Well this has been a crazy day. Infinity Blade 2 madness all over the place, a surprise Call of Duty announcement, Where's My Water went free with Facebook hijinx, and a ton of other stuff I never expected when I rolled out of bed this morning. I figured things would be slow, since Chair essentially claimed today as their day at the last keynote. But NO!
So, this is less of a "coming tonight" and more of an "out now." I have a feeling things are only going to get crazier as we get close to the iTunes freeze in late December.
The Bard's Tale, $5.99 - Forum Thread - Embarrassingly enough, the first time I heard about this comedic RPG was when new hit that it was coming to iOS. I was then shamelessly ridiculed for not having played it when it was first released on other platforms. That seems appropriate.

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BigBot Smash, 99� - Forum Thread - I'm not really sure what to say about this game, since the graphics seem pretty lo-fi but I love the premise of just playing as a giant upgradable robot blowing stuff up.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies, $6.99 - Forum Thread - Surprise! It's a pseudo-sequel to Call of Duty: Zombies! Online multiplayer is the name of the game here, and we've got a great thread if you're looking for someone to play with.

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Catball Eats It All, Free - Forum Thread - This incredibly descriptive title basically says it all. I'm sure you'll hear more about this game on Jared's Kitty Korner.

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Egg Punch, Free - Forum Thread - I'm liking the looks of this not-quite-mini-golf egg-rolling game. The premise is a bit of a stretch, but I'm such a sucker for cel shaded graphics.

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Green Farm 2, Free - Forum Thread - What's better than a Gameloft clone of Farmville? How about a sequel?

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Horror Vacui 2, $1.99 - Forum Thread - I'm totally unfamiliar with Horror Vacui, but it's by the creator of The Last Rocket, which I absolutely loved… So I'm excited to try this!

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Infinity Blade 2, $6.99 - Forum Thread - Read our review, and download this game. Now.

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Last War, Free - Forum Thread - I'm not sure what to think of this as it looks a lot like those old Mafia Wars games, but it's from… Gamevil?

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McGyro, 99� - Forum Thread - A, err, gyroscope controlled shooting gallery game published by Chillingo.

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Mr.Oops!!, Free - Forum Thread - We're massive fans of Ponos, and I have a dedicated folder on my phone to all the "Mr." games. Tonight, I add another.

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Sparky vs Glutters, 99� - Forum Thread - Clickgamer pulled out all the stops to compete with Infinity Blade 2 this week with this Zuma-style marble shooting game.

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Zen Pinball, Free - Forum Thread - An awesome pinball game with one free table and others available via IAP.

Disney Mobile's fairly well-received puzzle game, Where's My Water [$.99], has received another big content update. This latest chapter, which is available now for $0, adds a new steam mechanic, more collectibles, and a total of 20 new puzzles. With this added into the overall level tally, the game can safely boast 120 different levels.
Let's focus on that steam mechanic for a second since it ties into the chapter's name, the "Boiling Point." In the chapter's puzzles, you'll guide water into hot things, which converts the liquid into a gaseous cloud. Steam eats away at very specific pieces of a puzzle's environment, revealing opportunities to keep the game's Rube Golberg-ian action moving and Swampy the Alligator happy.

Here's the new trailer:
Eli Note: Just as I was about to unleash this story to the wild, I discovered that Where's My Water is the latest game to be available for free via Apple's crazy Facebook promo code promotion. You might remember this from when we did the legendary 9,999 Alarm Freebie Alert for Halfbrick's Jetpack Joyride [99�]. This works the same way, either mash this link or the image below, follow the instructions, and claim your free copy of Where's My Water.

Seriously, jump on it.

We've been waiting to see some solid evidence of a Mass Effect 3 companion app for some time, and while we haven't heard anything new since series producer Casey Hudson let the cat ever-so-slightly out of its proverbial bag, we've been re-energized about the prospect �courtesy the latest public comments from the studio's brass.
In an interview with BeefJack, Dr. Ray Muzyka praised mobile platforms and said that the idea of bringing what BioWare does best to them is an exciting idea. He also laid out a general plan. "So, we're trying to adapt what we build and tune it to the needs of and desires of our fans across whatever platform they're intending to play it on," he said. "And always leave them with the feeling that they're playing something that's awesome, really high quality."
Let's just... forget about this one.
Mass Effect 3 for consoles and PC is shipping with a cooperative, but almost RISK-like online component. "This is a concept that has never been done before in games, ever," Hudson said to CVG in October. "Not simply a story device, it's fundamental to the game. For the first time, wherever you go -- online, mobile, on social networks -- you'll be able to follow your progress. You'll never have to leave the Mass Effect experience."
Here's to hoping the mobile hint is what we think it is -- and hopefully it won't end up stinking like Galaxy [$.99]. Seems like it won't, if BioWare is taking mobile as seriously as it seems to be implying.

The Bearded One attended a somewhat clandestine Activision event a while back to see a very mysterious game. We didn't know anything about it at the time other than it rhymed with "Mall of Beauty," and we were especially not allowed to say anything about it. We weren't sure when it was coming, so we've spent the time since waiting for the high sign that we can let the cat out of the bag on the whole thing.
Well, apparently it is coming tonight. Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies is the $6.99 sequel to Call of Duty: Zombies [$4.99 / HD] which as you may recall similarly just appeared on the App Store randomly one day. Kotaku has the skinny on all sorts of details on the game, and mirrors our experiences in that it plays like an updated version of its predecessor. The biggest improvement are in the controls, making the game feel a lot more playable. Oh, and there's voice chat too, so you can scream at your teammates in true Call of Duty fashion.
Just like the original, Activision plans on supporting Black Ops Zombies with additional map packs and updates. Awesome, right?