The App Shelf for iPhone and iPod touch

Gameloft recently released a mysterious trailer for an otherwise unannounced iPhone OS app, entitled Dungeon Hunter. 


The YouTube description labels the game as an “action RPG” and “coming soon.”  The video itself has fun cinematics, an intriguing story, and absolutely no gameplay footage.  Could these be a Diablo-like hack and slash?  Or maybe iPhone’s version of Zelda?  For now, your guess is as good as ours!

We’ll post more info when we get it.

The first trailer of Anders Hejdenberg’s Dark Nebula debuted earlier today.  Dark Nebula, described as “a skill-based action game,” appears to combine accelerometer-based ball rolling controls—one of the many trademarks of iPhone gaming—with many elements of action and platform games.

The game will launch as a series of episodes priced at $0.99, starting with the release of episode one, which will contain ten levels and about an hour of gameplay.  According to the developers, Dark Nebula is sure to "have you bouncing, sliding, spinning and swerving all the way to the finish line."

Hejdenberg, the lead designer of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat had this to say about the iPhone as a new platform:

“The iPhone has always intrigued me as a gaming platform, both in terms of how you can interact with it as well as what it is capable of technically. So I felt quite compelled to try it out and see what we could do with it. It was a lot of fun to come up with a new game concept with a control mechanic that feels great on the device.”

“I was really impressed to see just how much the iPhone and iPod Touch are actually capable of. I think we’ve only seen the beginning here because as developers learn how to work with the platform they’ll be able to create some truly remarkable things compared to what we’ve seen so far.”

Dark Nebula looks to have a lot of potential based on the trailer and the info provide from the app’s development team.  The app is still in development and expected to hit the App Store around the end of September.

Chillingo recently released a free and fully featured promo game for their Knights Onrush app entitled A Quest of Knights Onrush.  The app uses the same graphic set as Knights Onrush, with side scrolling, survival-based gameplay rather than castle defense.

The app uses a RGP-like level-up system that allows players to select their own ability paths.  Abilities include faster health recovery, higher jumps, and special attacks.

Overall, the game handles very well and seems to offer some decent replay value; the app keeps track of how many feet into the foray your knight managed to travel for each attempt.

Personally, I’ve found this game to be fast, fun and addictive.  I’d call this app a must download or at least worth a try, because you can’t go wrong at the price of free.

The developers have asked players to let them know if they enjoy the app.  If so, they’ll make a highly improved premium version.  Also included with this promo app is the lite version of Knights Onrush.

Recently I had a chance to get my hands on the upcoming iPhone app title, Liberty Boom, co-developed by TheAppShelf.com’s Matt Braun of Magnate Interactive, in collaboration with Mourlam Studios.

The game is a patriotically themed, fast tapping frenzy of fireworks and explosions, with beautiful graphics and six original audio tracks.  The objective of the game is to keep the crowd happy by detonating the fast moving fireworks as high as possible.  This is done by hitting the designated tap zones before the rockets pass the threshold line, while avoiding other flying obstacles, such as planes, helicopters, and blimps (unless, of course, it happens to be a flying bonus multiplier).  According to Braun:

If we were to compare [Liberty Boom] to another game, it's most like Tap Tap Revenge, but inverted.

The first few levels start out simple enough to get players warmed up, but before you realize what’s hit you, the game gets frantically fun.  Players can influence the speed that aircrafts move across the screen with tilt controls; this is particularly great for lining up bonus multipliers.  For competitive gamers, the app contains a global scoreboard and social challenge system.  For a better impression of gameplay, check out the trailer below.

Personally, one of my favorite parts about the app is the breathtaking nighttime skyline photos used for backgrounds. The initial release features 20 city skylines, and the developers are asking players to send in more for future updates.

Liberty Boom, which has already been submitted to the App Store for approval, will be released at the temporary introductory price of 99¢, with a full price of $2.99.  Look for it soon!

If you've been holding off on Doom Resurrection or Wolfensten 3d Classic because of the price, then now's the time to buy!

• Doom Resurrection $9.99 --> $2.99
• Wolfenstein 3d Classic $2.99 --> 99¢

Both titles come highly recommended.

Fans of the popular Wolfenstein series got their first chance to gun down the Nazi regime on the iPhone OS back in March when id software brought Wolftenstein 3D Classic to the App Store.

Since then, we've heard rumors about several other titles in development (one of which we've since seen, DOOM Resurrection).  The others, including DOOM Classic, are still in the works.  One title, however, is rumored to have been completed for months now, Wolfenstein RPG.  This title, which id choose to publish through EA, was rumored to be intentionally delayed by the company to avoid confusion with Wolfenstein 3D Classic.  It seems the delay is finally over.

Wolfenstein RPG recently arrived on the App Store boasting great graphics and exciting gameplay.

Here's a snippet from the App Store description:

GET READY FOR ACTION IN WOLFENSTEIN RPG...

KILLER CONTROLS
Use your iPhone and iPod touch to activate an arsenal of 16 weapons including Spiked Brass Knuckles, a Submachine Gun, and Dynamite. Tap and swipe to punch, kick, and shoot. Use the accelerometer to take down the Axis Agents from a distance with a powerful sniper rifle.

UNCOVER SECRETS
Tap your screen to search for hidden secrets that reveal stolen treasures and more.

A TASTE OF THE ORIGINAL
Fight your way through 9 levels and 8+ hours of Wolfenstein action!

YOUR WORST ENEMIES
Face 32 enemies you’ll love to vanquish! Battle elite soldiers, zombies flaming skeletons, and other bizarre Id creations.

CHEMICAL REACTION
Sneak your way into the Mixing Stations and dip into their performance enhancing concoctions for your OWN benefit!

A KILLER LOOK
High-res graphics suspended in a 3D world immerse you in the mayhem.

App Store Link: Wolfenstein RPG [4.99]

We'll be back with a full review later.

In a forum post made at toucharcade.com, Toy Kite Software has just announced that the FULL version of their hit app, iSamurai, will be available for Free for 2 days only.

You can see our previously posted video review of iSamurai here.

In the forum post, Toy Kite made two additional announcments:

1. Toy Kite Software will be holding an iSamuari Video contest.  Grand Prize will be an iPod Touch.
2. Toy Kite also mentioned some of the upgrade ideas they have in the works for future iSamuari updates.  As listed on the forum, the ideas include:

We are testing an upgrade that makes the game more interesting and more fun. It works like this: if a player blocks 3 attacks in a row, his next hit is a critical hit worth 3 normal hits. In our tournaments, this forces a player to watch his opponent and not just attack wildly.

We are also looking at another option: if a player does all 4 attacks in sequence, the opponent dies instantly.

Lastly, we had a suggestion for a "finishing move" similar to Mortal Combat. Perhaps if a player wins by 50% or more (10 hits to 5), he gets to do a final finishing move.

As fans of the of the original version of the app, we look forward to the updates!

Bookworm 99¢
Hero of Sparta 99¢
Moto X Mayhem 99¢
SlotZ Racer 99¢
Tiger Woods PGA Tour $4.99

As always, double check the price before purchasing!

Star Hogs, the phenomenal turn-based strategy game is on a 99¢ mega sale.

If you've ever been a fan of WORMS, download this app now!  If you're skeptical, check out our video review or try the free lite version, but don't let yourself miss out on this opportunity.

Star Hogs $4.99 --> 99¢

Earlier today on the SEGA America Blog, SEGA asked iPhone and iPod Touch users to help the company brainstorm ideas for their next App.  According to the post:

Any idea is welcome, no matter how out there or random, we’ll take it and add it the list for the presentation. There are some restrictions, but that’s expected, right? First, it has to be a Sega game, meaning no other publisher’s titles, even if they did appear on our old systems (I know, I know, I want to see a Road Rash sequel too). Second, we can’t accept original game ideas, we’re not looking for acquisitions for new titles in this brainstorming session. And that’s pretty much it, go to town and tell us what you want to see.

Ideas can be posted on Twitter, Facebook, in SEGA's forums, or as a comment reply to the blog itself.  This is your chance to be heard, so think back to those classic SEGA days and let the ideas fly. 

Feel free to start some pre-disscussion in our own comment section, and we'll be sure to let SEGA know about your feedback.