Over half of our featured Thursday new releases are free-to-play titles from CAPCOM, G5 Entertainment, Big Pixel Studios, Everplay Interactive and even Chillingo.

Big Pixel Studios’ Off The Leash is a one-handed tilt controlled game where you are a dog trying to out-run the cops and evade capture, while at the same time attempting to rescue as many of your ‘doggy pals’ as you can. The game features Big Pixel’s signature blocky-bit graphical style and is sure to please the casual crowd. Next up is Chillingo’s space-themed tower defense game, Spice Invaders. You control an invading pirate force, and must ‘protect them as they mine the Earth’s resources for the precious mineral, Spice’. Meant to be played online, this multiplayer game features some nice visuals, challenging and a massive amount of upgrades, this title will keep you busy for a while.

G5 Entertainment is back with a new hidden object adventure title called Royal Trouble: Hidden Adventures. >GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective is CAPCOM’s stylized looking interactive mystery adventure game based on the critically acclaimed Nintendo DS game. You can check out the first two chapters for free, the rest are available as IAPs. Speaking of mysteries, this last ‘free’ title is a bit of an enigma. From the screenshots and description, Everplay Interactive’s Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming looks identical to the platformer game Terra Noctis that was put out by Bulkypix last December. It is unclear if this is a lite version of that game or what, but it is free.

Now onto the pay for apps…the first of which is Fly With Me, a level-based arcade platformer (of sorts) from EA. Guide birds through trees with a constant tap of the finger to keep those wings flapping. The goal being to “cruise through tree holes and dodge moving obstacles, like spiders, Venus fly traps, geysers, and more and chomp evil bees from small to large for a bug feast”. FreakZone’s platformer AWESOME Land looks very Super Mario-esque. However, instead of a plumber, the game’s hero is Manley, an approriately gruff looking man who’s motorcycle has been stolen by evil aliens and it’s up to you to help him ‘kick some alien hide and claim it back’.

Electric Pixel Factory’s debut game Gorilla Gondola features the unlikely pairing of a silverback and a ski gondola. Navigate the ski-lift-riding Gorilla through dangerous levels, jumping, stomping and tilting to avoid all manner of obstacles while collecting bananas and powerups. This once looks like it could be pretty fun and challenging.

Finally, we come to perhaps my most highly anticipated new release of the week, Reckless Racing 2. This is the sequel to Polarbit and Pixelbite’s great mudslinging, fast-paced, top-down racing game, Reckless Racing. This time the title is self-published and a universal app featuring the same great graphics and gameplay, but with a “selection of 18 highly detailed cars, ranging from small dirt buggies to fast supercars, and 24 routes in a variety of flavors make this a racer for all tastes”. Yeehaw!

So which of these new releases are on your “must buy” list?

Off The Leash Big Pixel Studios Free	Spice Invaders Chillingo Ltd Free	Royal Trouble: Hidden Adventures G5 Entertainment Free	Royal Trouble: Hidden Adventures HD G5 Entertainment Free
Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming Everplay Interactive Free	GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective CAPCOM Free	Fly With Me EA Swiss Sarl 99¢	AWESOME Land FreakZone $1.99
Gorilla Gondola Electric Pixel Factory Ltd $1.99	Reckless Racing 2 Polarbit $4.99

©2012, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Chillingo, Deceased Pixel, ea, G5 Entertainment, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, New Releases, Polarbit, Reckless Racing 2, Universal

Hank Hazard is a very cute looking arcade/ puzzle game where players help guide the hamster ball-wearing Hank, through an array of stunt courses while collecting stars and secret coins. One Epic Game is a cartoony infinite runner where you must attempt to “protect the world from an alien invasion right in the middle of a zombie outbreak in a post-apocalyptic wasteland”. Aliens AND zombies?! sounds like a winner to me.

Next up is the highly anticipated platformer Paper Monsters from Crescent Moon Games. This universal title drops you into a “living world made out of paper, cardboard, and a few cotton balls” where you must help the adorable characters jump, bounce, warp, swim, fly and battle ‘ginormous boss dudes’ in attempt to save the world.

Low on cash? You are in luck, because G5 Entertainment, Bulkypix and GAMEVIL will each be releasing free to play titles later this evening. Spirit of Wandering – The Legend offers up an undersea hidden-object quest filled with sunken pirate ships and mysterious spirits. PyramidVille Adventure is an exclusive adaptation of the hit social game PyramidVille on Facebook, which allows players to develop their own ancient Egyptian cities. Finally, Baseball Superstars® 2012 is GAMEVIL’s latest iteration in their Baseball Superstars® series, now with HD graphics, level restrictions unlocked, upgraded batting and pitching moves, endless customization, new super players and more play modes.

In the tactical RPG game Dungeon Crawlers from Ayopa Games and developer Drowning Monkeys players must lead their “Dungeon Crawlers team as they delve into goblin-infested hallways, lava-drenched caverns, and other suitably hostile environs in pursuit of loot, women, and monsters to crush”. It will be available at a special $1.99 price for launch.

Finally, if bugs are your thing, then you may want to check out these iPhone games from Small Green Creatures and Prank Ltd.(respectively). Lazybug is a “farthest distance” genre casual game where you upgrade your ladybug’s launcher and wings to try to achieve the farthest distance jump or the fastest lap. Ant Raid for iPhone is the small screen release of Prank’s popular bug-themed tower defense game.

So which of these titles will YOU be picking up?
Leave a comment below and let us know.

PyramidVille Adventure Bulkypix Free	Baseball Superstars® 2012. GAMEVIL Inc. Free	Spirit of Wandering – The Legend G5 Entertainment Free	Spirit of Wandering – The Legend HD G5 Entertainment Free
Paper Monsters Crescent Moon Games 99¢	Dungeon Crawlers Ayopa Games LLC $1.99	Hank Hazard Chillingo Ltd 99¢	One Epic Game Chillingo Ltd 99¢
Lazybug Small Green Creatures 99¢	Ant Raid for iPhone Prank Ltd. 99¢

©2012, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: BulkyPix, Chillingo, Crescent Moon Games, G5 Entertainment, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, New Releases, Universal

Gamers take on the roll of a masked, butt kickin’ Luchador, roaming the streets dolling out no holds barred street stompings to all thugs that cross their path. First choose your fighter – Fatal Blaze, Daddy Brutal, Hostile or (once unlocked) Princess Achy. Each has their own style and special moves. Traveling through dangerous neighborhoods and even junkyards vicious brawlers will attack you and you must defend yourself.

First off, the graphics are outstanding. It meets every expectation of what a Lucha Libre world would look like. The comic book meets graffiti style is daring yet inviting enough to make you want to kick some butts. Though once you get excited and ready to play, you soon realize the gameplay is a bit less exciting than the graphics.

The levels are side-scrolling but you are able to move the characters back and forth a small amount. This actually becomes a bit of a detriment making it quite a bit harder to line up with your rivals and beat them. To move your character there is a virtual joystick, a control I prefer in games like this. There is also a three button system in the right corner with slightly transparent icons that represent each move that your character can do. Punching, jumping and a third button that determines the action depending on the context of what you are doing, including special moves.

The fighting is fun and there is definitely an abundance of fighting maneuvers. Where it becomes tricky is the spacing. Quite frequently the thugs attacking would stay toward the far right of the screen, exactly where my control buttons were. This made it difficult to see what I was doing and additionally what appropriate moves I needed to make. Of course being side-scrolling it’s not uncommon. Maybe on iPad where space isn’t an issue there is better luck with this. The downside is you get less accuracy and end up button mashing to get by.

In Conclusion

Street Wrestler is still loads of fun, with the festive characters, backgrounds and music it’s more than a simple fighting game. The characters also each go through all levels on their own, so there is more than enough replay value. Even with its few flaws, it’s a great source of eye candy, and theme is more than original. The Street Wrestler app is available in the App Store now for $2.99.

This review originally appeared on The Smartphone App Review (January 16, 2012).

©2012, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Chillingo, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Review, Street Wrestler

Starting things off, you may have a sense of deja-vu seeing Smash Cops from newcomer Hutch Games on the list again this week. That’s because this title was only available for less than a day before it was pulled due to administrative reasons. Fortunately this fun and unique racing title is back again this week.

Chillingo offers up two more titles this week, Order Up!! To Go and Greedy Penguins™. Order Up!! To Go is a frenetic time management game where you must cook up orders and attempt and upgrade your restaurants as you attempt to build your empire. Greedy Penguins™ is a physics-based puzzle game involving a cute and colorful band of gluttonous penguins.

For those of you into puzzle games, Puzzlejuice looks to offer something a bit new and different, combining elements of both the classic match-3 and word games. “Multicolored BLOCKS constantly fall from the top of the screen and it’s up to you to arrange them. Once you complete a row with these blocks they will turn into LETTERS! The only way to clear out these blocks is to spell WORDS. Oh and also you can MATCH COLORS—that will make letters too.”

Futuremark Games Studio releases their tongue-in-cheek tower-defense game, Unstoppable Gorg which pays homage to vintage sci-fi movies from the 1950s. “Flying saucers, rubbery aliens, dodgy effects, it’s got them all.”

There are also a couple of realy charming looking platformers, Bulkypix’s JAZZ: Trump’s journey which follows the adventures of a young, star-struck jazz musician, in love with the lovely Lady Poppy. The other is Niko (from sulake) which features and adorable looking title character who must “race through the dangerous Otherworld in hopes of rescuing his captured friends”.

Finally, rounding out this week’s new releases are Time of Heroes, a 3D turn-based strategy game from smuttlewerk interactive, Letters from Nowhere, the latest hidden object genre title from G5 Entertainment, and the iOS debut of NamcoBandai Games’ classic arcade fighter SOULCALIBUR (at the hefty price of $11.99!).

Smash Cops Hutch $2.99	JAZZ: Trump’s journey Bulkypix $2.99	Unstoppable Gorg Futuremark Games Studio $4.99	Niko sulake Corporation Free ($1.99 full game unlock)
Letters from Nowhere G5 Entertainment Free	Letters from Nowhere HD G5 Entertainment Free	Order Up!! To Go Chillingo Ltd Free	Greedy Penguins™ Chillingo Ltd 99¢
Time of Heroes smuttlewerk interactive 99¢	Puzzlejuice Colaboratory $2.99	SOULCALIBUR NamcoBandai Games Inc. $11.99

©2012, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Chillingo, G5 Entertainment, Hutch Games, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, New At Eleven, Smash Cops

Kicking things off is GlitchSoft’s much anticipated release of Star Marine: Infinite Ammo, an action-packed Contra-esque bullet-ridden ‘classic’ arcade game. Who needs “↑↑↓↓←→←→BA” when you can equip yourself from a selection of seven high power weapons with infinite ammo and let the bullets fly as you mow down the enemy forces.

Next up is Smash Cops from newcomer Hutch Games. Its a unique, fun (and beautiful) looking racing game where you are a cop in a high speed chase. Using your finger you “steer, weave, defend and attack runaway felons with full control of your vehicle”.

Scribblenauts Remix developer 5th Cell is back with Run Roo Run, a cute looking level-based platformer that will have you (Roo), a mother kangaroo, traveling across Australia from Perth to Sydney in search of her kidnapped Joey. With over 400 levels and 100 extreme levels the game features simple one-touch gameplay and unique abilities like “double jump, ride-able clouds, gravity-defying umbrellas, invisibility, tire swings, and more”.

Also in the ‘cute’ category is Atari’s port of the popular PC title for kids, Freddi Fish and the Stolen Shell. My daughter Emily has really been enjoying this title a lot (expect a full review soon).

Finally, we have some new titles from the usual suspects, Chillingo and Gameloft. Chillingo is offering up , the sequel to last year’s popular zombie defense game from developer Xoobis. There second title (because they always release more than one) is Woody Woodpecker, a game that looks to borrow heavily from Tiny Wings, except that it takes place in the Woody Woodpecker universe and players can choose from Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, Winnie Woodpecker, Miss Meanie, and Buzz Buzzard!

Last but not least is Urban Crime, a free 3D crime simulation game from Gameloft in which players try to take over territories controlled by rival gangs in their bid to conquer the city. “Free-roaming gameplay merged with an endless variety of missions: Lose the Tail, Steal Cars, Kill the Enemy, Save Your Gang Member and more.” Weapons include grenades, flame throwers & more.

Star Marine: Infinite Ammo GlitchSoft $1.99	Smash Cops Hutch $2.99	Run Roo Run 5TH Cell 99¢	Run Roo Run HD 5TH Cell $1.99
Freddi Fish and the Stolen Shell Atari 99¢	Urban Crime Gameloft Free	Woody Woodpecker Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Zombie Wonderland 2: Outta Time! Chillingo Ltd 99¢

©2012, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: 5th Cell, Atari, Chillingo, Freddi Fish, Hutch Games, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, New At Eleven, Run Roo Run, Smash Cops, Star Marine: Infinite Ammo, Xoobis

I had never played the two prior titles the Red Ball franchise before playing this game. However, looking back at those games now, it appears that the game play is similar. On one side of the screen, there are left and right arrows which determine which direction you roll and on the other side of the screen, a big button to make you jump. The game offers a Lefty/Righty option for choosing which side is which.

There is a nice puzzle aspect to the game. For example, you may need to figure out how where to push a box to activate a button or to reach a high object. Or you may need to flip switches or find a secret path in the wall in order to locate a hidden star.  The game also has a lot of arcade action. Once you start rolling, it is difficult to stop, so there is the constant back and forth balancing, as well as trying to time your jumps to land on swinging platforms, or jump over spikes, or criss-cross up a pit via bouncy platforms.

Throughout the game, there is a cheery soundtrack playing, and there’s comical sound effects when you jump or hit an obstacle. For longer levels, there are checkpoint flags so that if you die while trying to get past an obstacle, you don’t need to start all over again.

I don’t have a Mac, but one neat feature of this game is that it allows you to play the Mac version of the game on your Mac’s screen and use your iPhone or iPod as a gamepad.

I tried the game out on both the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2, and for the most part really enjoyed the game. However, there were a few levels that got quite frustrating due to a very low margin of error for the timing, or needing to stop the ball, or do a precise roll/jump/stop.

There are only 20 levels in the game, so it isn’t very long. Once you complete all the levels, there is a bonus area that lets you switch your character between Red Ball, his girlfriend or the evil Black Ball. From what I could tell, there was no change to the levels based on which character you were using.

In Conclusion

Chillingo offers Red Ball 3 HD as a universal app as well as a non-HD iPhone-only app for half the price. Red Ball 1 and Red Ball 2 have free versions which may be worth checking out to see if you like the gameplay, or if you enjoy Red Ball 3 and just want more!

©2012, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Chillingo, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Red Ball 3, Review, Universal

First up is Super Crate Box (Vlambeer and Halfbot), the game that inspired Angry Mob Games’ hit Muffin Knight.

Is it too late to the party, or will its charming 8-bit graphics and rock’n chiptunes soundtrack have gamers clamoring for this original. Only time will tell, but I suspect It’ll do just fine.

Next up is NoodleCake Studios’ newest creation, a fun multiplayer 2D racing game called Lunar Racer. The game features exciting single and multiplayer action as well as another great soundtrack from Whitaker Trebella.

It wouldn’t be a new release Thursday night without an appearance from Chillingo, who hits the street with two more new titles in classic arcade style, Street Wrestler and Streetbike: Full Blast. Street Wrestler is a arcade beat-em up game with a varied cast of characters and some nice looking visuals. Streetbike: Full Blast is a retro arcade bike-racer for the iPhone. The only downside is that it appears that it may only be a single-player affair, I guess we’ll find out for sure when it releases tonight.

Let us know if you’ll be picking up any of these titles.

Super Crate Box Vlambeer 99¢

Lunar Racer Noodlecake Studios Inc 99¢

Street Wrestler Chillingo Ltd $2.99

Streetbike: Full Blast Chillingo Ltd 99¢

©2012, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Chillingo, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Lunar Racer, New At Eleven, Noodlecake Studios, Street Wrestler, Streetbike: Full Blast, Super Crate Box, Universal

Let’s start with the freebies…

Chillingo had made both the iPhone and iPad releases of Pro Zombie Soccer free and Gameloft has done the same with their racer Asphalt 6: Adrenaline. EA Mobile is offering up both the iPhone and iPad releases of MONOPOLY HERE & NOW: The World Edition for free today as well.

If you’ve been waiting on a sale price for PopCap’s Peggle HD, then now’s the time to bite, because it’s been dropped to just 99¢, along with the iPhone version and the Peggle Nights DLC (for both iPhone and iPad).

UPDATE:
We just got word that Chillingo will also be making the iPhone and iPad releases of NyxQuest* and Snowball Run will be FREE through the weekend.

*The NyxQuest price drop has not propogated yet, so make sure to double-check the price before clicking “buy”.

Pro Zombie Soccer Chillingo Ltd 99¢ -> Free	Pro Zombie Soccer Apocalypse Edition Chillingo Ltd $1.99 -> Free	Asphalt 6: Adrenaline Gameloft 99¢ -> Free	Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD Gameloft 99¢ -> Free
MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition Electronic Arts 99¢ -> Free	MONOPOLY HERE & NOW: The World Edition for iPad Electronic Arts $9.99 -> Free	Peggle PopCap $2.99 -> 99¢	Peggle HD PopCap $2.99 -> 99¢
NyxQuest Chillingo Ltd 99¢ -> Free	NyxQuest HD Chillingo Ltd 99¢ -> Free	Snowball Run Clickgamer.com 99¢ -> Free

©2011, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Chillingo, EA Mobile, Gameloft, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Monopoly, Peggle, PopCap, sale, xmas2011

Along with the rumors of Gameloft’s Dungeon Hunter 3, Vlambeer’s Super Crate Box, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 3 and EA’s Need For Speed : The Run (none of which have shown up on the New Zealand App Store yet) there are LOADS of great looking new titles coming your way tonight at 11pm (EST)!

Mountain Sheep’s Ice Rage showed up a few hours ahead of schedule and is now live on the App Store for 99¢

It seems like everyone wants to get their Apps released before the App Store content lock down over the holidays.

See the full list below and let us know what you’ll be picking up:

Trenches II (World) EA Swiss Sarl $1.99	Trenches II for iPad (World) EA Swiss Sarl $2.99	Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World HD G5 Entertainment Free	Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World G5 Entertainment Free
Toca Kitchen Toca Boca $1.99	Real Soccer 2012 Gameloft Free	Wind Up Robots Soma Games $1.99	Bug Princess CAVE CO.,LTD. $4.99
Sonic CD SEGA $1.99	Blobster Christmas Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Tiny Places Big Fish Games, Inc 99¢	Tiny Places HD Big Fish Games, Inc $1.99
Arcade Solitaire 2 Endloop Systems Inc. Free	Monkey Quest: Thunderbow MTV Networks 99¢	Monkey Quest: Thunderbow HD MTV Networks $1.99	iDamaged Nils Widmer 99¢
Frontline Commando Glu Games Inc. Free	Bloons 2 Digital Goldfish Ltd 99¢	Tongue Tied! Mojo Bones Ltd $1.99	Derby Days Com2uS Inc. Free
Toy Shot™ GAMEVIL Inc. 99¢	Save the Furries! Bulkypix $3.99	Save the Furries Bulkypix $3.99	Marathon 2: Durandal Soli Deo Gloria Productions, LLC Free
Satans Dozen Killing Time Apps Free	Aetherium I – The Escape Marco Ferraguti 99¢	Monkey Island Tales 2 Telltale Inc $4.99	Monkey Island Tales 2 HD Telltale Inc $6.99
Snoticles [adult swim] 99¢	Mad Tracks Namco Networks America Inc. Free	SubTub SpaceGum Pty Ltd 99¢	Puzzle Quest 2 Freemium Namco Networks America Inc. Free
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn – The Game Gameloft $6.99	FiTS by Reiner Knizia Ravensburger Digital GmbH $3.99	Venture Towns Kairosoft Co.,Ltd $2.99	Ice Rage Mountain Sheep 99¢

©2011, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Arcade Solitaire, Chillingo, Gameloft, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mountain Sheep, New Releases, Toca Boca, Universal

Starting things off we have Home Sheep Home 2, the sequel to the beautifully illustrated puzzle game staring Aardman Entertainment’s Shaun The Sheep. This time around we get twice as many puzzles and the game is a Universal app to boot! Let Me Out is a cute looking physics-based puzzle game where you must “manipulate contraptions around you to free the baby dragon from a book-bound universe”. Stretched is another physics-based puzzle game which will have you navigating a ball across a series of slingshots and catapults. Fruit Tumble is a marble-popper of a different flavor. Instead of firing colored balls to make 3+ item matches, you drag your monkeys down to a vine to place the fruit they are holding. Finally, Chillingo has released an iPad version of their TXT Fighter game.

When a couple splits up, it’s always a sad thing, but we find a way to move on. Tonight PopCap’s existing Bejeweled app will be no more. They have split Bejeweled and Bejweled Blitz into two separate apps.The old app is being retired with the new Bejeweled game costing you 99¢ to purchase (again) and Bejweled Blitz is a Free-To-Play title.

Not to be outdone, Gameloft is releasing two titles of their own, both of which are Free-To-Play. The first is Six-Guns, a title that takes place in the Old West. It looks to be a 3rd person shooter with “40 missions with a great variety of tasks for you to overcome. You’ll race horses, take out robbers, fend off waves of enemies and more along the way!”. Their second new release is Fantasy Town, the latest in the “Farmville genre”, you are tasked with creating your own fantasy town (as you probably guessed from the title), raising magic plants and building “a thriving village of your own design”. Not really my genre, but I’m sure this will appeal to a number of people.

The Binary Mill is back with separate iPhone and iPad releases of a great looking Kart racer called Mini Motor Racing. With over 20 tracks a variety of weather conditions, day and night driving, local multiplayer via WiFi and Bluetooth and AirPlay support, this looks like it could be a fun one to pick up to play over the holidays.

Last but not least, Warner Bros. brings their Batman franchise to iOS with Batman Arkham City Lockdown. It’s a one-on-one fighting game that lets you play as Batman, and battle against the Joker, Two-Face, Deathstroke (exclusive to this game) and more. SEGA launches the 2012 edition of its Football Manager Handheld™ franchise. GAMEVIL has a free app called Talking Air Penguin, which stars their cute Air Penguin in which you can talk and interact with him and even play catch. This one might be good for the kids.

So there you have it, another evening full of new app goodness…what will you be buying?

Fruit Tumble Clickgamer.com 99¢	Stretched Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Let Me Out Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Home Sheep Home 2 Chillingo Ltd 99¢
TXT Fighter HD Chillingo Ltd $1.99	Bejeweled PopCap 99¢	Bejeweled Blitz PopCap Free	Six-Guns Gameloft Free
Fantasy Town Gameloft Free	Mini Motor Racing The Binary Mill $1.99	Mini Motor Racing HD The Binary Mill $3.99	Batman Arkham City Lockdown Warner Bros. $5.99
Football Manager Handheld™ 2012 SEGA $9.99	Talking Air Penguin GAMEVIL Inc. Free

©2011, AppAddict.net. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Bag It, BulkyPix, Chillingo, Com2uS, G5 Entertainment, Homerun Battle 2, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Minecraft, New Releases, Superman, Telltale Games, Universal