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There have been tons of great top-down racers inspired by games like Super Offroad or Micro Machines for the iPhone, but so far the genre is fairly barren on the iPad. Racing Mania [99¢ / $3.99 HD] changes all that, bringing a real top-down racer with car upgrades, local multiplayer, 15 different tracks, and 10 cars to both devices.

On the iPhone, Racing Mania isn't much to write home about. There are other games (such as the recently released LilRacerz [99¢]) that offer more variety and a better racing feel. However, on the iPad, the claustrophobic viewpoint of Racing Mania (and other similar games) is pulled far back allowing you to see an amazing amount of the track at once which really changes the whole feel of the game.

iPhone left, iPad right.

On the iPhone, once you purchase a few top speed upgrades for your car, successfully navigating around the tracks seems to require more memorization than anything else as you will be going too fast to really be able to prepare for upcoming turns without bouncing off of them otherwise. On the iPad, you have enough screen real estate to plan out really precise racing lines and burn around the track with ease.

Racing Mania is a little hard to recommend for the iPhone, but is really worth checking out just for a taste of how well games like this work on the iPad. The upgrade system is a little basic, and the controls aren't ideal, but you don't have to play Racing Mania HD for long as all to realize the potential the genre has on the device.

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Thirty years ago today, a certain video game from Namco, featuring a curious little yellow fellow with a taste for dots and ghosts, hit the arcades in Japan. That round little yellow guy is known as PAC-MAN — you may have heard of him. In the decades that followed, PAC-MAN became an arcade phenomenon spawning a great-many spin-offs and stands today as an icon of '80s pop culture. And the 1980 original is hugely popular, even still. (Don't miss today's playable PAC-MAN-themed Google doodle.)

Namco is celebrating PAC-MAN's 30th birthday by launching a sweepstakes, detailed on the official PAC-MAN website, to win a PAC-MAN-themed Smart Car as well as running sales on various titles across several platforms.

The discounts on PAC-MAN titles in the App Store follow:

• PAC-MAN Championship Edition (iPhone): $2.99 → $0.99 [ review ]
• PAC-MAN REMIX (iPhone):  $2.99 → $0.99 [ review ]
• PAC-MAN (iPhone): $4.99 → $3.99 (now with leaderboards, chat, achievements)
• PAC-MAN (iPad): $4.99 → $3.99
• Ms. PAC-MAN (iPhone): $4.99 → $0.99 [ review ]

Namco's sale on the indicated items will remain in place until 6 PM (PST) tomorrow, Sunday, May 24. The most compelling grab of the list, in our opinion, is the excellent PAC-MAN Championship Edition, an iPhone conversion of the XBLA original.

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A few weeks ago, the App Store was graced with its first official ice hockey game, Hockey Nations 2010. While the graphics were fairly impressive and the controls worked admirably, braindead goalkeeping and a frustrating opponent AI extinguished most of the enjoyment out of playing. Creator of the game Distinctive Developments took this to heart, and immediately started work on an update based on user feedback, even opening up a beta pool of experienced testers and knowledgeable hockey fans alike. The result is the now available 1.1 update that delivers a far better experience, but unfortunately still leaves some things to be desired.

The goalie AI has been greatly improved and they seem to move a bit more quickly and intelligently, although can still let through some iffy goals. The movement of the puck is thankfully a lot more forgiving now. It's much easier to retain possession of the puck while attempting an offensive push, and passes to teammates are more accurate. There's no more of the constant possession changes that plagued the first version. It's still somewhat difficult to get clean shots off, but it gets easier with some practice. Another big addition is line changes which are easily called with a button at the top of the screen. It adds a great deal to the strategy and authenticity of the game, and works really nicely.

The biggest problem with the initial release of Hockey Nations was that it just didn't flow very well, and this latest update goes a long way in addressing that problem. It's now much more playable, and more importantly much more fun. If you weren't impressed with the 1.0 release, give this new update a spin. Hopefully further updates can improve the game even more down the line, so far this first one is a huge step in the right direction.

App Store Link: Hockey Nations, $3.99

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Last week we took a look at Rabah Shihab's excellent platformer Babylonian Twins, a game 16 years in the making, and very much liked what we saw in both the iPhone and iPad versions. Now is a great time to give the game a try, as the developer has just put both versions of Babylonian Twins on sale through the end of the weekend.

Babylonian Twins [App Store] is now $0.99, down from $3.99, while Babylonian Twins HD [App Store] is on sale for $1.99, down from $4.99.

Not liking the way his home country, Iraq, was being portrayed in video games at the time, Shihab began development of the title with the goal of countering that negative image. While he did manage to release a well-loved demo of the game for the Amiga (the original platform), the harsh conditions caused by the economic sanctions of Iraq at the time left the game hanging in semi-complete obscurity for years. Luckily for iPhone gamers, the developer has brought Babylonian Twins — both a port and a re-imagination of the Amiga original — to the iPhone.

App Store Links: Babylonian Twins, $0.99, Babylonian Twins HD, $1.99

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Yesterday we posted our close look at the excellent RPG Chaos Rings [App Store], an iPhone exclusive and the latest from Square Enix. In celebration of the release of this new title, the studio today began a two week sale on all of their games.

• Final Fantasy, $8.99 → $6.99 [ review ]
• Final Fantasy II, $8.99 → $6.99 [ review ]
• Crystal Defenders, $7.99 → $5.99 [ review ]
• Vanguard Storm, $4.99 → $3.99 [ review ]
• Sliding Heroes, $2.99 → $.99
• Hills and Rivers Remain, $6.99 → $4.99 [ review ]
• Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes – Encore, $9.99 → $7.99 [ review ]
• Final Fantasy XIII Larger-than-Life Gallery, $8.99 → $5.99

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During the iPad rush, some developers have made a conscious decision to provide "Universal" support to their existing games. These games will run in native resolution on both the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch. So, you simply buy it once, and use the same copy on both devices. The added advantage is that for anyone who has already purchased these games, the Universal updates are free.

Here are some notable universal titles that we've covered in the past:

• Strategery ($1.99) – See our Review, this simple strategy game generated a pretty dedicated following. The iPad screen can cause for some massive map sizes.
• Air Hockey ($0.99) – One of the iPhone staples – Air Hockey. Now available as a free upgrade to your iPad.
• Isotope ($1.99) – See our Review. A really wonderful dual-stick space shooter that we loved on the iPhone. Unfortunately, the first universal version doesn't seem to work properly on the iPad yet. Again, we expect these issues will be addressed quickly once developers get iPads in hand.
• Parcel Panic ($0.99) – See our Review. A Crazy Taxi-like driving/delivery game that's been updated for iPad.
• Metal Gear Solid Touch ($7.99) – See our Review. We actually weren't that happy with the game on launch, but it's worth the free upgrade to check out on the iPad if you already own it.
• 10 Pin Shuffle ($3.99) – A nice combination of bowling and shufflepuck which feels nice on the big screen.
• Parachute Panic HD ($1.99) – See our Review. A fun and frantic casual game where you guide parachuters to safety.
• Chopper, $2.99 – A side scrolling helicopter game where you need to rescue people and take out enemy targets.

IUGO

• Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL ($3.99) – A different take on tower defense.
• Cliffed XL ($1.99) – See our Review. A delightful take on "falldown".
• Implode XL – A fun demolition game where you take out buildings with precisely placed charges.

Igloo Games

• Igloo Games Arcade ($6.99) – This one's actually a bit of anomaly on the App Store, as it's a Universal game that's not an update to an existing title. Instead, Igloo Games has taken all of it's iPhone titles (Dizzy Bee, Dizzy Bee 2, Bed Bugs, Flipside) and packaged them together into one universal package.

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On Saturday, Apple released their latest device that runs iPhone OS — the iPad. The iPad joins the iPhone and iPod Touch in Apple's lineup of mobile touch-screen devices. As expected, the first thing that many iPhone/iPod Touch developers have ported their games over to the new device to take advantage of the higher resolution graphics and larger screen size of the device. For brand new iPad device owners, the question becomes — is there any reason to upgrade my existing game to the iPad-specific "HD" versions.

Eli, Blake and I have been trying out nearly all of the HD versions of existing iPhone games over the weekend to see how they fared on the iPad. Overall, I'd say we were very impressed with iPad gaming as an experience. The larger screen size really does add a lot of immersion to practically every game we've tried. Enough that if you are an iPad owner, as a rule, you are going to want to buy the HD version of new games going forward. While pixel-doubling of existing games works reasonably well, they simply don't live up to the experience of playing a native full-resolution version. Beyond the obvious graphical improvements, in many instances, developers have made adjustments to on-screen controls to accommodate usage patterns on the iPad.

For those iPad owners who already have an extensive backlog of iPhone/iPod Touch games, however, the upgrade decisions tend to be more difficult. Is it worth spending money on upgraded versions of your favorite iPhone games? That's what we're hoping to answer here. Here's our general rule of thumb though:

• Don't own it yet? – You need the iPad version if there is one.
• Hated it on iPhone? – With few exceptions, an iPad version isn't going to magically turn your opinion on a game. Most games are very familiar to the originals with only a few visual tweaks and controls.
• Loved it on iPhone? – If you absolutely loved a game on iPhone, it's worth upgrading. Practically all games gain some benefit from an increased sense of immersion that hardcore fans of a given game are going to appreciate. But, if you've already finished a game on iPhone, the incentive is less to upgrade depending on what's the developer might have included in the iPad version.

Fall somewhere in the middle? Here's our Part 1 list of recommendations on upgrading.

Recommended Upgrades

Creeps HD ($3.99)
iPad Features: All new Maps.
Tower defense games really benefit from the larger screensize. Everything is easier to see, tower placement is easier and more accurate, and for Creeps HD, you also get brand new maps. So even if you've played through the original, there's more to enjoy in this sort-of-sequel.

Flight Control HD ($4.99)
iPad Features: Three new HD airfields, Co-operative multiplayer on single device, Split-screen vs mode, 3D (magenta/cyan) mode.
A larger screen isn't just a pretty picture for Flight Control, it really changes the gaming experience. Full-size maps add new dimensions to the game, while it also comes with existing levels. This is more than just a simple upscale.

Zen Bound 2 ($7.99)
iPad Features: New levels, new gameplay mode (paint bombs)
For such a visual game to begin with, the iPad version of Zen Bound 2 benefits greatly from the larger form factor of the iPad. The graphics and effects are much enhanced making the experience nicer. Note, however, there are a few performance and control glitches in the game in the initial release. This is a side-effect of developers not having units in hand until now. We've heard from Secret Exit that iPads being Fedexed to them as we speak to address these issues. So, we have confidence updates will come.

Not Recommended

Sword of Fargoal Legends ($7.99)
iPad Features: None
Sword of Fargoal plays much nicer on the iPad's screen given the extra real estate, but given the zoomability, you can replicate the views on the pixel-doubled version. If you're a Fargoal addict, it's going to be worth it, but for everyone else the gameplay of the pixel-doubled version seems pretty identical. Screenshots: iPad, Pixel Doubled

iBlast Moki HD ($4.99)
iPad Features: None
Despite the larger screen, the game doesn't play very differently between the iPhone version. Perhaps a testament to the good zooming mechanism in the original. In fact, aside from a few jaggies, the game plays quite well in pixel-doubling.

Fieldrunners for iPad ($7.99)
iPad Features: None
Without new features, it's hard to recommend upgrading this one, even though the larger screen size makes it feel nice. But here's a tip: you can play with the same size/perspective using the pixel doubled version.

Angry Birds ($4.99)
iPad Features: None
iPad resolution allows you to more precisely line up your shots and everything still looks nice when zoomed out, but without new levels, you're just playing the same levels again.

Soosiz HD ($4.99)
iPad Features: None.
While we absolutely adored the original Soosiz, the iPad version of Soosiz HD doesn't bring much new to the table. The gameplay is identical and the levels are the same, so beyond the novelty of playing on the iPad screen, there's not a whole lot of reason to come back. Video: iPad, Screenshots: iPad, Pixel Doubled

Glyder 2 for iPad ($4.99)
iPad Features: Touch controls, enhanced map / navigation system, 3D world viewer.
Glyder 2 benefits from the iPad's larger screen in helping to convey a more immersive sense of flight than the iPhone version, but again, unless you were absolutely gaga over the first, there's not a lot new to see.

Minigore HD ($4.99)
iPad Features: Premium (iPhone in-app purchase) characters included, Touch controls
Upscaled graphics look great, but the controls actually take a hit on the larger form factor of the iPad. The developers have added touch screen controls as an alternative, but we still prefer playing this one on our iPhones. Video: iPad

Part 2 coming soon.

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While practically every other sport you can think of has graced our touch screens, I find it shocking that there hasn't been one legitimate option for the sport of ice hockey. This all changed last night as Hockey Nations 2010 was released. It boasts 3D graphics and simple gameplay with a fun arcadey feel, but misses the mark in a few key areas and falls just short of being the iPhone's first great hockey game.

Hockey Nations offers two different style tournaments as its main mode. Battle against other nations for a gold medal or international bragging rights. The players are 3D models that look slightly ugly and blocky up close, but look nice during the actual game when the camera is zoomed out. The animations in the game are fantastic, fluid and realistic, and are the high point of the visuals. There's only one arena, and it's graphically passable, but nothing memorable. The only music in the game is some slightly cheesy guitar rock during the menus, and there's barely any noise while playing in a game. Modest crowd murmurs and soft skating sounds are all you will hear, besides the occasional horn and cheers from the stands after a goal.

The game is controlled with just a virtual stick and three buttons. It's not overly complex, but there are a few advanced moves you can perform that are explained in the tutorial. It's a good pick-up-and-play game of hockey, but a couple of glaring issues can replace your fun with frustration. First, the AI is a mixed bag. The opposing team's players seem faster than yours, and are also able to make pinpoint shots and passes with ease. In contrast, the goalie AI for both teams is borderline brain dead. You'll get scored on, only to watch the goalie finally slide into blocking position as the opposing players' arms are raised in celebration. The second issue with gameplay is that puck possession changes far too easily. Most of your time is spent stealing pucks back and forth from each other, and your passes rarely go where intended. It's hard to stay in your offensive zone long enough to get off many quality shots. It can still an enjoyable game to play, but would be much more so if these areas were improved.

In addition to the tournaments, you can practice, play a quick exhibition game, or compete in a shootout. The shootout mode is actually a fairly entertaining mini game, and has each team exchanging one on one shots with the goalkeeper for best out of three.

There are the foundations of a really great game of ice hockey here. The graphics and controls get the job done nicely, but AI issues and some imbalanced gameplay get in the way of true enjoyment. The developer Distinctive Games has stated they are looking into fixing the problems with the game, as well as adding features like line changes, multiplayer, custom teams and fighting. Hopefully updates can improve Hockey Nations 2010 so it can earn its spot as the premier iPhone ice hockey game, without defaulting to that title by virtue of being the only one currently available.

App Store Link: Hockey Nations, $3.99

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Alright, so here's the deal- The amount of iPad games out there on day one is beyond overwhelming. In the interest of getting something up on the site, here's some brief first impressions of the games we're going through as quickly as possible. Right now we kind of feel like kids in a candy store with hundreds of different kinds of candy while thousands of people stand outside with their face plastered against the window yelling "How does it taste?!"

We'll likely do in-depth coverage of most of the games that stand out, but for the time being, if you just got home with an iPad and are totally lost with where to start you can follow along with us going through these games. These aren't in any kind of order, rather, these are just the games that jumped out at us first.

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Real Racing HD, $9.99 – One of the biggest surprises for me with the iPad is how immersive racing games are, especially when in cockpit mode. The iPad feels a little on the heavy side until you get used to using it as a steering wheel, but a 1024×768 screen so close to your face really makes for a cool gameplay experience. For more details on Real Racing, check out our review. The game itself is very similar to the iPhone version, but with much better graphics and a hefty heap of immersion.

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Need For Speed Shift for iPad, $14.99 – Much like how we mentioned in our in-depth preview of the iPhone version, it's really a toss up as to which game is better between Need For Speed and Real Racing. Much like Real Racing, the game looks great on the iPad and I absolutely love the in-car view with the feel that comes with using the iPad as a steering wheel. Currently, Need For Speed costs an extra $5 over Real Racing, but if you prefer the arcade style of racing in the Need For Speed series, don't let the higher price tag scare you away.

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Touchgrind HD, $7.99 – If you're at all in to finger boarding, or liked the iPhone version of the game, you need Touchgrind HD for your iPad. The extra screen real estate of the iPad really improves gameplay, as you can see so much more and can actually plan out lines to skate instead of just bumping along looking for ramps and rails. The two player mode is super cool, and the amount of customization in the game between different skateboards rocks. Something to keep in mind is that this game controls like you're using an actual finger board just like the original, so there can be a somewhat sizable learning curve as you learn how to handle your board.

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Labyrinth 2 HD, $7.99 & Labyrinth 2 HD Lite, Free – Following the previously mentioned racing games, Labyrinth 2 HD was yet another "Oh wow, this is really cool" experience on the iPad. We absolutely loved Labyrinth 2 when it was first released for the iPhone, so it's not much of a surprise that the game is even better on the big screen of the iPad. Seriously, download the lite version if nothing else. The pseudo-3D tilting effect looks even better on the iPad.

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Harbor Master HD, Free – Line drawing games work fantastic on the iPhone, and they're even better on the iPad. The control method feels completely natural, and the game gets even more hectic because of how much more you can have on screen at once. If you've got an iPad, you definitely need to grab Harbor Master HD while it's free. (Heck, grab it even if you don't have an iPad just in case they raise the price.) The main down side to the game is it only includes one map, but if you get bored of Harbor Master HD and are craving more line drawing chaos management there's…

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Flight Control HD, $4.99 – The original Flight Control for the iPhone was a runaway classic, and I expect the iPad version to see the same success. Along with the HD upgrade comes even more maps, two player mode, and other fun stuff. Honestly, Harbor Master HD and Flight Control HD are both worth owning, and each game serves as a fantastic example of how to do a great job in taking a solid gameplay concept for the iPhone and making it even better on the iPad. I can't say enough good things about both games.

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Azkend HD, $4.99 – The original Azkend I think is the only puzzle game for the iPhone that I completely beat. The control mechanic employed is this neat mixture of matching and line drawing, which you can read all about in the review of the iPhone version. I really, really liked Azkend, and am more than a little disappointed that it doesn't seem that the HD upgrade brings much new to the table. The art definitely looks amazing at 1024×768, but if you're like me and have already annihilated Azkend on the iPhone you can probably skip the iPad version. If this is the first you've heard of Azkend, then the iPad version is fantastic.

Dual Stick Shooters

We've tried both Geometry Wars ($9.99) and Mini Gore HD ($4.99) and so far, we're not crazy about the feel of dual stick shooters on the iPad. We're not sure if there's a learning curve that we have to master, but it comes as a surprise given how naturally suited they were on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Geometry Wars looks and sounds great, but I couldn't get out my mind the thought that I'd rather be playing it on my iPhone. We'll spend more time with these and more titles and let you know our final conclusion

Positioning

Perhaps related to the dual stick shooter feel is that with the iPad I'm far more aware of my position and how I'm holding the device. Whether in my lap, or on the couch or holding it up, I've had to consciously juggle it around more than my iPhone due to the increased heft. In the long run, this may affect the type of games I want to be playing on it.

Tower Defense Games

So far every tower defense game I've tried has seemed to be absolutely perfect for the iPad. The HD upgrades also look beautiful.

The Creeps HD, $3.99 and Fieldrunners for iPad, $7.99 have controls that work great with the device, and panning around the map is a thing of the past with the iPad.

…Stay tuned for even more game impressions

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While we enjoyed Bravo Game Studios' Touch Racing Nitro game, like others, we had some trouble getting comfortable with the touch-ahead controls.

The developers have provided this video showing, well, "proper" gameplay technique that shows how it handles for an experienced player.

As we previously mentioned, two game modes are included: tournament and time trial mode, but no online leaderboards yet.

App Store Link: Touch Racing Nitro, $3.99

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