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Across Age [$2.99] is one of the few really, really good RPG-adventure game hybrids available on the App Store. It’s kind of like Zelda, as it has plenty of musky environments and disheveled tombs with entirely too many moveable blocks, treasure chests, and baubles that open locked doors. The Zelda-like approach to the design is what makes Across Age a standout among the throngs of games, but I think you’ve got to appreciate the cool time-shifting, real time battle, and party member mechanics. In brief, it’s good.

Also, the DX version, Across Age DX [$.99], is now cheaper.

Starting now and for a limited time, you can download Across Age DX for just .99 cents, a big time savings of two bucks. DX, by the way, is a huge improvement over the original the we reviewed — not only does DX boast retina visuals, it also incorporates a much better way to do battle, slicker animations, and a new dungeon. It’s a new game, basically, adapted from the old one.

So, yeah, go grab it if you’re an RPG nut. We’ve no clue how long this’ll last, so make the choice soon.

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Careful watchers of the top charts on the App Store have noticed an interesting trend over the weekend with various apps inexplicably substantially changing position. Previously (and possibly still currently) Apple seemed to use the number of downloads an app had to form both the top free and paid lists. While this method might have made sense originally, gaming these download-only lists has turned into a remarkably profitable enterprise for those that have apps with a large install base which also have a way to push users into downloading other apps.

If you've played a freemium game lately that offered some kind of benefit for downloading a completely different game, chances are the developer behind the title you're being incentivized into downloading paid the original developer a bucket full of money for that promotion. For both developers it's a win/win situation, one (often) gets a fat stack of cash while the other gets a massive boost in overall charting position along with all the benefits that includes. The issue with this is that clicking a link in your favorite social farming time sink to get more virtual oats for your virtual cows to download another game creates a top-download list that might not be entirely representative of what people are actually even using for anything more than that download bonus.

Google's Android rankings also used to work like this until a recent change that substantially altered the algorithm which resulted in apps like Seesmic [Free] jumping from #39 to #10 while Gowalla [Free] went all the way from #78 to #18. Developers speculated that the cause for these jumps were something referred to as the "sticky factor" which instead of relying only on downloads looks at daily active users, or perhaps factoring in a ratio of daily active users compared to monthly active users. Of course Google hasn't commented on what actually is going on behind the scenes, likely out of fear that this new system will be gamed like the old lists.

Chart courtesy of App Annie!

Apple could potentially to be following suit with a similar algorithm which might explain some recent shifts in the free charts. For instance, Facebook [Free] previously had comfortably floating around the middle of the top 25 for quite some time, and recently shot up to #1. Similarly, Pandora [Free] jumped into the top ten after living in the top 20's for ages. Speculating this has to do with engagement-based charting could make sense, as there wasn't any immediately apparent reason (such as a large influx of new devices from a launch or something similar) for Facebook to see a massive surge in downloads over the weekend. Previously, the amount of downloads needed to even climb single positions in top ten free was incredible, making it even more likely that the top lists as they are now factor in something else.

What that something is is anyone's guess. Apple obviously is notoriously secretive, so it will likely be up to developers analyzing their apps' movements on the charts compared to their own analytics inside of those apps. From a gaming perspective, it will be interesting to watch what kind of impact this new charting algorithm has on the freemium market which historically has been heavily influenced by paid installs, incentives, and other tricks to game the charts sending specific games rocketing up the charts. If they are in fact using daily active users to factor in how apps are ranked, developers are going to need to build freemium games that are actually engaging to play which keep people coming back instead of cutting deals with other developers to essentially buy chart positioning.

[via Gigaom]

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Get Outta My Galaxy [99¢] was released in late March and provided some really great puzzle and action elements with levels that are actually little Super Mario Galaxy-like planetoids. We get more in depth in our review:

Each level, much like Super Mario Galaxy is a unique planet with different kinds of vegetation, obstacles, and more. They're all spherical in shape, and generally are small enough that you never really get lost. Progressing in the game requires clearing a planet of Wikus, which just involves giving them a smack with one of your arms. There's a number of different types of Wikus, and various power-ups as well to mix things up. After you've "dealt with" all of the offending Wikus, you need to make it to a glowing stone of sorts, hit that, and you're off to the next planet.

Also mentioned in the review was that I wasn't really crazy about the game's controls which were all tilt-based and nowhere near sensitive enough which resulted in severely tilting the device to play. Now that it has a virtual joystick, there's no reason not to pick this game up. In addition, the developers are also working on a "big content update" which will "deepen the gaming experience and boost the replay value" along with eventually supporting the iPad. Sounds good to me!

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As we discussed last week, and has become commonplace whenever a new holiday rolls around, Rovio has released an update to Angry Birds Seasons [99¢/Lite/HD] adding 15 brand new levels themed after the upcoming Easter holiday. In addition, there is a new Easter leaderboard and several new achievements in Game Center, as well as some new golden eggs to discover.

Rovio has also released a new gameplay trailer showcasing the new Easter levels, which are full of brightly colored eggs and pigs clad in bunny ears. Check it out:

This latest update is free for current owners of Angry Birds Seasons and the iPad version Angry Birds Seasons HD, so make sure to grab the latest version to check out the new Easter theme. We’re still waiting to hear more about Rovio’s planned game save syncing across multiple devices, and we’ll let you know when we have more concrete details about that feature.

In the meantime, feel free to speculate on the next holiday update for Angry Birds Seasons. The smart money would most likely be on obvious choices like Cinco de Mayo or Mother’s Day, but I’m hoping Rovio doesn’t forget about the renowned National Dance Like A Chicken Day on May 14th.

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Future game developers, it might be a good idea to make sure the main character in your upcoming game has feathers. Currently in the US App Store, 4 of the 5 overall top paid apps are games featuring some type of bird. The newest of these titles, and the game that has recently toppled Angry Birds Rio [99¢/Lite] at the #1 spot, is Gamevil’s Air Penguin [99¢].

It’s not hard to see why either, as Air Penguin contains all the elements that can make for a successful game. It has adorable graphics, dead simple gameplay, and an engaging scoring system that ensures you’ll keep coming back for more.

Global warming has caused the glaciers to break apart into pieces in Antarctica where Air Penguin lives. Your job is to direct him across the scattered pieces of ice in an effort to reunite him with his separated family members.

This portly penguin will bounce high into the air and you control his direction by tilting your device, trying to bounce safely along each chunk of ice. Breaking up all the bouncing gameplay is a turtle which you can land on and control for a quick ride through the ocean, and some segments have you landing on a long sheet of ice and literally skating along while avoiding seals and holes in the ice.

Each of the 100 levels in Story mode have 5 golden fish which can be collected along the way, and these can also be used to purchase special items to help you in your journey. These items include things like making seals smaller and easier to avoid, covering the gaps in the ice while you're skating, or giving you a second chance after you’ve fallen into the water. Besides collecting the gold fish to use as currency while you play, you can also get more via IAP if you’re running low and need to buy some assistance.

Scoring is cumulative across all the Story mode levels, with an added bonus that grows based on how many levels you complete in succession without dying. There is also a Survival mode which gives you a randomly generated endless level to see how long you can last, and Game Center is integrated to track high scores across both modes and unlock achievements.

I’m not usually a big fan of tilt-only games, but Air Penguin definitely does it right. The tilting is extremely accurate, so it makes completing acrobatic leaps of faith a joy rather than frustrating. The tilt sensitivity can also be adjusted to your liking, and Air Penguin is the perfect game to pop into when you have a few minutes to kill here and there. Of course it’s also extremely easy to get sucked in and play for great lengths of time trying to perfect scores and collect every fish, which is another hallmark of a good game.

I can definitely recommend checking out the newest bird-themed sensation to hit the App Store, as I’ve been having a pretty great time with Air Penguin so far and players in our forums are enjoying it as well.

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Just about a month ago we saw the release of Final Fantasy III [$15.99] in the App Store, Square Enix’s 3D remake of their 1990 NES role-playing game and an enhanced port of the 2006 Nintendo DS release. The iOS version is the definitive version of the game, featuring Retina Display graphics and an intuitive touch interface, and despite some archaic gameplay design as a result of being based on a game from 20 years ago, we thoroughly enjoyed Final Fantasy III in our review.

While Final Fantasy III was released for iPhone and iPod touch devices, many players in our forums noted that the game played extremely well on the larger screen of the iPad in 2x mode. Yesterday, however, Square Enix revealed on their Facebook page that they will be bringing a native iPad version of Final Fantasy III to the App Store this Thursday. It isn’t clear whether there will be any further enhancements to the iPad version beyond a native resolution and screen size, but it should be a better experience than pixel-doubled mode for iPad gamers wanting to get in on some Final Fantasy III. Here’s a single teaser shot from the iPad version:

In other Square Enix news, the developer has updated the teaser page for Chrono Trigger that we stumbled across last December to include a date of April 25th. Unfortunately, it appears that the date mentioned is in regards to a mobile version of Chrono Trigger for feature phones, and not the iOS iteration that we’ve been patiently anticipating. Since their recently announced new game specifically mentions smartphone devices, we would expect the same from the Chrono Trigger teaser page if it had anything to do with an iOS version of the game.

There’s still no further word about the release date for the long, long awaited port of Final Fantasy Tactics on iOS either, but we’ll keep digging around for more information on this and anything new with Chrono Trigger coming to iOS. Also, we’ll take a look at the iPad version of Final Fantasy III when it hits the App Store this Thursday.

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If you haven't heard of it yet, Kickstarter is currently the largest funding platform to creative projects in the world. It's the kind of site that you can sink hours into looking at all the incredible proposals people have. If you find something you like, you can "kickstart" it by throwing some money at the project. Each project has rewards to thank those who fund the project and one of the lower-rungs of the funding ladder usually involves getting a copy of whatever game/movie/product/etc is being proposed. It's a great system, and I really recommend looking into it if you've got some extra cash and want to support some great projects.

Anyway, something that caught my eye today was a project called "Tweet Land – The first set of games that play with reality!". It's a really cool idea, and it's already well on its way to meeting its funding goal. The basic premise is to release a series of iOS (and web) games that use tweets to create events in the game:

The game works really simple. Every time someone in the world tweets something, his or her tweets could affect the gameplay of Tweet Land by triggering certain action-keywords. It could be a "car accident" in your racing game, it could be your hate-gun gets reloaded in the action game, it could be anything.

I think what sounds so cool about this is that I've been a huge fan of randomized games on the platform. Various roguelikes, endless runners, and others games that are different every time you play them really appeal to me. Using the real world as a "random" event generator seems like such an amazing idea. Although, thinking about it, the real world really is far more random than any random number generator ever could be. Chew on that for a bit.

The down-side of all this Kickstarter business is that since we're essentially being pitched a concept, it could take quite a while for that to actually materialize into a game. Regardless, I'm excited.

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While the rest of the world anxiously waits for GLaDOS to reboot, Gamevil announced on our forums late last night that Zenonia 3: The Midgard Story will be released on April 28th. In fact, if you want to know basically anything about the game, the beta testing thread on our forums is full of more information than anyone would likely ever need to know about it.

We also got a good amount of time with the game back at GDC, and explained the game's premise:

The story goes like this: The world of Zenonia was divided into the Heavenly Realm and the Earth Realm until a war between the Divine Tribe and the Devil Tribe caused the creation of the Midgard Realm. The main character of the original Zenonia, Regret, appears to his son, Chael, the hero of this story. Chael, shortly thereafter while walking in a wood with his fairy friend Runa, disappears into the mysterious Midgard Realm. Your goal, as Chael, is to help the Divine Tribe get back to the Heavenly Realm and return yourself to Earth.

Exciting stuff eh? Among other improvements Zenonia 3 will also sport Retina Display graphics and some of the best animation we've seen out of the series yet. In other related news the original Zenonia [99¢] dropped to a buck in anticipation. We had a great time with the game when we reviewed it back in 2009, although admittedly the original Zenonia is a little old and busted by today's standards. The sequel, Zenonia 2 [$2.99] is also worth checking out in anticipation.

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Last December, MacRumors reported on survey results showing that users of portable games are increasingly defecting from dedicated devices such as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP to smartphones such as the iPhone.

New data from analytics firm Flurry comparing overall video game market share in 2009 and 2010 reveals a similar trend, with iOS and Android combining to take 8% of the overall market and a full 34% of the portable gaming market as measure by revenue. In the overall market, console games continue to dominate, growing from 71% to 76% on only a slight increase in total video game revenue.

From 2009 to 2010, iOS and Android game sales increased from 5% to 8% market share within the U.S. video game market. Specifically, we estimate that iOS and Android game revenue increased from $500 million in 2009 to more $800 million in 2010. Of this, the significant majority of revenue was generated by iPhone games.

But setting aside the console market, the success of iOS and Android (primarily iOS according to Flurry's data) as gaming platforms is more obvious in the portable market, where the smartphone platforms have increased their share of revenue from 19% in 2009 to 34% in 2010 at the expense of Nintendo's and Sony's offerings.

From 2009 to 2010, iOS and Android game sales have spiked significantly, resulting in nearly a doubling of their market share. With both Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable shrinking in sales, while smart-device game sales simultaneously grew by more than 60%, iOS and Android games now represent more than one third of the portable game category.

It is also important to note that the surge in revenue share for smartphone platforms comes at a significantly lower average price point than for dedicated devices, meaning that even the strong growth from those platforms has eaten into the total portable gaming market, which dropped from $2.7 billion in 2009 to $2.4 billion in 2010. The "race to the bottom" has long been one of the main concerns for smartphone application developers, particularly traditional game developers who have been accustomed to the pricing model for dedicated gaming devices. But users are clearly shifting toward more casual gaming at lower price points on their smartphones, and developers that have embraced that market are in many cases seeing solid results.

Originally posted on our sister site MacRumors!

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If you were one of the many people who loved Galaxy on Fire 2 [$9.99 / Lite] (and understandably so, the game is great), you're in for a treat with the update landing later this month. Give the recently released trailer a look:

This update essentially includes two components. For free, all players will get access to three "refurbished" space ships from the original Galaxy on Fire in addition to a personal space station where you can store multiple space ships and cargo. The Valkyrie portion of the update is an add-on available via IAP which includes a new storyline (with voiceovers), as well as new ships, weaponry, and improved equipment. There's also new planets, and a "black market trading system" which we're anxious to try out.

All of this is landing on the 28th, so make sure you clear out that weekend if you're a Galaxy on Fire fan.

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