Galcon
There are a handful of great space-themed games on the iPhone, but Galcon sets itself apart. It’s a re-spawn of the classic Galactic Conquest, but optimized for the touch screen and multiplayer. In Galcon, you start with a home planet (or planets), and then attempt to conquer those around you. If you control a planet, it creates ships for you. You can send out the fleet all at once, or stockpile part of them to wait in defense. Sending out 70 percent of your ships could be the difference between keeping and losing your home planets, but you may not be able to conquer enemy-controlled planets without more.

Despite the seemingly complex gameplay, the mechanics are simple. Touch a planet to travel to it or to attack, and then indicate what percentage of your ships you’re sending. Consider yourself warned, though — the game is highly addicting. People tend to run down their cell phone batteries quickly trying to conquer the galaxy.

FieldRunners

Tower defense games have become almost cliché since Plants vs. Zombies blew up the genre. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great games out there that have the same addictive powers minus the Miracle Grow.

FieldRunners is more of a classic take on tower defense that gives you nine different types of actual towers to protect your base with. You’ll have some success with just placing as many towers as you can around the base, but if you set up the towers to guide enemies into a maze of destruction that you control, you’ll really start seeing results. Some of the towers are designed for slowing enemies, whether by ice or by goo, while others like the lightning and mortar towers are built for raw force. They also all have different attack ranges, and some can do area damage while others are focused. The combination of several maps with different towers keeps the game interesting long after you’ve gotten your $2.99 worth of entertainment out of it.

Catan:

Tabletop gamers rejoice! The ever-popular board game Catan is on the iPhone. For those unfamiliar with the game, it centers around building up a medieval civilization by claiming spots on the interchangeable map that have access to brick, wool, grain, lumber, gold and ore. Build up your settlements into cities, and then protect them by fortifying them and adding a knight.

The principle seems easy enough, but when you’re racing for victory points against friends or the built-in AI, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact it’s just a game. You’ll likely find yourself looking up guides and reading about the different strategies. Between natural disasters, robbers, and competitions to see who can get the longest road, Catan is the most fun you’ll have for $3.99. Once you get the hang of it, you can also download the Seafarer expansion for even more fun with ports and shipping lanes.

Ahhh, Reversi; it’s such a simple concept, yet has become so popular. And with Reversi Reloaded, you can now play this classic game on the move with your iPhone or iPad. Before I installed the game, my first concern for it was space – the iPhone does not have a lot to offer in terms of screen space, and when I started my first Reversi game, the squares were indeed quite small. Despite this, however, I had absolutely no trouble selecting the correct boxes… so kudos to Mobivention for making this typical board game work with the iPhone’s limiting factors.

So for those of you who do not understand how Reversi works – it is a strategic game and to win you must have the most coloured pieces showing your colour by the end. It works by placing a new piece in an empty square and turning over all of your opponent’s pieces in a diagonal, vertical and horizontal direction. It’s quite difficult to describe but once you start playing it doesn’t take long at all to get used to, and can actually be surprisingly addictive.

One feature I love on Reversi Reloaded is the ability to change the computer’s difficulty. By default, it is on easy, but you also have the options of medium and hard. Easy is relatively straightforward and you shouldn’t have any trouble beating the computer here. Medium is where it gets more difficult, but hard is where it gets serious. The Othello computer runs a program which can beat anybody at Reversi – it’s simply not possible to beat it. It’s defeated all of the world champions. Luckily, I think Mobivention have been slightly kinder here and I’m sure it is possible to win this game. I’ve been at it for a good 2 hours and haven’t cracked it yet, but I just randomly tap and guess the best places to go. The pros have established techniques and strategies, so it really is up to you whether you simply do this for fun on easy/medium or develop and enhance your reversi skills on hard.

Best of all though: this game is FREE! You can pay to remove the ads, but I don’t see the point because they are quite unobtrusive. You also have the option of paying for more board designs, and at 59p, why not?! But I think the one feature this game is missing is a statistics panel or profile page. It would be really cool to store all of your reversi scores and results and look back at them. An even better idea would be for these to be uploaded to a website where you can compare your stats with other Reversi players. I hope this sort of functionality is looked into, but for now, this game is a great time-passer and actually makes you sit and think.

iPwnGamers Score: 4/5

WI is set in a futuristic world, where you are a beginning mining specialist for ACME Corp. (I know, not very original, but bear with me). As your Mining Leader, Gordon Fox, is AWOL you experience a series of rapid promotions following your successfully completed missions. The planet you are in charge of was supposedly a secret and free of any OMNI Corp., a rival mining company, presence. As you progress however you will find that this is not necessarily the case.

Warfare Inc. covers most of the bases when it comes to the RTS formula. There are a number of various unit types each with their own advantages and disadvantages. There are buildings for defense, as well as unit production buildings which can be upgraded in later levels to yield access to more powerful units. Expansion must be balanced with power production (similar to food or population limit in other RTSs) because all buildings require power. Without the proper amount of juice flowing through your camp unit production will slow and defense buildings will shut down altogether.

WI is not without flaws however. First, the graphics aren’t really up to snuff with what the iPhone can do. This game was ported from Windows Mobile, and it shows. The units and terrains look more like a Game Boy Advance title than an iPhone one. Also, as with a lot of mobile/internet games, the AI could use some work. They will send almost endless groups of small raiding parties which can easily be mopped up by light based defense buildings instead of saving a few waves and crushing your defenses. Also, the AI is set up well to make a base, defend it, and form attacks, but once its balance has been thrown off it doesn’t recover well. I had destroyed its miners used to gather resources, and it didn’t have enough to make a new miner. Instead of selling a building, or canceling a unit being produced, to have the resources to make a new miner it sat in a state of not being able to do anything. Finally, some of the missions are actually easier to complete if you ignore the mission objectives for a while. One of the missions I was finding impossibly hard no matter how well I played it. Then, I found by ignoring the mission objectives the computer would indefinitely hold of the large attacks that were supposedly “imminent” but were actually triggered by completing the event, not by a certain amount of time passing.

The controls also lack a bit. There is no deselect, so you will find yourself accidentally moving units when you were trying to select another one. There is also no “attack+move” command, so your units will not engage the enemy until you select an enemy for them to attack or they reach their destination. This can lead to your units getting pummeled by the enemy without fighting back if you aren’t watching them. Also, units never attack enemy buildings without specific instructions, so they will sit in the enemy base doing nothing. Miners do not flee if being attacked either, even without any way to defend themselves.

Graphics: 6.5/10
As I said, the graphics are not what they should be. Many critics’ reviews mention the “superb graphics,” but remember that most of these reviews were written about WI on a Windows Mobile device. As these graphics were directly ported to the much higher resolution iPhone without any enhancements they do not look great, especially when you hold a unit and it is zoomed in on.

Sound: 3/10
First off, there is no music during missions. Most units have a few catchphrases they say when they move, but these are recycled for multiple units, so you will get sick of them very soon. I find myself playing with the iPhone in silent mode to mute the units while listening to my own music.

Gameplay: 6/10
Gameplay is good, but stupid mistakes kill the score here, these being the AI and poor controls. If they fixed these, depending on the extent of the AI fix, this would immediately jump to an 8-10.

Replay Value: 7/10
With over 200+ player created scenarios and counting there is plenty to keep you coming back. . . if you still want to come back that is. Lack of multiplayer knocks 2 off this score, and another point for the fact that if you can’t stand the flawed AI you won’t make it to the add-on missions in the first place.

Overall: 6/10
Warfare Incorporated offers something to hold RTS fans over. . . not satisfy them, but at least keep them content until something better comes along. While it has the potential to become THE definitive RTS on iPhone it currently stumbles in too many areas to claim the title. With a few small fixes this game has the opportunity to jump from an average 6 to a solid 8+, so I’d watch for updates if you are on the fence about buying it, especially considering multiplayer has been announced to be included in a future update. Overall I would recommend this game to hardcore strategy fans that are looking for a fix on their iPhone. For a casual gamer or someone moderately interested I would say your $5 is probably better spent elsewhere.

Pros:
-The closest thing to a PC RTS currently out for the iPhone
-Lots of missions

Cons:
-Poor Sound/Graphics
-Poor controls
-Dumb AI

The best part is that while it originally retailed for $20 on Windows Mobile, iPhone gamers can pick it up for only 10% of that price ($2) during the introductory period.

*If you plan on downloading it through your phone make sure you have an available Wi-Fi connection, because it’s the only way you can download the 16 MB game.

If you’re looking for a full TD game without having to reach into your wallet make sure to give Tap Defense a try.

Update 12/11/08
Tap Defense was recently updated to ver. 1.1. This update fixed the bug used to get unlimited money (so stop e-mailing me about it. . . please) along with a couple of other balances. The only one I’ve noticed is that ice and water towers slow enemies down less than they used to (maxed ice towers now only slow by 70% opposed to 90%). If anyone else has any more info feel free to post it in your comment or e-mail me for it to be included here.

I’ve noticed the broken quake towers as well and have informed TapJoy of this problem on their Facebook page for Tap Defense. Hopefully an update will fix this soon.

Update 12/12/08
The quake tower has already been fixed in the 1.1.1 update.

Your troops are hopelessly outnumbered. The dozen or so Pikemen are emboldened only by your five Heroes, killing machines that strike fear into any enemy troop formation. As the seemingly endless wall of enemy Cavalry approach your Heroes charge, each killing a troop with a single blow. Your Pikeman advance and crush their first line, but are soon overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Just as the situation begins to look helpless Sir Anston, your mentor and teacher, arrives with 2 regiments of Knights and easily finishes off the weakened enemy forces. This is just one of the over 40 different missions in the exciting turn-based-strategy game Reign of Swords.

An Empire Divided

Reign of Swords takes place thousands of years ago, when Knights and trebuchets roamed the battlefields and black powder was a new invention. The fictional Carrone Empire is currently under attack from within. Carrone is actually an Empire made of many different Kingdoms that were ruled by Dukes under the Emperor’s control. With the death of the old Emperor and the installment of his young son many of the powerful Dukes decide to rebel from the Empire and rule the territories themselves. You step into this world as a Squire in the Carrone Army. Luckily you have Sir Anston, an old and battle hardened Knight, as your mentor. Under his guidance your first missions will involve the defense of the Emperor from Duke Pellus. Having successfully completed this task you are granted the title of Knight Banneret along with a meager army of assorted units. Now is when the real fun beings.

Having defended the capital it is now up to you to lead your small regiment on a conquest of the rebellious kingdoms. Each of the 7 other kingdoms contains 3 campaign missions of varying difficulties that usually culminate in a show down with the most powerful Duke in the land… This conquest would be impossible without your loyal troops at your side.

Your Army

This is where RoS beings to shine. Each battle you are presented with a certain number of “deployment points.” Each of the 23 different units in RoS have a different deployment cost, ranging from 50 points for the lowly Militiaman to 500 points for the death dealing Hero. Because of this system you can play the same battle in many different ways. You could send in a small line of light infantry backed up by massive siege weapons, or you could focus all your points and have a decimating front line of Greatswordsmen and Heroes. It’s all up to you how you want your army set-up, but be warned, a great strategy one map could lead to utter defeat on another.

After each battle you win you collect some spoils of war, either units to bolster your army, or a few of the 6 different objects used to upgrade your existing units. This is another example of the brilliance of RoS. Until you have a massive army you need to consider every upgrade you make. To advance an Archer to a Ranger you need 1 spirit, but you could use that instead to turn a Militia into a Shaman. What you decide to do depends completely on your style of play.

Battles

There are 3 different types of battles in RoS: campaign battles, raids, and online battles. The campaign battles are only played through one time. After you beat each of the 3 campaign battles it unlocks a raid that you can play multiple times to gain resources needed to expand your forces. Once you beat all 3 campaign battles in an area you are considered a contender for the title of King, and you can compete in online battles against other RoS players. The more online battles you win the more points you will collect. Once a week new titles are assigned to players, and bonus units to your army, based on your rank, and the battles rage on anew.

In campaign battles and raids you control each unit in your army individually. In online battles you and your opponent set-up your armies, set tactics for each section of troops, and then deploy. The computer takes over and carries out the instructions you gave. Once the battle is finished, usually within a few minutes, you can watch the whole battle turn by turn, or just skip to the end and see who won, what units were lost in the battle (for the loser), and how many points/spoils of war you gained (if you won).

Graphics: 8/10
A throwback to the SNES era, anyone that’s played video games for more than 10 years can appreciate the graphics. They are simple, yet everything has its own unique animation.

Sound: 8/10
Like the graphics, simple but effective. Each different type of attack and movement has its own sound. The background music is pretty good, but doesn’t play during battles.

Gameplay: 10/10
Gameplay is addictive, and you will repeatedly find that half-hour you dedicated to playing has actually turned into two hours.

Replay Value: 10/10
Another place RoS excels. With the nearly unlimited ways to play every map you will definitely be coming back for more. In addition to trying different tactics of your own the computer also has different AIs. So, don’t think just because you played a map once you know what the computer will do.

Overall: 9/10
RoS is an epic game, one of the best in the App Store, but still not perfect. Despite the 20+ hours it takes to beat the campaign you will still wish it was longer, and the raids lack the same challenge as the harder campaigns. Online play also suffers from a few bugs, such as challenges and battles disappearing, that keep it from taking the perfect 10. Even with these flaws it is still a must have for any fan of turn-based-strategy games, or someone looking for a game that won’t break the bank while keeping them entertained for a long time.

Today two mediocre iPhone and iPod Touch games were dropped in price. First up is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, this game droped from $9.99 to $7.99. The controls in this game were pretty limited, and the gameplay is pretty short. Second game is Kroll, this title dropped from $7.99 to $4.99. It’s a beautiful game, but the gameplay is just a little too simple to keep you entertained long enough.

A week ago I picked up Galcon from the App Store. I wasn’t expecting too much, but from the videos I’ve seen at Galcom.com it looked moderately entertaining. Little did I know that I was downloading the greatest iPhone game ever to call appstore its home.

In space, no one can hear you scream…

So what is it about Galcon that makes it so great? Well, if you just take a look at the surface, it might look like any other game, but if you start digging, you’ll notice that there is no bottom. Galcon is a strategy game in the space environment. Your goal is simple, crush every other player around, but the way to victory is why this game deserves your attention. When I just had bought the game (Galcon Lite wasnt out back then) my tactic was simple, I took my ships and sent it at my opponents planets. Now, some week later, I know that this is a flawed tactic, and I would never simply send away my ships. The game keeps your interest up by continually adding new challenges to overcome, theres 10 different skill levels on the bots, and each time you raise the difficulty you’ll have to raise your game. The game keeps your attention by having a couple of different game modes to choose from, Classic, Beast, Vacuum, 3-Way, Stealth and Net Game.

Classic is a one versus one bot game. Beast tests your survival skills by letting the bot start with every planet except 2 (that you control) and your goal is to try to beat him. It takes some playing before you understand how this is done, but the challenge Beast offers at high difficulty will keep you entertained for countless hours. Vacuum is a one player game, where your goal is to capture all the neutral planets before time is up. The higher the difficulty, the less time you have. 3-Way is a three player game. What makes it intresting is how AI can “pick sides” for short duration of time, always ready to aid you in your attacks against the strongest player, but will backstab you when an opportunity is presented.

Stealth is probably the funniest mode in my opinion. Here you play one bot, just like in classic, but the difference is that you cant see eachothers ships. Playing stealth with the most difficult bot is insane, while playing a somewhat easier bot is frustrating, but addictive. When your opponent could have sent his entire fleet towards you, and you dont know about it, you will find yourself getting suprised by his movements every now and then. And the greatest mode of them all; Net Game. Net games work well over both 3G and WiFi, when you tap Net Game in the menu, a list of servers will load up on the screen.

There’s always a lot of players out on the multiplayer part of the game, so finding opponents is really easy. The servers all run the Classic game mode, but with support for up to 4 players. I can spend several hours each day playing Galcon over the internet. Its addictive and challenging trying to create the best strategies for winning each round, and for each round you win the other players will keep an extra eye out for you during the next round, adding to the challenge. In the settings app, you can change your favourite colors (for Net Games), choose wether or not you want music, choose your multiplayer name and password and choose if you want Color Blind mode.

Graphics: 5,0/10
The graphics are charming, but nothing special.

Sounds: 7,5/10
The sound effects are cute, and they fit nice with the game, again theres nothing special about them, but they get the job done.

Gameplay: 9,8/10
It’s simply an awesome game. Great in Singple-Player, with 10 different AI skill-levels, and it’s dangerously addictive in Net Games.

Lasting Appeal: 8,9/10
If Galcon sounds intresting to you now, it will always remain entertaining. Aslong as theres players in the Net Games I can’t see myself ever give up on Galcon.

Price: 8,8/10
After you have played Galcon Lite you’d be ready to pay much more than 4.99$ for the fullversion. Luckily for you, you wont have to.

Overall: 9,2/10
What Galcon lacks in Graphics and Sound it makes up for in Gameplay. Its a charming game, perfect controls and infinite replay value. This is a must-have for every iPhone or’ Touch owner out there!

Earlier this week Phil Hassey dropped the price of his very succesful iPod Touch and iPhone game Galcon to just $4.99. To get even more Galcon players he decided to release a free Lite version of the game with 10 levels of Classic Play.