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This afternoon I met with the guys from Taito outside of the west hall of E3. Unsurprisingly, they have quite a bit on their plate right now both between updating their existing games, releasing new ones, and promoting an odd array of Space Invader themed utilities. Originally I was rather confused, both wondering why Taito would release these utilities and who would download them… Then I realized exactly who would download them– The army of people with severe Space Invader fetishes like our own Blake Patterson.

These utilities all have been done before, but never with a Space Invaders theme. They're all free, and the calculator is actually pretty cool with various easter eggs if whatever you're calculating results in certain special numbers such as 1978, 41, and 10 others. They all include various advertisements for Taito games, and there is a 99¢ version of the calculator that strips these ads.

• Space Invaders Clock
• Space Invaders Battery Meter
• Space Invaders Business Card
• Space Invaders Calculator (Ad-Free Calculator, 99¢)
• Space Invaders Timer
• Space Invaders Flashlight
• Space Invaders Timer

Gardening Mama is in the works, an iPhone port of an existing Nintendo DS game. Just like Cooking Mama [$6.99 / Free], Gardening Mama will use the touch and tilt interfaces of the device to plant and cultivate various plant life instead of cooking. All we need now is a way to hook the two games together so you can cook in Cooking Mama with the ingredients you grow in Gardening Mama. Gardening Mama is still in development, but they expect it to be released later this summer.

Space Invaders HD is scheduled for release in July, and is going to be the classic game of Space Invaders redone for the iPad. It's a little hard to not roll your eyes at a "HD" version of a retro game like this, but they've actually done quite a bit to make the game really cool. Most notably is a single device two-player mode that works just like the cocktail table arcade machines, with players taking turns and the screen orientation switching just like back in the day.

Taito is using Space Invaders HD to test the waters before determining what else to do with the iPad, but not having "HD" versions of their existing games shouldn't dissuade you from checking them out on your iPad. The pixel art used in their iPhone games all look great with the iPad's scaling.

The next retro classic Taito is bringing to the App Store is Bubble Bobble, and I doubt I'm alone in hoping this game gets the same amazing treatment as Space Invaders did in Space Invaders Infinity Gene [$4.99]. Today all they were able to show is a basic demo of the game running with touch controls, but they assured me that Bubble Bobble for the iPhone would feature both a "retro" mode, and a new game mode they weren't willing to talk any specifics beyond telling me to not "expect something just like the original."

Moving on to game updates, Taito is committed to updating their popular games, both either through free updates or via in-app purchases. Cooking Mama has already had a few updates with new recipes, and there are even more coming. Taito is even debating recipe packs, potentially with seasonal or holiday themes.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene is getting a huge update, with both free and paid components. Everyone who owns the game will get access to a new ship, and the ability to turn the game sideways to shift the perspective in to a horizontal shooter. In-app purchases will be available to unlock different themes for the game.

These themes include Darius, Metal Black, and Night Striker. Each theme comes with their own unique ships, bosses, and remixed music that any fans of the original games should instantly recognize. Taito hopes the update will land on the App Store sometime next month.

As I mentioned before, they've got quite a bit in the works at Taito, and it's hard to not look forward to their future efforts on the platform especially with how great some of their recent releases have been– Especially Space Invaders Infinity Gene.

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As we had suspected, Activision has finally released an iPhone/iPod Touch version of Geometry Wars: Touch [App Store]. A surprising bonus? It's a universal update to the iPad game. So existing Geometry Wars customers get the iPhone version for free.

As an added bonus, the game has dropped in price from $9.99 to $4.99.

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Originally a PC game that was released in 1998, Carnivores places into a first person hunting game where your targets are dinosaurs. I haven't figured out the fact that you are fictionally hunting extinct animals will placate or enrage the anti-hunting crowd, but I'm sure we'll find out soon.

The game features a 3D first person perspective to hunt down dinosaurs using up to six different weapons. Here's a gameplay video from the developers:

The game comes from Tatem Games who were also responsible for Racer for the iPhone. Fans of the series have been happy with the iPhone conversion of Carnivores.

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At WWDC 2010, we got a chance to meet up with New Zealand developer David Frampton who had his latest creation in hand to show off. Frampton was a long time Mac developer turned fulltime iPhone developer after the success of his original App Store launch title Chopper. Reminiscent of Choplifter, Chopper put you in tilt-control of a chopper with missions to save your comrades while taking on enemy forces.

After a year in development, Chopper 2 hopes to add a number of improvements to the game. Frampton has worked hard on improving the graphical engine for the game. The sequel offers a 3d terrain over which to fly as well as offering both iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch support. The level designs have also been tweaked by adding a variety of goals. Goals can include saving your men, pick up and drop off goals, as well as defending a structure from spawning enemies. The game comes with 4 different terrains each with 3 different missions. Meanwhile, these 12 missions come in 3 different difficulties offering 36 total distinct levels.

One eye-catching feature that Frampton will be adding to the final version is the inclusion of the Bluetooth remote control that allows the iPhone to act as a controlled for the iPad version.

The game will come in a single universal binary that can be used on either device and includes the remote functionality within. So, a single purchase can be used for both devices.

We shot some video of the current version of Chopper 2 at WWDC. This shows a couple of terrains as well as the Bluetooth iPhone/iPad interaction.

Chopper 2 is expected to be complete in the next couple of months and the base price is going to be $4.99 (Universal) but with an introductory sale.

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Back in April, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 [$4.99] finally made its way to the App Store following an odd Twitter announcement by Tony Hawk himself. In our review, we absolutely loved the game:

If you're only familiar with more modern Tony Hawk games, you might be annoyed that it's lacking (and I use that word loosely) things like a story mode, a more structured career mode, greater depth of customization, and other things that have since become common place in recent skateboarding games. But, honestly, none of that even matters, because the actual skating in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 has an absolutely timeless feel to it.

This is a game I will never delete from my iPhone.

…And I still haven't deleted it from my phone.

For whatever reason, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 was originally only available in the US App Store, but as of today it appears to be up in most major international App Stores. If you live in one of these areas that formerly was without the awesomeness that is Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, the wait is over.

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Admittedly, I have shied away from board games on the iPhone; very few of them offering the accessibility and multi-player fun of dusting off an old classic and sitting around a coffee table with friends. Even still, I had never heard of the award-winning German tile-based board game named after a world heritage listed French castle prior to our preview last month. But that's all water under the bridge now, as Carcassonne [App Store] is definitely hot right now and set to rocket up the App Store charts.

For those apparently hiding under the same rock as I have been; Carcassonne is a board game played with 71 tiles, artistically depicting fortified structures, fields, cloisters and roads (these being the key elements of the game). Tiles are randomly drawn and played on the table in turn by each player, of which there are up to 5 players at once, and placed next to each other so that each landmark aligns perfectly. Points are awarded by placing one of your limited tokens, your 'Meeples', on an element of the tile you've just played; be it road, structure or field. Points are scored both during the game and at the end, with completed city structures awarding bonus points.

Carcassonne has undoubtedly raised the bar high for spit and polish. Every menu, game screen or tutorial is painted in gorgeous wooden hues as a tribute to its hand-crafted, table-top origins. The tutorials themselves comprise both fully-voiced demonstrations and a thoughtfully illustrated game manual which does wonders to explain the initially abstract scoring system.

Carcassonne isn't a difficult game to grasp, but it does have an extraordinary amount of depth. Advanced considerations such as where to play your farmer Meeples (which aren't retrievable after placing them) so that they are in the largest field possible supplying the most completed structures (thus scoring points) will often prove the difference between a game otherwise left largely to luck of the draw.

These strategies especially come to the fore in heated games of four or five players, where you have to contend with multiple playing personalities– be they aggressive players who will continually try to block or steal your developments, or the passive contender silently building a formidable point-massing fortress in a forgotten corner of the board. Carcassonne accommodates this fantastic multiplayer gameplay from every conceivable angle. Impressively, you can have a taste of multiplayer on your own, with a local mode able to add up to 4 computer-controlled opponents of 8 varying difficulty levels from easy to evil.

The real fun though comes from matching wits (and trading blows) with real people. The aforementioned local mode also allows for 5 Pass-and-Play players to be added, or for WiFi or Bluetooth devices to join your game too. Internet games (over both 3G and WiFi) on the other hand can be quickly arranged between two people through the "Quick Game" option, where the game will search for an available contender. Fair warning though, these games are timed to keep the pace flowing, so leaving the game for prolonged periods will award the game to your opponent instead.

The bulk of your multiplayer though will be spent by creating games with friends. Your friends list can be added to by having Carcassonne send an email link to friends, providing them with a link that when opened on their iPhones which appends you to their in-game friends list. Herein lies our only rub with Carcassonne. We're not sure why the developers chose this method of connecting friends, as it forces you from the game for no justifiable reason and just feels clunky against the backdrop of an otherwise flawless interface. A system where you can invite and add friends from within the game would be far better, particularly for those who may not use the email application on their iOS devices.

Internet games between friends are otherwise painless to setup, with a wax-sealed invitation received by all friends, after which they can opt to refuse the invite, or wait until the game leader commences the game. We say the bulk of multiplayer will be played like this, as utilising the friends list has a distinct advantage over quick play mode: gameplay becomes completely asynchronous and the quick game timer is dispensed with.

The developers have also included ELO rankings for added bragging rights. Your ELO rating goes up and down when you win and lose internet matches, depending on the relative skill level of your opponent. It's a terrific addition that is even further improved by the high score tables pitting your friends against each other.

There is still one important gameplay mode to cover: the newly added Solitaire mode. Solitaire mode has a completely different scoring system, where you start off with 1000 points and each tile added reduces that score. The objective is to complete set targets which increasingly get harder as you complete them. You start the game having to build a 2-tile road and 2-tile structure, and as each is completed their tile number increases by 1. You are rewarded for keeping your playing field as compact as possible, with penalties imposed for expanding its borders. Every order of tiles in Solitaire is also recorded and fixed with a unique code (craftily, the name of the town), which you can share with your friends so they can attempt the exact same challenge. Unfortunately, friend challenges are processed via email, and though not a huge deal, does detract from the game's magic (particularly as you have to remember your friends' email addresses each time).

Carcassonne is a shining example of how to do a board game right on the iPhone. The developers have promised continued support which will see a universal iPad update coming later this year and In-App DLC for what we hope is most of the nearly 20 expansion packs available for the original game– some of which allegedly turn the gameplay on its head entirely. Carcassonne is wholeheartedly recommended to board game veterans and newcomers alike.

Impressions are flowing in thick and fast from our forum readers, who also seem overwhelmingly enamored by Carcassonne. For iPad users, a free universal update will come later and it has been reported that Carcassonne in its current state scales extremely well.

App Store Link: Carcassonne, $4.99. (Introductory Sale Price)

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There are quite a few options for RTS fans available on the App Store, all of varying degrees of quality. Typically they suffer from one of two different problems. Either the complex nature of the game is too convoluted to be effective with a touch screen interface, or the entire experience is too stripped down and lacks any substance in order to accommodate accessible controls. Although there has been some strong entries in the genre, it doesn't really feel like anyone has got it “just right” yet.

That all changed last month with the release of Land Air Sea Warfare [$4.99] by developer Isotope 244. LASW gets it “just right”, offering a full console-like RTS experience with brilliantly executed, easy to use touch screen controls. The only features lacking in LASW are a proper single player campaign and multiplayer. That first issue is somewhat of a non-issue actually, as the amount of options available for play is just ridiculous. There is endless replayability due to the randomized maps and the amount of customization available in this game. In saying that it lacks a campaign, all that really means is it lacks a cohesive storyline to play through. If this is something that you look for in an RTS, then you may feel disappointed with LASW. If all you need is solid, highly configurable battles against an intelligent and scalable AI, then LASW will more than fit that bill.

As for multiplayer, it's not included in this current release but remains an option for the future. If you're looking to get your battle on against real life human opponents, you may look to the multiplayer-focused Armada: Galactic War which we previously reviewed and found to be excellent. It's conceivable that owning each title will fulfill all your offline and online RTS needs for a long time to come. A list of ideas for future updates to LASW has been posted by the developer in our forums, and includes a bevy of balance tweaks and performance optimizations. The game is really solid right now though, and only stands to get better through updates.

While it's tough to detail every last element of a game as robust as LASW, if you're already a big RTS fan, I'll offer you this advice – go buy this game right now. You need it. You'll love it. It's a truly excellent single player RTS affair. If you're on the fence, you can download a demo of the game on your Windows/Mac computer from the Isotope 244 website to get an idea of what it's like. Also, the game's forum thread has been overflowing with positive remarks since release. Forum member steelfires nicely summarizes the game with a review in our User Review section as well. Or, you can do like so many of us have done at times, and just click that Buy Now button with reckless abandon. I don't think you'll be disappointed. A game the caliber of Land Air Sea Warfare doesn't come around all that often on our devices, and surely should not be missed.

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Gamevil's Soccer Superstars [$4.99] recently hit the App Store, bringing the same classic sprite based graphics, gameplay that will take you back to the Super Nintendo days, and RPG style progression of super players that will have you saying "just one more game" long after you should have stopped playing. Much like Baseball Superstars 2010 [$4.99 / Free], this extra layer of depth provided by the RPG elements inside the game somehow manage to make the Superstars games incredibly appealing even to those of us who don't normally get that involved in sports games.

So far reactions in our forums have been positive, with some people having issues with the controls. In Soccer Superstars, the movement of your player is controlled using an analog stick of sorts, but to keep you from constantly needing to keep your left thumb on the screen your player will just keep running in whatever direction you touched last. It seems like once you wrap your head around this somewhat unconventional control scheme, Soccer Superstars is just as much fun as Baseball Superstars, a personal favorite of mine.

We're going to be taking a closer look at this game in the near future, but in the meantime, Soccer Superstars is a safe purchase for anyone who likes arcade style soccer games and/or endlessly filling experience and stat bars to advance a roster of characters.

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Board gamers will be pleased to learn that the hit German tile-based game, Carcassonne has finally arrived in the App Store. The official port includes original artwork, 8 different AI players, and even internet multiplayer with push notifications.

Build a medieval landscape, tile by tile, claim landmarks with your followers and score points. As a winner of the prestigious "Spiel des Jahres" award in 2001, the game allows for a plethora of play styles and strategies.

The game comes as an iPhone-only verison, but a universal iPad version is on the way. The iPad universal will be a free update to existing owners of the game, and the game will reportedly go up in price at that time. First impressions are rolling in our forums.

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Earlier this month we posted about Gamevil's next sports RPG, Soccer Superstars. Much like Baseball Superstars 2010 [$4.99 / Free], Soccer Superstars comes packed with the same fantastic anime-styled sprites, multiple game modes, and best of all, the ability to train up your own super players which adds an insane amount of depth to the game.

The controls in Soccer Superstars work quite well, what Gamevil did with the controls that I particularly enjoyed was the way you didn't always have to have your finger on the virtual joystick. Instead, you only need to move the joystick in the direction you want your player to move, and they just keep on running. Holding a direction causes your currently selected player to dash momentarily. A the series of on-screen buttons work exactly how you would expect them to if you've ever played any soccer video game.

In the games I've played, the AI seemed competent enough to provide a decent challenge and overall Soccer Superstars has an arcade sports feel to it, focusing more on fun than any kind of realistic simulation. Of course, realistic simulation goes right out the door as soon as you get involved in training up your super players as they're all capable of different super moves. My favorite one turns the soccer ball in to a giant fireball and sends it careening towards the goal.

If you're the kind of person who can get entirely too sucked in to any game where you're filling experience bars, much like Baseball Superstars, Soccer Superstars will likely suck you in in the worst way. Just like how I'd grind through baseball games for the next player upgrade, I've found myself playing game after game of soccer to improve my super players.

Soccer Superstars should be hitting the App Store very soon, and when it does, we'll be taking a much closer look at the game.

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