Last week we talked about the massive update to last summer's quirky platformer Bean's Quest [99¢/Lite] that added a ton of brand new levels and fleshed out the storyline with appropriate intro and ending sequences. Basically, Bean's Quest was originally an incredibly short game, featuring just 8 levels. That was the chief complaint in our original review, though we did enjoy the game a lot while it lasted. In about 6 months time, Bean's Quest has expanded to 50 levels and is finally the full and complete game it was always intended to be.

For today only, you can grab the full version of Bean's Quest for just 99¢. If you've always admired Bean's Quest from afar, but weren't sure if its "constantly bouncing" gameplay was the right fit for you, then a recently released lite version can help you make up your mind. I would urge all platformer fans to give the lite version a spin, and if you're into it, then definitely grab the full Bean's Quest while it's just a dollar.

A few weeks back, Cave announced that their next iOS release would be Dodonpachi Blissful Death, a port of their 2002 Japanese arcade game Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou. Just in case your brain needs a refresher, take a look at the rather awesome trailer for the game:

Today Cave announced over Twitter that Dodonpachi Blissful Death is set for release this week on February 9th. Of course, due to the magic of time zones, that means late Wednesday for the App Store here in the US. It'll set you back $4.99, but you'll need at least 4th generation hardware or an iPad 2 in order to play. Also, look for Dodonpachi Resurrection to be going on sale for somewhere around $5 the weekend following release.

Zynga has been all over the news lately as the result of the nearly simultaneous reveal of the Tiny Tower knock-off Dream Tower and the Bingo Blitz fiasco. The Zynga CEO responded in a VentureBeat interview, but his comments (as well as the "confidential memo") only seemed to pour more fuel on the fire.

Now, an alleged former full-time Zynga engineer has come out of the woodwork to post the Reddit thread, IAmA Former FullTime Zynga Engineer. If you don't follow the "IAmA" section on Reddit, it basically amounts to people in interesting positions post who they are, and you can ask them anything. Sometimes people just randomly post, and other times there are scheduled upcoming threads, like Blink 182's Mark Hoppus this afternoon.

(more...)

When Apple announced, four years ago, that they would be releasing an iPhone SDK (for free) and opening an App Store where developers far and wide could peddle their creations, it became immediately clear to us that iOS (née iPhone) gaming was going to be huge. As developers jumped on board and began crafting titles for the platform, many noted that a game creation environment emerged that harkened back to the early-'80s home computer days when a single developer could sit down with an idea, bang out some code, and sell his game at the store down the block -- a floppy wrapped up nicely in a zip-lock bag. The barrier to entry was, again, nil.

Plenty of major studios began porting iOS versions of their large console titles over, sure, but it's really been the wonderful indie developers out there, following that development model of olde, that have contributed most of what's really special to iOS gaming. It's also worth noting that a great many of the true App Store gems adhere to the gameplay model that was the standard back in those early days of video games, both in the home and in the arcade: simple gameplay that's instantly engaging, delivering "just one more game" fun in short play-sessions. They really knew how to do it way back when -- fields of encroaching Asteroids, a furiously barreling Centipede, the quick thinking demanded of a Missile Commander, and the battle with gravity that is Gravitar. Wonderful stuff.

I'm thrilled to report that something incredible has just been revealed that stands to generate gameplay opportunities for iOS gamers that marry that white-knuckle gaming excellence of decades past with the here and now of a particular mobile gaming platform. In perhaps the biggest news ever to come out of an iOS game studio, Seamus Blackley, co-creator of the Xbox, has formed the startup Innovative Leisure and has pulled together a team of famous designers from the Atari of the '70s and '80s to create original, new games for the "new arcade," which is this team's term for the iOS platform.

The veteran Atari developers in question, or "Jedi Council," includes Ed Rotberg, creator of Battlezone; Owen Rubin, creator of Major Havoc and Space Duel; Rich Adam, creator of Gravitar and co-developer of Missile Command; Ed Logg, co-creator of Asteroids and Centipede; Dennis Koble, creator of Touch Me and Shooting Gallery; Bruce Merrit, creator of Black Widow; and Tim Skelly (of Cinematronics, not Atari), creator of Rip-Off. In all, 11 developers of olde, along with several young interns, make up the group. "This is the dream team from Atari," says Blackley.

As Blackley told VentureBeat,

“We had that big collection of games, and we love the history of game design,” Blackley said. “I’m lucky because I love games and following that love has always done me well. Once we figured out the iPhone is the new arcade, that games from the old days fit this new audience and their on-the-go lifestyle, we knew what to do. There is already a group of people who know how to operate and innovate in this space. They had the longest string of hit games in history. And they wanted to get back together again.”

Blackley's partner in the venture, chief executive Van Burnham, came to know many of the early Atari game designers in writing her 2003 book Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984. She introduced them to Blackley, and the like-minded group formed a close relationship. During this time, Blackley and Burnham created their own arcade in an LA warehouse, which they called the "Supercade," filled with rows and rows of vintage cabinets, gathered to illustrate the history of gameplay, as viewed by its curators. And, it is within this arcade in LA that the team of designers will work together on their new iOS creations, so as to gather inspiration by the games that surround them.

To start, the team came up with 30 game ideas in all, narrowed the list down to the 10 best, and pitched them to the publishing house THQ, who indicated they wanted them all. Right now, seven of the titles are in development. (THQ has first right of refusal on all of the team's titles, in exchange for funding, but Blackley indicates he can shop around any ideas the publisher dismisses.)

As a particular retro game lover -- and lover of those titles that stay close to that lean formula of decades past -- this news excites me in ways not easy to express. And, I have a feeling I won't be the only one whose hair stood up on the back of their neck in hearing it. Rest assured we will bring full coverage of any and all news out of Innovative Leisure, including further details the team will be sharing at next week's DICE Summit in Las Vegas.

Read the full interview story over at VentureBeat, and the photo gallery at Time is worth a look.

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:

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]

Our ratings for games we reviewed in January are now in place, and we now present to you the ones that are on the top of the heap. Each game reviewed receives a 1-5 star rating relative to the other games from that month. Generally, a three-star or higher is considered a "good" rating.

Our final scores are not the product of any traditionally objective measures such as graphics or sound, but simply reflect the games we would most recommend to others. Keep in mind, this listing is comprised of games we reviewed in January, and not necessarily games that were specifically released in January.

(more...)

Ticket to Ride Pocket [$1.99], the iPhone and iPod Touch-specific version of the wonderful board game translation, has received a huge update. Starting now, users can now rock out online for the first time in a new asynchronous mode that allows up to four games per user. Less excitingly, local play has received a few tweaks: games no longer just quit out whenever there's a disconnect, and an AI or two can now join in on the fun.

The patch notes also mention a lot of bug fixes, including memory leaks. Hit those up if you are really, really into the nitty-gritty of a splendidly comprehensive patch that adds functionality that we've all been waiting for. Here's to hoping Pocket gets all of the maps in the iPad version down the line, too.

(more...)

A couple of high-profile games are on sale on the App Store this morning. Warner Bros, in celebration of over a million sales and Valentine's Day, has put Scribblenauts Remix [$.99] on the price-slash block. Down to $.99 from $1.99, the latest version of the game includes a new Valentine's Day playground. The other notable, Another World [$1.99], is now just $1.99 instead of its usual $4.99. We've created the above epic image to mark the occasion of the meeting of these two games within a single blog post. Enjoy!

In all seriousness, both games are imaginative and lovingly rendered on iPhone and iPad. You can read more about Scribblenauts here and Another World here if you'd like, but let us save you a bit of time with this double-fisted spoiler: both games are, like, fantastically buy-it-now good. What are you waiting for, man?

Regardless of whether you typically buy things with iTunes gift cards or if you've just linked your credit card up to your iTunes account and forgotten about it, Best Buy has a pretty great deal going that lasts until 7:00 PM Eastern tonight. iTunes gift cards are 20% off, and they're available in values ranging from $15.00 (for $12.00) all the way up to $100.00 (for $80.00). Better yet, these gift cards are delivered digitally. So, if you've got a way to funnel money into the Best Buy web site, they'll just instantly email you a discounted iTunes gift card code. How's that for convenience?

Mash this link if you're interested in taking advantage of the deal. You should see all the available gift cards. If the link isn't working for you, just search their site for "iTunes (Digital Delivery)". These 20% off deals aren't anything to scoff at either, as buying $100.00 worth of credit for $80.00 could potentially net you nearly 20 free 99¢ games out of the deal depending on your local tax rate.

How much are those of you who are taking advantage of this dumping into the deal? I know people who buy stupid amounts of iTunes credit when these 20% off sales roll around, as that's not only about as cheap as iTunes credit ever gets, but it's also definitely a "the more you buy the more you save" kind of thing.

[via 9to5Mac]

Kotaku is reporting that Crytek, the company behind the CryEngine technology and the Crysis series of visually high-end first-person shooters, is in advanced stages of a new social gaming network that they’re calling GFACE. Yes, GFACE. I’m as baffled as you about the name, “game+Facebook” maybe?

Anyway, what the service known as GFACE actually claims to do sounds pretty cool. It runs completely in the browser and lets you do all the sorts of social things you would expect from your Facebook, Google+ or Twitter – add friends, post about your interests, discover new people, and plenty more. You can also meet up with people online and enjoy media-type things together, sort of like how you can watch a movie with friends in an Xbox Live party.

(more...)

Sissel has a lot of problems, but the least of  them is that he's dead. Well, not dead-dead, but dead. I'll explain: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective [Free] is all about what Sissel has gained in the afterlife. Like a common ghoul, this guy can rattle mundane objects, activate levers and buttons, and possess stuff. He can also decidedly un-ghoulishly rewind time, which is a trick that comes in pretty handy; a lot of the people he knows tend to die, and he needs these people to help him with his biggest problem: memory loss.

Ghost Trick first saw a release on Nintendo DS around a year ago. This isn't its debut on iOS, though. A couple of months after the DS release, Capcom dropped a Universal version of the game on the Japanese App Store. Now, the rest of the world is finally getting to see a version of this port tonight.

(more...)

It's Wednesday again, and if you've been reading TouchArcade for any more than a week you'll likely know what that means: Game releases, and lots of them. This got me thinking, surely everyone has heard the old nursery rhyme Monday's Child, right? That's something they still tell kids these days, isn't it?

I think this should be revised, as Wednesday's child is now full of iOS games, which I'd say is the exact opposite of woe. Or, maybe the reason Wednesday's child is woeful is because on that particular Wednesday there was a game that cost more than 99¢? The world may never know.

What does this have to do with anything? I don't know, the brutal truth is I just need enough text to make this image I embedded look right. Now, enough breaking the third wall and on with the games!

(more...)

There are a ton of Magic: The Gathering utilities on the App Store to assist in playing the card game. I've always been partial to using a combination of TCG Buddy [$4.99] for game tracking and Orcish Librarian [Free] for checking card values. If the thought of dabbling in the third party Magic app market never appealed to you, you're in luck, as Wizards of the Coast just launched Magic: The Gathering Toolbox [Free].

Wizards has already detailed all the features, but it includes life counters, a card search, a deck builder, and even the ability to test your deck to see what a sample hand would look like-- All with full card art. With everything though, there's a catch. Magic: The Gathering Toolbox will initially be free, but as they release new sets of cards being able to access those cards for deck building inside of the app will require "a small fee to update the deck builder with the latest content." No word yet on what that "small fee" will be.

(more...)

Relax those fists and wiggle your fingers. If you weren't elite enough to get into the Steam Mobile [Free] beta and are experience some, er, anger issues over the whole deal, you don't have to anxiously ball up your hands anymore. The beta process has ended almost as suddenly as it began. The app is now available for all as a free download.

We've given Steam Mobile another look, and aren't noticing any features that weren't listed as initially beta features. Text-based chat with friends, profile and group stuff, as well as game shopping and asset viewing are all included in the package. And yeah, we also bought a game from a toilet. If this isn't the future, then what is it?

(more...)