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Are you an iPad owner who has been patiently wondering when you can get your hands on Gameloft’s highly-inspired-by-Starcraft real-time strategy game Starfront: Collision [$2.99/Free]? There is a whole thread in our forums wondering just exactly that, and if you fall into that category there is some good news for you today. Gameloft has released 3 new videos of Starfront: Collision for the iPad depicting battles between each of the 3 available factions in the game (complete with slightly annoying play-by-play commentary). The video below shows off a battle between the Myriads and Wardens:

There are 2 more videos on their YouTube channel, one with a battle between the Consortium and Myriads and the other showing the Wardens versus the Consortium. Gameloft is usually pretty good about releasing native iPad versions of their games at the same time or not too long after their iPhone and iPod touch versions, but in the case of Starfront they’ve been taking their sweet time. Since they specifically mention the iPad 2 in their video descriptions, the extra time may have gone to enhancements tailored to the extra horsepower of that device, but we’ll have to wait to find out for sure.

There isn’t a specific release date for Starfront on iPad other than “coming soon” but generally when Gameloft starts talking about something it isn’t too far off from coming out. Until then you can check out our quick impressions of the iPhone and iPod touch version of Starfront or drop by the release thread in our forums to see what players have to say about the game, and we’ll be looking forward to checking out Starfront: Collision on the larger screen of the iPad in the near future.

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Alright, I'll admit my curiosity has been seriously piqued by Gameloft's upcoming MMORPG. Order & Chaos Online could have some serious potential, especially judging by the following trailer which shows just how many players can be on screen at once in the game:

Unfortunately, details are practically non-existent outside of this trailer and the previously released teaser. Will it be a buy once then play forever game like Guild Wars? Will Gameloft employ the newly implemented iTunes subscription functionality? Will Order & Chaos be free to play with all kinds of IAP? It's hard to say, but I'm thinking we'll find out soon. Historically speaking, Gameloft rarely ever releases trailers for games that are at least somewhat close to release.

If you'd like to join in on the rampant speculation taking place on our forums, it's a pretty good place to hang out with other people remarkably excited for the game.

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Late last month Gameloft announced a new title in their N.O.V.A. series of first-person shooters subtitled Elite. Besides a single promotional image, nothing more was known about the game. Then last week Gameloft released a trailer for N.O.V.A Elite that strongly hinted at the game being a purely multiplayer experience. Well, it turns out that wasn't too far off as N.O.V.A. Elite is now available as an online multiplayer game on Facebook.

N.O.V.A. Elite actually plays pretty well for a browser-based game, and comes with loads of different items for customizing the look and weaponry of your created character. But much like most free-to-play Facebook games a large portion of this will require using an in-game virtual currency called Facebook Credits which can be purchased with real money.

I'm more than a little disappointed that N.O.V.A. Elite isn't a new iOS title, as the previous games in the series have been pretty excellent. I guess it's entirely possible that N.O.V.A. Elite could still show up on the App Store at some point, but there's been no confirmation from Gameloft about this.

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It's starting to look like those of you who guessed that N.O.V.A. Elite was going to be a 100% multiplayer game when it was first announced just might be right, judging by the recently released gameplay trailer. Of course Gameloft could just be focusing on the multiplayer aspect of the game and it could come with a full single player campaign as well, but we'll have to wait and see.

Anyway, give the trailer a look:

What will be very interesting to see is how Gameloft prices this game if it is 100% multiplayer based. They've shown interest in dabbling in free to play games for a while now, and a game like this needs a vibrant online player base to be fun. There's no better way to get a massive pool of player than releasing a game for free. Sure, this is 110% speculation on my part, but you've got to admit it at least makes a little sense given how well ngmoco has done with Eliminate [Free] that Gameloft might try to do the same.

Either way, N.O.V.A. Elite is apparently "coming soon" which in Gameloft-speak could mean as early as next Thursday.

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Below is the first promotional teaser for Fast Five: The Movie: Official Game, the official tie-in to “Fast Five: The Movie,” a film that will surely earn a place amongst the two greatest films of all time: “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and “Gigli.” High praise in advance of an actual viewing, I know, but look at its cast for a minute — Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on-screen at the same time? Sounds like Oscar material to me.

Oh, wow, you’re still with me. Here’s the low-down: Fast Five: The Movie: Official Game is a racing game slated to the App Store on April 28, a day before the movie it's based on hits theaters. In the game, you’ll play as the film series’ returning protagonist, Brian O’Conner. O'Conner is a dude who, apparently, needs to race in exotic places in order to… well, er… whatever. Dude just needs to race, OK?  Oh, and blow things up. As you saw, there, this game has an interesting real-time destruction mechanic that you can trigger, presumably, by doing stunts and racing well.

In case you were wondering why Fast Five: The Movie: Official Game looks so much like the racing title Split Second [$4.99 / HD] (right down to its usage of buttons to activate real-time world devastation events), it’s because Gameloft is behind the wheel of the project. These are the same guys who have been "borrowing" core mechanics and concepts from other titles like, say, Zelda or Uncharted or Halo, etc., etc.

Come later this April, if you want a taste of Fast Five: The Game, it may just be wiser to have a friend blindfold you, re-assign all the buttons on a version of Split Second, and then hand you a controller just as a race starts. Am I being too negative here? Probably! We'll see!

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We're back again turning the valve of the ol' rumour spigot to quench our undying thirst for all things secret. This week we've got an overflowing goblet of rumors straight from our most trusted industry insiders planted deep inside the world of iOS. Our first rumour comes courtesy of an unexpected agent we randomly found working the front lines of Apple retail at the Apple Store Friendly Center in Greensboro, NC. While casually wandering around the Apple Store looking to buy an iPod nano, we were approached and asked if we needed any help.

Naturally, we spotted our opening and went in for the kill, juicing the agent for every drop of rumour imaginable. When interrogated regarding the upcoming iPhone, we learned that Apple does in fact release new iPhones every year, confirming our suspicions that an iPhone 5 is in the works. Also, while we were unable to delve in to raw specifics, we confirmed that the device will likely be faster, potentially get better battery life, and even might have additional storage.

In other rumours, we've received direct confirmation from a Gameloft beta tester that the French mobile gaming giant plans to release additional iOS titles. Digging for more specifics we've learned that these future titles spread the gamut of first person shooters, third person action games, and even racing games. When pressed for further details we discovered that these games will not only include Gameloft Live, but also will be controlled using a variety of on-screen controls and even tilt.

Stay tuned for additional rumors.

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Recently Gameloft announced yet another upcoming title on their Facebook page. In the wake of N.O.V.A. [$4.99 / Lite / HD] and N.O.V.A. 2 [$6.99 / Lite / HD] comes N.O.V.A. – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance Elite. Aside from the following promo image, that's all we know right now.

Now, even though Gameloft is being incredibly vague with details currently, we can likely make a few semi-safe assumptions here. First off, Gameloft never shows off games that aren't at least somewhat close to being released, so it seems unlikely that we'll be waiting that long for this game. Also, last month Gameloft announced that they will be using the Unreal Engine in the future. Given that the N.O.V.A. series is one of their more popular franchises, it seems reasonable that Elite might be one of the first Gameloft UE3 games.

We'll just have to wait to find out!

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Yesterday the popular Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six series made its debut on the App Store with Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard [$6.99] courtesy of Gameloft. We’ve given the game some thorough play time since then, and have come away pretty satisfied with how the series has translated to the iOS platform. The single player component offers some enjoyable tactical gameplay, but the part of the game we were most excited about – the online cooperative play – turned out pretty disappointing. Even still, Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard is a competent FPS that’s in line with Gameloft’s previous offerings, and should satisfy fans of the series’ recent console titles looking for a fix on the go.

The single player campaign in Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard spans 11 missions as your 3-man team works to take out a terrorist organization. The premise and storyline bits are fairly cliché, but the missions themselves are quite fun. Each mission is pretty lengthy and features several different ways to go about completing your goals, which requires much more forethought on how to approach them than your typical FPS game. You have two AI teammates in the game, a recon specialist and a demolitions expert, that you can direct them to take cover at specific areas or clear rooms for you. Taking cover behind walls or using a snake camera to peek under doors to see what’s awaiting you on the other side is imperative, as just barging your way through the game trying to run-n-gun will usually result in a speedy death, especially on harder difficulties.

The online portion of Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard is pretty good as well. It features online deathmatch or team deathmatch with up to 10 players spread across 5 specially designed multiplayer maps. There’s also an online cooperative mode that lets you team up with 2 other players and have a go at the single player campaign missions. This mode sounded extremely promising when it was announced, as there isn’t really anything akin to that on the iPhone yet. While it’s a technically sound mode, the lack of any sort of chat feature sucks the fun out of the experience. Playing cooperatively means being on the same page as your teammates, and without the ability to communicate with each other this mode loses almost all meaning.

Both the single player and multiplayer portions of Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard let you earn experience for killing enemies which can then be used to unlock additional weapons and equipment. This is a nice touch and gives you more motivation besides just merely completing levels, though the extent of items and customization is lacking compared to something like Modern Combat 2 [$6.99/Lite/HD]. The graphics look quite good for the most part, though not mind blowing. It utilizes the same engine used in countless other Gameloft titles, giving it a somewhat generic look. Controls also work well though they can feel cramped on the tiny screen and there is very few options to suit them to your liking.

Overall, Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard gets the job done. It’s not nearly as deep or strategic as the console titles it’s modeled after, but it feels similar enough that it should win over fans of the series or those looking for a more tactical FPS experience. The competitive online modes are very good, though not quite as strong as those found in N.O.V.A. 2 [$6.99/HD] or Modern Combat 2. The cooperative play may serve you well while playing locally with some friends so you can discuss tactics with each other, but playing this online is largely forgettable. Surprisingly, the campaign is actually the star of the show in Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard, and is much more engaging than the campaigns in either of the previously mentioned titles.

The best way to sum up Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard is that it’s very competent in every area, but far from the killer app that many might have hoped it would be. Players seem to be enjoying the title in our forums, and if you’re looking for an entertaining new FPS experience then Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard is a pretty solid choice.

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Gameloft is getting increasingly blatant with their clones as of late. Starfront – Collision [$6.99] was so StarCraft-y that I've had friends who were shoulder surfing me flat out ask how I got StarCraft on my phone. They're not stopping there though, the latest teaser trailer released by Gameloft revealed today that their sights are set on… World of Warcraft, believe it or not.

Feast your eyes on this:

Details are scarce currently, and it remains to be seen how this game will be sold. Apple has recently added the ability for in-app subscriptions, so Gameloft could be following the typical MMO subscription route. Much more likely though is that this game will have some kind of freemium mechanic to it, which is where I'd place my bets. We'll have to wait and see!

For details as they're released, keep an eye on Gameloft's Facebook page.

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Back in January Gameloft revealed that they were working on a new entry in the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six series titled Shadow Vanguard. We’ve previously posted the official trailer, a hands-on gameplay video, and an interesting interactive trailer that Gameloft created that takes you through part of the first level. After all of that anticipation, at long last Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard [$6.99] has finally gone live in the App Store.

The game features 11 single player missions where you lead a special elite group of soldiers in taking out a terrorist organization. Unlike your typical first-person shooter, Rainbow Six games rely on tactical gameplay choices rather than an all out run-n-gun approach. Taking your time to investigate each situation closely and determine the best plan of attack will get much better results than just bursting in and blasting anything that moves.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect to Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard is the multiplayer options. It features a traditional deathmatch mode with up to 10 players in a game, but there is also the option to team up with up to 2 buddies and have a go at the campaign cooperatively.

Gameloft has proven they can create competent FPS experiences with games like N.O.V.A. 2 [$6.99/HD] and Modern Combat 2 [$6.99/Lite/HD], both of which feature great single-player campaigns and robust online multiplayer options. In the case of Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard, we’ll be holding off our full review for a bit so that the servers can populate with other players first and we can get a good feel for all the online functionality in the game.

Until then, there is a forum thread filling up with early impressions of Rainbow Six Shadow Vanguard if you’re interested in hearing what your fellow gamers have to say about the game. We’ll put it through its paces as well and report back with a review soon.

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