Not only did his past week have some exciting new IPs, but it also seemed to be the week for studios to release sequels to their popular franchises. Before we get into the sequels, I’d like to mention of few of the fresh titles that came out this week.
Those looking for some FREE fun, Electronic Arts released Ghost Harvest, a Farmville-esque game set in a cemetery where you must “Shepherd souls to a better afterlife for fun and profit.” While not my type of game, I’m sure there are loads of you who’d love this stuff. Next is the iPhone-sized release of FuzzyCube Software’s super fun, football-themed target shooting game iQuarterback 2, this time (appropriately) titled iQuarterback 2 Pocket Edition. This game is a simple and addictive little time waster that works just as well on the smaller screen!
Next up are a couple of new titles from Clickgamer.com (a subsidiary of Chillingo) and GAMEVIL. Both of these companies have a proven track record of churning out fun casual pick up and play games that are, most importantly, difficult to put down. And these new titles certainly look to keep that habit alive. First is Peter Packer from developer odaSoft and published by Clickgamer. It’s a fast-paced sorting game where you must fling the packages into their corresponding chutes as they travel along the production line, and it is available in separate iPhone and iPad releases. GAMEVIL’s Skipping Stones is a cute looking, one-button game where you try to keep your stone moving as long as possible, bouncing on the water and collecting coins to unlock achievements and collect items.
Finally, rounding out the non-sequel titles are two games from experienced indie developers that perhaps do not get the attention that they deserve. The first is A Long Way Home from Jonathan Mulcahy (Z is for Zombie, V is for Vortex). It is an action/physics/puzzle game for the iPad which is set in space and has you jumping from asteroid to asteroid collecting enough dark matter to open a portal to the next level. The second title comes from Kieffer Bros., who are responsible for such great games as Aqueduct and Orba. Their latest game, Monster Soup, is a very cute, round-based endurance/ high score game where you must help unite and rescue little monsters from the Soup System, which has been threatened by the approaching Ice Age. I’ve had a chance to play this one and it is a lot of fun! Monster Soup is perfect for any age player, especially those that likes arcade or matching style games.
First, for those that love time management games you are in luck, because this week Games Cafe and FreshGames have released follow up titles to arguably each’s most popular game. Sally’s Studo™ is the sequel to Games Cafe’s huge hit Sally’s Spa™, which originally launched on the iPhone way back in April of 2009. This time around Sally trades her spa in for a yoga studio. The game offers the same sort of gameplay Sally fans are used to with new locations, and new items to buy as you expand and upgrade your studio. FreshGames’ Ranch Rush 2 is the sequel to their farming game Ranch Rush which appeared on the app store back in July of 2009. While the game has been available on the iPad for some time now, it is just finally making its way to the iPhone and this time around players are taking part in Sara’s Island Experiment, trying to grow her empire in a tropical locale. Fans of the original Sally’s Spa™ and Ranch Rush games will most certainly want to pick these up.
Last but not least, Full Fat Games, who had recent success with their game Coin Drop! is back with Flick Golf Extreme!. It is the follow up to their popular game Flick Golf! which came out in November of last year. It is a sort of one-shot, trick-shot golfing game where players flick their ball from the tee and while it’s in the air, they swipe the screen to control it’s flight path and pull off “tricks” before it lands on a ringed bulls-eye-like target around the pin. Points are awarded for various mid-air changes of direction as well as distance from the pin and whether or not you cupped the hole. The new title features the same gameplay mechanics Flick Golf! players are used to, but this time the graphics are even more stunning as are the locales. This time around, you’ll be shooting from inside helicopters across skyscrapers and more. If you liked the original, then you’ll certainly love this one as well.
As always, please leave a comment below letting us know what new releases you picked up this week.
