Fighting Fantasy is a series of game books which are also available on the App Store. We've posted about these game books in the past, and they're really clever works of interactive fiction that work great on iOS devices. We've been told that the games these studios will be working on are going to be 3D adaptations to these books, and need to stay faithful to the original IP, which sounds like an interesting challenge.

The four games will be revealed on April 10th, and while I can only speculate what the quality of each of the games will be, it's really cool seeing Epic hosting these challenges with iOS specifically in mind.

This works like all other weeks in that these games should all be available in the USA at 11:00 PM Eastern, or potentially much, much earlier if you're East of North America. In which case, these games should all be available now, or very soon.

100 Trials, $1.99 - Forum Thread - This is a "re-imagining" of 100 Rogues, a roguelike that was released a few years ago which was very highly anticipated amongst our community, but quickly became notorious for just how buggy it was. Combat seems to be further refined, more classes are included, and hopefully this pseudo-sequel manages to free itself of the issues of the original.

Bubble in Paradise, 99¢ - Forum Thread - Do you like words and popping bubbles? Well, Chillingo has you covered this week. Multiple game modes and even online multiplayer are packed in too.

Corpse Party Blood Covered: ...Repeated Fear, $24.99 - Forum Thread - We've gone over what this game is all about in a recent news post. Unfortunately, it seems that the game only comes packed with Japanese language support right now. Oddly enough, it's (currently) available in regions outside of Japan, which seems sort of rare for these crazy Japanese-only RPGs.

Diggin' Dogs, 99¢ - Forum Thread - I like dogs, I like games with digging mechanics, and I especially like games that seem to explode coins everywhere. 3 dogs, 61 levels, and 5 game worlds are included.

DoDonPachi Blissful Death, $4.99 - Forum Thread - The latest shooter from Cave, which should say everything about this game. Expect tons of sprites on screen, bullets everywhere, and incredibly fast action.

End Night for iPad, $2.99 - Forum Thread - Check out our preview for all the details, but this seems to be a really slick interpretation of survival horror on iOS devices, which is a genre which I'd really like to see more of.

Eufloria for iPad, $4.99 - Forum Thread - We've had some extensive hands-on time with this beautiful RTS. In fact, if you want to know everything there is to know and more about it, check out our preview.

Pinball Arcade, 99¢ - Forum Thread - Who knew that iOS devices would be such a killer platform for pinball fans? Pinball Arcade seems to be yet another entry in the fantastic pinball aisle on the App Store. It comes with a single table unlocked, with additional ones available via IAP.

Ragdoll Blaster 3, 99¢ / HD - Forum Thread - Ragdoll Blaster was an incredible game, Ragdoll Blaster 2 was even better, and I don't think it's that big of a leap of faith to assume that the third in the series is going to be better yet. If you haven't played a Ragdoll Blaster game yet, and are even remotely interested in physics puzzlers, get on it.

Raid Leader, 99¢ - Forum Thread - I've been looking forward to this game since I first caught wind of it. We'll have a review up the second it hits the US App Store, but seriously, just watch the trailer.

Star Wars Pit Droids, $1.99 - Forum Thread - Are you excited for Phantom Menace in 3D this weekend? (No? Eh, can't blame you.) Well, the good news is this game looks pretty rad, and actually started its life as a PC game back in 1999. Now, how about some more LucasArts games from the 90's on the App Store?

You just can't pitch this game to a major publisher. This will never be a blown-up, $60 retail title. It's too free-wheeling, too idealistic. It's too ... different.

I've had my paws all over a pre-release build for the last week or so, and I'm OK with saying that it's looking every bit as awesome as its name implies it will be. Sure, it might not have any ultra-familiar trappings to draw connections to, but that's kind of the point: this thing is bananas, man. It's as far-out as a quasar.

Take the mechanics, for example. In the game, you control a house-sized pizza that can roll, stomp, and jump. Rolling requires a simple tilt of the device. Tap the screen and the pizza jumps. Tap again while in the air and the pizza unleashes a devastating stomp.

Rolling automatically obliterates enemies into plumes of grave dust -- provided they aren't hoisting an over-sized, pizza-skewing spear in front of their bodies. If this is the case, a physics-bending jump and stomp will do the trick. As you play, you'll start running into a few enemies that twist this basic combat model. There's a flying skeleton that requires a bit more touch, as well as other minor iterations on this specific idea.

If that was the game, I'd still be as into it since, you know, you'll be controlling a giant, grimacing pizza on a quest to kill all the skeletons ever. But that's not all there is. Pizza vs. Skeletons is like a conga line of levels and different systems, each one bolting onto the back of the last and making the stream stronger and crazier.

In the first chapter, you'll be introduced to a skiing mini-game that doesn't task you with killing. Instead, the objective is to hit the ramps perfectly in order to collect the most currency possible. Later, you'll be balancing the pizza on the top of a huge skull while crossing a pit of spikes, pummeling telltale Angry Birds structures into oblivion, or even bouncing on rocks in a timed adventure that has you knocking skulls off of the tiny platform you'll be forced to work with.

There's a lot more, and I won't spoil it all. I will say, though, that nothing I've been doing is striking me as particularly interesting. Everything in the game exists in the service of fun, kinda like a Rock Band. You're just playing to act out weird power fantasies, and that's cool.

Also, while there's a level of schizophrenia inherent in this kind of design, Riverman ties all of the bits and bobs together into a coherent whole; the sound design is as kooky as the game, and the art direction? It's like something Tim Burton would do if he could (a) draw and (b) chill out every once in a while. The game is bent, but lightly so; its style and its tone fits well with the oodles of off-the-wall content.

There's a good story about this game's design in this week's show. Riverman is composed of two brothers, Jacob and Paul Stevens. Jacob, the art dude, dreamt up the scenarios. Paul, the programmer, then had to figure out a way to not only make it work technically, but also make them fun.

The prototyping phase took awhile and the duo had a lot of back and forths on the subject of dreams vs. the reality of having to make solid, fun-to-play content within the technical parameters of the game.

"There are a few levels that have the theme of your sort of crushing a structure in a way like how you fling birds in Angry Birds at something and destroy it. We thought could we make that fun as a pizza? Well, if you actually physically control your character and just crush, say, the Great Pyramids, that could be interesting." Paul told us earlier this week.

"Jake's ideas probably come from a totally different place than mine do. In mine, I was thinking what's fun being a huge, powerful character? Crushing structures."

Another fun thing that comes hand-in-hand with the conceit of driving around a huge pizza is topping customization. As you beat levels, you earn currency which can be dropped into extra vegetables or meats, new faces, new glasses, and even hats. Each is lovingly animated, and most are pretty hilarious. I'll go on record here and say that nothing comes close to being as cool as a 10-foot tall pizza with a top hat.

I've held back my progression in the game so I wouldn't get too review-y in this, but I think it's pretty obvious that I'll be embracing the game with open arms when it hits a little later this month on the 16th. We'll be bringing you more around that time, too.

For now, though, keep your eyes on this and Riverman. The studio has never attempted a game this ambitious, this out-of-the-mold, and it seems like it has hit a new stride in the process. I'm excited, and I think you should be, too.

You can bet we'll be all over Beat Sneak Bandit like fingerprints on touch screens when it surfaces next week, and until then there's a discussion thread you can check out in our forums.

Ignite features 3 different modes, 35 circuits across 7 locations, and a ton of different configurable cars to burn rubber with. Oh, also, it's absolutely gorgeous. Let's not forget that. There's no clear release date for Ignite on iOS just yet, but the developers stated that the porting project just started in January and that the game is already up and running in a playable state. More videos and screens are said to be coming soon, but it sounds like it shouldn't take too long to get the game on the App Store. We're intrigued, and will definitely be checking out Ignite when it comes to iOS in the (hopefully) near future.

Unfortunately, early impressions of the game aren't pretty. Well actually that's not quite accurate, as the one thing that everyone can seem to agree on is that Battlefield 3: Aftershock's visuals are indeed quite pretty. However, it doesn't seem to contain any of the previously promised features or modes. There is no single player to speak of (only online multiplayer), no "Horde-like" wave mode, and there is a paltry 3 different weapons to choose from (4 if you count the knife).

I might not mind an online multiplayer only game, but so far the actual online performance is underwhelming. It takes forever to match with someone, and even when you do the match that follows lags to the point of it being completely unplayable. I'm almost certain this is just due to the game being new and there not really being a decent pool of people to play against yet, but what should I do while waiting for the lobbies to fill out? There's no single player component to speak of, and not even a local multiplayer option.

However, the most baffling thing about Aftershock is its pay model. The game is free and comes with the online multiplayer mode, and that's it. There does not seem to be anything more to buy in the game (yet at least), and there are ads in the menu screens which it does not appear you can pay to disable. Apparently the game is sponsored by 'Act of Valor' (you know, that movie that uses real Navy Seals as the stars) and if you watch an in-game trailer for it you can unlock an additional weapon.

So, that's really what I don't get about Battlefield 3: Aftershock. It feels strange that EA would relegate the mobile version of one of their biggest franchises to an advergame for an upcoming movie. The lack of modes makes it feel woefully incomplete, and all I can really think is that there's a ton of new content waiting in the wings to be released as future updates or in-app purchases. If not, then Battlefield 3: Aftershock stands as a considerable step down from 2010's Battlefield Bad Company 2 [$2.99/HD], which itself was fairly average.

Battlefield 3: Aftershock doesn't seem to be in international markets just yet, but if you're in the US you can give it a try for free if you're curious and can spare a few hundred MB of space, and be sure to leave your thoughts in the game's thread in our forums.

So, Mass Effect is returning to the iPhone. At a recent EA event, the publisher passed around a pamphlet announcing Mass Effect Infiltrator for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad. In a nutshell, it's a third-person shooter featuring universe's trimmings, and it will apparently tie into Mass Effect 3's Galaxy At War component.

EA also announced a companion app called Mass Effect Datapad, but revealed nothing about it except its platform: iPad.

On to what we know then. In Infiltrator , you'll "help free prisoners from a hostile Cerberus base" and receive rewards as you gather evidence of Cerberus' crimes. All your rescues and your discoveries will feed into Galaxy At War's "Galactic Readiness rating," which informs events in the game's single-player.

As if the latter wasn't enough to get you to check it out, the app will also offer users exclusive weapons to use in ME3.

Infiltrator's announcement is pretty hot off the presses, so the details are pretty vague. On the other hand, it seems like it is passing through certification as we write this -- if EA is using the term "soon" in regards to its release traditionally -- so, the wait to see what's actually going on should actually end shortly.

UPDATE: Fun fact: this is being developed by Dead Space iOS devs Iron Monkey Studios. This can only be a good thing, we think.

UPDATE 2: IGN has nabbed the first screenshots for Mass Effect Infiltrator:

[Via Shacknews, Joystiq, IGN]

Of course, Paper Monsters won't be the only title receiving an update like this: in the past, most "big" games, like Angry Birds or Cut The Rope, have received a little nod to the holiday. Also, publishers are undoubtedly going to go on price cutting sprees since Valentine's Day is so popular and all.

So, yeah, you don't need a real partner. Your iPad will have plenty for you, and hey, it won't even ask you for chocolate or a rose or expect to get something nice.

From a presentation standpoint, Reckless Racing 2 makes some significant changes in comparison to its predecessor. Gone are the country themes present in the music and characters (although the latter still remains somewhat in the avatars and names of your AI opponents). In its place is a stylized, clean motif complete with fast-paced music reminiscent of 80s action movies (think Top Gun). Some folks may argue Reckless Racing 2 loses some of the ‘charm’ found in the original, but I think this is a great move that moves towards a more universal appeal.

Another area that receives an overhaul in Reckless Racing 2 is its core gameplay formula. A comprehensive career mode takes center stage in this sequel, complete with 18 different cars to purchase and a plethora of upgrades available for each individual vehicle. The career mode is actually pretty standard - players race through a variety of cups containing several courses. Money is awarded after each race, with a larger monetary bonus depending on your final position at the end of the cup.

Rather than forcing players to complete cups in a sequential fashion, Reckless Racing 2 employs a Performance Index (P.I.) restriction. The higher a P.I. rating is on a car, the ‘better’ it is stats-wise. Modify your car with new parts and its P.I. rating increases. Cups have a P.I. range that your car must fit into in order to play. While it is possible to upgrade your car so it can participate in progressively harder cups, eventually its P.I. max will be reached and you’ll have to buy a new car with a higher range in order to advance to more difficulty cups. It’s a disappointing restriction for folks that become attached to cars, but I thought it was an excellent way to balance upgrades and difficulty while nudging players towards trying new vehicles.

In addition to career mode, Reckless Racing 2 features an excellent challenge mode that supplies the player with a pre-determined car and track. Race against the A.I., place third or higher, and you advance to the next challenge. I found it a great distraction from career, as it allows you to quickly race while still having goals to work towards. Rounding out the modes are single race and wifi-enabled multiplayer. While online multiplayer was pretty fun, the lobby system was a bit rough around the edges (lots of players holding up games from actually starting). An auto-join with P.I. balancing would have been nice, as well as some improvement to the ‘ready’ system.

Racing mechanics also receive substantial changes in Reckless Racing 2, exchanging the ‘floaty’ and hectic feel of the original for a driving system that imbues much more control to the player. This is also reflective in the physics system which feels more suited towards a system requiring actual driving technique. The controls work well enough within this system, but not all control schemes are equal in this sequel. The new dynamic difficulty system, which raises and lowers the overall difficulty based on performance, is another addition that moves the game towards a semblance of realism (you can turn this off if it doesn’t work for you). In some ways, you can argue that these changes make Reckless Racing 2 a bit less, well, reckless. Despite this step away from its predecessor, I think the changes have created a game with more depth and challenge than the original. The upgrade system, for instance, allows you to customize your car to suit your driving style, somewhat preserving the original Reckless Racing style of play.

One of the areas Reckless Racing excelled in was its incredibly detailed visuals. Reckless Racing 2 ups the ante with an improved graphics system that just looks pretty damn amazing. Tracks are meticulously detailed and even effects like the dirt kicking up from your wheels on the off-road portions of the track are well done. Maneuvering my car around a curve with a giant gorge at the bottom or driving along an oceanfront watching the beautiful water effects are some of the nicest graphics I’ve seen on my iPhone 4S. Add in the fact that the game runs fast and smooth (at least on the latest hardware generation), and Reckless Racing 2 would give any game a run for its money in the visual department.

I've got to give kudos to Pixelbite – it’s pretty rare for a developer to take a chance and mix up the elements of a successful game in its sequel. However, in the case of Reckless Racing 2, that risk has paid off tremendously. The comprehensive career mode, wealth of maps, and tweaks to the arcade racing formula has made this game more enjoyable in the long term. Add in the amazing visuals and music, and there’s not much to dislike here. Folks have sounded off in our forums in regards to the significant changes to the core gameplay. Personally, if these changes result in an incredibly fun to play game, then what more can you ask for?

The Salt Lake City Tribune is reporting that after the studio finishes Twisted Metal, it'll move on to iPad and iPhone development. Eight employees were handed pink slips last week in order to presumably shrink the studio size for the transition, and co-founder David Jaffe is expected to leave as well to pursue a new thing before the studio makes hop.

In a statement, the studio's other co-founder Scott Campbell said all the right stuff about iPad and iPhone and iPad development, and noted that Eat Sleep Play's "brand of mechanics-driven gaming" will be a big part of its future offerings.

Jaffe is reportedly set to move into the "casual" market as well, but that's a point of contention. On Twitter, the God of War creator stated, "The rumors of me making casual games post-Twisted Metal -- as many of you define them -- are highly exaggerated." Later this morning he clarified, "... never say never, but I have zero plans to make games like Farmville and Angry Birds."

"I never said what I was doing post-Twisted Metal, and I'm still on Twisted Metal along with Eat Sleep Play for the next months as we launch it and balance it in real time and make sure it's a perfect game and continue to support it."

Pictured: Twisted Metal

"At the same, I will be opening a game studio here in San Diego because I really miss internal game development. Happy to share more details later."

With that said, we're not so sure if Jaffe is moving on to iOS, too, but we're trying to make contact and see exactly what's up. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Jaffe is continuing to clarify. In a series of tweets, he revealed that he's talking to people "about some big, huge next-gen game ideas" he'd love for his new studio to make, as well as some stuff in the browser space.

"I have no idea what game we'll make yet. Could be iPhone, could be next-gen console," Jaffe said. "Have barely done anything with the new company yet."

[via The Salt Lake City Tribune]

So, it was really kind of a given that I was going to be thrilled to see The Lost City [99¢], which at a glance seemed to be aimed like a notched arrow at the heart of the Myst-era adventure game lover. Of course, anyone who was with me on the long ride through the adventure clones that Myst spawned knows that there were a handful of decent ones, but mostly many, many bad ones.

I'm quite pleased to report that this is not the case with The Lost City. Far from it, in fact. While the storyline behind the game is not quite as fleshed out as that of Atrus and his wayward sons, Fire Maple Games really nailed it in terms of atmosphere. But even more importantly, they got it right with the puzzles – and added a few extra things that Myst itself could have really benefitted from back in the day.

Navigating your way through The Lost City is as simple and pleasant as can be: the touch of a fingertip navigates you through the hidden city your grandmother promised you really did exist (apparently, she wasn't kidding). Your inventory is neatly tucked into a small briefcase in the bottom left corner of the screen, and touching it pops up a small row of all the items you've collected. Items for what? For solving puzzles, of course!

But The Lost City doesn't do that inane thing where you have to figure out the item that makes the least sense to use, cram it into another item and then use it to magically unlock some door that had no keyhole in the first place. No, these puzzles actually make sense, which as anyone who ever played a Kemco adventure game back in the NES days can tell you, was rarely the case.

Speaking of things that adventure games should have thought of a long time ago, another welcome one here is the map. Each scene of the game you encounter is represented by a numbered panel if you hit up the map screen, which you can move around with your fingertip so you can get an overview of the entire area.

You also have a journal which logs important notes you'll need for future puzzles, and it just so happens to contain (gasp!) a hint guide, so if you get stuck you can consult it. I know, it's not proper hardcore. And I don't care, because the days I spent crying and pulling at my hair in front of my computer because I couldn't solve that one puzzle were so bad that I don't mind one bit that this game doesn't want me to go mad with frustration.

One little touch about The Lost City I really adored was the addition of puzzles affected by seasons. You will encounter stone angel statues which you can place a heart item into to change the seasons, which affects which puzzles you have access to solve. This fit in beautifully with the overall coziness of the game, and it simply brought a smile to my face.

In the end, I found myself trying to slow down and simply enjoy being in the game's atmosphere. I really didn't want the game to end, and I suppose that's the best compliment I can give anything I play. If you've ever loved an adventure game of the Myst persuasion, then you're going to love The Lost City. But not because it's a clone, or even a really good clone. This one's got a magic that's all its own.

Now Johnny Two Shoes has unleashed a brand new trailer for Prevail, and it's looking insanely bad ass. It's a 2D side-scrolling action game similar to their previous release Plunderland [$1.99/Lite], but cranked up to 11, with a vast open universe to explore and tons of activities for the game's inhabitants to partake in. Not to mention an engrossing story that unfolds as the game progresses. Check the trailer and see for yourself:

As pretty huge fans of Plunderland, both for its fantastic aesthetics and novel gameplay, we're pretty pumped for Prevail. This new trailer increases that level of pumped-ness several notches. Tons of planets? Multiple vehicles? Deforming terrain? Huge arrow battles? I'm totally in. Prevail is looking at an early 2012 release, which could be now or even a couple of months from now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for sooner rather than later, and we'll let you know if any new information surfaces.

Fly With Me

Each time you tap the screen to flap your wings, your flap-meter decreases slightly. Once that meter is depleted, you'll literally fall out of the sky with an amusing animation as you splat into the ground. So, you quickly learn to be more conservative with your flaps, and glide whenever possible. NOT flapping is a key part of this game. Your flap-meter must also be replenished by eating bees, otherwise you won't have enough flaps to reach the end.

At the top of the screen is a progress bar. This shows your position within the level, but also marks the location of three stars so you know when to watch out for them. These stars are used to unlock chapters. There's also one golden gear to collect per level. One you've found 45 golden gears a more powerful metallic robot bird is unlocked, or you can just buy it right away as an in-app purchase.

There's three chapters to play (fields, trees and tropical), offering 45 levels in total. You can play using four different birds, but first they'll need to be unlocked. There's also three challenge modes (one per chapter) which are unlocked once you gain enough stars. The challenge levels involve trying to fly as far as possible, and your score in that mode is measured in distance (meters).

Each level contains good winds to ride and bad brown air to avoid. These bad winds might do a loop-the-loop or carry you through an underground tunnel, which is interesting to watch but you can't control the bird while being blown along. While bee's are good to eat, the sick bugs should be avoided. As should predators, including big dangling bird-eating spiders, hungry fish and carnivorous plants.

Fly with Me has two disappointing features. First off, the frequent adverts for the games IAP offerings feel intrusive. After a couple of attempts at the same level, a full screen message appeared asking if I wanted to buy a robot bird (no thanks). Slightly later it asked if I was interested in paying to unlock all levels (Err, no thanks). Perhaps I want to purchase the easier kids mode? (No. Thank. You.) Then it starts over, trying to sell the IAP previously declined.

Secondly, the game reports back to EA, sending them data about game statistics, settings, incident or event data and feature preferences. I have no problem with this "usage sharing" functionality, except that it's enabled by default. If players don't check the "Info" screen, they may not realize their device is sending out data. I turned this setting off on principle.

Despite these drawbacks, Fly With Me is a solid title that's more challenging than it looks. The limited flapping mechanic sets it apart from the many similar simplistic arcade games on the App Store, and it's a good value for a dollar - assuming they don't eventually talk you into additional in-app purchases.

In our interview complement to our regular show this week, we talked with Riverman about this project, which is called Pizza vs. Skeletons. One of the most fascinating things we discovered is just how well Jake and Paul Stevens mesh. They're brothers and business partners, and a tic to the other's toe. Audio just below:

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-Bonus-031.mp3, 20MB

"Paul and I really have a back and forth," Jake told us. "I'm kinda like the crazy idea guy and I don't think very practically. Paul's always the rational one who tries to pick gameplay element out of the ideas I throw out."

Jake let us in on a great story. At the beginning of the development of Pizza, Jake had a flash of inspiration that spilled into an e-mail. He wanted players to be able to ski, scuba dive, and even rescue puppies as a 10-foot-tall pizza. Paul? Shocked and presumably overwhelmed by the strangeness, took awhile to respond.

Jake says he's more concerned about what sounds fun. He's not concerned about interesting decisions or anything else initially -- he just wants people to be intrigued by his scenarios.

"At the beginning, Jake had a bunch of ideas that were not really related to each other in anyway," Paul told us, chiming in. "They were just completely separate things you could be doing as a pizza. Most of them had nothing to do with skeletons -- in fact, only one or two of them did." This is where the fun begins.

Paul explained that he takes Jake's ideas and then brainstorms different angles. One of the first things that he had to do was remove the theme and ask what was fun about the idea of controlling a gigantic circular character. From there, he was able to lay out what could and couldn't work, what should and shouldn't be emphasized.

Objectives had to be molded, too. In the puppy saving levels, for example, the game's camera and its technology prohibited a lot of traditional systems and functionality. So, Paul devised levels with two different phases: the first is rolling to the right and absorbing puppies, and the second is rolling back to the left and taking them back home.

Solid game design hasn't been the only thing on Riverman's mind. Pizza's development has stretched over a year. Most of the duo's games take around a month. It's scary.

"By far the most work of any of our games went into this one," Jake said. The premise has been evolving for over a year, and a lot of prototyping work had to be done. This was a full-time project, but also a particularly challenging one, which is part of the reason why Riverman decided to do it.

"We were pretty scared about it at first, and we still are," Paul said. "It was a year-long investment and our previous games were closer to a month or a month-and-a-half with the thinking that we could make small titles with high quality -- you know, there's some luck in which ones get seen and which ones don't -- they did pretty well for the time it took to make them."

"But to invest twelve times that amount on one game was really scary to us, and still is and probably will still be until the day it actually comes out and see if anyone likes it."

Pizza is due out later this month on February 16, and we'll have some hands-on coverage later this week. To avoid anything other than modest scrutiny, we've held back on what we've seen, but it does look good. We're thinking the risk paid off. And we're also of a mind that this is a studio-changing product. Riverman is evolving alongside the work.

"When you're a small studio, you have an inclination to do things that are safe," Jake said. "You want to do things that you think will appeal to a lot of people, that will impress a lot of people."

"We've been doing this for seven years now and I would say slowly we're peeling away that inclination and getting more and more towards the game we really want to make and the games we really want to play. Even if they are a little more risky, even if the audience is smaller, they're more close to what we want to look at and enjoy," Jake said.

Our audio interview includes a lot more from these two dudes, so feel free to give it a listen. Topics other than these include pizza customization, Riverman's desire to break out and possibly do titles on other platforms, and Eli's battle with bread.

We'll be back with you next week in another "bonus" podcast.

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.