Looks like another Tower Defense (my favourite genre) hits the stands on Apple’s App Store. Jury Shortki has just released Towers vs. Dragons v.1.1.1 for the iPhone. Check out the press release below for more information as well as screenshots:

Towers vs. Dragons 1.1.1 for iPhone Offers Unique Defense Game Fun

Jury Shortki today released Towers vs. Dragons 1.1.1 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. Towers vs. Dragons combines tower defense and line drawing to offer users an amazingly fun gaming experience. Players can draw traps, build towers and harvest mana as they work their way through the game, killing as many flying dragons as they can. Each of the game’s fifteen levels introduces new elements for slaying hordes of dragons and defending the kingdom. Game Center ready.

The objective of the game is to protect the kingdom of Mannasgard from dreaded, killer dragons. Players are given an arsenal of fun and powerful weapons for combat, as well as tools for harvesting the life giving mana. There are fifteen levels in Towers vs. Dragons. When a player makes it to the next level, they are introduced to new elements, which keeps gameplay fresh, interesting and fun.

Towers vs. Dragons features:

• Great interface, attractive and easy to use
• Build towers and mana factories
• Harvest mana
• Spectral Lines of Force suck in unsuspecting dragons
• 15 challenging levels
• 3 modes of survival
• Rich arsenal of weapons
• Awesome background music, composed by Mike Weiser (ASCAP)

Tower vs. Dragons is now available from the App Store for USD 0.99: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/towers-vs-dragons/id392015311?mt=8

In conjunction with the Call of Duty: Black Ops launch, Raptr is giving out up to USD 5,000 worth in prizes to players just by playing the game. Check out the press release below for further details:

Raptr Giving Away $5,000 In Prizes To Call Of Duty: Black Ops Players: Raptr promotion creates extra incentive for gamers to play the hit game and unlock prizes

Mountain View, CA – November 9, 2010 – Raptr, the social platform for gamers that allows you to track your gaming stats and see what your friends are playing, is proud to announce Raptr’s Call of Duty: Black Ops giveaway. Just for playing the hit game, gamers can unlock up to $5,000 in prizes as total hours accumulate. The contest begins today and lasts until Sunday, November 21st at midnight, PST.

For every 250,000 hours that Raptr tracks collectively for Call of Duty: Black Ops play time (for PC and Xbox 360 only), a new prize will unlock so that a randomly selected eligible entrant can win. Raptr is also unlocking prizes at an individual level. Gamers can be automatically entered to win more prizes based on how many hours they play individually.

To be eligible for a prize pack, gamers just need to head over to Raptr’s contest page and register at http://raptr.com/contest/codbo. Current Raptr users simply need to register to enter. New users to Raptr should also download Raptr’s award winning app to track their gaming hours.

Entrants can win one of over twenty prizes including: Alienware PC hardware, Xbox 360 Kinect, PS3 Move, Logitech gaming peripherals, Gunnar eyewear for gamers, Activision games, Splitfish Pirahna Controllers, Primal gaming headsets, and a swag bag from TheKartel.com. Residents of legal age from the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) are eligible to enter. For more details on Raptr’s Call of Duty: Black Ops giveaway, legal rules, and prize list, head to http://raptr.com/contest/codbo for daily updates

If you are avid fan of football (to the rest of the world, soccer in the U.S.A), you’d probably seen on TV  pitch invasions whereby fans get onto the field to wreck havoc. Check out the video below to get an idea on what happens when a pitch invasion occurs; this video features SEVERAL during a West Ham – Millwall match.

The guys over at Gamegou decided to come up with a game called Soccer Stealers HD based on this premise with players playing the role of a single hooligan getting on the field and stealing the ball from the footballers. The objective here would be to keep running the ball into any of the goals but it’s game over once the hooligan gets tackled. While the hooligan is controlled by tapping on the screen to indicate where to go, players can use power-ups, like watermelon slices and beer to get the footballers off their backs.

While I laud the unique premise (I’ve never heard of a football hooligan/pitch invasion game before) and the use of a pretty good 3D engine (admittedly the game is rather cute looking), the gameplay felt repetitive and boring after 5 minutes. There’s only so much you can do running a ball into either one of the goals and avoiding footballers at the same time;  your hooligan can’t even shoot. The developers could have also added some polish to the menus and the intros, that would have made some improvement in stirring interest in the game at the first place.

Soccer Stealers HD features Game Center connectivity for online leaderboards, but that does little to redeem the game. Soccer Stealers is a universal app that works on both iPad and iPhone and is available on the App Store for USD 1.99. You can check it out here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soccer-stealers-hd-league/id391432860?mt=8 but it seems to be suffering from the “developer giving high ratings to their own game” syndrome at the moment. Mediocre.

Disney Mobile has launched four new iPhone apps this morning on Apple’s App Store, including a major update for the Radio Disney app which recently passed the 1 millionth download mark. The newest update to Disney’s free ad-supported Radio Disney app (http://www.itunes.com/app/radiodisney) uses the multitasking functionality of iOS4, allowing listeners to stream Radio Disney while using other features and apps on their device. The updated Radio Disney App also enables users to request songs, learn of local Radio Disney events, and send shout outs to Radio Disney and to the network’s on-air personalities.

In addition, Disney Channel and Disney Mobile launched today the first ever Playhouse Disney apps for preschoolers starring Handy Manny and his helpful bunch of tools. “Handy Manny’s Workshop” (http://www.itunes.com/app/handymannyworkshop) and “Flicker’s Flashcard Fiesta“  (http://www.itunes.com/app/handymannyflickersflashcardfiestaonipad) deliver unique, immersive and interactive experiences for preschoolers, their parents and caregivers on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Wilmer Valderrama, the talented actor who helps bring Handy Manny to life, lends his voice to the new app. Both apps sell for $2.99.

Lastly, from Tapulous, a Disney Mobile Studio, comes Lady Gaga Revenge 2 (http://www.itunes.com/app/ladygagarevenge2). Based on Tap Tap Revenge, the #1 music game for the iPhone/iPod, this version includes Lady Gaga’s smash hits Bad Romance and Alejandro, plus eight never-before-tapped Gaga tracks. Also new is the ability for players to share on Faceboook, Twitter and email right from the game. The app sells for $4.99.

The guys over at Touch Gaming Magazine have come up with a really interesting magazine app for the iPad. Titled Touch Gaming Magazine, it’s probably the first iPad-based magazine dedicated to iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch) gaming. This will be a monthly publication filled with reviews, interviews, previews, background articles and more.

I’ve gotten Issue 1 of the apps thanks to the generous guys at TGM, and I’m already impressed with the amount of content in this 80-page issue. There are about a dozen interviews with developers for games such as Final Freeway, Aqua Moto Racing 2, Pizza Boy and many more. There are plenty of reviews as well, with some of the notable reviews in this issue include Monkey Island, Cut the Rope HD and Plunderland.

Each article is divided into sections and to read an article, a user will just need to scroll down. To move from one article to another, the user will just need to swipe left or right.  Otherwise, there’s always the Table of Contents button on the upper left. The magazine also has several article-based extras, such as opening the App Store link  for the particular  game, the game publisher’s website and even to view gameplay video.

As an added bonus, there are several galleries featuring not only art from several iOS games, but also some background on the thought process that went into the artwork. The amount of information cramped into Issue #1 certainly belies it’s initial price tag of USD 0.99 and it’s pretty easy to see that there’s an enthusiastic bunch of people creating content for this digital magazine.

So if you have an iPad and at the same time interested in reading about iOS gaming, do check out the Touch Gaming Magazine app. It’s currently available over at the App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touch-gaming-magazine/id398852540?mt=8

To commemorate the launch of Touch Gaming Magazine, Nine Over Ten has teamed up with TGM to offer one promo code each to redeem TGM (US iTunes accounts only) for the first three Nine Over Ten 9/10 readers to comment on this post. Be sure to leave a valid e-mail address in order for us to get in touch with you.

Atari is about to release its latest downloadable game for the Xbox Live & PC, The UnderGarden, on November 10th 2010. The UnderGarden is a relaxing zen-like game with unique co-operative gameplay. Players can explore beautiful underground caverns filled with strange life forms, physics based puzzles and tons of hidden secrets!

The demo is also schedule to be released on the same date as the full game, so be sure to check out the official site for further details: www.atari.com/undergarden

Worms fans! 1st November 2010 marks the release of Worms 2: Armageddon for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. I’ve been waiting for this for quite some time as the original Worms: Armageddon was one of those quintessential madcap PC games of the 90s. Check out the press release below for more details, including screenshots:

Worms™ 2: Armageddon App now available on App Store

London, UK- 1st November, 2010 – Team17 today announced the Worm™ 2: Armageddon App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store. Worms™ 2: Armageddon is jam-packed with new features for the discerning portable gamer and is an exciting blend of strategy with a strong pick up and play ethic.

“We’re delighted with the incredible success of the original Worms™ App on iPhone and iPad,” said John Dennis, head of design at Team17. “With the Worms™ 2: Armageddon App we’re looking to build on that success with a game that adds a raft of great new features and content for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users.”

In terms of content, Worms™ 2: Armageddon pulls out all the stops. Weapons including the Sentry Gun, Electromagnet, Poison Strike and Earthquake are paired with old classics such as the Baseball Bat, Sheep and the unstoppable Concrete Donkey. There are new game-types, custom game-styles and 30 campaign levels where users can spend hard-earned gold on hats, forts, gravestones and weapons for the improved multiplayer mode.

Bluetooth offline multiplayer for four players is paired with Wi-Fi online for up to two players, meaning the app is now even easier to jump straight into and get down to the serious business of Ninja Ropes and Holy Hand Grenades! For those players who demand competition at every turn, the app features full Plus+ integration, providing in-game Awards, Friends listings and Leader-boards. Users can post high scores and achievements to Twitter and Facebook, and find out which one of their friends is the king of the invertebrate castle!

The Worms™ 2: Armageddon App is now available for £2.99 / $4.99 / €3.99 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch or at http://www.itunes.com/appstore/

I’m looking at my inbox with a smile on my face. It seems that almost every iPhone game developer/publisher/PR representative that I’ve liaised with has a Halloween update or two. For me, it’s a pretty cool festive thing, with people getting dressed up like horror movie monsters, TV’s showing back to back horror films (I watched Children of the Corn and The Birds today..I’m on sick leave) and kudos to the developers for putting in time and effort to come up with Halloween-themed app updates.

The guys and gals over at Spacetime Studios have come up with a Halloween Special for the one and only 3D MMO RPG on iOS devices, Pocket Legends, and it happens to be the game’s first major holiday event! Check out what does this Halloween Special cover:

• Costumes Players get to rent costumes from the in-game store and mash around as their favorite Pocket Legends monster! (includes Skeletons, Mummies, Aliens and many more). Do note that costume rentals are only for Halloween and, as such, will expire on November 1st.

  Do some epic Trick or Treating in your new, rented, scary Halloween costume and get your hands on a really AWESOME PRIZE. The Trick or Treat quest can be accessed when you start the main holiday event in Balefort Castle!

• Quests See what’s going on in the pumpkin patch outside Balefort Castle, and follow the trail of madness to the Haunted Manor! That’s right – new areas and they are just for Halloween!

• Loot There are some incredible new loot items will be dropping during this Halloween event. See what sort of pink-item treats you can loot from the Haunted Manor!

• Item Packs Check out the new item packs designed specifically for this (first) major holiday event! These item packs are especially awesome in that playershave a chance of getting versions of the coolest loot items, although they are not as powerful as the ones looted from boss monsters.

Curious to see this for yourselves? New users can download Pocket Legends for free from the App Store over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-legends-3d-mmo/id355767097?mt=8

It looks like the well-received hot-dog launcher iPhone game from Metaversal Studios, “Frank Further”, has received an update dubbed “Franken Further” in time for Halloween. The new update brings along a new icon just for the holidays, new abilities and stages. I may not know much about hot-dog tossing, but the developers of the game mention that  unlike other launcher games, “Frank Further” allows players to control the hot dog’s  flight path after launch. Check out the following press release for more details:

METAVERSAL STUDIOS RELEASES VERSION 1.1 UPDATE FOR “FRANK FURTHER”

Metaversal Studios continues to put new spins on the launcher game genre with the latest free update to “Frank Further”, which features “FrankenFurther”, a brand new scenario for Halloween! “Frank Further” 1.1 is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch for $1.99 through the App Store.

The addition of “FrankenFurther” to the game’s menu means that “Frank Further” now serves a feast of four delicious game experiences for one low price: “Remix”, which updates the graphics of the original “Hot Dog Down a Hallway” game (still available for free in the App Store), “Retro”, which takes the game back to the roots of the industry with graphics inspired by the Atari 2600, and “Clay”, which squishes the game into the third dimension.

“FrankenFurther” continues the 3D look of “Clay”, but adds a spooky ambiance and a number of new gameplay features, including both indoor and outdoor environments, secret passages, a new set of “Top Dog” achievements, and many more surprises. Version 1.1 of “Frank Further” also adds an option to turn off the “Top Dog” award crowns for modest players who don’t want to rub their success in their friends’ faces.

Of the update, Lead Game Designer Jay Laird says, “As soon as we finished Clay, we knew we wanted to do more hallways inspired by stop-motion holiday movies and TV specials. We’re drawing on our collective childhood memories in creating these level homages, and with Halloween it was hard to stop the flood of ideas to get a great product out in time. Luckily there are more great holidays right around the corner!”

Jay Gelman, president of Alliance Distribution, parent company of Metaversal Studios, says, “”We’re excited to build on our existing brand with this sequel and to continue our commitment to our players by responding to their feedback and giving them more of what they want whenever possible.”

Check out Frank Further over at the App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frank-further/id356851197?mt=8

The guys at Dadako Studios previously came up with a pretty good avatar creation app on the iPhone in the form of Facemakr . Now instead of avatars, you get to turn your friends (or a picture of yourself, if you wish), into monsters with their latest app, Monstermakr, and the timing of the app’s release is spot-on as it’s just in time for Halloween.

The app has a comprehensive feature set. Not only can you select an existing photo from your photo library, you can also shoot a picture from the app itself. The app makes use of the iPhone’s multitouch interface; users can position, scale and rotate parts and there are seriously a comprehensive number of monster parts (Frankenstein bolds, hanging eyeballs, you name it). You can even share your monster masterpiece directly from the app onto Twitter and Facebook.

Check out the video the guys made about the app:

Monstermakr is currently available on the App Store for USD 0.99, check it out over here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/monstermakr/id397095029?mt=8