Many of today’s young entrepreneurs have fond memories of playing video games like Super Mario Brothers on the old Nintendo Entertainment Systems and that has given them ideas to create new and inventive products that are reminiscent of the older classic video games. In that sense, older games are becoming even more real than modern games.

Consider the following:

Mario Coins For Real

Bryan Duxbury and Adam Ellsworth have brought the iconic mystery box to reality in a true feat of creativity over day jobs.

The two have created an interesting and innovative lamp based on Super Mario Bros., the old Nintendo game. One can turn the light off and on by punching the lamp, which then makes a sound of coins after it is tapped. After every eight hits, the lamp rewards the owner with the 1-Up sound. Duxbury had this idea for quite some time, but it wasn’t until he met Ellsworth did the project get off the ground. Ellsworth works in 3D printing, so he used a three dimensional printer to create a rapid prototype of the lamp within a week after he received it from Duxbury.

Rapid prototypes allow for the creation of three dimensional scale models or even working prototypes with the assistance of computer aided design. This means that simple to intricate objects can be manufactured with computer aided design without the need to have manufacturing facilities at home or even at work. One can submit an interesting design to a rapid prototyping company, and they can create a 3D product. This can revolutionize the way at-home entrepreneurs can get his or her ideas to the marketplace and beyond.

While the initial 8BitLit prototype was far from perfect, it gave the two hope that they were onto a great product. Future tweaking led to the great product that they have today. The lamp is proving to be so popular that the two are contemplating expanding their online store to include more lamp accessories and even more lamps.

Modern technology is improving rapidly by leaps and bounds. Ideas and concepts such as rapid prototyping are giving an almost immediate 3D product out of a mere idea. If we are able to create an almost instantaneous reality out of an idea, the future is boundless and unlimited. If rapid prototypes can create an invention out of a concept within a week, then the prospects for innovation and creativity are almost infinite. The future is bright and the limitless possibility for invention and advancement are within our grasp.

Just don’t tell the cosplayers.

The basic concept behind the game is a physics based puzzle around the game mechanic of cutting ropes (as the name of the game suggests) and trying to get a large piece of candy into a monsters mouth. This is done through cutting ropes to free the candy, and cutting specific ropes free (using touch to simulate the slicing of the rope) to swing the candy in specific directions through the use of cutting specific ropes at specific times so that the candy gains the correct momentum when it is completely free of all constraints.

Although this sounds like a confusing or boring set of game mechanics, it is incredibly simple to pick up, through the in game tutorial system, which introduces the various level features, such as bubbles and re-attachable ropes, in a simple, easy to understand system which is part of the game itself. As the game progresses, the challenges get harder and harder, requiring more and more logical thinking and precision timing to perfect, giving more and more gratification every time a level is completed.

For those of you who are into more of a challenge after completing the game, the game also has a star system in place, as is common place in iPhone titles. It is for the majority different to other titles star systems, however in the way that stars are earned. Placed around the levels are stars, in hard to reach places, which must be claimed through well placed manoeuvres and unique ways to solve the puzzle. To get three stars in a level, the candy must hit all three stars, as well as making it into the mouth of the monster, which can provide quite a challenge.

Cut the rope is a great iPhone title, with some excellent replay value. However, while there is plenty of replay value included in the game the game can simply lose its edge after a couple of hours of play, due to the repetitive nature of the games challenges when compared with titles such as angry birds. Overall, cut the rope is definitely worth the free download, and the free version is definitely one of the better free downloads out there.

iPwnGames Score: 4.1/5

New games are emerging everyday on iTunes. These are five of the newest games to make it into the iTunes store.

Hard Lines is a fairly addictive snake game. The game follows Lionel, a line on a mission to kill all other lines and collect their data points that they leave behind. Hard Lines is different from the first snake games. It is very color; it looks much like Tron light cycles. Also there are many different game modes for everyone including a Gauntlet, Survival and Pinata mode. Lionel also says little quotes as he snakes around, making him one of the most talkative yellow lines out there. Hard Lines is a fun game to play that doesn’t take a lot of time to master and it only cost .99

Match Panic is a matching game involving a line of silly objects and time limits. The controls are simple: tap left or right arrows to get the object into the right pile. However you have to be quick before you here the annoying time limit beep. This game is also very addictive. Its simplistic game play makes it a fun time waster. The graphics are nice too and at .99 cents it’s a must.

Joining Hands is a goofy strategy game where you make all the characters happy and, consequently, hold hands. Not all of the characters are happy in the same places. So much of the game is trying to figure out where to best place them so that they are all happy. As the game goes on, more characters are introduced and the game becomes more challenging. This game is beautifully animated and very addictive, however it can be very frustrating at first. It only costs 2.99.

Pudding Panic is a game where you are a pudding riding on a track in a haunted house. The object of the game is to maneuver the tracks without being scared off your cart. It’s tough being a pudding in a room full of monsters! Luckily there are a couple of ways to avoid the monsters and ghosts and make it to the end of the ride. As the game progresses, you receive more options. Some of the options are to change the tracks so you avoid the monsters. Others will allow you to scare the monsters away. Another graphically pleasing game with relatively spooky characters and it only costs .99.

Fantastic Knight is an awesome RPG that allows you to choose from two characters: a male knight and a female rogue. The game is about the fall of a corrupt government and the two protagonists who bring it down. A very fun game and just like any other RPG. With the ability to use spells and customize your character, Fantastic Knight is a fun game to try over and over again. The gameplay is astounding. Tapping the attack button will allow constant attacks on all enemies in sight. And the spell buttons are right next to it for instant power-ups and mega attacks. Ultimately Fanastic Knight is a crisp, fun game at only 2.99.

With all the new games that come out for the iPhone, it’s good to have a little extra time to play them. Whether you’re taking a study break or passing time in your day, it’s nice to find some cheap games to play and waste a little time.

If you’ve even heard of an iPhone, there’s no doubt you’ve heard of angry birds, which is, by now no doubt the most recognised “casual game” in existence, and perhaps even the most widely available game currently available for mobile or social platforms. For those of you unaware, angry birds is a physics based game released in December, 2009. The game focuses around launching “angry” birds of different colour and type into makeshift buildings with structure and materials which differ from level to level filled with pigs.

The game is controlled, obviously, entirely through touch. The birds are pre-loaded into a slingshot, and the player must use their finger to guide the angle and power that the bird is launched towards the pigs. The pigs, however are protected by various materials which are constructed to make a fort like building. The part of this construction the birds hit and the power they hit it at determine the way the building collapses. The separate parts of the collapsed building can then hit the pigs, who will then die.

As the levels progress, different types of birds become available for use, which have unique abilities, such as breaking into multiple birds, and different strengths against different materials. The levels themselves also become harder to beat, with bigger (harder to destroy) pigs, protected by stronger and better built fortresses.

The primary motivation for continuing through the levels is to unlocked new ones, as each level requires completion of the previous one to unlock. The levels are also divided into sets, which are also unlocked through the completion of the previous set of levels, which have their own scenery and style. A level, once completed, will give a score and a number of stars between one and three, which is based on how much destruction is caused and number of birds remaining. Collecting these stars is the secondary objective in the game, to give completionists something to do after all the levels are completed.

Overall, angry birds is an amazing casual iPhone game, with some serious gameplay value that will keep you addicted and playing the levels over and over again. It is definitely worth the £0.59 that the game costs, and is almost a must have app for anyone with an iPod touch or an iPhone. Although it may have you labelled as a “casual gamer” accompanied by being looked down upon, the fun the game brings with it is a worthy trade off.

iPwnGames score: 4.5/5

The creativity behind this game is truly inspirational. Where do people think of such great ideas like this? It’s such a good concept and I wish I had thought of it first… but credit is given where it’s due to Launching Pad Games for an exciting and more importantly FUN game, which is how games on the iPhone should be.

So you are a fish who has accepted the offer to go on a “suspiciously cheap round-the-world holiday”. There are lots of hidden dangers along the way and it is our job to make sure he picks up all the coins and doesn’t get eaten by a penguin or impaled by spikes. The screen is divided; half is water and the other half is the sky. To make the fish dive, you tap the screen. For him to come back up again, you stop touching the screen. If he has enough momentum, he will jump out of the water and into the sky. This is often necessary to collect all of the coins on offer. A great feature on this game is the combo pointing – if you collect a certain number of coins in a row, your score increases faster. I love this because it gives you the drive to do better.

Don’t forget about the hidden dangers though. There are crabs, seagulls, jellyfish and many other obstacles you will have to manoeuvre to pass each level. Don’t be disheartened. You can always visit Sal’s Discount Souvenirs and change your fish’s costume (a very nice touch).

This game has now become my new favourite and I honestly can’t fault it. The sounds are top notch and the whole interface is very intuitive. Hands down, I couldn’t recommend this any higher. It is guaranteed to give you hours of fun and I promise you won’t get bored of it quickly. Go out and buy it – now!

iPwnGamers score: 5/5 (should be a 6!)

Are you looking for a game which makes you need the toilet every 15 minutes? Worry ye not, Fatal League is here, adopting a medieval music soundtrack which features what can only be described as running water… Nitpicking here I know, but is it really necessary?

On initialisation of the game, my first impressions were bad. You have to read 8 paragraphs of writing, which sets the game in context, before you can proceed. It is quite long-winded and frankly no fun at all. To condense it all into a couple of sentences for you, your team is taking part in the “Fatal League” where you must fight against opponent teams in tournaments and matches. The winner of the entire league has to attack the King’s enemy, Hydra.

This isn’t the sort of game where you can just dive in and start playing like Doodle Jump. You will probably have to refer to the instructions quite a lot, but it only takes a couple of minutes to get your head around the concept. You begin with 3 fighters: a ranger, a warrior and a scholar. For each fight you partake in, your fighters gain experience and you win money. This money can be spent on upgrading weapons, armour, and magic spells, or hiring new fighters. It’s basically a mini-game of Runescape.

The game runs in a monthly cycle with 6 fights in each. At the end of each month, you will be given the opportunity to enter a major tournament for your fighters to gain experience; however they are very difficult to win because of the big prizes on offer. As time progresses, you work your way up to the 1^st division with the big fish. After each month, the capacity for your army increases, so you can hire a new fighter to train up. The actual gameplay itself resembles a chess board. You make your move, the opponent makes their move. It’s quite a slow way of playing it and doesn’t do much to keep your interest.

This is not the sort of game I’d normally go for so I think it may well appeal to the die-hard medieval role-players out there. However, for me, it kept me interested for about 15 minutes and all seemed very unmotivating and pointless. Then again, is there a point to any iPhone game?

iPwnGames Score: 2.5/5

Maybe it’s just me, but attacking cute, fluffy, pink rabbits on Bunny Shooter isn’t quite as gratifying as annihilating those patronising pigs on Angry Birds. It just makes me feel bad. They’re bunnies! But once I got past my self-righteous moral concerns and actually started popping some caps, one thing became very clear….

It was an hour later and I hadn’t mowed the lawn, I hadn’t emptied the dishwasher and I hadn’t fed the cats. I looked at the clock and thought, ‘5 more minutes and then I’ll do it’. Naturally I was still sitting there after a further half an hour, murdering adorable bunny rabbits. Occasionally I’d receive texts, but I didn’t have time to reply. Not now. I was busy.

If this game is anything apart from cruel, it’s addictive. The format of the game is very similar to Angry Birds. You are given a bow and arrow, and have to kill as many rabbits as possible with the fewest number of shots. At the end of each level, you get 3* if you’re a totally awesome rabbit killer, 2* if you’re an average rabbit killer and 1* if you’re, well… me. They make things a bit more exciting in the latter levels with the introduction of anvils and rocks which are precariously positioned directly above rabbits’ heads (seems a bit unfair if you ask me). But you can only fire an arrow at a rabbit so many times. Angry Birds has the added touch of having different types of birds to fire (some explode, others go fast, etc). If Bunny Shooter added this kind of functionality, I think they’d be onto a real winner. At the moment, the game just needs more flair to keep it interesting for longer than an hour.

The other downside to this game is that there are only 15 levels (oops, I stand corrected. Turns out there are 60 levels. My apologies). In comparison to Angry Birds, which has well over 100, this game is relatively short and won’t take you all day to complete. Then again, Angry Birds is a paid app whereas this one is free, so I suppose you get what you pay for. Although there is still hope for all you sadistic bunny murders out there, because those 15 levels are part of World 1. There are purportedly an additional 3 worlds being released soon in later update which hopefully will include some nice extra features to keep us all interested.

At the moment, I wouldn’t pay for this. It’s just too repetitive and feels like the whole Angry Birds idea has simply been ported over, replaced with bunnies and arrows, and given a new name. It’s a nice way to pass an hour, but until more functionality is added, I will be deleting this from my iPhone.

iPwnGames Score: 3/5 4/5

Like I said, at first I wasn’t sure what this game was going to be about, but I was very quickly surprised. The gist of the game is that Toshi keeps getting herself into altercations with various enemies. The way that you beat them is to keep Toshi dancing. The way you keep her moving to the groove is by solving about 100 3D block physics puzzles. There are various elements throughout that game that you must learn to deal with in specific ways: rubber, wood, stone, ice, and a strange neon green material

I was very skeptical when I played my first level, but there is nothing quite like when you move Toshi, who apparently has forgotten how to walk, from her post to the dance floor. Once there she begins dancing to some variety of Japanese-pop music on a rainbow lit floor. There really is a sense of accomplishment, be it small, upon beating one level, then the next, then the next. I easily played this game straight through the first thirty levels before putting it down on the first day I got it.

The game is scored in the typical three star format that many of us are used to in a lot of these games. You are given a designated number of balls that it should take you to complete the level and carry Toshi to safety on the dance floor. If you complete the level with fewer balls than necessary you are rewarded with three stars plus. If completed with the exact number you receive three, and it goes down from there for the more attempts you must take. Scoring is then based fully upon those stars earned in gameplay. Scores and other achievements are traced in iOS’s Game Center.

You see a new one of these after every 20 levels...pretty cool

In addition to fun gameplay, the graphics really are pretty good based upon what most of us are used to in these physics puzzle games. You should also keep your ears open for the dialogue coming from Toshi each time she dies or gets another chance. It’s all really quite funny. Overall, I would highly recommend this gaime. Since I received the game less than a week ago, it has provided me with hours of entertainment. I am already in the top 15% of players on Game Center, and I still have about ten levels to go!

In short…get this game…play this game…it’s super good and will be worth your $.99.

Mecapix is a simple concept at its core. Various arrangements of blocks (called Mecas) fall from the top of the screen. The player must draw his or her own block figures (PIXes) at the bottom of the screen to send upwards and combat the falling arrangements. For each block that gets past your defenses, you lose a life. Lose too many lives, and it’s game over. Simple, yes, but Mecapix intensifies the complexity as you progress through the levels.

To start, you cannot simply fire an endless array of blocks upward. A Pix Points counter in the corner of the screen limits the amount of blocks you can draw. Draw too many blocks too quickly, and your firepower will be temporarily disabled. Additionally, the “enemy” block clusters become increasingly more complicated as the game advances, culminating with boss battles at the end of each world.

Thankfully, many of these enemy clusters also have a weakness. Found within many of the large Mecas are power-ups to be used to your advantage. Much of the fun of the game is in discovering these powers and using them to their maximum potential. However, sometimes that maximum potential will not be easily recognizable.

This fact is perhaps the game’s one weakness. The Mecas often come toward you at a frantic pace, and determining the correct method for utilizing the power-ups before you have died a time or seven can be challenging. Like in the best iPhone puzzle games, once you do decipher the patterns and the best way to proceed, you will feel like a genius. I found this degree of difficulty as an incentive to play the game more. That “One more try” mentality was very much present, but for those used to playing more relaxed games, be forewarned that it may take several frustrating deaths before you reach your epiphany.

Overall, Mecapix is a blast to play. The simple, colorful visuals and catchy soundtrack draw you in to its unique puzzle-shooter world. The drawing mechanic is a brilliant use of the iPhone’s touch screen, giving the retro-inspired game a very tactile, modern feel. As mentioned, the game does demand and reward your full attention. Even once you have figured out the best way to survive, it will take several more tries before you can start increasing your high score. With three full worlds and an endurance mode, Mecapix is a great value. If you’re looking for a retro challenge with a modern touch, Mecapix is a fantastic choice.

iPwnGames Score: 4/5

The game itself is pretty straightforward.  It’s a one-on-one multiplayer western style shooter.  It takes advantage of the iPhone’s anonymous multiplayer features and allows you to challenge other players across the globe.  The point of the game is to become the most hated/feared bandit in all of the old west by increasing your level through repeated duel victories.  Each time you pair up there is a specified “reward” if you kill the other.  As you get more infamous (kill more folks) your level and your reward will all continue to rise.

In terms of controls, the game is pretty simple.  It relies fully on the accelerometer to draw your weapon, aim, and reload.  At times it can feel a bit finnicky in that it likes to jump around a bit, but overall it really isn’t too terrible.  You should also be sure to be on a wi-fi connection as opposed to 3G for the best results.  If you’re competing on 3G sometimes you can make a winning shot and it won’t register before their killshot and you wrongfully perish.  That has only happened to me a few times though, so it’s not really worth complaining about.  Otherwise its straight ahead with this dueling first person shooter.

In addition to the basic gameplay there are plenty of things to add to the fun.  You can purchase things like ropes and flour sacks in the General Store that you can throw at your opponents to hinder their vision or abilities to aim.  These are purchased with the two in-game currencies: gold and wampum.  Gold is earned each time you defeat an opponent (you can also steal gold from other opponents…it’s cool until the sheriff catches you), and wampum is earned each time your character levels up.  With these currencies you can also purchase new guns, different clothing options, and multiple other things.

There really are only two limits to the game, in my opinion.  The first is that if you use your wampum, it takes a lot of time to get more, especially enough so that you will be able to purchase the fancy stuff you want.  Here’s where the catch comes in that makes it a free app…you can purchase more wampum with cash or you can earn it by installing other apps from their company on your iPhone.  The second limitation is that you have an energy bar.  If you exhaust it by taking part in a lot of duels you have to wait a specific amount of time for it to refill so that you can keep fighting (or you can use wampum to increase it, but we know what that takes).

Despite these two small inconveniences, I’ve been hooked to the game since I downloaded it a few days ago.  I wish I would have heard about it a lot sooner, but hopefully all of you can check it out and come bring the fire to me and my character…”Rocky Mountain Rick.”  In the mean time, go challenge each other to some duels and shoot away!