Peter Molyneux's studio 22cans has been working on a Populous followup game called Godus, and the company has just announced a deal for a publisher. DeNA, the Japanese company behind the Mobage social platform, will be publishing Godus on iOS. And the game will also connect up to Mobage in Western companies and in Japan and Korea.

DeNA is an interesting choice for Molyneux -- the company is usually known for casual games, and the audience is largely Japanese so far. But DeNA has definitely been looking to expand to the West and seeking well-known developers to do that with, including a game they're working on with former EA designer Ben Cousins. Plus, Molyneux has released Curiosity on iOS already, and that game didn't quite have the reception that he hoped for. So it sounds like this teamup will be good for both sides. Godus is set to arrive, after being previously crowdfunded on Kickstarter, sometime this year.

DeNA to publish Godus on iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

DeNA to publish Godus on iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zoombies is a fascinating little game. It's made by a company called High Voltage that is probably best known for the Conduit shooter series, though they've been making licensed games for years (I remember visiting the studio for a tour back when I lived in Chicago -- they were based out in the Hoffman Estates suburb back then). Zoombies is a title that's been in development there for a while -- it was first considered for the Wii, then possibly for Xbox Live Arcade and finally has seen release on Apple's iOS.

It's easy to see why High Voltage was trying to make this game as a motion control title -- the idea is that you're a kid trying to fight an army of invading undead zoo animals ("Zoo-mbies," get it?), and you are armed with a weapon that you can toss according to a line you've drawn on the screen. Control on the Wii or Xbox would probably have been more direct, but on the iOS touchscreen it means you swipe your finger around, and then the weapon will follow your path. This creates some interesting timing issues -- you want to throw where an animal will be, not where they are. And once you've thrown your weapon, you can't throw it again until it finishes the path, which requires you to keep things as compact as possible.

Zoombies' real charm, however, is in the tone and the art style. The whole game, as you can tell by the subtitle, is done in a joyous sort of Mexican mariachi style, and it just oozes fun. The animals are menacingly cute, the kids are great and every level has plenty of "skull goals," which are super satisfying to complete. Even if you don't like that core line-drawing mechanic, this game is totally charming anyway. Clearly, this was a labor of love for High Voltage, and you can tell they had a lot of fun making the game.

Zoombies is available for US$2.99 on the App Store now, though there are a lot of in-app purchases included, so I wouldn't be surprised to see that price come down sooner if not later. Still, $3 is cheap, so if Zoombies interests you, you might as well grab it right away.

Daily iPhone App -- Zoombies: Animales de la Muerte is cute, arcade fun originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App -- Zoombies: Animales de la Muerte is cute, arcade fun originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mosiaque is a very original puzzle game that I haven't quite figured out yet. It appeared on the App Store a little while ago from a company called Winning Blimp, and the core idea of the app is that you need to clear the screen of colored squares by firing them in from the sides.

The issue, however, is that if the square you shoot in hits a square of another color, it will switch out instead. Squares of the same color get cleared off, so your goal is to try and fire squares of the same color together, lining them up and clearing them off the board, refilling your meter for more shots. Mosiaque is the kind of game that's simple to play, but fairly tough to master -- even with the playtime I've put in, I'm not completely sure how deep the game's strategy gets. But there is a solid amount of fun to learning the game's mechanics, and as you play through the levels, there are some new tricks, too. Eventually, black blocks show up which will block your shots, and "void" blocks will appear that keep your shot meter from filling back up if not cleared right away.

Mosaique is a lot of fun, and it's very original, both in look and in gameplay. It's worth noting that there are no in-app purchases in this one either. Buy the game for US$0.99, and you'll have access to the game's unlimited parade of levels. That should be more than enough to get you figuring out exactly how it all works.

Daily iPhone App: Mosaique is an original and inventive puzzle game originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Mosaique is an original and inventive puzzle game originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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App analytics firm App Annie has released a new report about portable gaming, and announced that iOS gamers are now spending more money on Apple's platform than on traditional handheld titles. The light blue above is last year's fourth quarter, the dark blue is this year's first quarter, and as you can see, both iOS and Google Play spending is up, and has actually topped spending on traditional handheld devices like the Nintendo 3DS and the PS Vita.

This is mostly due, says App Annie, to a seasonal drop in traditional handheld game spending -- game sales always tend to go up over the holidays, and then drop in the new year. But it's also clear that iOS is growing a lot -- and in fact, in the chart above, it's actually higher than even traditional gaming was last quarter.

We'll have to see how this plays out going forwards. Both the PS Vita (made by Sony) and the 3DS (made by Nintendo) have packed schedules for software releases this year, and the Sony handheld is set to be supported by the release of the new PS4 console. So this battle isn't over at all yet. But smartphones are clearly a dominant force in the world of portable gaming, and consumers are happy more and more to spend their money on iOS games rather than another traditional handheld title.

iOS games spending overtakes dedicated games originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iOS games spending overtakes dedicated games originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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King, which used to be called King.com it pulled a name change at GDC this year, has announced that it has 70 million daily active players, which is a crazy number. By far, King's biggest title is Candy Crush Saga. The company notes that the game has 15.5 million active players on Facebook every day. Candy Crush Saga is also a big hit on iOS, where it consistently appears in the top charts for both most downloaded and top grossing.

King also announced its intention to bring Pet Rescue Saga to iOS. That game has 6 million daily players on Facebook, and King says it will be the third saga game (along with Bubble Witch Saga) to make the leap to mobile platforms. Pet Rescue Saga will arrive on both iOS and Android later this summer.

King's success is just phenomenal. It's impressive for any form of media to reach 70 million people, and for that to happen daily is just crazy. This casual games market can blow up overnight and shrink just as fast (just ask Zynga), but for now, King is doing impressively well.

King claims 70 million daily active players, Pet Rescue Saga coming soon to mobile originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

King claims 70 million daily active players, Pet Rescue Saga coming soon to mobile originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FreeCiv is one of my favorite open-source projects out there. Civilization is one of my favorite games, and FreeCiv is an open-source version that you can download and play for free. The latest update of the game has added an HTML 5 version, which means that you can now load up and play FreeCiv right in any compatible browser. And that includes mobile Safari, which means you can now navigate to play.freeciv.org on one of your iOS devices, and play the game at will.

Pretty excellent. There is no version of FreeCiv in the App Store, unfortunately, though there has been a port to Android just recently. And Civilization Revolution has been available on both iPad and iPhone for a while now -- it's a simpler, more accessible version of the 4X strategy game. Firaxis has just recently stepped up its efforts on iOS, so it's possible that we will see a more full, official version of Civ arrive on the iPhone before too much longer. Or wait -- what if they ported Alpha Centauri? Drool.

But until then, FreeCiv will have to do. If you have never had a chance to play, the game manual should help you out.

FreeCiv now playable in browsers, including on iOS devices originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

FreeCiv now playable in browsers, including on iOS devices originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I have to say -- the iPad is a terrific platform for interactive e-books, but so far, I haven't been very impressed by the options out there. I do use my iPad for reading a lot, but the vast majority of my reading is done in either iBooks or a comic book reader. It's very rare that I will pick up an app that's designed to work as just one single book, no matter how many extras or interactive features are included.

However, I'm happy to say that Steve Jackson's Sorcery! is a clear exception to the general rule. It's excellent, and mostly because the book it is based on (actually a "gamebook" released back in the '80s) was already interactive to begin with. Add in iOS interactive touchscreen, some excellent graphical flairs and a whole lot of polish, and what you end up with is something very akin to playing a Dungeons and Dragons game, where the few game elements present are really just intended to ignite your imagination, and get you role-playing in the game's world.

Sorcery's story is pretty basic: You're a hero who sets out into a dangerous world, hoping to either save or conquer it. And the combat gameplay is extremely simple as well -- you essentially guess whether your opponent is attacking or defending, trying to mirror their actions to do damage as you can. But the real meat of Sorcery! is in the inbetween. You travel from town to town, talking to various NPCs and even solving a few puzzles, all while exploring this world through the game's scrolling text.

I really have no problems at all with this app -- I was fascinated by the story's well-written text, and while the gameplay isn't extremely innovative, it's paced well enough to keep the action rolling. The one hitch might be that you need to use your imagination on this one, so if you're expecting a game like Skyrim, that will draw out the world for you, you might find this a bit boring. But as a die-hard pen-and-paper RPG player and a fan of Steve Jackson's work, I think this is an excellent adaptation that's well worth a purchase. You can pick it up from the App Store for US$4.99 right now.

Daily iPhone App: Steve Jackson's Sorcery is interactive e-book bliss originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Steve Jackson's Sorcery is interactive e-book bliss originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My birthday was last week on May 6, and Firaxis must have heard about that because in recent weeks they've released not one, but two great turn-based strategy games. First, Haunted Hollow was released as a great, original free-to-play title, and now the legendary Sid Meier (of Civilization and Pirates) has released a game called Ace Patrol, available as a free download on iOS.

Ace Patrol is excellent -- it's a turn-based dogfighting game, where you manuver pilots in WWII around a battlefield, climbing, diving and swooping around into position all while trying to accomplish certain goals or take out the other side. Progression in the game is marked by "maneuvers," so pilots who have leveled up have access to more and advanced moves. Weapons fire for free, but you've got to line up closely to the enemy, preferably behind them, to avoid any incoming attacks.

Unfortunately, as good as the game itself is, Firaxis really missed the mark on this one's freemium plan. The in-app purchases on Ace Patrol are just plain confusing -- you can play through a number of missions for free, but then when you spend some money to unlock the rest of the missions, you (currently -- I'll bet this is fixed soon) don't get to keep your progress. Additionally, while in-app purchases give you access to other nations, you also sometimes need to pay to get your lost pilots out of being captured. Fortunately, there are "superpacks" you can buy (which essentially open up the game's content), but the whole scheme just isn't well-thought-out. Haunted Hollow's IAP was clear and well-designed, but the same care hasn't been taken here, unfortunately.

Still, Ace Patrol is an excellent game, a very well-designed set of battles put together by a master game developer. There are quite a few of these turn-based battle simulations to go around (Leviathan Warships is another recently released variant, though that one takes place on sea and is more complicated than Ace Patrol), but Ace Patrol does an excellent job of combining really deep strategy with easy and accessible gameplay. Grab this free download right away for sure.

Daily iPad App: Sid Meier's Ace Patrol is an excellent game sold badly originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPad App: Sid Meier's Ace Patrol is an excellent game sold badly originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finger Tied is an iPad app that arrived late last year. It's put together by developer Owen Goss, and he says that a lot of users have asked him to create an iPhone version of the app, but given that it's a game that uses the iPad's big screen for lots of finger-swiping space, he didn't want to make it until he was sure he could do it justice.

Apparently he found a way, because he's delivering the iPhone version next week, with a game called Finger Tied, Jr. There's a short post up on his blog talking about the game, and as you can see from the picture above, it's more compact than the full iPad title. But that could be fun anyway.

Finger Tied, Jr. is due out next week, May 23. Stay tuned for a full look at the app sometime after that.

Finger Tied Jr. coming next week originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Finger Tied Jr. coming next week originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foursaken Media's Heroes and Castles has been updated yet again, with lots of new content to play. The game, which allows you to level up a hero by defending a town and its various resources against an army of invading minions, has been popular for Foursaken already, and the team told me during GDC that they were planning on adding plenty of extras to the game this year. They've reached version 3.0 now, and the latest update adds three new heroes: an Assassin, a Barbarian, and a Druid, each with their own abilities and weapons.

There's also a brand new campaign for the game that must be unlocked to play, with new maps to fight over, and new allied units to join you in battle. You can upgrade buildings and units even further, the graphics now boast real-time shadows, and the game's performance has been upgraded overall. Finally, there are new achievements to earn in the game, which the best players can go after for Game Center glory.

That's a sizable update that adds even more value to this excellent $1.99 game. Heroes and Castles can be downloaded right now.

[via Touch Arcade]

Heroes and Castles updated to version 3.0 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Heroes and Castles updated to version 3.0 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GungHo Entertainment is a game publisher based in Japan, and the company has just released some really wild financial numbers. According to the latest numbers, GungHo made US$118 million this past April alone, most of it from one game: Puzzle and Dragons, currently available on iOS. Puzzle and Dragons is pulling in so much money (from audiences in both Japan and around the world) that GungHo says it's making $3.75 million a day. In Japan alone, Puzzle and Dragons is claiming 13 million players -- which is over 10 percent of the population there.

That is a phenomenal success story, and it gives GungHo a higher market cap than even the legendary game publisher Nintendo. As a result, the company's stock has skyrocketed, and it's even challenging current megapublisher Activision Blizzard for market cap.

I liked Puzzle and Dragons, but I think this is a game more targeted at Japan and its vast audience of mid- to hardcore-level gamers. In addition to the addictive puzzle and pet-leveling gameplay, Puzzle and Dragons is also very well structured to keep in-app purchases high, which goes a long way towards explaining how this game has gotten so big so quickly. GungHo's definitely seen some success in North America, as the app has made a few appearances on the top grossing list. But as far as I know, the success in Japan has been much more incredible.

GungHo reports Puzzle and Dragons is earning $3.75 million a day originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GungHo reports Puzzle and Dragons is earning $3.75 million a day originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Triple Town is one of my favorite games on iOS over the past few years -- it's a puzzle game with a simple ruleset and a whole lot of complexity. The creator of that game, called Spry Fox, has announced a new title in development called Road Not Taken, and you can now see some concept art from it over on the official blog.

The game is sort of roguelike, according to the developers, and as you can see above, it has some similarities to the grid-based Triple Town. But instead of building up a world, it's more about finding a path through the world, and avoiding or confronting various dangers on the way. As you can tell from the title, which refers to the famous Robert Frost poem, the game will offer various paths, and it seems like most of the strategy will come from choosing your own way.

Sounds interesting. Road Not Taken isn't coming too soon -- Spry Fox says it probably won't be ready until the end of the year. But we' hope to see it on the App Store when it finally is ready to go.

Road Not Taken is coming soon from Triple Town's creators originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road Not Taken is coming soon from Triple Town's creators originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just in time for the weekend, here's a few apps that have dropped their (already cheap) prices even lower, meaning that you've got plenty to play here for just a few bucks' worth (all prices USD).

• The PC classic turned iOS port Carmageddon has gone completely free for today only.
• The Incident is on sale for 99 cents.
• The Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders flight-simulation title has dropped down to just a buck.
• Just a few weeks after release, Sega's dropped The House of the Dead: Overkill to just $2.99. The game's not fantastic, but it does have a really innovative shooting mechanic built for iOS.
• Crazy Taxi is also on sale for 99 cents.
• Zach Gage's Halcyon is currently completely free to download.
• Chillingo has dropped Tiny Troopers 2: Special Ops down to free as well.
• Velocispider is on sale for 99 cents.
• NetherRealm's impressive Batman: Arkham City Lockdown is just under a dollar, too. Excellent price to try that one out at if you haven't.
• Cavern is a roguelike RPG with some good buzz that's on sale for $1.99.
• Big Fish Games' cute and polished point-and-click adventure title Fetch is only $2.99. That's just a buck off the usual price, but the game's well worth it.
• Finally, the retro arcade space shooter Plasma Sky is also available for free right now.

Personally, I'm still enjoying Firaxis' free Haunted Hollow, but I'm loading up a few of these on my iPad as well. Enjoy!

Carmageddon free, The Incident and more on sale originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Carmageddon free, The Incident and more on sale originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are quite a few "sandbox" games available on iOS, including the uber-popular Minecraft, and Majic Jungle's great Blockheads. But my favorite so far is Junk Jack, a 2D sandbox title put together by Pixbits. It's excellent -- its little square tiles are perfect for the iPhone's interface, and almost everything you can craft in the game is useful and interesting. There has been murmuring that Pixbits was going to create a "Junk Jack 2" release soon, but instead, the company has announced a game called Junk Jack X, a brand-new installment of the series with multiplayer, character customization, worlds support, a deeper crafting system and of course upgraded graphics.

You can see what the game looks like in the announcement post, and it's definitely very impressive. Liquids will now flow through the game realistically, you can equip and upgrade various items in a few different slots and the game will also have other planets (!) and themes to explore. Junk Jack is a great game, and Junk Jack X looks like it improves on almost every feature. Pixbits says work is going well, but given the vast scope of the title, we probably won't see it on the App Store until Q3 or Q4 of this year. We'll be waiting.

Pixbits announces Junk Jack X, coming later this year originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pixbits announces Junk Jack X, coming later this year originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For a long time, Wizards of the Coast would not release anything official on iOS, even though the biggest collectible card game -- Magic: The Gathering -- seemed perfect for Apple's touchscreen platforms. Then, last year, we finally got Magic 2013 on the iPad, and now Wizards of the Coast is preparing Magic 2014. When the update is released in about a month, it will offer lots of new features and content to the iPad and Android devices.

That second platform may not matter much to us here at TUAW, but it's a sign that Wizards is continuing to rethink its mobile strategy. The company kindly showed us the latest version of Magic: The Gathering running on the iPad this week, and it's very impressive. It runs faster than ever, and while the campaign is similar (you undertake a series of single-player challenges, or can take on other players in multiplayer), Magic 2014 has a definite emphasis on story that the current version doesn't have.

Magic 2014 was designed to attract new players, so the various missions serve as a tour of the game's lore and background, with each section culminating in a battle against a "Planeswalker," one of Magic's big heroes.

In addition to the new campaign structure, there's also new content, including lots of new cards from the past year of Magic. There are even some new cards from the Magic 2014 Core Deck, which isn't set to release until after the iOS app has arrived. That means that playing with this game will be the first time some Magic players can officially sit down and play with the new cards. There will also be more of a newer card type called slivers, so even if you've played Magic 2013 completely, the new version should offer up some more twists and turns.

One of the biggest problems fans have had with these Magic: The Gathering video games is that in the single-player campaign, you don't get to build your own decks. Rather, you get to unlock cards for a certain deck. While there is some choice in which cards you use, all of the cards are basically tied to specific decks, so building a custom deck is out.

Wizards is aware of this concern, and has an answer in Magic 2014. Sort of. The game will introduce a new mode called Sealed Deck play, where players will get six booster packs, featuring random cards from a larger pool, and will then be allowed to build their own deck from those opened cards. It's not complete freedom, because you only get a certain number of booster packs to choose from, and you'll need to make decks from those. But it does allow for a very structured bit of deck-building, and Magic 2014 contains a whole campaign and a PvP option centered just around using these sealed decks. On the game's initial purchase, you can create two total decks in this way, and then you can buy more slots for these built decks via in-app purchase.

If you want to play with a sealed deck, but don't know how to build a Magic deck, the game offers an "autobuild" option. There are plenty of tutorials and difficulty options, so no matter what your level of Magic experience, 2014 has plenty to offer.

The biggest drawback might be that while there are lots of new options and content, the game itself hasn't changed. Stainless Games is the company that makes both the console and the iOS versions, and as a result, both versions use the same pacing, same graphics and same gameplay. There's no iOS-specific touchscreen moves or fun tablet-specific tricks or graphics.

But that's fine. The point of this is to play Magic, and Wizards and Stainless both deserve a lot of credit for producing such a well-made game. Magic 2014 should be available on the iPad in the next few months or so. We'll keep an eye out for it, and let you know when it's finally arrived.

Magic 2014 coming soon with new campaign and cards, sealed deck play originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Magic 2014 coming soon with new campaign and cards, sealed deck play originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 10 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We've been blessed with not one but two great strategy games from 2K Games recently. The first, the freemium Haunted Hollow, was a Firaxis title that put some board game mechanics around a haunted town. And this latest title, Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, is now out today on the App Store, and it's a turn-based flight combat simulator put together by none other than the grandfather of strategy himself, Sid Meier.

This one is also free to play, and you can unlock extra nations to play with via in-app purchase. There are over 120 missions to play through, and as you go, you can upgrade your pilots and their maneuvers, giving you more options to take down the opposing team.

The whole game seems very fun, and this is an iOS exclusive, straight from Sid Meier and his team. Both this and Haunted Hollow are excellent games, so if you haven't yet, go pick up Ace Patrol for yourself.

Sid Meier's Ace Patrol now available on the App Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 09 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sid Meier's Ace Patrol now available on the App Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 09 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zynga has released a new game in the 'With Friends' series (which started back when the company acquired Words with Friends, a very popular Scrabble-like iOS game). Running With Friends is, as you can see above, not a fitness app, though that does sound fun. Instead, it's an endless running game, based on the Running of the Bulls, where you compete with friends to earn points and distance. The game has you running, jumping and dodging obstacles, all while trying to earn as many points as possible.

As you might expect, the title is freemium, so it's free to download, and there are in-app purchases available if you'd like extra currency. Most of the games in the "With Friends" series have been super casual so far (mostly word games and simple social titles), so it's interesting to see that Zynga is upping the ante on the gameplay just a bit. Plus, this title is developed by was developed in collaboration with (see update) Eat Sleep Play, a company founded by David Jaffe that previously worked on the Twisted Metal games. "With Friends" hasn't seen a lot of action lately (though it's still a fairly big brand for Zynga), so this may be an attempt to revitalize the offerings.

Update: Zynga got in touch to point out that the game wasn't developed by Eat Sleep Play directly, but that company did collaborate on some of the gameplay elements. So there's that.

Zynga releases Running With Friends, developed with Eat Sleep Play originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 09 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Zynga releases Running With Friends, developed with Eat Sleep Play originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 09 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wizard Ops arrived on the App Store a couple of years ago -- it was a wild and wooly take on magical combat that played more like a shooter than a fantasy RPG. Developers Phyken Media have now returned to the world of Wizard Ops, though not the genre, with a new title called Wizard Ops Tactics.

As you may have reckoned from the title, Wizard Ops Tactics is a turn-based strategy game, where you move various wizards and combatants around a 3D board, casting spells across various terrains to beat the other side. Just like the original Wizard Ops, the graphics on this one can get a little goofy, but also like the original game, the depth of gameplay is very impressive. Each turn consists of a planning phase and an action phase, and while you can use as much time as you like to plan your turns, lining up the right moves in quick succession can get you combo bonuses and even allow you to get a nice advantage over the other team.

Wizard Ops Tactics is great fun, offers lots and lots of content (you can play through a full campaign or get involved in turn-based multiplayer, all while unlocking new units and customizing your current ones), and it's completely free to download and play. Even if you didn't try the first Wizard Ops game, but are looking for a great example of turn-based strategy, go pick this one up today.

Daily iPhone App: Wizard Ops Tactics offers well-made tactical battles originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPhone App: Wizard Ops Tactics offers well-made tactical battles originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First of all, go enjoy the wonderful trailer for this game. If you're not sold on Leviathan Warships (US$4.99 on the App Store) after watching that, then I'm not exactly sure what else you want.

Leviathan Warships is a turn-based naval strategy game. Your job is to guide a series of ships through watery battlegrounds, leading them turn by turn against your opponents. The game is similar to Bungie's Crimson: Steam Pirates, in that you guide ships around by dragging them, but it's much more complicated.

You can aim each ship's guns separately, upgrade your ships as you see fit and take on co-op and multiplayer battles in addition to the main campaign. The whole package is impressively thorough, and in that sense, the trailer is dead on.

In fact, there might be a little bit too much here to play with. Those looking for a casual title will find Leviathan Warships overwhelming. But the $4.99 price is fitting -- enough to signify the game is substantial, but still cheap enough for anyone interested to jump right in. Leviathan Warships is highly recommended for sure.

Daily iPad App: Leviathan Warships features sweet, turn-based boat warfare originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 May 2013 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPad App: Leviathan Warships features sweet, turn-based boat warfare originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 May 2013 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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148Apps recently had a nice chat with Hello Games, the makers of Joe Danger, a motorcycle stunt racing game first for consoles and then for iOS, and the company says that Apple's platform has done very well for them. Throughout the app's life, Joe Danger's been in 5 million crashes total, which hints that a lot of people are enjoying the game via the App Store.

Hello Games also says Joe Danger's due for a big update soon. There will be new characters and levels to play with, and the team is planning to add a daily challenge-style feature that will keep the game fresh on a daily basis, along with some cheat modes to tweak the game with.

And finally, Hello Games hints that it's had some ideas "that have completely spiralled out of control into something else entirely." That could be a new game completely, created specifically to start out on iOS. We'll have to wait and see what that turns out to be. Meanwhile, however, it sounds like Hello Games has been treated well by the release of Joe Danger on iOS.

Hello Games says Joe Danger iOS is a big success, planning an update and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 07 May 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hello Games says Joe Danger iOS is a big success, planning an update and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 07 May 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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