Publisher: Funcom
Developer: Funcom
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista/Win 7, 3.0 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent CPU, ATI Radeon 9800/Nvidia GeForce 6600 or better graphics card, 1 GB RAM, DirectX 9.0c/DirectX 10, DirectX-compatible sound card, 32 GB hard-drive space, broadband Internet connection
Genre: MMORPG
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

”Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!” So ended the introduction to Conan the Barbarian, the 1981 sword-and-sorcery film featuring author Robert E. Howard’s most famous character. Twenty-seven years later, developer Funcom released Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. And now, this MMO has been rebranded Age of Conan: Unchained (good timing, considering a Conan remake is headed to multiplexes this month). The difference? Now you don’t have to spend any gold, silver or tin to play it.

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It has been another week where the only games I have been playing are on my iPod Touch. There are some that I would like to play on my Xbox and PC, but the time just hasn’t been there. My lack of time and the portability of my iOS device have made it evident to me why apps have had such an impact on mobile gaming. For those of us that really enjoy gaming but find ourselves consumed with non-gaming priorities, having one of these mobile devices can provide just enough entertainment to curb that urge. This week’s app selection is mostly for a younger audience, but I still found them enjoyable and suitable for short gaming sessions. I was also included on some beta testing for what is shaping up to be one of my favorite apps – Zen Wars. While it hasn’t been released yet, it’s worth mentioning early on so that it can find it’s way onto everyone’s radar.

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Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre: First-person Shooter/RPG
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

So far the downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas has been somewhat hit or miss with fans. Dead Money was riddled with problems surrounding difficulty and Honest Hearts, while definitely an improvement, still lacked the proverbial punch players are used to with this franchise. However, Obsidian is clearly not willing to go down without a fight, and the latest expansion for New Vegas has arrived in the form of Old World Blues.

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Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive
System requirements: Requires Hearts of Iron 3 and Semper Fi to play; Windows 2000/XP/Vista; Intel Pentium IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+ (quad core); 2GB RAM; 2GB hard disk space; GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon X1900 NVIDIA; Direct-X compatible sound card; 3-button mouse; keyboard and speakers; Internet Connection
Genre: Strategy
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

Much like Michael Corleone in The Godfather III, I can’t escape WWII strategy games. No matter how much I try to get away, they keep pulling me back in. Paradox Interactive has released yet another expansion to Hearts of Iron 3. Adding even more content on top of the Semper Fi expansion, For the Motherland boasts a host of new mechanics, in addition to some specific battle scenarios that add some tactical flavor to the game. And, true to its roots, it remains an in-depth strategy game that has enough micro-management to keep any grognard occupied, while having enough automation options to streamline the parts you don’t like.

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This week I have had slightly more time than usual to peruse all things game-wise on the iPad. I am currently away from work and so have more flexibility in exploring the world of tablet apps. This is, of course, dangerous to both my wallet and time with friends and family. For the sake of my profession, and so that all you nice people get a heads up about some of the better games out there, I’m willing to sacrifice both my money and my friends. So without further ado here are this week’s recommended iPad gaming apps.

GeoSociety

First up we have GeoSociety, which is quite new to the iPad App store. Don’t be fooled by the name, however, as it hasn’t anything to do with a geography themed hiking society. It has everything to do with monster taming, battling, breeding and hunting. Yep, there is more than a whiff of Pokemon here, but this is a fun RPG in the same vein as Dragon Warrior Monsters and Revelation Demon Slayer. If you ever played Pokemon on any Nintendo handheld, you should feel right at home with GeoSociety. The game looks cute (enough for my fellow commuters to cock quizzed eyebrows at me during play), and a recent upgrade has improved its playing interface. All your favorite monster types are included (fire, water and earth), and there are tons of attacks and mutations with which to progress them. The monsters have their own abilities (attack, defense, speed or intelligence) and through experience points can be trained. Additionally, monster breeding is alleged to be on the way (and I can just see more looks of concern from the folks on the train), and currently sports a themed plot with sub-plots and random encounters with over 350 monsters.

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It’s another week and I’ve brought you another heaping spoonful of apps. A couple are free and the others are 99 cents, so even if you bought/downloaded them all and only liked 2 or 3, I think you’d still be getting some pretty good entertainment for not a lot of coin.

In related news, I’m super excited at this week’s announcement of Zen Wars which is being published by Liv Games (Legendary Arms). Zen Wars is inspired by Rampart, one of my favorite NES games, so when I watched the trailer I knew that if the game is done right, it will be one of my iPod Touch favorites.

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Publisher: Kalypso Media
Developer: First Star Software, Catnip Games
Genre: Action/Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now
Review by: Michael Rabalais

I understand myself to be among the youngest, if not the youngest member of the Avault staff. I have never lived in a year where John Lennon was alive. And when the Twin Towers were bombed in 2001, I was in fifth grade. Even though I shoulder the incredible burden of my young age, I’ve supplemented my classic game knowledge to the best of my ability. I’ve beaten every Super Mario game, even the CDi exclusive Hotel Mario. I’m as versed in the origin of gaming as a scholar may be in Greek classics. So when I was assigned to review Boulder Dash-XL, and heard it described as the follow-up to a gaming classic, I found my knowledge lacking. While I hate to make assumptions, I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only gamer unfamiliar with Boulder Dash. Can a reimagining of a Commodore-era staple bring relevance to a franchise many might be unfamiliar with?

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Publisher: Mystic Box
Developer: Mystic Box
Genre: RPG/Puzzle
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: July 20, 2011

A cloaked figure wanders into a tavern. After he sits down at the bar, one of the more unruly patrons stumbles over and picks a fight. The cloaked figure reaches into his pocket and unsheathes his weapon…the five of clubs. He slams in on the bar and the instigator is no more. This may seem like a strange premise, but it is similar to Mystic Box’s new game, Runespell: Overture.

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Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Supergiant Games
Genre: Action/RPG
Rating: Everyone 10+
Release Date: July 20, 2011

Francois Truffaut once said, and I paraphrase, “The best way to critique a bad movie is to make a better one.” He said that as a film critic and went on to lead the French New Wave that swept cinema in the late 50s and 60s. Greg Kasavin is a former game critic and Editor-in-Chief at Gamespot, and after announcing his retirement from the site in 2007, toiled at several of EA’s offshoot development companies, before forming his own game development house. That development house is the small 10-person shop, Supergiant Games. And in the corner of a modest house, this team has toiled under Kasavin’s direction dreaming up Bastion, Kasavin’s bid to put Truffaut’s words into action.

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Publisher: Big John Games
Developer: Zivix
Genre: Music
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Have you ever wanted to create your own club music mixes, but you don’t have the cash to spend on expensive equipment? Developer Zivix has made it possible with Just Jam, a music-mixing game/application for the Wii that gives you the basic tools and the sounds required to lay down your own jams.

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Publisher: Zen Studios
Developer: Zen Studios
Genre: Pinball
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Some of Marvel’s toughest villains are running amok and need to be stopped. Enter the Marvel super group of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, and…Blade? In Marvel Pinball, developed by Zen Studios, you battle the forces of evil using webs, lasers and a tiny metal ball.

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My inbox was pretty lean this week. I received several press releases but I’ve been noticing some disturbing trends which lead me to believe that iOS games are converging upon being recycled clones of each other. This week I only have 4 apps to offer you, as they’re the only apps that looked remotely interesting as I browsed the iTunes top apps lists.

Call of Mini: Zombies

I know plenty of gamers who have become jaded by zombie games, but not me. When I saw CoM: Zombies in the iTunes store, I checked the reviews to see if there were any credible, negative opinions. There weren’t, so I purchased the app and gave it a spin. The game is an over-the-shoulder shooter featuring cartoony block-head characters and plenty of levels, weapons, and character upgrades.

Level environments range from hospitals to storage yards. If you’re familiar with horde mode, Call of Mini: Zombies is basically a mobile horde mode. A number of zombies spawn and your goal is to survive the wave while collecting crates of ammo and caches of money.The controls are precise and the game is just difficult enough to remain engaging, but not so difficult that I wanted to stop playing. Upgrading your character and weapons may take a while if you rely on the cash you find in-game, but the lazy can purchase in-game currency to upgrade more quickly.

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Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Firaxis Games
Genre: Simulation/Social
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available Now
Review by: Michael Rabalais

When I told my friends I had been assigned to review the Civilization Facebook game, their reaction was to laugh in my face. Social games aren’t especially well received by the hardcore gamer community, and after wiping the tears from my still wet eyes, I promised myself I would remain resolute in providing an objective and thorough review of a product I had never envisioned myself playing. Civilization World is a game I played on Facebook. It doesn’t get much more objective than that.

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Publisher: Open Emotion Studios
Developer: Open Emotion Studios
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

One of the cool things Sony has going for it, is the existence of the PS Minis (which can be found in their online store). Essentially, these are small downloadable diversions that can be played on either your PS3 or PSP. So for those die hard Sony fanboys who grab every piece of tech the company puts out, it’s a nice perk to take one of these pieces of casual fare on the go. Is Mad Blocker Ultra – Revenge of the Fluzzles a remedy for those tired of those pesky Angry Birds? Read on and find out.

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Publisher: Digital Reality Ltd.
Developer: Candygun Games
Genre: Zombie Defense
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Zombie games are neither few nor far between, and seem to lurk up on us like…well…zombies. Countless titles are based in the zombie genre and tend to be the going up and blast them in the face type of games. Dead Block, however, employs a different and unique take on this cult genre. I will take a peek at it from within my barricaded safe haven, of course.

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