Resolution Interactive’s futuristic flying checkpoint racer Clusterball Arcade [App Store] has been reduced to $6.99 (down from $9.99) in the iTunes App Store for a “limited time.”

Clusterball Arcade is an extension of an existing PC game called Clusterball which appears to be a multi-player sport. The iPhone version, however, is a one-man game against the clock and the scoreboard.

You are the pilot of a ship which you must glide over ramps, collect balls and score goals while attempting to complete the course within the allotted time. Despite the sports theme, the iPhone version of the game is more of a checkpoint racer with various obstacles and bonuses available along the way.

We reviewed the game a few weeks back and noted some serious memory usage issues. The developer has since worked to address these in the current 1.0.1 release.

Let me just come out and first say: I really like this game.

Independent developer Bas Tossings has released a charming new iPhone game called Loopy Laboratory [$6.99, App Store]. While it’s not entirely perfect, after playing too many half-finished games and glorified tech demos, it was refreshing to finally see a game with some depth and character. One iTunes reviewer has described this as a remake of Chip’s Challenge/Tile World which it does seem to resemble though the developer says he was inspired by a number of older puzzle games which came together for this project.

The game is set in the laboratory of the evil Dr. Heissenbad. You play the character of Lara. Your job is to escape the laboratory by collecting batteries to turn off electrical fences — at least that’s what the developer description said. But there’s actually a lot of variety in the level obstacles and battery collection is only one small component. There are 50 levels of play in all with a gradually increasing difficulty.

The game gives you some very basic instructions to start and expects you to figure out the rest, which I found out worked quite well. You control the character of Lara with directional swipe controls which are effective. Single swipe moves a single space. Swipe and hold provides continuous movement. The game provides an isometric view of the room in which you move around. Two-finger tapping the screen switches you to a panning mode in which you can scroll to see the rest of the level.

In the first level, you just collect the few batteries in the room and proceed to the exit. Over the course of the next 10 or so levels, you get introduced to the other possible obstacles, which include spiders, worms, water pits, movable boxes, ice, conveyor belts, lasers (!) and more.

The game difficulty ramps up quite slowly, however, so I didn’t really feel challenged until around the 25th level, though things did progress from there. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of new obstacles that were introduced along the way. Later levels are definitely more challenging and take more time to solve, but you have to get through a lot of easy levels first.

The issue with any level-based puzzle game is that once you complete all the levels, there isn’t much incentive to play again. I don’t mean to diminish what has already been accomplished in this game, but certainly allowing user created levels or regular expansion packs would give this title an incredible lifespan and (I suspect) a massive following. The developer hasn’t ruled out either possibility, but this obviously depends on the reception of his creation.

As the title stands, however, I do think this is a surprisingly good game and recommend it. Long time gamers in particular will find its structure and gameplay to be a familiar and enjoyable experience.

The gameplay video shows a few of the early levels (3, 6, 7) and a later level (31). Note that the conveyor belt does not video tape well (grey moving walkway).

Based on our reader responses to StarSmasher and SolarBlaster, it seems clear there’s an untapped iPhone market for 3D first person space shooters.

Tonight, Wretched Games released their take on the 3D Shooter with Venger [App Store]. The developer describes their game:

An exciting action packed 3D shooter, spread across 20 frenzied levels. Use the accelerometer to steer your spaceship through trenches, tunnels and asteroid fields. Use the touch pad to blast UFOs and turrets with your lasers, or turbo boost through timed traps. Each level ends in an epic boss battle where you must take out the boss space station defenses while blasting its defense UFOs.

As said, the game is comprised of 20 different levels in which you fly a ship to destroy the enemy UFOs, surface to air turrets and avoid obstacles. At the end of each level, there is a “boss” fight against a space station.

The game vaguely reminds me of a 3D version of Zaxxon, in the way the levels, enemies and force fields are depicted. But, to be honest, I don’t remember enough of the original Zaxxon to know if the similarities extend beyond that.

The ship is piloted with the iPhone’s accelerometer and uses a somewhat loose but comfortable control system. The iPhone’s position can be calibrated so that you can play in any position. Shooting is accomplished by tapping on either side of the screen which activate your lasers. You can play on “normal” difficulty and there is also a locked “insane” difficulty which is presumably available after you complete the 20 levels.

Unfortunately the game comes with no in-game documentation so you are left guessing as to some of the gameplay and enemies. A speed boost button is found at the bottom of the screen which can help you accelerate your way between blinking force fields.

While the mechanics of the game are fun, the levels and especially the boss fights quickly become repetitive. Boss fights appear to simply be harder variants of the same two space stations, though, admittedly I have not yet made it through level 20. For fans of the 3D Space Shooter genre, this is likely the best version out there, but it does come at what is now considered a premium price ($6.99).

This gameplay video shows the entirety of level one (including boss fight) and part of level 2:

Mobile developer FinBlade, who brought us Tennis Slam, has released Ernie Els Golf 2008 [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch.

In this title, international golf star Ernie Els guides the player through various competitions, offering bits of advice to help shape the player’s game along the way.

The standout feature of the game is its swing control system, which is the most interactive of any iPhone golf title currently avaialble.  As can be seen in the accompanying screenshot, the player is presented with an onscreen swing box that challenges the user to accurately connect with the ball by way of a fairly complex swing sequence.  It works as follows: the player takes control of the club head with a touch, dragging downward to perform the backswing–but don’t drag too far or accuracy will suffer.  Once a sufficient backswing is reached, the player must slide a the finger upwards in as straight a line as possible in order to contact the ball.  Veering left or right will draw or fade the swing.  It takes some skill to get right, which is really more than can be said about the other golf games in the App Store.

The courses are rendered in 3D with 2D distant backdrops and obstacles (trees, bushes, etc).  At first this raised a flag–not being a “full 3D game”–but after playing for a while, one realizes that there’s no real need for 3D trees and 3D mountains on the horizon.  The 2D graphical components are well drawn and don’t detract from the gaming experience in the least.  Overall it’s an attractive game that feels more complete than some of the other golf titles in the App Store.

For every shot, a club suggestion is offered, but the player can choose to any club in his bag.  What’s more, the type of swing can be selected by a button in the middle of the angle / club selection rose.  Most computer golf games don’t offer this level of control and, at first glance, it may seem daunting to those not versed on real-world golf.  But after a quick explanation in the game’s tutorial section, I found myself utilizing the swing-type selection often and to advantageous effect.  It’s a nice feature.

Another aspect of Ernie Els that adds a degree of player immersion is the weather system.  There’s rain–visible raindrops.  Also wind that can be felt by way of audio feedback and the billowing of an onscreen flag.  I’ve not seen a golf title that so boldly embraced inclement weather.  What can I say, it’s fun to golf in the rain (…on the iPhone).

Ernie Els Golf 2008 is the most enjoyable golf title currently available in the iTunes App Store.  The $6.99 download [App Store] is sure to be enjoyed by anyone who craves a little pick-up green time while on the go.  Though, if your wallet just has room for one iPhone golf game, be aware that EA’s lavish Tiger Woods ‘09 [console video] will arrive in the App Store soon.