Subatomic Studios has released version 1.1 of Fieldrunners which is now in the App Store. This point upgrade brings a number of new features to the popular iPhone game:

• Sounds and music are here! This update includes sound effects and a Fieldrunners theme song.
• Added a new map that requires new strategies.
• Added the highly requested Endless gameplay mode!
• Introduced two new fieldrunners. Watch out, one is invulnerable to goo!
• The most recently obtained high score is now highlighted.
• Enhanced the visual quality of the title screen and the maps.
• Improved the user interface.

A number of bug fixes and options have also been added. So if you have it, upgrade now. If you don’t have it, well, you should. We consider Fieldrunners to be one of the best iPhone games available. Seriously, this is probably the best iPhone game out there. Get it. Now! App Store Link: Fieldrunners, $4.99

PC version screen “SimCity for the iPhone may ruin my life (in a good way).”  So says MG Seigler of VentureBeat.  He had a chance to spend some time with Electronic Arts’ upcoming iPhone version of its hugely popular city-building simulation game. He liked what he saw.

I got a chance to play a near-complete version of it today; it looks great. Fans of the series will recognize the SimCity 3000 look and feel, but the addition of touch screen controls makes sense for things like zoning (creating a certain type of building zone). Using the multi-touch capabilities of the iPhone to do things like zooming in and out of your city also makes the game a good fit for the device.

Siegler points out that the iPhone demo exhibited loading time issues, but EA indicates they’ll be ironed out by launch. SimCity for the iPhone is expected to make its App Store debut in December for $9.99, so be sure to stay tuned!

A forum member on TouchArcade, fusionXdeveloper, points out an impressive looking preview of an upcoming iPhone game called Hill Billy.

Hill Billy is a first person shooter that uses the accelerometer for movements. The Mahatma graphics engine support full normal mapping lighting for a result never seen before on a mobile device. This is a sneak preview of weapons and scenarios graphics. Coming soon on the App Store…

While we’ve all seen a few example of first person shooters being demoed for the iPhone, but none have made it to the App Store yet:  

It’s always a little strange to announce upcoming announcements, because inevitably, the actual announcements arrive right after posting these articles. That being said, there are a few major announcements coming this week, so stay tuned.

Rolando Release Date

Ng:moco tweeted that they are preparing to announce the release date for Rolando as well as some of their other upcoming titles next week. We have an unnatural interest in Rolando — even before ng:moco took over publishing of the game. Other tidbits: it’s just been localized for Japan, and here’s a brief description of gameplay:

It’s a world of cute, round creatures who are under attack by darkness. By tilting the iPhone, you roll them through a landscape of hills, mountains, houses. When they hit a river, you can drag a finger across the screen to draw a bridge. “Turns out in this game, their deity is the finger, which is the player,” Young says. “So they sort of speak to you and say, ‘Finger! Finger! Help us!’ “

Fieldrunners 1.1 with Sound

Subatomic Studios has submitted the update to Fieldrunners [App Store, $4.99] to version 1.1 on November 11th. That means we should see the release any day now. Version 1.1 brings:

• Sound FX from a well-known sound designer!
• New map with gameplay and visual enhancements
• 2 new fieldrunners

We provided an early review of Fieldrunners when it was released, but frowned upon the lack of sound. But we have to now admit that even without sound Fieldrunners is one of the (if not the) best game(s) on the iPhone.

Aurora Feint II

We weren’t sure if this was authorized for pre-announcement, but Pocketgamer already posted so it’s out there. Aurora Feint II will be officially announced next week. The new version is described as an MMO with new features that allow “asynchronous” play not yet seen on the iPhone. We’ll be getting more details, screenshots, etc… next week. The original Aurora Feint [App Store, Free] was one of the very first iPhone games that we looked at and highly recommended.

THTouch

Have you been looking for a good poker game for your iPhone or iPod Touch? Well, look no further! THTouch is a great, cheap iPhone / iPod Touch game that brings poker straight to your phone. THTouch’s User Interface is very nice, and the graphics aren’t too bad either. 

Pros:

• Saves your last game
• Great graphics
• Friendly User Interface
• Cards seem to “pop” up do to their shadows
• Very cheap
• Allows you to customize your name

Tricky Software’s Armado platformer is now available in the App Store for $4.99.

Armado is a port of an existing PC and Mac game in which the company has “completely reworked”. The game is a platformer in which the main character runs, jumps, rolls and smashes his way through enemies and obstacles.

Below you can view a gameplay video from the developers.

 

iHunt

The creator of the ever popular $0.99 iFish game has now brought hunting to the iPhone too! Or well, at least he tried. You can view the list of pros and cons HawtApps has compiled, below:

Pros:

• First hunting game
• Uses the accelerometer 
• Realistic hunting sounds

 

 

 

From the creators of Asphalt 4: Elite Racing and Real Soccer 2009 comes Guitar Rock Tour. The $9.99 game is promising “the only game on the iPhone where you play guitar & drums like a rock god”. Features include:

• 2 instruments to play: Guitar & drums.
• Only rhythm game with console-type 3D graphics & animations.
• Famous rock songs: Beat It, In the Shadow, Girlfriend, Message in a Bottle, Rock You like a Hurricane, Smoke on the Water, and more!
• Exclusive Rock Star career mode takes you from your garage to the biggest stadiums!

Great news iPhone and iPod Touch users! IUGO Mobile Entertainment has released their second version of Toy Bot Diaries! 

“Your favorite robot is BACK! Join Toy Bot in his latest and greatest adventure: Toy Bot Diaries Entry 2. Toy Bot begins where he left off, climbing out of the dingy sewers and into a whole new world of challenges in the sky. Entry 2 gives you more levels, more content, more graphics and maximum fun! See why Toy Bot has been called one of the best games exclusive to the iPhone. If you liked Entry 1, you’ll LOVE Toy Bot Diaries Entry 2!”

You can purchase Toy Bot Diaries 2 in the App Store for a measly price of $3.99, and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

We’re finally starting to see a trickle of online multiplayer gaming coming to the iPhone. A couple of new updates are starting to offer this feature to some popular games. Tap Tap Revenge The 1.5 update to this free rhythm game offers online play against friends and those you live near you. Multiple people play the same song at the same time and are ranked based on performance. Nothing motivates you more than head-to-head competition. App Store Link: Tap Tap Revenge, Free Raging Thunder This update is not yet available, but a Polarbit representative posted details about the pending update. Version 1.0.3 of Raging Thunder will contain online, real-time, internet multi-player racing.

We’ve received *a lot* of e-mail from gamers about Raging Thunder - the majority of it very positive. The one feature that people seem to have missed is online multiplayer. Nice guys that we are, we’ve taken these words to heart and included it in the latest update at no extra cost. Remember though that this first release is a public beta. There might be issues still in there, and we’d really appreciate if you report these to beta@polarbit.com

In order for the online multi-player to succeed, users are asked to download and setup individual servers for people to play on.

Remember: the more people that host servers, the more servers there are for people to choose from, and the more people will hang around looking for someone to play against! For this thing to work, it kinda hinges on you guys actually getting some servers up out there around the globe. It would be really cool to see a fat server list once the game goes live in a few days. We’d also recommend you to include the name of your country or something in your server name – instructions to configure are enclosed with the server package.

Raging Thunder happens to be on sale now at only $3.99 (from $7.99). Certainly, online multiplayer could take it to the next level. App Store Link: Raging Thunder, $3.99