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It seems like I just wrote about this game a few days ago but we have some more information to share with you. Just in case you don’t remember, ESPGALUDA II is a bullet hell shooter from Cave, the leader in creating games of this type. Our forums have been buzzing about this game since it was first announced. If you watch the new game play video we have below you will see why.

The official word on the release date is April 10th, 2010 with an introductory sale price of $4.99. The normal price is going to be set at $8.99. There will also be a lite version so you can see if you can handle bullet hell games before you buy. Also worth mentioning is, the game will only run on the iPhone 3GS and the 3rd generation iPod Touch. I can't wait for this one to come out.

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Engineous Games' Sketch Nation Shooter [AppStore] is not your typical game. In fact, it is arguable whether it is a game at all, featuring very little in terms of out-of-the-box content. Instead, Sketch Nation Shooter is a development platform for end users to explore the limits of their own imaginations, in a similar fashion to Sony's ludicrously popular Little Big Planet on the Playstation 3.

And, just like that title, Sketch Nation Shooter is designed from the ground up to facilitate the creation of an entire community of users who submit their creations and explore the work of others. It sounds like a sure-fire hit, but such an ambitious task is a first for the platform, and so we were anxious at first to see just how well the system is implemented.

When you first launch Sketch Nation Shooter you are presented with a depiction of a writing pad and a few menu options with very little fanfare. To start with, we'll look at the 'Play' option. A fresh install of Sketch Nation Shooter will have a few developer-created levels for you to mess around with. Launching any of these will reveal a rich-looking, colorful, themed setting, which ultimately showcase what can be done with the application. Your standard fare vertical scrolling shooter is there in the form of 'Zorx Attacks' and 'Air Support 1944' (which have some very cool comic-like artwork) but there are also a few surprises, in the side-scrolling 'Under the Sea' shooter, and a top-down 'against the traffic' avoidance game, Traffic. It is clear that a little creative thinking can go a long way in Sketch Nation Shooter.

And where that creativity will be best put to work is in the 'Create' menu. When you first go to create a game, you are presented with either 'Simple Mode' or 'Advanced Mode', dictating the extent of complexity you're aiming for with your creation. This is something we really appreciated, as showing off a game quickly to your mates isn't a protracted process; 'Simple Mode' lets you create a player, add enemies, and away you go. 'Advanced Mode' is where the big boys will go to play though, as it offers the full customization suite.

From here you can dictate player and enemy graphics, hit points, weapon effects, sizes, AI patterns and even rotation options. Graphics can be added either from your Photo Library, from a selection of pre-installed Art Packs, or by taking a photo of a page via the camera. We had a few issues where drawings with light-colored backgrounds imported from Sketch Book were not picked up (despite having thick, black borders) but overall our experience with the image recognization was a positive one. There is also a level editor, where backdrops can be imported and where obstacles, enemies and powerups can be hand-placed on each level segment (4 of which comprise an entire level). One especially neat feature is the inclusion of an 'Intro' page, which the developer levels show off as a cool way to give your levels some context through a storyboard.

All in all, whilst the creation mode is quite comprehensive, we felt it was lacking in some areas. To begin with, powerups and boss encounters are two elements set in stone that can't be toyed with as much as we'd like to. Bosses can have their HP and weapon effects changed, and can have their attack pattern selected from 8 pre-defined options. But that's it– we would have loved to have seen multi-stage boss encounters, or bosses with customizable weak-spots to make these encounters less repetitive. Similarly, powerups collected in game number only 10 and seem pretty stock-standard for the genre. Which leads to another criticism– that levels aren't really long enough to get a decent rhythm going, or to explore an interesting weapon or upgrade system to begin with. We expect to be blown away with what some users create with the platform, but it seems that user creations are largely restricted to a similarly sized and formulated level design.

Once created, levels are submitted via Facebook and are available for all to play under the 'Download' menu option. Unfortunately, Facebook is the only means of content distribution in Sketch Nation Shooter, a fact that introduces a number of issues. Firstly is the matter of privacy, where submitting a high score unwittingly splashes your full name across the Global ladders. As we speak, the developers have recognised this as a problem and are looking at introducing a pseudonym for high scores, a feature that cannot come soon enough. But we're still not convinced that using Facebook as the solitary delivery medium is wise, as it effectively excludes those that use Facebook solely for personal correspondence, and tend to keep their gaming separate. Granted, Sketch Nation Shooter does not spam your Facebook wall with activity, but instead neatly highlights it in a separate, in-game only News Feed.

If you can get passed the Facebook requirement (without Facebook you do not have access to any user-generated content), then there is already a wealth of very cool-looking content created by fans, and it seems to be growing by the minute. One particular favorite of ours is a TouchArcade themed level that simply must be played, created by forum user Tocarina (heads up: Arn and Eli feature prominently and hilariously). On that note, the developers are doing a great job of filtering out objectional and copyrighted material, and seem to be doing well in keeping up with submissions thus far.

Sketch Nation Shooter is easily recommended simply because it does something no other app can do– it allows you to design competent games and share them with your friends. Some creations have already shown hallmarks of genius, but the ultimate fun is in seeing what your peers are capable of creating. On the flipside, the underlying Sketch Nation Shooter model remains largely derivative, and could do with even more customization options to differentiate the gameplay and keep user-generated levels fresh and interesting.

We're already looking forward to not only Shooter enhancements, but to see what other plans and genres Engineous Games have in store for their very nifty Sketch Nation game development platform. Be sure to check out our forum thread too, where users are sharing their many designs, plans and submission approval notices.

App Store Link: Sketch Nation Shooter, $0.99.

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During the iPad rush, some developers have made a conscious decision to provide "Universal" support to their existing games. These games will run in native resolution on both the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch. So, you simply buy it once, and use the same copy on both devices. The added advantage is that for anyone who has already purchased these games, the Universal updates are free.

Here are some notable universal titles that we've covered in the past:

• Strategery ($1.99) – See our Review, this simple strategy game generated a pretty dedicated following. The iPad screen can cause for some massive map sizes.
• Air Hockey ($0.99) – One of the iPhone staples – Air Hockey. Now available as a free upgrade to your iPad.
• Isotope ($1.99) – See our Review. A really wonderful dual-stick space shooter that we loved on the iPhone. Unfortunately, the first universal version doesn't seem to work properly on the iPad yet. Again, we expect these issues will be addressed quickly once developers get iPads in hand.
• Parcel Panic ($0.99) – See our Review. A Crazy Taxi-like driving/delivery game that's been updated for iPad.
• Metal Gear Solid Touch ($7.99) – See our Review. We actually weren't that happy with the game on launch, but it's worth the free upgrade to check out on the iPad if you already own it.
• 10 Pin Shuffle ($3.99) – A nice combination of bowling and shufflepuck which feels nice on the big screen.
• Parachute Panic HD ($1.99) – See our Review. A fun and frantic casual game where you guide parachuters to safety.
• Chopper, $2.99 – A side scrolling helicopter game where you need to rescue people and take out enemy targets.

IUGO

• Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL ($3.99) – A different take on tower defense.
• Cliffed XL ($1.99) – See our Review. A delightful take on "falldown".
• Implode XL – A fun demolition game where you take out buildings with precisely placed charges.

Igloo Games

• Igloo Games Arcade ($6.99) – This one's actually a bit of anomaly on the App Store, as it's a Universal game that's not an update to an existing title. Instead, Igloo Games has taken all of it's iPhone titles (Dizzy Bee, Dizzy Bee 2, Bed Bugs, Flipside) and packaged them together into one universal package.

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Sketch Nation Shooter has been a game on our radar for a while now, since we had a chance to play it at GDC 2009 and preview it in December. The wait is finally over as Sketch Nation Shooter [AppStore] has been released and ready for your creative ingenuity! In the developer's words:

[Sketch Nation] allows users to create their own games by drawing a player, enemies and a level on a piece of paper and taking a picture of the drawing with their iPhone camera. Users can then share their creations with their friends and other users. Our unique image recognition technology automatically detects the objects drawn and calculates collision boundaries. Sketch Nation Shooter is the only game to incorporate the iPhone camera in such a way. iPod Touch users can import their drawings through the Photo Library. After the drawings are imported into the game, users will be able to place enemies and powerups as well as set their properties in our easy to use in-game editor and then play with their unique creations.

Our initial impressions with Sketch Nation Shooter have confirmed what we hoped for, with a comprehensive level editing system that offers a range of options for customizing your own creations. We are especially delighted to see there is the option for a 'Simple' and 'Advanced' degree of customization, ensuring even those that want to create something to show their friends on the fly, like our TouchArcade mascot fighting Eli's giant evil guy on wheels that you can see in the screenshot above (sorry, we had to leave out the 'wheels' to keep the site kid-friendly!)

From out of the box, Sketch Nation Shooter provides a few developer-created levels that are far beyond anything we hope to create ourselves, but are confident that the masses will have trumped in no time. The actual shooter gameplay is straightforward, with several weapon power-ups, shields and and bosses with a variety of attack patterns all evident in our play through.

We'll have more on the actual nuts and bolts of the game once we've spent some more time with it. We especially want to see what you guys manage to do with the platform. Discuss the game with other TouchArcade members and share pictures of your creations in our forum thread. The game is priced at only $0.99.

App Store Link: Sketch Nation Shooter, $0.99.

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On April 10th Cave, the world leader in bullet hell shooters, are releasing ESPGALUDA II on the iPhone and iPod Touch. You might of played or seen this game already on the Xbox and you should be happy to know this is pretty much a direct port, other than the new iPhone game mode.

ESPGALUDA II will have two modes of play, iPhone and Arcade. The Arcade version is just like the Xbox/Arcade version with the controls obviously modified for a touch interface. The iPhone version adds new game play with the “Awakening Pulse” system. This is where you tap the screen to send out an energy blast that changes enemy bullets in to spirit stones. Spirit stones are used to protect your character, which is great since everything else on the screen is trying to kill you.

With shooter games, the controls are obviously very important and you don’t want them to hinder your view of the action. Cave feels they solved this with track pad like controls at the bottom of the screen. I have played other games that used this method and found it a dream to use once you get the hang of it.

It’s rumored that the game will only run on the 3GS and 3rd gen Touches. This is expected with the about of sprits that are on the screen at the same time. Older models will probably have unplayable frame rates for this kind of game.

ESPGALUDA II is expected to be released April 10th for $4.99. The response in our forums has been very positive and expectations are high for this game.

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As a gaming kid in the 80s, I sometimes sat dreamy-eyed between rounds of Demon Attack, wondering just what video games 30 years in the future might look like. What I pictured was something pretty darned close to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved from Bizarre Creations. So when that game first crossed my radar, I ran right out and grabbed an Xbox 360 — and it was absolutely worth it. Since then, I've enjoyed Geometry Wars: Galaxies on the Wii and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, again on the 360.

That said, no one should be surprised to hear how excited I was to see Activision release Geometry Wars: Touch [App Store] — out of nowhere — for the iPad.

Those familiar with Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, a downloadable XBLA release, should have a pretty good idea of what Geometry Wars: Touch brings to the table. If you've somehow missed it all this time, the game is a retro-styled multi-directional shooter with over the top glowing particle effects. The game has won rave reviews and been cloned numerous times on many platforms. The iPad version features all six play types of the XBLA release, with a seventh ("Titans") added in for good measure.

• Deadline: Score as high as you can in three minutes of play with unlimited lives.
• King: With one life and no bombs, master the enemies moving from safe zone to safe zone.
• Evolved: Basically Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.
• Pacifism: With one life and no weapons, wipe out enemies by flying through explosive gates.
• Waves: With one life, dodge or destroy an onslaught of enemies in wall formation, coming from all directions.
• Sequence: Destroy all enemies in each of 20 progressive levels.
• Titans: Pulverize large enemies into more and more smaller ones — basically Asteroids.

As compared to the XBLA version of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, the iPhone release is basically the same game, but with slightly toned down visual effects, no multiplayer, and dual virtual analog stick controls. An integrated online leaderboard keeps things competitive.

Now, this is the first iPad game that I've spent any time with, and I quickly became aware that gaming on the iPad is definitely a different experience than gaming on any desktop, laptop, or mobile device out there. Holding the iPad in front of me with both hands, looking at the action on its sizable screen really was a new and immersive experience.

Sadly, though, it's not all for the better.

Geometry Wars: Touch, as mentioned earlier, is a dual virtual stick shooter. There are plenty of these types of games out there for the iPhone and iPod touch, and they play well enough. But, on the iPad, things are a little different.

In an earlier article, both Arnold and Eli noted an initial unease with the dual stick controls in this and other games on the iPad. After spending time with this title, I felt similarly and attributed it to the iPad's larger edge border. Because of the extra "dead area" around the screen, I frequently found myself dragging my thumbs out of the active multitouch area and losing control of the game. At first this happened quite a bit, but as I got a few hours into the game and learned to force myself to put my thumbs "deeper" into the screen, the issue lessened — but it was still occasionally there.

See our gameplay video for a closer look.

That said, I don't think the issue is a specific implementation problem on the part of the Geometry Wars: Touch developers; I believe it is likely just a side effect of the iPad design. And I sincerely hope that more time spent with such games on the iPad can result in a learned proficiency that makes this a non-issue.

Those control concerns aside, Geometry Wars: Touch is, like earlier members of the series, an excellent arcade shooter. The game has been endlessly cloned on the iPhone and iPod touch platform (and most other platforms), so iPad gamers are definitely lucky to have an authentic Geometry Wars title in the App Store. And, for jealous iPhone and iPod Touch owners, I can't imagine why Activision wouldn't also port the title the rest of the iPhone platform devices sooner or later.

App Store Link: Geometry Wars: Touch, $9.99

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Alright, so here's the deal- The amount of iPad games out there on day one is beyond overwhelming. In the interest of getting something up on the site, here's some brief first impressions of the games we're going through as quickly as possible. Right now we kind of feel like kids in a candy store with hundreds of different kinds of candy while thousands of people stand outside with their face plastered against the window yelling "How does it taste?!"

We'll likely do in-depth coverage of most of the games that stand out, but for the time being, if you just got home with an iPad and are totally lost with where to start you can follow along with us going through these games. These aren't in any kind of order, rather, these are just the games that jumped out at us first.

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Real Racing HD, $9.99 – One of the biggest surprises for me with the iPad is how immersive racing games are, especially when in cockpit mode. The iPad feels a little on the heavy side until you get used to using it as a steering wheel, but a 1024×768 screen so close to your face really makes for a cool gameplay experience. For more details on Real Racing, check out our review. The game itself is very similar to the iPhone version, but with much better graphics and a hefty heap of immersion.

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Need For Speed Shift for iPad, $14.99 – Much like how we mentioned in our in-depth preview of the iPhone version, it's really a toss up as to which game is better between Need For Speed and Real Racing. Much like Real Racing, the game looks great on the iPad and I absolutely love the in-car view with the feel that comes with using the iPad as a steering wheel. Currently, Need For Speed costs an extra $5 over Real Racing, but if you prefer the arcade style of racing in the Need For Speed series, don't let the higher price tag scare you away.

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Touchgrind HD, $7.99 – If you're at all in to finger boarding, or liked the iPhone version of the game, you need Touchgrind HD for your iPad. The extra screen real estate of the iPad really improves gameplay, as you can see so much more and can actually plan out lines to skate instead of just bumping along looking for ramps and rails. The two player mode is super cool, and the amount of customization in the game between different skateboards rocks. Something to keep in mind is that this game controls like you're using an actual finger board just like the original, so there can be a somewhat sizable learning curve as you learn how to handle your board.

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Labyrinth 2 HD, $7.99 & Labyrinth 2 HD Lite, Free – Following the previously mentioned racing games, Labyrinth 2 HD was yet another "Oh wow, this is really cool" experience on the iPad. We absolutely loved Labyrinth 2 when it was first released for the iPhone, so it's not much of a surprise that the game is even better on the big screen of the iPad. Seriously, download the lite version if nothing else. The pseudo-3D tilting effect looks even better on the iPad.

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Harbor Master HD, Free – Line drawing games work fantastic on the iPhone, and they're even better on the iPad. The control method feels completely natural, and the game gets even more hectic because of how much more you can have on screen at once. If you've got an iPad, you definitely need to grab Harbor Master HD while it's free. (Heck, grab it even if you don't have an iPad just in case they raise the price.) The main down side to the game is it only includes one map, but if you get bored of Harbor Master HD and are craving more line drawing chaos management there's…

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Flight Control HD, $4.99 – The original Flight Control for the iPhone was a runaway classic, and I expect the iPad version to see the same success. Along with the HD upgrade comes even more maps, two player mode, and other fun stuff. Honestly, Harbor Master HD and Flight Control HD are both worth owning, and each game serves as a fantastic example of how to do a great job in taking a solid gameplay concept for the iPhone and making it even better on the iPad. I can't say enough good things about both games.

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Azkend HD, $4.99 – The original Azkend I think is the only puzzle game for the iPhone that I completely beat. The control mechanic employed is this neat mixture of matching and line drawing, which you can read all about in the review of the iPhone version. I really, really liked Azkend, and am more than a little disappointed that it doesn't seem that the HD upgrade brings much new to the table. The art definitely looks amazing at 1024×768, but if you're like me and have already annihilated Azkend on the iPhone you can probably skip the iPad version. If this is the first you've heard of Azkend, then the iPad version is fantastic.

Dual Stick Shooters

We've tried both Geometry Wars ($9.99) and Mini Gore HD ($4.99) and so far, we're not crazy about the feel of dual stick shooters on the iPad. We're not sure if there's a learning curve that we have to master, but it comes as a surprise given how naturally suited they were on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Geometry Wars looks and sounds great, but I couldn't get out my mind the thought that I'd rather be playing it on my iPhone. We'll spend more time with these and more titles and let you know our final conclusion

Positioning

Perhaps related to the dual stick shooter feel is that with the iPad I'm far more aware of my position and how I'm holding the device. Whether in my lap, or on the couch or holding it up, I've had to consciously juggle it around more than my iPhone due to the increased heft. In the long run, this may affect the type of games I want to be playing on it.

Tower Defense Games

So far every tower defense game I've tried has seemed to be absolutely perfect for the iPad. The HD upgrades also look beautiful.

The Creeps HD, $3.99 and Fieldrunners for iPad, $7.99 have controls that work great with the device, and panning around the map is a thing of the past with the iPad.

…Stay tuned for even more game impressions

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We all know that iPhone platform devices are capable mobile gaming devices. There are some real gems in the App Store that take particular advantage of the iPhone's unique capabilities, with more on the way. Apple knows it too — they've long been advertising the iPod touch specifically as a game machine. An Apple patent application that was made public on April 1 may indicate that Apple wants to take iPhone gaming to an even higher level.

First filed back in 2008, the patent in question, US20100081505, is entitled ACCESSORY FOR PLAYING GAMES WITH A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE. The abstract follows.

Circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide user interfaces for playing games on portable electronic devices. One example provides a game accessory having input controls for playing video, audio, and other types of games. The game accessory can have input controls, such as buttons, joysticks, and D-pads. Another example provides a game accessory having a thumb pad or keyboard. Other possible features include microphones, cameras and camera lenses, speakers, a second screen, rumble, and motion detection. The game accessory may have a recess sized to fit the portable electronic device. Inserts or removable adapters can be used to fit portable electronic devices having different sizes. The portable electronic device can be held in the accessory using sliding covers, clips, or other engaging members. In other examples, the accessory can communicate with another accessory for head-to-head game play. The accessory may include circuitry for power, identification, and authorization.

The patent basically details enclosures or sleds of various configuration into which a mobile device can be inserted, enabling use of the device with several different types of attached or wirelessly-connected peripherals. In the most basic form, simple enclosures (both landscape- and portrait-oriented) featuring integrated D-pad and button sets are detailed. From there, things get much more elaborate, including integrated keypads, cameras, accelerometers, rumble-packs — even a second display.

In other embodiments of the present invention, it may be desirable to include a second screen on the accessory. In such a situation, where the screen of the portable electronic device is a touchscreen, the touchscreen may be used to receive commands and instructions from a user and to provide first graphics, while the second screen provides second graphics.

The iPhone, with its accelerometers, multitouch display, and powerful processing hardware is certainly a platform where non-traditional games can thrive — and have. But there's no disputing the fact that certain types of games — old-school shooters, for instance — suffer from the lack of physical controls. iPhone OS 3.0 enabled the use of such external devices. Will it be Apple that brings these gaming accessories to market for dedicated iPhone gamers?

Visit Patently Apple for a easy-to-grasp layout of the patent with additional images.

Reading the description of the devices in the patent may, for some readers, bring to mind the iControlPad device, long in development, which we first covered back in May 2008. News of Apple's patent has come as surprise to the iControlPad team, causing great concern. Team member Craig Rothwell has been tweeting about the situation (@craigix) and is in the process of approaching Apple on the matter.

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One year ago Chillingo sent us a teaser about their upcoming 3D adventure shooter Vampire Origins. Today, the game finally went live in the App Store.

Vampire Origins is a macabre 3D shooter reminiscent of Alone in the Dark and early Resident Evil titles. The backdrops are pre-rendered and your character, his enemies, and various special items are rendered as 3D objects within the backdrop setting. You move from screen to screen in this fashion, and the transitions are quick, but there's no scrolling of the backdrop of any sort.

The story that ties it all together, well rendered in cartoon-style cut scenes, did have me anxious to see how things turn out. The typical battle scenarios are fine. With an onscreen stick and button, you move through the various screens, shooting enemies with a tap (auto-target or tap-the-enemy), utilizing various weapons that can be picked up along the way. While you can use the on-screen button to auto-fire, I found tap-firing directly on the enemies to be more accurate.

What's not so good are the sort-of boss-sequence fights that, while making for the best static screenshots, actually involve basically zero play skill. When you go up against a powerful villain, you watch a lovely, cinematic fight sequence — but basically only have to trace a line in the indicated direction to perform your attacks. It feels completely detached from the action and runs on for too long.

The forum response to the game has been rather negative, which I believe is based mostly on high expectations for the long build-up for the game, and the seemingly dated gameplay. Personally, having had a historical fondness to this sort of formula from early Playstation games, I actually enjoyed the gameplay setting and found the adventure sequences to be well done. That said, I can see how it would seem dated, and tap to shoot mechanic is almost never a positive. In the end, however, the game was fine, but not great which makes it hard to recommend at the $6.99 launch price.

App Store Link: Vampire Origins, $6.99

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Back at PAX East I met with the guys from Mission Critical Studios to see their upcoming game, DrNanoX. It's still in development, but they got me a brief trailer that shows the opening of the game and a little bit of gameplay footage. In the game, you play as a shrunk down doctor who is dispatched inside the bodies of your patients to manage medical maladies from the inside.

What struck me as rather interesting about this game is that the same people behind this game actually also do a number of commercial medical animations as well and it's fun seeing how they've turned these scientifically accurate animations in to a silly little third person shooter/adventure game. We'll see how DrNanoX turns out when it's released, but for the time being, it seems like an interesting premise that I look forward to trying out once it hits the App Store.

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