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12 Indie Apps for Christmas still has a few more weeks to clock before it ends, but the latest report on what the program has managed to raise in the little time that it’s been up and running is impressive. According to Indie Game Mag, the collective of developers have raised over $1500 dollars to give to its two charities: Doctors Without Borders and Child’s Play. That’s hip!

In case you missed it this week, 12 Indie Apps For Christmas is kinda like the Humble Indie Bundle. The bottom-line is that twelve developers are teaming up together and giving away 25 percent of each individual sale of one of their App Store games, post Apple cut, to charity through December. Neat idea, right?

The official rundown is still available on the collective’s site, and the twelve games list can be seen here in our original post.

[Via Indie Game Mag, via @GavinBowman]

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Earlier this afternoon, Telltale Games revealed when we’ll see the next two chapters of the Tales of Monkey Island series on iPhone and iPod Touch: December 15 and December 22, respectively. For fans of the series on these smaller devices, we’d imagine that this is a very welcome turnaround between episode releases. The gap between initial chapter and the upcoming second chapter will have been more than a month when it releases.

For those not in the know, Monkey Island Chapter 2, or The Siege of Spinner Cay, follows the Mighty Pirate (TM) as he interacts with the world’s Mer-folk. Monkey Island Chapter 3, or Lair of the Leviathan, deals almost exclusively with the latest, and probably most moist, mess Guybrush has ever been in. Both are cool, so definitely give them a shot if you’re really feeling Tales of Monkey Island.

[Thanks, WakeBoardMan10!]

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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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As I write, I often consider whether or not my take on a game might be biased. For instance, I am clearly going to adore the idea of a game where I get to pilot a flying catmobile that spits screaming mice at grumbly enemies over a real-time war simulation. On that note, Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword [$0.99] is clearly the kind of game that I gravitate towards — its comic-inspired, it features an alien invasion, I’m basically running around with a lightsaber, and its got that modern retro feeling. In other words, I’m already smiling at the prospect. Biased? Maybe just a bit.

That being said, if a game sucks, it doesn’t get my stamp of approval no matter how many hallmarks of my tastes it contains. I’m happy to report that Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword not only features really cool, kitschy themes and humor, but it’s actually a hell of a lot of fun to play as well.

You play the role of Cornelius in this side-scroller, a comic store employee who is suddenly faced with an alien invasion. What better time than now to fulfill his dream of becoming a hero? And so, trusty plasma sword in hand, he goes bounding through the world taking out robots and saving the world. Not such a bad career, although the pay is more about looking cool than rolling in the greenbacks.

The game is on rails, so your only responsibilities will be to make Cornelius jump, slide and swing his sword as he runs through each level. Doing so is very pleasant as the buttons along the sides of your screen are very responsive, and you’ll lose yourself right into the action as you jam out to the appropriately wacky “alien invasion” music. Each level has lots of stuff to dodge and also lots of cool powerups, which will you give you powers like a shield so you can take an extra hit or a sword powerup that lets you fling a charge attack at the robots.

By adding levels and bosses to the basic endless running formula, Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword turns out a pretty appealing package. As you make your way through the city and the factory levels to finally reach the mothership , you’ll collect stars which give you XP (along with killing enemies and completing levels). When you finally die, you will get a chance to use the XP points you earn to level up your skills, unlock story and endless levels early if you like, or even buying snazzy clothes for your character. This system gives you a bit of a reward after you die, so instead of that feeling of drudgery you get when playing other running games and dying over and over, this one weathers that out well by giving you a little break before you get back to it.

In-App purchases are also an option, but they are in the game in a very low key way (they are accessible in the same menu where you can buy power-ups with your XP). What I liked most about the way this was presented was that you didn’t feel like you were losing out if you didn’t spend real life money, because in the same menu there was all this other stuff to choose from that you could earn from actual gameplay.

Now, that’s just Story Mode. Endless Mode is also available, and adds in little missions that challenge you to run a certain distance or that sort of thing. I had more fun in story mode, but overall I still found this mode challenging and worthwhile as well. Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword is also compatible with OpenFeint, Game Center, Facebook and Twitter, so you pretty much have every way you can possibly think of to share your scores with your friends at your fingertips.

From presentation to gameplay to overall fun factor, Don’t Run With a Plasma Sword simply shines. It’s got distinctive character and a great sense of humor. It’s also a treat to look at — great design, excellent color. Do I sound biased now, or what? Seriously, though, that whole Mars Attacks formula really works here, especially with a dash of comic book inspiration thrown in. I have a feeling you’ll be enjoying this title for some time, and it’ll be one of those that you keep on coming back to.

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The App Store is home to a ton of unique ideas, and we’ve seen all sorts of games come along that started out one way and evolved into something entirely different due to content updates that are often spurred by feedback from gamers in our forums. It’s one of the neat aspects about iOS gaming, and something that sets it apart from most other traditional gaming platforms.

However, Bryan Perfetto, creator of the awesome endless high scoring game Kitty Up [99¢] (the second title this morning that has previously been featured on the Kitty Korner segment of our podcast) is taking the app updating facet of the App Store to the extreme. He has just released Rocket Bits [Free], his latest game that’s not really much of a game at all… yet.

The idea behind Rocket Bits is that he’s soliciting any and all ideas from users and will try to implement them into the game the best he can. Right now, the game isn’t much more than an extremely basic cave flyer with very little to do. You can control the dual thrusters of a tiny rocket by touching either side of the screen, and putt around an expansive randomly generated map, bumping into walls and… that’s about it.

But just because there isn’t much to do in Rocket Bits doesn’t mean it’s not off to a pretty good start. The thruster controls feel great, the retro-styled pixel art is quite nice, and the chip tunes in the game are fantastic. Since the game isn’t much right now, it’s being offered for free, and eventually after some updates have fleshed out the experience then Bryan plans to raise it to “the outrageously expensive price of one dollar.”

If the concept of Rocket Bits intrigues you, you can send your game ideas via email to bryan@regularkid.com, on Twitter at @RegularKid, through his website www.regularkid.com, or just blurt them out in iTunes reviews for the game. The plan is to update the game weekly, though that will depend on how difficult the ideas are to implement and Apple’s review process. If he uses your idea, you’ll get your name forever emblazoned in the game’s credits section.

It’ll be interesting to see how Rocket Bits shapes up over time, and how well the developer will be able to use the ideas given to him. We’ll keep our eye on its progress, and there’s no reason not to grab the game for free to check it out and send along some ideas of your own.

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You don’t have to be an app hipster to be a little affronted when your favorite app hits the big time and everyone starts playing it. Really, are there many things more annoying than logging into Facebook only to see that your 11th grade lab partner has posted five hundred achievements from what was previously your favorite game? Instead of making passive aggressive comments on their status updates (“Wow, at least being unemployed gives you the opportunity to really master Angry Birds!”), channel that righteous anger into downloading Princess Punt [Free], a game that you are certain to be the first (and perhaps last) person on the block to be playing.

Before getting into the game itself, a warning is in order. There are plenty of things you will hate about this game. Endless popups after every level urging you to post every inane achievement to Facebook and Twitter, the out-of-place slot machine minigame that’s basically an in-app purchase cash grab, the agonizingly long loading times. Oh, and the eleven (eleven!!) in-game updates that have to download before you can begin (lord help you poor saps using a 3G connection to download them; wi-fi is definitely recommended!). Also, the default language is Japanese, so keep an eye out for the language options after installation—not that it really matters, because the loading screen text and tutorials don’t make any sense in English, either.

Long story short(ish): It’s confusing and difficult to get into. Why, then, is it worthy of a review?

Because it’s incredibly, weirdly fun. It’s supremely beautiful, frustrating, and clever, much like the game’s namesake, the lovestruck and violent Princess Punt. It’s a physics puzzler, but it’s far and above the zillions of pick up and go titles in the App Store because of the sheer depth of the gameplay.

You control the Princess, who is on her way to meet up with her hunky boyfriend. The road is full of dangerous enemies, including dinosaurs(!!) and angry acorns (yes, such a thing exists). In order to get past these obstacles, you kick (or punt, if you will) bombs and, more importantly, your minions.

There are several royal minions to punt into the fray, all with different abilities. There’s a mage who shoots ice bolts and rains down fire, a centurion who knows his way around a spear (um, not in the ancient Greek way, sheesh), an archer who can shoot arrows from a safe distance, and your Hero (the primary minion who is by your side at all times, and may have a slight crush on the Princess) who has experience with a wide variety of weapons (the trident is my favorite!).

As you kick your minions into danger, their various abilities set in. The exciting thing here is that they stay in play even after you’ve kicked them, through the entire level, so there is a fairly major element of strategy involved. For example, if you send your archer in during your first kick and make sure he’s out of the enemies’ reach, he can bombard them with arrows the whole round, even after you’ve also sent in the Hero and a bomb or two.

After you’ve beaten a level, you get experience powerups that you can use to make the Hero’s abilities level up, making his weapons more powerful and allowing him to withstand more hits. Additionally, the mostly-bogus slot machine that pops up between successfully completed levels occasionally grants you new weapons for your other minions, meaning your mage can have an upgraded staff or your archer might get a new power attack.

That’s what makes Princess Punt so hard to put down, despite being difficult to get into at first. It’s a puzzle game that also happens to be an RPG, and while the combination might seem weird at first, after a round or two it’ll be hard to imagine playing a similar puzzle game that’s missing the added strategic elements of Princess Punt. And while the game might feel piecemeal at times, the sheer number of ways that you can play the game more than makes up for all the (eleven!!!!) in-game updates and unabashed pleas for in-app purchases.

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No one can deny that the advent of Angry Birds made a permanent change to the way people saw iOS gaming. Since its debut in December 2009, the simple bird-launching game has made approximately 27 boatloads of money, and continues to rake it in with merchandise sales such as plushies and more. Naturally, other designers were bound to try to imitate the formula and appeal to the gamers who were hopelessly addicted to hurling birds at pigs. And with that, clones were born.

Snappy Dragons [99¢/Lite/HD/Lite HD] is an Angry Birds clone, through and through. But I have to clarify, because at this point in the post-Angry Birds landscape, there are many different categories of clones, so it’s essential to explain what exactly you’re getting into. Well, aside from throwing stuff at other stuff.

Snappy Dragons has a very simple premise, just like the game it’s inspired by: Evil wizards have kidnapped adorable baby dragons, and it’s up to you to save them. To do so, you’ll need to progress through a series of levels (80 in total across four different worlds) that present the basic challenge of taking out the wizards and saving the baby dragons. Luckily, you have a handful of fireballs at your disposal, so that helps your quest considerably. You also get to choose which dragon you play out of four, which has pretty much no effect on the actual game but hey, you look cool.

As you progress through the levels, new challenges will be introduced such as dragon cages which you can destroy for extra points. Controls are responsive when it comes to aiming your fireballs and trying to nail the perfect arc, and its still fun to make your way through the levels. It all feels familiar, which is probably because the formula is shamelessly copied from Angry Birds, but if you crave more of that gameplay, you will certainly enjoy making your way through Snappy Dragons.

There are also bonus levels sprinkled throughout the game too, which help to break up the level-by-level formula and let you go on a wizard-killing rampage. It’s strangely satisfying to never run out of fireballs, as they are limited in all the regular gameplay levels.

The game has a cheery feel and the art style is perky, with wide eyed dragon babies blinking innocently while they wait for you to save their lives. It’s nothing that you’ll rave to your friends about, but you will likely enjoy it in that way that a familiar thing can be rewarding (kind of like my shaming and horrible addiction to all Zuma games). It also has built in Facebook and Twitter support, so while you may not need to rave about how unique Snappy Dragons is, you can at least brag about your high scores to your friends. And since bragging seems to be a golden quality among most gamers, it’s sure to please those of you who enjoy doing so.

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The folks over at XBLAFans have received a tip about a possible upcoming port of The Simpsons Arcade Game coming to Xbox Live Arcade, and if recent history is any indication, there’s a good possibility that it could be coming to the App Store as well.

Twitterer @lifelower notes that the Australian ratings board has rated The Simspsons Arcade Game and attached Backbone Entertainment as the author. As you may already know, Backbone Entertainment is like a golden god of porting old arcade and console titles to the various digital mediums of today, and are already responsible for bringing two classic Konami brawlers to consoles in recent years with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2007 and X-Men late last year.

Now, consider that about 6 months after the release of X-Men on XBLA and PSN, a port of that port was brought to the App Store as a Universal game for both iPhones and iPads. The X-Men game did considerably well on the App Store too, which would lead me to believe that should one of their other highly regarded brawlers of the 90s arcade era, The Simpsons Arcade Game, come to XBLA then it would make good financial sense to see the game come to iOS as well.

Plus, iOS has already proven to be a great platform for old-school side-scrolling brawlers with Final Fight [$2.99], a great remake of Double Dragon [$1.99], 64th Street [$1.99], the Streets of Rage trilogy, and many more. As a huge fan of The Simpsons Arcade Game (and just The Simpsons in general), I would love to be able to have the game on my iOS devices, and while were at it that totally goes for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles too (why hasn’t this happened yet?!).

One wrinkle in my rampant speculation is that, as you may recall, we’ve already seen a Simpsons game on the App Store. Electronic Arts released The Simpsons Arcade [99¢/Lite] almost two years ago in December of 2009. It was a side-scrolling brawler similar to the arcade original, but wasn’t actually based on that game at all. It’s a pretty fun game to be honest, if not a bit repetitive, but it’s certainly not the same as having a port of the original arcade game. I have no idea if there is any sort of licensing issues with The Simpsons brand that might prevent a port of Konami’s game making it to the App Store, but it’s a possibility.

We’ll certainly be keeping our eyes out for a more official announcement that The Simpsons Arcade Game is coming to the console downloadable space, and if it is, I’ll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it eventually hits the App Store as well. In the meantime, check out this feature XBLAFans ran this past May discussing what they’d like to see in an updated The Simpsons Arcade Game port.

[Via XBLAFans]

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New weapons, monsters, and features continue to drip into Capcom’s Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting [$4.99].  The latest update, which hit pretty late this October, packs a social media twist. In addition to combat video saving and sharing, players can now tweet their scores and communicate with other users from within the game. Huge!

Late October’s update also has a couple of new monsters and weapons. Diablos, Lunastra, Azure Rathalos, and Kirin have joined the ranks of enemies, while the Gunlace and its auto guard skill have joined the weapon list. Another camera tweak has been introduced as well, allowing players to see scenes from above.

The sharing stuff in particular strikes us as a really meaningful addition. Monster Hunter has always been a game about exploitation. Talking with dudes about what you’ve done is a big part of the meta game, so being able to really get your voice and actions out there is a huge plus.

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Halfbrick's marketing wizard and president of Halfbrick Marketing School For The Gifted And Golden-Tongued, Phil Larsen, promised us that more updates to Jetpack Joyride [$.99] were on the way. Again, the magnificent man leaves no room for disappointment. In the latest version of the game, the studio has added two new jetpacks, more costumes, and score-tracking features that'll definitely inspire some ire amongst friends if you rock at joy riding.

To get specific, this update adds the Chrome Plated Afterburner and the Golden Piggy Pack as new additions to the jetpack line-up. Also, you can now dress as "Sensei" from the Fruit Ninja [$0.99 / HD / Lite] series, a silver robot, or even a king in his robes. More importantly, you can now post your scores directly to Twitter and Facebook and enjoy Doodle Jump-style markers in-game that reveal where your friends have croaked. That's actually quite a huge addition, eh?

Jetpack Joyride is still stupid-fun for us. I can't explain it, either. It just has that one, almost indescribable "one more play" appeal. We can't stop. Seriously. Help us.

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