Talented indie developer Ondrej Sedlacek has a new iOS game out on the iTunes App Store titled Froggies. This complex and colourful looking game features over 100 levels of challenging puzzle based gameplay and hours of replay value. Set against a colourful cartoon backdrop with retina display quality graphics, and featuring a quintet of charming frogs, you must rescue the princess by jumping over the other frogs on the board.

Taking inspiration from the classic puzzle game peg solitaire, Froggies adds a new dimension to the board game genre by featuring five different coloured types of frog, each with their own unique personalities and movements, which demands a new strategy with each encounter. Froggies differentiates itself by encouraging the player to solve levels through creating patterns to clear the board rather than tilting and dexterity.

Froggies is carefully balanced to appeal to the casual and fanatical gamer, with a subtle difficulty curve. And in fairy tale tradition, help is on hand in the form of a magic wand for moments when you are in need of inspiration. The first 20 levels are free with the option to indulge in a further cerebral workout of boards and cute frogs – culminating in 100 levels in total – all for the princely sum of £1.49 / €1.59 / $1.99. Check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/froggies/id473501004?mt=8

Astroturfing is the single reason why I do not bother looking at ratings a particular app has on the iTunes App Store. Even though Apple has apparently banned users who obtained a particular app using a promo code from making comments, I have this niggling suspicion that there are still ways for people to manipulate the ratings.

True enough, a couple of months ago I received an introductory e-mail from a China-based mobile games publication company. According to these folks, these guys are contractors who would make any games you would like for a fee, and then using their vast network of “reviewers” to push the app up the App Store charts.

Interesting isn’t it? Then there’s the App Store’s version of the Clone Wars. While not as epic as George Lucas’ vision unfurling on the big and small screens, this has the effect on the livelihood of decent game developers, particular indie ones as their games get copied, sometimes lock, stock, and freaking barrel.

In the case of Big Pixel Studios, their game Meow Meow Happy Fight had some artwork elements copied by A Pew Pew Land 2, a game by developers Mobile Force. While the following example isn’t a case of a direct copy, I know of a game that replaces the birds/pigs combination in Angry Birds with frogs/birds, and you’ll find plenty of these on the iTunes App Store.

Like the lyrics from that Cat Stevens song out there, it’s certainly a wild App Store we have here. The situation is not yet a cause for fire alarms, but Apple and the App Store’s community of users would need to do something to keep this in check, lest it becomes a graveyard for shovelware, much like what happened to Nintendo’s GameBoy library.

Our friends at Oceanhouse Media have just informed us that the popular Dr Seuss and The Berenstain Bears series of omBooks on iOS and Android devices have new releases today. A Dr Seuss favorite, Horton Hatches the Egg is now available for the special introductory price of $1.99 on iOS and Android devices. Kind-hearted Horton the Elephant is persuaded to sit on an egg while its mother, the good-for-nothing bird lazy Maysie, flutters off on a vacation.

Horton is teased and taunted by his jungle friends, “How absurd! Old Horton the Elephant thinks he’s a bird!” He’s captured by hunters, even placed in a traveling circus, but he keeps his promise and protects the egg. When runaway Maysie stumbles upon the traveling circus and demands her egg back, something incredible and unexpected occurs teaching children that virtue earns a reward!

With six original bedtime stories in a single omBook, The Berenstain Bears’ BIG Bedtime Book is offered for the special introductory price of $4.99 for Apple devices. When Mama and Papa Bear go out for the night, Brother and Sister aren’t too sad. Why? Because they have wonderful Mrs. Grizzle—the best babysitter and storyteller ever!

I’ve been playing the beta for Diablo III, having won a code for it from a contest organized by The Star’s Techcentral (this is the second time I won something from the newspaper’s IT pullout, the first one was a copy of HALO: Reach). The game is awesome! My character of choice is a Demon Hunter and currently she’s at level 7, on a quest to retrieve the Skeleton King’s crown…and that was after she rescued that old fart Deckard Cain.

First impressions of the game: combat is still a click-fest as any a Diablo or Diablo II fan would remember, and the graphics are very nice to look at, like that of a watercolour painting. The dungeon crawling is back along with all the atmospheric music it entails. The creeps that I’ve encountered were actually tougher than I expected, and boy are they a grotesque bunch, especially the one that explodes into a bunch of corpse worms…

Despite the old-schoolness, the game has received a touch of modernity like in StarCraft II where it awards achievements and other things of note, like killing X number of creeps in a short span of time..you know the drill. The game runs fine at 1280 * 800 resolution on a Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro with 8 GB of RAM and the Nvidia 320M graphics card. I’m gonna ditch the Magic Mouse for something else though.

More impressions to follow as I slog through the beta, according to the progress meter I’m 20% through the whole shebang.

UPDATE: For final impressions of the beta, check out this new post (click here).

This is a little tongue-in-cheek. According to indie developer Yo Ambulante, the data stored in the global leaderboard for their multiplatform game, Traffic Wonder, has yielded unique insight into the collective skills of the various touchscreen device owners – and can confirm once and for all that iOS owners are the smartest of the bunch.

In its first two weeks of launch, just under 12,000 players from 108 countries have submitted scores and statistics to the global leaderboards.  Out of the top 20 players worldwide, nine have been playing Traffic Wonder on an iOS device, whilst seven BlackBerry PlayBook owners occupy the top 20 – and just three on Android. The last entry into the top 20 is playing on home computer.

The game tasks players with guiding coloured vehicles into their respective garages – without crashing or running out of fuel. “The first 14 days have been really fascinating,” says Alex Nino, developer, Yo Ambulante. “Given the smaller market for BlackBerry PlayBook when compared to iOS and Android devices, they are doing very well for themselves. “

An astonishing 437,476 crashes were registered in those 14 days, and only 22 players worldwide have managed to complete all 60 levels. In total, 8,933,744,736 in-game metres have been driving – with the game’s environmentally conscious players managing to save a total of 61,776,264 in-game litres of fuel.

“The game introduces environmental considerations when it comes to saving fuel,” continues Alex. “Factors such as slowing down for tight corners, or taking the least direct route will affect the total score.  We hope that these subtle gameplay features help educate our players that fuel is a valuable commodity.”

Download Traffic Wonder now from iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/trafficwonder-hd/id489923030?mt=8, Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.yoambulante.TrafficWonder&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImFpci5jb20ueW9hbWJ1bGFudGUuVHJhZmZpY1dvbmRlciJd and BlackBerry AppWorld and Kindle Fire stores

Interesting question…how do you actually come up with a soundtrack to a zombie apocalypse? In scoring the upcoming game Lollipop Chainsaw, artist Jimmy Urine (of Mindless Self Indulgence) and Grasshopper Manufacture Sound Director Akira Yamaoka had to address these types of questions.

When Juliet rips through a decaying zombie torso with her trusty chainsaw, would Sleigh Bells fit better than Sinatra? Or should it be an original composition? In this behind the scenes video, Jimmy and Akira discuss the various influences that go into scoring a game with such a strong visual and creative style and the aesthetic basis from which the soundtrack was compiled.

On top of the original music composed by Jimmy and Akira, there is a plethora of music licensed for the game as well. The full tracklist:

• Lollipop – The Chordettes
• Pac Man Fever – Buckner & Garcia
• Rock ‘N’ Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain) – Skrillex
• The Way of the Fist – Five Finger Death Punch
• Stop Reading, Start Doing Pushups – Destroy Rebuild Until God Comes
• Riot Rhythm – Sleigh Bells
• Turtle Crazy – Toy Dolls
• 1,000 Cigarettes – MSTRKRFT
• Heroes Of Our Time – Dragonforce
• Nemesis – Arch Enemy
• Needled 24/7 – Children of Bodom
• Mickey – Toni Basil
• You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) – Dead or Alive
• Empire State Human – The Human League
• Cherry Bomb – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
• Speed – Atari Teenage Riot

Available on June 15th in the UK, Lollipop Chainsaw is the ‘un-deadly’ story of sweet and killer zombie-hunter Juliet Starling and her quest to uncover the root of a colossal zombie outbreak. With her wickedly awesome chainsaw in hand, Juliet slices, dices and splits her way through hordes of the undead, but soon realizes the horde is only the opening act to a festival of zombie rock lords determined to kill the chainsaw-wielding cheerleader. The game will be available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Social Games International, a digital entertainment company and leading publisher of branded games for mobile and social platforms, today announced a partnership with Speed Racer Enterprises, Inc. as they prepare to launch a mobile game based on the classic, fan-favorite franchise, Speed Racer.

Scheduled for release in April, Speed Racer: The Beginning will allow players to jump right into the famous supercar, the Mach 5, and relive exciting moments from the classic show all while enjoying intense side-scrolling racing action.  Speed Racer: The Beginning will be available on all iOS powered mobile devices.

“As one of the most popular, recognizable and nostalgic brands around, Speed Racer helped to spawn a pop culture movement for Japanese anime which is still going strong today,” said James Jordan, president of Social Games International.  “Speed Racer: The Beginning will give Speed Racer fans an opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Mach 5 from just about anywhere on their mobile device.  The game’s authentic Speed Racer look and feel combined with dynamic gameplay offers endless hours of fun.”

“We’re really excited to give fans of Speed, Trixie, Racer X and the rest of the crew another way to experience Speed Racer,” said Michael Cisneros, vice president of Licensing, of Speed Racer Enterprises, Inc.  “SGI’s fondness for the franchise really shows as they’ve kept the authentic look and feel of Speed Racer while making the game fun and exciting for the gamer on the go.”

In Speed Racer: The Beginning players will take the role of Speed himself as he pushes the powerful Mach 5 to its limits in an attempt become the greatest race car driver ever.  Challenges abound as players learn to avoid deadly obstacles, such as oil slicks, rough terrain, falling rocks and weather; jump treacherous gaps; and, outrun enemy racers.

Before and after each race, Speed Racer: The Beginning will also allow players to customize the team and Mach 5 with performance boosting tires, power boosts, increased durability, extra lives and additional Trixie helicopter rides.   Speed Racer: The Beginning will entirely retain the classic look and feel of the original series and will even include exciting clips from the actual show before and after races.

The battle for the Pacific has reached iOS devices around the world as EpicForce Entertainment today announced the release of iFighter 2: The Pacific 1942.  iFighter 2 is the eagerly awaited sequel to iFighter, the hit game that has been downloaded over 20 million times.

The game, for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, is available in the App Store for 99 cents at: http://itunes.apple.com/app/ifighter-2-pacific-1942-by/id492017447

iFighter 2 brings gamers back to the Pacific in World War II to challenge the Empire of Japan and its powerful fighter jets and aircraft carriers.  The game is the most realistic 2D vertical shooting game on iOS and delivers hours of action-packed gameplay with amazing visual effects to bring the most realistic gaming experience to players.

“Gamers around the world have been waiting for this sequel since the original iFighter launched in 2009,” said Steve Fung, CEO of Hong Kong-based, EpicForce Entertainment.  “iFighter 2 takes all of the elements that made the original a blockbuster and adds new gameplay elements, improved visuals, faster-paced gameplay, even more challenging enemies and a compelling storyline.

It’s Pocket Legends‘ 2nd birthday today and developers Spacetime are inviting everyone to join in by making all premium areas in this multi-platform (iOS, Android, Chrome) MMORPG free! These areas include Sandstone Caves, Skeller’s Return, Croc Feud, Frozen Nightmares, Shadow Caves and Wyldwood.

Users who had previously supported Pocket Legends by purchasing these areas, have been granted the exclusive “Frozen Crown of Gratitude” vanity helm, crafted from the best crystals from Frozen Nightmare’s Frost King. Players should look in their Stash to find this unique item.

Pocket Legends players can join in the celebration by purchasing a 2012 Anniversary Party Hat. When wearing the hat, other players can wave to you and automatically receive their own, smaller party hat. At the end of the week long anniversary celebration, the 2012 Anniversary Part Hat will no longer be available to purchase and will no longer grant the smaller party hat.

Get the app right over here on your platform of choice: http://www.pocketlegends.com/

I remember this game! Bitmap Brothers’ classic action strategy title, Z: The Game has now been remastered and made available on the Mac Game Store through digital publisher Kavcom. The seminal Bitmap title for Mac has been remastered to capture the essence of the breathtaking race to capture territory and resources.

Z: The Game on Mac features a unique score that follows the pulse-pounding action and real-time flow of the battle, along with the offbeat humour delivered through movie intros and outros, which defined Z as one of the definitive strategy games of its era.Players take control of an army of six robot soldier types, including the faithful grunt, and slug it out in a land grab for space supremacy across five planets, each with unique terrain, ranging from arctic wasteland to lands of fire and lava.

Whilst each of the robot soldiers is capable of performing up to forty different actions, they each posses a unique personality trait, adding another dimension to the tactical gameplay; will they carry our your orders and march into the jaws of hell, or will they chicken and run?

Your robot soldiers wield a heavy arsenal of weapons and navigate the environments in jeeps, three different types of tank and armoured personal carriers. Capture and control installations including factories where you manufacture robots and vehicles, radar and repair facilities. Play out your own strategy, but receive spoken prompts from robot leaders.

Z: The Game was developed by original creators The Bitmap Brothers (Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Xenon) in conjunction with Kavcom, Peter Harrap (Monty Mole) and TickTock Games.

“With Z: The Game on Mac, we’ve been faithful to every last detail; from the spoken robot voice commands, right through to the range of hardware and factories that players can build and cultivate during battle,” commented Mike Montgomery, one of the founders and sole owner of The Bitmap Brothers, “whilst the Mac trackpad interface enables the player to revel in the frenetic gameplay which is at the very core of the Z experience. “We’re confident the gameplay of Z: The Game on Mac, combined with the charm of Commander Zod, will seduce fans, new and old.”

Z: The Game is available on the Mac App Store for USD 6.99:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/z-the-game/id504560232?mt=12