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Shortly after yesterday's announcement of Super Mega Worm we received word from PlayCreek, creators of Stoneloops! of Jurassica, that they were bringing the original worm destruction game to the App Store. Death Worm was created by JTR back in 2006 and is available for free as a 3.5MB Windows game. PlayCreek is promising to take the original concept to the next level, and even has plans to keep the game updated with new levels, enemies, game modes, and other features. Two examples they cite for future updates are a Death Worm soccer mini game and a Death Worm castle defense game mode. There's also an iPad version in the works.

It's more than a little odd that there are two games being announced in such short succession that are based on such similar concepts, but if you got a chance to play Stoneloops! of Jurassica before it was pulled from the App Store, it's hard to not get excited for PlayCreek's Death Worm. The additional game modes sound beyond ridiculous, and I'm really looking forward to giving both Death Worm and Super Mega Worm a try.

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Developers seem to love scheduling their release dates for Thursday, causing their games to slowly leak out over the world over the course of the day on Wednesday and we're in for another onslaught of releases tonight. These games should all appear for download in the US App Store at 11:00 PM EST unless you download your games from the various European or Asian App Stores, in which case they will be available much earlier (possibly even as you're reading this).

R-Type, $1.99 – We've covered R-Type a number of times in the past, including getting a sneak peek at it at the recent EA pre-holiday event. R-Type is a sidescrolling shooter that hardly need an introduction filled with huge bosses, tons of power-ups, and everything else that makes a shooter awesome. For more information, and impressions as the game trickles out over the world, check out the thread in our forums.

Dodonpachi Resurrection, $4.99 – Another bullet hell shooter from Cave which unfortunately only runs on 3rd generation devices and later due to the sheer amount of things happening at once on screen. We've been following this game closely, and bullet hell fanatics are already debating Dodonpachi Resurrection versus Cave's previous game, ESPGaluda II [$8.99 / Free] in the forum thread.

Phantasy Star II – Sega's classic Genesis RPG should be available on the US App Store tonight, although it doesn't yet appear to be available internationally. Sega often releases two versions, one American and one international, and while it seems unlikely it's possible that the international version simply hasn't been approved yet. Regardless, we're keeping our eyes peeled for it.

Knight's Rush, $2.99 – From the developers of Knights Onrush [99¢ / Free] and A Quest of Knights Onrush [Free] comes a full featured arcade style hack and slash which sounds like it has a ton of content. 50 enemy types, 8 bosses and 40 levels across 8 different worlds have people pretty excited in our forums.

Cave Run, $1.99 – Randomized survival platformers seem to be the name of the game lately between Monster Dash [99¢], A Skeleton Story [$1.99], and others. Cave Run is universal and has generated quite a bit of buzz in our forums, packed with an Indiana Jones-like theme and tons of obstacles to avoid.

We're going to spend the day working up reviews for as many of these games as possible, and if you've been looking forward to any of them in particular be sure to stop by the threads linked with each game as international forum members almost always post first impressions throughout the day.

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Last month, we were treated to the fun and fast-paced Fastar! from developer John Kooistra and Cat in a Box Games. Fastar! is a sarcastic take on action-RPGs that has you blazing through side-scrolling levels as fast as possible, all while collecting coins and upgrading your character as you defeat the game's many square enemies. The funny thing about Fastar! is while it's technically taking jabs at the many action-RPG games out there and the genericness of their enemies and gameplay, it actually accomplishes being an incredibly fun game while doing so.

You can read all about Fastar! in our in-depth review of the game and get a good idea of the gameplay from the trailer:

If you have yet to pick up Fastar! you're in luck as the game has just gone free for a day. We really liked the game, and found it to be a great fit for the iPhone. Players in our forums are also loving the game, and if you've been on the fence about it since its release there's now no reason not to check out Fastar! while it's free for the day.

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One of the most underrepresented sports on the App Store is ice hockey, which is perplexing as even if you aren't really a fan of the sport itself, hockey has historically made for a fun video game. Back in early April we finally got an attempt at a real ice hockey game for the iPhone, Hockey Nations 2010 [$3.99/Lite]. While it looked and controlled fairly decently, it was missing that intangible aspect that made it a fun game to play. In what was somewhat of a surprise release, seasoned sports game developer 2K Sports has brought NHL 2K11 [$1.99/Lite] to the iPhone. While not the prettiest game around, it's an absolute blast to play and features a full season mode, official NHL teams and players, and more options than you could ever possibly need in a portable hockey game.

NHL 2K11 controls similarly to Hockey Nations with an analog stick for player movement and three virtual buttons for performing actions. There are separate buttons for passing and shooting on offense, with the power of each determined by how long you hold the button down. On defense these same buttons serve to change players and perform checks. The third button gives your player a speed boost on offense or defense. Your actions can differ based on where you are in relation to other players allowing for simple poke checks or full blown body checks. Passing also works really well, letting you bounce the puck off the boards to a teammate or set up for a one-timer. The controls are really uncomplicated but still allow for depth and strategy.

What is really impressive about NHL 2K11 is the absurd amount of options at your disposal. There's typical game settings like difficulty, toggling penalties, choosing NHL or international style time and icing rules, and more. You can set line changes to automatic, manual, or turn them off completely. A ton of different camera angles and zoom options are available including locking the camera in place. A season mode lets you choose a team and play through an entire season in pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Rosters can be altered, saved, and loaded with or without a trade deadline and salary cap. What's in NHL 2K11 is comparable to what you would find in a full console sports title, and caters well whether you're looking for a casual hockey experience or something in-depth.

Even with all of the great features in NHL 2K11 it does have some shortcomings. Players are blocky and comprised of low resolution textures, which is pronounced when the game zooms in during replays. This isn't as noticeable with the default overhead camera in the game, but the tiny players are still pretty jagged, especially on the iPhone 4. While the visuals are not the best, they don't distract from the game too much as you can still tell what is going on, but they could stand to be better. The game description warns NHL 2K11 isn't compatible with first gen devices, but players in our forums have been able to run the game, just with a lowered framerate. You can always try the lite to see how it performs if you have an older device. Additionally, the AI in the game doesn't always make the smartest choices, and the audio portions of the game are lacking. Overall, NHL 2K11 has some “rough around the edges” spots, but overall none of these issues really diminish the fun of playing the game.

It wouldn't be hard for NHL 2K11 to claim the title of best ice hockey game on the iPhone, since the competition is sorely lacking. But it surprisingly goes above and beyond and offers a truly full-fledged NHL experience on a mobile platform. Even with such a robust experience, the game supports fast app switching and saving during season play which makes it well suited for on-the-go gaming. And on top of everything else, it's just incredibly fun to play. EA's NHL offerings have typically been favored over the 2K series on consoles, and it will be interesting to see if EA decides to throw their hat into the iPhone hockey arena. Until that time, however, 2K Sports NHL 2K11 is the clear cut choice for hockey on the iPhone.

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New Potato, who brought us the Jackpot Slots [App Store] game / accessory for the iPhone, has just released another such bundle for the iPhone and iPod touch — but this time around, the game in question is pinball.

Pinball Magic is a gaming accessory that is intended to transform your iPhone or iPod touch into a realistic pinball machine, albeit a rather diminutive one. The pinball table-shaped accessory sports flipper buttons, a ball-launching plunger, a credit / select button,an animated LED backbox display, and foldable legs for easy transport. The device mates with your device's 30-pin dock connector and delivers a pinball experience by way of New Potato's free Pinball Magic [link] app.

Game features, listed by the developer:

• Multiple classic and unique playboard layout
• Advanced multi-level and multiplayer competition
• Four possible multi-ball modes
• End-of-ball and replay bonuses
• Tilt detection, tilt warning and activation
• Ball saver

Pinball Magic is currently available from Best Buy, online and at certain retail locations at a price of $39.99. And don't bother downloading the game app if you don't have the accessory — it won't play at all.

[ via ChipChick ]

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The curious thing about the App Store is that while some areas are completely overloaded (I'm looking at you, puzzle section.) others are surprisingly barren. Aside from Tiger Woods PGA Tour [$4.99], Let's Golf [$4.99 / Free / HD] its sequel Let's Golf 2 [$4.99 / HD] and various mini golf games like Mini Golf Wacky Worlds [Free] or Tiki Golf 3D [99¢] there isn't a whole lot of really great golf games.

We don't know much about Real Golf 2011 yet, but according to Gameloft it will feature golfers such as Sergio Garcia, Natalie Gulbis and Anthony Kim along with "prestigious courses" from around the world. The following trailer was released today which shows a surprising amount of gameplay video compared to Gameloft's previous trailers:

Real Golf 2011 is scheduled for release in September, and as someone who enjoyed both Let's Golf and Let's Golf 2 quite a bit, I'm excited to give it a try.

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Epic Force's Stone Wars [Free] hit the App Store late last year, and actually has been free for a while now but thanks to our very own Free App Man it was brought to our attention and I'm actually enjoying the game quite a bit. Initially it seemed like Stone Wars was just your typical Worms clone with turn-based gameplay featuring various weapons and considerably less cartoony charm… That is, until you realize just how much multiplayer functionality the game has. You can play Stone Wars locally with a single device, locally via either WiFi or Bluetooth, or online in real time and of course there are single player modes where you can play against an AI opponent.

Online multiplayer actually works really well, you can either just wait to be match with a random opponent or create either a public or passworded game room for people to join. There isn't much of a delay between moves, and gameplay worked just fine on the single bar of EDGE that I'm rocking right now on my iPhone. Stone Wars has been free since late June, and according to the iTunes description is a "limited time promotion" for their latest game, Super Laser: The Alien Fighter [$2.99 / Free] so I guess grab it quick if you want it as who knows when it's going back to paid.

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Galcon Labs [Free] takes the gameplay from the original Galcon [$2.99 / Free] with several new game modes. Galcon is a fast-paced strategy game where players take over planets by tapping them to dispatch forces from a nearby planet. Think real-time Risk in space played either locally or online against other players. When it was originally released, Galcon Labs was criticized for not providing enough new content to justify a complete sequel as the core gameplay was basically the same with some slight variation from the different game modes, but now that it's free Galcon Labs is something you should download as soon as possible.

Galcon Labs is free for today only, and if you enjoy it make sure you check out the original Galcon or Galcon Fusion [$4.99] if you own an iPad.

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About a month ago, Gameloft's N.O.V.A. [$4.99/Lite/HD] received a nice update adding high resolution graphics and gyroscope aiming for players of their Halo-inspired first-person shooter with an iPhone 4. Today, their Call of Duty-inspired shooter Modern Combat: Sandstorm [$4.99/Lite/HD] gets the same treatment with its new update. Our impressions for this new update are pretty much the same that we had for the N.O.V.A. update last month, and what was once old feels relatively new again. The game looks as crisp as ever on the Retina Display, and gyroscopic aiming allows for much finer precision while leaving your hand free to mash away at the fire button.

This new update isn't the only news out of Gameloft today, as they have also released a teaser trailer for the sequel to Modern Combat: Sandstorm which is so far only known as Modern Combat 2. The trailer is, well, interesting to say the least:

Unfortunately the video doesn't demonstrate any gameplay of Modern Combat 2, but it's certainly good for a laugh, and it definitely makes me wish I had an iPad capable of shooting rockets (is there an app for that yet?). The video pegs the release for Modern Combat 2 as this fall, so most likely Gameloft will be offering more information and showing off the game in action in the coming weeks. Until then there is a discussion going in the Modern Combat 2 thread in our forum, and if you're an iPhone 4 user or have an iOS4 device capable of fast app switching, make sure and download the new update for the original Modern Combat: Sandstorm and check out these new features.

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It's been a good week for content updates, as not only did Battle Bears -1 [99¢] receive a massive update with new levels, weapons, and enemies but another one of my favorite shooters Puppet War: FPS [$1.99/Lite] has expanded on their original game in equally impressive fashion. Puppet War puts you in the role of an unfortunate janitor who is trapped on the set of a popular kids show. The puppets that star in the show have decided to take over the world, and it's up to you to fight them off with the many dangerous weapons that are inexplicably lying around the studio. The completely silly style of the graphics and story coupled with the satisfying first-person shooting action combined to make for an incredibly enjoyable experience that we really enjoyed in our review.

This new update takes that concept and runs with it, adding some great new features and tightening up the game overall. One of my main complaints about the initial release of Puppet War was the lack of different locations, and this has been remedied with an entirely new map and a variation on the original. Puppet Town is an L shaped arena made to look like a city street. It features cardboard cutout cars that can be destroyed and puppets that pop out of trashcans that fire tomatoes at you. Also, the original Studio map gets a nighttime version. Lighting is dim here, and the set decorations are outlined in bright neon lights. It sets a terrific mood, and while it essentially plays the same it's different enough to feel like a new location. It's also the perfect setting to debut one of the new enemies, the zombie puppet (the other new enemy being a ninja puppet). There is a nighttime version of the new Puppet Town set as well.

Another big addition is a Survival mode. Here, you can choose one of the four locations and battle an endless onslaught of all the various puppets. The goal is to see how many puppets you can take out before dying, and they will occasionally drop ammo and health packs to keep you going, but there is no money to be earned. Instead, you'll use the weapons you've unlocked during the campaign, and the Survival maps are unlocked through the single player story as well. A zombie Survival mode can be unlocked too, and features a foggy haze in the level and strictly zombie enemies. The Survival mode is a ton of fun, and is a good way to jump right into some action when you feel like taking a break from the campaign.

Besides these major additions, a ton of other refinements have made their way into Puppet War. OpenFeint has been integrated for high score and achievement tracking. Also the game plays quite a bit faster in regards to weapon switching and ammo drops, and it feels like an all around tighter experience. There is now 3 difficulty settings to choose from, and options to invert aim and change left/right handed controls have been added, which was another complaint I had from the initial version. Puppet War was a fun game to begin with, and this update has gone a long way to making it even better.

If you haven't picked up the game yet, you can give the game a try with the brand new lite version that was released today and features an exclusive boss fight that will make its way into the full version down the road. Screens of the new boss and player impressions can be found in the game thread in our forums. Previous owners of the game should make sure to update and check out all of the new stuff in Puppet War: FPS.

App Store Links:

• Puppet War:FPS, $1.99
• Puppet War:LITE, Free

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Tower defense games on the App Store come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors it seems as the genre becomes more and more saturated with each new release. Much like match threes, it's getting harder and harder for these games to stick out amongst the crowd when there are already such fantastic tower defense staples such as Fieldrunners [$2.99 / HD], geoDefense [$1.99 / Free] (along with geoDefense Swarm [$1.99]), or my personal favorites, Sentinel: Mars Defense [99¢] and Sentinel 2: Earth Defense [$1.99]. But just because all these awesome games exist, doesn't mean I don't try every tower defense game that looks interesting (and every match three for that matter) but so often in these games there's not much in them that given the choice would make me tap their icon instead of just playing some Fieldrunners or any of the other games I just mentioned.

Guns'n’Glory [$2.99] is a somewhat rare exception to that, and I really can't believe it hasn't generated more buzz in the time since its release over a week ago because it's one of the most unique tower defense games I've played in quite a while. Handy Games did a great job of combining some elements of realtime strategy with the standard tower defense formula as well as a ridiculous premise, great sprite-based graphics, and a western themed soundtrack that fits the game perfectly. On top of that, it's even universal and while I prefer it on the iPad, it's just as much fun on the iPhone.

So by now it all sounds good and you're probably wondering what's the deal with the title of this review. Well, I'm not entirely sure how the setting of the game will sit with some people as in Guns'n’Glory you're not protecting Earth from invading aliens, or killing the anonymous troops of some enemy army. Instead, you control a gang of bandits made up of various stereotypes, train-mounted gatling guns, and cannons. These bandits slaughter waves after waves of men, women, horses, and a few different types of covered wagons all trying to make their way west. It's actually kind of amusing how when playing the game I went from "Wait a minute, these are… obviously women… that I'm gunning down" to "Argh, get back here you!" as a settler makes it to the end of the path and off the screen.

Five units are included in the game: "Desperados" which are your standard run of the mill pistol totin' bandits, "Mexicans" who toss sticks of dynamite, "Indians" who shoot flaming arrows, cannons which are strong against wagons, and the gatling gun. These units are all on screen at the start of every level, taking a nap in the hot desert sun. To enlist their help, they have to be paid off with the gold coins you earn from slaying settlers, at which point you can tap one, and wake them up to start shooting. The cool part about how all these units work is that you can move them around at any time during the battle, and this mechanic really starts to become important later in the game where there are multiple paths and not enough manpower to cover all of them.

Tapping an awake bandit selects them, then you can tap anywhere and have them walk there if there is a clear path to get to the destination. This actually works out to be really cool, because you can totally change your defensive strategy on the fly and it's awesome to just be able to upgrade a small handful of units then just micromanage them well to complete levels with minimal defenses. There isn't a fast forward button in Guns'n’Glory to speed up the gameplay, which normally would be a negative in any tower defense game, but I never felt the need to speed time up at all in this one as you're almost always busy repositioning your units for maximum effectiveness.

Further in to the game you will get access to trains to mount your gating guns on which can move quickly but obviously are limited to train tracks. Also, chests will spawn in the game world and depending on the icon over the chest sending a unit over to collect it will make their attacks stronger, faster, or just award you some gold. In later levels, juggling all of the mayhem between moving your units, going for chests, deciding what to upgrade, and which units to wake up is a ton of fun.

The main down side to all of this is when you begin to realize how few levels there are in the game. There are ten levels included, and really not much reason to replay them once you beat them. This wouldn't be so bad, if half the levels weren't building up as a tutorial, as you don't even gain the ability to upgrade your units until the fifth level– Half way through the game. Regardless, Guns'n’Glory is a very fun ride while it lasts.

iPad left, iPhone right

Curiously enough, Guns'n’Glory is listed in iTunes proudly and prominently as "AD FREE", and according to the developers on our forums there is a free version in the works, though still waiting for approval by Apple. Whether you keep the free version on your App Store watch list or you grab the paid version, Guns'n’Glory is a game that any fan of tower defense games will enjoy.

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