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It really has to have been a crazy last few days for Andreas Illiger, the developer of Tiny Wings [99¢]. His first iOS game hasn’t even been out for a full week yet, and it was just two days ago that we gave it a glowing 5 star review and have basically been glued to it since. Over these past two days, the buzz surrounding Tiny Wings has been swelling like an epic tidal wave. It’s all anybody has been talking about on Twitter, it’s been one of the busiest discussion threads in our forums, and every iOS toting device owner I’ve run into in real life I’ve recommended the game to.

For having zero marketing, Tiny Wings has been doing some incredible things in the top paid charts in the US App Store. It’s been steadily climbing the last couple of days, and I was floored when I looked up and noticed that it had broken into the top 25 of total paid apps. It didn’t stop there, though, and shortly thereafter broke the top 10. I was genuinely amazed by this, but it still kept climbing. For most of yesterday it spent a lot of time in both the 3rd and 2nd top positions, dethroning top 3 mainstay Fruit Ninja and pushing past the incredibly popular Camera+ app.

And then it happened. The unthinkable. Tiny Wings took the top spot from the King of the App Store charts for nearly a year, Angry Birds. Many members in our forums were confident that this would happen eventually, and some felt that it could never be done, despite how good Tiny Wings was. It just didn't have the brand recognition or marketing muscle to push it to the very top. It has happened though, and for one of the most unique, fun, and beautiful games I’ve played in a long time I think it's well deserved.

This isn’t the first time Angry Birds has been knocked off the top, as several different games or apps have bumped it from its position over the past year. But usually it’s a short-lived victory, as within just a few days Angry Birds is right back at #1. We’ll have to see how long Tiny Wings can maintain it’s #1 status, but surely there has never been such an unknown IP with no marketing campaign whatsoever that’s risen in popularity as fast as Tiny Wings has.

Based on our review, the positive words of everybody who plays it, and this very article you’re reading right now, it should go without saying that you need to pick up Tiny Wings if you haven't already.

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Ok, so we've been posting a ton about Final Fantasy III lately. But when an announcement for such a big name game comes up so suddenly, the trickle of new tidbits has a way of tossing fans into a frenzy. Since just this past Sunday, we've gone from not being completely sure if Final Fantasy III was coming to iOS, to getting official confirmation from Square Enix that it was, and finally learning that it would be an enhanced remake of the Nintendo DS version, putting to rest questions of what version we would be seeing in the App Store.

S in just a few days' time we've come from not even knowing about the existence of Final Fantasy III on iOS to where we're at right now, which is able to see what appears to be a near-final version of the game running on an iOS device.  Wow the internet moves fast! Japanese magazine Famitsu has posted several hands-on videos of Final Fantasy III on iOS and so far it's looking pretty sharp. It doesn't look like it strays too far from its DS counterpart, and the YouTube encoding makes it nigh impossible to tell how improved the graphics or sound are. But it's Final Fantasy III, and it's coming very soon, and that's reason enough to get excited.

This first video is the longest of the 5 that Famitsu has created and shows the very beginning of the game, a battle with a huge monster, and a bit of the overworld map:

This video is the fourth of the series and very nicely shows off a battle sequence with a full party:

To save bogging down our site with multiple embedded videos, the remaining 3 videos can be found embedded in the first post of the upcoming thread in our forums. You can also check them out via direct YouTube links for part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5. We'll of course keep you updated with any new developments, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep track of the upcoming thread in our forums since pretty much every tidbit of information has popped up there before we've caught wind of it. Final Fantasy III is slated for a March release, and by the looks of these videos it appears to be nearly finished and may be here sooner than you think.

Update: Here are a couple of comparison screenshots that were posted in our forums. Clearly there has been some love put into the iOS version compared to the DS original (DS on left, iOS on right. Click to enlarge):

There are a whole bunch more screenshots of the iOS version of Final Fantasy III posted over at Famitsu, and if you're interested in checking them out you can get there by clicking this link.

[Via Famitsu]

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Hopefully everybody has been grabbing the free game we posted earlier today SpikeDislike [Free], but there's another freebie deal on a great game that slipped by us until just now. Puppet War FPS [Free] is an arena style first-person shooter that is currently free for today as well. It originally launched in June of last year, and we really liked it when we reviewed it. You play as a hapless janitor who gets locked inside the studio of a popular children's puppet show. The puppets have decided to turn homicidal on humanity, and it's up to you to blast the stuffing out of endless waves of them using all sorts of interesting weapons.

Puppet War FPS originally launched with just one arena to battle in, the studio, but last August it received a huge update with additional locations and other improvements. There was now a night time version of the studio, and a brand new street scene level with it's own accompanying night version, bringing the total number of locations to 4. Also a Survival mode was added which was a very welcome addition if you just felt like hopping into a quick game for some puppet fragging without committing to the level based nature of the Campaign. A number of other gameplay tweaks and control improvements went on to make the updated version of Puppet War FPS an overall tighter experience.

Now you can grab this excellent shooter for free if you hurry. It's supposed to be free for today, February 23rd only, so depending on when you catch this post the price may already have increased. Puppet War FPS was definitely recommended at its various price points ranging from a dollar to three, and I would suggest downloading as soon as possible while it's currently free. It features some really attractive visuals and solid first-person shooting action. Plus, you get to blast the heads off of puppets, which should be reason enough to check it out. There's loads of further impressions in the thread in our forums, and don't miss out on this latest freebie for Puppet War FPS.

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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!

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Last month we showed you the trailer for the upcoming side-scrolling physics-based driving game Smuggle Truck from Owlchemy Labs. We hinted that Owlchemy would be releasing a browser-based level editor prior to the actual iOS game coming out, and holding a level creation contest. Last week that contest got underway, and there is now a playable web browser version of Smuggle Truck complete with level editor ready for you to try.

Smuggle Truck has recently drawn some heat for its subject matter, namely the fact that you are carting a truckload of immigrants across each level until you reach the goal, which is in actuality a border line. Media outlets who felt it was offensive lambasted the game, with a seemingly equal number of people quick to defend it. Smuggle Truck even caught the attention of George Lopez, and was featured in a segment on his late night talk show.

Now you can see what all the fuss is about yourself with the playable web demo of Smuggle Truck, and enter their level creation contest for a chance at some cool prizes. Let me explain how. First, head over to Kongregate and try out the playable demo. There you can also access the level editor, and Owlchemy has put together a quick 60 second YouTube video to explain how it works. It’s a simple drag-and-drop process to create levels and then submit them right from within the browser window. Finally, you’ll want to sign up for the mailing list in the upper right corner of the Owlchemy Labs website so you can be informed if you’ve won.

Here’s a list of what you can win:

1 Grand Prize winner wins:

• A custom embroidered Owlchemy Labs lab coat
• A free copy of the game
• Your level in the final game with a callout as “Master Level Chef”
• A signed piece of artwork from the developers
• A personalized caricature and inclusion in the final game as one of the passengers in the truck.

4 Gold Prize winners win:

• A free copy of the game
• Your level in the final game with a callout as “Master Level Chef”

5 Silver Prize winners win:

• A free copy of the game

Based on my time with the demo of Smuggle Truck, I think the game will be a lot of fun when it hits the App Store. This level creation contest is a cool way to get an early preview of the game as well as put your creativity to work. The level editor in the browser demo is actually the same that will be included in the iPad version of Smuggle Truck, and I hope that there will be some sort of fancy schmancy way to create and share levels amongst the iOS versions of the game.

There’s a thread in our forums dedicated to the level creation contest where people have been swapping links to their created levels, and there’s the regular upcoming thread with discussion of the impending release. Definitely give the browser demo and level editor a try, and the contest will be running through this coming Monday, the 28th. The iOS version of Smuggle Truck is on schedule and should be available in the App Store sometime next month.

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Oh, let’s not beat around the bush. Apple is poised to announce the iPad 2 on March 2nd, 2011. The tech giant’s marketing department has been firing off invitations to select outlets, including our very own, for an event scheduled for 10:00 AM at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. As you’ll see in the promotional art blasted our way, Apple is making it plain that it is indeed announcing a second-generation iPad on the heels of numerous rumors indicating that it would.

Not too subtle, eh? That’s why I’m biting the bullet here and avoiding “safe words” like probably, presumably, and all that jazz.

One thing we’re definitely not sure of is what will be included in the new iPad. An on-board camera and a potentially even a SD slot seem like a safe bet, but there’s a lot of speculation over the processor, screen, and potential mystery ports. Some people are suggesting it’ll boast a Retina Display and a beastly dual-core SGX543 GPU, but we won ‘t know for sure until March 2nd. We’ll be there, of course, and we hope you’ll join us for a week of insane coverage both at GDC and now at this Apple event.

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Earlier this month we somewhat predictably announced we will be at GDC 2011 in San Francisco. Since then, we've been receiving a monsoon of meeting requests which has made my usual disaster of an inbox into… something far less manageable. I'm fairly caught up with existing meeting requests, and our schedule is getting pretty packed. However, since we're bringing the entire TouchArcade crew to San Francisco, I still have tons of availability to cram even more meetings in.

For the sake of simplicity, and avoiding the lag in between emails, if you'd like to book a meeting with us please sent me an IM via AOL Instant Messenger. My screen name is ioburn [Status: ]. If you don't have an AIM account, signing up is easy and only takes a second. Alternatively, AIM even connected to Facebook and Google Talk, if you would rather use that. Of course you can also email at tips@toucharcade.com, it just won't be anywhere near as fast. (Be sure to put "GDC 2011" somewhere in the subject for email filters.)

Don't forget our party that we're having on Wednesday night either! We'll be at Bin 55 which is the bar in the hotel lobby of the Marriott near Moscone. If you track down someone from TouchArcade, we'll be giving out fancy little tyvek TouchArcade bracelets which will allow you to gain access to free beer and drinks from 8:00 PM until last call, which I think is sometime around 11:00 PM!

I can't wait to see everyone there! This GDC is working up to be even more crazy than the last.

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There's been a lot of buzz about Final Fantasy III lately. Ever since we first announced over the weekend that it might be coming to iOS, and then after Square Enix officially confirmed that it was indeed coming, everybody has been wondering what version of the game it would be. According to Andriasang.com, Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has the first details of Final Fantasy III for iOS.

Famitsu claims that it will indeed be the 2006 Nintendo DS 3D remake of the original, but enhanced quite a bit for iOS. The graphics are being redone in high resolution and the music and sound effects are getting an overhaul as well. The characters will be controlled via a "touch anywhere" analog stick, and during battle attacks and commands will be carried out simply by tapping on an enemy.

If you're unfamiliar with the DS version of Final Fantasy III, have a look at the trailer:

I wish there were more details available at this time, but I'm excited to know that the iOS version of Final Fantasy III will be the DS version that I enjoyed more than 4 years ago. Even more exciting is that if Square Enix is bringing this game to the App Store, then there is a strong possibility that they will bring the (in my opinion) superior Final Fantasy IV DS remake to iOS as well. I'm sure we'll be hearing more details about Final Fantasy III on iOS in the coming weeks as its March release draws closer, and until then you can head to the upcoming thread in our forums for discussion of the game.

[Via Andriasang]

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SpikeDislike [Free] is a simple arcade game that we reviewed last month and have been hooked on ever since. The goal is to move your perpetually bouncing ball to the right while avoiding an endless series of spiky objects and earning combos and multipliers that add to your final score. It uses an easy one-touch control mechanic that anybody can pick up and play, but few will ever be able to fully master.

Since our review, SpikeDislike has been updated with some additional features. There’s a new “Zero G” mode which plays a bit like any of the various iCopter games that have been released where your ball automatically sinks to the floor and touching the screen raises it into the air. There are also new kinds of combos and small badges that appear when certain tasks are completed, such as breaking a previous high score or passing a set number of spikes. Presumably these will fit in nicely with the planned Game Center integration sometime down the line, and a Challenge mode is nearing completion and is planned for the very next update as well.

The other big addition in the last update was 4 brand new graphical themes to choose from, bringing the total to 8. What’s interesting about this is that one of them is actually a fan-made theme. Visiting this link on the developer’s blog explains how you can make your own sprite sheets for SpikeDislike and submit them for potential inclusion in an upcoming version. There’s no guarantee that your sprite sheet would make the cut, but it’s worth a look if you’re into making that sort of thing just for fun.

So now that we’ve got the important information about why we liked SpikeDislike and what’s new in the latest version, we can move onto the real reason you’re reading this which is that SpikeDislike is currently free for the entire day to celebrate the developer’s birthday (Happy Birthday James!). SpikeDislike was an easy recommendation at a dollar, especially with the nice content update it received and more planned for the future, but it should be a pretty easy decision to make to download the game while it's currently free.

App Store Link: SpikeDislike, Free (Universal)

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