I had the pleasure of talking with the folks at Namco today, and got a sneak peak at three of their upcoming games. They assure me that there are TONS of new gaming announcements for the iOS platform in the coming weeks, so stay tuned here and at 148Apps to get the full scoop as the details filter in.

For now, though, here’s what I got to take a look at:
Mishap: An Accidental Haunting is, of all things, a hidden object game. Wait wait, don’t leave yet. This is a visually stunning, fully animated and voiced hidden object game with some seriously fun mini games thrown in for good measure. There are eight rooms to search in your hunt for hidden objects and ghostly spectres with a backstory about folks moving into haunted houses with a cute little doctor ghost researcher along for company. One mini game I got to play involved tilting the iPad to move a magnifying glass around the screen to find the invisible ghost three times to “capture” it. The graphics are lush and the voice acting is solid, making for a very fun experience overall. Be sure to watch for a full review soon. The game is available for iPhone/iPod Touch($4.99) or iPad ($6.99) and is the first of several planned games in the same vein.

Bit.trip Beat is the first musical chiptune game from Namco, originally developed by Gaijin Games for the Wiiware service. Namco took the game in house to develop the iOS port, multiplayer and DLC content, and is currently polishing up the final game for release soon. The game is an odd 8-bit homage to chiptunes, rhythm games, and PONG, if you can believe it. Moving your paddle to bounce the incoming pixel balls is controlled by touch or tilt, and the levels start easy and just get complex and difficult. This one’s sure to be a winner once released. Multiplayer will be over wifi or bluetooth, and will support Apple’s Game Center from launch. In addition to the three original levels, there will be 3 new levels and tunes in the iOS version.

Puzzle Quest 2 – we reviewed this game on the DS over at GamesAreEvil and found the game mechanics to continue to work their addictive magic, but the graphics in dire need of an upgrade. Lucky you, Namco has updated those very graphics to something much more HD. All the Puzzle Quest joy is still there, as well, including the fancy isometric view, spells, upgrades, weapons and RPG goodness. They promise you’ll be able to save your character along with new achievements and the like. Planned for Q4 of this year, Namco promises local multiplayer over bluetooth and wifi, and sort of hinted at the possibility of over-the-internet multiplayer as well, but keep that last one firmly in the “rumors” column for now.

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Hello everyone this is Michelle from the portable gamer with your iCasual report for PacMatch Party HD from Namco Networks for the iPad. PacMatch is a match 3 or more game built on the success of Pac-man, the beloved game character we probably all know by now. The goal of this game is to not only match 3 or more items, but do it in the area of the screen that level # appears. As you make a match in the right area the background color will change. Once you have changed all the blocks you need to you move on to the next level. You also have a time limit. Around the edge of your screen is a pac-man that moves forward each time you make a match and of course there is a ghost chasing him. You need to keep making matches any where on the board you can, just to stay ahead of your nemesis. Unlock-able achievements and power ups add to the replay value of this simple yet fun game. The graphics are bright and shiny on the iPad which should attract players of any age but the game is not all rosy. There are still a few bugs that Namco promises they are working on. The game currently quits at the end of level 6. So for $1.99 you’ll get a really short game. But, you may want to get it at this price even before the update because usually Namco games are more expensive. If you like this type of game, its definitely going to be worth the price once they fix this pesky little problem.

We will make sure to notify our fans and followers as soon as Namco updates this game and fixes the bug.

Title: PAC-Match Party HD
Developer: Namco Networks America Inc.
Price: $1.99
Acquired: Promo Code Supplied by Developer
Written and Recorded by: Michelle Lopez

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Developer/Publisher: Namco
Genre: Entertainment/Productivity…sort of
Price: $1.99 (Universal App)
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Review Platform: iPad
Verdict: It looks strange and confusing, and using this app does nothing to alleviate the confusion.
Pros: Universal app; it certainly is…unique
Cons: What are you supposed to be doing here, anyway? I’m still unsure as to what or why.

I went into Noby Noby Boy curious, and slightly confused as to what exactly Noby Noby Boy was. Based off of the PS3 title of the same name, the overall ‘goal’ (if the app even has one) is for everyone who plays the game to stretch out BOY long enough to reach GIRL, who is way out in outer space, submitting the length that they have stretched BOY out to the game’s servers, and all the lengths will be added up, someday leading to BOY reaching GIRL. The iOS version features a ton of different ways to interact with BOY, but during my time with this app, all I really came away was really confused as to what Noby Noby Boy was.

Noby Noby Boy starts you out with just BOY on a black screen…and from there, you could just play around with him and stretch him out, or wantonly fling him about the screen. You can start doing things like changing his color and allowing wherever he goes to color the screen in a color, adding a clock with Noby Noby creatures as the hands, a music playing robot, a picture background, and add objects to interact with. If you really want to add length to BOY, there’s the ability to stretch him out using the GPS and Google Maps, so you can add length to him by simply going somewhere while the app is open, as it does not support iOS4 multitasking yet. You can also open up a web browser and check some sites out, because this was originally set up as a “Productivity” app, what with the clock and music okayed and map functionality. I’m not quite sure how much you could actually get done with this, but far be it for me to judge.

Of course, the question with Noby Noby Boy is simply, “Why?” Why does this exist? It’s certainly bizarre, and deciphering the purpose of it is nigh-impossible – if there is any purpose. Why exactly BOY has to be stretched miles and miles to reach GIRL is unclear, other than it being some nebulous goal for an otherwise strange app. It feels like bizarreness for the sake of bizarreness, like someone had an idea and decided to run with it and never ask themselves why they made it.

So why should you download Noby Noby Boy? I’m not sure. I’m still not quite sure after all this time what it is, or why it is, or what I should do about it. Do I like it? Do I hate it? Really, I think I’m just too confused by it to feel anything about it. A review feels almost useless – I could tell you about it all I wanted to, I could write pages and pages on it, all without getting to the central purpose of this. So I’ll just wrap up Noby Noby Boy’s review by saying the same thing I said when I first opened it up – “What?”

Love Namco games on your iPhone, iPad and Android gaming devices, but hate paying too much money for them. Well, Namco has some SERIOUS deals for you. A great quantity of deals, in fact, starting tomorrow, July 2nd and running all weekend long. Check the lists below for all your favorite games at LOW LOW prices. Like, seriously.

Sale Dates: Friday, July 2 through Monday, July 5

iPhone Games

• Ace Combat Xi: $4.99 ? $2.99
• Alpine Racer: $1.99 ? $0.99
• Brain Exercise: $4.99 ? $1.99
• Dig Dug REMIX: $2.99 ? $0.99
• Galaga Remix: $2.99 ? $0.99
• Garter & Ghouls: $1.99 ? $0.99
• Gator Panic: 1.99 ? $0.99
• i Love Katamari: $4.99 ? $2.99
• Inspector Gadget: $2.99 ? $0.99
• Isaac Newton’s Gravity: $2.99 ? $1.99
• Lt. Fly: Rise of the Arachnids: $1.99 ? $0.99
• Mr. Driller: $1.99 ? $0.99
• Ms. PAC-MAN: $4.99 ? $0.99
• PAC-MAN: $4.99 ? $2.99
• Pole Position: $2.99 ? $0.99
• Pool Pro Online 3: $1.99 ? $0.99
• Star Trigon: $1.99 ? $0.99
• Tamagotchi: $4.99 ? $1.99
• Time Crisis: $4.99 ? $0.99
• Tinseltown Dreams: The 50’s: $2.99 ? $0.99
• PAC-Match Party: $1.99 ? $0.99

iPad Games

• Isaac Newton’s Gravity: $9.99 ? $6.99
• Pool Pro Online 3: $1.99 ? $0.99
• PAC-MAN: $4.99 ? $2.99

Android Games

All the following Android titles will be on sale for $2.99 (originally $4.99). Wait, you actually have an Android phone? Really?

• Inspector Gadget
• Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming
• Learn to Fly
• PAC-MAN
• PAC-MAN Championship Edition
• Wolfman

Namco sent us some info about their new iPad releases today, including Despicable Me, PAC-Match Party HD, and Isaac Newton’s Gravity HD. Check the info and screenshots below, and stay tuned for reviews coming soon.

Universal Pictures’ latest 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me, premiered yesterday and Namco was on-hand to demo Despicable Me: Minion Mania on iPhone and iPad.  The iPhone version is available today in the App Store, with the iPad version coming July 7, just two days before the official movie release. The game should include some cool weapons and power-ups including an anti-gravity potion.

PAC-Match Party HD, the newest iPad Match-3 Puzzle Game, includes 30 levels with wacky combos and power-ups.  With great feedback on the iPhone/iPod touch version, Namco couldn’t wait to bring it to iPad. Namco also released a flash version of the game here: here: http://pacman.com/en/games/flash/pac-match-party.

Isaac Newton’s Gravity HD, a physics-based puzzle game, is an iPad title that’ll have you working on your physics skills.  Solve over 100 puzzles, though there are no anti-gravity potions in this one, sadly.

It’s time for a movie tie in! Yay! As much as I personally don’t dig “tie in” games, I have to say that the trailer made my son giggle extensively, so I will be checking this one out just to let him play it. The game is called Despicable Me: Minion Mania, and will make its way to iPhone and iPod touch on June 28, with the iPad version releasing on July 7. It’s a puzzle game that publisher Namco calls “addictive,” wherein you can work your way through 20 stages of puzzles to guide Gru and his minions to become one of the world’s best super villains. Lucky us, you can download the lite version right now, over at the App store and try out the first few levels. Maybe it’ll give us something to do while we watch the liveblogs of WWDC this morning. Stay tuned for more details and a possible review right here!

Developer/Publisher: Namco
Genre: Pool
Price: $4.99 (Free Wednesday April 28th Only)
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Review Platform: iPad
Verdict: Yet another pool simulator. Skip it unless you really love pool.
Pros: Earning money to upgrade your cues and felt; realistic physics
Cons: Terrible in-game music; fast forwarding doesn’t get you to your next turn; weak graphics

Chalk up your cue and rack em’ up, Namco’s Pool Pro Online 3 is up to shoot. So does this one swim with the sharks or is this one yet another pool simulator leaving you all wet?  In Pool Pro Online 3 you are an invisible man who loves nothing more than to play pool! Alright, I am not sure you are a man, I mean, you are invisible, so you could be a woman, but for the sake of simplicty, you’re a man, capice? To start things off, there are 3 different game modes that you can choose from: 8-ball, 9-ball, and snooker, each with varying difficulties and online components.

First and foremost, Pool Pro Online 3 looks like an iPhone/iTouch game just blown up with no graphical improvements to take advantage of the iPad’s high-resolution screen. You might be thinking, “pool balls don’t need to be high-res.” You are absolutely right, the balls don’t need to be high-res, but maybe the table should look decent or the pockets should look smooth instead of jagged and spiky. But hey, I haven’t played pool in the real world in quite some time so maybe this is how a pool table looks now.

Jaggy corners and bland orange textures? Count me in!

As far as how the gameplay is concerned, it works like pretty much all pool games in the App Store. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just makes the game feel stale and unremarkable.  You line up your shots orbiting around the cue ball and eventually pulling back on a pinball-esque plunger determining strength. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The most remarkable thing about the game is also my biggest gripe and that is the online component. You can hop online and play against a real person and there is little to no lag in the game. This is great considering  how few games have direct head to head play in them. But the thing that destroys all of this is the amount of cheaters online. What I am referring to is when you are winning in Pool Pro Online 3 and are about to sink that 8-ball, nine times out of ten you will “lose connection” with the person you were playing with, resulting in you not getting the “W” you rightfully deserve and the cheating opponent avoiding the “L” on their record. Now this is only partially the developers’ fault as the person chooses to be a scoundrel and can’t bear to see a loss on their record. But Namco could address this by updating the game to result in a loss for those who disconnect.

Wow, my opponent stayed connected? They must have been looking away while I sunk the 8.

On a positive note, the game does add some re-playability by giving you currency for winning or performing specific shot types. This currency, called scratch (someone must have loved coming up with that pun) can be used to purchase different types of felt for your table or different finishes for your pool cue. As well, Pool Pro Online 3 include achievements for feats such as completing particularly tricky shots, etc.

Pool Pro Online 3 is not a terrible game, but rather one that has been done so many times that it feels like a re-tread of older editions instead of a new and fresh experience. So, unless you are an avid pool fan, I would steer clear of this one.

The variety of social gaming services on the iPhone are quite numerous, but not much has been said about Namco’s UniteSDK. However, between Pool Pro Online 3 and Pac-Man Lite, the service has 2.5 million users, according to Namco. UniteSDK will be coming to the full version of Pac-Man soon, providing leaderboards, achievements, and friend lists to Namco’s flagship title. To celebrate the popularity of UniteSDK, Namco is going to make their iPhone pool title with online cross platform multiplayer, Pool Pro Online 3, free for Wednesday April 28th only.

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Title: Pac-Man for iPad
Developer: Namco Networks
Price: $4.99
Acquired: Promo Code Supplied by Developer
Review Platform: iPad
Written and Recorded by: Michelle Lopez

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Pac-Man: It’s Pac-Man. He was here before I was born, and will likely be here after I die, playing on the latest hologram system that makes you really feel like you’re Pac-Man. For now,you can play Pac-Man in both portrait and landscape modes, with no fingers blocking your view like on the iPhone on your trusty ol’ iPad for $4.99.

Pool Pro Online 3: This is an iPad version of the iPhone and iPod touch pool sim of the same name released recently, and features online play with those same iPhone and iPod touch players, thanks to Namco’s UniteSDK.

Noby Noby Boy: Um…I’m not quite sure what’s going on here with this iPhone OS adaptation of the PS3 game.  Your goal is apparently to stretch the little Noby Noby Boy as far as you can, to try and get to outer space to meet the Noby Noby Girl, or something like that from what I can tell. It’s certainly interesting, to say the least. This is a Universal Application, so if you already own the game, it will work in iPad mode right off the bat.