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Be-Rad Entertainment gained notoriety on the App Store with Lame Castle [99¢/UHD/Lite], a game inspired by Sony’s advertising jab at iOS gaming, and more recently with the well-received Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack [$1.99/Lite]. At GDC this week, they were showing off their newest iOS title, a strategic matching game based on the movie ‘WarGames‘.

‘WarGames’, if you aren’t aware, is a classic early 80s hacking tale where a young computer enthusiast inadvertently hacks into a military missile strike system. He thinks he’s merely playing a game, but in reality, he is setting off a series of events that will eventually lead to World War III. When he realizes what has happened, it’s a mad scramble to reverse what he has done. Here’s a short teaser featuring clips from the ‘WarGames’ movie itself:

In the WarGames iOS game, you’ll play as the WOPR computer system. As a computer who merely wants to carry out its orders, you’re constantly battling against the people who are trying to shut down the missile launching process. You’ll battle against 6 characters from the movie in matching gameplay that is highly reminiscent of the excellent RPG puzzle title Dungeon Raid [$2.99/Lite].

WarGames isn’t just a Dungeon Raid clone, though. There isn’t a huge focus on persistent RPG leveling, but the drag-to-make-matches mechanic is basically the same. You battle against each of the movie characters by making matches to earn cash, replenish your health, increase experience, and of course deal damage. Certain items on the board with a circle around them will act as your opponents offense if you don’t match them quickly enough, adding a highly strategic layer to the gameplay.

There are other aspects like unlockable power-ups that can increase what you earn for matches or deal additional damage to your opponent. Be-Rad also hopes to implement even more fan service directly from the movie, like sound effects and voice samples. I expected a WarGames game to be more along the lines of The Hacker [99¢] which we recently really enjoyed, but I was pleasantly surprised by the matching game and I think it works really well with the movie IP.

Be on the lookout for WarGames to be hitting sometime in the next couple of months.

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Feel like 1997’s Starship Troopers left a little to be desired? You’re not alone. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions is taking another stab at it with the fully animated Starship Troopers: Invasion, due out this summer. And it won’t be alone: there will be a companion game released for iOS.

Starship Troopers: Invasion (the game) is being developed by industry newcomer Spectre Media, and it looks like its coming along well. The game is going to be an on-rails third-person action game, set in the universe of the film but not hitting quite the same story notes. Both take place on an isolated Federation outpost, Fort Casey, that’s under attack by the Bugs, the arachnid enemy from the Robert Heinlein novel and the films. The hero, a member of the Terran Federation’s Mobile Infantry, is alone and up against a huge enemy force.

It sounds as though Spectre Media has been inspired to some degree by Infinity Blade. Players will explore the environment, taking the occasional branching path to discover the secrets and destroy the bugs of Fort Casey. There will be upgradable weapons and power armor, resources that can be gathered and IAP options. Combat will consist of tapping to shoot and gesture-based weapon swapping.

From what we’ve seen, Starship Troopers: Invasion has some serious potential. It’s done a good job of mixing tension with cathartic action. There’s a need for stealth as you travel through the game’s hallways and caverns: make too much of a scene, and you’ll draw the attention of infestations of Bugs while you’re stuck in narrow corridors. A rear-view camera lets you know when Bugs are sneaking up behind you, and then you’ll have a choice. Will you stand and fight and risk bringing the full wrath of the Bugs down on you, or will you flee?

Story-wise, the game runs parallel to the movie, tying into it without telling the same tale. It can be enjoyed with or without the film, but the story from each will enhance the other. Invasion also bears hints of a greater story for fans of the novel. If you’re an action nut, it sounds like you can safely ignore it and keep mowing down bugs, but there’s lots out there to be found for the curious player. Plus, the assets for the game are shared from the film production, so it’s sure to look great when it’s complete.

Starship Troopers: Invasion will be released this summer on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Spectre Media hasn’t finalized price point for the launch, but they don’t expect it to be higher than $0.99. We’ll bring you more info as it’s available.

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Apple’s iPad Media Event recently drew to a close and TouchArcade was fortunate enough to have been sitting ring-side to watch the iOS phenomenon further unfold.

During today’s event, Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage to announce, first and foremost, the third generation iPad (which is known as, simply, “iPad”) as well as related iOS apps and a new and improved third generation Apple TV.

It turns out that the rumors leading up to the new iPad’s unveiling were true; the new unit sports an improved Retina display with four times the number of pixels as the earlier iPads. The new screen has a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels and features notably improved color saturation as compared to the earlier devices. In order to push so many pixels around the screen, Apple has utilized their new A5X processor, a more powerful unit than the earlier A5, that features a quad-core GPU, bringing twice the number of graphics cores of the iPad 2 to bear on pixel- and polygon-pushing tasks. Given these specs, the A5X GPU configuration should be virtually identical to that of the Sony PSVita. Presumably the A5X features two CPU-cores, as did the A5 before it.

During the event, Cook brought several guest speakers on stage from various software studios, including Namco Game Design Director James Shelton and Epic Games President Mike Capps. Shelton demonstrated Namco’s upcoming aerial combat game Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy, while Capps took the audience on a tour of Epic’s upcoming Infinity Blade: Dungeons. Both titles were an impressive demonstration of gaming on the new, twice-the-resolution Retina display of the new iPad. (Well, as much as they could be on a studio projector with a lower resolution than the new iPad, itself!)

After the main event, attendees were given the opportunity for a hands-on with the new iPad and to chat with several high-level figures, including senior VP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller, about the latest iOS device.

Upon picking up the new device for the first time, the thing that strikes you right away is, unsurprisingly, the clarity of the screen. Indeed, the experience of using the new iPad is much the same as using an iPhone with Retina display as compared to an earlier iPhone or iPod touch. It’s striking, and in the best of ways. The jump in resolution, I noticed, was most visible in bringing up web pages in Mobile Safari, where content had the clarity of pages in a magazine. To me, the new iPad feels physically identical to the iPad 2, as far as weight and size.

I spent a short period of time with Air Supremacy and, there, saw high framerates with numerous aerial enemies on-screen, rendered quite a bit more sharply than I am accustomed to from an iPad game. I think that Infinity Blade: Dungeon might actually be a better demonstration of the design intricacy and minute detail that the screen can deliver, but I did not see that title, in person, unfortunately.

The device unveiled today brings unprecedented video fidelity to what was already one of the best gaming platforms out there — the iPad. It’s four times the pixels, with twice the graphics power of the iPad 2. All of us here at TouchArcade are anxious to see what developers have in store for Apple’s new flagship iOS device.

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It’s been over six months since Final Fantasy Tactics [$15.99] hit the iOS scene, and while the port largely survived the move to the iPhone we noted some issues that kept the game back from a universal recommendation. Even worse, the iPad version that we thought was on the horizon disappeared from the radar, leaving the small screen as the only avenue for playing the game for quite some time (iPad 2x mode notwithstanding). Now with Final Fantasy Tactics for iPad [$17.99] here, we can finally see if that half a year waiting period was worth it. While the port certainly improves in a variety of different areas (mainly due to the increased screen space), it’s still far from perfect.

For folks new to Final Fantasy Tactics, I recommend that you read our original review of the iPhone version (along with the recommendation to just check around the internet for the multitude of views on this classic). For everyone else, this is the same War of the Lions version found on the iPhone/iPod touch and Sony PSP (except for the multiplayer in the PSP version). It’s still the same, extremely deep strategy RPG that has kept its appeal even over a decade later.

One of our primary issues with the iPhone version of Final Fantasy Tactics dealt with an inherent limitation of the device. Specifically, the screen just felt too small for the amount of information displayed. Thankfully, the iPad version rectifies some of those concerns. The text is a lot less blurry (something that had been fixed in an update to the iPhone version since our original review), the added buttons and menus feel more spaced out, and the game just plays more comfortably in long gaming sessions. Unfortunately, the larger screen size also leads to a clearer view of just how pixelated most of the visuals are. However, I doubt most veterans of FFT are going to care about pixelated sprites.

Gameplay slowdown, another nagging issue that detracted from the iPhone experience (and has been somewhat addressed in recent updates) has improved in the iPad port. Strangely enough, not all abilities/spells seem to benefit from the additional quickness. For example, jump into the prologue and you’ll see that Agrias’ Holy Sword abilities (as well as Summoner spells later on) are greatly sped up. However, Squire Fundaments, as well as some black mage spells, still seem to suffer from noticeable slowdown. This inconsistency seems to exist across a variety of abilities, although the slowdown seems to affect far less abilities than previously. It’s important to note that despite the speed improvements, there’s still a disappointing lack of smoothness which continues to detract from the experience.

Gamers holding out hope that Final Fantasy Tactics for iPad features a revamping of controls are in for a disappointment. The touch controls, along with the general interface, continue to be a mixed-bag. The larger screen space of the iPad means things are generally easier to read and navigate, but there are still too many button presses, confirmation windows, and virtual buttons to be considered streamlined. Still, with enough playtime to get used to the controls I found the iPad version to be far preferable than the cramped iPhone/iPod touch screen.

Other elements, like sound quality and music, make the transition to the iPad with little change. MIDI effects still continue to occasionally sound odd, most likely due to the porting process. The music, meanwhile, is still one of the strongest suits of Final Fantasy Tactics, and remains one of my favorite gaming soundtracks to date.

When all is said and done, the iPad port of Final Fantasy Tactics can be summed up in two statements. First, this iPad port, while long overdue, is superior to the iPhone version (primarily due to larger screen) and should be considered the preferred iOS experience (assuming you have an iPad 2). Second, while the iPad version makes improvements, it still doesn’t match the feel of the original PSX version, which has yet to be duplicated on any platform.

For previous fans that haven’t checked Final Fantasy Tactics on iOS yet, your enjoyment will be based on how well you can check your nostalgia and overlook the nuances of porting. For everyone else, it’s safe to say that you should try this classic turn-based RPG any way you can, iOS or otherwise.

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Following the port of their 1993 arcade shooter RayForce [$11.99] to the App Store, Taito announced over the weekend that they’ll be bringing another shooter, Darius Burst: Second Prologue, to iOS in the future, according to Andriasang.

Darius Burst was originally a Sony PSP game released in late 2009, and was an official new entry in the fabled Darius series of shmups. An arcade version came a year later called Darius Burst Another Chronicle, and it was especially noteworthy due to its insanely wide screen and cabinet. Sadly, neither game was released outside of Japan.

It’s unknown whether the iOS version of Darius Burst is based off of either of the previous versions of the game, but my guess would be that it is an enhanced remake of the original that will have its own special iOS specific features. That’s just wishful speculation on my part, however.

Famitsu’s mobile gaming site originally broke this news and also managed to nab the first screens of Darius Burst: Second Prologue which you see here, but unfortunately there are no other details on the game – like pricing or release date – at this time. After the somewhat controversial launch price for what was a fairly standard port of RayForce, it will also be interesting to see what price Darius Burst clocks in at. Just as soon as we have more news on Darius Burst: Second Prologue, we’ll let you know.

[Via Andriasang]

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The wait for Grand Theft Auto 3 on iOS and Android is almost over. On its blog a few minutes ago, Rockstar revealed that the 10 Year Anniversary Edition port of the game-changing open-world title will hit the App Store and Android Marketplace on December 15th at an agreeable price point of $4.99. A new trailer giving you another taste of what’s to come is expected to release next week, but we’ve got some new screens right now to hold you over.

Oh! And in other related-and-cool news, GTA 3 will support more than just iPad 2, iPhone 4S, or a beefy Android device at launch. Single core phones and devices are now game. Here’s an updated list of what will be supported at launch:

• Apple iOS Devices: iPad 1 & 2, iPhone 4 & 4S, iPod touch 4th Generation
• Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x
• Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive

[Thanks, @WakeBoardMan10!]

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Any pinball fan reading this post can be no stranger to Gameprom and their quality iOS pinball collections, Pinball HD and War Pinball, and related, standalone tables. Last summer, the studio partnered with Sony Music Entertainment to add a little rock and roll to the pinball equation in the form of Slayer Pinball Rocks HD [App Store], a fast and furious Slayer-themed table. Gameprom has recently rekindled the Sony relationship to release AC/DC Pinball Rocks HD [App Store], a standalone table that makes you want to scream out, “Angus!”

The first thing you’ll notice about AC/DC Pinball Rocks is that it’s a pretty ornate table, over the top in a fashion that, I think, well fits the band. Arrayed about the table are various bits of AC/DC stage memorabilia, including the Rock ‘N Roll Train, Hell’s Bell, the For Those About To Rock cannon, and the Highway to Hell, itself. As you work the table, AC/DC tracks, including “Thunderstruck,” “Highway to Hell,” and “You Shook Me All Night Long”, play along with the action as pyrotechnics blast sparks across your screen.

As far as the table itself, it’s quite a different experience from the fast-paced Slayer Pinbal. AC/DC Pinball Rocks features slower-paced ball action than the other rock title and notably lacks the two main bumpers typically found above a table’s central set of paddles, leaving the center of the table pretty much wide open. This may seem to be the formula for a bland game of pinball at first, but after playing the game for a short while I realized I was able to be rather more strategic and precise on this table than most others. It’s possible, on the AC/DC table, to aim for targets as distant as the far corners, thanks to the ball pacing and the open central area. That’s really not something you can do on a typical table and makes for a non-typical game experience. What’s more, the sides of the table are nicely busy, with elevators, lightning bumpers, and the mission-lending TNT bundle.

The main reason that the central area of the table is left open is the mini game that takes place there. There are three mini games in all, in fact. On the right side of the screen is a guitar mini-game featuring a small ball pin with paddles, while on the left is a mini-game involving the aforementioned stage cannon. The central area mini-game raises a barrier and challenges you to score in the lower portion of the table, ultimately in a mission to open the Trap Door to Hell.

AC/DC Pinball Rocks features both single- and dual-player modes and offers a variety of camera angles, just like Gameprom’s other pinball titles that came before.

AC/DC Pinball Rocks HD is a fun table that definitely feels like Gameprom pinball. I won’t call it my favorite of their offerings, but it’s certainly worth its space on the iOS devices of any pinball fan out there.

Da Vinci Pinball Update

Another bit of news from Gameprom is a video posted a few weeks back that contains (among other previews) a brief walk-through of the incredible-looking upcoming Da Vinci Pinball table that we previewed back in August.

The Da Vinci table is expected to arrive as a DLC item for the studio’s Pinball HD collection. It will be made available soon for both iOS and Mac OS X, and is one we’re very anxious to get our hands on. Stay tuned for a close look.

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Mobile analytics firm Flurry today reports on the continuing shift in portable gaming from dedicated devices to smartphones and other multipurpose devices. According to results compiled by Flurry from NPD market research and Flurry’s own mobile app data, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile operating systems will account for 58% of portable gaming revenue in the United States for 2011, an almost exact flip-flop from 2010 when dedicated device leaders Nintendo and Sony held 57% of the market.

The most striking trend is that iOS and Android games have tripled their market share from roughly 20% in 2009 to nearly 60% in just two years. Simultaneously, Nintendo, the once dominant player, has been crushed down to owning about one-third of market in 2011, from having controlled more than two-thirds in 2009. Combined, iOS and Android game revenue delivered $500 million, $800 million and $1.9 billion over 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Flurry’s data for 2011 is based on estimates for the final two months of the year, but suggests that the rapid growth in gaming on smartphone platforms is showing no signs of slowing. The market dynamics of free or low-cost games sometimes supplemented by in-app purchases and played on multi-function devices versus dedicated gaming devices with relatively high-cost game titles are clearly playing out in favor of iOS and Android. The result has been a surging gaming market increasingly attracting casual gamers willing to spend a few dollars to play on their phones, while established players have seen not only their shares but also their revenue declining each year.

Nintendo has been resisting increasing pressure to bring its games to the iPhone and other platforms, sticking by its long-standing tradition of making its games exclusive to its own hardware. Flurry suggests that the rapidly-shifting landscape of portable gaming may soon bring Nintendo face-to-face with a “Nokia-like” decision whether to jump over to smartphone platforms or watch its business erode away.

[Originally Posted on MacRumors]

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We’ve been keeping a close watch on the PS Vita since its announcement and as we’ve followed up with it, we’ve become more and more convinced that it’ll be the one near-future portable device that’ll compete with Apple in a meaningful way in the games space. Yesterday’s press conference in Japan went a long way in solidifying this thought, as the handheld is poised to launch with a lot of big-name IPs and tech that should draw popular attention.

To be clear, Sony had nothing of substance to say about PS Vita’s launch outside of Japan at the event. It also didn’t get into game release dates. But it did share some news on games: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, Final Fantasy X HD, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Zone of the Enders HD Collection, Lumines, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, and several other releases are all slated to hit the PS Vita at some point down the line. In Japan, the device will launch on December 17 with a total of 26 games, most of which will presumably be big-ticket titles that won't ever be available on the App Store.

LUMINES!

I think it’s fair to speculate that when the device hits elsewhere in 2012, the rest of the world will experience a similar launch line-up and the promise of ridiculous launch window support. Over 100 games are being developed for the device in Japan, Sony said at the event. And let's not forget about the "apps" — Sony showed off the browser, multi-tasking, a photo viewer, and several less notables at the event. We've already said in the past that its non-game support is looking strong and, wouldn't-you-know-it, pretty phone-like.

A listing of what’s inside the PS Vita is now available at Destructoid. It’ll boast a ton of RAM and a 4-core A9 CPU, which is pretty hot. On the minus side, it’s only going to be able to sustain a maximum battery life of five hours of play before you need to plug it into a wall and re-charge for around three hours.

I guess it’s no surprise to see publishers like Capcom, Square Enix, Konami, and Tecmo Koei latch onto new technology, but it’ll be interesting to see if the big name properties each of these players — and several other notable western developers — are bringing to the Vita will be enough to push the platform into a legitimate position of strong competition with iOS. Apple is killing it in this space, so it’ll take a big push in both digital and retail for Sony to get people to jump over and carry around this bulky-butt thing. From this TGS event, it seems like Sony is willing to at least try for a mad dash at your wallet.

[Via Destructoid, Giant Bomb, 1UP]

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In this week’s podcast, we get into another discussion about the handheld vs mobile space in which I declare that handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS and the forthcoming PS Vita still have a shot to fill a niche that mobile devices can’t. I’m of the mind that these devices’ big budget games and, generally speaking, their more fleshed out and engrossing experiences are a unique attraction that should draw new audiences and those of us with iDevices that want a bit more.

As terrifying as it is, Sony and I are on the same wavelength on this. Despite the fact that the PS Vita will draw on a lot of the extra functionality that makes handheld gaming so much more attractive with a phone, Sony believes that its retail products will provide the extra oomph to battle purely mobile platforms and their games’ comparatively lower-budget and lower dev time experiences.

Speaking with GameSpot, Sony’s John Koller said that Sony views mobile and the handheld gamers as two demographics, but he also reckons that mobile people who want the larger, bigger budget experiences will flock to handhelds — the PS Vita in particular.

"When you look at the type of consumer that's playing cell phone games currently, it's someone that enjoys smaller 'kill time' gaming and has not gravitated to the larger, richer, deeper experiences that true handheld gaming provides,” he said.

"We've certainly seen that on the PSP, and I know Nintendo has probably commented on it for their products, but as we go toward the PS Vita, I can tell you that as we started looking at that product and the market opportunity several years ago, we saw a real strong demographic for those deeper, richer, console-type experiences. We had them on PSP, but we've taken them to a new level on PS Vita with the entirety of new ways to play."

Our take has always been, via Sony messaging and Vita functionality, that Sony is aware that it’s competing against phones. It strikes us as weird that Koller is talking about two separate demographics. Regardless, the point Koller makes is a cogent one: as of right now, we don’t have a Half-Minute Hero or a God of War or a Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. You still have to grab a handheld for these kinds of experiences.

The jury is still out, though, on if people actually want to lug around something as big as a Vita or splurge on the tech when they could just grab a console, which will have even bigger and often more satisfying games.

[Via Gamasutra, Gamespot]

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