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I can hardly believe it myself, as the past year has just flown by, but GDC is once again right around the corner. Taking place in San Francisco, California starting February 28th and running until March 4th, GDC is basically the event to be at if you're a game developer of any kind. In recent years, GDC events have almost completely been taken over by iOS developers. If you're a TouchArcade reader, expect an overwhelming avalanche of cool iOS gaming news and previews that week just like in 2009 and 2010.

If you're an iOS developer, read on.

First off, if you're on the fence regarding whether or not you're attending GDC, I really can't think of a better event to go to as an iOS developer. The amount of networking there is to be done there is absolutely insane, as the event is absolutely loaded with many different media outlets and oodles of like-minded developers eager to share and discuss ideas. It's also not too late to register, find a hotel, and score some plane tickets that aren't ridiculously expensive yet.

If you're an iOS developer and already plan on coming, awesome. We'd love to meet up with you if you have something new, cool, and/or exciting to show us. Shoot us an email at tips@toucharcade.com with "GDC 2011" somewhere in the subject so it gets picked up and properly highlighted by our email filters. We'll set up a meeting, likely at or near The Marriott, and we'll see you there.

If you just want to say "Hello!", or you enjoy drinking, we'll be hosting a get together (or "mixer" I suppose the cool kids are calling them now) at Bin 55. Bin 55 is the bar right inside the previously mentioned Marriott's lobby, you can't miss it. We'll be there from 8:00 PM Wednesday night until they kick us out. When you get there, track down someone from TouchArcade and we'll give you a fancy TouchArcade tyvek bracelet which will get you access to all the beer and/or mixed drinks you can (safely) drink.

We're totally excited for GDC this year, and can't wait to see everyone there. Incidentally, the first day of GDC is also my birthday, so if you schedule a meeting with us after the 28th and I suddenly seem wiser, that's likely why.

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It was back in October that we began following the saga of Sarien.net, a retro Sierra adventure game portal setup by developer Martin Kool. In April 2009 his website began offering entirely web-based remakes of classic Sierra adventures, built entirely with HTML, CSS, and Javascript (though the project really began back in 2001 with a Sierra-inspired graphical chat client). Last year, Kool began creating versions of these web-based games with an interface and graphical treatment appropriate for the iPad and mobile Safari. The first iPad release to go online was Space Quest, which we previewed in November, followed by King's Quest and Leisure Suit Larry, earlier this month. These games were basically reverse engineered, ground-up remakes and were not licensed by Sierra. And, as such, last week's news of Sarien.net receiving a cease & desist letter from Sierra and closing its doors was sad, but not highly surprising.

It seems the Sarien.net story is not over, however. Kool has just revealed in a lengthy blog post that includes a fully history of the project that, in an unexpected turn of events, Activision has contacted him with a proposal offering limited official authorization to publish a subset of his remakes online.

Activision proposed to officially authorize Sarien.net to publish the first game of any series in its multiplayer HTML5 form. As it may generate interest in also playing the games' successors, Sarien.net will provide a link to Steam and other services that offer the full game collections. To me that sounds beyond "fair enough", and very reasonable. Also, as Activision may (or may not) choose to provide official releases of these games through the AppStore, they requested that all iPad versions of the games be removed.

Now even though it is based upon the same HTML5 technology I also find this request understandable, as I would probably have done the same if I were Activision. Then again, if I co-owned Activision instead of Q42, there might've been a World of Space Quest and worldwide free beers on Fridays, but right now this really is a huge step forward and allows games like Space Quest, Police Quest and King's Quest to be played by many people during work hours – err, I mean, in a browser.

And, so it seems that that Sarien.net and some of its web-based Sierra adventures will live on, though iPad gamers will not be enjoying the excellent custom treatment that they may be accustomed to — unless Sierra launches their own iOS versions of said classics. (Incidentally, the jury is still out on what will ultimately become of Leisure Suit Larry, as it seems Activision sold it to CodeMasters at some point in the past.)

Kool indicates that his first order of business is to restore Sarien.net to what it was (but with the approved list of games), with a redesign and additional functionality to follow. While it's less than we'd hope for as far as iPad adventurers are concerned, this is certainly good news for the gaming community in general. And we offer a "hats off" to Activision for their consideration to Sarien.net regarding these classics.

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Just as Engadget gets its hands on the still-unannounced PlayStation Phone, SCE hits us with this new mobile phone project: the PlayStation Suite.

In a nutshell, PS Suite is an Android initiative that will open up the PlayStation library to a range of Android owners with “PlayStation Certified” devices like phones and tablets. Details are light at the moment, but publisher Sony has confirmed its intent to port over PS One titles to Android via this new vehicle, which looks more like an extension to its downloadable platform PSN than anything else.

Interestingly, if PS Suite will resemble PSN, or even tie-in to it, there’s a good chance PS Suite subscribers might also get access to other forms of media like videos, themes, or even the Trophies achievement system. Sony isn’t talk about stuff other than games yet, so consider this all speculation on my part. However, I’ll note that Sony CEO Jack Tretton is teasing something in this PS blog post when he says, “we are also working with developers to create new and exciting content that will be available on both PS Certified devices and the NGP when it comes to market.”

It’s an interesting approach to the mobile gaming space that we haven’t seen from the other big two publishers, Microsoft and Nintendo. Sony is taking its platform straight to a range of phones, while Nintendo is producing its 3DS and Microsoft is pumping its resources exclusively into the Windows Phone 7. As for what PS Suite means to us, the iOS user, is more competition on the phone gaming market, which is never a bad thing. If someone raises a bar, the other has to respond. If PS Suite catches on, we might see growth in terms of more full-featured, console-like offerings on iOS.

There’s also a small chance that PS Suite could make its way to Apple’s devices. Note that Sony isn’t saying “exclusive” when it talks about Android, so its obviously leaving some wiggle room. Don't forget, last month we did report on Sony planning on bringing a curious official Sony app to the App Store with "tons more features" coming in the future.

And take double note of the PSP Minis initiative. Certainly, those will be part of the “exciting content” that’ll see released on the NGP and PS Suite, right?

Oddly enough, our first look at what will surely become a PS Certified device came from Engadget earlier this week when it somehow got its hands on an ever-elusive Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (or the “PS Phone.) Their rundown is solid from a technical angle and a rather good read from an iOS-centric point of view for the reasons I just discussed. No official Sony content is available on the platform quite yet (the phone still hasn't been announced), but it performs well with emulation, so that's a good indication that it'll be able to run what Sony is talking about well.

In all, Sony made some cool announcements yesterday that’ll bleed into our platform of choice if its moves are responded to by fans with Sony-branded devices. Obviously, we’ll have to wait to see if Apple feels like these are significant enough developments to feel like it needs to answer in the 5th generation, but it’s exciting nonetheless.

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We were first alerted of Sarien.net's existence back in October. After a brief preview a bit later, Space Quest went live. In a nutshell, Sarien.net was an amazing homage to classic Sierra adventure games. When it was still online, it allowed you to stream picture-perfect ports right within Safari on iOS devices, with most games totally tweaked to be touch friendly. Some even had basic multiplayer support to see other players in-game.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and even though the whole project was a labor of love for developer Martin Kool, Activision finally sent the somewhat inevitable cease and desist letter– Resulting in an immediate halt to the whole project. Hopefully this means that Activation is planning on bringing these same games to the iOS platform with the same care Kool gave them, but I somehow doubt it.

The up side of all this (if there is one), is that quite a few people took notice in the sheer HTML wizardry taking place behind the scenes in these ports, resulting in a surge of business to Martin's web design studio. He's told us to keep an eye out for apps and games (both native, and web-based like the Sierra games) in the future.

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Earlier this month we got our hands on a pair of Fling iPad joysticks. The device is a clever design with two suction cups on one side which stick to the iPad screen and a concave conductive joystick suspended in the center of a plastic ring with a spiral spring. Because of the spring arrangement, the Fling joystick always returns to the center, and as you get closer to the edge of the ring it becomes more and more difficult to push until it stops. It works surprisingly well in dual stick shooters, and many other types of games with virtual joysticks.

I highlighted some games that seemed to work especially great with the Fling in our preview:

The good news is, for many games, the Fling is absolutely outstanding. Playing dual stick shooters using the Fling is, in a word, glorious. I easily decimated my Geometry Wars [99¢] high scores. With real joysticks, Max Adventure [99¢] is a joy to play. Age of Zombies [$2.99] feels like it was made to be played with the Fling, with the secondary weapon buttons positioned perfectly outside its plastic ring.

First person shooters work great as well. In fact, I almost felt like I was cheating in N.O.V.A. 2 HD [$6.99] my overall accuracy improved so much. It's really incredible just how much of a difference it makes, almost making N.O.V.A. 2 feel like an XBOX game with a real controller. Similarly, the Fling works really well in every Gameloft game I tried, as the ability to move the various on-screen controls around allows you to perfectly position the Fling wherever you're comfortable, while also placing the buttons within reach. …Read More

The down side of the Fling at the time was that while the preorder price was in line with other iPad accessories, it still seemed a tad expensive. However, the economy of scale works in wondrous ways though, and apparently, demand for the Fling has been quite high. This has allowed Ten One Design to drop the price of Fling units from $25 each and $38 for a pair down to $20 each and $30 for a pair. If you've already preordered, expect a refund for the difference to show up sometime soon if it hasn't already.

If you were holding out for a price drop, now is your chance to head over to the Fling site and preorder now. Also, while we haven't been able to get our hands on one yet, ThinkGeek has a joystick that is similar but with a more retro feel that might be worth considering as well.

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Last month we had a hands-on preview of the upcoming iOS version of Dead Space from EA Mobile. Since then, anticipation for the title has been growing in our forums, and EA stoked this fire even more by releasing a set of iPad screenshots a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, at the EA event where I had a chance to play Dead Space, video of the game was not allowed. This is really one of the most graphically impressive titles that I've seen on iOS, and static screenshots just do not do it justice (though they look pretty fantastic anyway).

Today, EA has finally unveiled the first official video of Dead Space for iOS. In it you can really get a good idea of just how creepy the atmosphere is in the game, as well as how horrific the enemies are that you'll be facing. Note that just like the console version, the game screen in the iOS version is practically devoid of any HUD elements, allowing you to see more of the game and feel further immersed in the action.

The story for Dead Space on iOS will bridge the gap between the original Dead Space and the upcoming Dead Space 2 on consoles. EA has officially stated that Dead Space for iOS would hit the App Store the same date as Dead Space 2 on consoles, January 25th. This latest video has gotten me even more excited for the release, and after experiencing just how well the game translates to the touch screen I really can't wait to get my hands on it again. We'll bring you any additional information should EA decide to drop any, otherwise be on the lookout for Dead Space to land in the App Store next week.

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Early last month we posted our exclusive preview of Manomio's much anticipated iAmiga emulation system that will shortly be used to bring a list of old school Amiga classics to the iPhone and iPad. In the time since that post, developer and CEO Stuart Carnie has provided us with a number of new builds of the iAmiga development test system which have each brought various fixes and improvements to the environment.

I wanted to list some of the changes that we've seen in these recent builds, for readers who are waiting anxiously for iAmiga to do its thing in the App Store.

• Basic iPad support now working (display appropriately scales to the device's screen)
• TV-out is now supported on Retina display devices and iPad. Hot plug / unplug handed gracefully.
• New mouse control system implemented — greatly enhances the feel of mouse-based titles (behaves nearly identically to a trackpad, now)
• CPU is more stable
  • Shadow of the Beast no longer crashes
  • IK+ no longer exhibits graphics glitches during intro
  • CPU tracing system implemented, able to generate gigabytes of log data for issue tracking, at need
• Audio now pauses properly when switching between Game / Settings tab (no looping)

Carnie has also shared with us a list of near-term "to do's" that we can look forward to, shortly:

• Finish integrating the CRT effects OpenGL ES engine (using GLSL shaders). List includes: No effect, 50% scanlines, aperture 1×2 RB and aperture 1×3 RB
• Aspect ratio selection (full screen, 4:3, whole pixel)
• Save / Resume support
• Defender of the Crown cabinet shell and graphics

It's been loads of fun testing out a slew of Amiga games on the iPhone with these new builds, and I can't wait for everyone out there to get the chance to enjoy so many Amiga classics, delivered through Manomio's emulation system. We'll bring more news from the studio as iAmiga development continues.

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In October of last year we first caught wind of Martin Kool's loving homage to retro adventure games, Sarien.net. Nearly a month later, we got a hands on preview of Space Quest, the first game Martin ported from its previous web-based browser state to an iPad-specific version that was custom tailored for both the screen and input of the device. Not long after that, Space Quest went live. While I'm not entirely sure how many people played the web-based version of the game to completion, it sure was awesome to have, and was a great tech demo for just what was possible via a web app on the iPad.

Today we got word that the rest of the Sarien.net catalog has been ported over, and in addition to iPhone support, the whole site is now hosted via Amazon's content distribution network to make loading even faster. Most of the games have even been extensively tweaked to be easy to play on the touch interface.

I'm not sure how much more detailed I need to get on this because, well, all the games are completely free to play and don't require any kind of installation beyond navigating your iOS device to sarien.net, tapping the game you want to play, adding a bookmark icon for it, then launching it. The single down side (if you'd even call it that) to all this is that since the games are played online via a web browser, you need an internet connection, but that seems to be a decent tradeoff to being able to instantly play such fantastic vintage adventure games for free on your iPhone or iPad.

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I was surprised to find out at yesterday's Capcom event that the company is readying another game from the Resident Evil series for iOS, but I was even more surprised to learn that it will be a multiplayer-focused game with online play through Game Center. It's called Resident Evil Mercenaries Vs., and it's based on the Mercenary mode that is found in several other Resident Evil games. I was able to play around with a work-in-progress version of the title, and although the technical performance seemed pretty lacking the foundation of the game was a lot of fun, and could prove to be an entertaining alternative to first-person shooters when you are in the mood for some online fragging.

Resident Evil Vs. will feature 4 player online play, either in teams of 2 or free-for-all. Besides shooting at each other, all 4 players will also have to deal with the constant threat of zombie attacks as there are a number of them roaming the map at any time. Killing zombies or your human opponents will earn you points, and the player with the highest score at the end of the timed round is the winner. Dying will reset your score to zero, but various first-aid items can be picked up and used to help prevent that. Also, if you're getting whooped pretty hard you'll be able to summon an AI helper to battle with you, like the creepy chainsaw guy with the burlap sack on his head from Resident Evil 4.

The game uses the same control scheme from Resident Evil 4: Platinum [$4.99/Lite/HD], with a virtual control stick for movement and a set of context sensitive buttons for performing everything else, so if you're already familiar with that game you'll be able to jump right into this title. When you're not able to venture online, Resident Evil Vs. will still have things for you to do. If you have an iOS owning buddy nearby who has a copy of the game then there is a local Bluetooth multiplayer mode which supports two human players and two AI players, and functions identically to the online mode. In addition there is a Score Attack mode which is single player with 3 AI controlled opponents, and a Coin Shooter mode which has you hunting down and shooting coins like in Resident Evil 4.

The gameplay in Resident Evil Vs. is surprisingly fun, but some definite drawbacks were apparent in this preview build. Connecting for local multiplayer provided a horribly laggy experience, which may be due to having two Bluetooth devices in such close proximity to one another but even then it didn't instill confidence for the local play. I will be very interested to see how the game performs online using Game Center for matchmaking, as this can easily make or break the experience. On a more positive note, the game ran really smooth when playing a single player game with AI opponents, which was incredibly fun and is what you can see in this video:

Other slightly disappointing aspects to Resident Evil Vs. are the lack of characters and maps. The game will launch with just two playable characters, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, which isn't much but they do at least have slightly different weapons. More unfortunate is that there will only be one map initially, and although it's a large map with plenty of intricacies it's bound to get old pretty quickly. Capcom is keen on adding more characters and stages down the road, so hopefully the lack of variety gets improved. The important thing though is that there are flashes of brilliance with Resident Evil Vs. It may not be the prettiest or most full-featured game around, but it sure can be a lot of fun.

If performance issues get smoothed out and Game Center matchmaking is solid, this could be a real winner. Our members are currently discussing the game in our forums, and you can look for Resident Evil Mercenaries Vs. to launch sometime in February if all goes well with Apple approval.

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