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It seems that even though Apple rejected Yoot Saito's first attempt at an App Store game for being "unpleasant", Saito is ready for another go, but this time for the iPad. According to sketchy information from his blog in poorly machine translated Japanese, it appears The Tower iPad is coming soon.

Yoot Saito is Japanese game designer known for innovative game design. His first major game was SimTower and it's sequel Yoot Tower/The Tower II which was later remade for Gameboy Advance, and the Nintendo DS. Wikipedia describes the original SimTower:

SimTower: The Vertical Empire is a construction and management simulation computer game developed by OPeNBooK Co., Ltd. and published by Maxis for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS 7 operating systems. It was released in November 1994 in the United States. The game allows players to build and manage a tower and decide what facilities to place in it, in order to ultimately build a five-star tower. Random events take place during play, such as terrorist acts that the player must respond to immediately.

Here's a video for The Tower DS (in Japanese):

And that's all we know so far. We'll keep an eye out for it, and hopefully we'll see an international (not just Japan) release.

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Hemisphere Games' critically acclaimed PC title Osmos is making its way to the iPad, and will eventually be joined by an iPhone release in the future. Currently available for $10 for the Mac as well as Windows and Linux PC's for $10, Osmos has been described as a "zen game", with many reviews citing the fantastic atmosphere created with the marriage of hypnotic graphics with perfectly paired music. It didn't take more than a few seconds of playing the free demo on my computer to see just how well Osmos will work on the iPad.

In the game, you play as a bright blue orb floating about absorbing other orbs, called motes. The basic gameplay mechanic involves puttering around the game world sucking up anything smaller than you. Clicking (or tapping on the iPad) in a direction causes your orb to eject mass that way and send you jetting off the opposite way. Things start off easy, but levels quickly ramp up to require extremely precise movements as the game places you in levels where you're absolutely surrounded by bigger orbs just waiting to munch you up.

You can get a good feel for the game by watching the trailer:

Osmos for the iPad is planned for release on July 8th, with the iPhone version following roughly a month later. I've really enjoyed these slow-paced "zen" games in the past, and I think Osmos will be a great fit on both the iPhone and iPad. Hemisphere Games has also posted a brief hands-on video of the game running on the iPad, and it shows how the mouse controls translate to touch as well as teasing a few extra game modes:

You can expect a review from us when the game hits the App Store in a week or so.

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There are quite a few options for RTS fans available on the App Store, all of varying degrees of quality. Typically they suffer from one of two different problems. Either the complex nature of the game is too convoluted to be effective with a touch screen interface, or the entire experience is too stripped down and lacks any substance in order to accommodate accessible controls. Although there has been some strong entries in the genre, it doesn't really feel like anyone has got it “just right” yet.

That all changed last month with the release of Land Air Sea Warfare [$4.99] by developer Isotope 244. LASW gets it “just right”, offering a full console-like RTS experience with brilliantly executed, easy to use touch screen controls. The only features lacking in LASW are a proper single player campaign and multiplayer. That first issue is somewhat of a non-issue actually, as the amount of options available for play is just ridiculous. There is endless replayability due to the randomized maps and the amount of customization available in this game. In saying that it lacks a campaign, all that really means is it lacks a cohesive storyline to play through. If this is something that you look for in an RTS, then you may feel disappointed with LASW. If all you need is solid, highly configurable battles against an intelligent and scalable AI, then LASW will more than fit that bill.

As for multiplayer, it's not included in this current release but remains an option for the future. If you're looking to get your battle on against real life human opponents, you may look to the multiplayer-focused Armada: Galactic War which we previously reviewed and found to be excellent. It's conceivable that owning each title will fulfill all your offline and online RTS needs for a long time to come. A list of ideas for future updates to LASW has been posted by the developer in our forums, and includes a bevy of balance tweaks and performance optimizations. The game is really solid right now though, and only stands to get better through updates.

While it's tough to detail every last element of a game as robust as LASW, if you're already a big RTS fan, I'll offer you this advice – go buy this game right now. You need it. You'll love it. It's a truly excellent single player RTS affair. If you're on the fence, you can download a demo of the game on your Windows/Mac computer from the Isotope 244 website to get an idea of what it's like. Also, the game's forum thread has been overflowing with positive remarks since release. Forum member steelfires nicely summarizes the game with a review in our User Review section as well. Or, you can do like so many of us have done at times, and just click that Buy Now button with reckless abandon. I don't think you'll be disappointed. A game the caliber of Land Air Sea Warfare doesn't come around all that often on our devices, and surely should not be missed.

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Nearly one full year ago, the original PewPew was released onto the App Store during the height of dual-stick space shooter popularity. Despite the massive influx of similar games around this time, PewPew managed to gain some notoriety for its retro-inspired vector graphics, responsive controls, frantic game modes, and the reasonable price tag of free. Many players even commented on feeling slightly guilty for having scored such a quality game for nothing at all. Luckily for them, and for the rest of us, the chance to show monetary gratitude is at hand as PewPew 2 is now available for $1.99. It expands upon everything that made the original so successful and adds a challenging single player campaign, enhanced graphical effects, and a couple of other neat surprises.

The biggest new addition is the Campaign Mode, made up of ten separate levels. Each of these levels are incredibly unique from one another, and some pose a devastating difficulty. (Note, the difficulty has been a point of discussion in our forums). Every gameplay element that was present in the first game is utilized in some way throughout the campaign, as well as many clever new ideas. As just one example, the level Spring Theory tethers your ship to a point in the middle of a room and tasks you with trying to avoid ever-increasing enemies within the limited mobility, and once you've survived the onslaught for 50 seconds, shooting every last one of them. More so than any other game, PewPew 2 tests your ability to dodge enemies just as heavily as it does your ability to blast them, and the campaign is a satisfying and varied experience that exemplifies that.

If you get stuck at a particularly hard spot in the campaign, you can always take a break and jump over to Infinity Mode which houses all the modes that were present in the original game (MegaGore, Dodge This, Assault, and Chromatic Conflict) in addition to two brand new ones. The first is called Highway and has you racing around a circular track dodging and shooting enemies while trying to collect orbs as quickly as possible. The other new mode is Amalgam, and is somewhat like Assault but with the added element of many enemies. Both new modes are a lot of fun and fit in well with the rest of the game. Amalgam and Chromatic Conflict are locked initially, and can be accessed by completing the Campaign Mode at 50% and 100% intervals respectively. Gold, Silver and Bronze medals can be earned in every mode and used to unlock five additional ship styles. Also, every mode has a local and online leaderboard, with the full replay of each player's entry being easily viewable.

There's already a lot of great content in PewPew 2, and there's even more on the way. The developer is working on another campaign that will be at least as long as the first and two additional game types for Infinity Mode. This, along with universal iPad support, will be coming soon via free updates. There's also a desktop version in production for Windows/OS X that will give players the ability to create their own levels, which could conceivably be added into the iPhone version at the developers discretion. It will be interesting to see how this exciting project and the future of the iPhone version turn out.

The current version of PewPew 2 is one of the best dual-stick shooters available, and is well deserving of its modest price tag.  The original PewPew is free, and will eventually be updated as a proper lite version for the sequel, so if you want to get a taste of the gameplay give the first game a try.

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Can a game be a piece of art? So asks Geardome, who strives to deliver just that in their recently released physics-based, ball-roller style game Ozone [App Store].

Dive into the galaxy of Ozone and unveil the secrets of this unique audio-visual experience, a mix of art and technology, never before seen or heard on a mobile device.

The game puts you in control of an inflatable ball that can be moved about various maze-like levels by way of touch-directed bursts of air. The goal is to collect all of the yellow orbs strewn about each of the game's more than 50 pseudo-3D levels in order to exit each maze. But there's more in each level than just yellow orbs. You must negotiate a wide variety of obstacles and enemies in order to make your way through each level. There are, among other things, moving traps, doors to unlock, weapons to collect and use, spikes to avoid, and end-bosses to contend with. A steel ball power-up renders your ball impervious to damage and able to plow through certain walls for a short period. Some pathways require you to deflate your ball in order to fit through, and then it's fingers-crossed that an air pump is just around the corner, because when you're out of air, you're out of luck. And those bursts of air that move you hither and yon — they're not freebies; each burst lowers your air level just a bit.

It's a lot to juggle.

But luckily, time is something you have plenty of in this game. Ozone is not a race against the clock, but is a slow-paced, intricate affair that requires a high level of precision to master. In that way, it's really not akin to Dark Nebula, a comparison some in our forums have made, in seeing posted screenshots. It reminds me more of Bubble Ghost, actually. It's a game for the patient, and an experience that is both frustrating (in a good way) and relaxing at the same time. A very well-matched, ambient soundtrack sets the mood and helps deliver what feels like a rather "zen" experience.

The developers have also created a custom level editor that can be used to create your own levels, available for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows. The game's upcoming first update will enable the ability to play custom levels, and downloadable content is also on the way. Ozone HD, a version that takes advantage of the iPad's features, will soon be released, the developer indicates.

The reaction to the game in our forums has been extremely positive. Your Personal Robot shared his thoughts.

…I am playing this gem and WOW am I impressed.
This really is a little indie masterpiece. The graphics, the sound…simply amazing…

This game just feels very deep, very thought out, every detail just seems right in place. Hard to describe it. It's a complete console game with a fantastic look and feel. And it's definitely NOT too expensive. This is a title with so much quality, many – or most – of the App Store games are far from reaching.

Ozone is a very well done and highly enjoyable game that should have great appeal to those who enjoy problem solving and being rewarded for precision. It's certainly one of the more engrossing titles I've spent time with in recent months.

App Store Link: Ozone, $4.99

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Apple's devices almost seem built for pinball. It just feels right seeing a pinball table running below the elongated glass touch screen. It's a well represented genre on the App Store with many quality options available. Recently, there's been a brand new game released, a significant update to an existing game, and a new app that gives you a truly unique experience while playing pinball on your Mac (and PC soon too), all of which are worth a mention.

Multiball Pinball ($1.99)

The newest game from Matmi, makers of Monster Pinball, is another blisteringly fast game with a focus on multiple balls in play. Unlike more traditional tables, this game makes it easy to unlock multiball modes and ensures that you're almost always playing with at least 2 balls concurrently. It features the same fantastic graphics and art designs that are a hallmark of Matmi games.

The only downfall here is that there is just this one table when their other games feature at least three, however this one table is well designed and extremely fun to play. If you liked Matmi's previous pinball offerings, you will most certainly like this.

Pinball Ride ($4.99) and Pinball Ride (Free)

Although released last November, Pinball Ride never gained much notoriety due to a difficult table design and a relatively higher price. Well, Massive Finger has been hard at work since then and have released a 1.1 update that really improves the game greatly. Certain aspects of the table have been reworked to be more forgiving, and in turn the game is overall much more fun. It's a completely 3D table which looks impressive, and the pinball action is fast and smooth.

The $4.99 price still may be a bit high if you're not a pinball fanatic, as there's only the one table. A lite is available to try so you can determine for yourself if you want to plunk down the cash. The lite features a Burst Mode that puts 45 seconds on the clock to play and achieve a high score. This isn't nearly enough time to get a good feel for the game. Fortunately, the developer has created a TouchArcade exclusive link to get 5 free credits of unlimited play in the lite. Each game lasts a long time, and 5 credits should be more than enough to help you decide if you're into it or not. Definitely worth trying out.

Pinball Remote App (Free)

Gameprom is known for bringing out high quality pinball games at extremely low prices. Their Wild West, The Deep, and Jungle Style games have all seen a lot of success. Now, all three of them are available on your Mac. The Pinball can be downloaded from Gameprom's website for free with Wild West already included. For $2.99 each, you can download The Deep and Jungle Style as well.

The interesting thing is that the only way you can purchase these additional tables is as DLC through the Pinball Remote App itself. Besides acting as the online store for The Pinball, the remote can also control the game on your Mac via Wi-Fi. Sit back and relax as you control the flippers, plunger, and tilt on your computer screen using your iPhone or iPod touch. It works well for the most part, although I encountered occasional lag with my screen taps on the remote triggering the flippers in the game. Still, it's a really fun concept to use and since The Pinball and Pinball Remote are both free, you can try it out without risk. The Pinball is currently Mac only, but Windows users can join in on the fun in the next month or so.

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Pixel Mine's hack and slash RPG Underworlds [$1.99 / Free] was released early last year, and we just got word that it is getting a major makeover and if all things go as planned, should submitted very soon and available near the iPad's launch.

I had a great time with the original iPhone game in our review:

Your adventure begins as a guard for McTavish, the purveyor of a traveling caravan. After defending against an invading orc (which serves as a brief tutorial), he explains that your services are no longer required and suggests that you travel to the Happy Cadaver Inn located in nearby town of Albrect to find work. To save time, McTavish opens a portal and a brief animated video introducing the Inn plays. Upon arriving you’re greeted by Kurgan who asks you to retrieve a bag of flour from the basement… Which just so happens to be loaded with bloodthirsty swarms of rats! …Read More

Since our original look at the game, they've also released a significant "Chapter 2" update adding even more content. The iPad version is going to feature completely customizable controls, new buttons for potion usage, enhanced menu art, and the game's camera was moved to allow you to see more of the action. In addition, all of the full-screen windows (such as your inventory, quest log, etc.) on the iPhone now simply pop up in the corner of the screen without taking you away from the action.

If our upcoming iPad games forum is any indication, the iPad launch should be filled with some pretty awesome games. Underworlds is still a favorite of mine, and I'm glad to hear it is making its way to the big(ger) screen.

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Back in September we took a look at Crystal Cave Classic [App Store] from Rake in Grass, the studio who also brought us Archibald's Adventures, Undercroft, and Westbang. The game delivers Boulder Dash-style play and tons of content — we liked what we saw. Rake in Grass has just released a spin-off to the title, Crystal Cave: Lost Treasures [App Store], which features over 100 new levels and is designed for the more casual gamer.

An adventure logic game, Crystal Cave: Lost Treasures challenges the player to exhibit the required ingenuity to move through the game's treacherous environs, pulling off the right moves at the right time in order to find the treasure and move on to the next level. The game's riddle-packed levels span three different graphic scenarios.

See the developer's gameplay video.

With over 100 levels at $0.99, Crystal Cave: Lost Treasures is a great value and should have definite appeal for fans of the classic version, Boulder Dash, or logic puzzlers in general. This one comes highly recommended. Those wanting to try before they buy can grab Crystal Cave Classic Lite [App Store] or the OS X and Windows demo versions.

To mark the release of this new title, Rake in Grass has lowered the price of the original Crystal Cave Classic from $3.99 down to $1.99.

And in further Rake in Grass news, the studio will shortly be releasing has just released a match-three action puzzler known as Phantasia, developed by 300AD.

Phantasia, designed to appeal to gamers of all ages, challenges the user to save an unfortunate group of fairy dwarves imprisoned within colored spheres. Row by row the spheres move down the screen and it's up to the player to destroy the spheres and free the dwarves by firing his or her spheres at two or more advancing spheres of the same color.

The game offers both an Arcade and an Adventure mode and delivers over 30 levels of gameplay.

See the studio's gameplay video.

App Store Link: Phantasia, $0.99

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Namco held a press event last night where they announced the iPhone version of Pool Pro Online 3. This represents the 3rd in the franchise which originally began on mobile phones but is now extending to smartphones and even the desktop.

While the game may be of interest to those who enjoy pool, it also represents a few first of potentially a series of games using their UniteSDK which allows cross-platform online play. Jonathan Kromrey, general manager of apple games for Namco Networks, writes "This is only the beginning of where we are going as a company. Over the next several months, we will roll out a series of other features and games that are powered by UniteSDK, including tournaments for Pool Pro Online 3."

Pool Pro Online 3 will eventually be also available for PC, Mac, Android, Java, BREW, RIM and Windows Mobile, and will allow instant online play across all the platforms. UniteSDK also includes the usual friend lists, leaderboards and such that we've already seen in OpenFeint and Plus+. Namco is also opening up UniteSDK to 3rd party developers as well.

As for Pool Pro Online 3, it allows both single player and online play in 8-ball, 9-ball and Snooker. Players can also make in-game wagers against their opponents and use winnings to upgrade table felts, cue sticks and new pool halls. The 3d game allows you to rotate your view and pinch/zoom to line up your shot.

The iPhone version of the game will be released on Thursday for $4.99.

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As a followup to yesterday's inteview with ngmoco CEO Neil Young, this morning we spoke with Freeverse President Ian Lynch Smith to hear what the recent purchase of Freeverse by ngmoco means to them. The full audio is attached below, but here is a summary of the talk.

Originally founded in 1994, Freeverse's earliest titles were Mac shareware games. They later branched out in to games for Windows, XBOX Live Arcade, and most recently the iPhone. Freeverse's MotoChaser was one of the few 3D games that launched with the App Store. Also immediately available were Big Bang Sudoku and Jared. They then went on to release a catalog of great iPhone games, both developed in house and and by outside developers published by Freeverse.

Photo by Crain's New York Business

Since the surprise announcement yesterday of ngmoco's purchase of Freeverse, what we've all been wondering is what is going to change. Ngmoco has recently shifted gears to an entirely free to play business model, while Freeverse has been happily releasing massively successful 99¢ games like Skee-Ball and Flick Fishing while working on highly anticipated games such as Warpgate.

The short answer of what is going to change initially is almost nothing, with very little changing in the future aside from the shift in payment models. According to Ian Lynch Smith, they wouldn't have done the deal if it wasn't for the shared vision between both companies, as each of them focus on the iPhone and iPhone OS. This doesn't mean they're abandoning the Mac games, applications, and everything else they do either. Freeverse will remain its own company in Brooklyn, just as a wholly owned subsidiary of ngmoco.

In addition, Freeverse will continue to publish the works of other iPhone developers, with the same level of quality and care we've seen in the past. As Smith put it, "[Ngmoco] did not buy Freeverse to make radical changes. They bought us because of our success, and they bought us because of what we've been doing right."

From Freeverse's perspective, the main motivation behind agreeing to this deal is the immense potential for growth. Through the years they've done everything they could to reach a larger audience, originally starting with shareware, then making the jump to retail shelves, then bringing their games to both the PC and XBOX, and finally jumping on the iPhone.

In regards to ngmoco's recent push to "freemium" games, Smith said, "We wouldn't have done this if we didn't think there wasn't more growth and more possibilities to reach more people in the free to play model." He cites people (now teenagers) who have grown up playing high quality free flash games as well as the massive successes seen in Asian markets as proof that the free to play model works.

Ian seems open to all forms of free to play games currently, including a one-time purchase to unlock all the features and functionality of a game– Something often requested by forum members regarding ngmoco's TouchPets and Eliminate. Freeverse has no intention of "nickel and diming" gamers, and plans on just being smart about how these things are implemented.

While he was reluctant to comment on future game development, when asked if they were still going to provide substantial gameplay experiences for gamers to enjoy instead of Farmville-like games, Smith simply responded "Yes" and mentioned a "substantial game" being discussed behind the scenes.

Freeverse admits they have much to learn about the free to play world, but with the combined expertise of ngmoco, they hope to release compelling games that can be played at no cost to the player, while providing optional in-game purchases for players who spend hours a day playing. They're hoping this will result in games that see the same exponential growth that the iPhone in general has enjoyed, instead of the current linear growth patterns Freeverse sees now.

Prior to this recent acquisition by ngmoco, Freeverse has never had investors and has been profitable on their own for the last 15 years. According to Smith, the main motivation for agreeing to the purchase was to "swing for the fences" and feels we're at a major moment in time, an inflection point, where we're going to see an explosion of mobile gaming.

"At the end of the day, we are just trying to sell our games in a way that lets us grow and continue making more games," Smith explained.

We recommend listening to the entire interview yourself, which is included here.

Podcast music provided by Overclocked Remix.

Interview Audio: Subscribe in iTunes or Direct Download (M4A, 12.9MB)

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