Eurocenter, who brought us the popular Cocoto Kart Online, has given us an exclusive preview of their upcoming iPhone shooting gallery game Cocoto Magic Circus, a conversion of the Wii original.

In Cocoto Magic Circus, you take on the role of Cocoto, Shiny, Neuro, or Baggy on a mission to save poor Fairy, the pixie, who has been kidnapped by a sinister and disturbing clown. In order to save her, you must progress through five different creepy carnival settings, wielding your dart-gun like a champ, tapping true on the clown's various minions to knock them into oblivion. There are seven shooting gallery-style mini-games in each of the settings, making for 35 challenges in all.

While it's true that shooting gallery titles are generally rather simplistic affairs — and there's certainly no lack of such games in the App Store — Cocoto Magic Circus is a surprisingly enjoyable little game. The visuals are very well done — cartoonish, cute, and atmospheric with a nice parallax effect to the scenes that adds a sense of depth to the game. Complexity is added to the title's tap-to-shoot dynamic by way of line-of-fire obstacles as well as floating bonuses and special effects that, when shot, trigger things both good and bad: double shot score, free hits, lights out, gun jams, flip screen, etc. It's a nice touch.

The game offers an Arcade mode, which is progressive play through the various settings and challenges, as well as a Training mode that allows you to jump in and play any challenge in the game. Online multiplayer is also included, allowing you to engage in real-time matches with players around the world. (Unfortunately I was unable to test this component as there is no community at present, since the game has not yet been released.)

I've enjoyed my time with the game, learning its ins and outs for this post. Getting through it requires some fast reflexes, especially in the later challenges, which ramp up the difficulty and pacing — it's no cakewalk. One thing to note is that it's not a particularly lengthy affair; most users could get through it in an hour or two, but that's helped a bit from a replay perspective by the three available levels of difficulty, with Normal presenting a decent challenge.

Cocoto Magic Circus is a shooting gallery title that delivers a good deal more than most games of its sort. It's a cute little game that's fun to play and, as IGN called it, "a surprisingly fresh breath of air." I'd wager most gamers out there would enjoy it more than they think.

Have a look at the gameplay video to help you decide for yourself.

Cocoto Magic Circus is set to debut in the App Store on Thursday, March 4th at a price of $0.99.

It looks like Chillingo's on a bit of a shooter roll, here lately.  They've just given the heads up on the upcoming fast-pace 2D scrolling shooter Assault Squadron, developed by The Binary Mill.

The Global Defense Force (GDF) reports that Earth is under attack by a hostile, unidentified vessel containing thousands of enemy craft. Striking with unwavering precision, the invasion destroys key defensive facilities to leave Earth and its inhabitants at the mercy of fearsome alien attackers.

You are a part of the Assault Squadron, an elite tactical space combat force dispatched by the Federal Alliance to defeat the alien enemy. Assault Squadron’s explosive sci-fi missions and in-depth storyline will thrill shoot-‘em-up fans and casual players as they battle to save the Earth.

The game offers a choice of four different ships, each with its own set of abilities and weapons systems that can be upgraded to dish out the kill with an arsenal including vulcan cannons, torpedo missiles, spiral grenades, and tri-vortex bombs, with attacks that can be chained together to deliver devastating, high-scoring combo attacks.

On-screen action runs at a smooth 60 frames-per-second across both a Campaign Mode and a quick-play Arcade mode, each offering three difficulty settings and set against a licensed trance soundtrack. Ship control is handled via four different modes: Touch 1:1, Touch 2,5:1, Tilt Control, and Virtual Joystick. The whole thing is tied together with Chillingo's Crystal leaderboards and achievements system.

Let's hope this one is as nice as it sounds. We'll bring further details on Assault Squadron as we get them. Stay tuned.

Chillingo has just provided us with a new gameplay video of the upcoming musical shooter Radio Flare Redux by Studio Radiolaris, a sequel to the late-2008 iPhone original which was a finalist in the 2009 IGF Mobile and IndieCade competitions.

As with the original, Radio Flare Redux challenges you to battle extraterrestrial enemies while jamming to pumping background beats in a gaming experience that's more or less Rez meets the side-scrolling shooter. The developer suggests adding a few words to your vocabulary to prepare for the experience.

Hyperjump [hī'pər] – noun: Takes as long as the blink of an eye. The split-second of traveling through hyperspace, where the brain experiences a unique audio-visual sensation à Synchronicity.

Synesthetic [sĭn'ĭs-thē'zhə] – noun: A unity of the senses such as hearing colors and seeing music. à Players receive a synesthetic experience with Radio Flare REDUX’s tightly connected melodies and stimulating game visuals.

Everything in the game, from the movement of the enemies to the firing of your ship, is synched to the beat of the licensed techno, club, and house tracks. The game features fast-paced shooter action and "club style" visuals across 33 unlockable levels that, the developer assures us, combine to deliver a truly "synesthetic" experience.

Radio Flare Redux features both drag and virtual stick controls for negotiating the side-scrolling battlefields. Online leaderboards through Chillingo's social network let you compete with friends. And, in a zen / psychedelic twist, there's an unlockable Musical Toy sequencer that allows you to arrange sound effects, create rhythms, and experience a Visualizer mode that takes you through an enemy-free level where it's all about the eye candy.

Radio Flare Redux is expected to appear in the App Store sometime in the next few days.

Earlier this month we posted an update on Peter Hirschberg and his glowy bit of retro vector goodness known as Vector Tanks. As we indicated in that post, Peter has recently setup his own studio, BlipTime Studios, and through it has released an update to Vector Tanks known as Vector Tanks (Classic Version) [App Store] at $0.99.  As one might suspect, denoting the current game as "classic" indeed betokened the near-term arrival of a rather revamped take on the original.

That game is Vector Tanks Extreme, and Peter has given us an exclusive look at the release version of the title before it makes its App Store debut.

The game has been split into two versions to provide, as Peter tells it, a version that delivers the "retro-simplicity" of the original, along with a version that's "a Vector Tanks experience WAY over the top for those seeking a bit more of a challenge."

Vector Tanks Extreme offers everything the original did, plus more tank types, more weapon types (my personal favorite is the Rail Gun), airborne enemies (helicopters), and downright frenzied action. The standard play mode is Combat, which is a desperate bid to wipe out as many enemies as possible before losing all your lives, while Rage mode gives you unlimited lives and ammunition with the goal of wiping out as many enemies as possible before a two-minute timer runs out. Both modes are brutal, let me assure you. An integrated online scoreboard shows the world your strength (or weakness) and network play support is a planned addition, to arrive in a future update.

I've had the final build of Vector Tanks Extreme on my iPhone for the past few days and have spent considerable time scoping down enemy tanks, jeeps, and copters. Having become quite familiar with the title, I can definitely say that "WAY over the top" is in no way an overstated description. This is perhaps the most intense iPhone shooter I've ever encountered. If you enjoy Vector Tanks and feel it's a little on the difficult side — stay away from Vector Tanks Extreme. You don't have the stuff.

As we mentioned in our earlier piece, in moving from Chillingo to his own BlimpTime Studios for the original Vector Tanks, now known as Vector Tanks (Classic Version), Peter was unable to make the latest version of the game (v1.3.2, posted earlier this month) a free upgrade. But, to help get every owner of the original up to speed on the latest version, he will be offering Vector Tanks (Classic Version) as a free download during the week following the launch of Vector Tanks Extreme. Thanks Peter!

Have a look at the Vector Tanks Extreme trailer to get a taste of the action.

Vector Tanks Extreme has been submitted to the App Store and should be available for download sometime in the next few days at a price of $1.99.

Update: It's come out already: Vector Tanks Extreme, $1.99

Earlier this month we took a look at IUGO's amusing dual-stick survival shooter Daisy Mae's Alien Buffet. We liked the game, which offers solid shooter action and, unlike most other games of the sort, an impressive ability to interaction with obstacles in the environment. The game has an atmosphere straight out of a B-movie and features an array of ridiculous weapons along with humorous taunts and unlockable outfits for the voluptuous Daisy, each smaller than the next.

It all comes together to make for a fun romp of carnage, but that last seems to have stuck in Apple's craw after recent changes to the company's App Store approval policies. As IUGO informed readers in our forums, Daisy Mae has been pulled from the App Store.

And Daisy Mae isn't the only one to get a tap on the shoulder. A great many adult-themed apps have been pulled from the App Store. One such app is Wobble iBoobs from ChilliFresh, who yesterday received an email from Apple indicating that their popular iPhone app had been pulled.

The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored), contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately.

We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. If you believe you can make the necessary changes so that Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored) complies with our recent changes, we encourage you to do so and resubmit for review.

Sincerely,
iPhone App Review

And while a shooter with some risque elements would seem to not be in quite the same place as a "boob"-centric app, Daisy Mae seems to have found herself on the far side of Apple's newly-adjusted line.

IUGO intends to rework the game and bring it back to the App Store, but indicates it's unclear just how long that will take.

Last week we took a look at InMotion Software's dual stick dungeon crawler, Catacombs [App Store], which was just released mere moments ago. We're still working on our full review of the game, but here are some details from the preview:

Catacombs takes the familiar controls of the numerous dual-stick games, but instead of simply asking you to slay a never-ending supply of enemies, you have to make your way through the maze-like corridors of whatever evil dungeon your character found themselves in.

Along the way you will come across locked doors that must be unlocked with keys hidden inside the dungeon, as well as tons of gold and treasure. To assist you on your quest, the monsters of the dungeon randomly drop power-ups that do things like increase your movement speed, or offer different offensive bonuses.

Fans of dual stick shooters, dungeon crawlers, and Gauntlet will be right at home rampaging through the halls of Catacombs. Catacombs comes loaded with 24 dungeon levels, with a level pack that has another 24 forest levels available for an additional 99¢.

App Store Link: Catacombs, 99¢

Fans of first person shooters are going to be in for a treat this Monday when the sequel to Brothers In Arms: Hour of Heroes, Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front launches. Last month we took a trip to the Gameloft offices to get an early look at the game:

The game features six different play environments — the Pacific, North Africa, Italy, Normandy, Germany, and Ardennes — across 16 levels, each of which offers 25-30 minutes of playtime (6+ hours total, estimated), basically double that of the iPhone original. While much of the combat is carried out running, dodging, and ducking through the various environs on foot, airplanes, motorcycles, and tanks are also thrown into the mix.

Gameloft just released a pretty cool trailer that shows quite a bit of gameplay:

NOVA is going to be a tough act to follow, but so far Brothers in Arms 2 looks very promising. We'll have a full review following the release of the game.

H.grenade, developers of circuit_strike.one [99¢], apparently have switched teams from Chillingo to Freeverse who just so happen to be collaborating on their upcoming game, Zombie Cannon Carnage– A delightfully ridiculous game with an even more ridiculous premise.

In Zombie Cannon Carnage, zombies from outer-space have crash landed on Earth. Instead of sticking around to endlessly munch on succulent Earthling brains, they decided to build a makeshift cannon from spare circus parts to fire themselves back in to space. With semi-randomized gameplay, various purchasable power-ups, all kinds of obstacles to run in to, and tons of explosions, Zombie Cannon Carnage is one of the better (and substantially more hectic) cannon firing games I've played recently.

Gameplay is similar to other cannon firing games in that you aim your cannon, fire, and see how much stuff you can hit. Each zombie is equipped with a jet pack that has a limited amount of fuel which is capable of sending you flying forward for a brief period of time. When you finally crash in to the ground, you can self destruct for even more points.

Bonus points are awarded for doing crazy things like taking down helicopters, crashing in to ice cream trucks, and other things I haven't discovered yet. The game does seem to have a sizable learning curve to it, as there's a delicate balance between shooting your zombie high enough to fly far, but if you soar too high you'll get shot down by the fighter jets patrolling the cityscape.

Here's a video of me doing poorly:

Zombie Cannon Carnage is scheduled for release on February 23rd, and is really worth checking out if you've enjoyed playing other cannon shooting games on the iPhone. Like all Freeverse games these days, Zombie Cannon Carnage comes loaded with full Plus+ support including online leaderboards which I'm sure will be absolutely dominated with scores I will never be able to beat shortly after the game is launched.

Following on the heels of I Dig It Expeditions [App Store], InMotion Software gave us a look at their upcoming dual-stick top-down dungeon crawler, Catacombs. They take the familiar controls of the numerous dual-stick games, but instead of simply asking you to slay a never-ending supply of enemies, you have to make your way through the maze-like corridors of whatever evil dungeon your character found themselves in.

Along the way you will come across locked doors that must be unlocked with keys hidden inside the dungeon, as well as tons of gold and treasure. To assist you on your quest, the monsters of the dungeon randomly drop power-ups that do things like increase your movement speed, or offer different offensive bonuses.

Three classes are included: The warrior, mage, and archer. Each class plays a little differently and have their own basic attacks and special abilities. The following gameplay video shows each of the three classes going through a part of the first level of the dungeon:

Catacombs has already been submitted to Apple, and hopefully will be released sometime soon. If you like dungeon crawlers, and you like dual-stick shooters, you're going to love Catacombs.

It seems like the App Store is absolutely loaded with dual-stick shooters lately, similar to last year where it seemed like a new tower defense game was being released every other day. Even though the genre is getting more and more crowded, developers are still finding ways to stick out from the pack. Arodius [App Store] accomplishes this with extremely smooth sprite-based graphics and enough power-ups to choke a horse.

Arodius works like every other dual-stick shooter out there, except instead of taking the survival route the game is split in to individual levels where you have to clear a set number of waves usually ending in some kind of huge boss monster. As you kill the waves of enemies, they randomly drop power-ups which work exactly like a good vertical shooter with each power-up incrementally increasing your offensive power.

As you upgrade your weapons, you eventually get to the point that you're just spewing lasers and bullets across the entire screen. There's also a shield power up that allows you to withstand one hit and as you kill enemies a gauge on the bottom of the screen slowly fills up allowing you to unleash a huge area effect attack that takes out tons of nearby baddies.

All this madness can be seen in the following trailer:

Arodius has had an overwhelmingly positive response in our forums and I've had a good time mowing down legions of enemies with my souped up weaponry. If you're a dual-stick shooter fanatic, this is one you won't want to miss.

App Store Link: Arodius, 99¢