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We thought we'd seen the peak of innovation this week when ARDefender showed just how an augmented reality game should be made. Revolutionary Concepts and indie developer Nicolai Troshinsky had other ideas though, and have delivered something truly…well, revolutionary. If Augmented Reality is the idea of superimposing a game world onto your real world, then what has been done in UFO on Tape [App Store] can only be described as Transplanted Reality– a window into another world right in your hands.

UFO on Tape is a straightforward concept delivered in the most captivating way. It starts by showing you a re-created view of an iPhone camera (no actual use of the camera is ever made), as if it were pointed out the window of a car. Your girlfriend next to you then tells you that she's seen something strange in the sky. With your camera, you zoom in on the object, only to discover it is in fact, a UFO. As it darts around the sky and weaves amongst buildings, your task is to keep the zippy UFO firmly locked in your sights.

UFO on Tape delivers its incredible realism in two ways– firstly, through a pixel-perfect, photo-realistic representation of a video reel; and secondly, through the use of the iPhone 4's gyroscope, or if unavailable, the accelerometer. These two mechanics go hand in hand to make it actually seem as if you are controlling a camera phone and pointing it at something in the sky, all while looking through its viewfinder.

Naturally, use of the gyroscope is preferred, as it allows you to orient yourself to the ground and move the camera around as if it were actually in your hand, giving the most accurate experience. That's not to take anything away from the accelerometer though, as both functioned well to deliver similar results (if less dramatic on the older devices).

The game itself is extraordinarily simple, but also very challenging. The pesky UFO seems aware of your attentions, darting backwards and forwards at varying heights– frequently trying to lose you amidst the tops of buildings. Not only that, but it occasionally darts into your peripheral vision too, which is restricted by the blur of the outline of your car window. Explaining this in words is already doing it an injustice, but it is the most amazing thing to witness your game world restricted by something as routine as the view out your car window.

The entire experience is further enhanced by the interaction with your girlfriend. As you hone in on the flying saucer she'll make all kinds of comments; ranging from stunned disbelief to utter dismay if you happen to lose your target. If it does get away, she'll quickly start barking orders trying to direct you in the way it seems to have gone. Her fully voiced lines flow seamlessly are surprisingly plentiful– in the 30 or so games I played, I was frequently surprised by the new comments that pop up, there are that many. The dressing down she gives you from time to time– "You idiot! You lost it!"– and certain other memorable comments never tire, either.

The ambiance in UFO on Tape also deserves a special mention, as it has been meticulously crafted to such a degree of accuracy that it almost goes unnoticed, as it does when you're really driving. If you do hone in on it though (headphones help), you'll notice the sounds of the city behind you, from the purr of your own engine, to passing cars, sirens in the background and even the tick-tick of your turn signals as the car presumably negotiates the streets to afford you the best view. A creepy, X-Files like soundtrack really underlines the excellent audio work in UFO on Tape.

UFO on Tape is a singular experience, not for its dramatic level of content and replayability– in fact, the game itself is quite basic, with a standard high score table recorded on Game Center– but for the immense attention to detail needed to successfully bring its world alive in the palm of your hand. The true-to-life look, sounds and handling all come together to deliver something really special that simply must be played to be believed. We're telling you now, screenshots do not do this game justice, so get out and grab UFO on Tape pronto if this review has even piqued your interest in the slightest.

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Today Apple held its media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and unveiled its work in significantly evolving a number of its mobile and media products. I had a chance to see it all first hand and spend some hands-on time with the fruits of the company's recent labor.

The announcement that is likely of the most interest to our readers is the arrival of the new iPod touch, thinner than ever and featuring the same razor-sharp Retina display used in the iPhone 4. (And, holding the new device in my hand, I can confirm that the screen is every bit as sharp as that of the iPhone 4.) The upgraded device is, indeed, basically "an iPhone 4 — without the phone," with a few exceptions. It utilizes the same A4 processor used in the iPhone 4 and the iPad, and features integrated gyroscopes for added in-game control precision. It has front- and back-facing cameras, as well, allowing FaceTime video chats. But the rear-facing camera offers a relatively low 960×720 pixel resolution, as compared to 2592×1936 pixels on the iPhone 4. That means it produces photos that are only 14% the size of those taken with big brother iPhone 4.

But, we're gamers here! And in that capacity, the new iPod touch is a golden mobile gaming device. During today's event, Steve Jobs indicated that the iPod touch is presently the #1 selling mobile game device, outselling Sony and Nintendo's devices, combined. He revealed that 1.5 billion entertainment and game app downloads have passed out of the App Store. With the dramatic enhancements on most every front that the new iPod touch puts in the hands of gamers, we don't expect the touch to give up the crown anytime soon.

Another big announcement that Steve had in store is the reinvented Apple TV. No longer a scolding-hot slab of metal and plastic with the footprint of a Mac mini, the new Apple TV is a quarter the size of its predecessor, shrouded in black plastic, and cool to the touch.

This time around, Apple dispensed with local media storage and has positioned the new unit as a video streaming device, built on a video rental model. First-run HD movies can be rented at $4.99 per, with HD TV shows available at $.99 an episode — all HD. Netflix streaming is integrated, as well. And all of the local media sharing capabilities of the original device (tying to computers in your home for media display on TV) are preserved, with the notable addition of media streaming from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. And all that, which I can confirm fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, can be had for just $99.

The new Apple TV should be of particular interest to our readers for another reason — it's based on Apple's A4 processor. Intel is not inside, this time around. Given that, it's clear that the new device is based on some form of OS X for the ARM processor. Apple isn't calling it iOS but, if it's not iOS proper, it's something extremely close. But, likely, it actually is iOS under the hood. Daring Fireball's John Gruber recently lent strong confirmation of that, as well.

And if, indeed, the new Apple TV is an iOS device, is there an App Store in its future? Let's hope so…

Apple also showed a new iPod shuffle which, happily, brings back the buttons of the previous versions and also demonstrated the new iPod nano. The nano is about the size of the shuffle, but features a multitouch display and a user interface styled after iOS (though it's not iOS-based). It's a pretty amazing device to play with, extremely light, small, and functional. It's not improvements all around with this one, though; the new nano lacks video recording as well as playback capabilities. It seems Apple's decided that's functionality to be found only in the iPhone and iPod touch.

On the software front, Apple has released iTunes 10 (available now), which offers several interface improvements as well as Ping, a new social network of sorts that allows iTunes users to follow one another and share news of what they're listening to online. Facebook integration is in place as well. iOS 4.1 will be released next week and will include a number of new features including the launch of Game Center — Apple's leaderboard network. Other improvements include bug fixes, and performance enhancements for 3G owners. iOS 4.2 was also previewed which will finally bring OS 4 to the iPad and is due in November.

It's clear from today's event that Apple has been keeping a laser focus on the areas that have become its clear domain: media and mobile.

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Games based on comic books have been almost as hit or miss as games based on movies in the past, so I think my cautious optimism for Gameloft's recently released Spider-Man: Total Mayhem [$6.99] was well deserved. Sure, there are some absolutely fantastic comic book games such as the quarter-sucking X-Men Arcade Game, and a few others over the years. Unfortunately, many fall in to the same pit that movie games fall in to where they lean far too heavily on whatever intellectual property the game is based on instead of actually having good gameplay. This is true to some extent in Spider-Man: Total Mayhem, but the whole package is comprehensive enough that it doesn't even seem to even matter.

Like all Gameloft games, many parts of Spider-Man are clearly borrowed from other titles of theirs, and Total Mayhem is no different. A lot of the combat feels like a mix of James Cameron's Avatar [$4.99 / Free / Free] and Iron Man 2 [$4.99 / Free / HD]. Spider-Man is host to the same wall climbing and rail sliding sections as nearly every other 3rd person action Gameloft game, and just like almost all of their other titles, the voice work is laughable at best and face palm worthy at worst. They even managed to sandwich the upgrade system from Hero of Sparta II [$6.99 / Free] in that nearly everything in the game drops orbs of various colors which are then used to upgrade Spider-Man's various abilities.

What saves the whole game is that even though they recycle all these different elements, they seem to combine extremely well to create a game that just feels like a Spider-Man game should. There are endless thugs for you to bash, a heavy reliance on the spider sense, and a surprising array of extremely recognizable bosses that anyone who has read a Spider-Man comic or watched a Spider-Man cartoon will know. The levels included are fairly linear, but feature a great mix of fighting standard enemies, bashing mini-bosses, swinging around, climbing, and the varied events leading up to the boss encounter.

The combat system works well, and even though it feels a little button mashy at times, it's a lot of fun to watch Spider-Man execute his combos filled with punching and web slinging. However, even fighting bosses is a little too easy because of how well the spider sense evasion system works. Whenever you're fighting, when there's an incoming attack you're able to slam your thumb down on a virtual button that appears just to the left of the joystick. A successful button mash kicks the game in to slow motion, and Spidey evades the incoming blow and counter-attacks. It all flows together great, and these spider sense moves usually look really cool.

There's a surprising amount of content in Spider-Man: Total Mayhem, including a hefty amount of unlockables to boost replay value. Twelve levels are included, and in each of the levels are tokens you can pick up to unlock bonus art to look at. In addition, there's an "ultimate" difficulty to unlock as well as a boss rush mode. There's even the black Spider-Man symbiote suit to unlock to play through the game again with Spidey powered up. Also, when fighting bosses you have opportunity to take photos of them, and these photo opportunities seem fairly easy to miss. If you're a completionist, you will be playing through Spider-Man: Total Mayhem many times.

Total Mayhem is loaded with high resolution graphics that look absolutely fantastic on the iPhone 4. It's not universal, but like most Gameloft games it wouldn't surprise me if an iPad-specific HD release was on the horizon. Gameloft did a great job of making a game that plays like a Spider-Man game needs to. The spider sense seems entirely overpowered in combat, and it won't take long for you to get tired of the spider sense quick action sequences that are liberally used in cut scenes, but beating up an endless array of nameless thugs is just as fun as it should be.

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One of our favorite games of April went free today, Babylonian Twins [Free], while its HD iPad counterpart, Babylonian Twins HD [$1.99] saw a price drop to $1.99. Regardless of which version you get, both are a lot of fun and the game has an amazingly interesting history involving extraordinary conditions during its development in Iraq with economic sanctions preventing its initial release.

As the title would hint, in Babylonian Twins you play as a set of Babylonian twins, with each twin having their own abilities which must be cleverly combined to complete levels. Gameplay is very similar to that of the classic Blizzard game The Lost Vikings, with only one twin able to be controlled at once. We loved how this gameplay mechanic was combined with challenging, well designed levels in our review:

These simple gameplay features form the premise for some of the most interesting and expansive level designs that we have seen to date on the platform. In many ways, Babylonian Twins does away with contemporary trends in gaming, and re-instates the old-school values of a challenging, explorative platformer that refuses to hold you by the hand. There are no directional arrows or maps to point you towards the golden palm trees you must collect each level. In fact, even crucial objects such as the aforementioned broken walls and floors are easily missed unless you're paying attention. And each level is enormous– an adventure in and of itself– many of our completion times clocking in at around 30 minutes each.

The iPad version of the game plays the same, with higher quality graphics as is the case with most "HD" releases. Give the iPhone version a try, and if you like it and own an iPad, Babylonian Twins HD is well worth the two bucks. Regardless of whether or not you pick up the iPad version while it's on sale, Babylonian Twins for the iPhone is a game everyone should download to try out while it's free.

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Mobile 1UP announced on our forums that they've "bitten the bullet" and are working on a port of Lemmings for the iPhone and iPod touch. They've got plans to submit it to the App Store for free as soon as the port is complete, and it will even include all 120 levels from the original Lemmings.

If you're curious what goes in to porting a game like this, Mobile 1UP is live blogging the whole process. So far they've covered everything from undoing hacks added to the source to make it run on Palm OS nearly ten years ago to the logic the lemmings use to move, and even fixing some cut and paste bugs. It's an amazingly interesting read, just make sure you scroll all the way down to the bottom and read from the start to follow along.

If this is the first you've heard of Lemmings, the game actually has a remarkable history. It began as a computer game nearly 20 years ago, originally developed by DMA Design which we now know as Rockstar North and published by Psygnosis, now a fully owned subsidiary of Sony. Much like Duke Nukem the game has been licensed a ridiculous amount of times and ported to every platform imaginable.

In the game, players complete a series of levels by guiding the dim-witted lemmings to the exit. It's not that easy though, as getting to the end of the level requires players to assign lemmings certain skills such as a digger that is capable of digging through earth to cut a path for other lemmings, or builders that can build a staircase for lemmings to ascend. The gameplay is so classic that even if you've never played the original Lemmings, you've likely played a similar game inspired by it.

As mentioned, Mobile 1UP will be submitting it to the App Store as soon as the port is released, and you can bet we'll post something on TouchArcade as soon as it gets approved.

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PosiMotion is responsible for quite a few games and apps on the App Store as well as gizmos like the G-Fi VS. Recently they've entered the iPhone and iPod touch accessory market with the PosiMotion Helix Gaming Grip, a grippy molded piece of plastic that you can snap your device in to in order to quite literally get a better grip on it.

Shaped a little bit like a Batarang, the Helix is cleverly designed to allow you to snap your device in to place in both a horizontal and vertical orientation. If you own an iPod touch, there is a secondary plastic piece you need to use in order to make it fit, and using this adapter didn't have any effect on the feel of the Helix. There are slots on both sides of it to route wires through, as well as a hole for the iPhone camera.

Much like the accessories you can snap your Wii controller in to while playing Mario Kart, having a grip on your iPhone that vaguely resembles a steering wheel doesn't add much immersion despite the "the authentic feel of being behind the wheel" that PosiMotion claims using the Helix evokes. So while playing Real Racing when using the Helix didn't exactly open my eyes to a whole new gameplay experience, the Helix definitely does excel in providing a comfortable grip for serious iPhone gaming sessions.

Now that there are games like Chaos Rings, and other extremely in-depth iPhone games that you can spend entire days playing, it seems that all too often I'm curled up on my couch with the end of the iPhone sync cable jamming in to the palm of one hand with the headphone cable rammed between two fingers of the other for hours. For me, the main advantage of the Helix was the onboard cable management that makes playing iPhone games for extended periods of time substantially more comfortable. Also, having something more to grab on to other than a thin iPhone (or even thinner iPod touch) really seems to put an end to the hand strain that anyone with large hands undoubtedly has experienced while clutching their device for hours.

Strangely enough, while the cable management is my favorite feature of the device, not much thought seemed to go in to making sure there are enough room to actually route the cables. When you've got a sync cable and/or headphone cable plugged in, both wires are subjected to severe bends and while I have more iPhone headphones and sync cables than I can shake a stick at, seeing the near 90 degree bend the Helix puts in your headphone cables would definitely make me nervous if they were my only pair.

It's hard to say how much need there is for a Helix Gaming Grip. What has always made the iPhone so awesome to me is that it is always with me and I don't need anything else to play everything on the App Store short of my iPhone and maybe its charger. The only situations where I'd throw the Helix in to my bag short of long flights or long car rides. It does substantially improve the ergonomics of holding the iPhone, but it's hard to say how many iPhone gamers actually play games in long marathon sessions.

The PosiMotion Helix Gaming Grip is available online and from Best Buy for $20. If the thought of having something more substantial to grip your iPhone with has piqued your interest, take a peek at it next time you find yourself strolling down the iPhone and iPod touch accessory aisle.

Disclaimer: We received a review unit to test this device. PosiMotion is also an advertiser on this site.

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Owners of the original iPhone will remember the dark days before the App Store or even the original jailbreaks and third party software when games and apps consisted of nothing more than clever web pages, usually loaded to the brim with javascript. The games were basic, and the "apps" consisted of little more than simple database-powered applets and tip calculators, but they did the trick.

Akihabara is a HTML5 toolbox filled with all kinds of neat goodies that creative developers can use to make browser games. On the Akihabara web site there are five demo games ranging from a simple Tetris-like game to a basic Zelda clone. The cool part is, these games work on every modern non-Internet Explorer browser, including the browsers of the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and apparently even other touchscreen phones like the Palm Pre.

Depending on what platform you're playing on, all of the proper controls appear on screen or you use the keyboard and arrow keys. On the iPhone, virtual controls pop up at the bottom of the screen and while they're not as responsive as a native game, it's still pretty amazing to think you're essentially playing a web page– Without even a smidge of Flash.

All of the games on the Akihabara site are free, and really worth a spin both because they're really impressive pieces of web development but also so you can appreciate what things were like before the App Store came around.

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Football Manager is a brand name that extends right back to the very first concept of the round-ball management simulator in the early 80's. In recent years, Sports Interactive has grown the franchise into a title that is consistently (and arguably) the most authentic of the batch and if nothing else, certainly enjoys the most faithful following. To date the iPhone has been the subject of a number of smaller titles in the genre, but nothing has quite made a splash like the release of Football Manager Handheld 2010 [AppStore].

The hallmark of the bigger football management simulators is without a doubt the staggering extent of official licenses included in the game. Football Manager Handheld 2010 supports updated teamsheets for 34 leagues in 11 countries; an impressive amount of statistical data to hold in the palm of your hand. The Football Manager franchise is especially well known for its professional, orderly and clean layout; and we're delighted to see this has been successfully carried over to the handheld adaptation.

One would expect that in order to cram a feasible management sim onto the iPhone, a sizeable trimming down of features would have to occur. Though there has been a little slimming, the majority of content and features– certainly much more than we anticipated– has been retained in full. To cut down on the size, Football Manager Handheld 2010, however, does do away with player portraits and the glossy 3D game engines the last iteration of management sims have been known for. Game highlights only are portrayed in the traditional 2D full-pitch view, so that goals and set-pieces (and gruelling shots-on target that always seem to hit the woodwork) can all be visualized. The rest of the match is played out through text commentary with visual aids to assist you in keeping track of morale and momentum. Match tactics like substitutions, formations, team mentality and also specific strategies (such as the Offside Trap), can all be changed through the Tactics menu during a game, to offer that minute-by-minute control needed to overcome the best tactical minds and teams in the business.

Of the features omitted, the most sorely missed is undoubtedly the customization of individual plays and the ability to create your own formations. When one factors into it the processing undoubtedly needed for the former, and that there are 17 preset formations included to satisfy the latter, it's not that big a deal though. The new touchline instructions added in the PC version of 2010 won't be found here either; though as this was a feature added ultimately to support the 3D match engine, its omission is not unexpected.

To accomodate the issue of portability and the presumably shorter play sessions, Football Manager Handheld 2010 puts more focus on squad management than overseeing staff or stadium facilities. Scouts and assistant managers perform their duties diligently but cannot be replaced. There is still a constantly nagging board to please, who vigilantly watch your performance and spending and are more than happy to replace you though. Though some may disagree, we appreciate the refocus on what's really important in the handheld addition, and the essence of Football Managerdefinitely remains — the sheer depth of control and attention to the very finest detail.

There is potentially more gameplay to experience here than in your entire game library, particularly if you're trying to promote a lowly League club to Premiership level. Coupled with the large licensed player and team rosters that are accurate up to the latest transfer window (with minor omissions noted by readers), Football Manager Handheld 2010 is an authentic port that should have football management enthusiasts champing at the bit. For those that have never played a football sim before, we do recommend caution, as the game is ultimately designed for those who already know their way around (particularly where the football stat lingo is concerned) and already enjoy the genre. If you're eager to try it out though, SEGA have thoughtfully released a free companion application to show you the ropes.

Favorable impressions from our readers have been pouring in to our forums. It has been noted by several readers too that your own music can be played Football Manager Handheld 2010, but only after turning off the in-game sounds in the game options. 1st Generation iPod Touch users should be warned that performance is particularly sub-par on this device, with excessive load times hampering gameplay according to user, ITRocks.

App Store Link: Football Manager Handheld 2010, $9.99 and FMH Manual, Free (Instruction Manual).

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Sixteen years ago, as the developers tell the tale, Rabah Shihab led a team at Baghdad University, Iraq to develop an original puzzle/platformer for the Amiga, inspired by what he saw of other games' depiction of his home country.

As he explained in an interview with Amiga Games That Weren't,

…My real dedication for this theme came during the early nineties after I saw a computer game in which you control a warplane with the goal of bombing Iraq. Putting the bombing aside (I was in Baghdad during the first gulf war and I saw the human suffering that resulted from the real bombing ), I didn't like the way they depicted Iraq in the game, as a primitive and uncivilized place. I wanted to build a game that counter that image, a game that shows the vibrant history of Mesopotamia. In Babylonian Twins, the game takes you to different historical places, from Babylon to Assyria. We relied on authentic history books to design many of the graphics in the game.

Under the extraordinary conditions caused by the economic sanctions of Iraq at that time, the first Iraqi-developed game never came to be; a well-loved, early Amiga demo release was all we ever saw. Last week however, saw the arrival of Babylonian Twins — The Quest for Peace in Ancient Iraq [AppStore] and Babylonian Twins HD [AppStore] to the iPhone and iPad respectively, the result of a re-union of that development team.

Babylonian Twins is both a port and re-imagination of that original Amiga title. All the artwork has been re-done from scratch in rich, high definition and the original, middle eastern score and gameplay elements have all been improved. It is obvious that this has all been attended to with the utmost care, as there are no outward signs that this is in fact a port, beyond a grand style of gameplay that harkens back to the golden age of the Amiga.

The story begins with the plight of the twin princes of Babylon, imprisoned by an evil sorcerer who has cursed the city in which they live. It is a thread-bare tale told merely to give some context to the unique gameplay elements herein, foremost of which is the ability to control two protagonists with differing abilities. Blasir is able to jump higher than his brother, and is able to Dash mid-air to access hidden locations or break through weakened walls. Nasir on the other hand, has a mace capable of breaking objects and a Drill ability that destroys broken ground underfoot. Movement and attacks are handled with the standard platformer on-screen D-Pad and thumb buttons.

Nasir and Blasir are played interdependently, relying on each other's strengths to reach otherwise inaccessible locations, though only one twin is under your immediate control at any given time. When this happens, the other freezes into a statue, providing an oft-used height boost for out-of-reach areas or a weight to trigger pressure switches. In some ways this co-operative gameplay is reminiscent of another Amiga classic, The Lost Vikings, one of Blizzard's earliest titles (when they were known as Silicon and Synapse).

These simple gameplay features form the premise for some of the most interesting and expansive level designs that we have seen to date on the platform. In many ways, Babylonian Twins does away with contemporary trends in gaming, and re-instates the old-school values of a challenging, explorative platformer that refuses to hold you by the hand. There are no directional arrows or maps to point you towards the golden palm trees you must collect each level. In fact, even crucial objects such as the aforementioned broken walls and floors are easily missed unless you're paying attention. And each level is enormous– an adventure in and of itself– many of our completion times clocking in at around 30 minutes each.

To some, this may seem overbearing, but we thoroughly appreciated the breathe of fresh air that comes with a game that respects its players, and isn't just another title that can be waltzed through with minimal effort. Much of our time was spent exploring the colorful, wonderfully crafted middle-eastern environments; not to take in the vistas, but to puzzle out what path we had yet to take, and what vital element we were missing that was stalling our progress. That and avoiding the many pitfalls and enemies peppered across each landscape.

Babylonian Twins isn't completely unforgiving, having both a generous health bar for each twin and three lives between them to ease enemy encounters. That said, we expected that it would be replete with a checkpoint system and a resume feature to handle call-interruption. Unfortunately, these are not included to the extent they should, the latter proving especially frustrating on one occasion when 25 minutes of gameplay was wiped with the end in sight. Fortunately, the developer has indicated on our forums that this is being looked into, and that further checkpoints may be added in future versions.

This shouldn't be reason though to miss one of the most engaging platformers that we have had the pleasure of playing in a long while. While the artwork is stunning (apparently there was significant historical research behind much of the environment) and the terrific accompanying score both retro and authentically middle-eastern, the real selling point is the core gameplay. OpenFeint high scores and achievements (which include a near-impossible to find hidden trove of treasures) only accentuate a style of play that is heavy on exploration and puzzles designed to really challenge you. This won't be a game breezed through in a few short hours, but will require dedication to learn and reasoning to execute.

In true puzzle fashion, when your synapses are firing and each of the dozen levels are finally completed, your efforts pay off with a feeling of satisfaction and achievement that's second to none. That's when Babylonian Twins again shows its nature, offering two secret, additional levels when further time and life challenges are met. This is certainly a game that will remain on our iPhones and iPads for a long time to come, a sentiment shared by many of our readers who are posting their own impressions in our forums.

App Store Link: Babylonian Twins, $2.99, Babylonian Twins HD, $4.99

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Touch Arcade at GDC met today with Stephane Portha of Eurocenter and had a look at several impressive upcoming iPhone and iPad game titles that will arrive from the studio in the coming months.

Eurocenter is readying an iPhone version of the open source artillery game Scorched 3D developed by Gavin Camp, itself a modern take on the classic, 2D title Scorched Earth. The studio has gotten Camp's blessing on this enhanced iPhone port and, down the road, intends to submit progress made on the iPhone version back to the core project.

Open source PC release

Scorched 3D for the iPhone, like the open source desktop version, is a turn-based game that presents the player with a series of islands to defend by means of highly controllable artillery weaponry. The task at hand is to take the lay of the land and aim your turret at the enemy's tanks as best you can by adjusting the angle, rotation, and power of your ordnance. Cash is earned by successful hits and can be used to purchase a variety of available weapons, including dirt clods, missiles, napalm, and nukes (some, obviously, being more effective than others). Once you've made your adjustments, pull the trigger and your turret, as well as your enemy's, will exchange fire and find out where the carnage will lie.

The iPhone version features a combination of drag-control to manipulate the camera angle and slide-control to turn two onscreen aiming gears. The visuals in the game go beyond the desktop version and, along with the fluidity of the animation on the 3rd Gen iPod touch demo device we previewed, are highly impressive. What's more, iPhone 3GS-class devices feature real-time shadows and shader effects that add to the eye-candy.

Interestingly, the title will be released as two separate games. The first release will feature single-player modes as well as on-line head-to-head action. It will follow the "freemium" pricing model that, in the base release, will offer the full game experience, with an option to pay in to gain more money, islands, and weapons for those wanting to move things along more quickly, as opposed to spending the time required to progress through the game the hard way. A second release will follow, that delivers an MMO-type experience where many players can compete to amass islands, defending them against other players in an ongoing game world. It's really a sort of heaven in your pocket for all the Scorched Earth fans out there.

See our gameplay video for a look at the title in action.

The initial release of Sorched 3D for the iPhone is expected to appear in the App Store in late April. Stay tuned for a closer look when the game goes live.

As for the other titles we previewed from Eurocenter, well, we can't talk about those just yet, but you definitely won't be disappointed. Stay tuned…

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