The second part of the roundup for March starts up with some robot brutality versus us humans, and ends up with five games from Konami. Highlights include a game taking inspiration from the stealth gameplay found in Metal Gear, and the arcade antics of Pac Man. The Konami games vary in quality, and one of them should be avoided at all costs. Lets get this month’s final entry going.

Robot Rampage – crush kill and destroy everything!
In Robot Rampage you get to be the villain, the big bad robot. The mission is unclear, but being a robot crushing cities can be a goal sufficient to sustain interest. The controls are all touch based, and combines touch and tap. Tap on the ground to walk left or right, tap next to the robot to stomp. Fire your incinerating laser by aiming, and dragging across the screen. Buildings, soldiers and tanks will go up in fiery smoke. Robot Rampage is a bit shallow, as all you aim for is survival for as long as possible to rack up the scores. Once dead you can upload your scores to Openfeint. There is also a collection of achievements to get while playing. This prolongs interest in the game to some extent. The presentation, and sound is great. Massive explosions, cool lighting effects and a definite 50s horror movie vibe cater for a good experience. Sadly the lack of depth kills the game for me, and after playing a couple of times I feel no motivation to pick it up again. I hope that the developer, Origin8, either updates the game with a story or at least a shop letting you upgrade weapons or something. The graphics and sound deserve a much better game than that offered. A dollar isn’t much for a game, but if you spend about 10 minutes with the game it feels steep to me. There is definitely an audience for Robot Rampage, and those interested in a romp against humanity every now and then will enjoy it immensely.

Robot Rampage $0.99
Version: 1.0.1
Seller: Origin8 Technologies Limited

Tap Tap Ghost Buster – horror and physics game mashup.
There are plenty of physics puzzle games for the iPhone, and it takes something really special to stand out in the crowd. Tap Tap Ghost Buster tries by adding some scary music, and a haunted mansion backdrop. To some extent it works, but the graphics are not good enough to really hammer the style home. The most important thing for a physics game is the challenge posed by the puzzles. You have to remove all the red baddies, and red objects while at the same time make sure to keep the green baby Flubbies safe. The first levels are all about removing the correct object, and letting the red baddies fall off the screen. As you progress it becomes more and more about a combination of the correct object, and timing. Each level has a par number of taps, and to get a par key you have to get par or better. The par keys are needed to progress in the level structure. I found that Tap Tap Ghost Buster is a bit uneven blending simple levels with really hard ones, and getting enough par keys can be quite hard. Still I always advocate challenge, and that is certainly what Tap Tap Ghost Buster offers. To attract interest from a larger audience the graphics need some serious work. Try the lite version to see if you think that the gameplay, and weird levels are more important than sparkly graphics.
Tap Tap Ghost Buster $0.99
Version: 1.0
Seller: Tintash
Tap Tap Ghost Buster Lite

Tartarus – drilling for the highest score.
In Tartarus you control a drilling machine, and you have to drill while avoiding flying balls. There are quite a few games featuring this basic objective but I found the controls in Tartarus to be superior to most competitors. You have a rotate/turn button, and a extend/split button. By tapping anywhere on the screen you move your drilling rig, and you can also set movement to the accelerometer. By splitting space you gain mined percentage, and the balls get more and more crowded areas to bounce around. If a ball touches your extended rig when splitting space you loose a life. The quicker you manage to clear a level by mining most of the screen, the higher the score. Online scoring is what it is all about. Powerups really help, and the gameplay varies as you get them. The graphics are fairly basic, and won’t blow you away. The music and sound effects are good with a rock soundtrack. Tartarus can get really addictive, and it is even fun starting from the slow levels as you can always improve your cuts. Definitely one for the high score fanatic.
Tartarus $0.99
Version: 1.3
Seller: na tae-hyun
Tartarus Lite

Triple Attack – three games for the price of one.
In Triple Attack you get three separate games in one retro package. The three games are block drop that is a smaller version of lumines, rocket attack that is basically missile command and robot defense where you get a constant barrage of incoming parachute robots. When playing normal game mode you play through all three with increasing difficulty. The block drop game controls quite poorly(not unlike the official Lumines Touch game when it first came out). Touch the block to rotate, and drag it around to create matching four by four blocks. The rocket attack plays well with good simple touch controls, as does the robot defense. The most interesting aspect of Triple Attack is that the games affect one and another. The blocks you fail to clear in block drop stays, and thus makes the other game modes harder as the bases get closer to the top of the screen. You play until game over, and then you can upload your scores using Openfeint. If you rather just play one or two of the games you can create a custom game as well. The simple retro graphics, and chiptune soundtrack appeals to me. You can play your own music, and the game supports iPod playlists. I recommend you to give the free version a go, and perhaps you get hooked enough to purchase the full version.
Triple Attack $0.99
Version: 1.0
Seller: Max Gaming Technologies
Triple Attack Lite

Jailbreak: Voice Onrush – run for your life, but stay sneaky!
The stealth gameplay found in Metal Gear combined with the arcade action of Pac Man is a good description of Jailbreak: Voice Onrush. It is an adaptation of a DSI Ware game called Escapee GO!. The story mode lets you take on the role of a heroine who has lost her memories. Escaping by finding keys, doors, switches and key cards you have to avoid wardens and janitors. You have a circular field of vision, and a field of perception. This lets you detect wardens outside of your view. Once detected the game basically turns into Pac Man, and you have to escape the warden without running into another or into a dead-end. Beside the story mode there is a free mode letting you replay levels, and the unlockable survival mode that is all about surviving for as long as possible. I am not good at this type of game, and even after hours of sneaky antics I have not finished the story mode yet. The retro 8-bit graphical style is great, and accompanied by a 8-bit soundtrack. There are three different controls schemes, and I prefer the swipe method before the virtual joystick and accelerometer. If you like either Pac Man or stealth games you will love Jailbreak: Voice Onrush. Definately check out the lite version released just now.
Jailbreak: Voice Onrush $0.99
Version: 1.0
Seller: Omni Xstudio Pte Ltd
Jailbreak: Voice Onrush Lite

PuzzleManiak – the only casual puzzler you will ever need.
I bought the Net puzzle game from this developer, and had it as my go to game for boring meetings at work. Now a year later I found the Net game as a part of a massive puzzle collection featuring no less than 20 full featured puzzle games. In PuzzleManiak you get touch controlled versions of Bridges, Dominosa, Filling, Galaxies, Loopy, LightUp, Mines, Net, Pattern, Rectangles, Sudoku, Slant, Tents, Unequal, Untangle, Blackbox, SameGame, Pegs, Guess and Map. The simple graphics help making PuzzleManiak into a serious puzzle application not too far from crossword applications. There is a green theme, but other than that the focus is on the gameplay instead of eye candy. The puzzles all play great, and offer the amount of challenge you want them to. The game keeps track of all statistics for all games, and all difficulties. The menu system is simple to use, and I find myself having trouble selecting which game to play first. The special web challenge also lets you test your skills against other puzzle solvers worldwide. If you are into puzzle games PuzzleManiak is a sleek package offering great value for five bucks.
PuzzleManiak $4.99
Version: 3.2.1
Seller: Alexandre Minard

Konami roundup

DanceDanceRevolution S – like having a dance mat in your hands.
I have enjoyed Konami’s DDR series for years, and having a version on the go is really nifty. It controls exceptionally well even on the small screen, and comes with a nice collection of 20 j-pop/j-rock tracks. The main mode in DDR S is controlled by tapping the arrows when the corresponding arrow align at the top. It is easy to get into, but really hard to master. A completely new Shake mode lets you shake instead of tapping. To me this is just strange, and I fear that my iPhone will fly away when trying it out. I am much better off sticking to the touch controls. Lots of options, difficulties, and colourful graphics all come together to bring a pleasant experience. The animated character could definitely look more polished, and the menu system could do with a bit of tightening. Other than that DDR S is definitely worth getting if you are into dance mat games, and want one to take with you. If you are new to the DDR series you can buy a version called DDR S+ that only has three songs for $0.99. The DDR S+ comes with DLC letting you buy new tracks if you want to expand the track library.
DanceDanceRevolution S $4.99
Version: 1.1.5

DanceDanceRevolution S+ $0.99
Version: 2.1.2

Elebits – not an electrifying experience.
I love Elebits(Eleedes) for the Wii, and have spent hours flinging furniture around to capture all of the Elebits. When I saw that an iPhone version was released I had my fingers crossed. Nigel sadly brought my expectations down in his preview, and when I got to play it I got sad. Basically Elebits for the iPhone is a simple gallery shooter with only one scene. You tap like crazy to zap the Elebits, and then you touch the large Zero elebit who collects them. That is all there is to the game. Nothing more than getting the highest score as possible in 90 seconds. This is one of the worst games I have ever encountered for the iPhone, and abusing the Elebits name like this is really unforgivable. A real Elebits game would work so well for the touch screen, but this is just a lazy cash in. Avoid, especially if you are a fan of the Wii title.

Elebits: Capture $0.99
Version: 1.0.0

Frogger Inferno – Warning! Fire farting frog crossing.
I really enjoy the odd game of Frogger. Crossing the road with ever increasing traffic, and quicker logs to jump around on. When I saw Frogger Inferno I was really psyched to see how Konami had pimped up the classic. Sadly there isn’t much new content to be excited about. The frog leaves a trail of fire behind it, and you can’t backtrack into the fire. That is basically it. This would be part of an update for any indie developer, but for a large company it becomes a completely new game. Thankfully though it only costs $0.99, and if you haven’t got the ordinary Frogger you can just as well get the Inferno one. Three control options are available, and as usual the swipe works best for me. The accelerometer is not quick enough, and the tapping is not intuitive. The game fades out my own music, and replaces it with the classic Frogger theme when playing. Facebook connect lets you share scores. I am really disappointed in Frogger Inferno. There must be many interesting ways to take the Frogger franchise to new levels, but Inferno is not one of them. Only for those who don’t already own the original.
Frogger Inferno $0.99
Version: 1.0.0

Power Pros Touch – fun arcade baseball done in style.
I have been running into Power Pros games for different consoles for the last ten years. It started as a Japanese only game back in 1994, and since it has been released for the PS2, DS and the Wii among other consoles. The iPhone version is definitely a polished version of the game sporting the oversized players, great commentaries and a challenging control system. The touch controls work well, and it takes some good quick timing to get a homerun. What it definitely lacks is the Success mode that worked as a combined sports and RPG game. Instead you only get an exhibition mode, and a custom season mode. I find the lack of both a story mode, and a homerun derby mode to be a significant drawback. Three levels of difficulty for the AI can’t save the game from becoming a bore. The AI is quite simple, and once you start timing the batting correctly it is toast. To me Power Pros Touch is a competent baseball game with great graphics, and interesting well done commentaries. It doesn’t get much playtime on my iPhone though as the modes aren’t interesting. The fact that Baseball Superstars 2010 from Gamevil is vastly superior when it comes to content also hurt my interest for Power Pros Touch. I hope Konami releases a proper Power Pros with a Success mode, and more quicker modes for the casual gamer.
Power Pros Touch $3.99
Version: 1.0.4

RhymePlayer – rhythm game for those new to the genre.
There are a lot of rhythm games for the iPhone, and most cater to those already familiar with the genre. RhymePlayer on the other hand is an easy to get into, and easy to master rhytm game. It is perfect for younger players or slower older players. It comes with a mere five songs, and each can be played on easy and normal difficulty. There are also two game modes where I found the ensemble to be quite fun mixing tapping to the beat with keeping track of the lyrics. The tap recognition is really good, and anyone can play RhymePlayer. The only complaint I have against the game is the low number of tracks available. Lady Gaga and Jackson 5 I can play a couple of times without being totally bored, but the other three bore me right away. A larger library of songs is definitely needed to make RhymePlayer a game worth recommending. If you like Lady Gaga, Lifehouse, Jackson 5, Bell Biv DeVoe or The Cover Girls you get one song to play around with. If you want to get your kid into rhythm games this is a good choice as it is easy and forgiving when you miss.
RhymePlayer $1.99
Version: 1.1.0