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Gameloft's impressive looking Real Golf 2011 made its appearance on the App Store tonight.

The latest sports title from the company comes in at $6.99 and offers real sports personalities including Join Anthony Kim, Natalie Gulbis, Camilo Villegas and more. Online and local multiplayer is also offered. The full list of official courses include:

• Evian Masters (France)
• Bethpage (USA)
• Harbour Town (USA)
• Pearl Valley Golf Estates (South Africa)
• Old Head (Ireland)
• Kiawah Island (USA)
• Kingston Heath Golf Club (Australia)
• Bali Ocean Course (Indonesia)
• Cherry Blossom Golf Club (Japan)
• Royal Loch Course (Scotland)

We haven't had a chance to put the game through the paces, but will take a closer look shortly. Early impressions are rolling into our forums.

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France-based developers Movingplayer and publisher Bulkypix have been hard at work lately on Yslandia, the latest MMO to shortly hit the App Store. Already released in Canada for testing purposes and set to hit US and international stores any day now (together with the US-based servers), this distinctly European take on the traditional eastern-influenced MMO formula had my attention from early on.

That Yslandia hails from a European developer is not something to be understated. It permeates every facet of the game– just as PC gamers saw a remarkable departure from traditional RPG paradigms in the popular Polish-developed title, The Witcher– so too does Yslandia show off its own influences and underpinnings, for better or for worse.

The most immediate evidence of this in play is in the artwork and in-game sprites. Gone are the cutesy, bright color palettes and heavily cell-shaded artwork usually seen in MMOs. Instead, what we have here are more detailed sprites with a purposefully subdued tone; emphasizing a realistic brush as trees and houses and even characters are painted in modest colors. The artwork in general brings to mind a water-color painting; not as visually striking as the color explosion of most JRPGs, but not without its own charm.

In so far as the gameplay is concerned, MMOs traditionally have been about lengthy solo leveling experiences (read: grinding) with a smattering of teamwork needed in certain encounters. Yslandia on the other hand is more focused all around Player vs Player combat and social interactions (but with its own share of grinding). The three islands that make up the initial release of Yslandia are comprised of respective starting islands for the Simeh'a Alliance and the Zaa'me Coalition (essentially, Light vs Dark), and a neutral territory called Gilda where all the PvP combat goes on. And it's on this latter island that most of your time in Yslandia will be spent.

On Gilda, teams have to work together to capture Totems on the battlefield, thereby claiming territories for their Faction. The game itself encourages this teamwork– particularly teamwork through guild participation– by way of its skill system. Departing from any existing skill-building concepts, characters in Yslandia learn additional skills by "training" with other guild members. Every 10 levels, you accumulate training points in addition to your standard skill points, which can then be invested in other guild members, bestowing upon them a skill you currently have learned. Aside from skills learned in this fashion, characters start with 4 skills, 2 of which are usually passive.

'Usually' in this context is used quite loosely, as Yslandia boasts a massive lineup of 18 different classes to choose from divided amongst 6 very different races (some of which have no passive skills). The developers have also gone beyond the usual warrior/ranger/mage archetypes to offer interesting classes such as the Necrophage, the Lycan Bloodhound or the mana-sucking Nocturn Deceiver. Unfortunately, with the class diversity on offer, what does get left by the wayside is character customization– don't expect that new cloak you found to have any effect on the way your character looks. Even so, the sheer number of classes on offer, and just how different they each look and feel, means it is less of an issue than it could have been.

Unfortunately our pre-release time with Yslandia didn't offer much opportunity in the way of experiencing large-scale battles, so the verdict is definitely still out on whether the PvP-centred approach works or not. What we did see was an ample number of quests to help your character through the initial 10 levels, after which quests spill out onto the contested Gilda island too. The current quests support progression to level 25, and comprise the usual collection and courier quests with a fair bit of grinding in between. We've been told by developers to expect a new island shortly which will extend the level cap to 35, so continued support is definitely on Movingplayer's agenda.

Yslandia does two other things which we really liked, and showed a bit of innovation on behalf of the developer. Firstly, the user interface is sensational: your character is controlled by either tap-moving or by an on-screen analogue stick; and skills and items can be placed absolutely anywhere on screen via an intuitive iOS-like hold-to-move system that I hope is picked up by other developers too. Secondly, some classes have the ability to 'take over' their guild mates as familiars once they have disconnected. The game describes this as proxying, and it's certainly a fresh feature that whilst limited to 1 life only, enables guild mates to assist each other even when they're offline.

If there are any shortcomings to note in Yslandia, it's that character animations aren't really up to par with what we usually see in these games. Spells and ability animations range anywhere from barely serviceable to really great (we loved how ranged spells have a charging animation), but there is a certain lack of believability to standard attacks and hit responses. This may be attributable to the fact that we were only able to play on the European servers— which were not entirely without the expected lag– and so the responsiveness expected of combat was just not there.

Of course, there is also the obvious downside that whilst you hoard your various items, they will never have an effect on your appearance in the game world– one Guardian is essentially indistinguishable from the next. Movingparts is aware of this, and have promised that some form of customization through PvP rewards is just around the corner.

What will be interesting to see is how all these elements mesh together in a fully populated game world, and whether the PvP-centric gameplay will hold up as a fulfilling, engaging MMO. Certainly players will have their own positions on whether a competitive environment will sustain them or not, particularly as there is a pseudo-requirement that players be part of a guild to enjoy all Yslandia has to offer. Personally though, I feel that the European charm and its willingness to push the boundaries of long-held MMO concepts nicely positions Yslandia as something different worth checking out.

Yslandia is currently priced at CAD$4.99. While you're waiting for the US and international release, check out our forums to see what experiences our Canadian readers are already having with Yslandia.

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My favorite game that I played at the Glu iPhone Games event was Gun Bros. Gun Bros. is a top-down dual-stick shooter with a completely over the top style in just about every way. You play as one of two brothers, Percy or Frances Gun, as you destroy wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies. The game is set on a series of planets in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world, and each planet has 10 levels (called revolutions) with 50 waves of enemies per revolution. You'll earn XP with every enemy that you kill, which goes towards leveling up your character. You will also earn something called Xplodium, which is an unstable ore that can be refined after each level and sold for gold to buy new weapons, armor, and equipment.

The greatest thing about Gun Bros. is the huge arsenal of crazy weaponry. Sure, we've all played games with a shotgun or a spread gun, but what about a triple barrel shotgun or a gun that spreads in seven directions? If you fancy gatling guns, why not up the ante and add three together for a triple gatling gun. Don't even get me started on the Shuricannon (cannon that shoots shurikens) or the Machete Mayhem (a dual pistol that shoots – you guessed it – machetes). These are all realities in Gun Bros., and it makes mowing down enemies a ton of fun. In all, there will be 30 different weapons across 6 different weapon classes, and your character can carry two weapons at a time and switch freely between them.

Besides the regular weapons in Gun Bros., there's also a number of special items and tons of different armors. The special items can be pulled up in a small window during play and give you benefits like health refills, increased damage for a short time, or powerful full screen attacks. The armor in the game is almost as cool as the amazing weapons, and give you many options for enhancing your attributes and customizing the look your character. There will be over 40 different pieces of armor, each capable of upgrading your character in areas like defense, strength, and speed. With the right combination of armor pieces you can choose which areas you are most effective in, and look bad ass while doing so.

Another key element to Gun Bros. is the social aspect of the game. Since you are a pair of brothers, there is always an AI controlled partner blasting away at baddies with you while you play. You'll have the ability to add friends in the game, and then import their specific character to play as your AI companion in your own game. If your friend happens to have some seriously upgraded gear compared to yours, you'll get the benefit of his extra firepower on your computer controlled character. You will also both keep all the XP you earn, which will transfer back to your friend's game when you're done playing. There is extra incentive to play with your friends as you can earn daily bonus items by doing so. Perusing the in-game friend list allows you to check out what bonus items are available for each friend, as well as how their various characters are equipped.

Much like Glu's other game Magic Life, Gun Bros. will launch fully featured for free, but of course there is a way to spend money on the game if you wish. You can purchase additional types of chambers for refining your Xplodium at the end of levels, thus earning more cash per unit and getting to buy weapons and armor much more quickly. This isn't necessary, however, and those who don't want to pay and have patience can still see everything the game has to offer. Gun Bros. was the game I played the most at Glu, thoroughly enjoying every minute of it, and I'll be impatiently waiting for its late October release.

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In the wake of the free to play movement on the App Store, Ubisoft has recently released an iPad client for their free browser game, Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms. Currently only available in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms puts players to the task of managing their kingdom, bossing around their heroes, and do the typical MMO-style resource gathering and management by capturing mines.

After your kingdom is booming, you'll be able to wage battles which Ubisoft is describing as "epic" with other players by creating or joining alliances to conquer new territory in attempt to control the entire in-game world of Ashan.

If you're an iPad owner in Germany, France, or the UK, give the free iPad client a spin and see what you think. Since it is free to download, if you're outside of those three countries and you really want to get a jump on the game before it hits the US App Store, it shouldn't be too hard to create an international account to snag the game.

United Kingdom App Store Link: Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms, Free

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EA has been busy these past few weeks prepping for multiple iPad launches as well as a sequel to the popular Sims 3 for iPhone. Sims 3 World Adventures continues with much of the same format of the first version by building on the existing familiar gameplay.

Sims 3 gameplay revolves around customizing and controlling your Sim while meeting its needs, fulfilling its wishes and generally just exploring the world around you. World Adventures starts off just like Sims 3 with basic character customization (clothes, physical features, personality) but also allows existing players to import their character from the first version directly into the second.

Immediately after finalizing your choices for your character, a brief tutorial walks you through the basics of the game and how to keep your Sim satisfied. Sims have the same basic needs you're used to, between needing to eat, sleep, bathe and go to the bathroom as well as a goals and wishes. The goals pop up randomly, and act like mini objectives for what to do in the game.

The biggest difference in World Adventures is the scope of the game with added locations that you can travel to. If you loved the gameplay of the original but felt the original Sims 3's world was a bit small, this version is for you. Beyond your own town, there are 3 additional locations including Egypt, France and China. Each location has its own buildings, inhabitants, goals and tourist attractions. Also included are 52 new goals and 4 new mini-games. The mini games include ruin exploration, air flight, bartering and language games. Succeeding in these mini-games help you along the way. For example, the in flight mini game prevents you from getting air sick which will suck up valuable time at your destination while you recoup. Meanwhile better language skills add to your charm, improving your interaction with others.

The first Sims 3 for iPhone successfully trimmed down the Sims series to a solid handheld experience. World Adventures expands on that by giving you additional adventures, clothing and locals to explore.

App Store Link: Sims 3 World Adventure, $6.99

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To say that The Sims series of games have been successful would be a massive understatement. The original PC version was the best selling PC game of all time, and the ridiculous amount of expansions and sequels all were remarkably successful as well. The iPhone game, The Sims 3 [App Store] rocketed up to the #1 top selling paid app on the App Store almost instantly following its release, and stayed there for quite some time.

EA hopes to duplicate that success with the upcoming pseudo-sequel The Sims 3 World Adventures. In the game, you'll be able to travel to three locations: "Al Simhara" in Egypt, "Champs Les Sims" in France, and "Shang SimLa" in China. Along with new personas, careers, and quests you will also have 52 new goals to achieve as well as 4 new mini-games to play with your sim.

Of course World Adventures also comes loaded with new clothes, furniture, and face types for you to choose when customizing your sim, and if you've purchased DLC in The Sims 3, you will be able to transfer those purchases to this game. On top of that, you will be able to import and export your characters between both games on your iPhone.

Last, but certainly not least, The Sims 3 World Adventures will feature musical accompaniment of popular songs sang in "Simlish". LeAnn Rimes is the only artist that EA has specifically mentioned so far, and you can hear her song sung sim-style here.

EA isn't ready to discuss release dates yet, but we will post more information (and hopefully more "Simlish" songs) as we receive it.

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