iPhone Games

Ironhide studios has announced the long awaited follow up to the popular tower defense game Kingdom Rush. The untitled "bigger, meaner and better" sequel is set to be released this spring. The message on the official blog reads:

Cities tremble in fear... armies gather for battle... reinforcements cry for freedom... a new adventure is coming!!! It´s a new world... a new threat... a new journey into the unknown!!!

Bigger, meaner and better; a new Kingdom Rush game is coming...

Prepare yourselves!!!

The announcement is followed by a link for die hard KR fans to download the HD wallpaper pictured above.

If you're like me and ignore all app updates, or delete games if they're not updated every 20 seconds, you'll want to check your Middle Manager of Justice app. The new game from Double Fine Productions has received its first and much needed update. Version 1.1.0 brings a Valentine's Day mystery that you must solve in 29 days, new items to buy (Grass-fed Yak!) and a new mystery hero. The new version also fixes a few bugs, adds some new villains and achievements, and offers better iCloud support.

I wish the update brought more customization for your office building, and more costumes, but I'll take this for now. Hopefully the Double Fine Productions team has many more updates planned for the future.

Every once in a while apps with hidden features slip into the official App Store, until Apple catches wind of the secret and pulls the app. If you're into retro gaming the free game Gridlee features a built-in MAME emulator, much like the ill-fated iMAME which was previously pulled. These emulators make it possible to play a wide variety of old video games, right on your iOS device without jailbreaking.

According to Touch Arcade, Gridlee is based on the powerful MAME4iOS which provides support for external controllers such as the iCade, advanced visual filters, and support for MAME cheats. Copying game ROMS into a special folder will make Gridlee start up with a list of installed games automatically.

Two iOS games more suited for October than January have popped up for free in the App Store. Puppetz is a platform and dual-stick shooter game where players control and fight various evil puppets. The game offers 21 unique playable characters, and loads of missions, unlockable weapons and achievements.

I gave the game a quick whirl and I wasn't terribly impressed. However, I'm not a big fan of side-scrolling shooting games on the iPhone, and I honestly didn't give it much of a chance. Fans of creepy and cartoonish platform games may enjoy it more than I did. The game is 100% free with no ads or in-app purchases. Puppetz is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

One of the most popular iPhone and iPad games is finally getting a sequel. Imangi Studios plans to release Temple Run 2 to the App Store around 11 p.m. EST tonight. TouchArcade got an early look at the game, and said fans of the original won't be disappointed with the new version, which turned out to be very similar to the first.

"I’ve been playing Temple Run 2 for the past day, and for the most part what wasn’t broke has not been fixed. Right from first boot up you’ll get a sense of deja vu as the camera sweeps in on the cursed idol that has been the cause of so much running over the past year and a half."

TouchArcade also noted the game has "received a big upgrade in terms of visuals and animation over its predecessor", and features much more fluid controls. Temple Run 2 also features new ziplines, an Indiana Jones-like mine cart, four different playable characters, and more attributes and upgradable abilities.