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A few weeks back we reviewed Burn the Rope [99¢], the puzzle game with the sort of familiar sounding name but really unique gameplay. In Burn the Rope, you ignite a single point of an elaborate picture made out of rope with the goal of burning as much of it as possible. The catch is that the flame will only burn upwards, so you must twist your device around as the flame burns along the contours of whatever picture you are burning. It's a clever game and quite a lot of fun too.

Yesterday developer Big Blue Bubble released the first update to Burn the Rope. One of our biggest gripes with the game in our review was the inconsistent way the flame would burn around sharp corners in a picture. Even if you swear you burned around the corner properly, the game had a tendency to leave just the tiniest bit of rope unburned, thus preventing you from getting 100% completion and a gold medal on the level. It was frustrating to say the least, but this issue seems to have been completely squashed as I have yet to encounter it since updating. Also, it appears that you no longer need a complete 100% to earn gold, so even if you do leave a tiny portion of rope unburnt then you can still manage to get a gold medal.

Besides this much needed fix, the new update also contains a new area with 16 brand new levels to play through. Game Center is now integrated with online leaderboards for each area and 30 achievements to obtain. The ability to play music from your iPod library has been added, as well as your choice of 3 additional flames to pick from which are unlocked by doing things like rating the game in iTunes or “liking” its Facebook page. The flames are cosmetic only, but I actually really like being able to mix up which one I use. My personal favorite is the one that sparks like the fuse on a stick of dynamite.

Burn the Rope was pretty awesome initially, and this new update has fixed most of my issues with the game as well as added a lot of new content. My only request now would be for Retina Display graphics, and the developer has said in our forums that this feature should be coming sometime down the line. A lot of other folks seem to be enjoying Burn the Rope too, as since our initial review the game has skyrocketed into the #2 position overall in the US App Store. If you have yet to check out Burn the Rope, now is a great time to grab it as the game is currently 99¢ but should be jumping up to $1.99 with the next update.

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This news flew under our radar for a few days, but on Monday Chaotic Box released a substantial update to their fast-paced iOS game Silverfish [99¢]. Silverfish is a retro-styled arcade game where the goal is not to destroy the many enemies racing about the screen but rather to avoid them altogether. There were three different modes in the release version of Silverfish that played on this main mechanic.

This latest update adds, among other things, a fourth mode to the game called Haste mode. Our favorite of the original 3 modes was Reaper mode, and Chaotic Box colorfully describes the new Haste mode as “Reaper mode cranked to 11”. Here's an excerpt of Reaper mode from our review of Silverfish followed by the video showcasing the new Haste mode:

Finally, there's Reaper mode (my personal favorite). In this mode, you are given one life, three Time Shocks and 50% power to start. Collect red Power Pods to kill the baddies on your tail and add to your health, and when your power meter maxes out, you become invulnerable for a short period, allowing you to plow through your enemies, leaving a wake of destruction.

Haste mode also includes a new Parasite and enemies, a new powerup called Vigor, and 6 more Game Center achievements. Besides the big new addition of Haste mode, there are a few other aspects to this latest update. The game is now compatible with fast-app switching, it will automatically save and restore your game in progress, and there are new customization options for the d-pad controls. Also an assortment of bug fixes and optimization rounds out this update.

If you haven't picked up Silverfish yet it's currently on sale for just 99¢. Players in our forums have been enjoying this one a lot since release, and it's definitely recommended if you like manic arcade-style gameplay.

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The new game GeoSpin [99¢] from Lazrhog Games takes its name quite literally. It's a fast-paced puzzle game where you must spin a geometric 3D shape while matching each of the flat panels that comprise the shape from a row that borders the game screen. It's hard to explain on paper, but easy to instantly pick up when playing. Lazrhog has nailed the controls, leaving only your speed and dexterity to determine how well you can perform. Graphics are basic but colorful, and pop on the Retina Display at a rock solid frame rate. GeoSpin is a simple idea executed beautifully, and is one of the more original games as of late and quite a bit of fun to boot.

In GeoSpin there are 11 increasingly complex shapes to tackle. Time Attack mode presents these linearly across 3 difficulty levels – easy, medium, and hard. You are timed on how long it takes you to place each panel into the shape, with a minimum time requirement to unlock the next level and additional time goals for earning bronze, silver, and gold medals for each one. In all, Time Attack has 33 levels to earn medals on. It's a decent challenge to earn golds on easy, but on medium and hard only the most nimble-fingered players will be able to achieve the qualifying times, let alone earn medals.

It's a fun kind of challenge though, one that keeps you coming back over and over to try and earn a better time. The real hook in GeoSpin is its excellent OpenFeint integration. There are leaderboards for every shape in every difficulty category, and it even updates your leaderboard position in real-time on the level select screen so you always know where you stand. I've found myself frantically retrying levels just to inch ahead of someone on my friend list, strictly for bragging rights, and it's a very satisfying feeling when I finally do surpass someone or place high globally.

The other half of GeoSpin is the Score Attack mode. Here you'll tackle each shape one after the other with a set countdown timer for each one. Your score is cumulative and based on how much time is left after completing each shape. There are time bonuses you can earn too, like matching certain shapes or colors in a row. The bonus requirements are displayed before each level and add tremendously to your score, and are practically required in the later levels in order to earn enough time to complete some of the more complex shapes. If you fail to solve a shape in the given time, the game ends. Score Attack is like GeoSpin's survival mode, and is a really fun diversion from the regular game.

I like GeoSpin because it just feels like an iPhone game, very well-suited to the platform. Spinning the shape feels perfect by default (but you can adjust the sensitivity if you choose) and dragging the shapes from the outer row is simple and painless. The UI and controls stay out of your way so you can just enjoy playing, though my biggest complaint is that the game doesn't currently support fast-app switching which can be annoying. The OpenFeint integration ensures a lot of replay value chasing high scores, and even if you're not into that sort of thing it will take a long time to earn gold medals throughout the game.

It may not blow you away with high end visuals, and the core gameplay is pretty simple and won't appeal to everybody, but GeoSpin is a catchy and original game that is executed very well. I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying the title, and players in our forums have been enjoying it as well. If you're looking for something fun and unique, definitely give GeoSpin a try.

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There's no doubt that Chair's Infinity Blade [$5.99] is a technical wonder, but the included plot left us scratching our heads in our review. You see, what keeps Infinity Blade going is your (usually) inevitable death at the hand of the God King. Following this, your successor takes up your sword, equipment, and xp/gold to continue the fight against the God King. It's a little weird, especially since you'd think after your great grandpa, your grandpa, and your father were all killed fighting the same entity that perhaps you'd pursue a career in something other than God King slaying.

Penny Arcade agrees:

Even though the story of the game can get a little ridiculous, especially as you hit the 10th (or further) bloodline, Infinity Blade is still an awesome game that anyone with hardware capable of running it needs to check out. If this is the first you've heard of Penny Arcade, you've likely got an afternoon full of going through their back catalog ahead of you, as it's one of my favorite web comics that any gamer should love.

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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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This past Friday we went hands-on with Mad Skills Motocross from Turborilla and Racer X Online, and as of today the game is now available in the App Store. Mad Skills Motocross [$1.99] is a 2D side-scrolling motocross game, somewhat similar to the classic Excitebike but with enhanced visuals and an absolutely brilliant physics system. It lacks a couple of features that we've seen implemented in similar titles over the years, namely real-time online play and a level editor, but makes up for it by being fast, smooth, challenging, and above all else a total blast to play.

The controls in Mad Skills Motocross are simple, with gas and break buttons on the left and buttons to lean forwards or backwards on the right. Additionally you have the option of flipping the position of these controls or using the accelerometer for tilting. You can perform various tricks on your bike as well, like front flips, back flips, wheelies, and stoppies. There are also a number of special moves for your bike that you will gain through playing, like a vertical jump or a nitro boost. Utilizing your entire suite of abilities is essential to performing well in the game.

The meat of Mad Skills Motocross is the Career mode which features a whopping 52 tracks spread across 5 increasingly difficult racing divisions. Levels start out modest enough, and ease you into the basics of jumping, racing, and tricking. But fairly quickly the difficulty ramps up, and it will be a true test of your skills to win out against the AI controlled opponent in order to complete all of the available levels. Thankfully, there are always a few levels unlocked at a time, so if you get stuck on a particularly challenging race you can skip it for the time being and play a later one.

Besides the Career mode, there is also a robust Time Attack mode. Here the top 5 best times are saved from each individual track, along with full replays for each one. You can choose to “attack” any of these times and compete against your own ghost in an effort to improve that time. You can also send a challenge through OpenFeint for any of these times to see if one of your buddies is able to defeat your ghost racer. OpenFeint also includes achievements as well as leaderboards for every track, which is perfectly suited for this type of game.

All of these features come together really well in Mad Skills Motocross, and the whole experience is heightened by the wonderful physics system. The most subtle nuances of how you take off or land when jumping can affect your overall performance, and this is the type of game where you will replay a level over and over again just to get that “perfect run” and shave tenths of a second from your time. It just feels so fluid to lean far back on your bike and pick up speed, lurch forward as you launch from a jump and then land smoothly down the other side. There's a real rhythm to racing that is very satisfying to learn and try to master.

The simplest way I can put it is that Mad Skills Motocross is pure fun. While it doesn't have real-time online multiplayer like the similar iOS game Motocross Challenge [99¢/Lite], the OpenFeint challenge system is a good substitute and actually might be a better fit for gaming on the go. The desktop version of Mad Skills Motocross features a level editor, and although that didn't make it into the iOS version of the game, the developers are keen on finding a way to squeeze that in sometime in the future if possible. With the 52 tracks in the game, there is no lack in variety of places to race even without an editor, although it would be a cool feature to have.

Impressions from players in our forums are overwhelmingly positive, and if you're in the market for a fast-paced arcade-style racing game it doesn't get much better than Mad Skills Motocross.

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When developer CAVE launched their fantastic dual-stick shooter Mushihimesama Bug Panic [$4.99/Lite] back in November, the game came equipped with Game Center for high score and achievement tracking. With popularity of the then relatively new Game Center rising, CAVE fans were quick to wonder if their previous iOS offerings Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite] and Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite] would see some love in the form of Apple's social network.

Over the weekend CAVE did just that, and has released updates for both Dodonpachi and Espgaluda II with Game Center. It will work in harmony with the existing OpenFeint integration, and any previously earned achievements or high scores will instantly carry over to Game Center, and either network can be accessed easily from within both games.

As cool as having Game Center in two of my favorite shmups is, CAVE has an even more exciting surprise for owners of Dodonpachi Resurrection. Hardcore players of the game probably know about the many hidden elements in the game, such as alternate routes and enemies, which CAVE has previously covered on their blog. Now in this latest update, they have divulged one of the biggest secrets in the game, a hidden boss character named ]-[|/34<#! (Hibachi), which can also be accessed as a playable ship.

Expert players may have already run into Hibachi, as playing through the game taking the alternate 2nd loop route results in facing Hibachi as the true final boss of the game, and defeating him unlocks the ship for play in iPhone mode. Since defeating Hibachi is extremely difficult, CAVE didn't want to limit its availability to hardcore players, and so they have included an alternate method of unlocking the ship by using an old-school style button input at the ship selection screen. Both methods are detailed in this lengthy video from their latest blog post (skip to the 7:00 mark to go straight to the input code, but you'll be missing out on the expert play of "Assistant A"):

If there's one thing I love more than a great game, it's a great game with awesome hidden stuff in it. Dodonpachi Resurrection is one of my most played games, but I am nowhere near the skill level required to unlock Hibachi using the intended method, so I really appreciate having an easier way to do so. It should be noted that unlocking Hibachi by defeating him in the game makes him available forever, but using the input code only unlocks the ship for that session, and the code will need to be put in again each time you start a new game.

If you have yet to pick up either of CAVE's shooters, you can read our review of Dodonpachi Resurrection here and the review for Espgaluda II here, and both games have lite versions to try. If you already own either, grab these latest updates for some Game Center action and be sure to check out the hidden playable ship Hibachi in Dodonpachi Resurrection.

App Store Links:

• Espgaluda II, $8.99
• Espgaluda II Lite, Free
• Dodonpachi Resurrection, $8.99
• Dodonpachi Resurrection Lite, Free

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Rovio Mobile is still attempting to court the four or so people on the planet that don’t own Angry Birds [$.99 / HD] proper. The beloved creator of the ever-popular physics-based puzzle game has just released two new “free” versions of the title that, in contrast to the Lite versions, feature no content from the actual release version. In fact, Angry Birds Free [Free / HD] offers brand new, never-before-seen levels.

In total, it's twelve levels split into four episodes. The App also supports Game Center and, just like the full, yet free Android version of the game, ads. I suppose if the game doesn’t convince you to pony up $.99, perhaps the Nike promotional stuff might. Or, hey, how about these super-cute kids:

Photo courtesy of The Review Crew

Think of this app as an updated demo of the core game. Rovio, as you well know, has vigorously supported Angry Birds with content over the last year, dropping in new level after new level and new bird after new bird in a constant stream of free updates. This demo reflects that. If you still haven't taken the plunge, definitely give this a look. Or, hell, give it a go if you're just looking for more levels.

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I struggle to find a mechanic or point of level or enemy design in The Flying Hamster [$5.99] that I can use to put the game on a pedestal, to show you that its better than the rest of its side-scrolling, shoot ‘em up brethren on the App Store.

I find myself in this backbreaking dilemma because the game is so goddamn cute — it’s so full of life, character, and expressiveness, that I’m compelled to justify my adoration of it by conjuring positive opinions about its design that just aren’t present.

The experience is basic. You control an avatar with a limitless primary attack against a diverse range of enemies, each type possessing a unique range and rate of fire. Your goal is to reach an endpoint, to successfully navigate the storm of bullets and enemies to some arbitrary destination guarded by a bullet sponge of a boss.

Your ability to recognize and memorize patterns is the difference between success and defeat. Enemies, including bosses, aren’t erratic — enemies are scripted and each level plays out the same, which is a good thing considering that there are no checkpoints.

But here’s the deal: all of this simplistic, rote stuff is awash in color, inspiration, and genuine character. Your avatar is an anthropomorphic hamster that can fly. Your enemies are penguins floating down from the heavens while shooting rounds from their hand cannons, angry rams, seagulls, cuddly vampire bats, and red scorpions that shoot pellets out of their venom-laced tails. Your weapons are your own loogies, streams of root beer, and seeds.

And the expressiveness! Each level is capped by a cut-scene of this adorable hamster created in a Japanese style that emotes a bright and cheery tone that permeates into the level design, the equally upbeat audio, and even the boss fights.

The character, I think, hides something a little more feral than you’d like — The Flying Hamster doesn’t give you many opportunities to continue. You start the game with five lives and it ends after you lost them. Plus, the points you accumulate are based on what you scored in a single life; it’s not cumulative.

The controls can be a point of frustration. The standard layout gives you the ability to move your character wherever, no matter where your finger is on the screen, which is a nice touch… whenever you’re not inadvertently hiding an enemy with your flesh. Those times, however, are few.

But while that controls and difficulty can be a bummer considering how little this game gives you to work with in terms of chances and tools to succeed, I feel like its art and character triumphs. Sure, The Flying Hamster is not even close to being the best shoot ‘em up available on the App Store, but it’s one of the best-looking and most artistically inspired of the bunch. Give it a shot if you don't mind routine design or a challenge. Or if you're into looking at cute animals.

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