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GodziLAB, of iBlast Moki fame, have taken an entirely new direction with their newest App Store venture, sizing up the portable online scene for a monster slam dunk. Star Dunk [App Store] is a frantically paced, competitive basketball shoot-out, where your task is to score more points than your adversaries in a free throw competition. Graphics are reminiscent of Geometry Wars; a stellar backdrop complete with a light show of shader effects for power-ups and ball handling– all running at a silky smooth 60 FPS on 3rd Gen iOS devices and up.

When playing Star Dunk, you first choose whether you wish to play online or offline. Either way you are immediately launched into a timed match where your objective is to carefully aim the ball's trajectory by swiping upwards with your finger. After each shot, the location of your next shot is reset to somewhere new. The key to obtaining bonus' and power-ups are through the backboard. When all four panels on the backboard are hit, they'll randomly select a bonus that applies for a limited time. Bonus' include score multipliers, larger rings and multi-balls.

To obtain the really big multipliers however, you'll need to hit a swish– nothing but net, and that's not easy. Consecutive 'extra clean shots' really ramp up your score, and are key to victory. Star Dunk also features a number of balls to unlock, all with different properties such as speed, bounciness and size. Some of the rarer unlocks have additional properties that add to the score multiplier in certain instances, and can be used to propel your score even higher. These help personalize the gameplay a bit, and add to the game's longevity as some of the more powerful balls take a considerable amount of effort (and sheer luck) to unlock their related achievement.

One other notable feature that we really liked about Star Dunk was how it handles its online match-making. If you choose to play online from the start screen you are thrown into a practice match, and a counter begins to the next online contest. The contest then begins seamlessly, synchronously matching each player against each other in a contest against the clock. Individual scores are then displayed in a ladder once the time is up. There are no lobbies to worry about and no visible connection screens. It was the smoothest integration of online gameplay we have seen, even over 3G. The downside to this seamlessness is that we were unable to directly play against friends, though the game's description alludes to the possibility.

There are other small touches that show the efforts Godzilab have gone to, to make Star Dunk stand out as an online game. Though you can't see your player's actions during a match-up, the Earth in the background will occasionally rotate to find just where your opponent is, neatly displaying their current score and position along side it. An arrow indicator on the top right of the screen also shows how you're faring in the contest; whether you are raising in rank, declining or stagnant compared to your competition.

These touches help make Star Dunk something more than just the simple basket shooter. The competitive nature of the game gives extra incentive to unlock the gamut of Plus+ achievements and their rewards, and the global ranking system constantly updates you on your progress compared to the rest of the world. What we would have liked to see is a way to compete against friends directly (and if it is possible, a more apparent way to do so) and a more detailed explanation of scoring that the current tutorial doesn't offer. In any case, Star Dunk is an entertaining take on a popular sport that should have the competitive types champing at the bit for a long time to come.

Note: The developers have reported that there is a bug resulting in crashes on OS 3.0 and 3.1. An update is already in submission to Apple to address these issues.

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An ambiguous image has been making the rounds over the weekend as casual game development king PopCap has sent out save the date emails for August 2nd in San Francisco, CA. This is quite literally all we know right now, but judging by the wild success of both the original Plants vs. Zombies for the Mac and PC, as well as the chart-topping Plants vs. Zombies [$2.99] and Plants vs. Zombies HD [$9.99] for the iPad, it's no surprise that PopCap would be making a sequel.

If this is the first you've heard of Plants vs. Zombies, here's the gist of the game from our review:

In Plants vs. Zombies, Popcap takes the standard tower defense formula and greatly simplifies it. Instead of a path to build towers along, you drop seeds in your yard which then grow in to plants that have various offensive or defensive capabilities. The yard is organized in a grid, and zombies move straight across the row they spawn on, munching (or in some cases jumping or flying over) anything that they come in contact with.

A gauge on the top of the screen shows how close you are to the end of the level, with flags indicating when big waves of zombies are going to come. When you clear a stage, you're often awarded with the seeds of one more of the nearly 50 included plants. This seemingly constant progression does a great job of keeping you interested, as it always seems like you have a new toy to play with. To shake things up even more, mini game levels are mixed in, including a bowling game of sorts, a whack-a-mole game with zombies, and others.

We awarded Plants vs. Zombies for the iPhone 5 stars, and the iPad game is worth a look too as it includes a survival mode, more mini games, and the graphics look simply fantastic on the iPad screen. PopCap seems to have a knack for creating fun games that appeal to everyone from the most hardcore FPS player to your grandma, and I expect Plants vs Zombies 2 to be no different. It seems a sequel is inevitable, I just hope they release it simultaneously on the App Store instead of making iOS gamers wait nearly a year for a port like the first Plants vs Zombies.

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Ever since we spotted the online first-person shooter Archetype in limited release, we'd been dying to try the game out. At long last, Archetype was released to the global App Store this past week to much fanfare and a huge marketing campaign. After finally getting our hands on it and spending some quality time playing, we can safely say that Archetype is one impressive game, and developer Villain has, for the most part, followed through on their promises for the title. That's not to say there aren't a few issues with it, or a wish list of things we'd like to see added, but all said, Archetype delivers one of the most robust, beautiful, and most importantly fun FPS experiences that can be had on the iPhone.

For starters, if you have Apple's new iPhone 4 then you are treated to some unbelievably crisp graphics. The textures that make up the levels and player models aren't the most detailed — which is fine, as this allows the game to run at an ultra-smooth clip — but, on the retina display, it really approaches a high definition console game running on the small screen. For all other devices, including the first generation of iPhones and iPod touches, the game is still very graphically impressive and maintains a solid framerate. The five stages available in the game are also visually quite nice, and are all indoor arenas with a high tech industrial look similar to games like Eliminate or the Halo series. It's not a groundbreaking style, but it gets the job done while maintaining good performance across all devices.

Controls in Archetype are a familiar dual analog stick setup that works well, though doesn't leave many options for players that prefer different control schemes. The two sticks are visually situated in the usual spots in the lower corners, but can actually be activated by touching nearly anywhere on either half of the screen. This lends itself well to people who like the “touch anywhere” or “swipe the screen to aim” mechanics of similar touch screen FPS games. Your weapon can be very quickly changed by touching the upper right corner and grenades are thrown by touching the upper left corner. A melee attack is performed by touching the bottom of the screen anywhere in between the two analog sticks, which is also where the radar is displayed. Minor options to invert the aiming axis or adjust sensitivity are available, but the default control scheme described is basically all you get. This isn't really a bad thing though, as they do work very well and are semi-flexible, but surely won't suit every single gamer.

An important thing to note is that this game is meant to be strictly an online affair, so if you are looking for a single player campaign or don't have any interest in online multiplayer then Archetype is not for you. There's a very basic offline mode where you can run through a timed training level taking out stationary cardboard cutout style targets — but that's it. Everything else is matchmaking against live opponents over a WiFi, 3G, or EDGE connection. If you're the type of person that loves online FPS multiplayer, then you're in for a treat. Archetype runs and plays near-flawlessly over all of these connections.

Starting the game will launch you into a lobby that is connected to the server closest to your region, although you can choose to play on any server you wish. The current servers are US East, US West, Europe, Asia, and South America. Matchmaking allows just under a minute to find opponents to match you with, and once the timer runs out the game will start with whatever number of players are in the lobby by that time. Archetype boasts up to five-on-five team matches, but in my experience this is a somewhat rare occurrence. More often I'd get into two-on-two or three-on-three matches on a regular basis, with a fair amount of four-on-four as well. The good news is that I haven't had any trouble quickly picking up a match during my time with the game (US West).

Actually playing matches in Archetype is a blast. The five maps are designed well and feature a nice mix of different elevations, passageways, teleports, and weapon drops. As with any good FPS game, learning the ins and outs of each map is really beneficial. Player movement is fast, and by default your weapon will auto-fire when an enemy enters your aiming reticle, although this can be disabled in the options. A radar at the bottom of the screen shows the position of enemies and teammates (and can also be disabled if you wish). The six weapons in the game run the usual gamut of assault rifles, a shotgun, a sniper-type weapon (minus the zooming capability), and a rocket launcher. Grenades are here as well, with a normal frag grenade as well as an awesome grenade that splits into multiple parts when thrown.

Rounding out your offense is the ability to melee with any weapon available, or even pick up a brutal battle axe that can be used exclusively for close combat. Melee can feel overpowered at times, as you can rush up on opponents and spam the button wildly usually ending up in a kill, although this can also leave you open to an easy counterattack from savvy players. The precision rifle feels a little too strong as well, able to kill players with only one or two shots across an entire map, thanks to auto-firing. While rockets and grenades are also strong, the proximity damage of these will kill you just as easily as the opposition, if you aren't careful. So, there may be room for improvement in the balancing of the weapons, but there are tradeoffs with each, so it's not been a huge issue and gameplay doesn't suffer much for it.

Matches are incredibly fast paced and combat heavy. The match length is determined by the amount of players, so a one-on-one match goes for just one minute, a two-on-two for two minutes, and so forth. Since the matches are so brief, there's not a lot of reason to camp or lie in wait to get the drop on other players. Instead, you'd better keep moving if you want to get a decent amount of kills.  The setup is also really well suited to mobile gaming, as you can quickly pop in and have a match or two with just a spare few minutes. The only available game type is team Deathmatch, with no sort of free-for-all or objective based gametypes like capture the flag available at this time.

With all the great fun to be had in Archetype, it's not without its issues. For the most part it runs incredibly well online no matter what type of connection you're on, but there's inevitably instances of minor lag or even games completely locking up and dropping out altogether. The lobby shows you your current ping rate, so you can have an idea of how solid your connection and that of other players will be. The two biggest points of contention I'm hearing from players in our forums is over the auto-firing nature of the weapons and the ability to actually do damage to your own teammates. Auto-fire can be disabled, but this can just put you at a disadvantage to everyone else who uses it. Teammate damage cannot be disabled, so you'll need to learn to be careful around your own team, especially with tossing grenades around.

My biggest complaint about the game, personally, is the lack of options in setting the parameters of matches. It's very easy to add friends in Archetype, either from the post game lobby following a match or by searching out usernames and sending requests. From your friend list you can then issue a direct challenge to up to 9 other players to engage in a private match together. It works extremely well, giving other players a push notification inviting them to the game, and accepting that notification launches the game and sends you directly into the lobby very smoothly. I would love to be able to set longer matches in these instances, or adjust other variables like weapon types and frag limits. To be expected, match performance can be hit or miss when trying to play with friends in other countries. As it is, the private match feature is extremely basic but is still a nice addition to the overall package.

See our gameplay video for a closer look.

If you've actually managed to read this far, chances are you're really interested in this type of game and, with that, I can wholeheartedly recommend Archetype to you. It does have a few issues, some of which only amount to personal taste, and it does want for variety or progression somewhat, as it is just team deathmatch over and over again. But it's still incredibly fun. It gives you a game that you can quickly jump into and play practically anywhere in a reasonably reliable fashion. It also avoids the two common complaints about its closest competitor, Eliminate, in that you just pay for the game when you buy it, without any sort of in-app purchasing involved, and you don't have to worry that other players' equipment will be more upgraded than your own. Everyone plays on a level field here and, although it's a bit simplistic, it does work wonderfully. If you're liking the sound of what Archetype has to offer, then don't hesitate to check it out. It's personally become my favorite iPhone FPS to date.

Note: Archetype is presently being advertised on this site, but it has no influence on our choice of coverage or the outcome of our reviews. See advertising and editorial policies for additional details.

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Australian developer Halfbrick Studios has recently announced that their appetite inducing fruit slicing game Fruit Ninja [99¢] has sold 1 million copies in the App Store. What's even more impressive is that it took just 74 days to reach this landmark, as the game was released on April 21st of this year. If you aren't yet familiar with Fruit Ninja, various fruits will pop up on screen and it's your job to slice them in half with your finger while avoiding game-ending bombs and earning bonuses like cutting up multiple fruit with one slice. Essentially, they've taken a fresh concept and executed it brilliantly, creating a fun experience that's well suited to iPhone gaming. It's not surprising that they've sold 1 million copies as it's a fantastic game that we enjoyed in our review.

Another factor that's helped Fruit Ninja keep a steady position near the top of the paid app charts is the number of content updates it's received. Since it's release, Fruit Ninja has received 5 updates adding new modes, unlockable swords and backgrounds, and of course new fruit to decimate. Halfbrick has given us a tidbit of info on a new update that is pending Apple approval that adds a new red, white, and blue 4th of July blade into the mix. It's too bad it didn't quite make it out in time for the actual holiday, but should be fun for fans of the game to celebrate their independence post-holiday, and will likely be available any time now.

Also on the horizon is the iPad version of the game, Fruit Ninja HD, which has been submitted and should be available soon. The iPad version will take advantage of high resolution textures as well as adding some new features. It's a beautiful game on the iPhone already, and the hi res graphics make it even more so. Plus it will run at a rock solid 60fps. But by far the biggest new addition is a same-device multiplayer mode. Each player will control the game on one side of the screen and compete in either Classic or Zen mode. The prospect of this is very enticing, and we can't wait to get our hands on the iPad version for some head to head action. Both versions of the game will be receiving support via updates, including a completely new mode that has been hinted at in the game's forum thread.

Fruit Ninja is a great example of the type of game you want to see on the App Store. It's easy to pick up and play, has stellar production values, and most importantly is a ton of fun. Chances are you've seen the game floating in the Top 10 Paid Apps in iTunes, and if you haven't yet given the game a shot we highly recommend you do.

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The much anticipated first persona shooter Archetype has finally launched in the U.S. We first spotted the game having beta launched in the Czech App Store a few weeks ago as it prepared for its international launch. Archetype is an online 5-on-5 team deathmatch game that works over Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE.

Anyone who has ever complained about the "freemium" model of Eliminate now has a chance to put-up or shut-up. The developer says in their game description "No gimmicks, no tricks: iPWNAGE IS JUST $2.99."

We've given the game a quick spin for a couple of games over Wi-Fi. The game runs very well on the two devices we were able to test initially: the iPhone 4 and a 2nd Generation iPod Touch. Controls are very smooth and as you have come to expect from an iPhone FPS: left to move, right to aim/shoot. The game comes with 5 different maps with 6 weapons (Battle and Precision Rifles, rapid-fire AutoMag, shotgun, missile launcher, and brutal melee axe) as well as 2 different types of grenades.

Controller options include invert aim axes, auto-fire on/off, aim sensitivity, vibration on/off, display joysticks on/off, and display radar on/off. The game natively supports the iPhone 4's retina display.

The game comes with 3 different modes: Team Deathmatch, Challenge, and Training. The bulk of the game seems to be focused around the online Team Deathmatch. The developers have 5 different regions covered with servers: U.S. East, U.S. West, Europe, Asia, and S. America. You can easily toggle between them though presumably it originally places you with the group you are closest too.

Since it has just launched within the hour, the number of players available hasn't picked up yet. I've been involved in a few matches with 2 on 2, so I haven't seen the full 5 on 5 action quite yet. Early impressions have been very positive, but we'll post a full review after we are able to spend some time with it. The whole package seems very professionally put together. As with any online multiplayer game, however, the trick is going to be able to build up a sustainable player pool and to see how the servers can hold up.

More impressions are trickling into our forums.

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From the same team at ngmoco that brought us the groundbreaking Eliminate Pro, comes their next next first-person shooter. The currently untitled game is set in a present day environment and the action is more heavily grounded in realism than that of its futuristic predecessor. No graphics or artwork has been released yet (embedded image is promotional art for the original Eliminate).

Maps will run the usual gamut of jungle, desert, snow, or city, and it will feature 6 player deathmatch or team deathmatch over 3G and WiFi. Rather than focusing on the player unlocking and choosing different weapons for one character to use in the game, the new game will feature a robust lineup of different weapon class specialists. The 'energized suit' mechanic is also giving way to an interesting – although unproven – system where you queue up what type of mission you want to play, and earn credit based on the level of that mission. It's an intriguing idea, and a welcome change from the energy system in Eliminate, but it remains to be seen how this design choice will fare once unleashed on the masses. One thing I can say for certain, however, is that during my time playing the game, the only thing on my mind was the superb FPS gameplay I was experiencing.

Even in this work-in-progress state, the game is shaping up to be a big step above what Eliminate Pro delivered last year. A staggering 76 different soldiers (read classes) are planned for release, featuring specialists in long range, short range, explosives, and more. Each soldier will have individual statistics and bear arms from an assortment of roughly 20 different weapons. Grenades are now a part of the arsenal and can be lobbed with a simple press of an icon. Auto-firing has been refined, and now features two aiming reticules on screen – a large circle in the middle of the screen with a smaller circle in the center of that. When an enemy is in the sight of the larger circle, you weapon will start firing, although with much less precision. Once you've adjusted your aim to have the inner circle directed on the target, the bullets are much more accurate. The outer circle can vary in size, and therefore accuracy, based on what weapon you're using. It's a good compromise that allows for the ease of auto-fire but still demands you be able to aim precisely for best results. Auto-fire can be turned off entirely if you wish, and firing defaults to the familiar 'double-tap to fire' control found in Eliminate.

As mentioned, the queueing of missions replaces the need for energy. You'll choose from an assortment of gametypes to play, all of which have some sort of wait time associated before becoming active. The missions that take longer to activate will net you the most experience, and if you so desire you can use in-app purchasing to buy 'Intel' that makes the missions initiate more quickly. The system sounded incredibly odd to me at first, but made some sense as it sunk in. If you have somewhere to be for a set amount of hours, like a job or school, then you can just queue up a match or two prior to that and look forward to being rewarded with playtime once you've fulfilled your real life obligations. If waiting around or paying to play isn't your thing, there's the option to jump into matches immediately, although with lesser rewards. Much like Eliminate, it seems there's the possibility of exploiting this if you're willing to pay money and upgrade quicker, although I'll reserve final judgment until I've played the finished product.

When you get fragged in a match, you'll have the option of selecting what class to start your next life as. As you level up in the game, more slots and soldier classes become available for you to choose from. The game requires you to be online to play, even in the single player bot mode, so if you're an iPod touch user with limited access to WiFi there won't be much of interest for you in this game. During our 6 player deathmatch with the developers, the game ran silky smooth and I felt right at home from all my experience playing Eliminate Pro. The two games control nearly identical, and the graphics of the modern settings were definitely impressive. Post game screens include a bevy of statistics, and it's incredibly simple to add recent players to your friend list for future matches. Players will be ranked accordingly, but this will likely remain behind the scenes to avert any predisposed notions before heading into a match with a higher ranked player. Possible mission queueing and ranking issues aside, we'll be anxiously awaiting the release of their next FPS sometime this year.

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Practically coming out of nowhere, Archetype is an upcoming multiplayer-focused first-person shooter from developer Villain. While not available in the US App Store just yet, apparently the game has been released for a while now in certain countries (at least since the beginning of June in the Czech App Store). It boasts some promising features as well – up to 5 on 5 team battles over WiFi or 3G, or even the EDGE network. Yes, you heard that right, ten players total in a match. This trumps other online FPS games in terms of size of matches and amount of players on each team.

Other features of the game include 5 maps, 6 different weapons (all of which can be used to melee), in-game radar for tracking down enemies, friend list functionality, and a robust ranking system where experience is earned and medals can be awarded for certain feats. It all seems very Halo-esque – both in look and execution – which is perfectly fine by us. The control layout is a familiar dual-stick setup, and it appears there's many options for customization in this area.

Some members of our forum have gotten a chance to pick up the game, and so far impressions are fairly good. Member Vinyl Darhma notes that matching up with other players went quickly, and lag during play is minimal. The game shows you the level of ping so you know if you're running on a solid connection, and a veto system is in place to allow users to vote to skip an upcoming map or gametype. While initially the performance of Archetype sounds very positive, that could be due to the limited release as of this writing, and the real test will be how the game runs once released in all territories.

This video demonstrates the game's tutorial:

Regardless it sounds very promising, and with the success of other FPS online multiplayer games like Eliminate, N.O.V.A., Modern Combat, and COD: Zombies, there's obviously a huge demand for a game like Archetype. If Villain really can pull off their lofty goals with success, consider the bar raised for every online FPS going forward. We'll report back once we've had a chance to try out the game for ourselves. Until then, enjoy this gameplay video:

App Store Link: Archetype FPS (very few countries)

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Sometimes a game ends up being immediately appealing based on premise alone. Take Enviro-Bear 2010 for example. A bear driving a car through the woods coupled with MS Paint quality graphics creates an experience just absurd and hilarious enough to draw the attention of many players. Or more recently, Robot Unicorn Attack – the name alone says it all. Released last week, Puppet War FPS (first 'puppet' shooter) is built on a fairly awesome premise of it's own. You're a lone janitor, trapped on the set of the most popular kids program The Friendly Puppet Show. The puppets have decided to turn on humanity, and it's up to you to stop ever increasing waves of these fuzzy little guys before they take over the world. The concept alone is enough to garner a few curious downloads, but thankfully Puppet War also delivers satisfying arena-style first-person shooter gameplay, with excellent presentation and an assortment of clever weaponry to literally beat the stuffing out of your enemies with.

Right away you'll notice that this is a very attractive game. The bright, colorful studio set and sugary sweet music really make you feel like you're inside a kids TV show. The puppets all have the same general look (think Grover from Sesame Street) but come in a variety of sizes and arsenals. Smaller puppets bounce at you wildly making for a difficult target to hit, and larger puppets keep their distance and attack you from afar. There's even a kamikaze puppet with dynamite strapped to his chest that explodes when you get near. The puppets are all shaded nicely and look extremely authentic, and the big silly grins on their faces are just begging to get blasted as they happily trot in your direction. The janitor's onscreen arms and weaponry are also well done and look very realistic. The game just has a crisp, colorful look to it that's really appealing.

Speaking of weapons, the variety and inventiveness that's gone into creating your arsenal is a high point of Puppet War. You can choose one firearm and one melee weapon while playing, and new weapons of each kind can be unlocked and purchased as you progress farther into the game. There are standards like a baseball bat, machine gun, or shotgun, but the real fun comes with some of the more unusual weaponry. One example is the plunger crossbow, which lets you shoot plungers one at a time, giving you a one shot kill if you land one right on their kisser. Even better is an industrial sized set of pliers that pinches the nose off the puppet's face, causing their head to explode (naturally). The chainsaw and katana are also really satisfying with their sheer brutality. In short, popping caps into puppets is some of the most fun I've had in a long time.

As much fun as the game is, there are certainly a few downsides to Puppet Wars. The most glaring is the fact that there's only the one map. Battling puppets in some different environments would be nice, and the app description alludes to this happening sometime in the future. But right now, the one location gets a bit old after a while. The game can also get pretty difficult around the 15^th level, and the amount of money you earn as you go isn't quite enough to be able to purchase all the unlocked weapons you'd like to. Since you can't replay levels to earn more money, you will have to make do with the weapons you have through some of the tougher levels until you earn enough to buy some heavier firepower. The controls work pretty well, with an analog stick in the lower left corner and a fire button in the lower right, and dragging on the screen for aiming. It's a great setup, but it's the only one available, so if you need inverted controls or a left-handed option you're out of luck. Also, the fire button wasn't as responsive as it should be at times, which doesn't happen often but can be frustrating with enemies swarming around you. The collision detection seems a bit off too, with plungers sometimes going right through a puppet.

These issues don't really detract from the overall enjoyment of Puppet Wars though, and it has surprisingly become one of my current favorite games. It may not strike a chord as much if you're not into the ironic humor of destroying wholesome children's entertainment with fearsome weaponry, but for those that like that type of thing you'll not only be laughing out loud frequently but you'll really be testing your FPS skills as well. There's actually a really great game under this graphical coating.

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Back in March we sat down with the guys from The Binary Mill to check out their upcoming shooter, Assault Squadron. It's a "bullet hell" shooter that's particularly striking for the insane frame rate at which it runs; the developers insist that it sticks to a solid 60 FPS even on the first-generation iPod touch.

We're happy to report that Assault Squadron [link] has appeared in the App Store and is available for download at a price of $2.99.

The twist of Assault Squadron comes from the two gameplay modes the various levels alternate between. While playing through the game, you'll go through a level where it plays like a vertical shooter with your phone held in portrait mode. Following that, the game might alternate to a horizontal side scrolling level. With each transition you see different sides of both your ship and enemies, and the game.

The game has a lot to offer. There's a crazy scoring system with multipliers galore (and online leaderboards via Crystal), four different ships that all handle differently with their own unique weapon systems, upgrades everywhere, and best of all – control options that should satisfy everyone between the on-screen touch controls, a virtual joystick, and tilt.

Frantic shooter fans might want to take a close look at this one.

App Store Link: Assault Squadron, $2.99

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In late March we first caught wind of Warblade, an impressive looking vertical shooter that has already lived a long life on the PC. (Starting originally with the Amiga.) The plot of Warblade is extremely simple, an alien race is invading Earth and you must stop them by shooting up every enemy ship that crosses your path. While the game likely won't win any awards for story telling, the recently released gameplay video really looks great:

The graphics look awesome, and they even go through the shocking number of weapons you can buy in game while playing through quite a few levels. Also, as mentioned in the description of the video, Warblade will come loaded with 100 levels along with 15 time trial levels and boss fights. The game also runs at 60 FPS, but it isn't clear on which devices.

According to the EMV Software Twitter, the free version of Warblade was recently submitted. The last mention of the full version of the game is from May 6th, where a new beta version was sent to testers.

I was excited for Warblade when I first heard about the plans to bring it to the iPhone, and after seeing the game in motion, I can't wait for it to get here. Hopefully the free version comes with a decent amount of content to hold us over while the paid version is finalized.

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