This week’s App Attack features a little something for everyone. Whether you like dismembering zombies, setting up tower defenses, or throwing newspapers through windows, there’s a game for you. While you probably won’t see any major news sources mentioning these games, I’ve played ‘em all and they’ve got my approval.

GemCraft

GemCraft by NTT Resonant Inc. is your basic tower-defense game. It started out as a popular online Flash game, but has been ported for iOS devices. I’m not the biggest fan of the tower-defense genre, but GemCraft does a good job of not throwing you into the deep end when it comes to difficulty. The game is not the fanciest-looking, but it’s entertaining and has plenty of features to keep gameplay interesting.

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Publisher: TimeGate Studios
Developer: TimeGate Studios
Genre: FPS
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: April 20, 2011

Section 8: Prejudice was released today at the Xbox Live Marketplace. In a week full of top-tier game releases, it would seem that TimeGate Studios was setting itself up for failure by releasing it in such close proximity to these other titles. There’s plenty in this title, however, that make it deserving to rank amongst the best releases of 2011. And the best part is the price. For 1200 MS points (roughly $15), you can have a game that is as good as any Halo iteration I’ve played.

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We’re trying something new with iOS games. Instead of writing a weekly (sometimes less frequent) review for a single app, each Wednesday we’ll do a “round-up” that features 6 games that deserve your attention. There are way too many iOS games being released to keep track of them all, and frankly, only a handful are worth buying. Each week I’ll present you with the handful worth buying.

Berzerk Ball
Developed by Berzerk Studio, Berzerk Ball is the mobile version of a popular Flash game. There’s only one goal, smack a geek as far as you can, but there are plenty of power-ups and weapon upgrades to keep you busy. This is one of my favorite iOS games to date. I’ve played it a ton this week and plan on getting all the trophies (something I never try to do). The next time someone asks you if play Angry Birds, just say “no, noob, I play Berzerk Ball.” Then you’ll can be the cool, indie mobile gamer in the office.

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Publisher: TimeGate Studios
Developer: TimeGate Studios
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, Intel 3.0 GHz single-core/2.0 GHz dual-core/AMD Athlon XP3200+ or better CPU, nVidia GeForce 7800/ATI Radeon X1900 or better graphics card, 2 GB RAM, 5.5 GB hard-drive space
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: April 20, 2011 (Xbox 360); May 4, 2011 (PC); Summer 2011 (PS3)

I recently wrote an article on why I thought indie pricing would change the cost of non-AAA games. I brought up Section 8: Prejudice as one of the many reasons I believe quality games at a lower price point will dominate sales. TimeGate has a history of award-winning game content, and I’m not sure if labeling them an indie developer is appropriate, but with Prejudice they’re definitely gunning for the big boys. Also consider that the original Section 8 is still selling for around $12 to $20 (PC/Xbox) brand-new. I’ve had the pleasure of playing a preview build of Prejudice that gave me access to a couple of levels, and from what I’ve experienced, we have a lot to look forward to when the game is released. There are some pretty big titles coming in April, so I’m anxious to see how well Prejudice fares, but at $15 I’m hoping it does well.

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Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: Namco Bandai Games
Genre: Puzzle
iTunes rating: 9+
Release date: Available now

Some old dude once said, “there’s nothing new under the sun.” Thousands of years later, his statement still holds true, especially in the gaming industry. Namco Bandai games has released Bird Zapper for iOS devices, and while it might be nothing new in terms of game mechanics, its graphics are humorous and the gameplay is ideal for mobile gaming situations. So put down those dusty manuscripts and join me as we delve into mobile gaming in the modern era.

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Publisher: Liv Games
Developer: Liv Games
Genre: RTS/RPG
iTunes rating: 12+
Release date: Available now

Legendary Wars by Liv Games is a labor of love. It shows in how the developer continually updates the app in response to user feedback. Their latest update adds retina-display support and improved load times (on most devices), amongst other fixes. All this might seem like business as usual to those of us who are used to PC and console games being patched and updated regularly, but as I’ve found in the world of iOS gaming, 99-cent apps usually don’t see consistent developer updates and support. The game itself is pretty darn fun, and I think you’ll be surprised by what it offers.

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Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts
System requirements: Windows XP SP 2/Vista SP 1/Win 7, 2 GHz Pentium IV or better CPU (2.4 GHz for Vista/Win 7), 1 GB RAM (1.5 GB Vista/Win 7), 128 MB graphics card with Pixel Shader 2.0 support, 5.3 GB hard-drive space, DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Simulation
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

I’m not a fan of the “life simulation” genre. I was pleased to find out that the creator of Second Life is an alumnus of my alma mater, but I had no interest in that virtual world. I purchased Sims 2 for my wife, but it sat unplayed and now I can’t find the discs. So when I got a FedEx package containing The Sims: Medieval, I was excited to be receiving a new game, but nary a sound escaped my lips. My feelings about Medieval are as complicated as the in-game relationships I puppeteer. At one point I cursed the day the package arrived in the mailbox, but after hours of playing the game and crafting the heroes’ stories, I’ve grown to love it. Before you purchase, read this review and decide if you’d be as forgiving as I am.

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What’s going on you sexy video game? Yeah you! I see you sitting all alone at the kiosk, flashing your $60 price tag and showing a little too much insert. You’re promising to be my game of the year and excite me in all the right places. For a little more than a tank of gas, you’ll make me forget about all the heartache and loss in my gaming past. You’ll be the game in the genre that sets the bar for every other game I’ll bring home. But game, I know something you don’t know: you’re not my first $60 game. I’ve been around the gaming block and learned a thing or two.

We’re entering the age of the Indie Game. You might not think so, with titles like CoD: Black Ops and Homefront setting sales records for the industry and for their publishers, but the $60 game is dying. Homefront set records for THQ, but when the reviews were lackluster at best, the company’s stocks took a sizeable hit and gamers were left confused, lonely, and heartbroken. How could Homefront, with its over-the-top marketing, completely fail to at least mirror its FPS contemporaries? Gamers were presented with Bulletstorm, Fallout: New Vegas, Fable 3, and Crysis 2 (to name a few) and while these titles sold fairly well, I’ve noticed a few trends.

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Publisher: Chillingo
Developer: MachineWorks Northwest
Genre: FPS
iTunes rating: 9+
Release date: Available now

I took some Advil, but the pain continues. I try to remind myself that behind every game, no matter how poorly executed, is a team of developers and designers with more talent in their field than I possess. Painkiller Purgatory is based on a PC game that was released more than seven years ago. At this point, I really want to purge my mind of everything that’s wrong with FPS games on the iPhone. I want to cleanse my mental palate by playing an FPS on the PC, but the following paragraphs will be instrumental in helping all iPhone owners avoid purchasing mistakes. There’s always a very small chance that I’m wrong, so feel free to express your opinions in the comments.

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Publisher: Gilligames
Developer: Gilligames
Genre: RPG
iTunes rating: 9+
Release date: Available now

There seems to be two approaches to game development. The first is to tackle it with a “because I can” mentality, while the second is to fulfill a desire to create, which is rooted in an appreciation of games as an art form. So far, iOS games seem to be split down the middle, with very little intermingling of the two approaches. On one hand, you have mobile games with no purpose outside of high scores and cutesy graphics. On the other, you have items such as The Pantheon Cycle: Shrouded Aspect, in which the focus is on a quality game with an artistic foundation. In-depth mobile games aren’t always to be preferred, but if you enjoy RPGs, this might be a good choice.

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I was a really weird child, and I’ve found the definitive proof. My parents are moving out of state this month, so I made a few trips back home to sort through the cardboard-entombed relics of my youth. I’m weird now, but I had forgotten what sort of child I was until I found an unopened letter from my past. Tucked neatly into a manila folder, somewhere between the pirate ship I drew in second grade and my middle-school poetry journal, was a sealed envelope. Scrawled in my practically unchanged handwriting was an address for one Mrs. Brown, who apparently lived at the same address I did. I sat there crossed-legged, with a beaded Native American headband tied around my head and surrounded by the toys of my youth, and unfolded the letter, which read:

“Dear Mrs. Brown, my leg has been acting up so I will need you to send me more apples. The last lot was bad, they were too sour. And please send me another cherry cake. Two cherries were missing from the last one.”

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First, let me be clear. I am not a fan of any publisher/developer, including Activision. I simply do not care. If a game is good, then I will support it. I don’t engage in pointless debates about how Treyarch is inferior to Infinity Ward (or vice versa). However, every once in a while, something happens that enrages me to the point that I will brave the trolls and address the idiot gamers out there. Recently, Activision made some important decisions that impacted the lives and employment of 500 people. At this point a lot of you gamers will spew forth an anti-Activision tirade born of monumental ignorance and immaturity. Let me give you two pieces of advice. One, don’t do that. And two, your life is going to suck until the day you die if you don’t stop playing the victim.

Activision announced that development of Guitar Hero would cease. Many gamers accuse Activision of draining the veins dry of any successful IP it owns, and often cite the Guitar Hero franchise as evidence. This opinion is completely void of common sense and knowledge of business strategy. First off, no product is capable of an infinite life span, which means it will see diminishing profits. Oversaturating the market can decrease any game’s lifespan, but I would argue that Activision knew the music-genre was fading. In addition to trying to profit as much as it could, it was also supplying work to the Guitar Hero developers. Had Guitar Hero 5 and Warriors of Rock never been released, on top of the franchise dying after GH World Tour, the developers would have suffered an earlier fate. Either way, the idiots out there seem determined to fault Activision regardless of the decisions they make.

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Publisher: The Learning Company
Developer: The Learning Company
System requirements: Not available
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

If you’re the type of gamer who vomits at the thought of Facebook apps being considered as legitimate games, run. Run far away. Actually, wait, stay here a while. Maybe we can be convinced to give these apps a chance. As far as I can tell, Facebook games only have one major strike against them: they encourage all your annoying FB friends to send you an overwhelming amount of app requests. Facebook games are developed entirely for profit, but they are free and can offer a decent level of entertainment. Facebook’s Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? adheres closely to its origins as a 1980s computer game, but brings with it a social media twist packed with plenty of entertainment.

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Publisher: BulkyPix
Developer: BulkyPix
Genre: Strategy/Tower Defense
iTunes Rating: 9+
Release date: Available now

In the mid-nineties I played my first computer game, Dune. It was the game that motivated me to push my parents to buy our own PC. It wouldn’t be until 1999-2000 that I would finally get a computer in my home, but once I got one, I immediately fell in love with the RTS and Sci Fi genres. When I received my code to review Battlestar Commander, I was both apprehensive and anxious to find out if it could recapture some of that magic I felt over a decade ago. But before some of you knuckleheads go off on a PC-fanboy tangent, just hear me out. While Battlestar Commander might not be the whole enchilada, it may be the fix you need when you’re sans-PC.

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If you ask Scott Hartsmann, Executive Producer of the new MMORPG Rift, to compare his game with World of Warcraft, he won’t. Instead, he’ll passionately detail the Rift experience, leaving you to make your own comparisons. I had the opportunity to join several other games journalists in a Q&A session with Hartsmann to discuss the game’s beta testing and longevity. As expected, the session included a healthy dose of the standard PR rhetoric, but our primary focus was on the game’s ability to deliver on its promises. The MMO genre is full of promising games that launched successfully, only to suffer from lackluster content and ensuing player disappointment. So we gave Hartsmann the opportunity to convince us that Rift would succeed where other games have failed.

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