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When bringing up the topic of vertical shoot 'em ups, it's nearly impossible not to mention Capcom's seminal 194X series. Since the original 1942 was released way back in 1984 the series has spawned a number of sequels and has been ported to practically any system you can think of, minus the iPhone. That changed tonight however as 1942: First Strike is now available on the App Store.

1942: First Strike is said to be inspired by the game 1942: Joint Strike that graced the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network a couple years ago. While those games were slightly mundane gameplay-wise, they at the very least showcased some excellent 3D high def graphics that really brought the classic franchise into this new generation. This is not the case here. The iPhone version features tiny plane and enemy sprites and boring backdrops. It's colorful, but not very interesting. The music is really quite excellent, but the sound effects lack any substance and destroying enemies is met with a whimper rather than a boom.

I could excuse the disappointing graphics if the gameplay was entertaining, but sadly this isn't the case either. The major fault of 1942: First Strike is in the controls. The gameplay area is fairly wide, which makes the screen scroll left or right when you fly in those directions. The sensitivity in the scrolling is just way off and creates a totally disorienting experience. If a row of enemies is coming towards you, and you need to scoot just a smidgen over to line up your aim, likely that will send the playfield scrolling too hard and your plane slamming right into enemies or incoming fire. Adjusting the sensitivity or using tilt helps a tiny bit, but not really. It's just not something I could get used to, and it ruins a game that requires high precision.

Even if the controls worked better, there's nothing here you haven't seen before. Enemy attack patterns and your own special weapons are all garden variety, and if not for the controls, the game would likely be too short and easy. There are a couple things to like about the game, though. As mentioned the music is well done, as are the different menu graphics. Some nifty full motion cutscenes are shown prior to beginning levels or fighting a boss, although they seem to repeat often.

None of these good marks outweigh the bad though, and at best 1942: First Strike feels like a Java game that might have impressed on mobile 5 years ago. It's unfortunate and surprising that such a beloved franchise received such poor treatment.

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Back in early March of this year, a port of Street Fighter IV was released for the iPhone to much positive fanfare. The graphics and sounds were incredible, but the biggest doubt on everyone's mind leading up to release was how well the game could work with virtual touch screen controls. In the end, SFIV for iPhone turned out to be a highly playable and fun affair. Rather than the controls, the biggest complaint from gamers regarding this otherwise excellent fighter was the slim roster of characters. Featuring just 8 playable combatants (the same number of the original SFII mind you), many fan favorites from from the Street Fighter universe were notably absent.

A little more than a month later, Capcom took a step to address those complaints by announcing the addition of Cammy to the roster in a forthcoming update. But the weeks passed by with no sign of Cammy, and fans of the series grew increasingly impatient and even skeptical that Capcom would follow through on their promise. Then earlier this month, they announced that another new character – Zangief – would be entering the fray as well. With such a long span of time since their previous announcement, gamers who had been anticipating the arrival of Cammy weren't feeling especially confident that they'd be playing either character anytime soon.

Thankfully those concerns proved erroneous, as earlier this week the update featuring both characters finally arrived on the App Store. And it's pretty much exactly what you would expect – it's the Cammy and Zangief you know and love now playable in Street Fighter IV for iPhone. While not exactly surprising, they are a welcome free addition to arguably the best 2D fighter available. They fit right into the roster and feature just about all of the moves of their console counterparts. Hopefully this leads to more and more characters being added down the line, and were E. Honda to enter the mix then the original cast of characters would finally be complete. Like many others, I'm personally keeping my fingers crossed for an Akuma appearance someday.

This update was free, but it remains to be seen if future updates will be too. If you're a fan of Street Fighter IV for iPhone, then make sure you download this latest update and give Cammy and Zangief a spin for yourself.

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Capcom has finally released screenshots for the iPhone version of its classic shoot 'em up 1942. It was hinted that 1942 would make its way to the iPhone back at E3 2009, but we haven't heard much of the game again until now:

1942 was first released in 1984 for the arcade. It gave way to the sequel 1943: The Battle of Midway. Stay tuned.

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Last month Konami made a cryptic announcement about an iPhone exclusive Castlevania game in the works. Billed as a "action-puzzle RPG", we weren't really sure what to expect of the game. Well, a trailer was posted on IGN today that shows quite a bit of gameplay, but I'm still left scratching my head as to why Konami is utilizing the Castlevania IP by releasing a block matching game instead of… anything else.

With gameplay very similar to Capcom's Puzzle Fighter games, players will make their way through a puzzle adaptation of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, battling monsters with split screen block battles. I'm anxious to take a look at this game when it's finally released on the App Store, and doubt I'm alone in hoping that there's more to Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night than a tired matching mechanic with heaps of Castlevania fan service.

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Capcom's Phoenix Wright [$4.99] started its life as a Japanese Gameboy Advance game all the way back in 2001. In 2005, a touchscreen-enhanced port of the game made it to the Nintendo DS and the rest of the world. Five years later, and the game is here on the App Store at a fraction of its original DS price.

We described the basic premise of the game following its announcement late last year:

Phoenix Wright games are a strange mixture of a visual adventure game that play a lot like mixture of a hidden object game and a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. The game is segmented in to two portions, the investigation and the trial. While investigating, you visit various location and gather evidence by looking around and interviewing anyone who is around. When you're finished with that, you go to court where you cross examine witnesses, present evidence, and object to the arguments presented by the prosecuting lawyer.

Even just from looking at screenshots alone, it is amazingly apparent that this is a fairly direct port from the DS game, with the output of the two screens just stacked on top of each other on the iPhone. When playing through the game, the bottom half is loaded with all kinds of buttons and menus depending on if you're investigating or arguing in court, and these UI elements seem to be reworked from the original to be finger-friendly instead of built around the Nintendo DS stylus.

All of the Phoenix Wright games are a fun, and often silly adventure through crime scenes and court rooms. Successfully completing the game requires a keen eye both when gathering evidence and when arguing your case in court. Because so much of the game is based on finding/noticing little things between hidden evidence or inconsistencies in testimony, Phoenix Wright has little if any replay value.

Five cases from the original game are included, and each case should take you a few hours to go through depending on how quickly you read or how much you goof up in court. Phoenix Wright is an insane value at its launch price of $4.99, as when it first launched on the DS it was the kind of game you couldn't find anywhere in stock, and when you did, it was at least $40.00 because of how rare it was.

It would have been nice to see Capcom do more to the game in its port to the iPhone. It seems like Phoenix Wright would be the perfect kind of game to offer with a single case for free to act as a lite version of sorts, with the rest of the cases (and cases from other games in the Phoenix Wright series) available as individual DLC packs. Regardless, I'm just glad the game is finally here, as it was one of the best and most creative games I played on my DS, and a fantastic fit for the iPhone.

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In early December of last year, Famitsu covered Capcom's announcement of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney's impending arrival on the App Store. Today we got word that Capcom hopes to have Phoenix Wright available for download next week for $4.99. Ace Attorney will include with all five cases from the Nintendo DS game, and judging from screenshots, very little has been modified from the original short of just stacking the output of the two DS screens on top of each other on the iPhone.

Back when the news first hit that the game was coming to the iPhone we explained the basic premise behind Phoenix Wright:

Phoenix Wright games are a strange mixture of a visual adventure game that play a lot like mixture of a hidden object game and a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. The game is segmented in to two portions, the investigation and the trial. While investigating, you visit various location and gather evidence by looking around and interviewing anyone who is around. When you're finished with that, you go to court where you cross examine witnesses, present evidence, and object to the arguments presented by the prosecuting lawyer.

Something interesting of note from the original announcement was during the unveiling at the Apple Store in Japan, Capcom mobile content head Takeshi Tezuka assured everyone in attendance that the game would be more than a simple port. From the few screenshots that have been released so far, it's hard to say what else has been added to the game, but needless to say, you can expect a full review shortly after the game hits the App Store.

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Since the inception of the App Store, and specifically since the big-name studios started throwing their hats in to the ring, iPhone gamers have been clamoring for big name series on the iPhone. Capcom brought Street Fighter 4 [$9.99], Square Enix developed an entirely new iPhone RPG, Chaos Rings [$12.99] and Konami is releasing a Castlevania puzzle game, Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night.

According to Konami, Encore of the Night is an "addicting puzzle-RPG" where players will play as Alucard, the son of Dracula also seen in the classic Castlevania title, Symphony of the Night. The only details we know right now is that the game will involve playing as or against characters from Symphony of the Night, and completing puzzles will provide weapons and spells to help along the way.

It's hard to say if Encore of the Night is going to be closer to Puzzle Quest [$4.99 / Free], or more battle oriented like Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter games– Or something else completely different. As for why they're releasing a spin-off puzzle RPG instead of any of the other games in the series, your guess is as good as ours.

Konami rarely announces games like this without having them ready for release very soon. Their last game to appear on the App Store, MLB Power Pros Touch 2010 [$7.99], was first announced hardly even a day before it appeared for download. So, Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night really could be available any time now.

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Can there be life after Cammy? Capcom seems to be considering more character DLC for the iPhone version of Street Fighter 4.

Yesterday afternoon, Capcom-Unity alerted enthusiasts that a three-day celebratory sale for the App was in full swing. For the next two days prospective owners can purchase the fighter title for $6.99 [App Store], 30 percent off the regular price courtesy of Super Street Fighter 4's hotly-anticipated console release on Tuesday afternoon.

Aside from announcing the sale, in the post author Larson teases the prospect of additional character DLC by asking fans to suggest other SF pugilists they'd like "to see as future DLC for the iPhone game."

The request seems plain enough, but it could be an exercise meant to only get fans commenting on the thread, earning them a chance at one of five redeemable codes being given away. We've reached out to Capcom for clarification. They've responded, confirming intent to add more DLC after Cammy.

The first downloadable character, fan favorite Cammy, is set to be added to the game via a free update. She will join a cast of eight characters, all of which appeared in Street Fighter 4 proper.

Street Fighter 4 iPhone might not be as pleasing to the eye or as entertaining to control as its console brethren, but it's still an easily recommended, delightful romp according to our review of the title.

Update: A Capcom representative has confirmed that additional DLC plans are in the works. "There will be additional DLC beyond Cammy, but we haven’t announced anything additional yet," the rep said.

App Store Link: Street Fighter 4, $6.99

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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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In the year 198x the PlayChoice-10 was the first arcade cabinet to feature two interactive screens. Capcom soon began developing a game to make use of this advanced technology. This groundbreaking title was called Dark Void. Unfortunately, the PlayChoice-10 was discontinued and the project was cancelled. In the year 20xx, Capcom found the project buried deep in its vault. It's concept inspired a new adventure of the same name. But… The original game… Locked away for decades… Is now back from the void.

As Capcom's release indicates, this elusive lost title is now back from the dusty recesses of obscurity and has landed on the Nintendo DSi, the PC, and — that's right — the iPhone, as Dark Void Zero [App Store]. The tale is an absolute retro gamer's dream!

Well…retro gamer's dream or no, it is a tale — and a tall one at that… Not quite the reborn rendition of a legendary classic, Dark Void Zero started out (here in the modern day) as a sort of joke within Capcom. The decision was later made to turn the concept into an actual retro-styled, side-scrolling platform game with a bit of a tongue-in-cheek backstory to go along with. A fun little promotion of the much larger Dark Void title. The initial DSi version landed in January and the iPhone release hit the App Store earlier this week.

And, despite its lighthearted beginnings, Dark Void Zero is actually great retro platformer fun.

It all goes down something like this: For years, an evil race of aliens known as Watchers have coveted Earth, our home. The only thing that has stood in the way of a full invasion all these years is the unstable nature of the portals that exist between our world and theirs. Lamentably, the aliens were finally able to create a stable portal, Portal X, through which they can lay siege to our world. A group of humans were chosen to take on the Watchers, Nikola Tesla among them. [You read that right] Tesla has used his inventions to enable these human warriors to survive in the Void between our worlds. You, the Void-born test pilot Rusty, have been chosen for the daunting task of closing Portal X and saving humankind.

Gameplay involves running about the three available levels, searching for lost journals, keycards, and the like in an effort to get from area to area and, ultimately, shut Portal X down. Plenty of armed enemies stand in your way and the terrain can be rough at times. Tesla's five experimental weapons and prototype rocket pack can help you along the way.

The game features an 8-bit graphic style, along with a chiptunes soundtrack composed by Bear McCreary (known for the Battlestar Galactica score). It's all done very well and it really does feel like an NES platformer. It's something like a cross between Mega Man and Metroid. It plays very well and the touch controls (virtual stick and onscreen buttons), which Capcom claims have been carefully refined, really do seem to be one of the best examples of such controls in an iPhone game. In my experience, they work just fine.

With but three levels in all, Dark Void Zero is not a particularly lengthy game, but replay variation is helped by all levels being unlocked from the start and a God Mode thrown in for good measure. Thanks to OpenFeint integration, leaderboards and achievement tracking is solidly in place. (It was probably a real task to work that into the 25 year old codebase.) My only real complaint about the game is the fact that the blocky, 8-bit pixels aren't quite uniformly scaled — the renderer is clearly scaling up the display to the iPhone's full screen, the size of which is not a clean multiple of the source bitmap. It's not a huge issue, though.

See Capcom's trailer for the DSi version of the game, which is very similar to the iPhone version, only the level map display is accessible through the pause screen on the iPhone (where it's shown on the upper screen of the DSi).

I agree that there's much about the story of this game that would make it seem as if it's something of a "light" title or not a "real" game, in and of itself. I can assure you that's definitely not the case, and our forum readers echo that sentiment. Some critics are even calling Dark Void Zero a stronger title than its modern console namesake. Any platformer fan — retro or no — might just find this one worth some space on their home screen.

App Store Link: Dark Void Zero, $2.99

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