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Last month, FuzzyCube Software released iQuarterback 2 [Free] for the iPad and we thought it was pretty fun in our review. Gameplay involved tossing footballs into targets that were either stationary or moved laterally across the field. Just touching where you wanted a pass to go would send the football flying there, and the real fun was in trying to lead your passes to compensate for the moving targets. Being able to correctly judge where to put the ball so it intercepts a particularly fast-moving target was a hugely satisfying experience.

You can now get this experience in a more diminutive package for your iPhone or iPod touch called iQuarterback 2 Pocket Edition [Free]. We checked out Pocket Edition at WWDC this year, and when I first saw it I thought for sure the smaller size would make the game more difficult to play. Then I got my hands on the game and found out that iQuarterback 2 actually plays wonderfully on the iPhone and iPod touch. Both versions of the game were recently updated with improved hit detection on the targets, and the accuracy really feels much tighter now, even on the smaller screen.

As with the iPad version of iQuarterback 2, the Pocket Edition is completely free to download and play. It’s ad-supported, and this is one aspect where the Pocket Edition comes up short compared to its bigger brother. Whereas on the iPad the ads run at the bottom of the screen and are almost completely unobtrusive, on the iPhone a full screen ad runs after the end of a round. It’s completely in your face and awkward to skip past, so if you like the game then I’d definitely recommend disabling the ads through the 99¢ in-app purchase.

Other than that though the two versions are pretty much identical, and both are a lot of fun. There’s a couple of different modes to compete in with Game Center leaderboards and achievements, and there’s also some cool unlockable outfits and items which can give you some unique abilities when playing, and are also quite humorous. Best of all is that iQuarterback 2 is free, and the new Pocket Edition plays great, so there’s really no reason not to download and check out either version of the game.

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First off, apologies for not posting our typical Wednesday night release megapost last week. To say we were "amazingly busy" covering two concurrent events would be an understatement. Regardless, we're back again this week combing through the New Zealand App Store for cool new releases. If you're new here, here's how this whole deal works: Developers can set specific release dates for their games/apps. The trick is, since the App Store is a global marketplace, those games/apps are released on that specific date in each region. Thanks to the modern-day wizardry that are time zones and New Zealand's proximity to the International Date Line, they get things first.

These games will slowly be available to everyone west of New Zealand slowly throughout the day before finally appearing in the US App Store at 11:00 PM Eastern. Here's an alphabetical list of things coming out tonight that seem worth checking out:

Celtic Heroes, Free – [Forum Thread] – This 3D MMO seems to have the kind of feature list you'd expect: Character customization, multiple classes, a quest system, and more, all for free. Sounds cool, right? What has us scratching our collective heads is its file size. Celtic Heroes weighs in at a svelte 23MB. Perhaps they're trying to keep the download size under the 25MB limit for 3G installs, and streaming the rest of the content and assets in-game. Either way, our interest is piqued.

A Long Way Home, $1.99 – [Forum Thread] – A puzzle game that seems to employ a similar mechanic as Dizzypad and other similar "jump from one circular object to another" style games. I'm digging the art style, and the premise of making your way back to Earth one light year at a time seems interesting.

Cell Bound, 99¢ – [Forum Thread] – This cellular matching game involves matching five colored orbs together in a play area that you can spin around to line up matches. Multiple game modes are included, as well as power-ups.

Ewe Doodle – Keep the Sheep Alive, 99¢ – [Forum Thread] – This avoidance game puts you in charge of keeping a sheep safe from its natural enemies: Dogs, bees, and um, duel wielding maniacs? On a personal note, I grew up in the midwest on a farm. We had sheep amongst other animals. I have to say, I don't recall any issues with dogs, bees, or blood-crazed killers. Times truly have changed, apparently. Perhaps global warming is to blame.

Flick Golf Extreme!, $2.99 – [Forum Thread] – Previously, playing a game of golf on the decks of aircraft carriers and on the roofs of skyscrapers were reserved for members of the US military and the financial elite. Not anymore! Thanks to the thoughtful folks at Full Fat, the rest of us proles can enjoy these high-end pleasures. Seriously though, Flick Golf! was great, and I expect this to be just as good if not better.

iQuarterback 2 Pocket Edition, Free – [Forum Thread - We had a great time with the iPad-specific version of iQuarterback 2 in our review. We got a look at the iPhone version at WWDC, and it's just as much fun. If you like football, don't miss this fun and free pigskin-tossing mini-game.

Monkey Island Tales 2 HD, $6.99 - [Forum Thread] – Continuing where Monkey Island Tales 1 HD [$6.99] left off, the second installment delves deeper into this adventure which involves Guybrush, LeChuck, and all the other Monkey Island favorites. Like most episodic games, it's probably a good idea to play the first one before jumping into the second.

Mower Ride, 99¢ – [Forum Thread] – Alright, I'm stoked for this one. Vivid Games seems to have applied the "see how far you can go" gameplay style of jumping games, but transformed to a top-down vertical racer where you ride a lawn mower. Perfect!

Peter Packer, 99¢ / HD – [Forum Thread] – Judging by the trailer, this sorting game gets hectic fast. Bonuses are earned by sorting multiple boxes at once using multi-touch. I've never really enjoyed these kind of games, but I could see the simple premise being perfect for kids.

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A couple of weeks ago, we learned that Ten One Design was getting ready to release a smaller version of their wonderful Fling controllers for the iPad which would be suitable for use on iPhone and iPod touch devices. There was a lot of negative backlash to this announcement though, and I can sort of see why. The promo image for the Fling Mini showed that using 2 of the controllers at the same time really blocked much of the screen of the device, and it was hard to imagine how it could be practical to play games this way.

Last week at WWDC, Eli and myself both got our hands on an early pair of the Fling Minis and put them to the test. Surprisingly, the screen blockage is almost a complete non-issue when you’re actually using the Fling Minis. The plastic that the Fling Mini is comprised of is translucent and doesn’t really block any more of the screen than your own thumbs normally would. But, that’s not to say that they don’t come with some quirks and they won’t work on every game that you’d hope. For the games that they do work with they work exceptionally well, and just like the Flings on iPad they offer a smooth and tactile control option over using a touch screen alone.

Eli has put together this fantastic comparison video showing off the difference between the original Fling, which you can read our original review of, and the new Fling Mini:

In my own experience, I’ve found several games that work near perfectly with the Fling Mini. Both Bug Heroes [Free] and Max Adventure [99¢/Lite] are two of my favorite dual-stick shooters that don’t come with many compromises when using the Fling, which you can see in this second hands-on video. There will be times when accessing a UI element or menu option will be difficult because the Fling Mini is blocking that part of the screen, but it’s easy enough to detach a suction cup and swivel the controller out of the way to gain access to these. It would be cool if there were tiny hinges in the connector arms of the Fling Mini so you could quickly flip them up to access the entire screen. Perhaps in a Fling Mini version 2.0.

The Fling Mini is also well-suited to some games that use just a single analog stick or a d-pad for movement, and one interesting thing is how well it works with the Joypad Game Controller [Free] which we also covered at WWDC this year. Especially with the Joypad SDK now offering the ability to use analog sticks, one or two Fling Minis combined with an iPhone or iPod touch and the Joypad app could make for a really nice controller for playing an iPad or desktop game.

One example of a game that did not work so well is Age of Zombies [$2.99/Lite]. I had high hopes for this one as it employs a touch anywhere scheme for its set of dual-stick controls, which would mean precise placement of the Fling wouldn’t be necessary. Unfortunately there is no way to access the grenade button while using the Fling with this game, which is a pretty big problem. You can avoid this by using only one Fling on the left control stick, but this gives the game an inconsistent feel. Also, games that utilize buttons in the lower corners of the screen, like many first person shooters, are also basically unplayable due to the plastic spirals of the Fling Mini blocking those areas of the screen.

The thing I like most about the Flings is that they just “feel” good. The movement is solid and smooth, and for the games that they work well with they are definitely an enhancement. On the larger screen of the iPad, the original Fling works with a greater number of games and there are much fewer instances of inaccessible UI elements. These problems are amplified with the Fling Mini and the smaller iOS screens, but it isn’t a total deal breaker and for the select games that they do work well with they feel absolutely brilliant.

One of the first things I asked Ten One Design about the Fling Mini was whether they would also work on an iPad, thus negating needing two different styles of Flings. While there’s technically nothing preventing them from working on an iPad, almost all iPad virtual analog sticks require a larger range of motion than what is afforded by the smaller Fling Mini. You may be able to come up with a few games that work well on the iPad with a Fling Mini, but for the most part you are better off using the original Fling with that device.

Really the best thing to do is find a friend who owns a pair or head to an Apple store and try out the Fling for yourself. If you like the way they feel and can deal with limited game compatibility, then they are a great purchase. Hopefully more developers will incorporate special settings for using a Fling controller in their game, especially with them now being available on iPhones and iPod touches.

You can currently pre-order the Fling Mini in a 2-pack for $24.95, and they should be shipping sometime in mid-to-late July. The original Fling for iPad is available now in 3 colors at a price of $19.95 for a single controller or in a 2-pack for $29.95.

Product Pages:

• Fling Mini 2-Pack (Pre-Order)
• Fling for iPad

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Back in February we learned that CAVE was readying a port of Deathsmiles for the App Store, and just a couple of days later they released a teaser trailer for the game. The trailer pegged a Deathsmiles release for Spring 2011, but with Spring all but gone and no sign of the game on the App Store it’s pretty obvious that things are taking a bit longer than expected.

CAVE announced on their Twitter that they will have more information regarding a release date soon, and have offered up a brand new trailer of Deathsmiles as a peace offering for the release running late. Like CAVE’s other iOS shmups, Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite] and Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite], Deathsmiles will come with an iPhone mode in addition to the original arcade mode. The iPhone mode will come with a brand new exclusive playable character named Princess Tiara, and will have its own new storyline as well as original background music.

All of CAVE’s iOS offerings are amongst my very favorite games in the App Store, and I really can’t wait to check out Deathsmiles when it finally releases. We’ll be keeping a close eye out for any new information regarding a release date, and in the meantime you can check out our forums for some Deathsmiles discussion with your fellow gamers.

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Dream:scape [$1.99] is a story of death and redemption, a haunting narrative brought to life with Unreal-powered graphics and pitch-perfect sound design. In it, you play Wilson, a coma patient on the verge of death who is given the chance to explore his own memories and discover the truth of a secret that's haunted him throughout his life.

To help you find your way through Wilson's memories, you're given a diary that notes the memories and images you discover on your journey. It will guide you through his dreamscape, a place of deep foreboding. You'll come across meaningful places where voices from the past will give you pieces of the secret, and you'll feel the world close in around you as you approach the final revelation. For an hour or more, you'll be immersed in Wilson's world.

I wanted so much to love Dream:scape. It has all the makings of a classic, with a thoughtful story and fantastic atmosphere. The sound and music are amazing—you're cheating yourself if you play without headphones—and even the voice acting is strong. If you can go into the game wanting only these things, you'll be impressed.

But if you're looking for a game that's enjoyable to play, you should look elsewhere. Judged only on its technical merits, Dream:scape is a mess. I played it first on an iPad 2. The device can play the game with a high and steady framerate, but the textures look strangely low resolution and the control is abysmal. The on-screen controls are slightly too large and awkard to use comfortably. The camera control can't be inverted, and while you can drag to pan the camera, you'll bump into the on-screen camera control regularly.

The controls feel much better on smaller devices, but you'll probably run into crashes on anything but the newest generation of hardware. If this happens to you, try resetting your phone before playing – this game needs a lot of available memory. Given the option, I'd recommend only playing on an iPhone 4 – they've got the power to run Dream:scape well, and the textures look much better on a Retina display. I suspect I would have enjoyed this game much more if I'd only played it on an iPhone 4.

No matter what you're playing on, though, the gameplay just isn't very inspiring. It can be hard to find your way around, and the in-game map isn't very helpful. Also, a good chunk of Dream:scape's short experience is spent backtracking. For example, I noticed a hammer sitting on a box early in the game. It was obviously important, but I couldn't pick it up. A few minutes later, I found a spot where I needed a hammer, so I had to find my way back, grab it, and return. This sort of thing continues throughout the game, so there's really no point exploring anything other than the area you're meant to go. You'll get through every area by the end, and there are no secrets to find or achievements to unlock.

Worse are the game's few moments of action. They require swipes across the screen that only register if you do them in the exact short, sharp manner the game expects. If you fail, you're sent back to the last checkpoint with no indication of how to do better. This may be more of an interactive narrative than a game, but all these frustrations get in the way.

Dream:scape is so close to being amazing that it's hard for me to say this, but the problems just killed what enjoyment I would have otherwise had. If it receives an update to address the control issues, the crashes and the texture problems, then yes, absolutely buy it and experience it. Otherwise, you'll need to judge whether you'd find interesting story worth muddling through the often frustrating gameplay. It's not perfect, but I'm glad I got to enjoy the audio-visual experience and haunting story.

It's exciting that the tiny team at Speedbump Studios was able to put this game together in just a few months. We're obviously seeing the tip of the iceberg of the sorts of interactive 3D experiences we'll be seeing on our iOS devices in the months and years to come. I'm just not sure this one was quite ready for its debut.

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I’d like to write “hot on the heels of the re-release of Dragon’s Lair [.99 / HD], comes Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp [$2.99] for the iPhone and iPod Touch.” If I did just throw that out to the ether, I’d be incorrect. The original Dragon’s Lair re-release was shoved out the door in December 2009. Dragon’s Lair: Time Warp joins its predecessor in the App Store in June 2011.

I doubt I’ll ever receive an answer that sits with me well about the hold-up, but I suppose it’s stupid subject to broach at this point. The game is out so… who cares, right?

Let’s talk about it then. Dragon’s Lair 2 has the same feature set as the original re-release, including the move guide, the choice between three, five, or infinite lives. However, there is a fun extra that I’m sure the core enthusiasts out there will love: Dragon’s Lair 2 for the iOS features a “Director’s Cut” version of the game with an alternate ending.

In total there’s eight levels to explore as you play as Dirk who is charged with saving a certain princess named Daphne. This time around, you’ll need a rickety time machine and fast fingers to successfully retrieve her from the evil wizard Mordroc.

Dragon’s Lair 2 is $2.99 on the App Store while it’s predecessor is now sitting at a good 99-cent price point. Check out our review of the first in series to see if it’ll click with you. Lord knows how much these QTE-focused games hurt me on the inside.

Oh! And there's been no word yet if there will be an "HD" version of this sequel for the iPad. We're working on getting confirmation.

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Back in February, my jet-setting TouchArcade cohort Eli Hodapp found himself wanting to play some video games on his laptop while on the road. Not one to carry around a bulky Bluetooth controller just for that specific purpose, he came across a novel little app called Joypad [Free] which was a suitable alternative. Basically, the Joypad app runs on your iPhone or iPod touch and turns the device into a wireless controller for your computer with a highly configurable set of virtual buttons.

The Joypad app syncs up with a desktop client which allows it to be used to play any game by remapping the keyboard controls to the virtual buttons on the device. It works really well, is fairly easy to setup and get running, and is a great companion for the traveling gamer, as we noted in our review of the Joypad.

So since that time, the two man operation Zell Interactive who are responsible for the Joypad have been quite busy. First of all, the formerly limited free version of the Joypad has been updated to include all the same functionality of the paid version. Basically, this means you can download the Joypad and the desktop client and have your very own virtual controller on your iOS device at no cost at all. As the developers do enjoy putting food on their tables, the way they will monetize the Joypad from here on out is by offering additional skins as in-app purchases.

The first set of skins will be a retro pack that will offer skins from the NES, Game Boy, Genesis, and many other classic consoles. The skins are purely visual and don’t alter the functionality of the app, but if you use the Joypad for playing classic console emulators then the appropriate skin can add a bit of fun to the experience. The skins will be available individually for 99¢ each or together as a complete pack at a discounted price. The original paid version of Joypad has been renamed Joypad Elite [$11.99], and will always receive all the new content as free updates rather than IAP. If you don’t already have Joypad then the free version is the way to go, but this way they can still say thank you to their previous customers who supported them by buying the app initially.

While the skins are a neat feature, the really big news about the Joypad is that the developers have recently released a free SDK that will allow other developers to easily integrate native Joypad support into their desktop or iOS games. On your computer, this means that if a developer integrates the SDK into their game you’ll be able to play that game using the Joypad without the need of syncing with the Joypad Connect desktop client.

It all works incredibly simply. Just fire up a game with Joypad support on your computer or iOS device and then fire up Joypad on an iPhone or iPod touch. The game will automatically detect the Joypad running and send the appropriate controller configuration to the device. There can be a mixture of various types of buttons, d-pads, or analog sticks on the Joypad that suit each individual game. Shortly down the road, the ability to add custom controller skins for a particular game will be added into the SDK for an even more cohesive experience.

The Joypad developers have added in Joypad support to an open source version of Wolfenstein 3D [$1.99/Lite] just to demonstrate how easily it works:

Another recent addition to the Joypad app is mouse movement and clicking support when playing games on a computer. This means you can control the cursor in a game that normally needs a mouse just using the accelerometer of your iOS device. They demonstrated this feature to me by playing Minecraft using just an iPhone and the Joypad app, and I was pretty blown away with how well it works:

The Joypad app comes with pre-configured settings for both Minecraft and Portal 2, but the controls can be configured pretty much however you want to make them work with a ton of desktop games. They’ve also added support for connecting via Bluetooth in addition to a local WiFi connection, which takes care of some of the connection issues that were present when trying to use the Joypad on a crowded WiFi network.

There have been a few games that utilize playing on the iPad using an iPhone or iPod touch, and EA Mobile is dabbling in this area as well, but the release of the Joypad SDK means that there is the potential for any game to use this functionality, and it can be an attractive extra feature to add to any iOS or desktop game. Couple Joypad support with the display mirroring capabilities of the iPad 2, and suddenly your mobile devices have taken on the traits of a home console. While the Joypad isn’t a total substitute for a physical controller, it still works really well and is a lot of fun to use. Hopefully developers will check out the free Joypad SDK and we will see support for it in many more games in the future.

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At WWDC this year, I sat down with Dave Castelnuovo from Bolt Creative to talk about what’s upcoming in the various entries in the Pocket God series. We’ve always been fans of Pocket God [99¢] around TouchArcade, but admittedly hadn’t quite stayed up to date with the series as of late. After Dave showed me some of the recent new features added into the games, I was really surprised by just how much they’ve evolved since I’ve been on Pocket God hiatus.

The biggest bit of news is that the previously iPad-only Pocket God: Journey To Uranus [99¢] is now a universal app and is currently on sale for 99¢, down from $4.99. This version of Pocket God lets you take your pygmies into space to various planets, each with their own unique features. You can also discover mini-games which are based on classic arcade games, like Bump ‘n’ Jump, Joust, and Tempest 2000.

These mini-games are so incredibly well done that they could practically be standalone games on the App Store, and Bolt Creative has plans for many more in the future. Journey To Uranus plays just fine on the smaller screen of the iPhone and iPod touch, and it has really come a long way since first launching for the iPad back in December. The developers plan to adopt a rapid update schedule similar to the original Pocket God game, so expect a lot more from Journey To Uranus in the future.

Speaking of the original Pocket God, the most recent update added a neat Challenge of the Gods feature to the game. There is a new Challenge Menu which offers a few tasks to discover and complete for each of the 39 episodic updates the game has received during its lifetime. This gives a great reason to go back and fiddle around in all of the previous episodes, and once all tasks for an episode have been completed you’ll unlock a God idol for that episode.

This leads right into what will be in the forthcoming episode 40 which is titled Battle of the Gods. You’ll be able to take any of the 39 God idols that have been unlocked in Challenge Mode and then pit them against each other in a battle arena to see who comes out on top. It sounds like a pretty interesting idea, and I’m looking forward to checking out how it works when it launches in early July.

In other Pocket God news, the Pocket God Comics [99¢] app has just received issue #7 of the digital comic based on the game characters. They are also planning on streamlining the comic creation process so as to pump out new issues at a faster rate than they are currently running at. There are more than 20 new issues already in the pipeline, and support for Pocket God Comics is planned for at least the next few years. Also, the Pocket God Facebook game is up to episode 8 and will continue to evolve with new features and gameplay unique from the iOS games.

If you’re like me and haven’t checked in on what's up with Pocket God lately, you should definitely give both the original and Journey To Uranus another look as I'm fairly blown away with just how far the series has come in recent months.

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At WWDC, I had a chance to sit down with David Whatley, who brought us GeoDefense and GeoDefense Swarm, to discuss what he's got in store for us iOS gamers.

Whatley's path-based tower defense title GeoDefense is unquestionably the iOS tower defense game I've spent the most time with. There's definite appeal in its minimal, neon glowing graphics and relentless action. During our meeting, the author showed me an in-progress build of sequel GeoDefense 2, which is a tower defense game — with a twist.

In the simplest terms, GeoDefense 2 is a tower defense puzzle game. The game features a pre-laid track along which the encroaching enemies file through, but each level starts off with a number of towers already in place. Your task is to arrange the towers about the playfield in the most strategically sound fashion, but there's a catch: you can only move towers across straight track segments and empty space; towers can't be moved over each other or over track corner segments. This arrangement lends something of a sliding puzzle feel to the strategerie of the game. To make matters either better or worse (we'll see…), new turrets appear with each wave.

Tower defense is a now crowded genre in the App Store, and a notable variation on the formula is welcome. I was very much intrigued by what Whatley showed me of GeoDefense 2, and am anxious to give it a go in its final, release form.

In addition to his GeoDefense sequel, which will be published through his studio Critical Thought, Whatley gave us an exclusive look at his upcoming title, Tiny Heroes, to be published by the other studio with which he is involved, Simutronics. In short, it's Plants vs. Zombies meets Dungeon Keeper.

In Tiny Heroes, you play the dungeon. The objective of the game is to defend your treasures by placing the defenses you've chosen about your dungeon corridors. Waves of classic heroes of various sorts and abilities — thieves, knights, clerics, wizards, rangers, etc. — begin to invade your dungeons in an effort to make off with the booty.

The defenses available are a bit more varied than those of the typical tower defense game. There are crossbows, crush chambers, pop-up pikes, allied monsters, bombs, and the like. The incoming heroes vary in their ability to deal with the different defenses; the thieves can sometimes disarm bombs, for instance.

For the creative defense gamer, a forge area in the game allows players to craft their own custom towers. Tiny Heroes will take advantage of the Retina display where available and the graphics look sharp. The iPhone version is set for an August 1st submission to Apple, with an iPad version to follow, in time.

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Do you find yourself craving Mario Kart on your iPhone, but then are depressed every time you realize that there isn't a Nintendo logo on the device, making such a thing hilariously unlikely? Well, Sega might be offering the next best thing. Sonic & Sega Allstars Racing takes a load of hints from Mario Kart, and utilizes their array of Sega characters instead of the Nintendo favorites. It's got multiplayer, loads of power-ups, a cool drifting system, and more.

Check it out in motion:

Gameloft's Shrek Kart [$4.99 / Free / HD] didn't really scratch that Mario Kart itch how I wanted it to, but I'm thinking Sonic & Sega Allstars Racing might. Stay tuned for more details from Sega.

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