I wish there was more to post about this game trailer, but all standard Internet detective tricks haven't turned up anything worthwhile. What you see is what we know.
Featured in the trailer is a bank robbery, high speed police chases, and the ambiguous release date of "Summer 2009". It's anyone's guess whether this is going to be another GTA-like game, some kind of racing game, or even a shooter.
Gameprom's decision to make their first iPhone game Wild Wild West Pinball [App Store] free was met with some lively discussion about App Store pricing. We saw the move as an effective marketing strategy for their next game Deep Pinball.
The move seems to have paid off in terms of exposure for the company as Wild Wild West Pinball is now the number one downloaded free app in the App Store. Gameprom also reveals that they now have over 2 million players around the world.
And they seem to be putting some significant efforts into the push of their next pinball game with this impressively produced promotional trailer:
In fact, Carmack said that they were hoping to release a new id title to the iPhone every 2-3 months for the next year. These titles will include a mix of their classic PC games such as Doom and Quake as well as newer mobile games including Wolfenstein RPG.
The complete list of titles and add-ons mentioned in the interview are listed here:
Doom Resurrection - Bluetooth Cooperative Multiplayer coming
Wi-Fi Multiplayer is currently working in Doom Classic (not yet released)
Doom Classic closing in on being ready for initial release
Plans for 3.0 support in Doom Classic with Bluetooth Multiplayer and downloadable content including Doom 2, Ultimate Doom, Final Doom, Master Levels
Considering competitive internet multiplayer in later update to Doom Classic
Planning Quake, Quake 2 for the iPhone and maybe all the way up to Quake Arena
Plans to do a Rage themed from-scratch iPhone title
Wolfenstein RPG ready to go but being held by EA due to concern about confusion with Wolfenstein Classic
Doom 2 RPG is in works for mobile and that will be ported to iPhone too
Very early talks about a modernized Doom ("Doom++") release with new levels and story
We had a sneak peek at the cooperative multiplayer of Doom Resurrection at WWDC which allowed two Bluetooth connected players to play simultaneously — each player with their own reticule on the other's screen.
The currently unavailable Wolfenstein RPG title was accidentally released in Japan for a brief period of time, and one site was able to get video of it before it was pulled. Carmack hopes that the game will be released soon, but the decision seems to be with EA.
Overall, Carmack is very excited about the iPhone, and clearly it shows given id's aggressive plans to launch a massive number of titles over the next year for the platform. Carmack said that while they'd had fun with traditional mobile games, he's "had a lot more fun on the iPhone".
We've included the full transcript after the jump and is certainly worth a read if you have any interest in these upcoming games.
Ngmoco representative mjmoco has revealed on our forums that Rolando 2 will be released on July 1st.
To celebrate the release they have put WordFu [App Store] and Dr. Awesome [App Store] on sale for $0.99.
A particularly curious announcement, however, is that the original Rolando [App Store] will be removed from the App Store at that time:
Also, make sure you snag a copy of the original Rolando while you still can. We'll be moving Rolando and Rolando Lite off the App Store on July 1 to make room for Rolando 2.
Rolando was originally released on December 17th, 2008. We're not sure the reasoning behind the removal, but we'll let you know what we find out.
Here's the trailer for Rolando 2:
Update: MJ from Ngmoco has clarified the status of Rolando:
Basically, we want the spotlight on Rolando 2 when it hits the App Store. We're not discontinuing support for Rolando, we're just discontinuing sales. And Rolando may return to the App Store in the future, but if and when it does we'll want to include Plus+ support for it.
Sony Pictures Television has given Touch Arcade an exclusive preview of their upcoming iPhone remake of the 1982 isometric arcade classicQ*Bert.
Q*bert is back! After more than 25 years, the colorful, lovable, jumpy arcade character of the 80's is now available on iPhone and iPod Touch. And he's got his very own blog too at www.qbert.com!
Kick it old school and play retro Q*bert in Arcade mode with authentic graphics and gameplay through 20 rounds across 5 challenging levels. Or, if you prefer your Q*bert smooooth, choose Modern mode for updated graphics. That's just the beginning. Regular updates will bring really new gameplay!
Q*Bert for the iPhone features two play modes to satisfy whatever level of retro gamer you happen to be. Modern mode features updated graphics with a music track that gives the game a clean, modern feel. Arcade mode features the original graphics and sounds and delivers that pixellized, jaggy fix that hardcore retro fans hunger for. Both modes include the standard five different enemy types and four different friendly objects that carry the player from level to level.
The goal of the game is to traverse every cube in each level's pyramid. Landing on a cube changes its color and once a pyramid has been fully changed, the player moves to the next level. But watch out — roving villains wander the map, trying to squash our orange, tube-nosed hero. And while, in the original, pyramids were the whole deal, Sony will soon be releasing all new kinds of levels with new characters to add variety to the game.
Being an isometric game (the first?), Q*Bert involves diagonal movement across those ziggurats of glowing pixel goodness that is, by default, controlled with directional swipes anywhere on the screen. Alternate accelerometer controls are also offered and work better than one might expect. The controls work very well and anyone who ever fed a stream of quarters to the original stand-up cabinet way back when should thoroughly enjoy the iPhone remake.
See our gameplay video of the pre-release version for a closer look.
We recently reported the existence of a full-featured licensed Commodore 64 emulator, developed for the iPhone by Manomio. Sadly, it was rejected from the App Store and may never see the light of day in its current form.
That said, we have high hopes that Apple and Manomio will reach an arrangement such that everyone can have as much retro gaming fun as I've had with the ad hoc build of this app that the developer was kind enough to provide for review.
Commodore 64 for iPhone is an application that, well, turns your iPhone into the most popular computer in history — more or less. But, happily, it dispenses with all the requisite LOAD "*",8,1 command-line syntax and provides a Delicious-looking program loader to make jumping from game to game a snap. It works like this: the emulator comes bundled with several C64 games (Artic Shipwreck, Dragon's Den, Jack Attack, Jupiter Lander and Lemans) along with standard Commodore BASIC 2.0 interpreter. Users can purchase separately sold program packs (early prices appear to be $0.99-$1.99 each and are determined by original IP holders) from the App Store that, when launched, install a game (or games) into the main application, adding them to the bookcase-like program launcher. It's a simple approach that works well but, as indicated, this arrangement may need to be changed in order for the emulator to ever find App Store acceptance.
Manomio has already licensed the aforementioned games, as well as the titles that make up three different program packs: Bristles, Astro Chase and their Commodore Sports Pack I. Some games seen in our demo video, such as Bruce Lee and International Karate, were provided simply as a demonstration of the emulator and have not yet been licensed, but the developer hopes to secure them, as well as many other 8-bit classics, for use with the emulator.
As can be seen in our gameplay video, Manomio has made it quite simple to jump right into a game. From the main screen, click through to the games library, scroll down the shelves of games and tap the title of your fancy. From there, you're whisked into the emulator where the game automatically loads and the particular keys needed to start a game are presented as simple icons, removing the need to bring up the provided full keyboard in order to begin gameplay. Once in the game, a tap on the joystick tab brings up an on-screen 8-way digital stick and button at the bottom of the screen and it's fire away… Rotating the iPhone to a landscape orientation fills the screen with the game image, and invisible stick and button touch controls are used on the game screen itself. It's a flexible arrangement and the controls work rather well, but we do hope that the developer throws us a bone and writes in support for forthcoming control accessories to bring players that much closer to the feel of the real thing.
I have recently spent some time playing through the bundled games and, as a gamer who still enjoys many a C64 game on my actual Commodore 64 and through various emulators, I can say that Commodore 64 for the iPhone delivers solid, accurate emulation of the classic 8-bit machine and provides the nicest program loader I've seen on any emulator. A particular example of the attention to detail is the simulated picture-tube glare present in two of the game's three display modes — to play without that glare is to miss out on part of the reality that was 8-bit gaming.
We got a tip today from Conniption Entertainment about their upcoming Tower Defense game, Towers of War. While tower defense is becoming one of the more crowded genres on the App Store, in my opinion, there's always room for another.
What sets Towers of War apart from the competition appears to be a unique upgrade system and an epic in-game story line, which all takes place in a medieval fantasy setting. Conniption will be initially including over 12 tower types, and 9 3D rendered play fields (some with paths the creeps follow and some open field). Each level has its own accompanying cut scene to drive the story as well as many different types of creeps and bosses.
In Towers of War, instead of simply tapping "upgrade" on your towers, players will have to make strategic choices when managing resources and upgrades for each tower. For instance, the Archer Tower can be upgraded to hold 4 Elven archers, and then those archers can be equipped with either crossbows or longbows.
You set up these defenses in a world torn apart by war, where the powerful sorcerer Magog leads a dark army seeking to annihilate the inhabitants of the Eastern Lands. King Seth and his alliance of men, dwarves and elves set up defense outposts throughout the region in attempt to turn the invaders away.
Conniption Entertainment provided us this trailer which shows off how the narrated cut scenes segue in to the start of each level, as well as a few different tower types, creeps, and even a level boss in action:
Towers of War 1.0 will be submitted to the App Store soon, and Conniption Entertainment says they already have plans for two substantial updates down the line. The first of which will allow players to design their own fields and creep waves, then share them with the world. For the second update, they're going to be working towards including an elaborate worldwide multiplayer mode.
Ngmoco has been slowly revealing more and more about their upcoming title Rolando 2 on their website. Rolando 2, of course, is the sequel to their original iPhone platformer developed by Hand Circus.
To date, Ngmoco has released four walkthrough videos narrated by developer Simon Oliver detailing the new features found in Rolando 2. In case you missed them, they include:
Majestic Shores - showing off the new engine and puzzle elements
Ngmoco has provided TouchArcade with an early look at the 5th and final walkthrough video that was due to be released tomorrow. The final video shows an overview of the different worlds in Rolandoland as well as the new use of Push challenges as part of their Plus+ network
Once challenged, you are thrown into the specific level challenged and you run through the level as best as you can. At the end, you find out how you fared against your opponent and have the option of challenging your opponent again.
Ngmoco's Plus+ network has gotten a lot of attention since it's launch with the 3.0 firmware. Plus+ and services like it are trying to build up a cohesive social network for gaming on the iPhone, allowing you to compete against your friends in a single network. Plus+ is presently available on Star Defense [$5.99], but should be integrated with all their future products.
Rolando 2 is expected for release this summer. We had some hands on time with the game at WWDC and feel certain that fans of the original will enjoy the sequel.
BlackSmithGames recently announced their first iPhone and iPod Touch game called Plushed. They describe it as a platformer with unique gameplay.
What happens when the fairytale world of a cute little girl turns into a cursed kingdom where she is queen? Her favorite plushie sets out to save her, of course. Guiding her loyal plush through several haunted meadows and creepy castles, you must use your wits to bring down the Evil voodoo mouse and his army of wacky minions! It' simple; get to the castle, save the princess. You've seen it before, but not like this. PLUSHED! The adventures of the reluctant bunny knight
The game is said to include over 20 different characters and 9 large levels and 3 world bosses. Plushed is also said to have been designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch and uses the touch controls and accelerometer for gameplay.
Control different items with your finger or by shaking your iPhone to attract enemies, defeat level bosses, to solve tasks and to do many other exciting things.
While it's hard to tell much of the gameplay itself based on screenshots alone, the artwork alone looks great and we have high hopes for the game itself.
Blacksmith games is holding a promotion to increase their twitter followers by linking the launch price of the game to the number of followers they have (more followers -> lower launch price).
Chillingo has been a bit secretive about their upcoming title Vampire Origins after releasing some very impressive looking 3D screenshots back in April. Today, they released some more screenshots and the first gameplay video from the upcoming title.
The game is described as featuring "immersive cutting-edge adventure mixed with fast-paced, intense fighting action".
New screenshots are included below:
The game is being developed by Ice-Hill and is expected in the coming weeks.
