We've been following Crescent Moon's Raid Leader for what feels like way too long now. I've found myself saying for the past year how much I wish Battleheart was fleshed out into a larger game, as saying that Battleheart left me wanting more would be the largest understatement of 2011. We've covered how Raid Leader works in our preview:

In Raid Leader, you'll be taking a knight, a mage, and an archer, against a variety of damage-eating, MMO-like bosses that all appear to have special mechanical hooks. For example, there's a yeti-like monster with a freeze spell that turns its target into a block of ice. In order to break out, you'll have to tap on the screen. There's also a worm that, much to the archer and mage's chagrin, spawns mobs of life-sucking blood leaches all over the battlefield.

Now you can see all this in action in the recently released trailer:

Per the trailer, it's on track for a release next week. Stay tuned for a full review once the game actually hits.

Heads up: Limbic Software is continuing to build on Zombie Gunship [$.99] with the release of a third residential expansion this afternoon. The expectation is that it'll expand on the fiction like the others, and hey, presumably give us another bodacious zombie-popping romp in the process, too. You can grab it now for the delicious price of $0.

Zombie Gunship is a little old by App Store standards, so here's a little refresher for your mushy stuff. From our review:

If you've played Call of Duty, you may remember the levels where you fly in an AC-130 and target the enemies below in a fantastic display of aerial firepower. Well, Zombie Gunship is based on that idea.

In the game, you look down over an apocalyptic landscape and wait for enemies to appear on your radar. Suddenly, a solitary human figure rushes from the shadows, trying to escape from hoards of brain-loving zombies. This is where you step in to save the day. You must shoot the zombies below, before they eat the few remaining humans or reach the bunker. If one lifeless zombie reaches the bunker, it seals itself to avoid being breached and your mission is over.

We're still loving this game, and judging from the response on the game's Facebook page, it looks like its followers aren't anywhere close to being done with it, either. That's good. If the title continues to thrive, we'll probably keep getting new content, too. Screens of the latest just below, by the way:

If you wanted a leg up in Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies [$6.99], Activision has your back. In an update that hit yesterday, the publisher has added a new in-game "Points Pack system" that allows users to purchase the game's currency for real money. There's a total of six tiers to choose from, ranging in price from $.99 to $49.99. The former gives you 12,000 points to play with, while the latter dishes out an astounding 2,000,000.

More interestingly, this update rolls in a couple of new weapons -- the Ray Gun and "the zombie-attracting" Monkey Bomb. Both hit at no-cost after updating, which happens to be the same offering price for all the update's nebulous bug fixes and optimizations. Content is something we've noted that Black Ops Zombies needs, so these weapons are certainly a welcome sight. Hopefully new, wholly original and game-specific maps are hitting soon, too.

Did you know that Blackish Games's New Orbit [$.99] is cheaper than usual? It is. Since late this past January, the horror sci-fi title has been available at $.99 instead of its usual $2.99. It's a good price, too: New Orbit is a solid, story-driven game that has some really sharp gravitational / orbital mechanics wrapped up in its Asteroids-inspired, but less frenzied shell.

At $.99, we think you should give it a try. Our users raved about the game after its initial debut, and still seemed high on it even after finishing. Check out what they had to say before making a purchase, or hey, watch this teaser trailer:

[Via @SteveStreza]

I love Halfbrick's Jetpack Joyride [Free], and if you like good iOS games, chances are you like Jetpack Joyride too. In fact, I'd like even more Jetpack Joyride, which, oddly enough, is where Big Pixel Studios' Off The Leash [Free] comes in. You're likely thinking to yourself, "But it seems obvious from the name alone that Off The Leash has to do with dogs, what does Jetpack Joyride have to do with anything?" I'll explain.

You know how we raved about Jetpack Joyride's mission system, its hefty in-game store full of customizables, and other single-user consumable perks? Well, Off The Leash does an incredible job of utilizing incredibly similar underlying systems to keep you playing game after game while feeling entirely new and fresh. In fact, in light of the recent NimbleBit cloning drama in the past week, it's seems particularly important to tip our hats at games like Off The Leash that utilize these mechanics that work so well, but only as part of building an entirely new game experience.

In Off The Leash you initially control a single dog. It almost has a Mega Jump [Free] feel to it in that coins are everywhere, and you tilt your device to move your dog around to collect them. There's also food to eat, and various power-ups to snag.

(more...)

An official, totally real spin-off of a PC Steam release that goes by the name of Tobe's Vertical Adventure will be available on the App Store this month. As we write this, the folks over at Secret Base are hard at work on Tobe & Friends Hookshot Escape, a vertical and endless platformer that stars everyone's favorite super weapon, the hookshot.

We're told that Tobe & Friends will stroke arcade desires, as well as provide a ton of differentiated play in its space. A total of four unique characters that offer unique hook, er, shotting abilities, as well as four different worlds and 20 pieces of equipment dot the game's landscape. In a blog post, Secret Base notes that there's more to the game like, say, "power ups, monsters, themes and chirpy musics" and more will be revealed later. Catch your first look in the trailer below:

(more...)

Check this: footage of Oceanhorn, the Cornfox & Brothers adventure game joint that seems to resemble the best Zelda ever in both style and tone, is now available. We've embedded the video just below for your viewing pleasure and aren't worried in the slightest that it will be pulled despite being labeled as a "secret" video. This is a PR stunt for a title that made waves when first announced, and hasn't seen substantial coverage since.

We're not complaining, by the way. We want to see more and realize that Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas could be a big deal when it hits later this 2012. Not only is it fascinatingly gorgeous, but it's also mechanically and functionally inspired by Zelda. The world desperately needs more of these kinds of games, and if these cats can pull it off, a lot of people are going to be very happy.

Also, in entirely unrelated but sort of related news: If you're into Wind Waker, check out this fan-made imaginary Wii U sequel trailer that just hit YouTube and is blowing up all over Twitter. Bananas!

Last month, after basically zero pre-release hype, we were pretty surprised to see Batman Arkham City Lockdown [$2.99] pop up in the App Store. Perhaps even more surprising was that NetherRealm Studios, developer of the recent (and excellent) Mortal Kombat reboot on consoles, was behind the iOS title.

And, even more surprising still, Batman Arkham City Lockdown was actually pretty freaking awesome. It was built using the Unreal Engine, so the graphics were definitely up to snuff. And the gameplay took a tiny page out of the Infinity Blade handbook, having you face off against baddies in one-on-one battles using swipe controls to dish out the pain. The combat didn't quite have the complexity of an Infinity Blade, but it was fun nonetheless.

Now, Batman Arkham City Lockdown has just received its first ever sale, dropping from its normal $5.99 price point down to $2.99 for a limited time. If you're wondering if this is the game for you, then be sure to give our full review a read for some insight. Personally, I had a ton of fun with Arkham City Lockdown, and thought it was well worth its original price. For $2.99 I think it's a steal, especially if you're a fan of the Batman, as the developers have done a wonderful job of making the game feel like a fully realized Batman experience. Definitely check it out and take advantage of the sale while it lasts.

First, the news: IKAROS [$.99] creator Riverman Media has finally dated Pizza vs. Skeletons. The wonderfully bent, 100-level pizza rolling game is currently in submission and set to release this February 25 as a paid Universal app. Perhaps as a commentary on current iOS trends, Riverman notes on its blog that this release will be "the whole game, for one price" and all updates will be free forever.

And now for a reminder, because hey, it's been a really, really long time since we've talked about Pizza vs. Skeletons. May 2011, actually, was the last time we had anything meaningful to say about the project, which at the time, the developer  was struggling to pitch. "How do you hype up something that has no clear genre, a nonsense plot, and a main character that's a thirty foot tall conglomeration of cheese and tomato sauce?” the reveal blog post asked.

(more...)

Surprise! RAGE HD [$1.99], id Software's graphically off-the-walls tie-in shooter to RAGE, has been updated with two additional levels in a brand new update that also throws in higher resolution models, video output support, and various other enhancements and bug fixes. The house cleaning additions are free as always, but these levels, Kraken and Aqueduct, come at a cost: $.99, to be exact, via in-app purchase through the in-game Store.

We've spent a few minutes with each and can happily report that they are, indeed, levels that have been added to RAGE HD. One thing we didn't expect, though, is to be floored all over again by this game's look. Goodness, it's gorgeous. Get the same feeling below by glancing at some of the new levels:

A dark, moody endless runner with an actual narrative hook? That's the elevator pitch for rComplex, according to the game's developer, InterWave Studios. Originally released for PC back in 2009, InterWave is breathing new life into the title with a Unity 3D powered re-imaginings across multiple handsets and platforms, including iOS later this February.

A new trailer for the game is embedded below, and you should check it out. Basically, you play as a mysterious dude with a lot of stamina who is being chased by a dream-like tentacle monster. As you run, you'll steadily "piece together the events that led to your current situation," and ultimately the mystery. Well, unless you die. You'll probably be boned on that front, then.

[Via Joystiq]

Big swords and slow-motion make us feel good on the inside, so we're obligated to share this trailer with you. Before you gander at its splendor, here's some context: this is a side-scrolling action RPG from White Whale Games. It's called God of Blades, and in it, users will "assume the role of a nameless spectral king" against a horde of demon dudes. From what we can tell, the action model breaks down to whacking demons with overly large weapons until they fall down. It sounds cool in theory.

No word on release other than "soon," and we're not 100 percent sure what platforms it'll appear on or, hey, even its price. We're guessing these kinds of things will be announced on the studio's Twitter or Facebook in due time.

(more...)

That Epoch [$.99] update that Uppercut Games teased on our show a couple of weeks back is on its way out and will be available at the generous price of $0, while the game itself is celebrating the new update by going on sale for $.99. That's dollars off, y'all -- the usual price is $4.99.

In brief, the update rolls in an "ultra difficulty" mode that introduces harder to kill dudes as well as "trickier enemy variants." It also adds some needed visual tweaks that show off your robot's armor and weaponry and introduces new story content via new in-game pick-ups. Uppercut has updated the game's trailer to reflect all of this, so check it out if you don't dig the word picture we're painting you. Lookin' good!

(more...)

We'd love to have been there when Electric Pixel Factory dreamed up Gorilla Gondola, as it's easily one of the stranger game ideas we've seen come to fruition. In the game, you control a gorilla on a gondola. The objective is to collect bananas and avoid hazards by shaking the gondola with swipes, tilts, and taps. There are also power-ups that change the gorilla and his interaction with the world, as well as what appears to be light puzzle elements, like, laser beam deactivation and so on.

The thing that's getting people the most excited on our message board is its look; it's definitely a sharp game with tons of cool little effects and background touches. We're trying to get some hands on time at the moment, but the wait until release won't be too long: Gorilla Gondola is set to be released on February 2nd.

Mole Kart [Free], the world's most blatant Mario Kart clone, is now free for a "limited time," on the App Store according to the game's developer. As we've covered in the past, Mole Kart lacks a lot of Mario Kart's feature set, but what it include, it charges for piece by piece as IAP unlocks. So, when we say free, we mean that pretty loosely; in this case the cover charge is the only price barrier that has been removed.

If anything, now you've got a chance to see just how blatant of a rip-off that Mole Kart is without dropping three bucks beforehand. You could also watch this trailer or read this thread, though, and save yourself some time: