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Half Brick Studios just released a simple but challenging casual game called Fruit Ninja.

The game is a simple affair that has you swiping at the screen to dismember pieces of fruit that are lobbed in your general direction.

It's a bit of a shooting-gallery type experience but one you are swiping to slice rather than tapping to shoot. You're only allowed to miss 3 pieces of fruit before it's game over — but beware, slicing a single bomb (thrown up randomly) will result in an instant game over.

In fact, it's so simple, that it's hard to explain the appeal. The overall game is put together quite well, and the swipe mechanism is strangely satisfying. The biggest feature for the game, however, is the quick ramp up in difficulty. It doesn't take long before you are anxiously awaiting the next volley of fruit since it takes a quick reaction time to keep playing. Here's the developer's promotional video:

Gameplay footage starts about 30 seconds into the video. It's simple, fun and best of all challenging. Fruit Ninja also contains Open Feint for global high scores and achievements.

App Store Link: Fruit Ninja, $0.99

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Last month news broke that video game giant Square Enix was bringing a brand new RPG exclusively to the iPhone, and that it was being developed by a team whose combined resumé consisted of work in both the Wild Arms and Final Fantasy series. Needless to say, expectations skyrocketed with such an announcement, and to top it off this ambitious project is based on an entirely new, unproven IP. Now that Chaos Rings [App Store] is finally available, does it actually deliver? After putting the game through its paces, I can safely say it stands to not only meet any high expectations but exceed them in remarkable fashion. With stunning visuals and captivating gameplay that is tailored specifically for Apple's device, Chaos Rings defines what an RPG experience should be like on a mobile platform.

The story revolves around a dark tournament in a mysterious place known as the Arka Arena. Take control of one of four two-person teams as you advance through the arena's enemy-laden dungeons, ultimately preparing to square off against the opposing teams themselves in a fight to the death. The last ones standing are promised eternal youth and immortality. The reason each combatant has been summoned to this tournament and exactly why they have been paired with their particular partner slowly unfold via text cutscenes as the game progresses. Each team has their own storyline to play through, and they all intertwine with one another in intriguing ways. It's all very well written and remains interesting while still being suitable for on-the-go play, avoiding the problem of an overly convoluted story that is hard to follow in short bursts.

The bulk of the game is spent traversing through the Arka Arena's four distinct dungeon locations. Here you'll engage enemies randomly in a combination of indoor and outdoor settings, and each dungeon has a mid-level and end-level boss encounter. The random fighting is broken up with an occasional logic puzzle that must be beaten to advance in the game by granting an item or access to a new area. The style of the puzzles varies based on which dungeon you're in and what team you're playing with. They're a fun distraction, and force you to think hard while delivering a breather from the constant enemy confrontations.

The battle system is turn-based and has you controlling both characters in your party with an easy to use touch menu interface. The two members of your team can either attack individually or pair-up for a combined strike. This collaborative effort can deliver a more devastating blow, but leaves your combatants vulnerable to being counter-attacked in tandem. There's also a number of upgradeable magic abilities and weapons in the game that are obtained from defeated enemies, treasure chests, or the in-game shop. Control outside of battle is handled simply with an analog stick that appears anywhere the screen is touched, and one multi-use action button in the corner.

The structure of Chaos Rings is intelligently designed, and caters to a broad variety of players. Before entering a dungeon, you can choose the difficulty level of the enemies you face within. The higher the level you play on, the more treasure and rare items you will come across. A more casual gamer can choose to fight the easiest tier of enemies as they make their way through the story. In addition, you can toggle random enemy encounters on or off at any time for a more streamlined play experience. On the other hand, you can spend as much time on character leveling as you want. Any of the dungeons can be replayed at any time, so feel free to go back and endlessly grind your way to more powerful weapons and spells. It's a smart, flexible system that allows you to choose how to tackle the different aspects of the game. It took about 8 hours to beat the game with my first team, and once finished you can start a new game using the same characters and retaining much of your equipment and experience from the previous playthrough. Coupled with three additional teams to play as, there is a mountain of content here that should last most players a long time.

Graphically Chaos Rings really impresses. Beautifully illustrated 2D backgrounds make up the environments, while characters and monsters consist of detailed 3D models. It has a look that's evocative of classic Playstation-era RPGs. The battle sequences are fully rendered in 3D and really showcase the gorgeous enemy designs and fluid animations. The huge bosses in particular are downright intimidating as they fill your touch screen with their presence. A dramatic soundtrack accompanies the action and provides a unique sound for each of the locations in the game.

In the end, it's not really about how Chaos Rings does anything especially new, but rather how it takes all the pieces of a traditional role-playing game and packages it together in a way that feels natural to the platform. The result is something more akin to an action-adventure game with heavy RPG elements. The turn-based fighting is gratifying and never got old, and the story and character development remains immersive even in short play sessions. The entire experience feels like a high quality console offering shrunk down to portable size. Chaos Rings is executed brilliantly on just about every level, and has all the makings of a true classic. The fact that it's exclusively available for the iPhone makes a huge statement for the legitimacy of gaming on Apple's device, and is hopefully a symbol of many great things to come in the future of App Store gaming.

App Store Link: Chaos Rings, $12.99

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Last week we posted details and screenshots of X2 Games' upcoming X2 Football 2010 ("soccer" to us yanks). The studio has since released a teaser trailer video that features in-game action of the upcoming title.

X2 Football 2010 is a follow-up to their popular X2 Football 2009 [App Store]. We'll be taking a close look at the title when it makes it's App Store debut later this quarter.

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While we were out at GDC 2010, Capcom released their iPhone version of Street Fighter IV [App Store] for the iPhone. It's a lightweight port of the highly respected arcade release that does an admirable job of putting that arcade experience in your pocket.

The iPhone version delivers eight characters from the various Street Fighter titles: Abel, Blanka, Chun Li, Ryu, Bison, Dhalsim, Guile and Ken. And while this selection allows for some decently varied combat, everyone has their favorite character, and given the size of the Street Fighter universe, many saw their favorite fighter overlooked.

Well, recent news from Capcom should put a smile on the face of at least some of the bereft Street Fighter fans out there. The studio will be adding one more character to the mix in a coming, free update to Street Fighter IV for the iPhone. Cammy, who was introduced in Super Street Fighter II, will soon fall in line as the ninth fighter in the iPhone release. A nice choice, as she is a particular favorite among fans.

See Capcom's video of Cammy in action.

No solid date has been indicated for the update that will add Cammy to the game's lineup.

[ via Kotaku ]

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Football fans (soccer, in the US) are in for a treat in sometime in Q2 of this year when X2 Games releases X2 Football 2010, a follow-up to their popular X2 Football 2009 [App Store]. We've recently received details and pre-release screenshots from the developer

This new release sees the addition of over 150 national teams, 10 national leagues, and features online multiplayer for head-to-head action (via Bluetooth, local WiFi, or online).

A core innovation to X2 Football 2010 is the introduction of the Dream Team mode. In Dream Team mode, players must use their skills to try and create the ultimate team of their own. It goes like this: you start out with an initial draft of weakly skilled players and compete in the multiplayer, tournament, and quick match modes to accumulate tokens. Users can then spend these tokens to scout for quality players from across the globe to build up the ultimate Dream Team.

Technical Director Charles Chapman commented,

"We were always confident that X2 Football 2009 would be successful, our entire development team are football fans and this, in turn, lead to the creation of a game that met with world-wide acclaim. But we never, ever want to rest on our laurels.

We've taken on board a lot of feedback from users and have rewritten large parts of the game from the ground up as well as adding more features. Our aim is to ensure that X2 Football 2010 continues in the same tradition that its predecessor set upon first release."

The game features improved AI as compared to the 2009 release and faster gameplay for users with iPhone 3GS / 3G iPod touch devices.

Stay tuned for more info on this release as we get it, as well as a full review when it lands in the App Store.

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iPad users striving for the Elite experience on the iPad will soon have an alternative to Warpgate HD, thanks to FishLabs' upcoming space commerce shooter Galaxy on Fire 2, sequel to one of my favorite iPhone titles, Galaxy on Fire [App Store].

Currently available as a Java version, Galaxy on Fire 2 is making its way to the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, taking full advantage of each target platform.

Along with a complete reworking of the graphics, the in-house ABYSS game engine has been adapted to the functionality of the modern smartphones. In the new developer diary for GoF 2, lead developer Hans-Christian Kühl extensively describes the changes so far to the original Java version in the port. The new Galaxy on FireTM 2, which previously only required approximately 1 MB of memory for technical reasons, will have over 120 MB of pure game data in the final version.

While there are not a great deal of bullet-point feature details available at the moment, we do have alpha-stage screenshots of both the iPhone and iPad versions of the game.

Have a look. The first row is iPad screenshots, the rest are shots of the upcoming iPhone version of the game.

FishLabs has dedicated a full year to the development of Galaxy on Fire 2 and we're quite anxious to find out more about what's certain to be a rather worthwhile release. Stay tuned for more info as we get it.

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Can a game be a piece of art? So asks Geardome, who strives to deliver just that in their recently released physics-based, ball-roller style game Ozone [App Store].

Dive into the galaxy of Ozone and unveil the secrets of this unique audio-visual experience, a mix of art and technology, never before seen or heard on a mobile device.

The game puts you in control of an inflatable ball that can be moved about various maze-like levels by way of touch-directed bursts of air. The goal is to collect all of the yellow orbs strewn about each of the game's more than 50 pseudo-3D levels in order to exit each maze. But there's more in each level than just yellow orbs. You must negotiate a wide variety of obstacles and enemies in order to make your way through each level. There are, among other things, moving traps, doors to unlock, weapons to collect and use, spikes to avoid, and end-bosses to contend with. A steel ball power-up renders your ball impervious to damage and able to plow through certain walls for a short period. Some pathways require you to deflate your ball in order to fit through, and then it's fingers-crossed that an air pump is just around the corner, because when you're out of air, you're out of luck. And those bursts of air that move you hither and yon — they're not freebies; each burst lowers your air level just a bit.

It's a lot to juggle.

But luckily, time is something you have plenty of in this game. Ozone is not a race against the clock, but is a slow-paced, intricate affair that requires a high level of precision to master. In that way, it's really not akin to Dark Nebula, a comparison some in our forums have made, in seeing posted screenshots. It reminds me more of Bubble Ghost, actually. It's a game for the patient, and an experience that is both frustrating (in a good way) and relaxing at the same time. A very well-matched, ambient soundtrack sets the mood and helps deliver what feels like a rather "zen" experience.

The developers have also created a custom level editor that can be used to create your own levels, available for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows. The game's upcoming first update will enable the ability to play custom levels, and downloadable content is also on the way. Ozone HD, a version that takes advantage of the iPad's features, will soon be released, the developer indicates.

The reaction to the game in our forums has been extremely positive. Your Personal Robot shared his thoughts.

…I am playing this gem and WOW am I impressed.
This really is a little indie masterpiece. The graphics, the sound…simply amazing…

This game just feels very deep, very thought out, every detail just seems right in place. Hard to describe it. It's a complete console game with a fantastic look and feel. And it's definitely NOT too expensive. This is a title with so much quality, many – or most – of the App Store games are far from reaching.

Ozone is a very well done and highly enjoyable game that should have great appeal to those who enjoy problem solving and being rewarded for precision. It's certainly one of the more engrossing titles I've spent time with in recent months.

App Store Link: Ozone, $4.99

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Sixteen years ago, as the developers tell the tale, Rabah Shihab led a team at Baghdad University, Iraq to develop an original puzzle/platformer for the Amiga, inspired by what he saw of other games' depiction of his home country.

As he explained in an interview with Amiga Games That Weren't,

…My real dedication for this theme came during the early nineties after I saw a computer game in which you control a warplane with the goal of bombing Iraq. Putting the bombing aside (I was in Baghdad during the first gulf war and I saw the human suffering that resulted from the real bombing ), I didn't like the way they depicted Iraq in the game, as a primitive and uncivilized place. I wanted to build a game that counter that image, a game that shows the vibrant history of Mesopotamia. In Babylonian Twins, the game takes you to different historical places, from Babylon to Assyria. We relied on authentic history books to design many of the graphics in the game.

Under the extraordinary conditions caused by the economic sanctions of Iraq at that time, the first Iraqi-developed game never came to be; a well-loved, early Amiga demo release was all we ever saw. Last week however, saw the arrival of Babylonian Twins — The Quest for Peace in Ancient Iraq [AppStore] and Babylonian Twins HD [AppStore] to the iPhone and iPad respectively, the result of a re-union of that development team.

Babylonian Twins is both a port and re-imagination of that original Amiga title. All the artwork has been re-done from scratch in rich, high definition and the original, middle eastern score and gameplay elements have all been improved. It is obvious that this has all been attended to with the utmost care, as there are no outward signs that this is in fact a port, beyond a grand style of gameplay that harkens back to the golden age of the Amiga.

The story begins with the plight of the twin princes of Babylon, imprisoned by an evil sorcerer who has cursed the city in which they live. It is a thread-bare tale told merely to give some context to the unique gameplay elements herein, foremost of which is the ability to control two protagonists with differing abilities. Blasir is able to jump higher than his brother, and is able to Dash mid-air to access hidden locations or break through weakened walls. Nasir on the other hand, has a mace capable of breaking objects and a Drill ability that destroys broken ground underfoot. Movement and attacks are handled with the standard platformer on-screen D-Pad and thumb buttons.

Nasir and Blasir are played interdependently, relying on each other's strengths to reach otherwise inaccessible locations, though only one twin is under your immediate control at any given time. When this happens, the other freezes into a statue, providing an oft-used height boost for out-of-reach areas or a weight to trigger pressure switches. In some ways this co-operative gameplay is reminiscent of another Amiga classic, The Lost Vikings, one of Blizzard's earliest titles (when they were known as Silicon and Synapse).

These simple gameplay features form the premise for some of the most interesting and expansive level designs that we have seen to date on the platform. In many ways, Babylonian Twins does away with contemporary trends in gaming, and re-instates the old-school values of a challenging, explorative platformer that refuses to hold you by the hand. There are no directional arrows or maps to point you towards the golden palm trees you must collect each level. In fact, even crucial objects such as the aforementioned broken walls and floors are easily missed unless you're paying attention. And each level is enormous– an adventure in and of itself– many of our completion times clocking in at around 30 minutes each.

To some, this may seem overbearing, but we thoroughly appreciated the breathe of fresh air that comes with a game that respects its players, and isn't just another title that can be waltzed through with minimal effort. Much of our time was spent exploring the colorful, wonderfully crafted middle-eastern environments; not to take in the vistas, but to puzzle out what path we had yet to take, and what vital element we were missing that was stalling our progress. That and avoiding the many pitfalls and enemies peppered across each landscape.

Babylonian Twins isn't completely unforgiving, having both a generous health bar for each twin and three lives between them to ease enemy encounters. That said, we expected that it would be replete with a checkpoint system and a resume feature to handle call-interruption. Unfortunately, these are not included to the extent they should, the latter proving especially frustrating on one occasion when 25 minutes of gameplay was wiped with the end in sight. Fortunately, the developer has indicated on our forums that this is being looked into, and that further checkpoints may be added in future versions.

This shouldn't be reason though to miss one of the most engaging platformers that we have had the pleasure of playing in a long while. While the artwork is stunning (apparently there was significant historical research behind much of the environment) and the terrific accompanying score both retro and authentically middle-eastern, the real selling point is the core gameplay. OpenFeint high scores and achievements (which include a near-impossible to find hidden trove of treasures) only accentuate a style of play that is heavy on exploration and puzzles designed to really challenge you. This won't be a game breezed through in a few short hours, but will require dedication to learn and reasoning to execute.

In true puzzle fashion, when your synapses are firing and each of the dozen levels are finally completed, your efforts pay off with a feeling of satisfaction and achievement that's second to none. That's when Babylonian Twins again shows its nature, offering two secret, additional levels when further time and life challenges are met. This is certainly a game that will remain on our iPhones and iPads for a long time to come, a sentiment shared by many of our readers who are posting their own impressions in our forums.

App Store Link: Babylonian Twins, $2.99, Babylonian Twins HD, $4.99

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Any truly diehard arcade shooter fan will have heard of Cave. Founded in 1994, the Japanese gamemaker is responsible for some of the most highly acclaimed scrolling shooters to have ever appeared in an arcade. With their 1995 release of DonPachi, the company created a new, intense genre of shooter known commonly as the "manic shooter" or "bullet hell" shooter, in which the screen is almost entirely filled with enemy fire, and successfully evading said fire requires extreme control precision and skill. It's a prevalent genre in Japan that is far less-represented in the West. (Some such titles readers may be familiar with include Ikaruga (Xbox 360, Gamecube), Triggerheart Exelica (Xbox 360, PS2, Dreamcast)  and Noiz2sa [App Store].)

In a move that should have iPhone shooter fans standing up and cheering, Cave has just thrown their hat into the iPhone gaming ring with their port of the 2005 Japanese Arcade / Xbox 360 release Espgaluda II [App Store]. A sequel to the original Japanese arcade and PS2 release, Espgaluda II is a bullet hell-style shooter that was released in 2005. The iPhone version seeks to bring a fast-action, arcade quality shooter experience to our favorite mobile platform.

The first thing I said to myself upon jumping into a game of Espgaluda II was, "finally!" I've long lamented the fact that the iPhone 2D scrolling shooter experience was, across the board, pretty much a slow-motion affair as compared to that of even much older consoles such as the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation. Cave's first iPhone shooter throws an x/y scrolling backdrop along with an incredible number of moving objects onscreen at once, and the whole thing just flies. Fast action at a super-smooth framerate. (There's a settings option to set the screen size, if you want to tweak performance a bit.) It's certainly the most impressive iPhone shooter to date from a technical standpoint. But all this pixellated magic didn't come without a price; Espgaluda II presently only runs on the iPhone 3GS and the iPad (with 3G iPod touch support coming soon in an update). Older devices just can't push this scale of pixels, it seems.

Gameplay involves using touch controls to maneuver your craft about the playfield, destroying enemies, dodging their fire, and collecting Spirit Stones and power-ups. Along the left or right of the screen (user's choice) are special function buttons that trigger a Guard shield / attack mode, Awakening mode (more on this later), auto-fire on / off, and weapons mode select — some of which may not be presented depending on the control mode you've chosen, among Simplified, Normal, and Expert. The touch controls work quite well and offer better control than either the stick or D-pad of the earlier arcade and Xbox 360 versions. Thankfully, you can tap and hold some distance from your onscreen craft to control it without obscuring your view of it.

Each level is concluded by a boss battle, some quite lengthy, that really puts your control savvy to the test. Keep a finger hovering over that shield trigger when a boss comes out to play…

From an artistic standpoint, the game really stands out. The backdrops are very well done and the enemy craft objects are highly detailed. There's so much color and graphical complexity onscreen — and zipping around at a breakneck clip — that it probably takes the smallest hit in running pixel-doubled on an iPad than any iPhone game I've seen. In fact, the larger screen image makes dodging enemy fire a bit easier than on the iPhone. The iPad is my personal platform of choice for this one.

A lively soundtrack featuring audio similar to other such Japanese shooters accompanies gameplay and adds to the overall feeling of intensity. (Cave released the game's soundtrack on CD back in 2006.)

The iPhone version of Epsgaluda II features two modes of play. There's the Arcade Mode, which stays close to the arcade original and the Xbox 360 version — but in the case of the latter, this has been a source of complaint for some, as far as the somewhat unclear scoring system. Cave addressed this by adding an iPhone Mode, which features a scoring system that the developers feel makes more sense for mobile play. As well, the iPhone Mode features a new Awakening Pulse attack where you can turn enemy fire into the green Spirit Stones that you want to collect, increasing your multiplier and protecting your ship at the same time. Across both of these modes are Novice, Normal, and Hard difficulty levels.

The game utilizes OpenFeint for various in-game achievements and leaderboard tracking to keep things nice and competitive.

I am a particular shooter fan, but the bullet hell variety is not my very favorite flavor. Despite that, I fell quick and hard in love with Espgaluda II. It is easily the best 2D shooter experience in the App Store. I spent most of the day plowing through wave after wave of some of the most dense bullet swarms I've ever encountered and found it quite difficult to put down in order to start this review. I moved frequently between the iPhone 3GS and iPad to get a good feel for gameplay on both devices and it was fast-paced and frenetic fun, whichever device I used.

If you own an iPhone 3GS and are a fan of the manic shooter — go buy this game right now. If you are a general shooter fan and feel that you're up to facing the dense and constant volleys of enemy fire that this type of shooter brings — go buy this game right now. At present, Espgaluda II has no peer in the App Store.

The game is currently listed at an introductory price of $4.99, down from the standard price of $8.99.

App Store Link: Espgaluda II, $4.99 (limited time)

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Cave's Espgaluda II appeared in the App Store tonight. This vertical shooter falls in the "bullet hell" subgenre where your job includes dodging waves of endless projectiles. Espgaluda II was originally released as an Xbox 360 game earlier this year and is now making its way to the iPhone.

Due to the number of projectiles in the game, Espgaluda II requires a 3rd generation device. This includes the iPhone 3GS, 3rd Generation iPod Touch and even the iPad. In fact, the game plays pretty will on the iPad with pixel doubling as the added screen size seems to make navigation a little more precise. That's not to say the iPhone 3GS version is lacking. In our brief time with the game, it seems to deliver on the promise of "bullet hell" with smooth visuals and solid controls.

The video shows the manic action involved in the iPhone release:

While you can touch anywhere on the screen, the play field is inset a bit to allow you a bit of room to swipe your finger. It works well prevents any obscuration of your ship with your finger.

The game has 3 levels of difficulty, multiple control setting options, and both iPhone and Arcade modes. The embedded video gives a great walk through of the game and the intense action.

App Store Link: Espgaluda II, $4.99 (3GS, 3rd Gen iPod Touch or Pixel-Doubled on iPad only)

Note: The game will reportedly not install on iPod Touches (even 3rd gen) at this time. This should be easily fixable by the developer in time.

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