A few games that have been amongst our favorite iPhone games have received notable updates or price drops in the past few days.
Space Ninja
Our favorite space dodging game has received a substantial update as well as a price drop to $0.99.
Space Ninja has been updated to version 2.0.0.9 and adds the following features:
- 83 new levels, making it 123 levels in total.
- Global and regional high scores using geocade.
- 5 new kinds of turrets.
The game is set up like a traditional vertical shooter in which you control the flight of a spaceship. Instead of shooting the enemies, however, the objective is to dodge enemy fire and make it to the end of each level.
Space Ninja‘s accelerometer controls and slow-motion “bullet time" mechanic are particularly well implemented and with 123 levels, global high scores and a price drop… there’s no reason not to get this game.
App Store Link: Space Ninja, $0.99
Up There
We described this as a beautiful game when we first reviewed in back in December.
Up There places you in accelerometer control of a balloon that wants to rise. But bookshelves, lumber, branches, clouds and stars will get in your way. You must tilt your iPhone left and right to maneuver your balloon through the openings. If you get pushed down past the bottom of the screen, game over. High scores are kept locally but can also be submitted to a global list.
Simple game, but so well executed. The latest update offers:
- 10 New Balloons to Choose From
- New Music (as an option)
- Optional Reversed Controls
- Expanded Information and Settings
App Store Link: Up There, $0.99
Zombieville USA
One of our favorite survival shooters, Zombieville offers a surprisingly fun and challenging experience for what appears to be a simple game.
The latest update offers these new features/fixes:
- Ammo can now be purchased for a weapon once its been upgraded fully!
- You can now listen to your own music during play! Just start up your iPod’s music before playing, and Zombieville’s music will automatically turn off.
- Now respects the “mute" switch on your device.
- Various performance and graphical improvements – artwork is higher resolution, yet uses less memory and runs smoother than ever before
App Store Link: Zombieville USA, $1.99
Ah..............I see you saw my thread arn. ;)
I was hoping Zombieville USA was going to become a game with replay value with this update. Sadly... it did not... for me. I would love to be able to cycle through ALL the weapons. I got bored with the fully upgraded ones and wish I could use the flamethrower and other guns any time. The ammo purchase idea should have been there in the first place. Also, I haven't noticed much that the graphics got better. Kind of looks like they used AA on the houses and zombies... Can't comment on performance because I played two levels and got bored... again....
I think the upgrade is good, and I don't find the game boring at all (fearless, when lots of people enjoy a game but you find it boring, then it's your problem, not the game).
Now that we know they listen to the people who play the game, here's my suggestions:
If you come out with a Zombieville II, have more different zombie, maybe one that throws it's arms or some other range attack. Also make some zombies have special defenses and weaknesses, like one takes little damage from rockets but takes extra damage from handguns.
Different backgrounds: shopping malls (you hop into the stores instead of houses, come out with ammo, money, iPods, lingerie, snack foods, etc.), office buildings (you hop into offices and cubicles, come out with office supply weapons), colleges (hop into dorm rooms and emerge with leftover pizza, beer, cute co-eds, and you can have educated zombies, they can actually plan their attacks with different strategies)
Weapon buffs: instead of buying totally new weapons (I also like the flame thrower better than the zapper) give us the option to buy improvements, like adding range (chainsaw on a stick), or increasing damage at a distance (laser targeting scope), or hitting two zombies with one shot (teflon-coated bullets) or doing more damage at very close range (hollow point bullets). Right now after level 10 the handgun is completely useless, but you keep picking up more bullets. With a buff-purchase system the handguns can be more relevant in later stages.
I enjoy Zombieville quite a bit, it's great for a level or two when I need a break, and I would be very happy to buy a sequel... or two!
I'm sorry you were offended by my comment. And thanks for pointing out the obvious. I did say: "Sadly… it did not… for me."
Chainsaw on a stick! Can it be deep-fried too? :)
I think the charm of the game is that the story is implied through its simplicity - just one no-nonsense guy with a trucker hat and his handgun defending his hometown against the undead. Taking it to other locations kind muddies that story; I get the sense the main character doesn't care at all about the fate of the local shopping mall.
Good point on the simplicity of the guy and the location, that's one of the reasons this game works so well while other side-scrollers don't. But like many people have pointed out, after a few hundred plays it gets monotonous, so one way to make it last longer is to put the zombie apocalypse in different locations, and maybe with different people. After clearing out the suburbs two hundred times, wouldn't you like to fight off zombies in, say, an amusement park? Then you could shoot zombie carnies, zombie ride attendants, zombie mascots in rotting cartoon animal costumes!
I'm just saying if they're planning on making a sequel, they could stick with the same game mechanics (because it works so well) and come out with different sets/maps/modules using that new upgrade-within-the-game feature the iPhone 3.0 OS will have. So you like the game but are tired of clearing out the suburbs, you could buy the shopping mall expansion for 99¢. Just think of how many Dilbert fans would eagerly buy the "Cubicle of the Dead" expansion just on the off chance that there might be a zombie with pointy hair.
Alas the update still didn't turn this into a beatable game, therefore it's once again erased from my iDevice.
For me, Zombieville is fantastic now.
Now more pixel mess (if you care) and the ammo shop feature is great!
LOVE this game. Way better (because more strategic) than iDracula.
I love this game, but I think the update was pretty useless except for ammo purchase. It says you can use your music, but every time I do, it seems to drown out the game's effects. I don't see why they didn't add more content like weapons and optional upgrades. Still a really enjoyable game though
I'm currently quite addicted to Zombieville. The update is good in part because it didn't radically change the game. I was worried that allowing you to buy ammo would unbalance the game, but they did it right. Great game!
The game is perfect.
It's simple, it gets a bit more complex as you try to get better scores, and it does just what it sets out to do.
Yeah, it gets boring after you play it a bunch. But it's a heck of a lot of fun in the meantime.