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¢

It takes a lot to stand out amongst the crowded rhythm game section of the App Store (or any section of the App Store, really) but Big Blue Bubble's Thumpies [App Store] manages to easily set it self apart. Crazy graphics combine with an interesting gameplay mechanic where each level has you tapping out beats that layer on top of each other until you've eventually formed a fairly complex song.

The most immediately noticeable thing about Thumpies is the art style which seems to be this odd combination of Where the Wild Things Are, the Madballs toys from the 80's, and the Fire Gang from the movie Labyrinth. The entire game is dripping in whimsical charm between the sprawling tree that makes up the level select menu, butterflies fluttering around everywhere, and even the backgrounds of each level that pulse with the beat of the music.

After selecting one of the unlocked songs (of which there are 16 in total) and then choosing one of three difficulties, the Thumpies will then fall from the sky to bounce on top of tree stumps and mushrooms and you must tap the screen when and where they land. This is simple enough when there is only one spherical creature bopping around the screen, but as the songs increase in difficulty, even more pads for the Thumpies to land on are introduced along with additional Thumpies you will need to manage at once.

If you're like me and not particularly musically minded, juggling all these Thumpies in the air to the beat of the song (especially when Thumpies are landing on half-beats) can be deceptively difficult. On top of this, there are additional Thumpies that can be unlocked by collecting and saving up differently colored butterflies that will be floating around as you're tapping out your beat. As soon as they appear on screen you need to try to tap them because if one of the Thumpies flies by them they will munch the butterfly right out of the air.

Completing each section of the song requires you to fill the meter at the top of the screen. The meter increases when you successfully tap in time with the beat, and decreases when you miss a beat. When the meter is full, the Thumpies cheer, the portion of the song you just completed where you were tapping out the bass beat merges with the rest background music, and you begin the next section of the song which might have you tapping out some crazy vocals to add. When a song is complete, you're scored on your accuracy, and the next song (or songs) leading up the branches of the level select tree is unlocked.

Thumpies is an amazingly creative game, and thanks to the multiple difficulty levels should be approachable enough for kids and challenging enough for adults. The thread in our forums is filled with people who are leaving absolutely glowing reviews of the game, and I find myself in agreement with all of them. If you enjoy rhythm games at all, you really need to give Thumpies a spin.

App Store Link: Thumpies, 99¢

Last week was absolutely loaded with sneak previews of games, and thanks to the wonderfully fast App Store approval turnaround time so far this year, B-Boy Beats, Robot Rampage, and Drift Sumi-e are all available for download.

B-Boy Beats, $2.99

From our preview:

The gameplay of B-Boy Beats amounts to keeping your index and middle fingers on the screen of your iPhone and moving them in time with the red and green circles to dance to the songs. This actually seems to take quite a bit of getting used to, as instead of most rhythm games where you're just tapping things along with a beat, you often need to keep one finger down while you move the other one around. Doing well takes an awful lot of brain power as when the songs speed up you almost instinctively just try to go back to quickly tapping like you do in Tap Tap Revenge and other games.

Despite quite a few naysayers in both the comments of our preview article, YouTube comments, and the forum thread, this game is one of the better rhythm games I've played on the iPhone largely because of how different it feels playing it compared to the typical tap to the beat rhythm game. B-Boy Beats comes loaded with nerdcore and once you get in to the gameplay, dancing with your fingers is a lot of fun. (And even more fun if you draw some Nike Dunks on your finger tips.) This is a game that badly needs a lite version, as you really need to get a feel for the game to fully appreciate it.

From our preview:

Robot Rampage is a seemingly endless survival game where you play as a gigantic robot armed with a super laser. Your massive robot is controlled with a variety of touch gestures. Tapping on the side of the screen causes the robot to move in that direction, holding a finger down on the screen fires the laster in that direction. The robot can also punch and stomp by tapping on either side of the robot's torso to punch, and tapping its legs to stomp. As you destroy your surroundings, a gauge in the top left corner fills up. Once full, you can tap and hold the robot to charge up a massive attack that clears the screen.

If you like giant robots, cheesy Sci-Fi B-movies, and destroying cities with huge lasers and robot fists of fury, it's safe to say you'll enjoy this quirky survival game. Gameplay is a little on the simple side, as all you do is rampage through a seemingly endless and random cityscape destroying buildings, soldiers, tanks, and other meager human defenses. OpenFeint integration should provide quite a bit of replay value if you enjoy competing in online leaderboards.

From our preview:

The game involves drawing a single stroke along the racetrack as the path for your car. You must try to hit and connect all the red clipping zones and try to make it through the course as fast as possible. After you draw your single stroke, you sit back and watch the playback in 3D as your car drifts around the corners. Multiple camera angles are provided along with drifting smoke effects. Your ultimate score is based on the smoothness of the line and speed of your run.

Drift Sumi-e is an interesting blend of gameplay reminiscent of Draw Race with a really cool looking sumi-e art style. Gameplay is simple, although it seems to take a back seat to the extremely elegant graphics as most of the game is spent watching your car drift around corners and taking snapshots with the unlockable in-game camera.

Well, readers, that special day is upon us. It's Valentine's Day. And what better way to share our love with our readers — who are certainly glued to the website, the App Store, and their iPhones, rather than out weaving a web of romance with someone special — than to underscore a few Valentine-savvy iPhone games?

Makeout Mania! from StormHatch ($0.99)

Makeout Mania! is a "chain-reaction puzzler" that puts you in the role of that love-spreading cherub, Cupid, on a mission to pierce the heart of a school full of unsuspecting students with your arrows of love, sending them on a frenzied bid to kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

The title offers 24 levels of gameplay in Puzzle Mode, where the mission is to pierce a heart and make the perfect match (consult the yearbook to see who's nuts about who) while avoiding the teachers at all cost. There's also Mania Mode where it's a race against the clock to trigger the most kisses possible in an ever-scrolling schoolhouse, with the option to compete against your Facebook and Plus+ friends.

Free, new levels are on the way and an update has been submitted that tweaks a few areas of gameplay.

App Store Link: Makeout Mania! ($0.99)

Flower Garden from SnappyTouch ($0.99)

A big part of Valentine's Day, for those of us that don't spend all our time playing iPhone games, is flowers. And, thanks to Noel Llopis of SnappyTouch, you can have your own lovely flower garden right inside your iPhone.

As we said in our initial review of the app, Flower Garden is not really a game. It does, however, fall into the same sim / virtual pet type experience that has boosted apps such as Koi Pond, Pocket God and Touch Pets Dogs to the heights of popularity in the App Store.

There's no real goal to Flower Garden. It's something of a zen-like experience, really. Grow flowers. Unlock new seeds. Clip flowers to make bouquets. And it's the last that really puts this game under the Valentine's Day crosshairs; you can make a lovely bouquet and email it to someone special. Basically, it turns your iPhone into a digital Cupid, with email for arrows. And, to make things even sweeter, the game is currently under a 60%-off weekend-only Valentine's Day sale at $0.99.

App Store Link: Flower Garden ($0.99, sale)

Whac-a-Mole: Whacky Valentines from Mattel (Free)

Everybody's played a whack-a-mole game, in one form or another. It's a pretty simple formula: the mole pops up out of its hole and you whack it.  And, who doesn't like to bludgeon moles? Especially when the damned things are trying to ruin Valentine's Day!

Whac-a-Mole: Whacky Valentines is basically a Valentine-themed version of the iPhone original [App Store] which is, as such games go, a pretty solid take on the whack-a-mole formula. Amusingly, the digital backboard of the game provides the occasional (though highly simplistic) mini-game — a nice touch.

I'd go into further description of the title but…it's free, so just download it and start whacking.

App Store Link: Whac-a-Mole: Whacky Valentines (Free)

Touch Pets Dogs Valentine's Goodies Pack from ngmoco ($2.99 DLC)

Virtual pet buffs need not be left out in the cold on this day of love and merriment. Ngmoco is currently offering a Valentine's Goodies Pack as paid in-game DLC ($2.99) in Touch Pets Dogs for those that want to lavish their v-pooch with as much love as can be.

App Store Link: Touch Pets Dogs (Free)

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.

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¢

Just a quick update here on one of my favorite iPhone developers, Peter Hirschberg, author of the retro-inspired Vector Tanks and Adventure [App Store], and owner of the Luna City Arcade which is, without a doubt, the most amazing arcade ever assembled (if his office isn't cool enough for you).

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 betokens the near-term arrival of a rather revamped take on the original, to be known as Vector Tanks Extreme. Peter is splitting the game into two versions to provide, as he 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 (Classic Version) appeared in the App Store in mid-January, with a version 1.3.2 update that appeared last week.  The updated classic version delivers the following changes to the original Chillingo release, as Peter details:

• New enemy tank added! The H6 "Heavy Sixer". Capable of driving directly over obstacles and having a fully turret-mounted cannon, this is a much more deadly foe than the regular tanks!
• Big fixes in responsiveness of the controls!
• Removed in-game music
• Now publishing the game directly through my own game company, BlipTime Studios ™
• Price reduction to $.99 (was $2.99)
• Rebranded as Vector Tanks Classic

Unfortunately for owners of the original, published by Chillingo, the updated BlipTime Studios' classic version cannot be downloaded as a free update. As Peter explains,

…I apologize that there isn't a way to upgrade. I worked with Apple to try and establish and upgrade path for my current customers but the final answer from Apple was that once you change the account under which an app is published, it will always appear as a "new" app and upgrading is NOT possible. I sincerely apologize. I did try and I know it sort of stinks. My hope is that the reduced price will serve as a good-faith gesture to my current customers who wish to pick up this updated version of Vector Tanks.

…though Peter hints that, in celebration of the release of Vector Tanks Extreme (which is expected sometime this month), iPhone gamers might just get an opportunity to grab the classic version at a price that's a bit less than $0.99 for a week or so, to even the score on the Chillingo situation…

I've been playing a few early betas of Vector Tanks Extreme for some time now and, I must say, Peter's use of the term "bloodbath" to describe the gameplay of the new title is an apt one. This one demands some real dual-track savvy.

Peter indicates that both Vector Tanks (Classic Version) and Vector Tanks Extreme will run natively on the iPad when it makes its 1024×768-pixel debut. He's already got Extreme running in the Xcode iPad simulator and promises it looks "glowy gorgeous."

We plan to take a close look at Vector Tanks Extreme when it goes live in the App Store and share details of the formation of BlipTime Studios through an interview with Peter that will accompany the review. Stay tuned.

App Store Link: Vector Tanks (Classic Version), $0.99

When I think of Mechs, I don't think of the MechWarrior of old as I used to. Instead, a more immediate memory comes to mind– that very awesome scene from Matrix: Revolutions where the Zion Mech platoon were (albeit briefly) holding off the entire squid machine onslaught. Maybe it's the John Woo fanatic in me, but I've always wanted to play an ambidextrous Mech; both weapons firing all over the place at a horde of surrounding enemies. It seems Brisk Mobile had similar thoughts, as 2360: Battle for Cydonia [App Store] captures that dual-wielding mechanical mayhem brilliantly.

2360: Battle for Cydonia differentiates itself from similar games with its great use of the iPhone's multitouch feature– allowing you to navigate the battlefield and shoot both weapons at foes from different directions all at the same time. It can sometimes be an exercise in dexterity, but there's something too damn cool about holding off forces from two flanks with a range of machine guns, shotguns, rockets and eventually even high powered lasers. It's effortless to orchestrate your one-man-war too; you direct your Mech by dragging your finger around and fire your weapons by tapping on enemies, your Mech swivelling its two arms where needed to direct its barrage.

As the story goes in 2360: Battle for Cydonia, you are part of a rebellion fighting to claim their fair share of the Mars colonization. The story isn't anything revelatory, but it's definitely appreciated as a means of tying together the various missions and give them a sense of purpose– something that we were critical of in our recent review of a similar title, Heavy Mach 2. There are 21 missions on offer, some of which are quite lengthy and challenging, even on the normal difficulty level. Missions aren't just your run-of-the-mill collect this object, destroy this target– though there is a fair bit of that, 2360: Battle for Cydonia also throws escort and base-defence into the mix, as well as a few others to keep things interesting. In order to keep up with the enemy's firepower, you'll have to invest in a sizeable range of upgrades for your Mech; from the traditional armour, speed and weapon upgrades, to more interesting upgrades such as one that improves your mech's swivel action, or the various auto-weapons on offer that can target tank shells.

It's fortunate that 2360: Battle for Cydonia looks and sounds great too. All the artwork is crisp and detailed, though for the first half of the game you will be encountering a number of similar-looking spider and tank enemies. Thankfully, the latter half really showcases Brisk Mobile's artistic efforts though, with a number of terrific-looking flying and Mech enemies thrown at you too to turn up the heat. The weapon effects are very satisfying, each distinguishable on your mech itself, and each very capable of leaving a trail of impressive explosions. There's really only one area where 2360: Battle for Cydonia seems to drop the ball, and that's in the environment art; the same grey floor texture seemingly repeated each level, and only improved upon in the latter missions. It's no big deal though, and it can help to identify your foes quicker. Aurally, 2360: Battle for Cydonia delivers a lot of punch for each weapon, and has a good selection of energetic music to keep you engaged.

If you're a fan of Mech or tank combat, then 2360: Battle for Cydonia should really be a no-brainer. There's a couple of hours worth of content to get through, and it's not for the faint of heart either. 2360: Battle for Cydonia does a great job in keeping its Mech combat fresh, be it through a huge range of interesting weapons and items to unlock, or its engaging mission objectives, and will undoubtedly be a staple on our devices for a while to come.

Be sure to check out the trailer above and our 2360: Battle for Cydonia discussion thread where impressions from our readers have been overwhelmingly positive and the developer has already indicated at an upcoming survival mode.

App Store Link: 2360: Battle for Cydonia, $0.99 (75% off Launch Sale Price).

Freeverse's Parachute Ninja [App Store] has been getting some much deserved positive first impressions in our forums since its release last night.

Parachute Ninja's story isn't exactly the standout part of this game; some dude set your hut on fire so this weird little yellow guy with wicked eyebrows tells you that you need to put on some funny clothes and bounce around a 2D platforming-based world until a game over screen pops up. Something like that.

The core of Parachute Ninja's gameplay is based around launching a tiny, round ninja from little floating slingshots all around an area and using his parachute to float around the environment. Slinging the ninja from the vines that form the game's slingshot/platforms works much like the slingshot mechanic from Bird Strike. Once in the air, touching anywhere on the screen will cause the ninja to whip out his tiny parachute, which will slow his fall and allow the player to control the direction of his descent by tilting the device.

There are two modes in Parachute Ninja: Story mode and Survival mode. Story mode tests your little ninja with 30 levels in each of which the goal is to reach the exit while collecting as many fireflies (generic floating shiny things) as possible to get a high score. There is no time limit or penalty for taking a long time in these levels, and there is no way to "lose", as a fall into the always-rising (and yet completely unexplained) watery abyss will simply restart your character at the last checkpoint you touched and deduct a few points from your score. Levels are ranked using what is essentially a three-star system, with the highest award going to those who were able to rack up a huge score by collecting numerous fireflies within a short time period, creating a combo. High score chasers out there will be happy to hear that Plus+ has been integrated into the game, making scores and achievements fully featured and online.

The second playable mode in Parachute Ninja, Survival mode, plays quite similarly to Doodle Jump. In this mode the goal is to get as high as possible while constantly being chased by a deadly wave of rising water. While the starting area of this mode is always the same, players who get higher up will start to discover that the obstacles and various items are all randomly generated, making Survival mode a part of the game that many people will find themselves returning to long after beating the Story mode.

There's a decent amount of variety to Parachute Ninja's platforming mechanics due to the different types of platforms like trampolines, slingshots, fans, etc. The introduction of these new mechanics are spread out pretty evenly throughout the Story mode, so the game stays fresh for the whole ride.

The one gameplay element that I had some trouble with was the tilt-controlled movement of the parachute which auto-calibrates to the iPhone's position when you tap on the screen. If you're not paying close attention, this can result in some wild overcompensation due to the sensitive controls. In the end, I found using the parachute in quick short bursts worked much better.

After only a few minutes of playing Parachute Ninja, I knew I'd be writing a very positive review. The art style is cute, the gameplay is fun and well-suited to the iPhone, and the two modes are neatly packaged and make the game easy to look at and play. Parachute Ninja is an easy purchase.

App Store Link: Parachute Ninja, $.99

It's hard for me to resist a game with a ridiculous premise, and it's difficult to get more silly than this. In Ghosts'n Zombies [App Store] you play as a bushy-eyebrowed, cigar-smoking, shotgun-toting monk who apparently was dispatched from the Vatican to investigate a mysterious haunted chapel. Upon your arrival, you discover the church is absolutely loaded with rats, ghosts, zombies, and other demons. So, as an agent of the Vatican, what do you decide to do? Shoot everything that crosses your path of course.

The movement of your monk is controlled by tilting your iPhone, and shooting is just a matter of tapping the screen. Alternatively, you can drag your finger around to precisely aim your shots, which are then fired upon releasing your finger. Aiming your shots quickly becomes a vital component of the game, as apparently the Vatican sent you out on your mission woefully low on ammo. Killing multiple baddies in one shot causes them to rain loot for you to pick up which restores your ammo and slowly builds a meter in the top left corner of the screen that you can tap to briefly upgrade your weapon to a rifle, mini gun, and even a rocket launcher of sorts among others.

The more enemies you can kill at once, the more loot and points you get, but at the same time there is a delicate balance between holding off to be able to shoot multiple enemies while still allowing yourself a clearing to run to without getting hit. As you progress through the game, different environmental obstacles and enemies are introduced, with spice up gameplay even further. Ghosts'n Zombies includes OpenFeint, providing leaderboards for each level along with a bundle of achievements to earn.

One thing that's strange about Ghosts'n Zombies is that the paid version game comes bundled with Ad Mob ads on the menu screen. According to the developer, these ads are only going to be in place until the introductory sale is over, but they seem like a very odd thing to include regardless– Especially with how much people dislike advertising in anything they're paying for. Never the less, Ghosts'n Zombies is a fun shooter with a silly premise, and worth picking up if you can ignore the ads rotating on the main menu.

App Store Link: Ghosts'n Zombies, 99¢

If you would have asked me a few days ago what the best Missile Command game was on the App Store, I would have responded Earth vs Moon without hesitation. That is, before I downloaded Pangea Software's Warheads [App Store], a game that takes the standard Missile Command formula, and then smears a layer of explosions, particle effects, and other eye candy creating a totally over the top experience.

Radio chatter calls out which sector the current barrage of incoming missiles is coming from, the camera shifts to that direction, and you tap the screen to fire your own missiles. The gameplay isn't anything we haven't seen before, but the sound effects coupled with the camera shaking around and the constant change of direction really creates a surprisingly frantic atmosphere, especially when you advance in attack waves and difficulty.

Four different power-ups can be shot down which give you bonus ammo, bonus points, make the explosion radius of your missiles larger, or clear the whole screen. To see how this all ties together, check out the following gameplay video:

The truly unfortunate thing about Warheads is the lack of any kind of online scoring. This is a game that is practically begging for some kind of online leaderboard and achievement system. In its current state, there isn't much replay value to be found short of just beating your own scores locally. Regardless, I'm sure there are some Missile Command fans out there who will appreciate what Pangea has done with the classic 30 year old gameplay.

App Store Link: Warheads, 99¢