions are being collected in this thread.

App Store Link: Hybrid: Eternal Whisper, $5.99

Gameloft's Diablo-like action RPG Dungeon Hunter [$6.99] has arrived in the App Store tonight.

We had some hands on time with the game last month. Although we only had a brief amount of time with the game, it certainly seemed like a very solid take on the formula.

On-screen controls once again are utilized, with a virtual D-Pad controlling movement and a series of buttons that handle your attacks and magic. Three classes are included that each have slightly different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. Dungeon Hunter plays a lot like Pixel Mines' Underworlds, in 3D, and could potentially have quite a bit of replay value as you play through the game as a knight, then a rogue, and finally as a mage. Also, along the way you will collect different fairies that assist you on your adventures, each providing a different offensive and/or defensive bonuses.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

The game description promises an enormous world with different types of quests and missions, tons of items, weapons and armor, and hours of gameplay. Early impressions are being collected in our forums, and we'll post more once we've had more time to put the game through its paces.

App Store Link: Dungeon Hunter, $6.99

Update: Gameplay video updated with a much higher quality version.

Update 2: Dungeon Hunter is no longer available for download, we're waiting for a comment from Gameloft but judging by our forums it likely is a result of a crash bug when loading a certain level of the game.

Update 3: Gameloft offers the following comment on the situation: "Dungeon Hunter was momentarily removed from the AppStore, an update will be live very soon."

Like most Gameloft games, it's easy to find games to compare Dungeon Hunter to. It definitely has a strong scent of Diablo to it, but the graphics seem straight out of the Microsoft PC game, Dungeon Siege. Regardless of what comparisons you make, Dungeon Hunter seems like a solid hack and slash that I could see myself spending a embarrassing amount of time playing.

On-screen controls once again are utilized, with a virtual D-Pad controlling movement and a series of buttons that handle your attacks and magic. Three classes are included that each have slightly different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. Dungeon Hunter plays a lot like Pixel Mines' Underworlds, in 3D, and could potentially have quite a bit of replay value as you play through the game as a knight, then a rogue, and finally as a mage. Also, along the way you will collect different fairies that assist you on your adventures, each providing a different offensive and/or defensive bonuses.

I was able to spend about 15 minutes playing Dungeon Hunter, which obviously is nowhere near the amount of time needed to even begin to sink your teeth into an RPG.

The story starts with the full motion video trailer we posted earlier, and your character waking up in his tomb. Where do you go from there? I'm not entirely sure, but it involves slaying countless evil minions, stuffing your pockets with gold, and customizing your character with the impressive equipment and skill system of which I was only barely able to experience the tip of the iceberg.

The following video is being played on a 2nd generation iPod Touch showing the first few minutes of the game:

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

Following that, you eventually exit the tomb, make your way to a nearby village, receive a quest, and head back down for more hacking, slashing, and most importantly, loot collecting. Gameloft has proven themselves as extremely capable of taking a game concept, adapting it to the iPhone, and making it work. I can't yet say if Dungeon Hunter is going to have the same timeless charm of the Diablo series (which I played for years) but I love what I've seen so far, and can't wait to play more.

Gameloft seems intent on completely solidifying its reputation as the unstoppable game producing juggernaut of the App Store. This latest trailer of theirs shows absolutely nothing of the gameplay, but provides the premise for a roleplaying game. Is this a hack and slash like Diablo? A more traditional RPG like Final Fantasy? Or maybe even a tactical RPG like Fire Emblem? We'll find out soon!

The speculation starts… now!

Pixel Mine's Underworlds [99¢ / Free] is a hack and slash RPG that I really found myself enjoying back in April when I originally reviewed it. Since then the game has seen a few updates which have added things like music, online leaderboards, and other tweaks but none have been anywhere near as substantial as the impending 1.2 release.

According to Bill Money of Pixel Mine, Underworlds content updates are going to "chapter system" that will work very similar to D&D modules which are self-contained adventures that use your existing character usually with minimal relation to other modules short of a story hook to get your character to the beginning of the next one. The second chapter of Underworlds will have more than twice the content of the first chapter and the level cap is getting raised to 50.

The new town of Termon will act as a hub for your adventures and will feature a magical fountain for restoring health versus McTavish's caravan in the first chapter that left you chugging potions to heal yourself in town. The quests found in Termon and the surrounding area will have multiple solutions to allow players to choose their own path, and through the main quest you will come across various side quests to create a much less linear experience.

Chapter 2 features five different maps, compared to the single map found in Chapter 1. Some of these maps are dungeons which are repeatable. Players can return to them as many times as they want to fight harder monsters with new treasures. In these different maps you will come across over 20 new monster types and spell casting NPC's.

Two new in-game movies have been added along with a pair of new feats, all unlocked through questing. Giant Strength increases your character's size and strength for 10 seconds and Bullseye increases your dexterity for a short period of time so every hit you do is a critical hit. Since a hack and slash is nothing without piles of loot and treasure, Pixel Mine has also added thousands of new armor and weapon combinations.

The Underworlds 99¢ sale will persist at least until the update is submitted, so if you've been waiting to pick this one up, now is your chance. If nothing else, now is a good time to try the lite version. For more screenshots and information on Underworlds Chapter 2, check out the thread posted in our forums.

App Store Link: Underworlds, 99¢ – Underworlds Lite, Free

CH Games, creators of Dungeon & Hero [App Store] just released a trailer of their upcoming RPG which is being published by Chillingo. According to their site, you will play as Litta, a young boy whose dream is to see the outside world. After embarking on an adventure that will change Litta's life, you eventually guide the continent to peace– It sounds like a pretty standard premise for an RPG.

These screenshots appear to be from the Windows Mobile or Symbian version of the game:

In the game there are four different weapons to choose from along with an "intense skill system" that should allow a hefty amount of character customization. 22 unique towns along with 150 different battlefields are prepared for your conquering, and to get from place to place a little faster, Seed will also have you captaining a ship and piloting an air balloon.

Also in game is a day and night cycle along with quests that can only be completed at certain times of the day. These day and night cycles apparently changes combat as well. Seed also has a elemental component to combat where Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire can be leveraged to affect the outcome of your battles. Equipping different armor and weapons will change the appearance of your character and throughout the world of Seed you will come across all kinds of different items of different rarity that also can be customized with "sockets, compounding, and refining."

That's all we know right now, as Chillingo provides us more information on what could be yet another awesome RPG for the iPhone we will be sure to post it.

Gameloft just released their much anticipated Gangstar [link] game to the App Store today at the promised $6.99 price.

Gangstar, which is an enhanced port of their 2006 mobile handset title, is set in an expansive world (Los Angeles) that strives to bring the modern, 3D home console Grand Theft Auto experience to iPhone gamers. We took a detailed look at a preview copy of the title back in July.

The game is a free-roam sandbox affair, with LA being the sandbox. And the game world is actually modeled after LA with some accuracy. Hollywood, Santa Monica, South Central, and other well-known areas of the city are represented with many distinguishing characteristics in place. Portions of the game are also played through sequences that are flashbacks to Pedro's time in the Mexican pen.

This new trailer was also released today:

We were impressed by the game during our preview and will spend more time with the final version. Early impressions of the game are being collected in our forum.

App Store Link: Gangstar, $6.99