Here are a number recent game releases that we had previewed in the past. All seem to be solid titles, though none we felt compelling enough to highlight on their own.
Skee-Ball ($0.99) – The officially licensed version of Skee-Ball from Freeverse and Graveck. This game will feel familiar to owners of 10 Balls 7 Cups as it was created by the same developers, but with some notable improvements. There are some additional control options as well as the use of the accelerometer to add spin to the ball. The biggest upgrade, however, seems to be the integration of actual pictures of prizes that you can keep and integration with Plus+ for achievements and leaderboards.
As good a version of pure Skee-ball as can be found on the iPhone, but it's still just endless Skee-ball.
Against the Fire ($0.99) – Meridian's followup title to the well received dual-stick zombie shooter Alive 4 Ever. Against the Fire shares the same excellent dual-stick controls that control your player through the flaming levels. The goal is to save all the people on each of the 50 included levels. Unlike Alive 4 Ever, the game is more of an arcade game without any of the RPG elements we loved so much in their last title. Gameplay is also a bit simpler with a few power-ups on each level that are only active for a short period of time. The level designs are much more intricate with rooms and hallways that must be navigated to find the trapped people who you must lead to safety.
Overall a very well executed title, but we preferred the gameplay of Alive 4 Ever for the reasons listed above.
Moonlight Minions ($1.99) – Yet another entry into the tower defense section of the App Store which seems to be getting more and more crowded on a daily basis. All of the standard tower defense elements are in place such as six different towers that cover all the standard attack types (direct damage, splash damage, slowing, etc.) and each have a three tier upgrade system. Moonlight Minions also features Sentinel 2-style special powers such as Earthquakes or Lightning that are unlocked as you clear levels in the game. Each level can be played in classic or endless mode across three levels of difficulty.
The main thing that makes Moonlight Minions stand out from the pack is the whimsical fantasy art style. While it's a solid take on Tower Defense that may be worth adding to your TD arsenal, it's hard to say that it's better than many of the iPhone TD staples.
Tentatively titled Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion, the game will feature a variety of fighter aircraft, some of which will be available as downloadable content in the future.
Skies of Incursion is a direct sequel to PSP's Ace Combat X Skies of Deception. The game's story follows the same battle as that title, but focuses on Falcon Squadron, a separate unit in the Aurelian Airforce.
Namco Bandai will be making use of the iPhone's accelerometer and touch screen to give the game a unique interface. It will be possible to pilot your plane by tilting your phone. Additionally, the game balance and play time are being adjusted to better suit mobile players.
The Famitsu website has posted a large collection of preliminary screenshots, some of which can be seen below.
The Ace Combat francise has been around since 1995 with versions of the game appearing on the Playstation, Playstation 2, Xbox 360, and PSP. No price or release date for the iPhone version has been indicated. Stay tuned for updates on this release as we get them.
Here are a couple of recently released games that might appeal to a specific audience niche:
RC Heli
RC Helicoptor fans may want to consider RC Heli which just came out yesterday. Multi-touch controls to control your helicopter around a house. The game offers free fly mode, race mode, and 3 camera views. Early reactions in our forums.
Described to be the strongest chess program on Palm and Pocket PC devices, it's also said to be the only handheld chess program in the world which has won Grandmaster tournaments. Serious chess gamers looking for a challenge will certainly want to consider this option.
The game is also said to be suitable for beginners as well, and includes adjustable playing levels, hints, and more.
In our discussion thread there is some debate about the strongest chess application for the iPhone, and it seems the free Glaurung Chess [Free] is a solid option as well. One blogger is going through the trouble of pitting iPhone chess programs against each other. His first round between HIARCS vs Glaurung, gave HIARCS the advantage.
Gameloft's highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto -esque free-roaming sandbox game Gangstar: West Coast Hustle [App Store] hit the streets today with a bang. The thread in our forums exploded, and after spending a hefty amount of time with the game since its release, I'm happy to report that I'm in agreement with the feeling of our forum members in that overall the game is extremely solid despite a few weak areas.
Originally a J2ME game, Gameloft has given Gangstar a complete face lift. The SNES-looking graphics of the original have been completely replaced with a full 3D city complete with cars, pedestrians, and plenty of opportunities for crime. The game opens with a fast paced full motion video cut scene of a bank robbery with getaway chase, and after starting a new game the story of Juanito and P. Thug continues as you stash your SUV used in the robbery and look for some help from a nearby friendly gangster, L.C. He naturally has a job for you, it turns out his boy Lil' T got in to some trouble down at the beach and needs your help.
The rest of the game continues like this, very similar to Grand Theft Auto games. You take missions, complete them, and eventually meet new contacts who will also give you missions. The story is basic at best and downright silly at times. They really lay the whole Mexican gangster stereotype on pretty thick with everything from character names that border on ridiculous to the dialog where "S" is freely interchanged with "Z". The good thing is though, most missions are very quick and really lend themselves to a great portable gaming experience where you might only play for a few minutes at a time.
Along the way you'll run in to various side missions such as street races, and a variety of different cars can be stolen that each have their associated mini games. For instance, stealing either a burger delivery car, ambulance or a taxi gives you a sub-set of challenges that all have to do with driving around as fast as possible delivering food, saving patients, or picking up customers.
While outside of a car, your movement is controlled with a joystick on the left and a button on the right that handles attacking. Tapping the screen locks on to a target, so you never need to aim. When you're near a car, another button pops up that allows you to steal it. There are three options for steering. By default, cars are controlled by tilting the iPhone. Other options include a steering wheel that works similar to Gameloft's Asphalt 4: Elite Racing and a virtual joystick-like slider that is my personal favorite. Accelerating and braking can either be done using an on-screen brake and gas pedal or yet another virtual joystick-like slider. The direction the camera is facing can be changed at any time by swiping in any direction on the screen.
Overall the controls work well, but similar to most games with virtual controls, they don't feel very precise. Thankfully, driving around is fairly forgiving as there is no collision detection in the game between your car and most small objects like street signs, trees, and stop lights. This strange collision detection does create some issues though as there are some odd irregularities in that you can just be cruising down the sidewalk sailing right through trees when you run in to a planter that brings your car to a dead stop.
These inconsistencies can be rather annoying when running in to an immovable potted shrubbery ultimately leads to your apprehension in a fast-paced police chase, but other than that tooling aound the city is enjoyable. There are even ramps scattered around to get huge air off of like most Grand Theft Auto games.
A mini map guides you to different objectives as well as serving as a button to pause the game. On the pause screen, you can see and start available missions as well as purchase weapons and ammo. Some weaponry, however, is only available from a local gun shop. These gun shops are also shown on your map along with areas that you can get your car repaired if it's too banged up.
One of my major disappointments with the game is how poorly the police response scales up with your wanted level. One of the first things I did after completing a few missions outside of the tutorial was see how much trouble I could stir up by just murdering everyone walking down the street. I was able to stand around, basically farming the constantly spawning police officers for money, ammo, and when my health got low I was able to just pause the game and buy a health pack.
In comparison, most Grand Theft Auto-like games have police forces that significantly ramp up with each wanted level. In Grand Theft Auto, there was almost no way to survive in a five star wanted level against the onslaught of tanks and other insane police forces that come after you without some serious planning and an inventory full of weaponry. In Gangstar, the police simply drive up, stop their car in front of you, get out, and allow you to shoot them to death while maybe firing a few return shots.
The graphics in Gangstar are great, and performance across the board seems to be decent on all devices although obviously better on the iPhone 3GS. Some forum members have been experiencing crashes or inconsistent performance, but by and large most people seem to find the game completely playable, even on the first generation iPod Touch. The draw distance of the game does seem obviously low at times, and it would be nice to be able to increase it on the 3GS, but other than that the game runs great. Unsurprisingly, load times can be fairly significant even on the 3GS and it would be nice to be able to disable the intro movie instead of skipping through it with every launch of the game. (But the same thing can be said for most Gameloft games.)
The in-game music stations are fantastic, and even feature fake advertisements and DJ's like the radio stations in Grand Theft Auto. The different stations add a lot of atmosphere to the game, and I find myself preferring 42.0 FM, "Legalize-It" that features instrumental gangster rap style music. There is also a rock station, an electronic station, and even a few others. You can even select a playlist in the options to add another radio station that selects from your own music.
For the amount of content you're getting in Gangstar the current price of $6.99 is pretty crazy and even though the game has its flaws, I've still found myself really enjoying it. Included are a total of 50 missions across 6 chapters, all the side jobs, an entire city to explore, achievements to earn, and a mobile experience surprisingly similar to a slightly watered down Grand Theft Auto 3. If you enjoy these types of free-roaming crime sandbox games, you really need to get Gangstar.
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.
A little late to the all out price slashing fiesta we saw last week, EA has since dropped the prices on a few of their games this afternoon.
Need For Speed Undercover, $6.99 -> $4.99 – A mission-based racing game that had an insanely long development cycle that produced a game that was well worth waiting for. While Need For Speed Undercover runs great on previous-generation devices, it's on the short list of games you really should have if you want to stretch the graphical legs of your iPhone 3GS. At the higher framerate, the sensation of speed is even better. We enjoyed the game in our review, and along with Real Racing [App Store], Need For Speed is still one of the best full 3D racing games on the App Store.
Wolfenstein RPG, $4.99 -> $2.99 – Originally produced by Id Software, ported to the iPhone by Firemint, and published to the App Store by EA, Wolfenstein RPG is a high-resolution adaptation of a J2ME game. The game puts a silly spin on the Wolfenstein universe and provides slow-paced turn-based combat originally designed for the user input constraints of a typical cell phone. Firemint did a wonderful job on the port, and as I mentioned in our review, as long as you're not expecting a fast paced shooter, it's a good time.
The Sims 3, $9.99 -> $6.99 – The latest mobile iteration of the Sims dynasty of video games, The Sims 3 is a fun, albeit watered down version of the original. Build mode is lacking in the iPhone version, so you are really limited in how much you can customize your house. Regardless, as we said in our review, if your favorite things about Sims games was cultivating relationships with other Sims, the iPhone game is great. If you liked tweaking your house and building Sim torture chambers, the iPhone game doesn't have much to offer.
After a lot of disappointing efforts, I’ve finally found a good iPhone mini golf game with Glu Mobile's Mini Golf Wacky Worlds [$2.99], a fantasy golf game that delivers some creatively designed golf courses that are as fun as they are challenging.
The first thing that strikes you is the 3D visuals and the bright colors. Mini Golf Wacky Worlds seems to exude the idea of fun, which is essential to a game like this. The 3D animation tends to be smooth, although I did have an occasional lag here and there on my iPod Touch 2G 3.0.
The game offers 4 courses—Tiki Links, Sky Lands, Arctic Nine, and Cheese World—with Tiki Links being the only unlocked course to start. There are also three game modes: Tee Off!, Timed Golf and Gopher Golf, each has different rules and add a bit of variety that should keep you engaged for quite a while. Keep in mind, however, that only when a course is completed on or under par in Tee Off! mode will the remaining courses be unlocked for the other game modes.
The game also has an achievement system and a Pro Shop for buying items and even characters. The four characters that you choose to play as are extremely different from each other and need to be unlocked based on points accumulated.
Besides these characters, additional items can be purchased to customize characters. While clothes and accessories don’t do much to improve your game, the putters can ratchet up swing control and power. I would’ve preferred more items that actually improve the golf game, but then again we are talking about mini golf.
A 9-hole golf game can be played under Tee Off! mode where the objective is to complete each hole on par with extra points are earned for each hole completed under par. In Timed Golf, the objective is to beat the clock with no par for each hole. You can whack away as many times as many times as you want. You start off with 1 minute on the clock on the first hole with more time added based on how quickly the previous hole was completed. Finally, the objective in Gopher Golf is to play a 9-hole round while avoiding gophers that pop up and steal the ball. Points can also be earned for hitting a gopher hard enough with a ball.
The game's controls are intuitive and relatively easy to learn and use. A slider is provided along the right of the side of the screen that controls power, and a single-tap put button is located below that. To shift a golfer left or right, a simple drag of the finger in the appropriate direction will do the job. During the game, you can also angle the ball by dragging your finger with the help of an on-screen guide line showing the direction of your swing. Four different camera angles are also available by tapping the camera icon in the bottom left corner. The camera angles, however, are on the weak side as they only provide an overhead view and tend to just zoom out farther and farther which doesn't usually help.
The gameplay of Mini Golf Wacky Worlds is fun and entertaining. There is a 2-3 second load time in between holes which isn’t long but worth mentioning. At the beginning of each hole, an aerial walkthrough is provided to show the length of the course and the obstacles. As in real mini golf, the objective is not to hit the longest ball, but the smartest one based on the layout. Most will require angling the ball accordingly. There are plenty of slides, slopes, bridges, and even liquid hazards (e.g. lava, fire, water, ice) to keep you busy, and in all cases, you need to be wary of knocking the ball out of bounds.
Ball physics are realistic in terms of bounces and rolls, but of course, the game is intended to provide an arcade experience and not a simulation. What the game doesn’t offer or have is a game mode to play against the CPU or another human player which would add considerably to the replay value.
Mini Golf Wacky Worlds is one of the most fun mini golf games you’ll find on the platform. While a computer/2-player mode and additional Pro Shop items would be welcome, Mini Golf Wacky Worlds in this current release is an entertaining game that many should enjoy.
The game was just released this afternoon and features an impressive control scheme, intense character customization, and a whole slew of upgrades to buy for your boxer.
We've just had a short time with the game (on an iPhone 3GS), but here are some first impressions. Starting the game out, Touch KO treats players to a brief tutorial that explains the controls. Touching the left or right side of the screen punches with that arm, and different gestures like swiping towards the center lets loose a hook, and swiping upwards throws an uppercut. Holding your thumb on the screen blocks, and tilting the iPhone makes you dodge. The controls are responsive and feel extremely natural.
You can choose from a variety of different boxer models and different tattoo overlays for each of them. As you fight opponents, before each match you can choose what areas your character will train in to slowly increase your statistics. Winning matches earns money which can be used to buy different trunks, gloves, and boots, most of which have associated stat boosts that go along with them.
While fighting, when you land the last punch to knock your opponent down the game zooms in and shows a slow motion instant replay, also the boxers seem to use ragdoll physics when falling, so the pose boxers land in can sometimes be pretty hilarious. That said, the graphics are amazing, and it's pretty crazy to be playing a boxing game on my phone that look comparable to 3D boxing games on previous generation consoles.
Here is the Touch KO trailer, released about a month ago:
Something to be aware of is that Touch KO plays like a technical boxing game. Silly characters and special moves are nowhere to be found in Touch KO, so if you're looking for an arcade-style game closer to the new Wii Punch Out, you're going to need to keep waiting. On the other hand, it seems fans of boxing would likely feel right at home with Touch KO.
We have an active discussion taking place about the game on our forums with more first hand impressions. Some of the early players, however, are finding the early fights to be rather easy. We'll try to take a closer look after we've had more time with the game.
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Cowboy Rodeo's port of the classic Amiga pinball game Pinball Fantasies [$5.99] arrived in the App Store tonight. Early reader reactions are positive for the game. Cowboy Rodeo previously brought us Pinball Dreams to the iPhone.
Pinball Fantasies features four tables, each with one or more high scoring rounds that are started by achieving certain targets. Each table is vertically taller and generally more complex than those in Pinball Dreams. Level details as described by the game's Wikipedia entry:
Party Land – a table oriented around an amusement park, where the letters of either PARTY or CRAZY must be lit to start a high-scoring event. This is the easiest table due to several high scoring targets such as the Arcade and the Loop Ramp. This is the table included in the shareware release
Speed Devils – focused on car racing, and the player must overtake cars to take the lead. This is more difficult due to much fewer high-scoring targets
Billion Dollar Gameshow – a gameshow-style table where the player attempts to win prizes by achieving certain combinations of ramps. This is the most difficult, as if the player loses the ball before winning the jackpot the prizes are lost
Stones 'N Bones – based on a haunted house, where the player must go through different modes of play (by hitting targets spelling out "Stone" and "Bone"), with the later modes scoring more points. This is generally considered the highest-scoring table. It is similar in theme to Nightmare in Pinball Dreams.
Here in the weeks leading up to Monday's 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a number of lunar themed games have appeared in the App Store. Some are more interesting than others, but a couple stand out in particular.
Nimblebit's Moon Drop [App Store] is an amusing little cartoonish game that challenges you to guide wave after wave of colonists, descending from space in lander pods, to a designated landing pad on the lunar surface.This is done by tapping / holding areas of the screen near the colonists; the pods will steer away from where you're tapping. It's a bit like herding, really — and the more colonists in the wave, the more out of hand the task becomes. The closer you land to the center of the pad, the higher the score, but miss the pad and it's bye-bye colonist….
It's a good game kept interesting by the challenge that increases from wave to wave.
J-Squared Software's Lunar Module 3D [App Store] is a rather more realistic, less arcade-style lunar landing game than Moon Drop.Different from most games of the sort, it's a 3D affair that presents a fairly accurate rendering of the lunar surface thanks to a shape-from-shading process run on actual lunar photos. The game challenges you to use tilt controls to navigate between multiple landing and refueling platforms arrayed about the actual Apollo 11, 14, 16, and 17 landing sites, along with the Tycho crater site.
Accompanying the slow-paced, low-gravity action across the desolate moonscape is an ethereal, new age soundtrack that makes the game a rather relaxing, almost zen-like experience.
Lunar Module 3D is currently being offered at a 50% off, introductory price of $0.99.
Fans of the long-running aerial combat franchise Ace Combat will be pleased to learn that Namco Bandai is 
Nimblebit's Moon Drop [
J-Squared Software's Lunar Module 3D [
