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We just got word from Resolution Interactive that the lite version of their upcoming Aqua Moto Racing 2 was approved earlier than expected. Aqua Moto Racing 2 Lite [Free] only comes with three tracks and three wave-runners's to race on them, but it does include their complete dynamic wave system which is what makes this sequel so awesome. I briefly described the new dynamic waves in our preview:

Aqua Moto [$1.99 / Free] was (and still is) a great game, which did an excellent job providing nearly everything you'd want out of a wave-runner arcade game, except movement in the water. Every track in Aqua Moto was remarkably calm, but not anymore. Aqua Moto 2 introduces an entirely new dynamic water system, which not only looks great in motion, but also makes the game both more fun and challenging as a sudden wave as you're trying to come around a corner can either result in getting wicked air, or going off course entirely.

You can see these new water effects in action in the new trailer:

The full version of Aqua Moto Racing 2 is still in review, and could land on the App Store any time now. If you have any fond memories at all of playing Wave Race 64 on the Nintendo 64, you really should give Aqua Moto Racing 2 Lite a try, if for no other reason than it's the closest thing I've seen so far to it on the iPhone. The lite version has just enough content to get you excited for the full game, which hopefully will show up for download soon.

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Italian iPhone development house KF Lab is soon to release their stylized run-and-jump title A Skeleton Story, that we first spotted back in October, for the iPhone. The developer long ago posted a lavish cinematic trailer , and has just posted a bit of gameplay footage to give readers a taste of what's to come from this title that's based on a "Burtonesque noir fairy tale" comic of the same name. We've also had a chance to spend a little time with a pre-release build they were kind enough to provide.

A great wind blows from the land of memory, bringing omens and old sensations. The Kingdom of the Dead, where everything seems bound to eternal rest, is troubled by some obscure presence, an intruder…something alive! A loving kitten’s going to make this world up-side-down!

Will Musil, the skeleton detective, is at his desk in his office…he’s deep in a restless sleep, hovering between his dream and the memories of his past life, still unaware of what lies ahead…

A Skeleton Story is a platformer of sorts, highly reminiscent of Canabalt — but at closer range and with a bit more graphical character. A number of additional gameplay elements are present, as well.

Your overall goal in the game is to send skeleton detective Will Musil leaping from rooftop to rooftop in an effort to retrieve a fleeing, black kitten. Along the way there are coins, boxes to collect, as well as oncoming villains that can be shot or leapt over (if you're quick). Letters that spell out "W-I-L-L" can be collected, as well, granting temporary invisibility when the word is complete.

There are an infinite number of levels in the game, and each time you manage to retrieve the cat, you will be taken to Henry's Pub where various character attribute enhancements can be purchased with accumulated money: increased ammo capacity, more lethal attacks, higher jumps, run faster, and more. But, if you tarry and don't manage to catch the kitten before it flees offscreen, it's one life gone, for you.

Making it from rooftop to rooftop isn't necessarily a simple matter. As the game progresses, more and more roofs are of different heights, and some houses can't take Will's weight and begin to collapse upon contact, Canabalt-style.

The game features a lively spy-capers sort of soundtrack and utilizes an onscreen stick and buttons for negotiating the endless series of rooftops that lay in wait. OpenFeint integration tracks online scores and achievements along the way.

The final version of the game should be in the next few weeks.

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The original Across Age [$5.99 / Free] was released in February, and in our review we detailed all the things we liked about the game, ranging from its fantastic sprite-based graphics to its delightfully cliche yet somehow still engaging plot that involved saving the world from an evil magician.

Across Age is an RPG loaded with puzzles that take advantage of the game's two main gameplay mechanics: Being able to control two separate characters at once, and heaps of time travel. The game also features massive bosses, which everyone loves, and of course each boss has its own gimmick (usually utilizing an ability you just unlocked) which must be exploited to defeat it. Overall, I had a fun time playing through Across Age as it tickled both my nostalgia for similar games of the Super Nintendo era, while being just fresh enough to not feel blatantly "inspired" by those same games.

FDG Entertainment has been hard at work on an iPad version of the game, and have redrawn all of the graphics in the process. The HD version also has combat and character movement tweaks with customizable on-screen controls. There's even going to be a bonus dungeon and boss fight, which hopefully will be cool enough to give players a reason go play through the game again if they've already beat it on the iPhone or iPod touch.

FDG is planning on releasing Across Age HD sometime next month for $7.99. The screenshots they've sent us so far look awesome, and I can't wait to run through the game again on my iPad.

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An official version of Risk [$4.99] just hit the App Store, and as I mentioned in the roundup from the recent EA event, this really seems like too little too late from the massive game developer. When third party software first graced the iPhone, it wasn't hard to see the potential that the touch interface had for board games, and this potential only grew as Apple implemented push notifications which allowed developers to create some extremely robust asynchronous multiplayer experiences. An absolutely fantastic example of this in the classic board game arena is Carcassonne [$4.99] which we detailed in our review not too long ago. In Carcassonne, developers The Coding Monkeys masterfully duplicated the board game while providing more single player and multiplayer features than I think anyone was expecting when we first heard of the game.

In Risk: The Official Game, EA brings a fully licensed version of Risk to the App Store with futuristic looking graphics, a decent soundtrack, and all the same army fortifying dice rolling gameplay that has been evolving for the last 50 years through various iterations of the board game. You can either play single player against AI opponents, or play local multiplayer with up to 6 players on a single device, or up to 4 players with their own devices via WiFi or Bluetooth. There's a decent amount of stat tracking and achievements in game, but that's where the bells and whistles stop.

The problem with Risk is that the brand name is so powerful that I think that most people who are downloading it are just thinking, "Oh, finally, Risk for the iPhone!" without being aware of the many other better alternatives which aren't exactly the same as Risk, but scratch the same strategic dice rolling itch– Often with much more content, options, and game modes. If this applies to you, here are just a few of the better Risk knock-offs available on the App Store:

Lux DLX 2, $4.99 – This world conquest game which recently was updated to version 2.0 sports universal compatibility between the iPhone and iPad, single device multiplayer, challenging AI, and tons of new maps to play that can be downloaded within the game for free. If you want to try Lux before buying, there are two different free versions, Lux Touch, and Lux USA which are also universal apps.

Generals – Online Global Conquest!, $2.99 – Where Generals lacks in multiple maps it more than makes up for in the online multiplayer department. Like most Risk-like games, you can play locally on one device with human or AI opponents and Generals also allows you to organize online games over WiFi or 3G. Currently, games are played in real time online, but the developers are working on an update to add push notifications to allow for up to 20 games to be played simultaneously as well as more online game modes. The free version has ads and no multiplayer, but will give you a good idea of what you're getting in to.

Stratergery, $1.99 – Also a universal app, Strategery boasts single player, single device multiplayer, and online multiplayer with push notifications. My favorite thing about Strategery is that it randomly generates maps of four different sizes, which always keeps things fresh since you need to develop new strategies on the fly instead of just going by your old standby of building up armies in Australia. Strategery Lite is also available, which doesn't have any ads but lacks a few gameplay options and online multiplayer.

Dominion, $1.99 – Like the other games already mentioned, Dominion has local and online multiplayer with either classic world domination mode or objective based games. It has multiple maps and a full featured online component with asynchronous push alert powered play, player statistics, and a bunch of other goodies. Unfortunately, Dominion isn't universal so if you don't want to run the game pixel doubled on your iPad you will have to spring for Dominion HD.

Unless you really really need to play the official Risk game for some reason, I'd really give any of the four previously mentioned games a spin if you're looking for some awesome online world conquest action. At least for me, board games are exponentially more fun when you're playing with real people, and if the success of Words With Friends [$2.99 / Free] is any indication, most tend to agree.

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If you've ever had the desire to live the life of a dastardly pirate (and really, who hasn't?), then the new game Plunderland [$2.99 from developer JohnnyTwoShoes gives you the opportunity to do just that. The game features sharp, colorful graphics that take advantage of the iPhone 4's Retina Display and a mixture of touch and tilt controls that make it easy to wreak havoc on the open seas. Don't let the cute graphics fool you however, as these pirates are vile to the core. With a simple pickup and play style, many interactive ways to dispatch enemies, an upgradeable ship, and some of the most charming visuals I've seen, Plunderland should satisfy your craving to loot and pillage.

Plunderland consists of left to right scrolling levels where you must collect as much loot as possible while dispatching anybody or anything that gets in your way. Your ship operates on a 2D plane and tilting the device moves the ship left and right. Touching the ship brings up the firing line of your cannon and moving your finger changes the trajectory of that line, with a shot being fired by letting go of the screen. An underlying physics system affects everything in Plunderland, and as such firing the cannon accurately in the heat of battle can be a bit imprecise due to the force of each blast throwing your ship off kilter. It's a fairly minor nuisance though, and overall commanding your ship is a lot of fun.

The neatest thing about Plunderland is how much interaction there is with the game world. Characters can be picked up, flung, drowned underwater, slammed into the ground, set on fire, and more. It's very reminiscent of Pocket God [99¢, and is incredibly enjoyable in a sadistic way. Aside from messing with the British Army enemies and indigenous island inhabitants, you can also manipulate inanimate objects in Plunderland. My favorite method of dispatching enemy vessels is to wait for them to fire their cannon and then quickly snatch the cannonball out of the air with my finger and sling it back into their own ship. This usually causes more damage than using your own firepower, often ripping the enemy ship right in half. Needless to say, it's hugely satisfying.

The underlying goal of Plunderland, besides just making it to the end of each level with your ship and crew intact, is collecting loot. This loot is obtained by destroying ships or structures, picking up the island natives and vigorously shaking it out of them, demolishing totem poles or tiki towers on the islands, or finding a treasure chest buried where you see an “X” marked in the ground. The loot that you collect can be used to upgrade your ship's weapons and equipment, like adding a crow's nest to be alerted of enemies sooner or a new ornament for the bow. The amount of money it takes to buy some of these items is quite large, and you'll have to replay many of the levels in order to amass enough to buy everything. Luckily, the game is fun enough that replaying them isn't a problem at all.

In the end, Plunderland is a great fit for the iPhone. The graphics are really appealing, especially on the iPhone 4's screen, and the game just oozes personality. It will keep you plenty busy with 20 levels spread across three main campaigns and one survival campaign, as well as the many different upgrades to collect. There's a distinct satisfaction to killing and pillaging innocent people, and then spending the ill-gotten money on your own selfish endeavors. Plus each level has bronze, silver, and gold levels of completion along with a hidden fish head to discover in each one. If you've been looking for something to appeal to your sadistic pirate side, look no further than Plunderland.

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Fishlabs' latest addition to the App Store is a modern take on the arcade classic, Missile Command. While we've seen a few games adopt this formula, none have looked as darn pretty as Earth Defender [99¢]. Earth Defender's interpretation of Missile Command on the iOS devices dispenses with the missiles launching from Earth, and opts for a more responsive explosion-on-touch mechanic. The swarms of multi-colored aliens descending on our fair planet won't know what hits them when a well placed bomb explodes in their faces. Of course, where would Missile Command be without chaining; Earth Defender ensuring that explosions from one alien will in-turn kill others nearby, allowing for well placed screen clearing multipliers.

Earth Defender is host to a variety of weapons and a horde of aliens to use them on. Weapons include a few very different effects that will need to be used differently to adapt to the circumstances. The black hole bomb for instance, will suck up the smaller critters, but are usually limited in number. The electrical bomb will zap any enemies near the blast radius and is used almost as a mine to pre-empt attacks. Weapons are gradually updated in size and power too, level-to-level, to accommodate for the greater difficulty.

Enemies generally take the form of two types– those that can be killed by bombs, and those that can't. For the latter, you need to hold your finger over the enemy to charge an electrical bolt from Earth, slowly whittling them down. There are 14 different enemy types in the game; with some of the more interesting ones cloaking at random, or combining to launch a suicide attack against your shields.

To defend against the onslaught, the Earth has 3 shields barriers divided into multiple segments. Enemies target these segments, either with their own bombs, or by very damaging kamikaze runs. If they happen to pierce through any part of the 3-layered shield, an invasion warning begins, indicating the descent of the alien mothership. It's up to you to kill enough enemies to then generate a shield power-up in time, or risk losing the Earth entirely. Power-up drops are fortunately frequent and forgiving, so this really only becomes an issue when you are seriously in trouble.

For all that the Earth Defender description touts its boss fights, we found this to be the weakest area of the game. Essentially, one snake-like boss attacks multiple times (until the final boss), narrowly escaping you each time until you finally dispense with him. We would have liked to see different bosses with different attack patterns that require a more measured use of the various bombs at your disposal. This is a criticism that may be leveled at the game as a whole too, though– as bombs are not selectable and power-ups simply replace the bomb in your possession– allowing for no real strategic use of weapons.

Earth Defender looks and sounds fantastic, and plays just as frantically as Missile Command of old. You will quickly become overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies launching at your shields, and the difficulty of the last few levels is considerable. Unfortunately, Earth Defender doesn't escape the feeling that after the first few levels you've seen it all; with the basic gameplay simply increasing in pace. Instead, we would have loved to see levels or bosses that require you to fully explore your arsenal. Still, Earth Defender is a true-to-its-roots Missile Command inspired game; and with 5-finger multi-touch and OpenFeint, should really appeal to fans of the genre.

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The latest game from development studio Appstar, founded by industry legends David Crane and Garry Kitchen, is called Fling Pong – The Planets [$1.99], and is an arcade game with an odd premise. In Fling Pong, you're tasked with bouncing ping pong balls off the ground and landing them into a set of targets against a wall. The targets here are actually planets, and the concept is similar in a way to playing a game of skee-ball with the rolling of the ball replaced with bouncing. The presentation is really well done, with great looking graphics and excellent music, and altogether Fling Pong ends up being a simple but fun casual game.

The play field in Fling Pong is a small three dimensional room. On the back wall of the room are various planets from our solar system. Touching the screen displays a ping pong ball and a short downward swipe bounces the ball off the floor of the room and against the back wall. The object is to bounce the ball into the planets, with points awarded based on the size of the planet. This gets more complicated while the levels progress as the planets scroll across the screen at varying speeds or even move in a circular fashion, being larger the closer they are to you and smaller as they move farther away . Occasionally a planet will be lit up signifying that it's worth double points if you happen to hit it during that time.

The gameplay is surprisingly fun as it's a great feeling to bounce a ball just right and nail a tiny planet on the wall. There's a set score you must achieve in a certain amount of time for each level, and a rocket bonus that can be earned which accurately shoots five consecutive balls into whichever planets you choose. The bouncing of the ball can feel ultra-sensitive, but this actually realistically conveys the near-weightlessness of a ping pong ball. My biggest issue with the game is it seems that some balls will go in when it appears you've hit the outside of a target, and conversely others seem to bounce right off even if you hit dead center. These minor issues don't ruin the game though, and it's still oddly satisfying to fling the ping pong balls towards the planets.

If you're unfamiliar with Appstar, we detailed the formation of the company back in February and reviewed their inaugural iPhone game Iron Horse when it was released in May. We liked Iron Horse for it's simple gameplay and authentic depiction of classic locomotives throughout history. Fling Pong is similar in that it uses a simple idea and high quality production values, with planet graphics that are actual photographs taken with the Hubble Telescope from space. Certainly a far cry from the many “doodle” games in the App Store, and I appreciate the realistic approach to the visuals (which look especially remarkable in the iPad version). Beyond that, Fling Pong – The Planets is also pretty darn fun, and with 32 levels, OpenFeint integration, and a phenomenal musical score, it should keep you entertained for some time.

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Sega has released a number of classic Genesis games on the App Store- Sonic the Hedgehog [$5.99], Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [$5.99], Golden Axe [$2.99], Streets of Rage [$2.99], and as of last night, Ecco the Dolphin [$2.99] and Space Harrier II [99¢]. In the past we've been increasingly critical of Sega releasing these emulated games, as while the games wrapped in the emulator are undoubtedly classics, the emulator itself leaves much to be desired.

Revisiting these games with my iPhone 4 has revealed that Apple has finally released hardware that is fast enough to properly run Sega's emulator (although I have had weird crashing issues with Sonic 2). If you've got an iPhone 4, the games run substantially better than the 3GS/3rd generation iPod touch, leaving the touch controls as the only issue. If you're stuck in the world of the iPhone 3G or 2nd Generation iPod touch, you're still better off skipping all of these because the performance really isn't that great. The games are playable, yes, but not a good experience by any means.

Anyway, Ecco the Dolphin is an action adventure side scroller released on the Sega Genesis in 1992. In the game you play as a dolphin, ramming in to things and using your sonar to both talk to other friendly sea creatures and interact with various objects in the game world. When I played the game the first time around on my Genesis, I thought it was surprisingly difficult as you need to manage Ecco's air supply while navigating vast underwater mazes. Drowning over and over was not something I was expecting to get myself in to when I first saw the cute box art.

There's a fairly extensive library of clips on YouTube of people playing the game in various emulators:

Ecco the Dolphin is just as much of a classic as the other games Sega has released, and really should be played by anyone who considers themselves a gamer who hasn't yet. If you want to go back in time even further, Space Harrier II was a launch title for the Genesis and debuted with the system in mid-August of 1989. Like most games of the time, Space Harrier II came packed with a nonsensical story where you're searching out a distress call from the 214th sector in the year 6236. You run around on a pseudo-3D checkerboard landscape shooting your laser at anything that crosses your path.

Like Ecco, there are no shortage of Space Harrier II gameplay videos captured from various emulators on YouTube:

Space Harrier II hasn't aged as well as the other classics Sega has released, but it's still pretty cool to take a look at what was considered cutting-edge mind blowing graphics over 20 years ago. But like all these games, the touch controls of the Genesis emulator on the iPhone aren't ideal and the framerate is low on older devices. Because of this, they're all hard to really recommend, but at least they exist in some form on the App Store if you're determined to revisit these classics on your iPhone.

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