Well, Risk fans, here it is, the OFFICIAL Risk game you all know and love, right on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Conquer the world, fighting either variably difficult AI opponents, or  up to 4 of your greatest rivals via WiFi or Bluetooth, or up to 6 with Pass ‘n Play. All the rules of the classic board game will appear, along with an “updated” look and feel, which can be seen in the screenshot gallery below.

What do you think? Love it? Hate it? We’re not sure. If the gameplay is similar to the board game, we’ll probably love it, especially with the pass and play. EA has no word on when this bad boy is coming to the iPad, but we’re pretty sure it would have to. I mean, come ON. Perfect for board games, the iPad is. </yoda>

Keep your eyes peeled right here for more details as they become available.

Yet more teasing goodness to get your juices flowing for this much anticipated game, still scheduled to release in the ambiguous “Spring 2010:”

EA Mobile’s been quiet so far in 2010 with new games, but that’s coming to an end, as in the coming months, EA Mobile is planning on releasing The Sims 3: World Adventures, Skate It, and the long-awaited Mirror’s Edge. We have new screens of all 3 games available below.

Publisher/Developer: EA Mobile
Genre: Sim
Price: $6.99
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Verdict: Only good if you are already a fan of the Spore concept
Pros: Creature building interface works well, you can import textures, decent visuals
Cons: Control is weak, a bit buggy, sounds are a bit much

Spore is a now textbook example (see ‘Snakes on a Plane’) of a property that is hyped out of of proportion to what it ever could possibly be, therefore guaranteeing it’s failure.  Or, to be more precise, its relative failure to unrealistic levels of optimism.

Portable Gamer meets Comics Are Evil: Spore Creature sporting a Blackest Night skin.

Spore Origins was one of the first big name games available for the iPhone platform after the launch of the App Store and, like Super Monkey Ball before it, it benefited from the gold rush early days of the app ecosystem.  But sales do not a good game indicate (ahem, COD: Zombies) and now we have an update that seems to assume that first game was really good.  This is really just an expanded version of a mini-game that wasn’t all that fun to begin with.  For the initiated, the premise is that you play as mitochondrial life forms that must gobble up DNA in your petri dish world (which is now land based) by absorbing lower forms of life to evolve as a sentient form.   Your method to control your amoeba is strictly tilt-based, which works – but not well.  You will get frustrated trying to arrange you and your device in a way to maintain a consistent orientation for sustained control of your creature.  Sometimes you’ll simply want to touch your tadpole to get it around the very edge of some polygonal branch.  Thankfully, the game has a calibration screen where you can set up your ‘relative tilt angle’, which is useful; until you decide to physically move. There really should have been alternate control schemes provided.

Fight your urge to make phallic Spores please.

The crux of Spore Creatures is that now, in order to traverse certain obstacles, you will have to earn features for your creature. Need to move a rock?  ‘Grow’ some legs.  Need to do battle?  Add some claws to those arms.  The “rinse-wash-repeat” factor grows old fast, and only those who really liked this aspect of the full game will dig it here.  The one thing that is cool is the actual creator part of the game.  Over 40 unique parts means millions of possible combinations and with the ability to skin your creature with images you have synced to your device or via photos you’ve taken, the possibilities are now endless.  Even though you may want to try and create a phallic creature with a ‘realistic’ texture, please don’t.  This is actually the coolest part of the game, where those that wish to be truly creative can make some imaginative creatures and give them highly custom looks and skins.  The downside is that the creator is still buggy, sometimes making it impossible to remove parts as you try and make room for better appendage upgrades.  Ultimately, you’ll have to survive 20 levels with 4 different ecosystems to max out your different defensive and offensive capabilities to conquer the bosses and become the big mold on campus.

Get that DNA.

Overall, the graphics are well done and create a colorful backdrop to your 3D model pulsating across the plain.  This is one game that can be played, nay, should be played with the sound off.  The bird and ocean sounds are very shrill and simply repeated way too much.  Luckily, you can adjust the SFX and Music volume (which are your own tunes) independently; I recommend zero for SFX volume.  If you get stuck after viewing the tutorial, there are in game docs that can assist you, but if you can’t figure out what to do here, how did you even come to have an iPhone?  Or even find this website?  If you are looking for depth or a long engagement, look elsewhere.  Although deeper than Origins, it is still primitive, and in my opinion still has some evolving to do.

Publisher/Developer: EA Mobile
Genre: Racing
Price: $6.99
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Verdict: For now, the racing game to beat on the iPhone.
Pros: Incredible graphics, smooth gameplay, decent value, deep
Cons: Multiplayer is an afterthought

I was pretty disappointed with the console and PC versions of Shift, but I think EA got it right on the iPhone.  If you want the skinny, the straight dope, here it is: this is the best looking, best playing racer on the iPhone, period.

And it moves good too!

NFS Shift puts Real Racing and Asphalt 5 in the rear view mirror, and puts it to the wood.  This is the best racer money can buy for the 3GS today.  EA seems to be real hit or miss on the platform, but this is an example of a hit.  The whole concept for the game revolves around the tried and true cash grind to buy and outfit new rides as you make your way through the circuit on your way to street race domination.  As a single player experience, there isn’t a better racer out there. This one is perfectly balanced and set up for bite size play or a long term sit down for when you are plugged into the wall socket.  The game is designed to recognize your progress just for racing in each event by awarding you with precision and aggression points.  Obviously, winning an event will progress your in-game profile quicker, and fill your pockets faster, but this method of reward makes every time you play worthwhile, and lessens the grind of character (racer) building.

The game within the game is this Driver Profile which tracks your performance and creates a outline of your driver that matches your tendencies.  Shift really shows off its depth (and value at 7 bucks) here and will keep you interested in your career as a street racer for awhile.  Since the game isn’t linear, you are free to jump around to different locales like Chicago, London, & Tokyo to keep your interest piqued.  28 events are available from drift battle and time trial to elimination races.  For those that just want to jump in, Shift also has ‘quick races’.  This is a complete and smartly presented package.

With 4 different POVs, you will definitely find one that works for you.

Graphically, I cannot stress enough how good this game looks.  Shift is a new standard for what the 3GS can do and shows that this device is pretty powerful when taken full advantage of.  The car models look clean and anti-aliased and the environments are as sharp and as detailed as some of the last generation console racers.  These screen-shots are a accurate indication of what you’ll see and it moves along at an almost perfect 30fps.  While there is some slight hitching in the frame-rate, it is nowhere near what you see in other games with less detail.

Asthe  icing on the cake, the controls are spot on.  With one of the best implementations of tilt controls (with horizon auto-level) I’ve seen, the game also sports 3 control types (rookie, professional, expert) and even custom.  Shift allows you to adjust the tilt sensitivity to your liking, but default works just fine.  You can choose to use steering assist, manual or automatic transmission, auto brake, and turn on or off the racing line.  The line helps you get acclimated to the control of the cars (and each one feels different) and get a feel for drifting through, and sometimes braking into, the turns.  4 different views, including behind the wheel and full screen, guarantees you can find one that works for you.

Didn't know you had on these sweet gloves did you?

Shift touts 20 different cars, as varied as a BMW M3 GT2 to a Pagani Zonda, which is more than enough to keep you playing to earn better rides.  18 tracks in 3 locations with enough visual variations and race types to keep you challenged are all presented with incredible fidelity, especially on a 3GS or second generation iPod Touch.  EA has deftly added OpenGL 2.0 optimizations that only work on the latest hardware, but the game is still playable on the first generation iron unlike some othere games >cough< Ridge Racer >cough<.  Excellent sound effects abound and for those not a fan of EA’s dee jaying, you can use your iPod music library. The game will automatically let you resume races when interrupted dropping you back at the starting line.  Mutliplayer consists of only wi-fi head to head and there are no leaderboards to speak of, but that is not what this game is about.  It’s about finding your driving style and running the career gauntlet.

One man's tailgating is another man's drafting.

Ultimately, EA took a high performance and well implemented racing engine and wrapped a smartly designed career mode that is guaranteed to impress even the most jaded of graphic whores and loyal of EA haters.  Shift is further proof that the iPhone is a legitimate gaming platform with a very bright future.

Developer/Publisher: EA Mobile
Genre: Board Game
Cost: $2.99
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Verdict: The perfect rendition of a classic game. Period.
Pros: Great graphics, cool sound effects, easy to play.
Cons: No cool game boards to play with the pegs on. :(

When I was young, like many board game-aholics, I LOVED Battleship. The pegs, the handles on the individual game boards – they all made me feel a sense of adulthood (I did get my own board, after all). Too bad I always got my ass kicked by every other person I played. So much for trying to spell things with the ships. Craving that good-time, peg-filled game, without the bulky side effects? Wait no longer! Here it is, as good an app as you could ever imagine for this game. Elaborate? Don’t mind if I do.

You know the premise: guess where your opponent has hidden their various ships by launching exploding pieces of metal at the the water their in. This app even animates the action, with some great 3D graphics. This time, there are 3 types of gameplay. In Classic Play, you shoot at the water one missle at a time. Classic, just like the name suggests. In the Salvo Mode (my personal favorite), you can choose as many spots to target, on your turn, as you have number of ships left. The action is faster, but still basic. Finally, in Super Weapon Mode, you can choose from an array of various weapons to have in your arsenal. Each weapon targets the enemy vessels with a different number of shots, and in different formations. They also have different reload times. When it’s your turn, simply choose the weapon you’re looking to shoot, choose the space(s), and fire. The game play is faster, and there are enough different weapons that you don’t get bored with the selection.

When starting up the game, you an either have the game auto place your pieces, or you can move them to where ever you prefer by dragging the pieces. You can toggle the guide in Salvo and Classic modes (whether you can see which of your enemies ships you’ve hit, or you’re guessing), as well as the ability to toggle the sounds. I actually thought the sounds added to the charm of the game in this case. They are true to what you’re watching on the screen. Speaking of which, I said before that the graphics are great, but let me embellish. The colors are bright and vibrant, everything is very easy to decipher. In addition, the 3D cut scenes add a somewhat somber timbre to the game, but help make the realism of what the game you’re playing means come to life. You understand that you’re in the middle of a battle, and that you’re shooting at someone’s ships; and hoping to sink them. The cut scenes vary depending on what part of the game (or ship) you’re working on, but you get a variety so it’s not likely to get too dull. If it does, you can toggle the cut scenes as well, so it’s a win-win.

There is also a multi-player option that is usable by wi-fi, bluray, or pass & play. Another benefit to playing is that you’re able to unlock new super weapons, and rank up, based on how many ships you sink. Both multi-player and ranking lends to the games replay ability, though your wins during multi-player doesn’t count towards your rank or ships sunken count. We can’t have it all, right?

I suggest you pick up this game. There is definitely something to be said for blowing a ship out of the water, and the therapeutic benefits that are obtained by doing so. Especially when you’re playing against that tool that stood you up last week. I mean, it’s not like I meant to tell that guy that she liked him… err.. Uhh.. I digress. Good game. You should get it. ‘Nuff said.

Developer/Publisher: EA Mobile
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Price: $6.99
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Verdict: Buy it when it drops to $5
Pros: RTS is here! Finally a real RTS game for the iPhone
Cons: A little light on the content for $7

Command and Conquer is, to all intents and purposes, the best Real Time Strategy (RTS) game on the iPhone/iPod Touch platform. It’s Command and Conquer, with all the gameplay expected, in one small package.

When starting this game, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot, to be frank. Or Phil. I could be Phil, I suppose. But, to be frank, I’d not planned on C&C: iPhone Edition to be much more than some match three or puzzle game, or even, optimistically, a dual stick shooter with the C&C look and feel.

Imagine my surprise when the game opened to RTS screens of glory. Buttons to select one, some, or all units to the lower left, a multi-button unit training/building creation menus system to the lower right, and varoius other heads up displays in the upper corners brought tiny tears of joy to my jaded eyes. This, boys and girls, is actually Command and Conquer, with the main glory points of the RTS genre smashed down into a tiny, tiny screen. Train foot soldiers, bazooka soldiers, various tanks. Build defense towers, energy farms and more advanced barracks for better troops. Command the troops and tanks to move outward from your base and, you know, conquer the other armies on the map.

The graphical prowess of this game is fairly impressive, allowing a zoom in and out to see units up close and from on high like the Flying Spaghetti Monster might, would It deign to play an game on Its Holy iDevice. Animations are fluid and controls are both intuitive and responsive. Tapping on enemies to target them is simple and the visual indicators bright and easily interpreted. I found myself losing quite a bit of time playing this game, even when I had only planned a short session. The highest praise I can give any game is to have the mechanics and button pressing disappear, in what I liken to quality fiction writing — transparent and functional. Command and Conquer is one such game, allowing players to think more about the flow of the game and less about the control scheme or menu systems.

There is no multiplayer here, which is a disappointment, though the iTunes App store description mentions it as an upcoming free download, making the game easy to play over Blutooth and Wi-Fi. A third faction is also promised as future DLC.

My single complaint, echoed elsewhere on the internet, is the short duration and limited amount of maps that come with the main core game purchase. With only 6 campaigns and two multiplayer maps, the troops are a bit thin on the ground, if you will. DLC fills in that gap with extra multiplayer maps and additional campaigns, but these should have been in the initial release. At the original $9.99 asking price, consumers were paying a premium for the name Command andd Conquer, rather than for a lot of content. As of this writing, the game is $6.99, which makes it a tougher judgement call. My advice? Wait until it drops a couple of dollars more, and includes multiplayer. The game as it stands now should be comfortably priced at $4.99, with the DLC $.99. However, if you sincerely need the only RTS game worth its salt on the iPhone and iPod Touch, your $7 isn’t wasted. Early adopters always pay a premium and like it.

Did the concept of Mirror’s Edge intrigue you, but did the first-person gameplay make you sick to your stomach? Or perhaps you need something to entertain you while you yourself are jumping from rooftop to rooftop in a dystopic futuristic metropolis? Well, EA Mobile’s upcoming iPhone and iPod touch version of Mirror’s Edge should intrigue and delight you. Not much is known other than that it appears to tell the same story as the PC and console versions, albeit in a 3rd person interface. Check out the screenshots below, and prepare for the game, planned to hit in January 2010, which is only a month or so away, amazingly.

Publisher/Developer: EA
Genre: Sports
Price: $9.99
Verdict: EA has done an admirable job of bringing the ‘Live’ experience to the iPhone.
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Pros: Genius control, easy to play, real players and teams, advanced mechanics available but not necessary
Cons: A bit sluggish, players abilities are somewhat generic

When it comes to sports, except for perhaps soccer, I hate basketball the most.  What David Stern has done to the game in the last 15 years is truly appalling.  Try enduring the Hornets playing the Bobcats after watching an amazing baseball playoff game in October and you can see how much of a game it isn’t. But I digress, I have always had a soft spot for good basketball video games.  I will still play Konami’s Double Dribble to this day if given the chance, and can still remember whipping my cousin JD on the Dreamcast in NBA 2K1.

This joystick works much better then the FIFA implementation.

While I have always preferred the NBA 2K series’ take on the game, Live has its fans as well, and if you are one of those then you will immediately be comfortable with the game.  While much has been stripped from the game to make a portable version, there is enough here to warrant the purchase price.  In a somewhat sluggish arcade affair, you’re given the usual benefit of a full NBA license: all 30 teams and the real players.   The different court views and familiar player models you know from the big boy console versions of NBA Live are impressively recreated on the portable.  In making the transition from console to the iPhone, a simplified 2 button setup with a responsive virtual gamepad has been employed.  The developers had the foresight to allow the overlay of the gamepad to immediately disappear when not in use so as to create less on-screen clutter.  When you put your thumb back down, the pad will reset its location to match your new position.  This is the way it should be done.  The buttons are contextual and change their icon image depending on if you’re on offense or defense, so there are no useless, static buttons cluttering the screen.  For southpaws, this setup can be reversed.  Even with all these intelligent concessions made by the devs for making control work, virtual gamepads are just not, nor will they ever be, as accurate as a true d-pad.  With this is mind EA made the wise choice of eliminating the out-of-bounds rule.  While you can throw the ball out of bounds, no one will ‘run’ or step out of bounds and keeping with the run (well, jog) and gun arcade feel, this works for me.

Look at that exciting zone defense.

You can get by with the basic setup, but the beauty of the game is that there is a slightly more advance control scheme available for those who wish to use it.  By holding the pass button, you can initiate the familiar player overhead icons and then press them to pass to an exact teammate. The game will alert you to who is open or not by displaying the name of the player in yellow or green.  You can also choose to employ the ‘clipboard’ to set up and run plays.  For the real meat and potatoes of the game, EA has created a fun way to score.  Similar to the hold and pass setup, you can press shoot to be a ‘chucker’ or hold it to go in for a dunk.  By swiping in one of 4 directions (left, right, up, or down) during the animation you can trigger a different dunk style.  While the amount of dunk types are limited, this adds a fun arcade element to the overall proceedings.

Sorry Jailblazers, you're playing the Lakers.

Keeping in line with the arcade feel, free throws are performed with a fun gimmick if you have the accelerometer turned on in the options (if you don’t, the game employs a simple touch mechanic to stop 2 moving lines when the intersect in the middle of the hoop).  The accelerometer is tied to the players shot mechanic so titling the phone back sets up the shot and flicking it forward as the player begins his follow through shoots the ball.  A bit odd a first, it becomes pretty easy to master and become a consistent shooter.  That brings up my other issue, since the players themselves don’t seem to automatically perform like their real life counterparts, there is no compensation for poor free throw shooters or other actions.  Shaq will start nailing free throws Kobe style once you get the hang of the interface.  The only real difference I could find was that defenders seemed to bite on the shot fake much more if you were using a superstar like Kobe over a bench warmer.

You can pick up where you left off. Convenient.

The visuals are very well done, with TV-style replays that show your instant highlight reel after a shot or dunk.  They tend to run a bit frequently, but they do add to the overall presentation.  The game mentions that the graphics will automatically employ openGl es 2.0 features (instead of 1.2 on the older devices) if you have an iPhone 3GS or the latest iPod touch.  All the screenshots I took are from my 3GS, so if you have an older model, your mileage may vary.  While (wisely) lacking some of the long term features of its console brethren, you do get some frills here with unlockable classic players, full 82-game seasons, and player trades.  While the game will shut down any tunes you are rocking when you launch the app, you can create a custom playlist from within.  EA found a proper balance to create an easy to learn, very accessible, and just deep enough to warrant the 10 bucks, fun basketball game.  I would just ask for one more pass on the game engine optimization to eliminate the stutter and speed it up a bit for a point release version.  Maybe if I turn off Marv Albert the game will run faster…

You sunk my Battleship on the B&O Railroad – Connect Four! Check some screens of these classic games, coming soon to the App Store.