During QuakeCon 2010, ID Software’s co-founder John Carmack demoed Rage on a iPhone 4 running at a very impressive 60 frames-per-second. And what’s maybe even more impressive is the fact that Carmack believes this game will “kill anything done on the Xbox or PlayStation 2.” We first heard of Rage coming to the iPhone and iPad back in March so it’s good to see that this is finally going to happen and sooner rather than later.

Any first-person-shooter fan out there should definitely be chomping at the bit to see this one land into the App Store “later this year”. And if one title is not enough, perhaps the planned sequel that will be available just in time for the 2011 launch of the PC version will make you happy.

Check out the most impressive video after the break!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

id Software’s Rage running on a iPhone 4 at 60 FPS is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Like Star Wars? Like tower defense games? Then you might want to take a look at THQs recent release Star Wars: Battle for Hoth for iPhone. 

The game premise is that of all tower defense games; prevent your enemy (in this case the Imperial Empire) from reaching the other said of the map. As you play the game you get a fairly diverse set of units to deploy in defending Hoth. But, before I get into that, let’s look at play mechanics first. 

You start Battle for Hoth with some simple ground troop units and a shovel. The shovel allows you to alter the landscape of the level and force units to move a certain route. This is a great tool in later levels as you can really funnel the Empire to their doom. When you place your units and they destroy a wave of Imperials, you are rewarded with a green wrench icon you have to touch to collect. This gives you points to build or upgrade units. You have to be fast though if you wait too long the wrench will change color to orange then red, decreasing the point value. Wait too long, and your points are gone forever.

As you play through the 15 levels you unlock more types of units including; seated blaster units, radar lasers, turrets, snow speeders, x-wings, shield generators and ion cannons. Some of the more complex units like the ion cannon, shield generators and turrets require an energy generator placed next to them. The energy generator is required to power those units. If you upgrade a unit (say the shield generator) without upgrading the energy unit, you run the risk of losing power to that unit so you always have to keep it in check. 

You can upgrade your existing units to make them more powerful and sell them as needed. I found the most fun in the game building up units under the safety of the shield generator and then taking out AT-ATs with relative ease once my units were upgraded to the maximum.

When writing this review, I have to admit I had some distaste for this game. Simple and not a lot of variety in what appeared to be a shameless use of an awesome gaming license. However, after I made my video review above, I am having a bit of a change of heart. I think I am trying to make Battle of Hoth more than it is;  a simple Star Wars-themed tower defense game to kill a view minutes in your day while standing in line to get groceries. Should you get it? If you are a Star Wars fan I think you will enjoy. If not, I would pass. 

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Fast gameplay
• Fun in small chunks
• Fast forward the game action
• Familiar Star Wars universe
• Units behave as they should

Cons

• Original game music is not the Star Wars music we love
• Easy is too easy
• Lacking variety of Star Wars units and ships

Star Wars: Battle for Hoth – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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I was excited to see that Let’s Golf 2 just appeared in the App Store! I am not a golfer in real life, but I enjoy a good golf game every once in a while. Let’s jump right in and see what this new version has to offer.

Let’s Golf 2 is not meant as a real golf simulation like a Tiger Woods Golf. Instead, you are greeted with cute, often funny characters in outlandish environments that are beautiful and colorful. This does not mean that the levels are easy, in fact they become quite challenging later in the game (how can that be a par 4, impossible!)

There are several new characters to select. But in the beginning of the game, you one have two to choose from; Vincent and Jane. As you progress through the levels, you unlock a lot of customizations including clothes, hair, golf balls and clubs. A fun addition is the new Skill for each character. I am using Jade for example and her power is “Power of Charm”. This move is useful when putting as no matter how hard you hit the ball when putting, you can use her power to stop it anywhere on the green. The character powers, once used, have to replenish over time and can’t be used again and again without replenishing; use your characters power wisely.

Single Player has a few different modes to choose from; Instant Play where you play across three random holes from a variety of courses. Career where you complete against other virtual players for the trophy. Challenge where you play a series of “challenges” and score the highest points. Free Hole where you can setup the course you would like to play. As you play courses you earn points and medals that go towards unlocking courses and character customizations as well as increasing your character’s abilities.

Multiplayer uses Gameloft Live for online play, but you can also play locally with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Once online you can create or join a room and view the leaderboard. The game is a blast online as you complete in matches against a competitor from around the world.

Gameplay in Let’s Golf 2 is really straight forward. You can tap on the course map on the left of the screen to view where the ball is going and tap left or right on the screen to adjust or use the zoom controls to pan away form the action for a big picture of the course. You have the option of changing your clubs as well, but I have found for the most part the AI does a good enough job that I don’t have to change clubs too often, I can typically control the outcome of my swing by adjusting the strength I am swinging. Swinging your club is accomplished by tapping the golf ball on the right to start swinging and then tapping it again to center the swing for angle and strength. One feature that is missing is some sort of advanced club swinging mechanic. These swinging moves are typically accomplished by swiping your finger in a direction and letting go at the strength you want. Alas, this feature is not available that I have been able to find it.

I really enjoy Let’s Golf 2, but there is one issue that really bugs me. The framerate/accuracy of your club swings is not spot on. Depending on the course I often find that I have to touch the swinging meter ahead of when I plan to swing in order to assure accuracy. This is really frustrating sometimes as golf is a game that focuses on the smaller number of strokes in a game and I often find that through no mistake of my own, I miss a swing or calculate the incorrect swinging strength because of this flaw.

Don’t let my previous statement sway you from getting this game. Granted, the timing of some swings can be frustrating but the online play coupled with many characters and unlockables makes for a fantastic golf game.

[$4.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Colorful graphics
• Diverse courses
• Unlockable characters
• Unlockable character customizations
• Online and local wireless play
• Many different types of golf games to play

Cons

• Framerate can be slow at times
• Easy to miscalculate swing due to input latency

Let’s Golf 2 for iPad- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Can Gameloft deliver with their sequel to Hero of Sparta? I think the answer is a resounding yes. Though not perfect, Hero of Sparta II (HOS2) delivers pure action and colorful graphics on Apple’s noble iPhone and iPod Touch.

HOS2 is an action game spun in the Greek mythological era of the Gods and Goddesses. You play the warrior Argos. I won’t get into his story here, but in this game you are sent on a path of redemption. You return to Earth after spending some buddy time with Hades and immediately the action starts. The controls are different than its predecessor. The main diffidence is that Argos can now jump. This adds a much needed play mechanic to HOS2. In the weapon department, you start off with the basic shield and sword. After every level or so, you start to collect a variety of different and useful weapons including: wings that can be used to glide and attack, a helmet that give Argos the ability hurls fireballs, and my favorite the claws which give you God of War like attacks against your enemies.

The levels are mostly linear, but on occasion you can find a hidden area that has extra gems. You can collect red balls that can be used to increase the attack and magical attack of each weapon. Blue gems to replenish magic and green gems to gain back health. You can also collect additional gems that can be added to your weapon of choice to gain attack/magic bonuses like a +2 to attack, for example.

Pulling off attacks is fun. You have an attack button that when pressed successively, gives you a combo attack on your enemy. However, you can add a modifier to your attack by swiping up, down, left and right. If you use the down motion it will typically cause a “shield break” maneuver with your selected weapon to destroy a shield or some other object. Using the up swipe will launch your enemy in the air for you to unless even more combos.

I am very pleased with the variety of levels in HOS2. You have a lot of different interactive events from running acorss a crumbling bridge to swinging with the claw weapon like a vine to climbing towers. The enemies in HOS2 are not as great. I found that I was constantly fighting the same 3-4 enemies every time with an occasional 5th monster added just for variety. A new enemy feature which is enjoyable is “taking control” of the enemy. For example, the Minator can be controlled by following a series of button presses on screen. You can then control the Minator and attack the baddies. Regretfully, there is not much of a boss battle. There is a boss at the end of every level in HOS2, but you rarely actually attack them. Instead, you typically dodge their attacks or dodge environmental variables. This is somewhat disappointing, but there is plenty of action when fighting during the levels.

The graphics have really be stepped up in this release. There is an insane amount of detail close up with a wide variety of color and textures; make no doubt, HOS2 is very pretty and impressive. However, all of this comes at a controversial cost in this reviewers opinion; framerate. HOS2 moves nicely if you are in a relatively enclosed area with a couple of enemies, but this is rarely the case. You are typically fighting 5 or more bad guys at once in an open area and this is where the framrate begins to suffer. I estimate this game runs at an average of 15-20 frames per second. This can become frustrating when trying to string combos together,etc. I can only hope that Gameloft will update this app soon. Gameloft did an awesome update to GT Motoracing Academy to the pleasure of many fans and I hope that they do the same here.

Overall, HOS2 is a must buy for any action fan. If you are looking for the silky smooth framerate of say, N.O.V.A, look elsewhere. If you want a solid, fun action game that pays homage to God of War, then this is the game for you.

[$6.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

Cons

Hero of Sparta II- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Plunderland is Apple’s App of the Week this week. Does it deserve it? Yes and no. Developer JohnnyTwoShoes has made a solid effort to bring pillaging across the sea in the hands of eager gamers.

The premise of Plunderland is you are a ghost with pirates that sail across the sea to attack and sink enemy ships, pillage tribes people and take money from their monuments then make it to the next port. Sounds fun? Well, get used to it because that is what you do over, and over, and over again with little variety. Call me a stinker, but I don’t see the allure with this game.

Sure, the water physics are nice. You tilt the iPhone left or right to make your boat move in that direction. When there is a storm, etc, the water behaves in a more erratic manor, making maneuvering more difficult. Once you are on the high seas, you come across your enemy; the British warships. You have a couple ways to take them out. First is to use your ships cannon. You have a nifty way of angling the cannon to shoot your targets, just move your finger along the bottom and you will get a reticule via a line that helps your aiming. Release your finger and you fire your cannonballs. Second, you can use the enemies cannonballs against themselves. Before the enemy launches an attack, the cannon will puff smoke, that is your cue to ready your finger and deflect the cannonball back upon the enemy ship and with luck, split it in two!

I know, I make it sound exhilarating, and it is the first two or three times you do it. Sadly, Plunderland does little to keep your attention. Future attacks add blimps and more, but the fun is gone by that point. The attacking villagers is a simple “tap, tap. tap” on the totems to get money and fling some villagers around in an effort to extract some more dough. Again… zzzz…

There is nice upgrade system though, you can upgrade your ship, cannons and bowsprits by earning said money above. The game has excellent promise. The controls, physics and graphical style all lend them selves to a success. However, the bland  I really, really wanted to like this game, being highlighted on Apple’s App Store, but alas, mateys, I just can’t bring myself to recommend this lack-luster treasure.

[$2.99- iTunes Link]

UPDATE: I had a delightful Twitter chat with the developers. I explained that I had played 50% thorough the game and became unchallenged with the levels and objectives. They understood and are looking at a way to unlock the more exciting and complex levels earlier for more “hardcore” gamers. I also said that when I find the time to complete the game 100%, I would update this review to include my findings. I am hopeful that by the time I do this, they will have some new content available. You can follow the developer on Twitter here.

Pros

• Great graphics
• Solid frame-rate
• Good physics engine
• Upgrade system

Cons

• Very, very, very repetitive
• Takes a while to become a challenge (the end of the second chapter)

Plunderland for iPhone- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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My latest favorite iPhone game is Fruit Ninja. The premise of Fruit Ninja is simple; slice fruit, don’t miss any and don’t slice a bomb by mistake. Sound easy? Think again grasshopper! After beginning a game, fruit flies up from the bottom of the screen. You use your finger (or fingers) to slice the fruit. If a fruit falls back off the screen without being sliced, you receive an X. Three X’s and it’s game over. To make things interesting, bombs are thrown into the mix as well. So, not only are you trying to slice a lot of fruit coming at you and not missing any, you have bombs that shoot up as well. The challenge is, if you slice the bomb, it’s instant game-over.

When it comes to difficulty with this game, it is a nice and smooth curve. The issue is that once you get good at it, it would be nice to start at a higher difficulty. However, Fruit Ninja always starts you back at the beginning. Your efforts are not at a loss though, the game has plenty of achievements via Open Feint and unlockables. Different colored swords and backgrounds can be unlocked if you have the dedication and skill of a true ninja.

Fruit Ninja also has two different play modes. First is Classic. This is the primary play mode I have described above. Score points by slicing fruit while avoiding the bombs. Zen mode is fun and fast. There are no bombs, but you have a time limit to slice as many fruits as you can. This is not hard, what is hard to is to slice with combos to rack up more points. Check out the Open Feint leaderboards and you will see what I am talking about.

I can’t say enough about this game. It has great art direction, animation and fun. When you lose, it even gives you facts about fruit. This is a near-perfect game, I love it!

[$0.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Fun gameplay
• Great graphics
• Unlockable content

Cons

• No option to start at a higher difficulty

Fruit Ninja for iPhone- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Ngmoco has just brought out the ultimate game/tech-demo (to show your friends) for the iPhone 4 – Eliminate GunRange. It’s a virtual gun range game where you use real weapons to shoot targets. The concept is not entirely engrossing as there are plenty of other top-notch shooting games out there (ngmoco’s own Eliminate comes to mind). What makes this game fun and special is that it is the first game to take full use of the new iPhone 4 gyroscope. How does it work? Continue reading to find out!

The game starts out simple enough; you are presented with a single weapon, an M60. There are numerous other weapons to choose from, but you have to score well to unlock additional weapons with credits. After you select your weapon, you then can begin the ” Challenges” for your selected weapon. When the level begins you have a pre- determined set of targets to destroy. That is where the fun begins.

The enjoyment factor of GunRange does not stem from the fact that you are destroying targets, it comes form the amazing control offered by the iPhone 4 gyroscope. It literally “feels” like you are holding the weapon in your hands and where ever you aim your iPhone, the cursor hovers over the target. This level of control is unprecedented in previous iPhone efforts till now. It is simply a tease of what is to come.

What could be hum-drum central, ngmoco has attempted to make levels as interesting as possible, however there are only three ranges. For example, the first level is a basic shooting range. As you progress you being to shoot targets outside in a different locale. What makes the level and challenge enticing is that targets appear “off screen” and you have to use the gyroscope to quickly turn left and right. Speaking of turning left and right, you don’t have to rotate your whole body like Steve Jobs did in his WWDC 2010 keynote. Rather, I was able to successfully turn by simply lowering one side or the other to turn. This is also effective in racing games too, I have found.

For $.99 this is an easy pick up title. Will it keep you engaged for months to come, unlikely. But is it fun and cool to show off? Definitely.

[$0.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Awesome use of the iPhone 4 gyroscope Graphics are sharp and look good on the retina display
• Multiple guns and shooting ranges

Cons

• A bit repetitive
• Only three gun ranges, more variety would have been nice

Eliminate: GunRange for iPhone 4- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Let me preface this entire review by saying that I suck at Guitar Hero. Seriously. If someone took me hostage and forced me to play GH in order to save my life, I’d be a dead man—and don’t anyone get any ideas either. I’ve tried it on every platform around; it’s especially funny if I try to play in public, say, in a big department or electronics store where they have a demo unit set up. I usually try to resist the pull, but sometimes I just can’t and find myself approaching that little guitar, queuing up a song I love and thinking that maybe this time it will be different. It never is, and I inevitably end up surrounded by a small flock of smarmy looking twelve year olds waiting for me to get out of the way. I have yet to hit any of their young, smirking faces with the controller, so I think I can take that as a sign of growth and maturity even in the face of such open derision.

So anyway, it’s not that I’m not musically inclined, it’s just that I have about as much rhythm as a can of unopened pinto beans. Still, I must admit to being impressed by the port of Guitar Hero over to the iPhone. Anyone familiar with the game can safely skip over the tutorials, though they are quite helpful, and after jumping into the game to try my hand, I found myself going  back and actually reading through a few of them. It didn’t help my performance any, but at least I had a better idea of just how badly I was really doing.

The game’s graphics are beyond decent, meaning they’re pretty good, which is what we’ve all come to expect from the iPhone anyway. GH looks and feels right at home on an iPhone screen, and the game’s controls and interface are slick and intuitive. One of the things that impressed me the most with GH, however, was the sound. The sound quality of the game, especially the music, was excellent even when piped through my $50 Sony earbuds. And you’ll definitely want to use headphones—even the game tells you this as it’s loading—the sound experience just isn’t the same when played through the iPhone’s unimpressive external speaker, not to mention the possibility that those around you may not in the mood to rock out with you. I found myself really enjoying moving about the interface—which to me has a very cool and somewhat grungy, steampunk look to it— and awesome little background sounds with each click and selection.

When you first start the game it will ask to scan the music you have on your phone and add it to the game’s library of songs. If you want to further expand your library you can visit the in-game store and purchase additional songs. The store doesn’t really have much of a selection at present, but the game was only released a few weeks ago so I’m sure that will improve. If you’re feeling kicky you can share your scores with your friends on Facebook or compare yourself with other users via the Leaderboard display. I, of course, did neither of those things as I have enough sources of embarrassment in my life without unduly exposing my complete lack of timing and coordination. A guy has to keep some things secret, right?

The gameplay in GH, despite my jerky, zombie-like thumb action, is quite easy to get into and the game’s controls translate quite well with the iPhone’s touchscreen. Even if you’ve never played the game before you should have no problem getting comfortable with the simple controls and you’ll be getting your groove on in no time. Guitar Hero, as many people already know, is ridiculously addictive and fun even for someone with considerable lack of talent (me). It’s $2.99 at the App Store and well worth it in my opinion. I’m sure it will see plenty of play on my phone if for no other reason than to prove to myself that I’m not the uncoordinated goob the game makes me look like.

Well, it’s been a while since an iPhone game has come along and delighted me as much as Angry Birds has. Angry Birds, produced by Rovio Mobile, a European-based independent game developer, is one of those games that is brilliant in it’s simplicity and fun-factor, which only adds to its addictive qualities and appeal.

The story is that there’s a family of  five dysfunctional birds out there with some anger-management problems and their trying to peacefully live their lives, taking care of their eggs and eating their worms in peace. Unfortunately for the bird family there’s a group of hungry pigs nearby that have apparently tired of eating grass all day long (I’m not an agriculture expert or anything, but I didn’t think pigs ate grass, I’m just sayin).

Well, the pigs set their sites and their appetites on the birds’ eggs and decide to steal them and cook them. The problem is that the birds are, naturally, very vigilant in watching over their progeny, but as luck would have it fortune smiles on the pigs by sending a mutant mosquito to terrorize the birds. This mosquito, being a mutant, naturally has a taste for bird eggs—which probably hasn’t been seen in the natural world since the Pleistocene era, thankfully—and the strength to attempt to filch one of the eggs right from the nest. The birds, not having any of it, proceed to beat the living tar out of wayward mosquito, eventually, after several gruesome tag-team rounds, beating the poor insect into a hole in the ground. Satisfied that they’ve warded off the threat the birds turn back to their nest only to find that their precious eggs have been shanghai’d by the morally ambivalent pigs. After that, it’s on. The birds declare war on the pigs and set their sites on destroying the flimsily fortified pig castles that, apparently, all pigs live in. Who knew?

That, in a nutshell, is the game. Angry Birds, is physics based game in which you sling shot your maddened fowls into the structures protecting the pigs on the far side of the playing field.As I said, it’s simple and stupidly addictive so if you try it out, be ready to surrender several hours of your afternoon to some friendly pig killin.

Granted, I’ve only been playing, off and on, for a week now, but I haven’t even made it past the first level, in which there are several boards to conquer. The game takes some strategic planning in order to eliminate all the pigs with the limited number of bird shots you have. As you progress though, you get some different types of birds that have various abilities which make them special. There’s your normal, run-of-the-mill, bird shot (pun intended), and then there’s the smaller birds which can split into three smaller shots in mid air resulting in a less powerful, shotgun-like effect, and much more.

Angry Birds [iTunes link] is by far my favorite iPhone game at present, and considering its popularity all over the world, it’s definitely worth a look. And at only $0.99, it’s well worth the hours and hours of enjoyment you’ll get from it.

Angry Birds, highly recommended if you have some time to kill, and/or work to avoid!

Survival horror thriller Zombie Infection for iPhone has to be Gameloft’s highest production game to date. The graphics and voice acting are top notch and the cinematic style is engrossing.

Zombie Invasion starts off with you landing in a small town, that — wait for it — has been overrun by zombies! The first level is basically a tutorial showing you the moves for your character. You can shoot and stomp on crates to find goodies such as ammunition and medical supplies. You can move while aiming (albeit very slowly) and you can dismember the zombies by shooting their legs, arms and heads; what more can you ask for?

As you progress through the 12 levels in the game you unlock them to replay at any time. This is great since Zombie Infection has a trophy achievement system. You can go back though levels and practice/earn achievements. There are some fun ones too, for example if you shoot off both legs of a zombie, you get an achievement for that. It is this type of mechanic that makes me come back for more.

To add a little variety to the game, you can also play as one of two characters; Ex-soldier Damien Sharpe and reporter Alex Rayne. The names are cheesy, yes, but the gameplay and fun factor is not. I love this game and I am thankful that Gameloft is bringing these types of games to iPhone; it makes one really compelling alternative to other platforms for mobile gaming. Check the video and pictures after the break!

Pros

• Great graphics
• Good voice acting
• Solid controls
• Two different characters to play
• Compelling story
• Level select after you complete a level
• Trophies
• Online leaderboards
• 12 Levels
• Unlockable Survival mode

Cons

• No quick turn
• I can’t think of anything else… this game is HOT!!!

Zombie Infection for iPhone – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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