Battle Blasters [App Store], the first release from developers Little Guy Games, is a one-on-one, top-down action shooter tuned for multiplayer. While plenty of good things can be said about the single player, the real potential for this game lies in the (local-only for now) multiplayer.

Combat in Battle Blasters is controlled using a variety of on-screen taps and swipes. The battlers can only move on a horizontal plane to dodge attacks; a simple touch on the bottom area of the screen will lead your fighter out of danger's way, and a swipe in the area above your character will cause him/her to attack. A fast swipe away from the selected fighter will send out a quick attack in the form of some sort of laser beam and a slow swipe will send out a slower, more powerful attack that has the power to stop enemy beams in mid-flight. Swiping down will cause your battler to reflect nearly any attack, a technique that will prove itself to be extremely useful for turning the tide on an overly aggresive opponent.

There are six different characters to choose from in Battle Blasters, and each one has a special ability (along with unique attributes in movement speed, attack power, and defensive categories) which can be activated in battle by simply tapping the character. Jerett, the initially unlocked character, has the ability to quickly fire destructive rockets, Maya can absorb enemy attacks to add to her total ammo capacity, and Animus can fire difficult-to-stop dual cannon shots, to name only a few.

The special powers force players to adapt their play style in significant ways depending on who they're facing. This is all done in a way that manages to avoid unbalancing the game or making some characters inherently better  than others. Some characters, especially Maya and End,  require a little extra patience to fully grasp, but I feel that they too could be highly effective in the hands of an experienced player.

I've always heard fans of fighting games talk about how the greatest reason for their love of the genre is the level of total connection with a character that players get once the game has been mastered. Avid Street Fighter players speak about a certain point after memorizing every character's moveset where everything becomes all one giant mindgame with an opponent. When two players have total control and knowledge of how to pull off any move in a fighting game, the game evolves into something much more complex than a simple button-masher that it may appear to be to the uninitiated.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of fighting games, but as I played and eventually conquered Battle Blasters, I began to finally understand what those fighting game fanatics were raving on about. Just as with fighting games, Battle Blasters contains a hidden level of strategic depth that, once discovered, really changes the nature of the game. Instead of simply blasting away with what seems like a good combination of strong and weak attacks, players will begin to be able to foresee potential combo opportunities and draw out weaknesses in an enemy's defenses by throwing off their game with unexpected and creative techniques, effectively using mind games on their opponents.

Battle Blasters does feature same-device simultaneous multiplayer, but that doesn't work so well due to the physical constraints of playing on a single 3.5" screen. So, where the game would shine would be the inclusion of online multi-player — a feature that is said to be planned for a future update.

In the meanwhile, it's still worth picking up now to enjoy the single player (because it's totally a blast), and hone those skills for the fateful day that online does arrive. Until then, I'll enjoy smack-talking our forum goers in the game's official thread without ever needing to back up my claims, and all competition will have to be limited to the included online leaderboards.

App Store Link: Battle Blasters, $2.99

If you're flying in a plane, bird strikes are bad. If you're looking for a ridiculous game for your iPhone, Bird Strike [App Store] is great. Colorful art, good animations, and a silly gameplay premise all combine to make a game that I really doubt few people will be able to play without at least cracking a little bit of a smile.

Bird Strike begins with a tiny blue bird precariously perched on a power line. You drag your finger down to turn the power line in to a makeshift sling shot to send your bird soaring towards the heavens. During your flight, destroying objects, collecting seeds, how clean your flight is, and how high you fly all factor in to your score. Your bird is controlled by tilting, and on your way up you can jump on rockets to give you an extra boost.

When you run out of momentum, your bird flutters for a second, and falls back down. At this point you can either collect additional seeds you missed flying up, break any balloons you run in to, or try to catch another rocket to fly higher. After the first few levels you will come across a football helmet that can be picked up that will allow you to break through one obstacle without losing momentum.

These obstacles include different types and sizes of balloons, Donkey Kong-style girders that are mysteriously floating in the air, various other types of birds, along with other things. Assuming you can make it all the way to the top of a level, a UFO hovering above you blasts you with an onboard ray gun, turning you in to some kind of green fireball– At which point the game tells you "break stuff".

On your way down, you blast through all the obstacles that caused you trouble as you flew up, and the more things you break the higher your score gets. This is extremely rewarding, especially when you absolutely decimate the series of girders that you kept hitting your head on while flying up.

All of these gameplay elements can be seen in the Bird Strike trailer:

Unfortunately, while the game itself is awesome, it does come with a few issues. First of all, there are no online leaderboards or achievements– Something the game practically is begging for considering all the achievements that could be worked in to the game such as collecting every rocket on a level, not destroying any obstacles, etc. The developer's other games have OpenFeint, and according to a post on our forums, they're thinking about adding it to Bird Strike.

Secondly, and far more annoying, is that the game doesn't seem to prevent your phone from initiating its automatic screen lock. Since it's a tilt controlled game, you rarely touch the screen aside from the level select process, and having to remember to move your thumb around every few seconds so the screen doesn't turn off is a major oversight. Thankfully, fixing this involves little more than two lines of code to disable the device's idle timer– PikPok is aware of the issue and it sounds like it will be quickly fixed in an update. In the meantime, you can disable auto-lock in your device settings, just be sure to remember to turn it back on.

If you're able to overlook its flaws, Bird Strike is a ton of fun.

App Store Link: Bird Strike, $1.99

Bruno Meilick's Zwirn [$1.99] seems to borrow a lot of the mood and tactile gameplay from Zen Bound [$1.99 / Free], replacing manipulating a 3D object to wrap it in string with actually controlling the string itself to meet the goals of the 25 included levels.

The four tutorial levels walk you through the basic premise behind the game: A length of string comes from one white dot, and must be extended to the other white dot while laying on top of the various black dots that spot the screen on each level. You don't have much control over the string itself aside from pulling it from the end across the screen, which is where the push pins come in.

Later levels come loaded with different amount of push pins which can be moved around by tapping to pick them up, then tapping again to place them. You then pull the string across the screen, bending it around the push pins, and hold it at the second white dot for a few seconds to progress through the game.

It doesn't take long for Zwirn to become quite difficult, but if you get stuck the solutions are available on the Zwirn web site. The developer also put together the following gameplay trailer, which is worth watching because the way the string responds to your touches is neat:

Where Zwirn left me scratching my head was when it comes to the complete lack of music in the game. So much of the atmosphere in Zen Bound came from the fantastic soundtrack which is completely absent in Zwirn. I've somewhat "solved" this problem by playing the Zen Bound soundtrack (which is freely available for download once you purchase Zen Bound) while playing Zwirn. The difference, oddly enough, is night and day.

Regardless, if you like odd puzzle games, Zwirn is worth a look. The gameplay mechanic of stretching the string works well, and the art style is cool– You just need to bring your own music.

App Store Link: Zwirn, $1.99

The App Store's low-grav racing space certainly is starting to get crowded, which is just fine by me. And it looks like the latest release to join the ranks, Speed Forge Extreme [App Store] from Rat Square / Chillingo, may just be the best of the lot.

It’s 2142, and the colonization of Mars is underway. Vast settlements have been created to house miners seeking the valuable raw materials of the Red Planet. Crime is rampant, time is abundant and the citizens are looking for some entertainment …

The mining gig on 22nd-century Mars must be a rather fruitful one, considering how much raw materials would be needed to construct a large-scale racing arena made up of 12 futuristic racing tracks. But then, the miners, just like iPhone gamers, need their entertainment. And Speed Forge Extreme delivers.

While Speed Forge largely follows the standard Wipeout-inspired racing formula, it does add in a bit of a twist. To start, most of the game's 12 tracks deliver the typical low-grav racer experience. Choose from among six different craft (unlocked along the way) in a race against five computer-controlled opponents in a bid to cross the finish line first. Along the way, you can pick up power-ups such as weapons to knock out opponents, shields, and repair kits and make use of speed-pads (while avoiding slow-pads) to help get the job done. In addition to these traditional tracks, Speed Forge includes various arena levels where you and your opponents are placed in a large enclosed space smattered with power-ups, in an effort to destroy the most opponents as fast as possible to come out on top. It's a nice variation on the formula that helps break up long race sessions. It's a nice mix.

The game features five different control configurations utilizing different combinations of accelerometer, D-pad, and slider controls, some featuring auto-acceleration. I was able to enjoy the game playing with each method, but favor the tilt-controls. It shouldn't be hard to find a configuration you're happy with. Invert-Y and vibration effects are toggles.

Speed Forge is quite impressive, visually. The interesting ship designs, track architecture, and dark Earth- Mars-tone palette lend a very nice atmosphere to the game. (The visuals and overall feel of the motion puts me in mind of UBI Soft's late '90s racer POD – Planet of Death.) But where the game's graphics really shine are on the iPhone 3GS and 3G iPod touch, where the developers were able to take advantage of OpenGL ES 2.0 to deliver a full-screen motion-blur effect that makes for some of the best looking polygons ever seen on an iPhone screen. Unfortunately, such eye candy doesn't come without a price; the framerate of the game running with motion-blur enabled on my iPhone 3GS feels lower than that of the game running (without motion-blur) on my 2G iPod touch. Happily, the developers allow users to disable the motion-blur effect as well as set its intensity on the latest devices — and Speed Forge running without the effect on my 3GS is as smooth as silk. All that said, the game still looks great on older devices — don't get me wrong. But, for the record, I prefer playing with motion-blur on despite the framerate impact — it's just too lovely to miss.

An optional 'Overbright' display toggle, available on devices old and new, delivers magnified lighting blooms that give the game a stronger HDR-lighting feel at little or no cost to the framerate.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

Having spent considerable time with the v1.1 release (a recent update), I can confidently call Speed Forge Extreme my current favorite futuristic racer in the App Store. The camera angle, the well done tracks, the visual effects, the excellent sense of speed — they all come together to deliver what really does feel like a "console" title on the iPhone. I do wish that the developers had opted to add-in online leaderboards and, perhaps even, multiplayer support to really take things to the next level but, lacking these, it's still a great single-player racing experience. I'd urge everyone to at least have a look at the free, lite version [App Store].

App Store link: Speed Forge Extreme, $2.99, Speed Forge Extreme Lite, Free

One glance at Little Metal Ball (by Debacle Software) will immediately elicit comparisons to to the ever-popular Labyrinth, but LMB sets itself apart from other games on the app store by applying its ball-rolling gameplay in a fun adventure/platformer setting. With 40 levels, controls that are tuned to perfection, and gameplay that encourages limitless high-score chasing, LMB is a great little game that demands attention.

The 40 levels included in LMB are spaced out evenly across 4 different areas (jungle, ice, fire, and "techno" themed). Progression is made by completing the first five levels in each area, which unlocks the next area. The difficulty ramps up at a pretty reasonable pace over the course of the game, but I recommend that most players play the last five levels in each area only after beating the first five in all of the areas, as these are generally much more challenging and will demand a total grasp of the game's controls in order to get a gold ranking.

In each level in LMB, the goal is to reach a little checkered sphere that marks a finishing line of sorts. To get there, players will have to navigate narrow platforms, hard-to-avoid-bumpers, and various inanimate obstacles that threaten to send the little metal ball into the abyss. In each level, there is a time limit, but this time limit is usually quite generous. Most levels can be completed in 2-5 minutes, although there are some more difficult levels later in the game that can require either a lot of skill or a little more time. The time limit is included not intended to make players fail; it's a way to encourage high-score chasing and improvement of best times.

A bit of needed variety spices up LMB through the use of several powerups, all of which are activated by jumping (which can be done by tapping on the screen for a short hop or holding and releasing for a larger jump) while on a purple powerup location. Powerups include a smaller ball (which allows passage through tiny gaps), a giant ball (to roll over otherwise dangerous holes), or the activation of nearby moving platforms. Those moving platforms play a large part in some of LMB's levels, forcing players to react swifly to avoid oncoming obstacles while avoiding falling off the edge and tumbling to a time-consuming doom.

Every moment of LMB's action requires a mental balancing of the risks vs. the benefits of pursuing nearby stars. On the first run through most levels I ignored stars, collecting them only if they were directly in my path. On second playthroughs I often got more risky with my star collecting, taking dangerous jumps to get to a blue star in hopes that the few extra seconds earned would pay off in a gold medal. Aside from the usual "race" levels, there is a fair share of bonus levels in LMB that ask players to collect all of the stars in a level as quickly as possible. These levels are generally less linear than their not as "bonusy" counterparts, and do a lot to help improve the game's pacing.

Unfortunately, there are no online leaderboards in LMB, but Debacle Software has confirmed in our forums that they (and tilt calibration, another omission from the first release) will be coming in an update. Another small complaint that users in our forums have expressed is the seemingly low-resolution of the artwork, which is otherwise fantastic.

While there are some key features that needed to be added via update to Little Metal Ball before it's a truly great game, I have no qualms about recommending it in its current state. LMB is good, simple fun, and is great for quick pick-up-and-play sessions. For those who like Labyrinth, Little Metal Ball is a great game with a similar feel, but expanded and unique adventure-style gameplay.

App Store Link: Little Metal Ball, $0.99

If you have fond memories of wasting entirely too much time playing Crazy Taxi on your Sega Dreamcast, Mad Processor's Parcel Panic – Post Car Racer 3D [App Store] is really worth checking out. In the game, you play as a delivery truck driver on Tapiti Island, a strange land where customers expect their packages to be delivered in a matter of seconds or minutes instead of the days (or weeks) we're used to in the real world.

Starting the game, you have 60 seconds to get to the first seemingly random package pick up location indicated by a green circle on the ground. Once there, the bed of your truck is filled with crates and you need to race the packages to their destination. Guiding you to where you need to go is both an arrow, a mini map, and a dotted line showing you one way you could take.

Once you get familiar with Tapiti Island, you'll quickly realize that simply following the dotted line is not the fastest way to get from place to place as there seem to be shortcuts and ramps everywhere. Getting massive amounts of air also adds a few seconds of time to the clock, and when you successfully deliver your cargo, you're also awarded bonus time. The game continues until the clock reaches zero.

Also included is a free play mode where you can explore Tapiti Island. Although you may not notice it while you're frantically ferrying packages from place to place, the island itself is home to all kinds of varied architecture and overall, in my opinion, seems much more interesting than the repetitive cityscapes that made up the Crazy Taxi world– Even though Tapiti Island is nowhere near as large.

The developer put together the following trailer for the game:

Really, the only thing I don't like about this game is the camera takes a bit of getting used to. Your truck is controlled by tilting, which is standard for games like this, but your viewpoint seems to always tilt to keep the truck level on the screen regardless of how much you're tilting your device. The driving physics themselves seem fairly realistic, so your truck doesn't turn instantly, but the way the screen will tilt all the way to the side makes it feel like it should be.

It's only disorienting the first few times you play the game, but since people have mentioned not liking games with cameras that tilt with the device it's worth mentioning that Parcel Panic is one of the more extreme examples of this. Even though it has a weird camera, Parcel Panic is by far the closest thing to Crazy Taxi on the App Store, and completely worth a look for that reason alone.

If the Crazy Taxi comparison is lost on you, Parcel Panic is a fun and fast paced driving game with tons of jumps, unlockables, great graphics with effects that scale depending what device you're using that I've really enjoyed since loading it on my iPhone.

App Store Link: Parcel Panic – Post Car Racer 3D, $2.99

It takes quite a bit to stand out from the pack of marble rolling games for the iPhone, but with an interesting atmosphere and art style along with challenging timed puzzle elements, Marbles Multiball 3D – The Castle Adventure [App Store] is different enough that it's worth a look.

Much like many other marble rolling games, Marbles Multiball 3D is controlled using the accelerometer and if you've played one before you'll instantly be familiar with how the game works. While many of these games have 2.5D graphical effects that coincide with how you're tilting your phone, Marbles Multiball 3D has a more dramatic effect than most because of how deep most of the levels appear. (Instead of say, Labyrinth 2 where the levels only appear to be as tall as the ball itself.)

The menus are filled with ancient looking statues, broken skulls, and other spooky graphical elements that set the mood of the game. The levels themselves are made out of stone and tile, and often times are either framed in lava or a black abyss. The 42 included challenges start by simply rolling a marble from its starting location to a round indentation on the other side of the level.

It doesn't take long before you're dealing with multiple marbles of different colors that all need to end up in their matching indentations at the end of the level along with mazes that have no walls, jumps, blocks that need to be pushed out of the way, and other obstacles.

The developers posted this trailer which shows a few of these different levels along with some multi-ball mayhem:

Three difficulty levels are included which change the amount of time you have to complete each level, and the "master" difficulty is downright insane. The only thing I don't like about Marbles Multiball 3D is the omission of an accelerometer calibration option, so the game can only be played by holding your device completely flat. Regardless, it's one of the more interesting marble rollers available and is worth checking out if you're a fan of these types of games.

App Store Link: Marbles Multiball 3D – The Castle Adventure, $1.99

Plushed is a by-the-numbers platformer for the iPhone with exceptional art and some fairly challenging level design.  As the young girl’s plush rabbit now brought to life, you’ll navigate you way through each level collecting golden ladybugs and helping fairytale folks solve their problems.  One level features a family that has lost their son and some pigs in bales of hay.  Another has crying babies in need of candy.  As a young bunny knight in a fairytale kingdom, it’s your job to help these folks as you work your way towards saving your little girl.

Controls in Plushed are both simple and responsive.  You’ll have the option of touch or tilt control for directional movement, and tapping anywhere on the screen with make your little bunny jump.  While responsive, the jumping wasn’t quite as perfect as we’d have liked it to be.  There were moments in the game that became far more difficult than they needed to be due to the low height of the rabbit’s jump.  Every now and then there’d be a certain enemy or chasm that would lead to our death because he simply couldn’t lift his rabbit feet high enough.  As well, on more than one occasion jumping proved far more frustrating than it should have due to a few holes in the game’s otherwise excellent level design.  A few unintended alternate paths stick out like a sore thumb and lead to jumps that seem possible but never are.  One particular moment in the third stage had me ready to give up until I finally realized that this wasn’t the route the developers intended.  Other situations like this crept up from time to time and marred an otherwise top notch experience.

In addition to having a great deal of original personality and charm, Plushed pulls from the world of gaming and internet culture on more than one occasion to draw some inspiration for its fairytale world.  The “pizza eaters,” a family of creatures that lets you complete epically large jumps, are a clear visual homage to Critter Crunch.  Explore one level deep enough and you’ll find a character in appropriate attire doing the “peanut butter jelly time” dance of internet meme fame.  There’s even a Doc Brown hiding up in the clouds.  The unique characters and environments of Plushed are the highlight of the game in their own right, but adding in these delightful little homages felt like a perfect fit.

The level design really comes together in the second half of the game and offers up some great platforming action.  The downside is that the first few levels are so easy that some gamers might walk away before getting to the good stuff.  There’s a gradual build in the challenge of the game that leaves the first 2 levels feeling like a little too much like a children’s platformer.  Thankfully things ramp up from there.

There are a number of boss fights you’ll tackle during the course of the games 9 levels, each of which showcases the skills you’ve learned up to that point.  Boss battles are a real highlight in Plushed, as you’ll need to think each scenario out instead of simply exploring like you do in the rest of the game.

Once you’ve finished your adventure, the package also includes 3 mini-games that you’ll unlock by earning golden ladybugs throughout the course of the game.

Overall, despite the aforementioned issues, the art design in Plushed is wonderful, the level design was ultimately fun, and the in-jokes and pop culture references delightful. If you like twisted fairytales and fun, it’s going to be $1.99 well spent.  Just try not to get too frustrated if you find yourself headed down the wrong path.

App Store Link: Plushed, $1.99

SGN has released their latest aerial combat game Skies of Glory. The follow-up to their popular F.A.S.T. game takes on a World War II theme and adopts a "freemium" business model. The game itself is free to download and play, but offers additional content through in-app purchases. Game features include:

• Multiple skirmish modes, campaigns and tons of training missions with more to come
• Engage with opponents from around the world in 8-player combat over the internet via 3G and WiFi
• Fly with friends over any local network for up to 8-player combat
• Buy more planes for your hanger to maintain a competitive edge over your opponents

Give it a try for free. Feedback and impressions are being collected in our forums.

App Store Link: Skies of Glory, Free

When John Kooistra, the developer of Blue Defense and Blue Attack, announced his upcoming real time strategy game, Red Conquest [App Store], fans went crazy. Kooistra has developed quite a following over time, and expectations were high for this prequel/sequel to the Blue games.

One of the big talking points for Red Conquest is the fact that it ties together the story of Blue Defense, Blue Attack, and this game into one comprehensive whole. Aside from pre/post-battle text dialogue, the story is largely told through the use of cutscenes with zero talking. Quite frankly, the cutscenes, while cool in concept, fall flat due to the arguably weak art direction that was taken as well as the fact that the story itself is pretty difficult to make heads or tail of.

Red Conquest does not feature a ton of different unit types, but it covers all of the necessary bases. Harvesters collect resources from floating rock formations, Cruisers and Battleships serve as combat units, and Carriers serve primarily as support units. All units are initially created from the Base unit, but can also be created from the Foundry unit, which is created by the Base. You'll be playing as the Red team throughout most of the game, but it is possible to play as the Blue team in multiplayer (the differences being that Blue units cost less resources to create, take more time to create, and do not heal automatically).

The core gameplay of Red Conquest can be extremely complex for first time players, with multi-touch menu navigation being required for such simple actions as moving a small group of units. While I really believe that they're some of the most well thought-out RTS controls on the iPhone, the learning curve at the beginning of the game is just too intense.

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