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It’s the season for savings as the US’ July 4 Independence Day celebration nears. Not to be left out of the chart-breaking action is Gameloft. As of this morning, the homage-specialists are offering a stable of some of its sharpest titles like NOVA 2 and Asphalt 6 at a mere 99 cents instead of their usual three-dollars-and-up price points. Good savings all around, though less titles that we expected.

To be frank, we’re not sure when these sales will end. Logic suggests, of course, around July 5, but it’d be wise to jump on these ASAP if any of the follow tickles you:

• Asphalt 6: Adrenaline – $4.99 → $.99
• Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD - $6.99 → $.99
• Dungeon Hunter 2 – $6.99 → $.99
• Dungeon Hunter 2 HD – $6.99 → $.99
• NOVA 2 – $6.99 → $.99
• NOVA 2 HD – $6.99 →> $.99
• Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden – $6.99 → $.99
• Shrek Kart – $4.99 → $.99
• Shrek Kart HD – $4.99 → $.99
• Starfront: Collision – $2.99 → $.99
• Starfront: Collision HD – $6.99 → $.99

Out of all of these, I'd choose NOVA 2. As much as it pains me to enjoy a product that so shamelessly apes Bungie's Halo, NOVA 2 is a solid FPS title with a good sense of scale and pacing. It even controls pretty well for a genre game, which is more than what you can say about a lot of the FPS fodder on the App Store.

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Selling a million copies in the console and PC games space is a huge deal. A hair or two above five million is the watermark. Angry Birds [$.99 / Free / Lite / HD / HD Free], across mobile devices various services and even web portals, has been downloaded 250 million times. Talk about penetration.

Actually, let’s keep talking about penetration, because a new studio has announced that it’s hit the 200 million downloads threshold: Gameloft. In a recent press release, the App Store connoisseurs announced that it has served up its 200 millionth download on iTunes.

That’s a lot of games served.

I opened up with those traditional games space numbers just so you can see how much of a gap there is between these two markets. They’re different, of course. One pushes out a lot of $60 experiences, while the other 99-cent flings. Also, Gameloft is counting dozens of games’ individual sales to get this number, but the disparity is there regardless.

Gameloft is giving a special shout-out to the NOVA series, as well as the Asphalt, the Modern Combat, and the Let’s Golf franchises in the announcement, which implies that they are the actual workhorses fluffing the download number.

"We have been able to develop a truly massive fan base by offering high-quality games on the App Store," Gonzague de Vallois, SVP of publishing at Gameloft said in a brand new, congratulatory statement.

"For millions of people worldwide, Gameloft is now synonymous with amazing gaming experiences on their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad."

Gameloft has around 20 more games set to hit this year. I wonder how long it'll take before we see a "half a billion games downloaded" story? Five bucks says that we'll have one by next year!

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On a gloomy and rainy day in Boston, I stood around with hundreds of other people to secure myself an iPad 2. It had potential to be miserable, but thankfully Apple provided some really awesome umbrellas in addition to the normal array of beverages and snacks they usually give to people standing in launch day lines. There have been a number of review on the device already, so I'll just focus on how the device works in games. (Although, I will say you must get a smart cover, they're awesome.)

Unsurprisingly, everything I've tried seems to run substantially better across the board. Games that previously chugged on the iPad now run at or near a solid 60 FPS. In fact, I've yet to play a single iPad game on my iPad 2 that didn't perform phenomenally. It's fantastic, as over the last year of talking to developers I've heard many tales of woe regarding the poor graphical performance of the original iPad.

If you just got an iPad 2 and are looking to stretch its legs, the device launched with four games that have been "optimized" for the device. Only one of them is even a new game, the rest of them all had free updates land today to beef up the graphics (and the file size, unfortunately) for the iPad 2.

Real Racing 2 HD, $9.99 – There's not a whole lot to say about this game that we haven't already other than it runs on the iPad and looks fantastic on the iPad 2. We loved the iPhone version in our review, and RR2 HD almost feels even more immersive because of the increase of screen size. One thing though, with the bigger screen, just how flat the cockpits of the cars look is much more noticeable. I'd love to see some bump mapping or other depth given to them, as once you notice it, it's kind of hard to un-see. Obviously, it runs much better on the iPad 2 than the original iPad as well.

Dead Space for iPad, $6.99 – We reviewed this game when it was first released and liked it then, and now it's even better with some heavy anti-aliasing. Check out the crisp border of the sign in the above screenshot, on the original iPad that's jaggy as all get-out. This new iPad 2 version of the game looks good enough that it's worth re-playing the whole game over again just to see it.

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD, $6.99 – This is the most underwhelming of all the "optimized" games. It runs great on the device, and the draw distance is crazy, but after playing Dead Space or Real Racing 2 HD, the lack of anti-aliasing really sticks out. Also, while the draw distance is far enough out to completely eliminate pop-in, power-ups and other cars still seem to pop-in even though the scenery doesn't. It's a good effort I suppose, but if you're only going to pick up one of these iPad 2 games, don't let it be this one unless you're just crazy about Burnout-style games.

Infinity Blade, $5.99 – As we said in our initial review, "It doesn't get much more 'must-have' than this." That goes double if you've got an iPad 2. This gesture-based sword-fighter looks nuts. So nuts I posted a completely separate comparison post between the iPad and iPad 2. Infinity Blade is such an impressive display of what the iPad 2 is capable of that it should have come preloaded on the device.

These four launch day games are very impressive, and I doubt I'm alone when I say that I can't wait to see what developers come up with on this substantially faster device.

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George Washington’s name day came and went without the dozens of celebratory App Store sales we associate with federal holidays. I’ll admit it; I was ticked about this at first. Not only was George the US’ first president, he was also the tallest, strongest, and best endowed. A dude as great and beautiful as he was needs to be honored by price-slashings. But, hey, now I'm not so sore about the situation. Gameloft realigned my humours and tamed my choler with this beauty of a sale, which sees 30 of its games reduced to less than a dollar.

Here’s the list:

Asphalt 5
Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles HD
Blokus HD
Brain Challenge HD
Chess Classics HD
Driver
Dungeon Hunter HD
Fishing Kings
Frankenstein – The Dismembered Bride HD
Gangstar: West Coast Hustle
Hero of Sparta HD
Hero of Sparta 2 HD
Let’s Golf
Modern Combat: Sandstorm
NFL 2010 HD
NFL 2011 HD
NOVA
NOVA 2 HD
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within [and its HD version]
Real Soccer 2010 [and its HD version]
Real Soccer 2011
Real Tennis HD
Secrets of the Vatican HD
Shrek Forever After HD
Shrek Kart
Skater Nation
Star Battalion [and its HD version]
UNO HD
Tom Clancy’s HAWX
War in the Pacific
Zombie Infection HD

That’s a lot of games, and a lot of iPad HD versions for sale, right? Oh, and to be clear, I’ve no idea what Gameloft is throwing a sale for… but I’ll go ahead and keep pretending that its celebrating the greatest man (not named Tesla) who ever graced this Earth.

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The Apple iPad is about to launch this morning, and up until now, Apple has been very tight with early access to the tablet device. So much so, it's been rare to see footage of games played on actual devices. In fact, many developers have been unable to test their games on final hardware.

This morning, Apple has posted some in-hand videos of several well known games being played on the iPad. Here they are:

Scrabble for iPad

Asphalt 5 HD

Real Racing HD

Note we've received full size (1027×768) screenshots from Real Racing HD: one, two, three, four, five

Labyrinth 2 HD

All of these games are already available in the App Store. We'll have our own hands on videos with various iPad games once we have our iPads in hand.

App Store Links:

• Scrabble for iPad, $9.99
• Scrabble Tile Rack, Free (iPhone/iPod Touch)
• Real Racing HD, $9.99
• Asphalt 5 HD, $6.99
• Labyrinth 2 HD, $7.99

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As we enter the final hours of the iPad pre-launch fiesta, more and more videos of iPad games are coming online. We likely won't have video of games on actual devices until tomorrow, but for the time being, watching these games being played in the simulator with a set of hands gives an idea of how much different they will likely feel on the iPad:

Games featured in the trailer, which are all currently available on the App Store:

• Asphalt 5 HD, $6.99
• Dungeon Hunter HD, $6.99
• Let's Golf HD, $6.99
• Modern Combat: Sandstorm HD, $6.99
• N.O.V.A. – Near Orbital Vanguard Alliance HD, $9.99
• NFL 2010 HD, $6.99
• Real Soccer 2010 HD, $6.99
• Uno HD, $6.99

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As the early iPad section of the App Store fills out, we discovered that at least some of Gameloft's current iPad launch lineup.

The iPad games which appear to be launching along side the device are:

• Asphalt 5 HD
• Dungeon Hunter HD
• Modern Combat: Sandstorm HD
• NOVA HD
• NFL 2010 HD
• Let's Golf HD
• Real Soccer 2010 HD

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About a week back I had a chance to visit Gameloft's Manhattan studios and have a look at their upcoming racing simulator GT Racing: Motor Academy [App Store] for iPhone. Tonight, GT Racing has gone live in the App Store and we've got a chance to take a closer look.

GT Racing is a driving simulation as opposed to an arcade racer. Gameloft likens the title to Real Racing, which it considers the only other driving simulation in the App Store. Being a simulation-style racer, it starts off much like the definitive driving sim, Gran Turismo. You are presented with a few initial challenges (accelerate to maximum speed and then come to a stop between the lines, etc.) that must be completed before your achieve your first racing license. From there it's a Campaign journey through a variety of tracks around the world. Though, I will say the game is rather more forgiving than Gran Turismo, partially due to the integrated Break Assist system (like Real Racing), but more due to the overall control scenario.

The game features over 100 cars from 24 different manufacturers to choose from for a race to the finish across 14 different worldwide tracks. The better you rank, the more credits you accumulate, and the fancier cars and equipment you can purchase. Progressive tracks are unlocked in Campaign mode, and any unlocked track can be used for a quick spin in the game's Arcade mode.

GT Racing features three different control methods: accelerometer (default), screen keys (think Vector Tanks – kinda), and wheel. I find accelerometer to be my preferred method that, for what it is, really leaves little room for control improvement. Score tracking has handled through the integrated Gameloft Live network. Like Asphalt 5, Gameloft also offers an online multi-player component that we were unable to test at launch, but we're certainly a feature we're glad to see.

GT Racing is one of the most visually impressive racers in the App Store. On my iPhone 3GS test unit, the game exhibits an impressive, but subtle, HDR effect to the rendered scene and runs at a very smooth frame rate. Six different driving views are provided — three outside, three inside — to allow for the view that bests fits your driving sensibilities. All races can be seen in Replay mode which is, as well, an impressive thing to behold, and videos can also be uploaded to YouTube (example video). One notable issue with the visuals, however, is a noticeably short draw distance resulting in buildings abruptly popping into view which can be distracting.

There are a few other issues we ran across with the initial version. On occasion, my car appeared to aburbtly jolt into a nose-up position, half embedded in the track, with a warning of "wrong way" presented. (One of these incidents is recorded in our demo video.) As well, in-game language suggested that I had access to a particular track before it was supposed to be unlocked. Neither game breaking, but notable for early adopters.

See our brief gameplay video for a closer look.

Overall, GT Racer is probably one of the best racers on the App Store. In particular, racing fans looking for a realistic racer that offers nicely varied racing action wrapped up in a very pretty package should enjoy Gameloft's latest offering.

Impressions from early adopters on the forum have been similarly positive, but similar caveats:

• tadad1 – lots of control adjustments, including driving aids, amazingly crisp graphics, but short draw distance, no crash damage, massive content
• morphman – Lots of options, good but not stellar framerate on 3GS, pop-in apparent, graphics look amazing
• iPhondTouch3G – screenshots from iPod Touch 3G
• Diablohead – huge difference in FWD, RWD and oversteer is a big factor here, can do doughnuts very easily if you power out of corners
• nizy – nice graphics, real life tracks recognizable, pop-in noticeable but not too annoying. early AI not challenging
• howiedeano – handling and controls good, tracks better than NFS shift, best realistic type racing game on platform

App Store Link: GT Racing: Motor Academy, $6.99

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Lots of readers along the Eastern seaboard of the U.S., myself included, are heavily snowed in this weekend. And, so, what better time to check out a few free, 'lite' titles to see what you might've missed? Here's a short list of lite releases definitely worth a look if you're still a stranger to them.

• iBlast Moki Lite (iBlast Moki, $1.99) — A fun, high quality physics puzzler with intuitive controls and a full level creation and online sharing system. iBlast Moki made it into our Best iPhone Games roundup for September — it comes highly recommended.

   

• The Settlers – Free (The Settlers, $6.99) — The iPhone installment of a real time strategy game series that's been evolving for two decades, The Settlers challenges you to build a community, establish means of income, and expand your territories by force. Setting it apart from many RTS games, The Settlers focuses more on strategic planning than hands-on micromanagement of resources — this can be a positive or negative depending on your particular taste in strategy games. The game offers a deep experience with beautiful graphics and elaborate world maps.
   
• Rogue Planet – Free (Rogue Planet, $4.99) — Returning home after a 35 year mission in space, the crew of the Nimeh discovers that Earth has been taken over by machines. Such is the plight of the characters at your command in the fast-paced, turn-based strategy game, Rogue Planet from Gameloft. The title delivers a solid play interface, lengthy battle sequences, and excellent enemy AI, in a game that's somewhat reminiscent of Advance Wars. The paid release is well worth the price of admission. Strategy game fans who haven't picked it up should have a look at the lite release.
   
• MiniSquadron Lite (MiniSquadron, $2.99) — Tak Fung's MiniSquadron can be most easily described (well…) as a side-scrolling, physics-based aerial dog-fighting game. In MiniSquadron, you take the stick of a cartoonish, fixed-wing fighter in a frantic bid for supremacy of the skies across eight different worlds — all set to a series of classical compositions. Local WiFi multiplayer is also supported. Action fans who haven't tried it, give the lite a try.

   

• Low Grav Racer 2 Lite (Low Grav Racer 2, $2.99) — CobraMobile's futuristic racing title, Low Grav Racer 2, is the closest thing in the App Store to the classic Wipeout. Control any of six futuristic racing craft across 18 different planet and space-based tracks. With more track complexity and tighter action, LGR2 is an improvement on its forerunner. If you like racing and it need not be all about rubber on asphalt, Low Grav Racer 2 might be for you.

   

• I Dig It Expeditions Lite (I Dig It Expeditions, $1.99) — InMotion Software's I Dig It Expeditions picks up where the original release left off, after your farmer avatar paid off the bank thanks to the subterranean treasures gathered with his tractor-turned-digger. That sorted, he's decided to travel the world with his digger seeking more treasure. With particularly impressive graphics and various improvements over the original, including an in-game map and waypoint system, I Dig It Expeditions is one it's hard not to dig.

  

Sometimes, being trapped in the house can be a good thing.

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Just over a year ago I reviewed CobraMobile's futuristic racing game Low Grav Racer [App Store]. Way back when, it was a visually impressive game and indeed the closest thing to Wipeout in the App Store. (And the degree to which any given low gravity, futuristic  racer approximates Wipeout, the king of futuristic racers, is really the critical metric in determining the game's worth, so high did Psygnosis set the bar of that genre, as every gamer other than die-hard F-Zero devotees are aware.) Though an enjoyable game and, as I indicated, Wipeout-like, Low Grav Racer was, in fact, no Wipeout. Surely driven by the urge to close the gap, CobraMobile has just released Low Grav Racer 2 [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch. So how does it fare?

Low Grav Racer 2 puts you in control of any of six futuristic racing craft (three of which must be unlocked) in a race to the finish line across 18 different planet and space system-based tracks. There are two race modes: Single Play and Time Trial. The former is a competition to complete each track in first place against five AI competitors, while the latter is a solo challenge to get from start to finish in the least time possible. As in Wipeout, leading the pack involves more than just speed and savvy handling; it involves weaponry. Scattered about each track are power-ups that enable shields, mines, missiles of several types, speed boosts, and various other items of destruction that help to slow down the competition — and, likewise, help the competition put a little slow on you.

So far the description of LGR2 sounds a lot like that of the original Low Grav Racer. LGR2 does bring a number of enhancements that improve the overall gameplay as compared to the original. The most notable difference is the significantly enhanced draw distance. The original title used a heavy fog effect to mask pop-in, while LGR2 more fully renders distant track elements and the floating, futuristic items of scenery, lending a rather more realistic feel to the overall situation. As well, LGR2 delivers a more intense feel to the race thanks to apparently faster action and tighter track design. Both versions feature very smooth animation with a solid framerate, but there's more going on in this latest release. As well, Plus+ network integration, tracking awards and leaderboards, adds to the game's play incentive.

Like the original, LGR2 features solid accelerometer steering control with a tap to brake and fire weapons. Sadly, like the original, LGR2 lacks left and right airbrakes, an element of Wipeout that allows for superb ship control. I was disappointed to see this feature still not realized in the sequel release. Another criticism I might voice is the overly spacious feel of the tracks. While it is less of an issue in LGR2 as compared to the original, I prefer tighter tracks that demand real control excellence. That's not to say that in this release you don't spend plenty of time scraping along the edge of the tracks thanks to their various twists and turns or slamming into rock formations that protrude into some of the courses, but tighter tracks make for a more breakneck race session. Also, I would prefer that your ship take damage during said collisions, but that is not the case with either LGR release.

The developer's gameplay video illustrates the racing action.

So, is Low Grav Racer 2 a match for Wipeout? Not quite. It gets us closer than the first release, certainly, and is a quality racer that's both challenging and fun. Those who enjoyed the first outing will likely find LGR2 to be worth the price of admission, and those new to the series who like what they're hearing should bypass the original and go straight for this sequel. As more a fan of futuristic racers than the rubber and asphalt variety, I consider Low Grav Racer 2 to be one of the stronger racing games in the App Store.

App Store Link: Low Grav Racer 2, $2.99

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