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Tokyo's Apple Store was recently host to a "Game Nights at the Apple Store" event where EA presented a slideshow with a surprising amount of information regarding upcoming titles for both the iPhone and iPad. We've known some of these have been in the works for a while, but this is the first time for many that we've either seen any kind of screenshot or any solid release information. Japanese iPhone site 4gamer.net was in attendance, and provides the following photos of the slideshow:

First off, Reckless Racing, formerly known as Deliverace is a game we were following quite a bit before it got picked up to be published by EA. Since then, we haven't heard much about the game aside from wondering when it was finally going to be released.

According to the above slide, it's slated for this month. EA almost always releases their games on Thursdays, so we're likely either looking at a release late at night next Wednesday, or the following week. Next up is NBA Elite 11, a 5 on 5 fully licensed basketball game that takes advantage of the Retina Display:

A client for EA's free flash game portal pogo.com is also on its way. The slide mentions the game will be ad supported, with additional content available via a subscription. We'll have to see how this plays out on the device, and if the subscription they're referring to is Club Pogo or something that will be exclusive to the iOS app:

Much like Reckless Racing, I expect the above two games that EA has listed as October releases to pop up late next Wednesday or the following Wednesday. Moving on to November releases comes Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. We've been increasingly impressed with the Need For Speed series on the App Store, and I'm thinking Hot Pursuit will continue the tradition:

Next up is Pictureka!, an iPad game that sounds like a fast paced version of Where's Waldo? [$2.99 / HD]. It comes with pass and play local multiplayer for 2-4 people, and promises an art style that's both truly engaging and wacky. I'm not one to pass up on anything wacky:

Monopoly is finally coming to the iPad, which is allowing me to cross off yet another board game from my list of games I want on the device. The iPad exclusive features sound really rad, such as the auto-rotating tabletop mode… And I can't wait to see what in the world the new "cheating" mode entails. A mini game where you steal money from the bank while the rest of the players are getting drinks or going to the bathroom? We'll have to wait until December to find out:

EA Sports Active has been popular on consoles, and now is coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The following slide isn't really clear how involved the app will be, but hopefully it includes some cool GPS or accelerometer integration for tracking your performance instead of being yet another calorie/workout logging app. The features list upcoming post-launch gyro support, so we'll have to see how that all works:

Last, but certainly not least by any means is Dead Space 2. This confusingly named third person shooter is apparently going to bridge the story between Dead Space and its sequel, making this something more along the lines of Dead Space 1.5 than Dead Space 2. (This confusing sequel numbering reminds me of the Angry Video Game Nerd episode on the subject.)

I can see Dead Space being absolutely amazing on the iPad, and if they do it right, an iconic example of just how good and immersive an iPad game can be. It's not entirely clear from the slide if the game is going to be iPad exclusive, or for the iPhone as well since the header mentions the iPhone, but the bulleted list below mentions it being graphically enhanced for the iPad. Either way, Dead Space on the XBOX 360 was incredible, and I have a feeling it's going to be either just as awesome on iOS devices, or just as disappointing as Mass Effect Galaxy [$1.99]– I'm not sure there's much room in between.

Of course, we will post more as soon as we get any more information on any of these games.

[via 4gamer.net]

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Last year we posted early details surrounding the forthcoming iPhone game controller accessory from 22moo, the GameBone, which will offer official iOS 4 support (read: no jailbreak necessary). The accessory-maker has recently posted additional details on the item to their website.

Features listed by 22moo:

• 8-way D-pad (directional pad)
• 4 action buttons
• 2 shoulder buttons
• Built-in 1600 mAh Lithium battery for additional power for your iPod touch / iPhone
• Rear button and LED to check charging state and capacity
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Omnidirectional MIC
• 3.5 audio headphone jack
• Rear kick-stand
• iDevice independent volume control
• Charge and sync for all iDevices (except for the iPad)
• Interchangeable core for compatibility with iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad devices

The company is currently in the process of finalizing the device's new PC board and updated case design for mass production. A new availability date will be announced in early October, so stay tuned.

Stuart Carnie of Manomio has indicated that the studio's C64 for iPhone will offer eventual support for the device when it hits market.

The GameBone will support the following iOS devices: 2G, 3G, 4G iPod touch, iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, and iPad.

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Last week we previewed developer Nine Pound Studios post-apocalyptic open world RPG Xenome: Episode 1, and the game has since been released worldwide. We've had a chance to give the game a spin, and while it's hard not to be impressed with the scope of the game, there was still a lot left to be desired. Xenome is an ambitious game, claiming 5 square miles of in game territory to explore with nary a load screen to be seen. And while this technically does hold true, it's at the expense of a poor framerate and occasional stutters while the terrain is being drawn.

In fact, due to the immense scale of the game, it's only currently playable on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, or 32 and 64GB 3^rd gen iPod touches. An update is in the works to make it playable on 2^nd generation iPod touches, but anything older than that will likely not be able to run Xenome. For those that are able to play, the gameplay wasn't particularly enthralling to me. Your character can equip different armors and weapons, and generally level up in traditional RPG fashion, though the combat seemed a bit tedious. There does seem to be a decent storyline to the game, but the presentation of this story amounts to walls of text. The draw distance is phenomenal but the landscape in general is somewhat barren.

This isn't to say that there aren't some good aspects about Xenome, and it's certainly offering a game unlike anything currently available for the iPhone. The developer's roadmap for the franchise is that Episode 1 and 2 of Xenome will be stand alone single player affairs, with Episode 3 being a full blown MMORPG, all set in this same game world. In that regard, Xenome: Episode 1 feels a bit like a working demo for what they have planned down the road.

The developers are actively discussing the game and further player impressions (both positive and negative) are being collected in our forums.

(Only works on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS or 32/64GB 3rd Generation iPod Touch)

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On late Saturday, Engadget posted some fairly believable photos of what was believed to be the new iPhone. Apparently it was found on the floor of a bar in San Jose, CA wrapped in a case to have the appearance of a iPhone 3G. Not long afterwards, a photo of a Japanese counterfeit which looked very similar but later found to be fake hit the Internet, adding even more doubt to the seemingly impossible situation that the new iPhone would just wind up in the hands of Engadget months before its expected release this summer.

With message boards everywhere more split than Team Edward and Team Jacob regarding the authenticity of this mysterious device, Gizmodo did a great job of putting doubts to rest with a thorough examination of what seems to be the next iPhone.

For a full examination, head over to Gizmodo, but from a gaming perspective the biggest benefits of the new iPhone come from the higher resolution screen, an even larger battery, and the likely inclusion of the Apple A4 processor. Needless to say, we're going to be following the developments of this very closely and hope to see a full teardown of the new iPhone soon to get an idea of the performance to expect from the device.

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Three games we recently previewed all have since made their way on to the App Store. If you've been looking for some games to get your kiwi flying, hockey playing, zombie shooting fix, look no further.

Fly Kiwi Fly!, 99¢

From our preview:

In Fly Kiwi Fly, you play as a small yellow kiwi who wants to fly, much like the unrelated YouTube hit video "Kiwi!" (which you should really watch if you haven't seen it before).

Motivated by watching the Space Shuttle on TV, you take flight and somehow earn money by constantly jumping off a cliff. This money is then spent on upgrades in the in-game shop that will allow you to jump higher off the start, briefly glide, or even rocket forward among other things.

I shot my own hands-on video of early gameplay, but this recently released trailer gives you a much better idea of what the game is like once you buy some upgrades:

Stinger Table Hockey, $1.99

From our preview:

Stinger Table Hockey effectively duplicates the same insanity of a real hockey table, and while the controls are still in the process of being tweaked, I thought they worked pretty well. Basically, dragging up and down on a track moves that player back and forth, and swiping right or left on the same track causes the player to spin around. It's pretty intuitive, and works well enough to be fun.

There is a single player mode that allow you to play against an AI opponent which is a little on the lame side since the fun part of hockey tables were always playing with another person. Thankfully, Stinger Table Hockey has both bluetooth and wifi multiplayer that I can't wait to try out. There are also tournament modes, and skill tests that feature shootouts and other challenges.

Zombie Cannon Carnage, $1.99

From our preview:

In Zombie Cannon Carnage, zombies from outer-space have crash landed on Earth. Instead of sticking around to endlessly munch on succulent Earthling brains, they decided to build a makeshift cannon from spare circus parts to fire themselves back in to space. With semi-randomized gameplay, various purchasable power-ups, all kinds of obstacles to run in to, and tons of explosions, Zombie Cannon Carnage is one of the better (and substantially more hectic) cannon firing games I've played recently.

Gameplay is similar to other cannon firing games in that you aim your cannon, fire, and see how much stuff you can hit. Each zombie is equipped with a jet pack that has a limited amount of fuel which is capable of sending you flying forward for a brief period of time. When you finally crash in to the ground, you can self destruct for even more points.

Aside from the official trailer, we also shot some gameplay footage:

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