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Back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, January of 2011, we awarded Dungeon Raid [$2.99] a stunning five stars in our review. I argued that we needed to embed a .JPEG of Eli doing a thumbs-up into the editorial as well, but those plans fell through. The point I’m making here is that Dungeon Raid is super awesome, and the new note I want to make with this post is that it’s going to get even better. A big update is being submitted.

What’s in this magical update? Well, according to a forum post by the devs, version 1.3 of Dungeon Raid will boast ten additional character classes, ten new skills, and five new monsters. “Lord Gek” on our forums elaborated on what’s being added in a later post. Races will, essentially, add in an advantage versus drawback element. Each race has a special bonus, but is also weak to a specific enemy type, so there’s an obvious strategic piece being added to the core game here, a perfect addition for those seeking more challenge.

As for the items, well, here’s what Gek had to say about the new “Arrows” variant. The picture he’s referencing is on the left:

“[Arrows] are essentially a new sword symbol variant with the special power of jumping over a space to keep the chain going,” he wrote. “If the player linked that arrow on the far left under Mr. Tosser they could continue the chain OVER the potion located NE of the arrow to link to the sword right under the sparkling dude.

“These arrows are spawned naturally with the Ranger class (5% any sword added to the grid will show up as an arrow) or all of the current swords in grid can be converted to arrows via one of the new skills,” he said.

Cool stuff, right? And there are more updates on the way, though in smaller, much more manageable forms. Frequent updates are always better than less frequent mega updates, right? Right!

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A game that has recently caught my eye in our forums is Great Little War Game from Rubicon Development. It’s a turn-based strategy game similar to Advance Wars or iOS’s own Mecho Wars [99¢], but with a few unique twists that the developers hope set it apart from the rest. As an example, line of sight and terrain will factor into the gameplay, so you’ll be able to hide behind barriers or use elevation to gain increased attack range.

What really stands out about Great Little War Game is the graphical style which has a cartoonish look and uses 3D models for characters and vehicles. You can get a great feel for the game by checking out the following trailer:

Great Little War Game is in the final stages of beta testing, and barring any sort of huge issue will be submitted to Apple sometime this week. There is an active thread in our forums with a lot of additional information, and Rubicon is actively discussing the game there with our members.

Great Little War Game will launch for 99¢ for 3rd generation and above iPhone and iPod touches, and $2.99 for the iPad version. It will contain a 20 mission campaign with an additional 10 mission level pack that can be purchased as a 99¢ IAP. Unfortunately no skirmish or multiplayer modes will make it into the initial release, though they remain options for future versions of the game if sales are strong enough. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for Great Little War Game to hit the App Store in the next several weeks.

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Hey there, do you like over-the-top action movies from the 80s and early 90s? And do you like pinball? Have you always dreamed that both of these things could be magically fused together in a game for your favorite iOS device? Well Gameprom is ready to make your dreams come true with their upcoming game War Pinball HD.

Gameprom has been one of the preeminent pinball developers for iOS, with their Wild West [99¢], The Deep [99¢], Jungle Style [99¢], and Slayer Rocks [$2.99] pinball games all garnering huge download numbers and earning many fans. All of these games are available individually or in a single app called Pinball HD [99¢/HD]. Two hallmarks of Gameprom’s pinball games have been really solid physics behavior, which can often make or break a pinball video game, and impressive graphics which are rendered in full 3D.

War Pinball will retain these hallmarks, and I was able to play a preview build of the game at GDC a couple of weeks ago. If you’ve played any of Gameprom’s previous pinball games, War Pinball feels very in line with those experiences, which is to say it’s a lot of fun. What really surprised and delighted me was the theme of the game. War Pinball will contain 3 separate tables, each one crafted after a war-themed action movie. There’s one based on Platoon, one for Navy Seals, and one for Missing in Action which features prominent Chuck Norris decor.

The first trailer for War Pinball doesn’t show off a ton of gameplay, but in true action movie form it features a montage of all 3 tables:

War Pinball was looking great when I checked it out at GDC, and I’ve been enjoying a preview build on my iPhone ever since. The evolution of Gameprom’s pinball creating prowess is clear in each new game, as War Pinball is a much more complex and strategic game in comparison to the relatively simplistic Wild West Pinball. The game has already been finished and shipped off to Apple for review, complete with optimizations for the new iPad 2, so we’ll be keeping our eyes out for it to hit the App Store soon.

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With the iPad 2 launching today, many developers are trying to catch the wave of new customers who will be looking for things to try on their shiny new device by putting their iPad games on sale, which is typical of any iOS product launch, holiday, or really any other reason they can think up to throw a sale party. The usual suspects are here, with big sales from both EA Mobile and Gameloft, and there's a number of other enticing sales on miscellaneous titles from big and small developers alike.

EA Sales:

• Dead Space for iPad, $9.99 → $6.99
• Reckless Racing HD, $4.99 → $2.99
• Need For Speed Shift for iPad, $9.99 → $6.99
• Need For Speed Hot Pursuit for iPad, $9.99 → $6.99
• Mirror's Edge for iPad, $9.99 → $2.99
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for iPad, $4.99 → $2.99
• Rock Band Reloaded for iPad, $9.99 → $4.99
• Command & Conquer Red Alert for iPad, $4.99 → $2.99
• Madden NFL 11 for iPad, $12.99 → $4.99
• Fifa 11 for iPad, $9.99 → $6.99
• Tetris for iPad, $7.99 → $5.99
• SimCity Deluxe for iPad, $6.99 → $4.99
• Monopoly for iPad, $9.99 → $6.99
• Yahtzee HD, $4.99 → $2.99
• The Game of Life for iPad, $6.99 → $4.99
• Scrabble for iPad, $9.99 → $6.99
• Risk: The Official Game for iPad, $6.99 → $4.99
• Pictureka! for iPad, $4.99 → $2.99
• Snood for iPad, $4.99 → $2.99
• Clue: Secrets & Spies, $4.99 → $2.99

Gameloft Sales (All Games 99¢):

• Star Battalion HD
• Prince of Persia: Warrior Within HD
• Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD
• Dungeon Hunter HD
• Brothers In Arms 2: Global Front HD
• Iron Man 2 for iPad
• Shrek Kart HD
• Real Golf 2011 HD
• Real Tennis HD
• UNO HD
• The Settlers HD
• Brain Challenge HD

Miscellaneous:

• Spider: Bryce Manor HD, $4.99 → 99¢
• Pix'n Love Rush DX, $1.99 → 99¢
• Meow Meow Happy Fight HD, $2.99 → 99¢
• Pro Zombie Soccer Apocalypse Edition, $1.99 → 99¢
• Babylonian Twins HD Premium, $4.99 → 99¢
• Psychoban HD, $2.99 → FREE
• Worms HD, $2.99 → 99¢
• Homerun Battle 3D for iPad, $4.99 → 99¢
• Enigmo 2, $2.99 → FREE
• Pocket God: Journey to Uranus, $4.99 → 99¢
• TowerMadness HD, $7.99 → FREE
• Inotia 3: Children of Carnia, $4.99 → 99¢
• The 7th Guest for iPad, $5.99 → $1.99
• Speedball 2 Evolution, $3.99 → 99¢

As with all sales on the App Store, these prices are good as of this writing but are subject to change at any time. Your best bet to keep up with the constant price fluctuations in the App Store is to download the universal AppShopper app which allows you to maintain a wish list of games and notifies you of price changes or updates with push notifications. You can also just use the plain old AppShopper.com website or our price drops and freebies forum where our members do an excellent job of keeping on top of the latest discounts.

Whether you're upgrading to an iPad 2 today or just hanging on to your last year's model, definitely take advantage of all these great sales going on for some excellent iPad titles.

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It’s that time again! Apple has released OS update 4.3 for the iPhone, iPod Touch, Apple TV, and the iPad, bringing some cool new features to the respective devices. I could gab for centuries about iTunes Home Sharing and the addition of personal hotspots, but I’ll can that chatter in favor of more game-related stuff about the latest update. Specifically, I want to note the enhanced AirPlay offering.

In brief, the 4.3 version of AirPlay connectivity gives both Web apps and App Store apps the ability to output video to the Apple TV. I think you can see the possible gaming kickbacks from this move. If, say, Imangi was feeling froggy, it could theoretically update Imangi: The Game [Free] to output to Apple TV, thus allowing you to play from your couch on a big screen as opposed to alone and on a toilet. That’s cool, right?

Obviously, we’ll need to play a wait-and-see game on this feature. Surely, adding in this functionality will take time, tweaking, and testing, which means we’ll likely see a lackluster adoption rate initially. Plus, who owns an Apple TV? Even at its lower price point, it doesn't seem to be exactly flying off the Apple Store's shelves. Regardless, this is exciting stuff. Guess I really need to think about putting that plasma by the toilet after all.

So what are you waiting for? Download 4.3! Also, if you happen to have an Apple TV and want to check out this new AirPlay functionality, give Air Video [$2.99 / Free] a try. Sure, it's not a game but playing videos converted real time on my computer, streamed to my iPhone, then relayed to my TV feels like magic.

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Head’s up: the puzzle game we called a “true App Store gem,” Helsing’s Fire [.99 / HD / Lite], just got a huge, free update. Version 1.4 sees a new campaign based in a place called “The Frozen North,” and a new villain called “The Ice Queen.” It also mixes things up a bit by giving you a new partner, two new survival arenas, and even some new mirrors to bounce light and tonics off of. That’s quite a bit, eh?

As of right now, Helsing’s Fire for iPhone and iPod Touch is sitting at the typical 99-cent App Store price point. If you’ve been thinking about jumping in, don’t fret. As our review states:

… Helsing's Fire is even better than I expected. Dark gothic creatures wrapped up in amusing sequences of Victorian dialogue and, not to be forgotten, that excellent light and shadow puzzle mechanic. It's one of the most unique games I've ever played and is a true App Store gem. Surely only a creature of darkness would let this one slip by them.

That’s big praise for a unique puzzle game that challenges you with the enormous task of taking down everyone’s favorite blood sapper, Dracula. And while I'd never say our word isn't a big deal, I've got to point out that Helsing's Fire is good enough to be an IGF award winner. The game took home the "Best Mobile Game" IGF award at the 13th annual event.

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Grumpyface Studios released their first iOS game called Wispin [$1.99/Lite] for the iPhone and iPod touch last November. Wispin is a unique take on arcade-style arena battling games and used a color coded system of combat that had you matching the colors of your foes in order to defeat them. The gameplay was fun and decidedly different from any similar games, and the wonderful art style gave it a certain charm that was hard not to like.

While we really enjoyed the game in our original review, there were a few hiccups associated with a first time release, mostly dealing with finicky controls. Grumpyface updated Wispin several times since then, incrementally improving the entire experience and tightening up the controls. The culmination of this was the 1.1 version released in early February which finally struck upon a solid feel for the controls as well as added a brand new level, a new enemy, and an assortment of other goodies.

With all the rough edges finally smoothed away, Grumpyface went to work on a native iPad release of Wispin which has just gone live in the App Store. Wispin HD [$2.99] retains all the core elements of its iPhone counterpart but comes with a few iPad-only features to accommodate the device’s larger screen. Each level is expanded accordingly to fit within the larger play area, and the controls are now completely customizable with the ability to drag and place them wherever you choose.

There’s not currently a video of the iPad version as its too new, but if you’re completely unfamiliar with Wispin then the original trailer will give you a good idea of the game:

Wispin has remained one of my favorite games since its release, and now iPad owners have the ability to experience it in a version that is tailored for their device. There is a ton of fast-paced and strategic gameplay in Wispin, with achievements and leaderboards using Game Center that will have you giving it “just one more go” for a new high score. There are plenty more positive impressions in our forums, and if you’ve been holding off on Wispin until an iPad version was released then now is your chance to get in on the action.

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Earlier this morning we caught up with Graeme Devine at GDC. Recognize the name? He was a co-founder of Trilobyte and had a huge hand in the original The 7th Guest [$2.99 / HD], The 11th Hour and worked on other games like RTS Halo Wars and FPS Doom 3. Our conversation was all over the place — we talked a bit about native design for the iOS, subscription models, his departure from Apple, and even a little bit about his future as an iOS developer.

Devine has two projects in the works with his daughter. He left Apple to work with his family, and you’ve seen the fruits of that partnership in the form of his card game, Full Deck Solitaire [Free] for the Mac App Store. The two are currently throwing around ideas for an item shop game. It’s early, so there’s a chance this specific project might never see the light of day, but we’ll definitely keep our ears and eyes open for more details as production progresses.

We think Devine's overall story is pretty interesting. Dude built his reputation on "core" type of games, but here he is now, working on family-friendly casual titles with his family. Very cool stuff, and, obviously, we're excited to see what's next.

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Many of you should be familiar with SuperMono Studios from their wildly popular MiniSquadron [99¢/Lite] games and most recently from their RPG experience bar-laden to-do app EpicWin [$2.99]. We liked EpicWin when it was released, but that was way back in August of 2010, and you may be wondering what the two man SuperMono development team comprised of Tak Fung and Dave Ferner have been up to since then.

Well, basically they have a couple of new games in the works, but for the past 7+ months they have been carefully crafting themselves a high end engine to use for these games. There is all sorts of technical wizardry going on in this built-from-the-ground-up engine, but in terms that even a laymen like myself can understand, and in SuperMono’s very own words, it “makes everything look completely rad”. Have a look at the trailer for the tech demo that shows off the nifty effects of the engine:

For those who understand technical jargon, this engine uses something called deferred rendering which allows for up to twenty dynamic colored lights to be in motion at once, complete with bloom and reflection effects, and run really smoothly the entire time. In many ways, this is SuperMono’s way of saying “we don’t need no stinking Unreal Engine” and prove that they can do advanced graphical effects on their own.

The video of this tech demo doesn’t really do it justice, and in person it’s really impressive. As such, SuperMono is considering releasing this demo for free on the App Store for people to check out and toy around with. You can swipe around to change the view of the car or turn on and off the various effects, and it’s actually pretty cool.

Eventually this engine will be put to use in a new racing game, which despite the street racing style of the demo will be really unlike most typical racers. Also, a MiniSquadron 2 will be coming sometime down the road, using this advanced engine for 3D graphics while retaining the same 2D gameplay. We’ll have more on these SuperMono developments as work continues on them.

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