Gameloft has posted a teaser/cinematic video which reveals they are bringing Driver to the iPhone. The original Driver game was first released in 1999 to critical acclaim. The game plot was as follows:

Tanner, an NYPD detective gone undercover due to his impressive driving skills, must gain the confidence of the syndicate's bosses by performing increasingly difficult missions such as stopping or following another car, driving through windows, delivering a stolen car or scaring a taxi customer

No actual gameplay is shown, but we'll post more as we get it. Driver is due in December.

Meanwhile, a proper gameplay trailer for their Gameloft's upcoming skateboarding game Skater Nation was also released. This shows a lot of the gameplay for their Tony Hawk Pro Skater-alike. Full featured skateboarding games have been a rarity on the iPhone, so we expect this one to do quite well when it comes out.

Finally, Secret Exit released their first gameplay video of their Stair Dismount game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. We took a look at this interesting title earlier this week. This one's also due soon.

The sequel to the game Super Monkey Ball 2 takes the original and offers new levels, local Wi-Fi multiplayer, improved graphics and, notably, improved controls. Despite the success of the original launch title, one of Super Monkey Ball's criticisms had been the sensitivity of the control system, a point that had been acknowledged by Sega in the past. After playing a late build of the sequel, it seems they've made real strides in the controls. In particular, I found turning to be much more precise than in the original.

Super Monkey Ball 2 also begins to add in mini-games that have been popular in the franchise. The first mini game to ship with it will be Monkey Bowling, while Monkey Golf and Monkey Target will be added as free updates in 2010. Overall, the graphics also seem notably improved compared to the original. After a brief amount of time with the game, I was able to shoot this video embedded below. As always, playing games while video taping can be difficult, and this is made even more difficult with tilt-controlled games… but I still managed to have a pretty good showing.

Super Monkey Ball 2 will arrive in time for the holidays and offers 115 new levels. No price was announced.

MikaMobile, the developers behind Zombieville USA have just announced their followup project: OMG Pirates!.

OMG Pirates! is described as a "silly, bloody, cartoony homage to the classic 2D games of yesterday" not unlike Zombieville. The developers claim that they've stepped it up considerably when creating this game. OMG Pirates! is said to draw inspiration from beat-em-ups such as Castle Crashers, Double Dragon, etc, and includes a variety of enemies, locales, and boss battles.

We feel like we've struck a great balance between depth and playability – combat is performed with a simple two-button setup, one for attacking, one for defense, with different timing leading to different moves. Land enough blows fills your super gauge, which when tapped unleashes a spectacular finishing move.

The comes with a campaign mode, an unlockable "hard mode", and survival modes alongside some light RPG elements with increasing strength and moves. Reaching the maximum level will require more than one playthrough of the campaign mode. Here's the developer video:

OMG Pirates! is due to be submitted this weekend. We were big fans of Zombieville so are really looking forward to MikaMobile's following title.

App Store Link: Zombieville USA, $1.99

In late September, FDG Entertainment announced that they were bringing a new "time traveling" action RPG Across Age to the App Store. The game has drawn comparisons to Chrono Trigger and Zelda and is a co-production between FDG Entertainment and a Japanese studio called Exe-Create.

Across Age is said to have over 15 hours of gameplay and is set played through the eyes of two characters that you can control as a party or individually. Switching between the characters can be done at any time and required for some of the cooperative and time traveling puzzles found in the game.

At about 55 seconds into the video below, you can see one of the coop puzzles that requires one character to help another character onto a ledge, go around, and open a door. The video also shows the main town, basic combat and ultimately a boss fight.

FDG warns that the movement speed is set very fast in this production build, and the final speed of the game hasn't yet been determined but it will definitely not be "the slow-sort of game".

Across Age is still in beta testing and will be submitted this winter. The game will be sold at $9.99.

Kooistra is the developer behind some of our early App Store favorites Blue Defense! and the follow-up title Blue Attack!. Both games were set in a new universe of Red and Blue forces who were set on destroying each other. Kooistra's latest project extends this universe and provides an actual back story (the "why") behind the aggression of the two forces in a real time strategy (RTS) game called Red Conquest.

Like most real time strategy games, your goal is to build up your army and coordinate your units to maximize enemy damage while minimizing your own. Kooistra explains that due to the space setting, unit micromanagement is very important as there are no physical obstacles for your enemies aside from your own units. In order to adequately defend your position, you will need to make a blockage with your own frontline battle units. As ships are destroyed, they explode into chunks that can be collected by your harvesters, so you'll want to bring one of those along with your attack squadrons. Multitouch is also said to play a big role in managing your units via a "squad multimove" screen where you can move as many units as you have fingers.

In [some of the screenshots], you can see little circles attached to squads by lines, those are multimove handles. Basically, on this screen, you can move individual units with as many fingers as you're comfortable with. I like to use both thumbs, myself, and you get pretty good control over a fair number of units this way. It's very good for micromanagement.

Meanwhile this screenshot gives you a tactical map when you zoom out with squads represented by icons.

We haven't been able to spend any time with the game itself which is hoped to be submitted in the next few weeks, but Kooistra supplied us with these early screenshots which share the familiar art style of his earlier games. The game will be delivered in a series of episodes. The first episode will be delivered later this year, with 3 further episodes to be slowly added as free updates over time. Kooistra is offering more details and answering questions in our Red Conquest forum thread.

If you've never heard of Blue Defense! or Blue Attack! before, check out our early reviews of the titles (Blue Defense! Review, Blue Attack! Review).

App Store Link: Blue Defense!, $1.99, Blue Attack!, $1.99

Fortunately, Secret Exit's Jani Kahrama recently contacted us with a fresh build of their game to preview and it should be coming to the App Store soon.

Stair Dismount Touch is a ragdoll physics game in which your job is to push a crash test dummy down a series of stairwells in an attempt to maximize your score by maximizing the damage on the dummy. If it sounds familiar, then that might be because there's a similar game called Max Injury that has been topping the App Store charts in the recent weeks. Stair Dismount, however, seems to be the originator of the genre (if it really is a genre) and was one of the first games ever to even use ragdoll physics. It was debuted at Assembly 2002. That original game later spawned Truck Dismount and plans for Stair Dismount 2. Stair Dismount Touch actually seems to represent much of what was long planned in Stair Dismount 2 sequel.

Kahrama explains that they are particularly proud of their ragdoll simulator and why he feels it stands above the competition:

In the competing games we've seen, all the ragdolls tend to be like limp noodles with no proper friction, mass or limits of movement – our ragdoll is much more realistic. This helps in the overall visualization of the impacts, again we feel that when Mr Dismount hits something, there is a more tactile element and a realism that other games haven't quite achieved. Partially this is also due to the sound effects, which we custom made by abusing vegetables

 

The game itself is rather simple though wrapped in a nicely polished and visually beautiful package. You are given 6 different nicely rendered 3D stair cases as starting points from which to dismount your dummy. You get one hit anywhere on the body, so you have to choose your spot wisely. Meanwhile, the power of the push is determined by an oscillating power meter that you need to press at the right moment.

Once set in motion, you can change your perspective by swiping/pinch-zooming on the screen as the dummy crashes his way to the bottom. Your final score is basically a sum of all the damage inflicted. The game incorporates Facebook and Photo album integration for both adding someone's photo to the dummy as well as sharing mid-action photos.

Honestly, if you'd asked me a month ago about the mass appeal of this sort of game, I probably would have thought it was limited. The huge success of Max Injury, however, would have proven me wrong. People seem to love their ragdoll simulators, and it's great to see Secret Exit back in action. Secret Exit hopes to have the game in the App Store by the holidays. They've set up an amusing promotional website at StairDismount.com where you can see more details and screenshots.

Dungeon crawler fans that like to equip an iPhone or iPod touch when it comes time to hew a row of ogre necks are in for a real treat in a coming iPhone remake of a true classic of the genre. Jeff McCord at age 17 originally wrote Sword of Fargoal for the Commodore PET — in BASIC — in 1980. Two years later he teamed up with Epyx and released the game commercially for the VIC 20 (still in BASIC). The following year, Jeff and friends brought the game to the newly-released Commodore 64, and the rest is history.

Sword of Fargoal is one of the best loved roguelike games ever to light up a CRT. In its 1996 anniversary issue, Computer Gaming World listed the game as #147 in the "Top 150 Best Video Games of All Time." It has been inspiration for many dungeon crawlers created since, and has itself been remade for various platforms.

In a nutshell, the game places the player within the top level of a deep series of dungeons with the quest of seeking out the legendary "Sword of Fargoal" and escaping with it from the depths of said dungeons. Complicating matters is the fact that the layout of each dungeon level is randomly generated when the player enters it, and that the dungeons are all initially bathed in darkness, revealing themselves only as the player explores. Those lucky enough to locate the sword have only 2,000 seconds to find their way out of the dungeons which, even on the way up, are randomly generated…. Not a proposition for the meek.

Along the way, the player encounters a vast array of enemies, both human and not-so-human. Battling these enemies, the player builds experience points which allow the character to level, increasing his fighting abilities and hit points. As well, various spells can be found throughout the dungeons that aid the player in completing his quest: Invisibility, Drift, Light, Regeneration, Teleport, and Shield.

Now, the astute reader might be asking themselves just how well a game written almost 30 years ago in BASIC for a 1MHz, 50 lb computer suits the iPhone. The answer is, in fact: quite well. As the game moved from PET to VIC 20 to C64 to PC it has certainly evolved graphically, but never moreso than in its latest jump to the iPhone. Jeff and his partner in this effort Paul Pridham (who brought us Saucelifter) have done an excellent job with this remake.

But, really, what makes the game so well suited for the iPhone is its casual nature as compared to the typical roguelike. And that's not to say the game is shallow or light on dungeon crawling action, but rather I feel it's simply a bit more accessible to the typical gamer than, say, Nethack, Moria, or Rogue thanks to an economy of controls, spells, and the like. Those who've never played a dungeon crawler before might just find themselves drawn in to Sword of Fargoal.

Have a look at the developers' trailer video for a glimpse of the action.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

Sword of Fargoal will be submitted to the App Store sometime next week and should go live in early to mid December at a one-week introductory price of $2.99 (regular $4.99). After the game goes live, the developers plan to release a series of free, episodic updates that will introduce new game elements, level types, and the like. Additionally, new graphical tile sets will eventually be made available as in-app purchases for those wanting to apply a whole new look to the game.

I've enjoyed recent dialog with both Jeff and Paul as they've introduced me to their upcoming iPhone title and we plan to post an in-depth interview with the developers in the next week that takes a closer look at the game's history, the iPhone remake, and iPhone development in general. Accompanying the interview will be a detailed gameplay video that should give prospective buyers a solid look at Sword of Fargoal for the iPhone.

Manomio, makers of the C64 for iPhone emulator [App Store], have announced that a free v1.2 update is in the works which will activate the in-app purchase game shop, offering games ranging from free to $1.99 in price.  Some had complained that the emulator's bundled games didn't represent any of their true, old time favorites.  I'm quite sure this update will be of great interest to those who wanted more.

Initial game shop offerings:

• Paradroid
• Bruce Lee (free!)
• Uridium
• Druid
• Cybernoid
• Alleykat
• Stormlord
• Kickstart Off-Road Simulator

Manomio's initial game shop offerings make up an extremely impressive list of C64 classics.  Retro fans, and even the merely curious iPhone gamers, are in for a real treat when this update goes live in mid-December.  And the offering of the superb Bruce Lee for free should be quite a Christmas present!

Have a look at the gameplay videos they were able to capture of these upcoming titles.

• Star Wars: Trench Run

Use the Force to overthrow the evil Galactic Empire as they attempt to destroy the small Rebel base on Yavins jungle moon.

As part of the Rebel Alliances Red Squadron you dogfight with TIE Fighters above the Death Stars surface before heading into a trench where you are inundated by cannon fire. Dodge obstacles, and stay out of Darth Vaders sights as he tries to gun you down before you have the chance to fire your proton torpedoes into a thermal exhaust port the size of a womp rat. If successful, a direct hit will cause a chain reaction that destroys the Death Star, thus saving the Rebel base from impending doom.

• Skies of Glory

Skies of Glory is an aerial combat game much like F.A.S.T. but set in World War II with various terrains including mountains, deserts, and sea which are said to showcase the classic views of WWII air combat. The game will support both local Wi-Fi battles as well as online battles around the world.

Also demonstrated was the upcoming Harry Potter: Spells, a game that turns your iPhone into a magic wand and allows for real-time player-to-player duels utilizing 14 spells, each summoned by its own particular hand gesture.  The hands-on video of this one can be seen here.

Resolution Interactive

Experience the thrill of high-speed snowmobile racing while carving your path through beautiful winter landscapes.

Perform stunts to trigger speed boosts that will give you the edge when racing against your opponents.

Challenge your friends and race head-to-head for glory in the new multiplayer mode with up to 4 players.

Features listed by the developer:

• 6 Unique Race Tracks
• Easy-To-Use and responsive controls
• Dynamic Opponent Difficulty
• Local Multiplayer via Bluetooth
• 14 Achievements to unlock
• Hidden Bonus Game Mode
• Download directly to iPhone via 3G

See Resolution's preview video for a look at the game in play.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

We here at Touch Arcade are fans of Resolution's earlier Moto racing installments and are anxious to get our hands on this upcoming release.  We'll take a closer look when the game goes live in the App Store.

Snow Moto Racing has been submitted to Apple for approval and will launch at a price of $0.99.