The App Store is filled with a bunch of word games, but in this post, I’ll talk about seven of my favorite word games for the iPhone.

Word Spin

Word Spin is based on an actual game by Geospace Products Co., Inc. In Word Spin, you start with three dials containing ten letters each. You start off by spinning them and rearranging them to try to get the best layout. When you’re done with that, you move on to the scoring phase where you must find words (horizontally) on the dials. Different letters are worth different amounts of points, a la Scrabble, and incorrect words count against you. After your scoring round is done, a fourth dial is added and you repeat the process all over again. In all, there are six rounds, the final round using eight dials.

Not only is Word Spin fun, but the interface looks great too. It’s nice and simple and doesn’t distract you from the game.

Current Status: Highly Recommended

Reviewed at: v1.0
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 6.3MB
Released on: October 26, 2009
Retails for: $1.99
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch running OS 3.0 or later

WordFu

You’ve probably heard of WordFu before, but in case you haven’t, WordFu is a mixture between a word and dice game. The concept is almost the same as Word Spin, but the way it’s presented and the extra little features makes it something entirely different. You start by shaking your iPhone to shake a bunch of dice with letters on them. You can then flick individual dice to get just the letters you want. When time runs out, you have to create words from the visible dice. You have to work fast, though, you’ve got a fairly short time limit; however, there are special “power-ups” that can help you. One freezes time, one doubles your score, and one lets you flick one of the dice.

Current Status: Recommended

Reviewed at: v1.0.1 (Plus+ version)
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 20.1MB
Released on: October 17, 2009
Retails for: $0.99 / Free
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch running OS 2.2.1 or later

Scrabble

You can’t go wrong with a classic game like Scrabble. If you’re one of the few people who don’t know anything about Scrabble, it’s a crossword-like game where you must spell words on a board using your hand of seven letters. Each letter is worth a certain amount of points and the grid on the playing field contains various multipliers to increase your score.

Scrabble’s interface is sub-par for me; it definitely doesn’t feel much like an iPhone application. The menus feel bloated and are somewhat cluttered. Starting a quick one-player game can be a chore and the multiplayer page feels like it’s overcrowded with options. Despite all of these nuances, Scrabble is Scrabble: fun. My only real gripes are the Best Word and Teacher features. They might as well rename them ‘Cheat.’

Current Status: Highly Recommended

Reviewed at: v1.2.98
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 9.5MB
Released on: September 25, 2009
Retails for: $4.99
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch running OS 2.2 or later

Words With Friends

Words With Friends is a free Scrabble almost-clone (it also has a paid, ad-free version). The reason I say almost is because it does have some features that are different from Scrabble. The most obvious of these is the fact that the multipliers (double letter, triple word, etc.) are in totally different places. This is nice, especially after playing Scrabble; it makes you think a little differently to score more points.

What makes Words With Friends cool is the multiplayer aspect (which, if you’re not going to play multiplayer, it’s not worth getting). The game will pair you up with another WWF player and you’ll be able to play against them in real time (or not; push notifications will let you know when it’s your turn). Scrabble has multiplayer, but it’s through Facebook and only lets you play against Facebook friends. All in all, Words With Friends is a really great free game (of course, you can get the paid version when those ads start getting annoying).

Current Status: Highly Recommended

Reviewed at: v3.05 (paid version)
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 2.7MB
Released on: November 1, 2009
Retails for: $2.99 / Free
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch running OS 2.2.1 or later

Imangi

Imangi is an interesting little game. A mix between a Rubik’s Cube and a crossword game, Imangi will have you entertained for quite a while. The concept is simple: create as many words as you can using letters on a 6×8 grid.

The catch is, however, that you need to move the letters around to score as many points as you can. You can either move the rows horizontally or the columns vertically. To find words, you just have to tap the letters; when you’re done, tap submit and your score will be tallied.

Current Status: Recommended
Reviewed at: v2.0.4
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 4.0MB
Released on: January 9, 2009
Retails for: $1.99
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch running OS 2.0 or later

Lexic

Your goal in Lexic is find as many words as you can before time runs out. You start out with a grid of letters and two minutes on the clock. Just slide your finger across the letters to form words and score some points. When the word you formed disappears, more letters fall in from the top and you keep playing until time runs out. Lexic also has a mode where new letters don’t drop in and your task is to remove them all and a mode where the letters don’t disappear and you must find as many words as you can.

What really makes Lexic fun is its system of unlockables. Like an achievement system, by accomplishing different feats, you can unlock various interface changes, from different styles of letter tiles, to different colored frames, to special abilities that will help you in the game.

Current Status: Highly Recommended
Reviewed at: v2.0
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 8.0MB
Released on: October 7, 2009
Retails for: $1.99
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch running OS 2.2.1 or later

Textropolis

Last but not least, we’ve got Textropolis. In Textropolis, you go to various cities (all containing nine letter) where your challenge is to find as many words as you can in that city’s name. Finding enough words in one city will unlock the next. Each word you find will bring more people to the city while asking for a hint will make some leave.

Textropolis is guaranteed to keep you busy for quite a while. With 30 cities and about 100 or so words per city, it’s not a game that you’ll beat in one sitting.

Current Status: Highly Recommended
Reviewed at: v1.3.1
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 1.3MB
Released on: July 9, 2009
Retails for: $1.99
Compatible with: iPhone and iPod Touch running OS 2.2 or later

If there’s one thing that the App Store isn’t overflowing with, it’s good golf games. Sure, you’ve got Tiger Woods, various minigolf games, and my personal favorite, Let’s Golf, but Fore is something different.

Fore is a top-down golf (not mini golf) game with simple controls, pretty good physics, cool animations, and excellent graphics. The controls couldn’t be any simpler; if they were, you’d be playing this game with sheer mind power. Looking down at the tee, you see your ball with two circles around it. Just place your finger on it, pull back, and slide it forward to swing (a la Ramp Champ or Skee-Ball). The faster you swing, the further the ball flies. Even though the game is two-dimensional, you can use a 2 iron to get your ball under the trees: a cool little feature that shows how much thought was put into this game. But it’s graphics were what initially drew me to this game. The almost-cartoony courses look awesome on the iPhone and really adds to the game.

As simple as this game is, it’s one that will remain on or near my home screen as it’s great to pick up and play. If you like games that you can get drawn into for hours, this may not be the one, but if you’re a casual gamer, give Fore a shot; three holes took me about seven minutes total. Fore also has two two-player modes: pass-and-play and peer-to-peer. I haven’t tried either just yet, but I can imagine it being pretty fun, especially playing on two devices. Finally, if Fore didn’t have enough replay value as it is, Fore is a part of the Plus+ network, so you can unlock achievements as well!

Overall? .. Get it. It’s only a few dollars and should keep you entertained for a while.

Current Status: Highly Recommended

Reviewed at: v1.0
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 219.0MB
Released on: November 1, 2009
Retails for: $3.99
Compatible with: iPod touch or iPhone running 2.0 or later

In case you’ve been living under a rock that is under a large rock, you probably know a little something about Eliminate by ngmoco. Eliminate is a 3D first person shooter complete with online capabilities to battle strangers or friends in a variety of locations. Upgrade gear, buy weapons and armor, and more. But does this loaded feature list live up to the hype? Find out.

I’m just going to get to the point immediately- Eliminate is my favorite game for the iPhone, ever. I’ve never had such lasting fun with a game on the device, and I can see myself playing this well into the future. Hopefully this review will give you a little insight on why I like it so much, and the (few) things I dislike. This game is free of charge, too- but you’ll find out why later in the review.

As stated above, Eliminate is a 3D first person shooter that focuses heavily on online play. You can play with up to four people (including yourself) in a match in (as of writing this) five different maps. Now, four people and five maps may not seem like a lot, but surprisingly, four people is a perfect number and provides just enough chaos. And, the variety and overall great design of each map makes sure that you never get bored with playing the same map over and over again. For those of you still upset about the number of maps, I’ve gotten confirmation by ngmoco that more are coming.

The controls for Eliminate are fairly simple. Use a digital analog to move, drag your other thumb to aim, tap the top for a menu, the bottom to jump, the middle to zoom, and anywhere to shoot (unless auto-fire is enabled, which I’ll cover later). You can always go into the Options menu and change your sensitivity, flip the control scheme, etc. You can also enable a feature called ‘auto-fire’, which eliminates the need to tap to shoot.

The graphics are some of the best you’ll see on the iPhone. The textures are sharp, and everything flows together. The framerate is particularly impressive. The menus all look great as well. The sounds and music are all fantastic, too. Every sound effect, every piece of music fits well, all making the experience more seamless than it already is.

Now, to the beef of the review- the gameplay. Eliminate currently has one game mode; a standard death match- first person to 10 kills (or the one with the most at the end of an allotted time period) wins. You can play a friend match with your friends over the Plus+ network (which is fantastic and perfectly implemented into the game), search for a random match, or play against bots.

The matchmaking, for the most part, works well. I’m consistently getting matched up quickly and (most of the time) with players in my skill/level range. On occasion, I’m matched up with someone who is quite a few levels higher, but that happens rarely.

Eliminate features an ‘energy’ system. You can a set amount of energy, and each match costs you some energy. Once that energy runs out, you stop earning ‘credits’ (the game’s currency, which you use to buy weapons, items, armor, and upgrades), but you can still play in matches as you wish. Over time, you’ll receive free energy recharges, or, you can buy energy recharges using the game’s in-app purchasing system. This would be my one (small) gripe with the game.

Listen- these servers cost ngmoco lots of green to upkeep, so, I get it- people need to pay. But, I would’ve rather have seen a one time cost (I’d pay 20-30$ USD for this game, any day) or shorter energy recharge times. But, as the system is now, I don’t have much of a problem with it.

The more credits you earn, the more you level up. The more you level up, the better upgrades, weapons, items, and armor become available to you. It’s a great system with plenty to buy and upgrade along the way. There are six different weapons, all with very different properties and attributes that suit different play styles. There’s also nine different armor types that provide different bonuses and negatives to your character. On top of all of that, there are a large assortment of skins to purchase for your armor, all using the game’s credit system.

With the leveling system and all of the upgrades, armor types, weapons, and extras to buy, there’s a lot of incentive here to play- and play well. The competition in this game is obviously a large part of the draw, along with leaderboards that span from wins to kills, from global to your friends list.

In conclusion, Eliminate is one of the most complete games for the iDevice that I’ve ever seen- and one of the most fun. You’ll be playing this game long after the initial download, and you’ll still be having fun along the way. I congratulate ngmoco on the absolutely fantastic work they’ve done with this title- it truly is an accomplishment on the device that has risen the bar for all other developers. A must, MUST have.

Current Status: Highly Recommended

Reviewed at: v1.0
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1
Download size: 59.3MB
Released on: 2nd Nov 2009
Retails for: £0.00 / $0.00
Compatible with: iPod touch Gen 1 & 2 / iPhone Classic / iPhone 3G / iPhone 3GS

Proudly sponsored by Chillingo Ltd.

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Jules Verne’s Secrets of Mysterious Island by Chillingo is Out Now! - $6.99

Intro

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This hasn’t happened before but all the talk from this week is one game. Eliminate. For the first time we have found a free game good enough to get featured in this section. The only DLC money burning shoot out has graced our iDevices for only a number of days but already its a hit. What else came out though? Of course some smashing games by our common causes Electronic Arts and Gameloft. Check it out soldiers!

Eliminate - Free

Quite possibly the most anticipated free game of the year is the fast paced death match of Eliminate. Not only is this just another free game by Ngmoco, but it comes coupled with the smoothest online experience yet and some sweet as graphics to boot. This game is all about versing people around the world to earn credits to level up and buy cool weapons and armor. Being a free game Ngmoco have to make their money somehow, and what better way than making us pay via DLC for extra power cells that allow us to earn credits online.

This game is absolute fun and is so addictive, with it hard to resist paying for more power cells constantly. You get a single energy recharge every 4 hours, which leaves you incredibly hungry to play. I feel that Ngmoco have seriously undermined us and I would happily pay for more DLC packs if I at least was given a constant flow of energy to go along with it. Apart from that you can play online and earn no credits. This is such a sweet game however, and being free should be tried time and time again by everyone!

Asphalt 5 - $6.99

In the first few months of the App Store I had one favourite game that I played time after time, Asphalt 4 Elite Racing. I thought this game had insane graphics for a device like this and was totally worth the $9.99 I paid. I soon learnt that the controls were clunky and the graphics weren’t all that flash. This time we have received the next in line for the Asphalt series, with a better looking, better driving and cheaper version of the car game we all loved and play at the end of 2008.

Asphalt 5 has over 30 of the fastest and most well known cars in the world, which can be customized all the way down to a custom paint job. These can be raced on 12 different locations, each featuring 4 events to race in. These are different with 8 different race modes to compete in, all being quite fun except the cop chase (which is so hard it’s not even funny). Apart from that this is a sweet game that gives us an adrenalin packed ride. I suggest picking this up while you wait for Need for Speed: Shift to come out.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert - $9.99

Command & Conquer: Red Alert has been announced as coming to the App Store for a long time. Finally this game has been launched at what I believe is a hefty price for the amount of content. While the graphics look great I feel that there aren’t enough levels to satisfy the $9.99 pricetag, and including the DLC content in the original game would have been better off. Saying that the DLC content is a very generous price for the extra levels you get and if you buy this game you have to buy the DLC to get your money’s worth.

Having only previously played Robocalypse before, this is a fairly new category to me on the iDevice. I found the game to be fun to play, with it seeming more like a PC game like Age of Empires or the old Command & Conquer games. The main selling point of this game is obviously the insanely good graphics, as I am frequently blown away with how good it looks. There are many hours of levels to play in this game, but for the moment I would only suggest you buy this game if you love the Command & Conquer due to the high price.

Other Notable Releases this week Include:

iSniper 3D by Triniti Interactive

GeoGeo Wars by adot studio

Virtual Villagers 3 by Last Day of Work

Cliffed by IUGO Entertainment

Ground Effect by Glenn Corpes

Jules Verne’s Secrets of Mysterious Island by Chillingo Ltd.

Jelly Car 2 by Walt Disney

The Settlers by Gameloft

Stay tuned next week for the tenth installment of ‘The Week That Was’. If you have any suggestions to improve the segment please either email me at damon@razorianfly.com or submit a comment below. Thanks!

Last night, Ngmoco’s (MMO) first person shooter Eliminate Pro hit the App Store - to huge fanfare. Eliminate is a online first person shooter, and it works on ngmoco’s own Plus+ Network, a system which allows you to keep track of how you’re doing in each of the games supported by the service.

Hit the jump for more! ..

While good, the service relies on you finding out your friends Plus+ handle, adding them, and then inviting them. It’s not a particularly easy way to find people (especially if you don’t know their handle in the first place). This morning, Jimi Allott (@PixelJimi) on Twitter contacted me with an idea. Instead of cluttering Twitter up with tweets like ..

“Hey dude, what’s your Plus+ username?”

.. Why not create a constantly up-to-date online list of Plus+ users who specifically have (or play) Eliminate Pro? So, I did. You’ll find the list at: http://rfly.me/eliminated

Hey dude, I’m not on the list!

Not on the list? Shoot me a @reply or DM on Twitter with your Plus+ username saying you’d like to be on the list. You’ll find me at @razorianfly. Currently I’m pushing updates to the list every few hours, based on the amount of add requests I’m receiving. The list isn’t strictly limited to Eliminate Pro users though, so if you feel you want to be added just because you use Plus+, just shout.

Like the idea? Spread the word. I’m aiming for this to become the list for finding people to frag with, more easily, until ngmoco introduce a better system.

Proudly sponsored by Chillingo Ltd.

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Cash Cow by Chillingo is Out Now! - $0.99

Intro

We have a brand new sponsor, Chillingo! Look out for this segment to be continued for months to come. Thanks guys!

This week has definitely had a few standout games that have been released. In particular is one I have been waiting about 7 months for and that is NBA Live by Electronic Arts. A sweet week full of fun games has arrived and was hard to pick the cream of the crop. You guys shouldn’t be disappointed with the line up this week though.

NBA Live - $9.99

NBA Live is a game I have been eagerly anticipating for a long long time. Finally it arrives on the App Store providing a great basketball experience for all. This game has had no competitions from Gameloft who generally bring out an earlier version of the sport. This game comes packed with all the teams and a full 82 game season to play around with. While the graphics aren’t the best compared to their other games, it’s obviously been done to give us the smoothest possible experience with a game like this.

For the first attempt by anyone at a full 5 on 5 basketball game EA have done a great job. Well basically this game is a heap of fun, bringing an addictive game that will have you breeze through that long 82 game season in no time. They have managed to incorporate everything from a proper basketball match into some simple controls. This is a perfect way to kick back after a day of watching basketball. EA have once again not disappointed, swishing this game from half court. Really one of the games of the year in my opinion.

Rally Master Pro - $6.99

Rally Master Pro is the latest racing game to grace our iDevices. Instead of the arcade or street racing we have gotten from Need for Speed and Real Racing we have finally been given a rally racer. This game is a great racing game that has some awesome graphics. The game has heaps of tracks and game modes to race against the clock to get the best time possible. I have heard reports that the beta version was laggy and unplayable but this version delivers a smooth and crisp racing experience on my iPod Touch.

The game features three levels of difficulty and each must be completed to unlock the next one. They all feature many different tracks that will challenge you to the very end. This game is a tonne of fun and I found to be right up their with Real Racing, even though its by a developer not as well known. Any of you racing fans out there definitely won’t be disappointed with this rally game, especially since its the only true rally game. $6.99 is a fair price for this game, and definitely worth picking up.

Metallica Revenge - $4.99

I have to admit I’m a TapTapRevenge-aholic who owns most of the TTR series. Even though I’m not a Metallica fan I jumped on board in buying this game. I love the fact that they are making this game more challenging, expanding on the Lady Gaga Revenge’s 4 lane song with 4 and 5 lane songs. The graphics for this version are pretty sweet and I feel depict the Metallica ‘death metal’ feel quite nicely. There is only one thing I don’t like with this game, and that is the song choice of Metallica’s songs.

The shortest track is about 4:30min with the longest at about 8:30min. I feel that this is too long for a game like this, and could be cut down if the long acoustic parts of the song were cut out. Also I found that most tracks feature hardly any singing, which is what I like to hear when playing this game. Apart from that though this is a pretty good game, that is easy to do well at on the easier levels, but some extreme tapping later on. I’d leave this for serious Metallica or Tap Tap Revenge fans though, casual players are better off with TTR3.

Other Notable Releases this week Include:

Alice in Bomberland by Sonic BOOM

Real Deer Hunting by Sunstorm Interactive

Taxi Fight by Glu Mobile

Stay tuned next week for the tenth installment of ‘The Week That Was’. If you have any suggestions to improve the segment please either email me at damon@razorianfly.com or submit a comment below. Thanks!

There have been many great new applications to make their way onto the App Store in previous weeks, many successful, many defeated. Only a few were top dogs, the others barely made it into the Top 50.

This week’s featured “Hot Pick of the Week!”  app is brought from one of the most distinguished developers and publishers in town, Tapulous. Their smooth and shiny application, Tap Tap Revenge 3 was a crowd grabber, even before it was released.

Overview

A majority of us know of Tapulous, from they’re very well-known Tap Tap array and list of great applications everything from Social Networking to Music. They’re backstory - all three Tap Tap games have been listed as the number one app on the App Store and they continue to bring other distinctive band Tap Tap games.

Tap Tap Revenge 3 brings on a whole new level of diverting tapping, features, and design. Which is why it was chose to be the featured Hot Pick of the Week app. It brings everything from public profiles to in-game chat rooms and of course everything in between. Most competitors (including myself) enjoy amusing oneself on the Online Play where you can play people from around the globe as well as chat with them.

What Makes It The Hot Pick Of The Week!

Many things! What I do like most though, is the exclusive profile feature. This profile feature also includes the avatars and such, which is a breath taker due to the magnificent job done by Tapulous. You can post information on your profile such as, your first concert or even your own picture if you like (you use Twinkle to upload your own picture, and it’s free). The profile feature definitely helps this game stick out, reason being; there isn’t another game collateral.

Tap Tap Revenge 3 In The Making!

If you have a Twitter more and likely your following Tapulous [Twitter]. They gave us weekly updates on how the development was moving along, delays, hints, and much more that kept us astound. Before they released it, they gave us a video preview, which you can view here.

Overall

This app is highly recommended and is why I made it exclusively the Hot Pick of the Week! I honestly can’t speak of anything negative about this app at the moment, which must mean there’s nothing to face. If you dote on the previous Tap Tap games, you’ll dig this one even more!

Released: 6th October, 09

Retail: $.99

There are plenty of poker games already available in the AppStore so is there really room for any more? Well 4J Studios seem to think so with their recent release Texas Wuggle.

But don’t think for one minute that the guy’s over the 4J Studio just packaged together another bog standard texas hold ‘em poker game, you would be wrong. Texas Wuggle is a unique mix of puzzle and poker that just oozes style from the moment you start.

The game takes the gameplay from their earlier release Wuggle and gives the poker twist. The game mechanics are simple, string together poker hands from the random selection of cards that are dealt on each round and try and make as much money as you can. But don’t think the cards are gonna be laid out in a straight line, they’re all over the place making picking out a winning hand that little harder.

Perhaps the most non poker like element are the bombs, that’s right bombs, whilst never seen on the World Poker Tour they are here. You get three bombs to begin with and you can use them to replace cards on the table, so in the event that you can’t make a winning hand simply double tap a card you want to discard, hit the bomb and the card Is replaced with, hopefully a better one. The bombs refresh at the rate of one bomb a hand, so use them wisely.

There are two game modes the first being Spree, which gives you 10 hands to try to try and become a millionaire, bet big to win big. The second mode is Survivor, start at the bottom and race against the clock to form hands and win big. Both game modes are entertaining, but survivor gets very frantic as time ebbs away.

Graphically, the game has a dark, sharp visual style and looks great, with sparks when you’re placing your bets to the trails when you move the cards around and things get even flashier when you win.

Don’t get me wrong, the game does have a few flaws, you can’t play your own music whilst playing the game – a minor problem, but why not include it? The only real issue is the way the cards bounce around the table when you move them, rebounding off each other which can make it difficult to find space for your hand, especially in survival mode when times running out.

Overall, this is a nice mix of poker and puzzle, if you want a die-hard poker simulator then you need to look elsewhere, but if you just want a fun time killer with the addition of poker elements then for the price you really don’t have anything to lose and let’s face it, if you’re looking into a poker game, you must be a bit of a gambler, and in this case, you can’t really lose.

Current Status: Worth a Look
Reviewed at: v1.0
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 37.1MB
Released on: 12 October 2009
Retails for: £0.59 / $0.99
Compatible with: iPod touch Gen 1 & 2 / iPhone Classic / iPhone 3G / iPhone 3GS (Requires OS 2.2.1 or later)

I’m sure you can’t have failed to notice the increase in horror / Halloween games that have been pouring into the AppStore recently. Whilst most of these will be played a few times over the next week or two, they will then be abandoned and probably never played again. However, do not even think about including the recent release of Horror Racing in that category.

Developed by NEWFX Games and published by Chillingo, Horror Racing is a top down arcade racer that will keep you coming back for more.

With 15 tracks to blast around and a total of 7 characters (5 are available to begin with, and the other 2 need to be unlocked via the Championship mode). The characters available all have different stats and you have the option to upgrade your vehicle as you earn money and progress through the game.

Along with the Championship mode, there is also quick race and a skirmish road, which mainly focuses on blasting the hell out of the other cars rather than actually racing. There are plenty of power ups to be found as you tear around the various tracks.

Controls are handled with an on-screen steering wheel, which does take a little getting used to, but basically, which ever way the little green arrow is pointing, that’s the direction you’re going to travel. Once you get used to this control method, which shouldn’t take too long, the game is actually a lot of fun, and the recent update enables you to switch the side that the wheel is one, thus rectifying the only real complaint that the game received when it was first released. Along with the steering wheel, you also have a selection of buttons on the other side of the screen which you can use to deploy the various weapons you have amassed during play.

As you can see from the screenshots the environments in which you race are rendered well and the tracks are well designed with plenty of power ups, ramps and tight corners to negotiate meaning you may find you spend more time on two wheels as apposed to all four, which is always a fun thing.

With an adjustable difficulty setting (easy, medium or hard) even the most casual of game players should find this game enjoyable and given the number of playable characters and upgrades available there is definitely plenty or replay value within this great little racer.

If you ever played any of the top down racer games back on the 16bit consoles, this game will provide you with a blast of nostalgic gameplay, and if you didn’t, well, this game is just a blast. There is also a Lite version available so there really is no reason not to give this a go. I’d hate for this game to be swallowed up within that mass of Halloween themed games, it deserves more. So get out there and start Racing.

Current Status: Recommended
Reviewed at: v1.1
Reviewed on Firmware: 3.1.2
Download size: 29.0MB
Released on: 19 October 2009
Retails for: £1.79 / $2.99
Compatible with: iPod touch Gen 1 & 2 / iPhone Classic / iPhone 3G / iPhone 3GS (Requires OS2.2.1 or later)

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Cash Cow by Chillingo is Out Now! - $0.99

Intro

We have a brand new sponsor, Chillingo! Look out for this segment to be continued for months to come. Thanks guys!

This week has been quiet, with a few BIG releases to separate the small releases we have been getting. Once again this segment is going to feature our old friends Gameloft and Electronic Arts, standing out from the crowd yet again.

Rock Band - $9.99

Rock Band is the world renowned music game that is the main competitor of Guitar Hero on the main consoles. This time Electronic Arts has brought the complete experience to our beloved iPhone, in ways that are new to our music tapping category. Instead of just tapping to the beat of the song you can play each song in 4 different ways, tapping to the Bass, Guitar, Drums and Vocals. This is a great idea and provides for heaps of replayability of all songs. 22 songs and a career mode, is this better than TTR3? In SOME ways it is.

This game comes action packed with a career mode, not as in depth as Guitar Rock Tour but still fun to complete. I found the game easier enough to handle, but the controls aren’t as responsive when trying to hit lots of notes quickly, something Tap Tap Revenge is very good at. The graphics are quite good, simple yet effective and provide for rocking time with no lag at all. With DLC tracks and just all round Electronic Arts quality, this is certainly a game to consider if you love the music gaming genre on the iPhone.

Earthworm Jim - $6.99

Earthworm Jim is the world famous game that has recently had the rights to it bought by Gameloft. They didn’t hesitate to bring it onto their no.1 platform the iPhone. I have actually never played this game (I’m wasn’t a retro gamer) but I still jumped on board to try out this game. Earthworm Jim is basically a platformer game that involves many challenges, enemies and puzzles to solve. Sadly however I didn’t find this game as good as Gameloft’s other platformer, Castle of Magic due to a few glaring problems.

First of all I don’t like the controls for this game, when Gameloft generally have good controls. I found them sometimes unresponsive and the old fashioned D-Pad could probably be improved. Apart from that the game is alright, with sweet looking graphics and a fast paced gameplay. If I had to buy this game or Castle of Magic I would choose the later everytime, but fans of this game probably won’t pass up the oppurtunity to get this. I’m a bit decided on this game so I can only recommend it if you like the genre or the previous EW Jim games.

5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself) - $2.99

Adult Swim are known for making hilarious (and sometimes quite gruesome) flash games for the PC. After the success of Amateur Surgeon they have put some other flash games onto the App Store. This latest game involves you frantically running around the office trying to kill yourself in 5 minutes. While the game doesn’t look all that special it just sounds hilarious and I had to buy it to try myself. The game basically ends with the concept however.

The graphics are quite good, 3D instead of 2D. You try to run around killing yourself with staples, printers, pinyatas and many more. It’s quite funny and the blood splatters are a nice effect on this generally ‘bloodless’ platform. After a few tries this game will probably get a bit dry and won’t get much use. For $2.99 I think its a bit high, maybe a $0.99 game. If you want something from Adult Swim that’s long lasting get Amateur Surgeon, but this is good for a laugh.

Other Notable Releases this week Include:

3D Rollercoaster Rush Bundle Pack by Digital Chocolate

Sniper vs Sniper Online by Com2Us

Crush the Zombies by CDE

Guardian Soul by Nate Games

Stay tuned next week for the ninth installment of ‘The Week That Was’. If you have any suggestions to improve the segment please either email me at damon@razorianfly.com or submit a comment below. Thanks!