Gamertell

The Apple App Store gaming update is Gamertell’s weekly look at the previous week’s Apple App Store game releases. We cover them all - good and not so good - in their respective categories with a breakdown of the great games and the free games right where you want ‘em, at the top and in your face. The list is (usually) available every Monday, right as you are about to start that long work week.

Well, the holiday shopping season has officially been kicked into full swing, hopefully you had good luck over the weekend and on Cyber Monday (which is why we’ve pushed this post to Super Tuesday, or whatever you want to call it). But if you didn’t manage to find that special something, no worries as we are beginning to roll out our annual holiday gift guides.

As for your top weekly apps this week we have Square-Enix’s Hills and Rivers Remain leading the charge with The Escapee trying to hide from the Grinchmas’s snowball assault, and finally a Dragon Sword RPG not to be confused with Bioware’s Dragon Age: Origins. There are also plenty of Christmas-themed games to get you into the holiday cheer as well!

What’s Free

Earthworm Jim FREE
“Live or re-live the freaky adventures of Earthworm Jim in a refreshing remake of the classic action/platform game. Jim was an ordinary earthworm who did very earthworm-like things. One day, during a battle in outer-space, a suit dropped to Earth and landed on Jim, mutating him into a large and intelligent (at least by earthworm standards) superhero. When Jim learns of the evil plans of Psy-Crow and Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, he decides to rescue Princess What’s-Her-Name.”

Phoenix Emperor - Free Phoenix Marks!
“Quest and battle your way through the realm of the Phoenix Emperor while gaining power, land, and prestige. Your empire awaits - build your legion! Free for a limited time only! Join the battle and become a force to be reckoned with! Challenge yourself with unique quests and battles against other players, while profiting from your success.”

Boozle Free
“Burp! One more, just one more… The unwritten law of the party: the better the evening, the more painful the morning. Drink one more beer, mix it up with some whisky, have a slice of pizza and chow down three hotdogs. As they say, appetite comes with eating. Keeping the balance between devouring unhealthy food and binge drinking is the key – a tribute to junk food and alcohol!Boozle will help you rediscover the match 3 genre once again. You’ll need a drink after the pressure of hectic matching! Buy the game for the cost of a beer to ensure you’ll be able to jump right into a party wherever you go!”

ASD Poker Lite
“We are glad to offer realizations of the classic 6-Card and Russian Poker! They are developed on the base of real casino games, tested and approved by experienced casino players. Both games are very realistic, exciting and dinamic. Advanced playing algorithm, high-quality graphics and nice sound effects let you feel the atmosphere of the game like in casino! Here you play against the computer dealer and can bet max on 3 boxes using chips of different value. You can play as long as you wish due to the opportunity to increase your cash. Statistics adds to all the positive features of the games. If, somehow, you’ve never played Poker, or just forgot how to play, the detailed rules will help you to cope with it.”

Worms Defense Lite
“To defeat bugs, you should build various towers and update them in order to limit of bug’s movement. You can deploy buildings with abilities such as range attack by SSM Tower, the bug’s movement decrease by Ice Tower, stun attack by Electricity Tower, and etc.”

ParkingBreak Lite
“Parking Break is a fresh leisure game with great comic-style graphics and easy controls.
When ORZ is in a mess-up car park, you try to help him to find a best path to escape from the crowed car park with your imagination and fingers. Notice that the more spent steps the more repair costs, how to minimize your cost to escape is a great Challenge. What are you waiting for? Over 99 Levels!Come and help ORZ! PS:if u like to play UnBlock me you must Love this Game,come and join now,get more fun and enjoy!”

Hills and Rivers Remain Lite
“Expand your empire in this epic real-time strategy for iPhone/iPod touch! Far from being a mere snippet, this Lite edition features exclusive content not found in the commercial product. Experience the dynamic gameplay of this title while enjoying an entirely original story! Battle rivals over territory in real-time! There are only two commands you’ll need to know: dispatching troops and moving your headquarters, making play so easy even beginners can jump right in. But don’t be deceived! Victory will depend on how well you utilize the features of each battleground, as well as the timing of the items you use. Play as Alan, a young commander in the Julius army. In the midst of a heated engagement with the kingdom of Herbert, Alan spots the enemy commander Dean, his childhood friend. Alan finds himself torn between friendship and country, war and peace. Meanwhile the relentless flames of war continue to spread, devouring all in their path. After countless battles and much soul-wrenching internal strife, Alan sets out on a course of action that will change everything….”

Dance Duo Lite
“Still looking for the best music game? Here comes “Dance Duo”! We brought you the real dance feeling in game by introducing the 3D dancing avatar, which enhances the visual enjoyment not just for you, but also for the audience who’s watching your game play. If you like Tap Tap Revenge, you will love even more the variability of Dance Duo. Each level comes with a piece of brand new dance music composed & tailor-made just for the splashy scenes in the game. In this debut version, you can choose from 3 different splendid & gorgeous scenes: Night Club, Time Square & Gym. We will give you more amazing dance music & beautiful scenes in the coming release! You would like to dance without using your legs? Feel the utmost enjoyment of dancing with your fingers on iPhone today!”

UFO Kidnapped
“Getting tired of ordinary UFO hunting games? Time to take a CHANGE, in UFO Kidnapped, you are a commander of alien invaders. Your responsibility is to kidnap just the right amount of
people from this lovely blue planet (our earth).”

GEN-TO-KI FREE
“Be prepared for anything as you try to save the celestial world from wicked goblins dwelling in the lava cave of ancient volcano. Help your favorite princess MOMO use the right items in the right place, defeat goblin guards, and discover the key for the gate of the next cave. Take back a mythical peach of an elixir of life in the celestial world from the wildest goblin boss.”

Match Signs
“Your goal is to arrange the stone tiles so that all of the adjacent symbols are matched.”

What’s New

Action

Robo Ki: Price: $0.99
“Robo Ki is a 3d survival shooter/fighter for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Robo Ki is our main character, a large yellow robot, who is forced into combat with an invading alien robot army! Your mission is to defend Robo Ki at all costs and to free the MoeBuKai from their evil oppressors!!!”

War Evolved: Price: $1.99
“War Evolved places you in command as you evolve through seven unique eras. Similar to the popular online flash game “Age of War,” strategy is key to defeat your opponent. The war begins in the caveman era and progresses all the way through to an era in the future. Key technologies include rock throwers, spitting camels, jousters, gun-wielders, tanks, helicopters, and space-age jets. War Evolved allows you to take control of more than just ground units – you are able to battle your opponent in the air as well. War Evolved offers a challenging artificial intelligence with three different levels of difficulty. The results of each war are recorded both on a local and global score board so you can see how well you compare to the rest of the world. However, if the challenge doesn’t seem personal enough you can take your battle over WiFi. This allows you and a friend to play on separate devices to determine the better War Evolver. If you don’t have a second device, you can play together in a local two-player game.”

Trigger Happy Christmas: Price: $0.99
“Breaking News… the elves have gone bad, again, and are trying to ruin Christmas by stealing all the presents. They’ve hot-wired the sleigh, which is flying around uncontrollably, spilling its contents all over the place. Santa is running hither and thither trying to gather them back up again but, quite frankly, he’s had his fill of the thieving blighters. Time to dust off “Olde Persuader”! He’s not alone though. While trying furiously to bring the sleigh under control, Rudolph is also on hand to supply Santa with the a few more ‘persuasive’ tools. You know, like flame-throwers, grenade launchers… that type of thing! Flame-throwers? It Is the season of good will, isn’t it? Err, yes of course. I don’t see what’s not in the spirit of the season with dismembering elves… hmm, okay good point. Well, to make up for it, you can send electronic Christmas cards to your friends from the game. That way, you even save the cost of those little bits of printed card people usually send.”

Adventure

The Escapee: Price: $5.99
“The Escapee has been REMASTERED and a great number of improvements has been added, such as built in hint system, improved gameplay and controls. You are on the run from powerful alien beings on an alien planet, having been transported there for a reason that no-one knows at the beginning. Find your way home back to Earth and solve the mystery.”

Traveler’s Quest: Price: $3.99
“Avast! The iPhone’s first real world multiplayer virtual treasure hunting game is finally here!Traveler’s Quest uses the iPhone’s built in GPS to help you find virtual treasure in the real world. Buried treasures are waiting for you right in your own backyard. But don’t wait too long because other adventurers are after these treasures as well! Traveler’s Quest is great for traveling around town, or around the world. Make errands or trips around town more interesting; bury treasures anywhere for other players to find. While buried, your treasure earns gold which can be used in the in-game store to buy maps, treasure or upgrades enhancing your treasure hunting experience. Compete with players around the world and become a treasure hunting legend; take your place on the in-game leaderboards. Join with your friends stealing eachother’s buried treasures, then taunt them with the news feed which tells them who stole their priceless treasure right out from under their nose! Traveler’s Quest is a phenomenal casual game that will have you checking for treasures wherever you go, near or far! If you can get there, you can bury a treasure there, and dig one up too! Unlike GeoCaching, there are no physical treasures to find and put back. The treasures are virtual, giving you the ability to collect as any as you want or bury them anywhere. Using the GPS, get as close as you can to a treasure before digging it up and get bonus gold for accuracy!Around town or around the world, Traveler’s Quest is sure to be a game you come back to play!”

iPirateTreasure: Price: $0.99
“Get rich searching for treasure! Time to put on your pirate hat, grab your shovel and start digging. The treasure is buried somewhere on the Island and you have to find it. Dig carefully - you only get 10 tries and its a big island. Pirates who find the treasure in one dig, earn their skull & crossbones. Will you get the reward or the raspberries???”

Arcade

Catch N’ Shoot: Price: $0.99
“Catch and shoot allows you to shot flying-pigs, witch, kite and birds in the real scenery that’s captured by camera.
In order to pass level or buy new guns, you must move your iphone to shoot the target (flying-pigs, witch…)”

Johnny Test : Bot Drop: Price: $0.99
“Drop the bots to safety! Aim and time the bot drop so that they land in the moving rescue vehicle! Help Johnny Test save the day! Compete on the worldwide highscores list!”

Save the Doons Premium Edition: Price: $0.99
“Jirbo presents Save the Doons Premium Edition!”

Monkeys in Space: Escape to Banana Base Alpha: Price: $0.99
“Every day, countless monkeys float helplessly in space! But who will save them? Will it be you? If you think you’re the right monkey for the job, then suit up and get rescuing! Draw lines to direct monkeys into the appropriate space station, but be careful not to let the monkeys touch! Chain monkeys together for huge bonus points!”

I Dig It Expeditions: Price: $2.99
“Manage fuel, temperature, damage, cargo space, oxygen, etc while searching for underground diggins. Sell your rare collection of artifacts to earn cash. Use cash to upgrade your digging machine, make repairs, or purchase additional supplies. Discover new hazards, such as ocean currents, methane gas pockets, geo-thermal vents, and a new species unknown to man…”

Nova Run: Price: $1.99
“Competition for mining resources is heating up as the local star threatens to go super nova… Avoid collisions and use you EMP to destroy the Kortovians. Hone your skills as a PILOT and get promoted to NAVIGATOR, WINGMAN and ADMIRAL in this amazingly addictive game. The stunning visuals and sounds make for a truly immersive experience.”

Board

CONNECT 4: Price: $2.99
“Play the popular checker-dropping game for hours of addictive FUN! Test your talent when you connect 4 in Classic, Challenge, and Advanced Modes with all-new Powerchips, Max Score & PopOut. Go head-to-head against the competition with Bluetooth, WiFi, or Pass ‘n Play Multiplayer.”

A Mushroom Peg!: Price: $0.99
“a Mushroom Peg !” is an “Solitaire/Peg” board game in the “Mushroom” version!”

Educational

Animal’s Matching for kids: Price: $0.99
“Animal’s Matching is a pair matching game with funny animals’ pictures and hilarious sound effects. With 3 levels of difficulty, this is a challenge for everybody. With this game, you’ll improve your mind while having fun. This game is part of our “Learning is fun” educational game collection, see our website for more info.”

Christmas’ Matching for kids: Price: $0.99
“Christmas’s Matching is a pair matching game with funny Christmas’ pictures and sound effects. With 3 levels of difficulty, this is a challenge for everybody. With this game, you’ll improve your mind while having fun. This game is part of our “Learning is fun” educational game collection, see our website for more info.”

Family

Grinchmas: Price: $1.99
“Stop the Who noise or shower them with toys! Grinchmas is a fun, casual game of skill and accuracy. Assume the role of The Grinch perched on Mt. Crumpit. Swipe the screen to throw either snowballs or presents down to Who-ville, depending on whether you feel “mean” or “merry.” Accuracy and speed determine your score.”

Uggles - Christmas Edition: Price: $0.99
“Happy Holidays! Uggles love Christmas too, can you collect them all this holiday season? Based on the critically acclaimed ‘Uggles - Collect Them All’ (Rated 4 - must have by SlidetoPlay.com and featured twice by Apple.).”

Elf - WARNING: Extremely Addictive!: Price: $1.99
“Elf is reaching for the wintry heavens in this Christmas caper to jump, glide and fly skyward.  Grab bonus boosts and dodge the thistles for a high score that’s as high as you are – literally Ultra sparkling fun for novice to expert gamers. But can you reach the stratosphere? The higher you get, the more challenging it becomes. The expert player will discover that a good strategy is required to achieve a really high score. Be warned, this game is highly addictive.”

Christmas Paint: Price: $1.99
“Painting application kind of coloring book.”

Waddlefield: Price: $1.99
“Guide the delightful cows, bunnies and sheep to victory against a devious llama and his minion hedgepigs and foxes on the Waddlefield in this family-friendly tactical strategy game.”

Music

Music Rainbow: Price: $3.99
“Entertaining music box. It allows playing with: piano, organ, drum, vilonchel.”

Puzzle

Octo☆Touch: Price: $4.99
“Let’s play Octo☆Touch anytime, everywhere! Octo☆Touch is finally coming to iPhone/iPod touch!! It is latest version of you have seen in the video game console one. Put same color octopuses on cooking grid same as number on the cooking grid then the octopuses disappear. Basic rule is same as video game console version. Octo☆Touch provide intuitive game playing by touch controls. Touch control and console-like controls are provided.”

Pilly Climber: Price: $0.99
“Purpose of the game is to make PILLY climb up the storeys of its building safely. This is not easy because on each level it has to pass many of the dreadful egg-lifts which are going up and down incessantly. As the stairs on each level are always on the opposite side of the floor underneath it has to be navigated carefully from one side to the other because crashing one of the lifts leads inevitably to a game’s break-off. And there is an additional difficulty to consider: Once you started PILLY running you are not able to stop it anymore, i. e. you have to keep it running forwards and backwards in between the egglifts if it is in danger of crashing into one of the lifts. This requires full concentration and dexterity. With a little bit of luck and two fast acting thumbs you can bring PILLY up to the next floor.”

Colorverse: Price: $0.99
“Time to think in color. Welcome to Colorverse. Colorverse is a unique color-based puzzle game that revolves around switching and mixing colored Gems to make certain color sequences. A Gem Sweeper continually moves around the board, collecting Gems and replacing them with new ones. Points are scored every time a Gem is collected. Rack up points by making chains (a sequence of colors that follow the color wheel) or create combos (three same-colored Gems in a row) to increase your score multiplier. Mix Gems together to create secondary and tertiary chains and combos to really boost your score. Be careful though - create an incorrect sequence, and that means a strike. Too many strikes, and its Game Over. The longer you stay alive, the higher the level you’ll reach. Each new level means more points per Gem, but it also means the Gem Sweeper moves a little bit faster than before. Think fast. React faster.”

Racing

Robbie Williams Racing: Price: $2.99
“Join Robbie Williams on a wild ride while listening to music from his new album, “Reality Killed The Video Star”. Race against Robbie across the Mojave Desert on a classic motorcycle as seen in the recent “Bodies” video, or race in a buggy on a course modelled on Robbie’s own private track!Unlock videos, photos and more as you ride in ROBBIE WILLIAMS RACING, bringing the world renowned singer and entertainer closer to home than ever before in this, his first ever interactive game!”

Role Playing

Dragon Sword RPG: Price: $3.99
“Incredibly deep and beautifully crafted RPG adventure; an epic tale of a young hero restoring the glory of his beloved South Kingdom.”

Simulation

AirCoaster Pro: Price: $0.99
“AirCoaster - still the ONLY roller coaster designer and simulator app for the iPhone/iPod touch - will have you riding in the front seat within seconds of downloading. Our unique multi-touch track editor is simple enough that anyone can start making their first roller coaster right away. More experienced users will appreciate the wide range of powerful tools for designing truly breathtaking rides. Don’t want to create your own tracks? Go to the Community tab and download any of over tens of thousands of tracks! Interact with your favorite track creators, write on their walls, follow them, and more!”

Sports

NFL Quarterback Challenge: Price: $2.99
“Officially licensed by the NFL. The NFL Quarterback Challenge brings out the Pro Bowl QB in all game enthusiasts. Can you thread pinpoint passes like an NFL Quarterback? Can you perform under pressure as the clock winds down? Do you have what it takes to guide an NFL quarterback to the pinnacle of his career, a spot in the Super Bowl? NFL’s Quarterback Challenge from ProAppSports will test your QB skills and accuracy as you navigate the QB of your favorite NFL team through a series of challenges where you will prove your mettle as an NFL quarterback. The game boasts authentic NFL logos and NFL team uniforms, so choose your favorite team and make your Super Bowl dreams come true.”

Arcade Basketball Scorer: Price: $0.99
“Test your basketball skills from behind the three point line on your iPhone. Now we offer a 3 point basketball shooter game that you can play with your friends. simply drag your finger to shoot the basketball, try your best to get highest scores in 45 seconds. good luck, let’s go!”

Strategy

Hills and Rivers Remain: Price: $6.99
“Expand your empire in this epic real-time strategy for iPhone/iPod touch! Battle rivals over territory in real-time! There are only two commands you’ll need to know: dispatching troops and moving your headquarters, making play so easy even beginners can jump right in. But don’t be deceived! Victory will depend on how well you utilize the features of each battleground, as well as the timing of the items you use. Play as Alan, a young commander in the Julius army. In the midst of a heated engagement with the kingdom of Herbert, Alan spots the enemy commander Dean, his childhood friend. Alan finds himself torn between friendship and country, war and peace. Meanwhile the relentless flames of war continue to spread, devouring all in their path. After countless battles and much soul-wrenching internal strife, Alan sets out on a course of action that will change everything….”

Word

Oh, My Word! 2: Price: $2.99
“Oh, My Word! 2 is the sequel to Mobile Pie’s critically acclaimed brain-box bendingly simple yet highly-addictive word puzzle game. Close in on a hidden five-letter word by finding out if the word you guess is before or after it in the dictionary. It’ll make you scratch your head and whoop with joy as you search and find illusive words and smash top scores.”

iPhone/iPod Touch Links

Appletell: [Apple looking to improve the iPhone’s Maps app] [iPhone arrives in Korea with 60,000+ pre-orders] [Macintosh/iPhone software update roundup - November 27, 2009]