Board games turned video games have serious legs. I don’t personally understand the phenomenon, but I dig the support that happens as a result. Take this for example. Carcassonne [$9.99], which hit the App Store in June 2010, will soon be updated with Game Center support. Also, in a new blog post, The Coding Monkeys has revealed that its preparing to release two add-on expansions, “Inns and Cathedrals” and “The River II” in the next few months.

The reason why Carcassonne didn’t support Game Center from the get-go has to do with the time it was originally released. Game Center didn’t exist in today’s form while the game was being produced, so The Coding Monkeys had to shape and create its own series of tubes to connect people with each other.

“We initially released Carcassonne before Game Center was available and had to build our own multi-player experience, so it’s great to now be more tightly integrated with existing games and friends by supporting Game Center as well,” the blog reads.

The update is expected to hit within the week, so keep your eyes peeled.

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Fishlabs' highly anticipated add-on to Galaxy On Fire 2 [$9.99 / Lite] recently hit the App Store, and is likely sitting in your pending updates listing if you already own the game. (Assuming of course you haven't already updated.) This update actually comes in two parts, a free component and the actual Valkyrieadd-on which is unlocked via a $4.99 in-app purchase.

In this update, everyone who owns Galaxy On Fire 2 will be granted access to three ships from the original Galaxy On Fire: The Phantom, Vol Noor, and Wraith. Also, you'll be able to get a personal space station to store multiple ships as well as all your loot, cargo, and other items that you want out of your ships' cargo holds.

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Last month, indie developer Ryan Mitchell and his studio Banshee Soft released Mission Europa into the App Store. Combining a deep RPG experience with a first-person shooter, Mission Europa is really unlike anything currently available for a mobile platform like the iPhone. Now you can get a taste of this with the recently released lite version of Mission Europa.

The complete game is spread across 5 episodes and 170 missions, with 50 different levels to explore and at least 50 hours of gameplay. There are a ton of different armor types, equipment, combat skills, and weapons to customize your character with, not to mention an item and equipment creation system that expands that even further. Beyond the impressive single player offering is an online battle arena where you can take your created character into battle against players from all over the world, adding what amounts to endless replay value to the title.

Strictly speaking in terms of content and depth, Mission Europa is unmatched, and the fact that the entire game was built from scratch by one person over the course of 2 years is an insane accomplishment to say the least.

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Back in February, EA Mobile released NBA Jam [$4.99/Lite] into the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. It was based on the well received new version of the long-standing series that hit home consoles late last year, and for the most part made the transition extremely well to iOS. The key missing features were a couple of the less popular game modes and any form of multiplayer, but the core campaign along with all of the hidden bells and whistles remained intact and as fun as ever. Here’s a brief synopsis taken from our original review of NBA Jam from February:

The familiar NBA Jam gameplay returns here featuring a relatively rule-free game of 2-on-2 basketball with an emphasis on pulling off insane physics-defying dunks and ridiculous shooting sprees. Besides adhering to a 24 second shot clock and a no goaltending rule, pretty much anything goes in NBA Jam. Any player that makes 3 consecutive shots will then be “on fire” and during this time will make a higher percentage of shots, have unlimited turbo, and be immune to the goaltending rule. If you’ve played NBA Jam in the past, not a lot has changed here, but that’s most likely for the best.

The iOS version of NBA Jam uses a smart control system that works incredibly well. There’s a virtual stick for movement, a turbo button in the opposite corner, and based on if you’re on offense or defense a button for passing/stealing and another for shooting/blocking. Using your limited turbo meter not only increases your player’s speed but also enhances your other moves, like turning a simple steal attempt into a full-blown shove of an opponent. This is cleverly and elegantly handled by holding down turbo and then sliding to one of the other two buttons, which works great in practice.

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Remember late last month when we learned that Firemint’s Real Racing 2 HD [$9.99] would be getting full 1080p output to your TV using an iPad 2? Well, in case you missed it, the gist of it is that connecting an iPad 2 running Real Racing 2 HD to your television using the Apple HDMI dongle will let you display the game on your HD TV in full 1080p. The iPad then acts as the controller for playing the game on the TV while simultaneously displaying a track map and other information pertaining to your race. The game runs full screen without any borders and at a solid 30 frames per second.

Today the update containing this feature has gone live for Real Racing 2 HD. You can get an idea of just how it works by checking out the following demonstration video that Firemint has put together:

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Nearly two years ago, EA released Tiger Woods PGA Tour [99¢] into the App Store. This game was remarkable at the time for providing a fairly robust golf experience that was akin to the Tiger Woods series on home consoles. While the graphics were fairly lackluster, the frame rate was incredibly smooth and it was exciting to have such a fully featured golf game in your pocket. The real standout feature, though, was the touch screen swing meter which offered a very direct and organic way to swing clubs in the game, which we talked about in our original review of Tiger Woods PGA Tour.

Now, after skipping a new release last year, EA is back with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 [$6.99/HD]. This iteration of the franchise brings with it several new features and greatly improved graphics, but the gameplay feels extremely similar to the last version. This isn’t necessarily bad, as the gameplay was the strongest aspect to the last iOS Tiger Woods, and if you enjoyed that game then you’ll likely enjoy this one even more. If you’re looking for a completely new mobile golfing experience however, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 doesn’t offer that.

The meat of this year’s Tiger Woods is again the PGA Tour which has you entering and competing in the various golf tournaments for cash prizes. Your winnings go towards buying better equipment to improve your game and entering subsequent tournaments throughout the year. Besides this mode, a Tiger Challenge mode has been added where you can play through a number of different types of mini challenges for money, which typically have alternate rules and are generally better suited for a quick play session than playing an entire round or multiple rounds of a tournament.

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All the way back in January of 2010, Ryan Mitchell Games released Necromancer Rising [Free], an RPG of impressive scale. Utilizing their own in-house developed "Soul Engine", the game comes packed with tons of content and customization while still being capable of running well on ancient iOS devices. The graphics look a little dated, but if you can get beyond that you'll be in for 60 hours of gameplay across 50 in-game dungeons with 49 different bosses.

Check out the trailer which shows a bunch of bosses, dungeons, and gameplay:

Anyway, the whole reason that this game is free is because of the launch of Mission Europa, a Sci-Fi themed title based on the same engine which has an additional year of development under its belt. Again, the graphics in Mission Europa are definitely rough around the edges compared to modern video games, but the amount of content and customization is crazy. The 50 hours of gameplay is comprised of 50 different levels over 5 episodes and 170 missions. Also included are 180 different enemies, 50 bosses, and 30 unique armor sets.

Give the trailer a look:

One odd thing about Mission Europa is that it comes in two different editions. First off, there's Mission Europa Collector's Edition HD [$9.99] and Mission Europa Standard Edition HD [$3.99] they seem to be the same game, but the Collector's Edition comes with all of the content while the Standard Edition has it for sale in-game via IAP.

It sounds weird, but people on our forums are absolutely in love with the game. It had a ridiculously huge thread in our upcoming games forum, and now that it's out there's an equally massive thread in our games forum. In addition, there's even a FAQ thread filled with forum members helping others with the game.

I'd definitely give Necromancer Rising a try first, as the game mechanics are similar enough that you'll easily be able to get a feel for whether or not you can deal with how the game feels before getting involved in Mission Europa. Either way, it's impressive seeing indie developers like this releasing games of this scope and scale, so swing by the forums and see what others are saying about the games.

Last December, Firemint wowed everybody by releasing Real Racing 2 [$6.99], the sequel to their popular racing sim that originally hit in Summer of 2009. We had no problem awarding Real Racing 2 5 stars in our review, calling it the “king of iOS racing games”. One thing we weren’t sure of, however, and something that many players in our forums and elsewhere had been wondering about, was if there would be a Real Racing 2 for the iPad.

Firemint since confirmed that it was in the works, and part of the hold up was seeing what Apple’s plans were for the iPad 2 which was announced last week and is available starting today.

Well, just like clockwork, and echoing the original iPad’s release, Real Racing 2 HD [$9.99] has launched just in time to be one of the flagship titles for the new iPad 2. Firemint claims that Real Racing 2 HD is optimized for both the original iPad and the extra performance muscle of the iPad 2, so should serve as a great title to show off your shiny new toy should you be picking up an iPad 2 later today.

Yesterday at GDC we sat down with Brian Robbins of Riptide Games who took us through their latest release, Shadow Ranch [link] (with an "HD" version for iPad [link]), an iOS adaptation of Her Interactive's highly popular Nancy Drew Adventure series.

In a departure from the PC and console originals, the iOS Nancy Drew mobile mystery takes the form of an interactive book that works much like one of the old Choose Your Own Adventure stories. The primary portion of the experience is reading the story presented, eight chapters full of illustrations and media-enhanced hyperlinks. The other part of the app consists of three different kinds of mini-games. The outcome of a variety of hidden object games, word games, and horse racing games determine the path of the story and bring achievements. Several sideline mimi-mysteries are also included.

Brian also showed us Mini Monster Smash! [App Store], the fruit borne of Riptide's all-night coding frenzy at November's 360iDev Game Jam. The goal of the game is to smash a cute little red monster with a flyswatter to get it to fly as far as you can. Along the way the monster will bounce off of trampolines, bombs or float in bubbles.

And, finally, we had a look at an upcoming title called My Pet Zombie, which is being developed jointly with Recharge Studios. It's one for the virtual pet fan who also has a thing for zombies. The game puts a cute little zombie in a graveyard setting on your screen for you to love and nurture. It even dances. But don't take care of it and it's one more tombstone in the graveyard. The game also features social aspects, such as freinds' zombies going on a date, etc.

Shadow Ranch and Mini Monster Smash recently went live in the App Store, and My Pet Zombie is expected in late April or early May as a freemium release.

Galaxy On Fire 2 [$9.99 / Lite] is a big game that’s going to get even bigger with the eventual release of a Tom Cruise-less add-on called “Valkyrie.” Developer Fishlabs is going light on the details at the moment, reserving the reveal for press at GDC, however, we do know some general stuff at the moment -- new ships from a new class, new weapons, and a new and voiced story component will all be included in the add-on which hits in April via IAP.

As if that was enough GOF content, Fishlabs will be releasing a high-resolution ship pack featuring ship models from the first game as a free update on the same day Valkyrie is released. Neat!

So, you’re not familiar with GOF 2? Brother, I got your back. In a nutshell, it’s a space trading and commerce game with a lot of options and upgrades. Our review is pretty comprehensive, but here’s a selection that gets to the meat of the game:

“Your goal is to get back to your home system on the other side of the galaxy, but achieving that goal is going to take some time, and what better way to fill that time than by taking on various missions across the region's 20 star systems. You start out with a relatively weak, modestly outfitted ship, but there's money to be made and upgrades to be had along the way.”

“Jobs ranging from cleaning up space garbage to mining asteroids to transporting goods to hunting pirates to rescuing kidnapped officers can be had in the various stations in each system on the vast star map. And, if that seems too harrowing, money can be made in the simple buying and selling of simple commodities from one station to another. Like father of the genre Elite, it's a game you can take at your own pace.”

Told you I got you! Anyway, I imagine dedicated GOF'ers out there are more than thrilled about this update. Tell me how thrilled!

With a week to go before the month is over, we're just now finally seeing some major iOS game releases after seemingly every developer fired off everything they had in to the 2010 holiday season. Tonight's treasures are Dead Space for the iPhone and iPod touch as well as Dead Space for iPad. Dead Space is currently available in New Zealand, and will be appearing in various international App Stores throughout the day until it finally shows up in the US at 11:00 PM EST.

We'll have our full review up later today, but for our friends abroad I'll offer some brief impressions- The graphics and sound of Dead Space are incredible, and really nail the look and feel of the series. This is a game you'll want to play in the dark with headphones. I've found myself preferring the game on the iPad, as your thumbs obscure a little too much of the screen on the iPhone. (It's still a ton of fun on smaller devices, don't worry.) There isn't any kind of aim assist or control customization which makes combat feel clunky and more difficult than it should be, which can be irritating in a game with limited ammo where every shot counts.

We have other minor criticisms which we'll get in to in our full review later today, but even with the few issues Dead Space has, this isn't a game you should miss. With around 6 hours (in our playthrough) of playtime, Dead Space provides an experience that fits perfectly in line with its console counterparts. We just wish they titled the game something differently, as it comes loaded with its own unique story line and will likely be a part in any discussion of Dead Space lore... Things are going to get confusing with Dead Space (for consoles) and Dead Space (for iOS) sharing the same name and being completely different games.

Stay tuned, and in the meantime swing by the Dead Space and Dead Space HD threads in our forums for more initial impressions from international forum members who have already purchased the game in their App Store.

International App Store Links

• Dead Space, $6.99 USD
• Dead Space for iPad, $9.99 USD

I'm not entirely sure what to even say about this. We post our fair share of iPhone game videos, so we know full well just how much time goes in to shooting, processing, and uploading gameplay video (and generally speaking our videos are only a couple minutes long). So when a TouchArcade forum member decides to post three whole hours worth of gameplay footage, split in to fourteen parts, well... That deserves some recognition. I suppose technically this is a Aralon: Sword and Shadow [$9.99] speed run as well, as the whole thing is completed in three hours, stopping only to do quests that are vital to the main plot line of the game.

Here is the first installment of the series:

Here's the complete series, in its full fourteen part glory: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14! Aiti1980, that's some serious dedication. Anyway, if you've yet to play Aralon, you can now watch three hours of YouTube video, or better yet, check out our review and give the game a download. It's an incredibly impressive open world RPG that's still one of the most talked about games on our forums and recently received an update adding a spirit wolf companion to the ranger class along with a bunch of other fixes and tweaks.

Looking back at our review of the original Real Racing [$4.99 / Lite / HD], we had a few disappointments, but overall had no issue calling it an "unrivaled racing experience." While EA has released a few great racers from the Need For Speed series, Real Racing was always my racing game of choice... Making me wonder what game was going to boot Real Racing off my personal throne of favorite racer on the platform. Unsurprisingly, Real Racing 2 [$9.99] was the game to do it.

The original Real Racing received universal acclaim from the gaming media, and even went on to take home an Apple Design Award at WWDC this year. Real Racing 2 is everything a good sequel should be in that it builds on top of the excellent foundation set by Real Racing, adding often requested features and other surprises we weren't expecting all while improving nearly everything that was retained from the first.

Just like Real Racing, the sequel is host to a variety of control options that mix and match touch and tilt, along with various automatic systems that can be enabled or disabled depending on your skill level. By default, Real Racing 2 is incredibly easy to play. Steering assist and anti-skid default to on, and the brake assist is cranked up as high as it can go. Controlling this way, the games handles almost everything for you, and all you need to do is tilt your phone right or left to steer. Alternatively, you can turn everything off and drive completely manually, controlling both the brake and the gas while either steering with touch or tilt, along with many options in between. Unfortunately, it seems that there isn't any way to manually change gears.

The graphics in Real Racing 2 are substantially improved. Both the tracks and the cars themselves seem much more detailed, and while you can change the camera to several positions, the most awe-inspiring is the cockpit view where each car's interior is modeled with extreme precision. Speaking of cars, one of the most surprising reveals before the game was released was the inclusion of 30 different fully licensed real cars. Brands range from VW to BMW to Ford and much more.

The number of cars in each race has been cranked up to 16, which I think is one of the most substantial improvements. Previously, iOS racers all felt pocket sized in one way or another. You never really got the full experience of a console racer because in most racing games you were only ever competing in 8 car races. Doubling this makes for races that are just crazy, especially on higher difficulty settings where the AI racers seem to actively try to prevent you from passing them-- Often creating epic battles between cars as you attempt to slowly climb to first place.

These 16 player races aren't limited to single player either, for the first time on the App Store you can play up against 16 players online. These huge online races are absolutely awesome, and work effortlessly. You tap the online multiplayer icon, and seconds later you're tossed in to a lobby with other players. Following a short countdown you're at the starting line of an online race. Real Racing 2 seems to prioritize quick matching to full races, so if you're playing at an off time you likely will get matched with fewer players. One thing I'd like to see in the future is if there was some kind of slider that you could set whether you prefer shorter wait times or larger races. Often times I wouldn't mind waiting a little bit longer to play with more people.

Also added is a new career mode, which Firemint is claiming should keep you busy for around ten hours. Playing through career mode will have you making your way through various events, earning money, buying cars, and upgrading them. The career mode also serves as a bit of a tutorial, as the early events require you to do things like upgrade your car to a certain performance threshold, win a certain number of popularity points, or even paint your car a different color. One minor complaint I do have about this is that at the start of the game you're given a small amount of cash to buy your first car. This requires you to go through all the different cars searching for one you can actually afford. While I suppose this initially gives you a good idea of just how many cars there are, I would have much preferred to just have the option to select an available starter car instead of needing to search through everything else.

Though Real Racing 2 may have a few things I'd like to see changed, it's without a doubt the current king of iOS racing games. I'd go as far as calling it the perfect iPhone game. The controls are perfectly suited to the platform, the graphics are fantastic, and Real Racing 2 is compatible with every iOS device, even the ancient 1st generation iPod touch. The online component is fantastic, the career mode is a welcome addition, and there's even a new car damage system that reflects just how much you've been bumping in to things. There aren't many other games that showcase what the iOS platform is capable of more than Real Racing 2, so much so, that Apple should just be bundling it with their devices. Do not miss this game.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for consoles and PC is a great, isometric action-adventure that successfully combines the exploration, the high-octane action sequences, and the puzzle elements of a solid Tomb Raider title with the combat of a good dual-stick shooter. It's not a perfect game. I think the setup to larger tasks is often are boring (go here; grab this; repeat) and the crowd control options are lacking, but overall it's a fun game with a satisfying level of depth -- especially in its item and equipment systems which allow you to boost Lara's skills by doing optional tasks or finding items scattered throughout the world.

Surprisingly, Guardian of Light will soon be available on the iOS in North America, and it appears to be a faithful port in regards to mechanics and game world, which is why I've mentioned all this. But during my playthrough of this version, I've discovered that the things that don't come across so well are the visuals, sound, frame rate, and control. I know -- bummer!

A lot of textures in the game look terrible, while some needed sound effects simply aren't duplicated. Take, for example, the tumbling bridge section right outside the Spider Temple. No crumbling sounds are emitted in the preceding cut-scene that betrays the  bridges' stability. And while that's bothersome, the fact that Lara can clip through the final bridge's geometry and fall to her doom after said cut-scene is even worse.

This scene, despite all of its action and stupid missteps, manages to hold up well in regards to frame rate, which makes it all the more mystifying whenever frames start dropping during low-octane portions of the game.

You can deal with these things; I can deal with these things. But, I think the real deal-breaker is Guardian of Light's on-screen controls, which make shooting, jumping, rolling, and basic item navigation a nightmare. The game is playable, sure, but it's obvious that the enemy balance wasn't tweaked -- nor were its scripted action sections -- for on-screen UI. Guardian of Light feels like a game built for users with a controller, which is a problem since, well, you aren't using a controller to play it.

Guardian of Light "proper" has a fantastic online co-op component that has one player playing as Lara while the other handles a warrior named Totec. What makes this such a compelling addition is that the game changes in meaningful ways with two people; puzzles that demand interdependence and unique scenarios are made available in this mode.

Sadly, this iOS version of the co-op appears to be shoddy. Between Master Eli and I, our game's crashed a total of five times while starting up a match, and our invites to each other didn't work in the first place. We had to, hilariously, use random matchmaking to even find each other. I shouldn't say this component is broken exactly, but it's obvious someone needs to take a look at this component's implementation.

What kills me here is that there's a great game buried in Guardian of Light iOS -- a game that has satisfying combat, great loot systems and upgrade paths, a fun story, a good co-op component, and some good head-scratchers. But... these silly problems are killers. The good news is that most of the problems are fixable, particularly the ticky-tacky geometric, sound, and network stuff. The question is, is someone going to address these issues? I hope so. Guardian of Light is fantastic and I wish I could enjoy this version just as much as the others. It kinda goes without saying, but we'll hold our official in-depth review until we see a patch since it's really hard to recommend this game as it is on launch day.

UPDATE: We've been informed that the multiplayer is not cross platform, which excuses why Eli and I weren't able to connect the first three or four times (I was on an iPad, while he was on an iPhone 4). This doesn't explain why the game even let us attempt to connect to each other, but it totally makes sense why we couldn't. However, we still experienced the same connection and crashing problems while using two iPads. As you might have assumed, that one positive match we had before the game crashed was with two iPads.

App Store Links - Note: This game is currently available internationally, but won't be available in the US App Store until 11:00 PM Eastern.

• Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light, $6.99
• Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light HD, $9.99

In a world collapsing in on itself under the weight of its machine-churned puzzle games, World of Goo was a breath of fresh air when it was released in 2008. It was smart, varied, deep, gorgeous, and, above all, entertaining. The iOS version of the game will be hitting the US App Store tonight, and to no-one's surprise, it's still just as good.

The truly surprising thing is that this iPad version is easily the definitive version of the game oft-praised puzzler. You get a real sense of connection with the game's world as you dip your finger or fingers into it, and the technical mastery displayed in this port is near unparalleled. Everything just feels perfect. It's as if this was the version of the game we all should have played first.

At first, World of Goo is about manufacturing bridges and towers with the stretched tissue of little balls of goo. The point is to provide a path that other goo balls can follow into a metal pipe, the end point. Physics play a key role in this process: you'll need to build sound structures, which sounds easier than it is. Goo isn't concrete.

Each level requires a set number of goo balls to reach the pipe, and each goo ball you use for a structure counts against the total provided. This constant negotiation of goo resources is pleasing because it forces you to think around the obvious solution, which is often one of brute building.

The game doesn't rest on this basic formula. It has a bevy of twists and spins on this concept and mechanic in each level, providing a stream of different looks at what is possible to do in the game. A lot of levels even introduce new goo balls with very different, game-altering properties. There's a change of pace opportunity around every corner, be it from the introduction of helium-filled goo balls, vicious gusts of wind, and so on.

Diversity can become a bugbear in because explanation and experimentation are often required in large amounts. Developer 2D Boy mitigates this by walking the fine line between handholding and intuitive design. Levels are presented in such a way that it's clear what needs to be done, while signpost text written by the game's clever Sign Painter provides subtle hints and teases if a structure is too strange.

The Sign Painter is a perfect example of the game's character and tone. This writer of signs is bizarre and cheery, much like the game's unusual art. And if you doubted the power of a hand-drawn approach in this day and age, just take a look at this game. The art is detailed and beautiful and full of character-defining quirk.

On a related note, the sound design is stupendous in that it helps to add even another layer of character to the goo balls by allowing you to identify them simply by ear. Very cool stuff.

There's little wrong with World of Goo. I tend to think the physics on the larger balls introduced later in the gamer are a bit too wonky; there's a degree of luck almost in dealing with them as they tend to bounce wherever they like. I'm also not a fan of the fact that you can't pinch and zoom to get an overview of a level. 2D Boy keeps the camera tight and forces you to scroll sideways to see other parts of a map.

To be clear, this is a port. I've yet to see a level or a mechanic that wasn't present in other builds of the game. But it's a fantastic recreation, so much so that I've become convinced that this is the best version available. The touch controls are responsive, simple, and precise. Your finger, it turns out, is just as good as a mouse or a Wii Remote pointer. The intangible here is what it feels like to directly interact with the game's world. It just feels right. Picking up and applying goo is natural, as if your finger was intended to be used with this game in the first place. It's wild, man.

Puzzle games are a dime a dozen on the App Store, but World of Goo is easily one of the best ones available. It's charm, level of polish, and stream of new mechanics and ideas will keep you invested, while its other qualities will probably make you wish that every game from this point forward could be as imaginative and intuitive. Check it out.

App Store Link: World of Goo for iPad, $9.99 (Available in the US at 11:00 PM Eastern)