Games

Modern Combat 5 updated with support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Modern Combat 5, meet iPhone 6. Gameloft has just posted an update for the latest edition of its popular first-person shooter franchise, Modern Combat, with support for the larger displays found in Apple's new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handsets.

Even casual gamers will immediately notice the difference after updating. Since Modern Combat 5 now supports the higher resolutions of the larger displays, it no longer has to upscale images, meaning graphics appear much cleaner and sharper.

Official Pokémon trading card game now available on (Retina) iPads

The official Pokemon trading card game which was demoed in August is now available for the iPad in the App Store. Titled Pokémon TCG Online, the 504-megabyte download supports any iPad with the Retina screen and online multiplayer.

The game challenges players to collect a deck of Pokémon cards, customizes and use them against other computer opponents or human players in battles.

Your decks and card collection are stored in your Pokémon Trainer Club account so you can easily switch devices with ease without losing anything.

Words for Evil is both an RPG and a word game combined

Two of the things I like about a fantasy role-playing games (RPG) are looting and killing. Those are basically the best parts. Some games have even condensed their mechanics down to just those two features. What if there were a game that let you loot and kill, but you had to spell words in order to do so?

Words for Evil is just that. This iPad game combines the battle tactics of a good old-fashioned RPG with Boggle-style word finding mechanics. Find words to attack your enemy. If you are too slow, you’ll spell your own death.

Just Dance Now uses your iOS device as a motion controller

App Store games that use your iPhone as a motion controller are few and far between. Aside from the interesting Motion Tennis and the quite addictive Dance Party, both produced by Rolocule Games, I haven't played any other game that would AirPlay action through the Apple TV and turn my iOS device into a Wii-like controller.

That's why I was so excited about Ubisoft's Just Dance Now, a new take on the world's #1 rhythm-based dance game in which you're challenged to use an iPhone as your motion controller. Just Dance Now is available on a freemium basis so In-App Purchases are unavoidable. Jump past the fold for the full reveal.

Starbase Annex is a hex-based board game with battle card mechanics

Fans of the Starbase Orion series will probably flip their lid to learn that the game’s creator at Chimera has just launched a similarly stylized sci-fi digital board game. It combines the depth of a 4X strategy game (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) with the simple basics of a land grab board game.

Starbase Annex pits players against increasingly difficult enemies on a mission to win the most victory points by overpowering opponents and capturing cards. Fate will deal you your hand. What you do with it is up to you.

Mattel’s Whac A Mole goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Apple has named Mattel's 'Whac A Mole' its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the title for both your iPhone and iPad, for free—which will save you a buck.

For those unfamiliar with it, Whac A Mole is essentially a touchscreen take on the classic arcade game with the same name. Players are given a mallet and tasked with navigating their way through 60+ levels by...whacking moles.

Sword-slashing Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance hits Mac App Store

TransGaming, which specializes in video game portability technology, on Thursday released Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in the Mac App Store.

Originally developed by Kojima Productions and Platinum Games, Revengeance is technically still part of the Metal Gear universe, with one notable change: instead of the hide-and-seek approach that the original Metal Gear Solid popularized more than a decade ago, Revengeance files as a hack'n'slash game that puts you in the shoes of a cyborg ninja named Raiden.

Equipped with a fancy high-frequency katana blade, you'll be slicing your way through the enemies amid a terrible conflict brewing between private military corporations (PMCs). The game is available in the Mac App Store for a promotional price of $24.99.

EA Sports releases FIFA 15 Ultimate Team for iPhone and iPad

EA Sports, formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts but now a brand that creates and develops sports video games, on Tuesday released FIFA 15 Ultimate Team as a freemium download in the App Store.

Coming in at a massive 1.06 gigabytes, this iPhone and iPad game features authentic football action backed by Electronic Arts' massive marketing budget and whiz-bang campaign, with licensed player and team names, motion-captured animations and other goodies.

Almightree: The Last Dreamer is a 3-D platform puzzler with an adventurous theme

Fans of adventure games like Zelda and Oceanhorn will be happy to know that a new action adventure platform title has recently made its way into the App Store. It doesn’t have quite the same mechanics. In fact, it is a puzzle game more than anything. However, it will bring back memories of following a hero on an arduous adventure.

Almightree: The Last Dreamer is an adventure game that is part platformer and part puzzle. It appears there is a new genre in town and it is growing by the minute. Check out our game review of Almightree.

App bundles are now live on the App Store, here are a few worth checking out

Alongside iOS 8, the App Store received a number of improvements, including video previews and support for app bundles. And with yesterday's release, several app bundles popped up in Apple's digital storefront, so we've decided to roundup a few worth checking out.

To give you an idea of how this works, among our list is the Runtastic Cardio Pack, which includes 5 iPhone apps made by runtastic that are meant to track various fitness activities. Individually, these apps would cost you $16, but the bundle is just $8—a 50% savings.

Gameloft updates Modern Combat and Asphalt with iOS 8 Metal-powered graphics

Following up on yesterday's public release of the free iOS 8 software update for Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod touch mobile devices, French games maker Gameloft on Thursday unleashed a pair of updates for its two highly-successful titles: Modern Combat 5: Blackout, a first-person shooter, and Asphalt 8: Airborne, a crazy racing game driven by a powerful physics engine which has you performing dynamic, high-speed aerial stunts.

Both games are now powered by iOS 8's new Metal framework which provides low-level access to the GPU inside the Apple-designed A7 chip (the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display) and its A8 counterpart (the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus). When played on these devices, both of these games benefit from close-to-the-metal access to graphics cores, without the overhead of the OpenGL graphics run-time.

Real Steel is Apple’s new Free App of the Week

It's Thursday and Apple's editors have slashed another app to zero bucks in the App Store's weekly Free App of the Week promotion.

Free until next Thursday and replacing last week's Free App of the Week, the addictive puzzler Bicolor, movie tie-in Real Steel by Reliance Big Entertainment has now gone free for a week, until next Thursday.

Representing a $0.99 saving, Real Steel for the iPhone and iPad is based on the 2011 Dreamworks movie starring Hugh Jackman which takes place in a secret world in the not-so-distant future where boxing has gone high-tech.

Instead of human boxers, players control sophisticated boxing robots weighing over 2,000 pounds and reaching up to eight feet tall. Featuring lush graphics, fast-paced action and addictive mechanics, Real Steel is a nice time-killer. And with all-new Tournament and Survival modes, it should keep you busy.