Full Control ApS
App Store: Tactical Soldier – Undead Rising $4.99 (Universal App)

Tactical Solidier is a really great turn based strategy game that basically does everything right. You take command of a small group of soldiers that are trying to figure out why their base is being overtaken by zombies. You start off with a single character and as you explore the base other soldiers will join your group. The controls, graphics, and sounds are all perfect. Also, did I mention this is a universal application?

The game uses an AP system for turns that works great and the enemy encounters are something that I looked forward to each time. You will find weapons, ammo, keys, med kits, grenades, and more by searching dead bodies. The boss fights are particularly fun and challenging. You earn experience points by defeating enemies and earn skill points each time you finish a level. You can use these skill points on 8 different skills on anyone in your group.

The game tells the story bit-by-bit using comic book type cut scenes that really fit nicely into the theme and art style of this game. The description says there is 7+ hours of gameplay and I believe it as I’m only about 1/2 through the game. This is a great game and one of the better that I have played in some time. I would highly recommend this game as it is a lot of fun and bang for your buck.

Pauli Ojanen
App Store: Minute Commander $1.99 (Universal App)

Minute Commander really brings me back to the days of playing Battleship, but even better since I can see the enemy! The game is about naval strategy where two teams battle each other and the last man standing is the winner. You can play against the computer or against your friends via play-n-pass.

Turns within the game consist of 1 minute blocks where you can do as much as you can in a single minute. You must move your ships around and also attack the enemy ships. There are also upgrades that you can pickup as you are navigating your ships around.

There are two modes while a vessle is selected: move and attack. During the move mode you simply touch on the screen in the direction that you want to move the ship. You can easily see where your fleet is located and also the enemy fleet with the radar. The attack mode is much more interesting as you select which weapon you want to fire, choose the direction, and adjust the aim vertically in order to hit your enemy. The air strike that is sent from an aircraft carrier is really awesome and very effective!

The graphics and sound are all top notch. I think this game is great right now and the planned updates sound really awesome: tutorial & nuclear torpedo (we can’t wait to see the torpedo). You should really give Minute Commander a try if you enjoy a good strategy game!

id Software
App Store: Rage $0.99 | $1.99 HD (Universal App)

The guys at id Software have now raised the bar on what users can expect out of 3D models and animation with their new game Rage for the iOS. The iOS game is a preview of what we will see in the full PC/console version of Rage that will be released in 2011. In the iOS version you are a contestant on a game show where you are fighting mutants with the goal of getting to the end of the level without dying and collecting as much money as possible along the way.

The game comes in two versions: standard and HD. They are basically the same, while the HD version includes hi-res textures. If you own an iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th gen, or an iPad then you should spring for the HD version. Either way they are both universal applications so you will be able to enjoy the experience on any of your iOS devices.

The game consists of 3 “episodes” where you battle mutants, collect cash, and try to survive. This is a rail shooter so your field of movement is limited, but this game is still a lot of fun. There are two different control schemes: tilt and touch. The iPhone version defaults to to the tilt configuration and the iPad version defaults to the touch configuration. I played through the game on both the iPhone and iPad and found that the default control configurations work best for each of those devices, since the iPhone is really two small to use their touch interface and you will find yourself constantly accidentally hitting the pause button.

The game is a shooting gallery type game where you are moved to a station where mutants spawn and you have to kill all of the mutants on the screen before you can progress to the next station. While moving between stations or at a station you will have the opportunity to shoot bullseye targets and collect health, ammunition, and cash power-ups along the way.

The game itself is fairly fun, but where it shines is during the in-game scenes where the host is talking before you begin an episode. That 3D model and his animation are absolutely fantastic! Those are the best graphics and animation that I have seen in any iOS game so far. You can beat the game in 15-20 minutes, so hopefully an update will be released soon with additional episodes to keep things interesting. If you are a fan of other id Software titles, then you should go give Rage a try and get a sneak preview into the world of Rage.

iBright Studios
App Store: Mazonaut $0.99 | Lite (Universal App)

I played this game while out on a business trip a week or two ago; it had me hooked from the first second. The menu is fairly straight forward. Only four options of Start, Challenge, Options and High Scores. There is an About button at the bottom right.

The game is easy to pick up and start playing. There is no learning curve unless you truly are terrible at puzzles. You tilt the iPad or iPhone to control the speed and direction of the astronaut while moving along the board. Just like in Labyrinth with the floating board.

You guide the astronaut through the maze trying not to slow down and getting sucked into a black hole. Once you reach a certain point it is hands down flight for life. Try solving a maze on the fly while being aware of the tiles that are about to be sucked into the black hole. I only know of two items to help you survive, and that is the boots and jet pack. The boots will clear out an area of maze for you to just rush forward, for a short distance, without worrying about the maze. The jet pack is my favorite. If you can get a hold of one of those, do it. The jet pack will propel you for a long distance giving you a slight lead on the chaos trying to swallow you. I do have to warn you about the jet pack. If you see it make sure you have at least an exit strategy should the tiles catch up to you before you are able to pull an Indiana Jones maneuver for it.

The game is very fun to play. The graphics and animations are top notch, and brings a real enjoyment to the game.

Tomato Factory
App Store: Sheeple HD $2.99

This is not a review, but rather an announcement for my new game Sheeple HD for the iPad. I myself am an indie developer and that is where the thought for this site was birthed. I recently, like the droves of other developers, decided that it would be an opportunity not worth missing to have an iPad application available at the grand opening of the iPad App Store.

I didn’t want to just do a direct port of my game Sheeple and then charge the user 2-5x more, just for larger resolution graphics. I actually find it amusing how many $0.99 game developers are just creating larger resolution graphics and changing $4-$5, for no additional gameplay variation. That being said, I do think that the $0.99 price point is much too low to keep indie developers motivated long term to create quality games as the number of applications continues to surge in the App Store.

Sheeple HD for the iPad shares a lot similarities with Sheeple for the iPhone, but contains all new levels, much larger levels, and a completely new scoring system. The levels are actually much more challenging and are really fun to play with more elements on the game board. Please give Sheeple HD a try if you have an iPad and let me know what you think!