Subatomic Studios has released Fieldrunners [App Store], a $4.99 iPhone version of the Tower Defense strategy game.

For those who aren’t familiar, Tower Defense is a genre of strategy game in which your goal is to stop the enemies from crossing the map by building up your tower defenses:

Enemies and towers usually have varied abilities and costs. When an enemy is defeated the player earns money or points, which are used to buy or upgrade towers.

The choice and positioning of the towers is the essential strategy of the game

This version of the game gives you a blank field in which you must create your own maze by purchasing the available defense towers. There are 4 different types of towers and each can be upgraded multiple times.

• Gatling Tower - short range, cheap
• Goo Tower - slows enemy down
• Missile Tower - long range, good against air units
• Lightning Tower - powerful, expensive

While there exist other Tower Defense games in the App Store (Mote-M, iDefend Lite), none carry this level of graphics quality and overall polish. This game has already received rave reviews from readers in our forum.

The game offers 3 different levels of difficulty (Easy, Medium and Hard) and uses the iPhone’s touch screen quite well. You are able to pan across the field and even multi-touch pinch to zoom in and out. Each session offers a good amount of play and can easily last over 30 minutes. In light of this, it’s good to know that the game can be easily paused and resumed at any time.

Despite the general enthusiasm for the title, there are a few negatives. There is currently only one field so gameplay may get a bit repetitive. And there are no sound effects or music presently available.

The developer, however, is promising that there are a number of improvements planned that will address these shortcomings:

• New Maps
• Sound and Music
• New towers
• New fieldrunners

Fans of the Tower Defense genre will almost certainly enjoy this surprisingly well polished version of the game. Other, however, may want to wait until the promised upgrades (especially sound) arrive before making the plunge. With those features in place, I could see this game being very highly recommended.

After seeing the strong response to LED Football, it’s clear that there are a lot of long-time gamers out there.

In a recent retro game discussion in our forums, I remembed another old physical-toy turned iPhone-game called Aqua Hoops [App Store].

This game revives the old water tank toys in which you mashed buttons to propel the balls to their baskets. The game is rather simple and is likely to only appeal to those who played the original. Features include:

There are no sound effects, unfortunately. This gameplay video shows it in action (music not included):

Sean Cross of Source IT Software wrote in to let us know that he is developing an accelerometer-controlled first person shooter for the iPhone called Zombie Mansion.

The game is, unsurprisingly, set in a zombie-filled mansion and the simple objective is to escape, killing anybody who gets in the way.

Zombie Mansion will be available for download through the App Store in November.  We will bring more details on this title as they surface.

More screenshots are available on the developer’s page.

Zombie Mansion is also available on the Windows Mobile platform.

Freeverse let us know about an upcoming puzzle game that they are planning for release next week. Before you say you have enough puzzle games on your iPhone, this one may be different enough to be worth a look.

The game is called Plank and is almost exclusively accelerometer-based. It also comes with nice graphics and a steampunk theme. As in all alternative-puzzle-universes, the goal of the game is to match 3 or more.

Balance the marbles on the plank by tilting left and right and roll them to match falling marbles of the same color. Make lines of 3 or more to score points and remove the marbles. Clear the marbles quickly or the weight will be too much for the plank and it will explode.

Power-ups and specials, such as the “shake” smart bomb promise to keep the game exciting. The game also offers three levels of difficulty.

This brief teaser video provides a feel for the gameplay:

In browsing the latest price drops, three notable games have dropped their prices significantly today.

Numba ($3.99->$1.99) - a touchscreen puzzle game that was well reviewed.

here’s how it works: you’re presented with a grid of numbers between 1 and 9, and your job is to create sequences by dragging your digit through adjacent tiles. A sequence has to be at least three numbers long, but its makeup is flexible. It might be three 1s for example, or a 1-2-3-4 sequence, or an incremental series (1-5-9).

Described as one of the more impressive puzzlers on the iPhone. How to Play from Developer’s site.

Moto Chaser ($4.99->$0.99) - formerly called Moto Racer, this Freeverse title has dropped dramatically down to $0.99 from $4.99 for a limited time. This motorcycle game is a checkpoint racer and easily worth $0.99.

Rock’n'Roll ($4.99->$1.99) - this fast-paced 2d scroller was just released, but has already dropped from $4.99 down to $1.99 for the weekend. The game offers impressive visuals and has been well reviewed by outside sites.

Indie developer Alisdair Mills wrote in to inform us that he is readying StuntBike, an accelerometer-controlled, physics-based iPhone game, for a November release in the App Store.

Similar to the multi-platform XMoto, StuntBike challenges the player to get a motor bike to the end of a track by negotiating various obstacles and hazards.  The game will feature 16 single player levels and a two player “race to the flag” mode that can be played over WiFi.

Althought a final price has not yet been set, Alisdair indicates it likely won’t be over $0.99.

See a demo video of the game in its current state, posted by the developer.

Mobile developer FinBlade, who brought us Tennis Slam, has released Ernie Els Golf 2008 [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch.

In this title, international golf star Ernie Els guides the player through various competitions, offering bits of advice to help shape the player’s game along the way.

The standout feature of the game is its swing control system, which is the most interactive of any iPhone golf title currently avaialble.  As can be seen in the accompanying screenshot, the player is presented with an onscreen swing box that challenges the user to accurately connect with the ball by way of a fairly complex swing sequence.  It works as follows: the player takes control of the club head with a touch, dragging downward to perform the backswing–but don’t drag too far or accuracy will suffer.  Once a sufficient backswing is reached, the player must slide a the finger upwards in as straight a line as possible in order to contact the ball.  Veering left or right will draw or fade the swing.  It takes some skill to get right, which is really more than can be said about the other golf games in the App Store.

The courses are rendered in 3D with 2D distant backdrops and obstacles (trees, bushes, etc).  At first this raised a flag–not being a “full 3D game”–but after playing for a while, one realizes that there’s no real need for 3D trees and 3D mountains on the horizon.  The 2D graphical components are well drawn and don’t detract from the gaming experience in the least.  Overall it’s an attractive game that feels more complete than some of the other golf titles in the App Store.

For every shot, a club suggestion is offered, but the player can choose to any club in his bag.  What’s more, the type of swing can be selected by a button in the middle of the angle / club selection rose.  Most computer golf games don’t offer this level of control and, at first glance, it may seem daunting to those not versed on real-world golf.  But after a quick explanation in the game’s tutorial section, I found myself utilizing the swing-type selection often and to advantageous effect.  It’s a nice feature.

Another aspect of Ernie Els that adds a degree of player immersion is the weather system.  There’s rain–visible raindrops.  Also wind that can be felt by way of audio feedback and the billowing of an onscreen flag.  I’ve not seen a golf title that so boldly embraced inclement weather.  What can I say, it’s fun to golf in the rain (…on the iPhone).

Ernie Els Golf 2008 is the most enjoyable golf title currently available in the iTunes App Store.  The $6.99 download [App Store] is sure to be enjoyed by anyone who craves a little pick-up green time while on the go.  Though, if your wallet just has room for one iPhone golf game, be aware that EA’s lavish Tiger Woods ‘09 [console video] will arrive in the App Store soon.

Agharta Studio has posted screenshots and info about their upcoming interactive adventure game called 1112.

The game is an interactive adventure which claims to have a deep and rich story full of surprises and twists. The game will be delivered in a series of six episodes. The first episode is expected in the App Store “soon”.

The game features hand drawn artwork for the scenes. Players can utilize the iPhone’s touch interface to interact with all visible objects (open, move, examine, etc…) and even multi-touch zoom and rotate certain 3D objects.

The premise for episode one:

Louis Everett is leading a quiet life and minding his own business as the most average middle class citizen with his beautiful but rather nosy wife in the peaceful Jalonsville New Jersey.

This preview video shows how the game works. The developer has been participating in our forum but remains a little coy about the details, saying that there are “tons of features” that will only be seen in the real game.

Little did we know when we started this site, that sales and price drops would be such a frequent announcement.

As the number of iPhone apps games increase, sales are a common way to boost sales and get more attention. Here are a few notable sales from the past 24 hours.

Amnesia ($0.99 -> Free) - A basic Simon game that normally sells for $0.99. It’s dropped to Free for one week. It’s a simple memory game, but there is no high score so play it for your own self satisfaction.

Space Monkey ($1.99 -> Free) - a well reviewed iPhone game in which you control a space monkey who is grabbing objects and dodging space junk. This game normally costs $1.99, but is free for a limited time. Grab it while you can.

Blue Skies ($5.99 -> $1.99) - a great 2d scrolling shooter that we reviewed. The game is popular amongst our readers and is on sale for $1.99 (normally $5.99) this weekend.

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? ($7.99 -> $1.99) - this television game-show inspired game has seen a big drop from $7.99 to $1.99 for a limited time.

Take advantage of them while you can. In the meanwhile, we’ve updated our newest iPhone games list to also reflect recent price drops.

Japanese developer GClue, Inc released their first iPhone game last week called Plasma [App Store]. The $0.99 game delivers a simple but effective reflex / target game.

In general, $0.99 apps can be hit or miss. Some apps just seem to “get by” with the barest essentials. Plasma, however, comes with good graphics, good sound effects and a nice soundtrack.

The gameplay is simple. Plasma balls fly across the screen and your job is to destroy them with your finger before they get to the other side. If the ball crosses over to the other side, you lose a bit of your “Life”. If your Life meter goes to nothing, the game is over. The game is also enhanced by red Plasma balls you must avoid. Tapping on a red ball also reduces your life meter.

Reading the game description doesn’t quite do it justice and the game quickly ramps up to a frantic pace. Watch this video provided by the developer which captures the game well (and also demos the mega plasma ball that eventually appears)

While Plasma keeps track of your high scores locally, the key feature that adds replay value is the inclusion of net rankings so you know how you compare to the rest of the Plasma-playing world.

App Store Link: Plasma