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Com2Us is certainly no stranger when it comes to minigame compilations. We recently covered Puzzle Family [$0.99 / Lite], a collection of minigames all focused around the puzzle genre. While we definitely enjoyed the adventure, we did have some reservations about the amount of playtime needed in order to unlock all the games (without resorting to IAP).

MiniGame Paradise [$0.99], Com2Us’s latest minigame compilation to hit the App Store, looks to continue the tradition of wacky fun-filled Korean minigames. While it certainly succeeds at creating a collection of games that are just as much fun if not more so than its previous title, the dreaded star currency makes a return. Make no mistake, the star currency is a bit more forgiving this time around, but that still means that you may not have as much fun with MiniGame Paradise out the gate as you would like.

Unlike Puzzle Family, the games in MiniGame Paradise are all action/arcade oriented, meaning the focus is less on thought stimulation and more on twitch controls and fast reflexes. Come2Us has done a good job of simplifying the controls for each game down to a single tap, which definitely make all the games extremely accessible to all sorts of gamers. However, don’t let the simple controls fool you, there’s enough variety and challenge to keep you occupied. The entire game is wrapped around the colorful ultra-cute motif that was present in Puzzle Family, so if that sort of art style turns you off, you may have to look elsewhere for your minigame fix.

In addition to the games, MiniGame Paradise also has a robust selection of ridiculously cute characters that you can collect and use to play the games. Interestingly enough, each character has different stats which affect how well they play certain games. Also, players can augment the stats for individual characters by either equipping items on them or by purchasing ‘equipment’ that the characters can use during the day, which slowly increases their stats. In some ways, this portion of MiniGame Paradise definitely has a Tamogatchi vibe going for it, and it certainly increases the overall replayability. It’s nice to see an overarching system tie in the games and characters. It just feels more like you’re playing in an actual world rather than a simple collection of minigames. MiniGame Paradise also utilizes Com2Us’s social gaming network which has full leaderboard support across all games.

MiniGame Paradise features a total of ten games ranging from simple endless path runners to a sidescrolling beat’em up complete with bosses, an experience/leveling system and various upgradeable weapons (no joke). Needless to say some of the minigames are deceptively comprehensive and could almost be considered full games on their own with a few tweaks. At the onset, you only have two of the simplest games unlocked with enough stars to unlock at third one.  Once you get some stars, I’d recommend that you unlock both ‘Smack a Whack’ (Beat’em up) and ‘Spatter Scatter’ (Vertical scrolling shooter) as those were by far the most enjoyable of the games (and their star-earning capabilities weren’t bad either). Thankfully, Com2Us offers several ways (join their social gaming network and like them on Facebook) to earn nearly enough stars to unlock three more without even playing a single game. Still, the last few games are going to take some time to fully unlock (unless you spring for the IAP, of course).

Star currency aside, MiniGame Paradise is simply a well done collection of action based minigames. The wearable items and character development features make this more than a simple collection, and the games are just fun. Even though you’re still going to have to work in order to unlock all the games, Com2Us has done a better job giving gamers the opportunity play most of the games at the onset. If you’re looking for some simple twitch gameplay, and you’re not turned off by super cute characters and art style, I suggest you check out MiniGame Paradise.

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The name Bullet has been thrown around for a while now as one of Gameloft's upcoming games by loose-lipped beta testers, and we've really had no idea what to expect given it's basically impossible for them to come up with a game title (Or, codename, I suppose) than that. Today's details come care of apparent YouTube watchdog Rafael Forse who caught Gameloft in the process of uploading two trailers, apparently forgetting to hit the ever-important "private video" checkbox in the process. This is easier than it sounds, and has caused some drama for us too in the past– Oddly enough, with a Gameloft game.

Knowing what we know about Gameloft, and how much they re-purpose their various game types, it seems reasonable to think that Bullet is either a third person adventure game sort of like BackStab [$6.99] or even a Grand Theft Auto style game like Gangstar: Miami Vindication [$6.99]. Either way, it seems clear that it's western themed.

Personally, I'm betting on it being closer to a Grand Theft Auto-esque game similar to Red Dead Redemption since that seems to make the most sense with the horse screenshot. Although, I could just be seeing that because I really enjoyed Red Dead and would love to see something similar on the App Store.

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This morning while making my morning coffee and browsing through my email, I came across the most amazing announcement I've seen come out of Sega since the Dreamcast. (Yes, I realize Sega has made other, potentially better announcements since then, but still.) Sonic CD is coming to the App Store. If this doesn't have you squealing with glee, you must not have been alive during the Sega CD glory days, as Sonic CD is by far the absolute best Sonic game. It comes from the era of gaming before everyone felt the need to shoehorn needless 3D into games that are perfectly suited to be sidescrollers, and it was packed with the various benefits the Sega CD could offer: Full motion video, a fantastic soundtrack, and tons of content. There's even a radical time traveling mechanic where you can travel between the past and future on the same level.

Now, before we (justifiably) start grumbling about the quality of Sega's various emulated ports, there may be a glimmer of hope out there that Sonic CD might be everything we could ask for and more in an iOS Sonic game. Long-time readers might be pickin' up what I'm puttin' down. If you're new to the scene, let me introduce you to this video from over two years ago:

To make a long story short, in the summer of 2009, pioneering iOS developer Christian Whitehead announced his "iPhone Retro Engine" and "Retro Engine Development Kit." Sonic CD was the proof of concept Christian used to show just how incredibly well his technology works. We quickly followed up with an interview with Whitehead who got into some details, and made mention that he did in fact pitch this whole project to Sega.

Not long after that, all traces of the Retro Engine and Sonic CD running in it vanished from the internet. All of the communication after the fact was strictly off the record, but one could easily assume that when someone approaches Sega with a working proof of concept to not only port their games to tons of platforms, but do it quickly, easily, and with great performance, they're going to jump all over it.

If you're not quite ready to equip your tinfoil hat and go with me on this, consider this: Everything from Sega's PR blast this morning perfectly describes Sonic CD as we saw it running on the iPhone two years ago. It's hitting multiple platforms, widescreen graphics, "special iOS features," achievements, and more. If this were anything but Christian Whitehead's Sonic CD, my gut is telling me that it'd be running in some wacky variation of the Sega CD's original 320×224 resolution wrapped in a crazy emulator and not enhanced in the slightest… Because, really, that's how Sega rolls.

We likely won't have to wait too long to find out either, as it should be playable this weekend at PAX. Hopefully they've got the iPhone version there, and I'd put my money on it looking almost exactly like the above video.

Update: It turns out my gut is calibrated particularly well today, as Sonic Retro has confirmed that Christian Whitehead (via his online alias "The Taxman") is involved with this port and it is in fact using the Retro Engine. Sega's even provided a teaser trailer:

Seriously, can't wait.

Update 2: We were contacted Christian, who again confirmed his involvement in this release but mentions that only the Xbox Live Arcade version will be playable at PAX. Bummer! We'll be keeping our eyes out for the iOS version, that's for sure.

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Like Tower Defense, one of the genres that saw a resurgence with the advent of iOS gaming is the ‘Sniper’ genre. Typically relegated to the flash games scene, the touch screen, accelerometer and gyroscopic controls of iOS devices seemed like a natural fit for Sniper games. This lead to an explosion of a wide variety of titles that all sought to put you behind the scope of a sniper rifle.

Hired Gun 3D [$0.99], the newest game from Triniti Interactive, is the latest Sniper game to hit the market. Described as a sequel to Triniti’s previous stick-figured sniper title, Hired Gun 3D lookes to up the ante with a revamped graphics engine as well as some improvements to the general gameplay. While it does end up as a marked improvement on its predecessor in an assortment of different ways, Hired Gun 3D fails to differentiate itself from the rest of the Sniper crowd.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Sniper shooter genre, let me set the scene for Hired Gun 3D: each mission tasks you with taking out a specific target in one of eight different environments. You’ll initially start zoomed out watching everyone walk by. Once you spot your man, tap on the screen to zoom in via your scope and once you’ve got him in your cross-hairs, all you have to do is shoot him to get credit for the kill. Missions have you killing multiples of the same target within a certain amount of time. After each successful mission, you earn cash that lets you buy and upgrade bigger and better sniper rifles. As with most sniper games, Hired Gun 3D is all about patience, precision, and observance.

Overall, Hired Gun 3D manages to satisfy those three tenants of sniper games. Each mission location is filled with random civilians, which not only increases the overall ambience but also forces you to pay extra attention to your target. Thankfully, the game’s accelerometer controls are relatively smooth and allow you the precision necessary to adequately track and target your victims. Hired Gun 3D’s visuals are also well done and are vastly improved over its predecessor. The upgrade system also does a good job of prolonging replayability, although I would have liked descriptions as to what exactly you’re getting when you upgrade the various stats on each gun (as well as a price tag for each upgrade).

Hired Gun 3D succeeds at being a decent sniper game, but there are some annoying design issues that bring the overall gameplay experience down. While the accelerometer controls do a good job of allowing you to track and take down your targets, the optional joystick controls are horrendous. Unfortunately, this makes the game almost unplayable when you’re in a situation that prevents you from moving your device around in a precise manner. The zoom controls while scoped seemed erratic as they would occasionally throw me out of zoom mode forcing me to have to re-aim, taking precious time off the mission clock. In addition, even though Hired Gun 3D is a paid app with IAP, all the menus still have annoying ads for other Triniti Interactive titles. While this doesn’t really affect gameplay, it seems an odd choice to subject your paying customers to ads.

One of the biggest concerns I have with Hired Gun 3D is  the overall lack of variety. One of the game’s selling points is the fact that there are an unlimited amount of missions to play and earn money, but they all play exactly the same way. Your target is always one of a handful of people and, while I enjoyed the mission environments, they get old pretty quickly. Even just a little more variety would have made the game far easier to enjoy. The fact that there’s no story or motivation to continue playing (besides upgrading your weapons) doesn’t help either.

Hired Gun 3D does a good job of providing you the average sniper experience. Unfortunately, that's all it does. If you're a fan of similar games, then Hired Gun 3D is worth a try simply because it's a new game and doesn't suck. However, if you're a newcomer or not necessarily a fan of sniper shooters, don't expect it to convert you.

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News is just coming out of Cupertino that Steve Jobs has resigned as Apple's CEO per a letter to Apple's board of directors. Steve requests to stay with the company as a chairman and appoints Tim Cook as his successor. The request still needs to be approved by the board, which is all but guaranteed.

Steve's letter is short and to the point:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

After-hours trading of Apple stock has resulted in a 5% drop, and it's not unreasonable to think that the stock may continue to slide tomorrow as investors react to the news. It seems easy to assume that Steve's departure as CEO is a direct result of his health as he has battled cancer since 2009, and we wish him the best.

On the bright side, Tim Cook is more than capable to serve as CEO, although he lacks the obvious star-power that Steve Jobs had. Also, as a chairman, Jobs can still have an influence over the products and direction of the company while being freed of the day to day responsibilities of CEO. Something else to keep in mind is that Cook has more or less been at the helm of Apple since 2009, and on and off since 2004 as Steve has fought cancer. Once all the reactionary dust settles, this should be a very smooth transition.

Update: According to the Wall Street Journal, as expected, Steve Jobs will remain active in the company:

People familiar with the situation have said that Mr. Jobs continues to be active at Apple and is closely involved in the company's product strategy. Apple watchers don't expect that to change even after Mr. Cook takes over.

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If you don’t mind soiling your hands by participating in a marketing scheme, you could win a chance to play Spy Mouse before the rest of the world does. Firemint and EA have kicked off a ‘contest’ for the long-awaited title, offering copies of Spy Mouse, Dead Space [$6.99 / HD], Real Racing 2 [$4.99 / HD], and The Sims 3 [$.99] as door prizes for discovering the answers to clues posted to this page once a day until August 26.

If you answer the clue correctly, you’ll be entered into a pool to win any of those games. If you so choose to tweet the fact that you’ve solved the clue on the appropriate page, you’ll apparently “double” your chance of winning. Also, for every 100 Facebook “Likes” the game’s page drums up, another winner will be picked for that day. The competition page is located here, while the clue page is here.

TUAW suggests that you use a side-Twitter account to do all of this, and that strikes us as sound advice. Unless, of course, your followers really want to know about Spy Mouse. Chances are, though, they’re more concerned with what you ate this morning and how your commute went. Just saying.

[Via TUAW]

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Following their successful co-release of Zen Wars [99¢] a couple weeks back, Liv Games put their noses to the grindstone to finish up a humongous update that’s been over 3 months in the making for their previous iOS title Legendary Wars [99¢/Lite/HD]. We certainly enjoyed Legendary Wars in our original review, but the game has been updated fairly regularly since its release in January and now includes all sorts of nifty new features like Retina Display support, Game Center, a native iPad version, and tons of gameplay tweaks and enhancements.

This latest update for Legendary Wars stands to be the biggest one yet. Liv Games has revealed that they recently passed the one million downloads mark for Legendary Wars, and all the hard work they’ve been pouring into this massive update is really a way to say thanks to the many fans of the game for their great support.

The biggest new feature in the forthcoming update is a brand new Arena Mode. Here, you’ll be able to pit your stable of heroes against many different monsters and new types of challenges. The catch is that you can only spawn each hero one at a time, and rather than mine for gems you’ll need to collect them from defeated monsters. It sounds like a whole lot of strategy will be needed in Arena Mode in regards to who and when you choose to summon certain heroes and how you manage your stock of gems. You can see screens from Arena Mode for both the iPhone and iPad versions of Legendary Wars.

Other new goodies to look forward to are several new monster types, a new Spell Book with 5 upgradeable magic spells that will give you the power to cast epic full-screen attacks, a new Monster difficulty level for those looking for a challenge beyond Legendary difficulty, and a new Miner upgrade that will start you with gems right off the bat so you can start building up your army of heroes without waiting. Also, a new Healer unit joins the cast and will have an interesting mind control ability that will allow you to take control of enemy monsters.

Coincidentally, controlling monsters is also a big part of Liv Games' upcoming new title, Monster Wars, which they’re looking to have out this fall. There aren’t many details on Monster Wars just yet, but through the end of this month Liv Games is hosting an art contest on their website where you have the chance to get your own character into the new game. Be sure to check that out and we’ll definitely have more information on Monster Wars in the not-too-distant future.

As for the Legendary Wars update, it’s already been submitted to Apple for review and Liv Games is hoping to have it release by the end of this week. Be sure to keep your eyes out for it and don’t forget to stop by our forums for some more Legendary Wars discussion.

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Freemium experiences on iOS just keep getting better. It wasn't long ago that gamers looking for a free game to play could choose from a variety of -ville and -war titles and very little else. Now, as free-to-play titles regularly hold the top of the charts, we're seeing freemium models worked into all sorts of games.

The latest to catch my fancy is Startales [Free], a darling game about a lonely star seeking the one he loves. Not only does Startales have engaging gameplay, borrowing the hook-and-swing mechanic of games like Hook Champ [$2.99], it also offers something of an emotional experience.

In Startales, you play a small star who has fallen in love. Tragically, you aren't bright enough to be seen by the object of your affections. She simply shines too bright. The other occupants of the sky dedicate themselves toward helping you win your lady love, lending their brightness to you until you shine bright enough.

In practice, this means that you hook your way from cloud to cloud, using your momentum to fling you forward and up into the night sky and collecting the other stars from the sky. Once you have enough, you have a chance to fly with your beloved. If you can keep close to her for long enough, you'll win her over and win the game.

After your first two attempts, which introduce you to the game with everything Startales has to offer, you are faced with a stripped-down version of the game. As you collect stars they're pooled together to act as currency. You can use them to activate a selection of power-ups that allow you to collect more stars, to build up your score or to fly with your love. You have to choose how you want to play — do you want to get the highest score and fly the furthest? Or do you want to win the heart of your love? You'll probably end up doing both, realistically, working on your high score until you have enough stars to fly with your love, and doing it all over again when you fail to win her over.

That was the point where my heart broke, just a tiny bit. I'd worked hard to shine brightly enough to find her, and then I only had a few moments to fly with her at my side. But it was hard to keep up with her and she got away. I followed the on-screen indicator to catch her, but tragedy struck. I launched myself badly and lost her. As I flew, the indicator grew smaller and smaller, then disappeared completely. She was gone. Defeated, I let darkness come up and claim me. I'll be honest — it was actually kind of sad.

If you can't stand the heartbreak, you can purchase extra stars and just keep trying. I prefer to earn my way into her heart, and it helps that the rest of the game is quite a lot of fun. You can choose power-ups that complement your strengths and keep using them as long as you earn enough stars to pay for them. While you're at it, you can use the game's robust multiplier system to work your way up the leaderboard (which will hopefully use Game Center at some future date).

Intrigued? Check it out — Startales is free, after all. And don't forget to share your impressions in our discussion thread.

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Settlers of Catan [$4.99 / HD] is considered, rightly, as one of the best board game-to-digital ports on the App Store. But other than just generally being sharp, it's also infinitely expandable, which is a great thing for the fans. Capitalizing on this is developer Exozet, who just shot Pocket Gamer a note that a new expansion is slated to hit later this year.

So, what is this upcoming expansion? Cities and Knights, which is easily one of the most aggressive expansions of the bunch. In it, you’ll develop cities while using knights to attack other players as well as help opponents defend the world from barbarians from across the ocean. The expansion also ushers in new cards that bolster the overall vibe of the experience.

Overall, there are a lot of fine details in this package, so if you're really interested in Cities And Knights, the Wikipedia article on it should sate your hot desire to learn more.

It’s unknown at the moment whether this will be an IAP or simply a free update, but our dime is on the fact that it’ll cost some dough. And, really, why wouldn’t it considering the amount of stuff it adds to an aging game. Speaking of that, actually, Catan was updated earlier last month with a new graphical pass and several optimization tweaks. Obviously, the developer is still very much behind its product.

[Via Pocket Gamer]

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