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TouchDown - Issue 11

By Nigel Wood, UK
for www.touchgen.com

Published: February 22, 2010

Welcome to another issue of the TouchDown… a run down of the recent goings on in the world of iPhone and iPod Touch Gaming.

Rayman is back

Gameloft have posted a teaser trailer for Rayman for iPhone. It doesn’t give much away, but here’s hoping it’s a port of the excellent Rayman 2 from Ubisoft that hit the Dreamcast back in 2000. After the lack-luster Rabbids game for iPhone, we can only hope! UPDATE: Gameloft have revealed that it is indeed Rayman 2 that is coming to iPhone, and as soon as next week! New trailer below:

Street Fighter IV coming soon

Surprising news that Capcom are bringing their brawler to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game is based on the 3D reboot of the game, Street Fighter IV. According to Capcom they have spent months fine tuning the controls to work on the touchscreen, which will no doubt be the biggest concern from fans of the series. Quite why they are creating a new 2D fighter for iPhone based on the 3D version seems an odd decision. Based on the screenshot below, the game looks to be 2D sprites of the characters using prer-endered art from the console editions. If that’s the case then I would much rather see a port of the Street Fighter II HD game that hit Xbox arcade a few years ago. We’ll have to wait and see… stay tuned!

UPDATE:
Gameplay footage from IGN shows the game to be very playable, with the game running very smoothly… it certainly seems like it’s not a rushed port.

Zenonia 2

Gamevil have released a trailer for their highly anticipated RPG, ‘Zenonia 2: The Lost Memories’. The game should hit the AppStore this March.

Guerrilla Bob update arrives

Chillingo have updated Guerrilla Bob to version 1.01. New features include: a new Save Game system with multiple save slots, so you don’t have to start over when you die; added score multiplier and an improved scoring system; and they’ve improved sound effects

They are also working on a major new update, and includes the new ‘Mercenary’ game mode and a new array of hardcore weapons, all of which can be upgraded.

Bob will collect his war booty from the bad guys and he’ll be able to pick up all these weapons from the shop:

Baseball Bat
Bomb Pack
Molotov Cocktail
Chainsaw
Machinegun
Shotgun
Rocket-launcher
Grenade-launcher
Flamethrower
Double Uzis
Sticky Bow
Chaingun

Look for the next update in the coming weeks.

If you haven’t played the game yet, and love arcade twin stick shooters, then take a gander at our review here, then pick it up for just $0.99 in the extended sale.

GodFinger gameplay video

ngmoco have released video of their upcoming god sim ‘GodFinger’. It shows a glimpse into what god -like abilities you will wield, including controlling the weather and summoning followers to dig for gold. I love the art style of this game, showing a floating min-world in space which you can rotate and zoom into, as well as drag your followers around and influence the weather. Still no firm release date yet, but expect it soon for iPhone, iPod Touch and of course iPad!

Military madness finds new audience with iphone

Hudson Soft have released Military Madness: Neo Nectaris on the AppStore. Based on the same turn-based strategy gameplay of the original TurboGrafx-16 title from way back in 1989, it features updated visuals, re-imagined cut scenes and full touch screen gameplay capabilities.

“Tactical gamers now have a chance to be strategic generals on the go with Military Madness: Neo Nectaris,” said Yoko Tsumagari, vice president of mobile games at Hudson Entertainment. “As a classic Hudson franchise and one of the first turn-based strategy games, Military Madness is a perfect title to upgrade for iPhone and iPod touch users looking for a new challenge.”

The game is out now for $4.99

100 Rogues goes beta

Dinofarm Games have released news on their upcoming rogue-like game a teaser of which can be seen below. In an interview for Gamasutra Dino Farm’s lead design, Keith Burgun talks about the setting of the game: “The setting is a mysterious, scary, yet silly dungeon. The mood or voice of the game can be best explained as “fantasy by guys who don’t know fantasy, and who are pretty strange”. I get a lot of inspiration from teaching children’s art classes - some of the stuff kids come up with is just so outrageous and hilarious, and I would love to see a game with that kind of spirit. So we have a basic fantasy dungeon setting, with your standard fare: skeletons, ghosts, rats and the like. But we also have a cowboy-ish looking Bandit, a flying baby with bat wings, and quite a few other oddities like that. Also, it’s a class-based game, and we’ve been working hard to make sure that the classes all have not only their own style of play, but also a personality. Not enough personality in games these days, if you ask me.” You can read the full article here

You can sign up for 100 Rogues beta testing here

Reach for the sky with ‘ABOVE’

Axolot, a new iPhone developer from Sweden, has release first details of what they describe as a cross between Doodle Jump and Canabalt. A bold claim as those two games hold a special place in our apple branded hearts. Going by the screenshots of ABOVE below, and it certainly looks great, with a beautiful hand drawn isometric style.

You take on the role of a curious office worker that discovers a pair of mysterious platforms aiming towards the sky. It’s your mission to see how far you can explore without falling by jumping from platform to platform. “ABOVE is all about timing the jumps right, thinking fast and tackling different types of obstacles, and all that is needed is one finger to do it all”, says Kacper Antonius of Axelot. “The game is easy to learn, yet addictively challenging.”

Look to the skies in March.

We’re in iPhone life!

As part of the recent BestAppEverAwards, TouchGen was invited to submitted short write ups on two of the nominated titles for best game. These were ‘iBlast moki’ and ‘Space Invaders: Infinity Gene’. So if you are stuck for something to buy at the mall, you may wish to pick it up.

Watch out for those balls!

Pixelcocoa’s KickSwerve is a football game based around a selection of soccer free-kick scenarios, ranging from classic crossbar challenge and tyre targets, through to full-on in-game free kick situations with a wall and goalkeeper to beat.

It features four modes of play, two difficulty settings and a unique replay gallery from which users can view saved replays and share them with friends. ‘Quickplay’ sees the player dive straight in against a randomised free-kick situation, where the position of the ball, number of defenders and position of the ‘keeper is randomised each time, offering endless variety. ‘Main Game’ takes the player through 50 progressively difficult free-kick scenarios, scoring them in a golf par style system. ‘Crossbar Challenge’ is the classic test of skill in which the player has a minute to strike the crossbar as many times as possible. Finally, ‘Tyre Targets’ challenges the player to fire the ball through tyres – which when struck, act under realistic physics - suspended from a goal frame.

“We love football and we’ve created what we think is a fun and accurate representation of one of the most popular aspects of the beautiful game” said Damian Wood of Pixelcocoa. “The process of swiping the screen to kick the ball is a very natural one for anyone familiar with the game. We’ve put a lot of love into this update, including tightened physics, optimised performance and whole new range of in-game models. It’s great to pick up and play for a minute at a time but can easily soak up hours of your day!”.

You can pick up KickSwerve for $1.99

… and these big red one’s too!

If you live in the UK then you’ve no doubt seen Total Wipeout, an agility course challenge that sees wave after wave of regular Joes making total fools of themselves on TV. Well, the creators Endemol have teamed up with TAG games to produce an iPhone game based on the gameshow called Red Ball Challenge. Paul Farley, Managing Director of Tag Games, said, “We are very excited to be working with Endemol on this app. The combination of huge obstacles, fast and engaging game-play, great 3D visuals and of course the painful falls will ensure the app will have great appeal to both fans of the TV show and gamers in general.”

We’ve had some time with it, and found it to be a fun, if throw-away, collection of mini-games… Most require track and field type button taps, or reaction based tapping to win, as you play through each game until you reach the final. The main game, based on the title, is actually the weakest, with the best of the bunch being the ‘The Sweep’. A game requiring you to jump over an increasingly faster rotating bar, without falling into the water below.

The game is out now in the UK and France for £2.99

Livin’ in a Zombie wonderland!

Zombie Wonderland is like a cartoon version of Call of Duty: Zombies, but with strong elements of time management and survival horror. It takes place in the peaceful town of Niceville. However, unfortunately for the locals a small zombie infestation is causing some discomfort to the citizens, and they decided to take action. This is where the Zombie Cleaner comes in, a pest controller, but for zombies.

The game makes use of the touch screen interface with you pinching to zoom in or out; swiping sideways to rotate the camera; as well as tapping to shoot zombies or cause the Zombie cleaner to move to a different part of the room.

There are a ton of Zombie themed games on the AppStore… way too many to mention here. But Zombie Wonderland does at least have a charming art style to make it stand out. No release date yet but in the meantime check out the screen shots below:

Week in review

There have been many games release over the past month. And of course TouchGen is here to help you sort out the wheat from the chaff… behold!

Vanquish: Oath of Brothers
This arty game certainly has a distinct look, but good looks can’t sugar coat this disappointing RPG from Gamevil.

Artist Colony
If you enjoy the Virtual Villagers games this is a nice addition to the slower paced time management games.

Dracula: The Path Of The Dragon - Part 1
Hopefully the sequels will have more for the player to do, and it would be nice to see some vampires soon as well.

Mortal Skies
If the controls were tighter, this game would be near the top of the genre on the iPhone, but unless the developer posts a nice update, as it stands the game is just passable.

Fighting Fantasy: Deathtrap Dungeon
The stories are taken straight from the Steve Jackson books, so if you’ve already done the Deathtrap Dungeon book, don’t expect anything new from the app.

Broken Sword: Diector’s Cut
I was surprised how much it drew me in with it’s great visuals, sound, and well implemented interface. The winner here though is the story, which much like a good book can keep you glued to your little screen.

Giana Sisters
Giana Sisters is among the best platform games for the iPhone alongside Soosiz and Earthworm Jim.

Plants Vs. Zombies
This new release of PvZ remains an excellent timewaster, even more so now that it travels everywhere with me.

B-Boy Beats
While it doesn’t have the brand power of the DDR series, it can stand toe-to-toe (or finger-to-finger) with it in terms of gameplay

Riddim Ribbon
It sounds great, looks great and plays great. The lack of control customisation is a sore point, but much like any accelerometer game, practice makes perfect, and it’s all part of the challenge.

Collider
A nice physics puzzler with some great level design that is both challenging and rewarding. Recommended for anyone into physics puzzlers, and games such as The Incredible Machine.

TouchGen pick of the bunch

Space Miner: Space Ore Bust
Long gamelife, great polished graphics and most importantly fun gameplay in space accompanied by banjos.

5-stars

Well that’s it for another issue… be sure to stay tuned to TouchGen for the best reviews in the land!

Remember to follow us on Twitter @TouchGEN

Review disclosure: Any games reviewed on this page may have been provided to us by the developer for the purposes of this review. Note: the resulting review score is never impeded by this fact, all opinions are that of the TouchGen reviewer and not the developer. This is in keeping with our O.A.T.S oath. Read more about O.A.T.S here