The wheels of Gameloft's marketing machine were set in motion again today, as the company has released a teaser trailer for a new upcoming game. Called 9mm, it looks to be another 3D action game centered around crime, not totally unlike the Gangstar series. So far, 9mm looks a lot better than either of the Gangstar games though. The graphics look greatly improved and there seems to be a more serious, grittier tone to the style of the game. You can even catch a quick glimpse of a stripper dancing and a couple F-bombs getting dropped in the trailer's soundtrack. Whoa, settle down Gameloft!

Another interesting twist in 9mm is that it appears you'll be playing the role of a police officer in the game, rather than a street thug. The main character that's portrayed in the trailer seems to place someone under arrest, and a subtle hint on Gameloft's German Twitter account that translates to "Only the bravest cops can keep peace and order in the toughest areas" �which also leads us to believe you'll be playing as a man of the law. One that plays fast and loose with morals, apparently, but a law man nonetheless. Could this finally be my oft-dreamt about video game version of the movie Training Day? One can only hope.

Also worth mentioning is the use of a bullet-time slow down effect during one of the action sequences in the trailer, which was pioneered by the Max Payne series of games. It may be that this plays a part in the actual gameplay, or it could just be a neat effect used for the trailer itself. At this point, anything is just rampant speculation on my part.

Speaking of rampant speculation, there is plenty of that going on in the upcoming thread�for 9mm in our forums. If previous Gameloft releases are any indication, there should be a solid gameplay trailer to follow up this teaser in the next few weeks or so, and I would guess that an actual release isn't more than a month or two away. We'll let you known when we hear anything more on Gameloft's 9mm.

Let's get this out of the way, Square Enix's�Chaos Rings O [$11.99 / HD] is identical to the original�Chaos Rings in more ways than one. In fact, its differences are so few, it's hard to differentiate the two and considering�Chaos Rings O follows the original by a full year, that's going to be a bit disappointing to fans of the first game looking for something new.

By the nature of the narrative in the first game, there is little in the way of expanding the�Battle Royale style storyline, which pits you in a fight to the death against a random collection of couples abducted to an arena for the sake of proving their battle-worthiness. Even though this is billed as a prequel, it's still not the "first" time this the tournament has gone down and it's clearly not the last.

Where the first game told the story from several different viewpoints,�Chaos Rings O decides instead to tell the main story of Vieg (who you'll recognize from the first game, perhaps a bit younger looking). This might be a bit jarring to fans of the multiple viewpoints of the first game, but it does allow�Chaos Rings O to tell a slightly more cohesive story.

The setting is the exact same and that goes for the dungeons as well. They're varied in layout, but considering the first games dungeon designs were essentially randomly put together screens, that's not really saying much. Since there are different characters, the narrative is tweaked slightly, including a ridiculous mother/child plot involving a not-at-all-pregnant-looking woman who happens to be your wife. Dialogue is on par with the first as well, which is to say, it reads like it's something closer to fan fiction. Because of that, there are plenty of inadvertent jokes � for instance, during a cut scene where your wife is giving birth, an ill-timed achievement called "Pelvic Pummeler" will pop up in relation to a boss fight you just completed.

But if you liked the style and story of the first game, you'll enjoy this one too. Without spoiling things, you'll seen connections between the two games and get a few explanations of how the Ark Arena works and where certain situations and characters from the first game came from.

Combat, movement, the menus; everything else is the same as the first. That includes the ability to turn off random enemy encounters or alternately, to force one into happening. The puzzles are back this time too, but you can skip them if you fail three times. Combat works on the same two-person tactic as the first, which offers entry level RPG fans a clear and simple system to go with and it's mixed with enough complexity that you can take it to some extremes to deal hefty damage, but the game doesn't really challenge you to do so as often as it could. There is also a ludicrously over-done tutorial system at the beginning of the game, which features a tutorial for how to use the "options" menu for no apparent reason.

The same goes for the graphics, which are, to be frank, identical to the first, oftentimes seemingly taking assets directly from the original and changing their color. While�Chaos Rings had a bit of a shock-and-awe factor going for it,�Chaos Rings O doesn't. The weirdly pixelated static backgrounds and poorly textured character designs look significantly dated now. It shouldn't really matter, but as a whole, it looks like they weren't trying too hard.

There are a flurry of post-release updates planned, including increased level caps and bosses (which only makes sense after you finish the game), but based on their descriptions alone, they don't really seem that interesting unless you're an absolute die-hard fan. If nothing else, it's nice to see Square Enix is coming around to the App Store update model, at least a little bit.

By the end of it all,�Chaos Rings O is solely for diehard fans of�Chaos Rings and with the first game currently on sale, you'll be better of starting there if you're just a curious passerby. It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't even pretend to offer anything different or new. More is more � so if that's all you're asking for, you'll be happy with the way the story fills in the gaps of the first, but if you didn't like the first or wanted new battle systems or combat, you'll be disappointed.

Game Center isn't that great. That was the first among throngs of intelligent thoughts that followed after my first few forays into Infinity Blade's [$2.99] new "Arena" mode, which hit the App Store this afternoon as a free update to the core � and now reduced priced � game.

The second thought had something to do with the grim satisfaction I take from hitting people in the face with virtual maces. I've heard Infinity Blade likened to Punch-Out on several occasions. It's a solid comparison, but I've never get the kind of cheap, visceral thrills from that joint like I do from Infinity Blade. Being able to hit people in face while dressed as trolls like I can now makes it all the more … er, fun.

In a nugget, Arena pits you against another dude in a series of battles to the death. The victor is the person who wins the most matches. The twist is that you don't always play as the human � you'll also be forced to play as at least one of the game's monsters.

It's a cool setup, and for the most part, it works. You'll feel like you're playing against opponents who are much smarter and way more cunning. The trade-off is that nothing you do in this mode translates to the campaign. Carrying on with the things you've earned is central to the experience, so this decision does stick out for better or worse.

My third thought had something to do with Arena's self-containment. Infinity Blade allows people to sink real money into the game in exchange for gold, so I trudged into Arena with a belly full of trepidation.

Alas, no worries; everything you earn in Arena is locked into the current match. You'll also start with no items earned from the campaign, so every game is a fresh one � which is what makes the decision to have progression a puzzling one.

After each match, you'll earn gold that you can then spend on shield, armor, weapons, or new body types if you're a monster… but you'll keep none of it after the match. Ideally, this self-contained faux-perk system creates an arms race against opponents, but it lacks the depth needed to make that friction meaningful. The customization options are lacking and everything seems way too easy to get.

My fourth thought had something to do with how much I like trolls. I want to be the jerk troll clubbing pitiful humans in the face and I totally got to do that in Arena. Oh, and for what it's worth, I'm having a blast doing it.

Beasts control much like the human with the added benefit of a slider bar that controls swing speed. There's also a "Fury" bar that allows for increased recovery times. I think it might be a too technical for its own good, but you'll get the hang of it in minutes.

Being a troll also offers a cool chance to look behind the curtain of enemy design. I feel like game creator Chair just ripped out its AI's spine and sticks your hand up the monster. You get a distinct feel for how the enemies are designed to attack as the puppeteer.

To access Arena, update your game and head straight into the menu option from the game. Be prepared to fiddle with Game Center; I've received countless errors and weird hang-ups thus far, but when you do connect, the multiplayer works really well.

Like I wrote in a previous post, this Arena update also gives you a ton of new weapons and gives you access to a boss attack mode called "Survivor." It's definitely worth the price of $0 and the game itself is definitely worth the $2.99 Chair is selling it for at the moment. Check it!

A couple months ago, NimbleBit (creators of Pocket Frogs [Free]) revealed their upcoming Universal freemium title, Tiny Tower. Since then, I've had a chance to get hands on with the game, and so far I really like what I've seen.

Your role in Tiny Tower is part building developer, part elevator operator. You're responsible for the lives of the Bitizens that live and work in your tower, and you're also responsible for building a tower that brings in the big bucks. Tiny Tower is still in beta, so just about anything could change before release, but let me run down how things work currently.

The tutorial walks you through the basics of building. For each floor you add on to your tower, you can choose from hundreds of different production and residential designs. Residential floors hold your Bitizens, production floors employ them. Whether a production floor is a coffee shop or a hair salon, it needs Bitizens to stock its goods or services.

You have two currencies to work with: coins, and Tower Bux. You build your tower with coins. If you want to speed things up, Bux can be used to instantly finish construction, stock an item or move a new Bitizen into the tower. They can also be converted to coins. As you can probably guess, Bux are the premium consumable in Tiny Tower. No word on what the cost will be yet, but much like Pocket Frogs, you can get by just fine without if you'd rather not pay. Bux can be earned a few ways through normal gameplay, so paying will just speed things up.

Early on, most of the interaction is limited to the elevator. You can ferry people up your tower for tips, and special visitors with unique abilities show up occasionally to mix things up. There's also an element of time management as you try to get all your production floors fully stocked. As the game progresses, you'll start to get very busy keeping on top of your tower. This isn't one of those freemium games that's best played by setting things up and walking away, that's for sure.

NimbleBit hasn't set a release date for Tiny Tower, but they hope to release some time next month. After what I've played so far, I can't wait to get my hands on it when it arrives.

In 2009, Total NonStop Action (TNA) Wrestling was released. Surprisingly, it was a turn-based strategic wrestling game, with RPG elements, enabling your wrestler to "level-up". That game later disappeared from the App Store, with players in the thread suggesting their license expired. Now, another TNA Wrestling game has been released by Bight Interactiveand Namco Bandai.

TNA Wrestling iMPACT [$4.99] opens with bright lights and an electric guitar soundtrack, which introduces the entertainment spectacle that is modern wrestling. It's a good introduction, and perfectly sets the scene for just how over the top this kind of wrestling is.

Career and exhibition modes are offered, with three levels of difficulty. Career mode let's you to play as either your favorite TNA superstar, or a custom made character. There are three career tournaments to play, including TNA heavyweight, X-division and tag-team. Winning matches in career mode improves your wrestler by enhancing their power, toughness, speed and/or charisma. Winning all three tournaments will unlock Hulk Hogan. In Exhibition mode, there's six match types, each with different win conditions, namely: Standard, Submission, Falls Count Anywhere, No Disqualifications, Cage and Tag-Team. Multi Player is available locally via bluetooth or wifi, or online via Game Center.

The game features 24 TNA wrestling superstars, each with their own entrance, costume and signature moves. Alternatively, you can create-a-wrestler, customizing the name, fighting style, signature moves, physical appearance, costume and attributes. Each wrestler is either a brawler, powerhouse or high-flier, which determines their fighting style and special moves.

Wrestling fans will be pleased to know there's a variety of moves available, including: Body Slam, Suplex, DDT, Piledriver, Spinebuster, Facebreaker, and the Backbreaker. Finishing moves include: Blackhole Slam, Border Toss, Running Leg Drop, Olympic Slam and Chaos Theory to name a few. You can also pick-up objects like bats from the crowd, or chairs, as weapons.

The controls consist of a virtual D-Pad, with buttons for attack, grapple and run. Additional special context-sensitive buttons appear when required for finishing moves, pinning the opponent, climbing (turnbuckle or cage), entering / exiting the ring, taking weapons or tagging your partner. Completing attacking moves successfully fills up your "impact bar", which makes your special finishing move available.

High scores and achievements are integrated with Game Center, with over 25 achievements. Extra content, such as outfits and alternative ring themes can be accessed by installing and starting certain other games, to earn the "TNA Stars" necessary to make the purchases.

I'm sure this all sounds amazing if you're a wrestling fan. Really, TNA Wrestling Impact offers a lot of features; but given the dubious history of wrestling games on the App Store, is this one awesome to play? Sadly, the answer is "not really". It's okay, not superb.

The first disappointment occurs during the introduction, when the characters speak without voice overs. With games like FIFA 11 and Fight Night providing quality commentary and other voice work, it's disappointing to see the wrestling characters communicate via subtitles, while their animated mouths flap endlessly and the same hand gestures loop over and over. It's difficult to convey the energy, showmanship and bravado of wrestling via sub-titles.

Once the match begins, the wrestler's movements feel slow and cumbersome, rather than smooth and exciting. Opponents occasionally fall over without any contact being made. Graphical glitches occur regularly, with the opponents boots disappearing inside your body, body parts being obscured by the ring or one wrestler walking straight through another. Brushing against a barrier outside the ring causes your superstar to collapse. The pumping music at the start disappears during gameplay, leaving the unrealistic sound of the crowd, who appear to be related to each other. At least, the same figures, in the same clothes, appear repeatedly. Interestingly, from some angles the audience are all facing away from the ring.

The game sometimes surprises by busting out a new move, like pummeling the opponent while standing on the ropes and pinning them in the corner. There's also satisfaction to be had from pulling off moves successfully, especially of the aerial variety, but overall the wrestling gets repetitive quickly. Overall, TNA Wrestling Impact seems to have a lot of potential, but ultimately fails in overall execution, which seems to be par for the course for most wrestling games� Especially in the mobile world.

When I first saw the trailer for Simogo's Bumpy Road [$2.99], I immediately knew it was something that I wanted to play. The graphics, music, and unique controls appealed to me on so many levels. I was given an early version of the game for our hands-on preview, and despite being unfinished and limited to just one mode, I absolutely loved it. Really, though, it just made me even more eager for the final version to hit the App Store. That day has finally come, as Bumpy Road is now available, and it's easily one of the most beautiful and fun games I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

The biggest standout in Bumpy Road is its innovative control mechanic. A car carrying a cute married couple drives automatically to the right, but you don't actually control the car itself. Instead, touching anywhere on the screen raises the elevation of the ground and creates a bump in the road. Using this, you can create a sort of wave to push the car back and forth or quickly tap under it to pop it into the air. This mechanic is dead simple to understand, but definitely takes some practice for it to click. Once it does, however, you'll be bouncing the little car all over the screen like an old pro, and it truly feels great.

At its core, Bumpy Road is a high scoring game that contains two different modes to play. The first, Evergreen Ride, is an endless trek along a randomly generated set of track designs. You try to make it as far as possible without running out of fuel or falling into a watery pit. Along you path, various types of gizmos are lying around waiting to be collected. Grabbing these will continuously fill your fuel gauge, and if you fill the gauge completely you'll trigger a bonus sequence that speeds up your car and removes any pits, allowing you to concentrate on picking up as many gizmos as you can before the sequence ends.

The second mode is Sunday Trip, and gives you another randomly generated level to drive in but one that has a finish line. The goal is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. There aren't any water pits to worry about here, and collecting boost or clock items will improve your time at the end. There are gizmos to collect in this mode too, but no fuel gauge, and they simply go towards improving your time at the end as well. Both Evergreen Ride and Sunday Trip have their own Game Center leaderboards to compete on and a number of achievements to earn.

While Bumpy Road is indeed a solid high scoring game, it's the peripheral elements that transcend it from being merely a well-made video game to an unforgettable experience. I'm a strong believer that games can have a soul, and I can feel the love in Bumpy Road with every tap of the touch screen. The artwork is undeniably charming, simplistic but elegant and full of life. The music is catchy and inviting, and in a great touch collecting gizmos actually creates sound effects that enhance the soundtrack. Even touching the ground emulates the sounds of rolling across a toy piano, which actually make you feel like you're part of the game while playing it.

There is also a mild story element to Bumpy Road. As you drive along in Evergreen Ride, you'll occasionally come across old photographs to collect that each reveal a snippet of the married couple's life together. You can then view all of the collected photographs in a gallery accessed from the main menu. This gallery takes the form of a dimly lit room where the photographs are projected on a screen in front of a silhouette of the couple nestled closely on the couch in the foreground. This is such a simple feature, and yet, it feels so personal to be experiencing the lives and memories of this couple right along with them that it adds tremendously to the experience.

Taken at face value, Bumpy Road is an excellent high score game. The unique control mechanic offers an organic way to interact with the game, even if it's a little tricky to get the hang of. The pacing, scoring elements, and randomly generated levels all contribute to a game that's both enjoyable and highly replayable. But, Bumpy Road is much more than the sum of its parts. The real magic lies in the emotional attachment to the characters and the whimsical sounds and visuals that permeate every inch of the touch screen. There is a chorus of praise for the game in our forums as well, and if you like high scoring games or touching works of art, then you won't want to miss Bumpy Road.

Developer FuzzyCube Software has just released their new iPad title iQuarterback 2 [Free] for free into the App Store. iQuarterback 2 is something of an arcade-style mini-game that lets you toss the ol' pigskin at various types of targets using an intuitive touch screen interface.

There are two modes in iQuarterback 2. The first is called Shoot Out, and has you throwing at targets that move laterally across the field at different speeds. What's especially fun about this mode is that you must lead your passes so that they end up hitting the targets in motion. This can be pretty tricky due to the different speeds the targets travel, but incredibly satisfying when you time a throw just right to nail one.

The second mode is simply titled Accuracy, and has you aiming for a series of stationary targets that pop up at various spots in the field. This mode is considerably easier just to hit the targets since they don't move, but you are rewarded for quickly getting your passes launched as you're then able to hit more targets in the allotted time. There are special targets in both modes that once hit will allow you things like extra round time, a huge ball that makes hitting targets easier, or the ability to throw multiple balls at once.

Competing in either mode will earn you fame and experience for your character. As your character levels up, you'll unlock additional items to purchase with your collected fame, like special ball types, new helmets, and different field environments. If you aren't the patient type, there is also the option to purchase packs of fame as IAP to speed up the whole process, though this is entirely optional. Another nice addition to the overall package is Game Center integration with achievements and leaderboards for each mode.

Also, it's free to download the full game of iQuarterback 2 that is ad-supported with banners running along the bottom of the screen. You can disable these ads with an IAP of $2.99, but I've found that they really don't interfere with the game at all.

iQuarterback 2 is definitely a lot of fun. The gameplay is simplistic, but the upgrading aspect is a real hook, and the crazy items you can unlock along the way are great motivation to keep playing. Plus, it's free, so there's really no risk to give it a try. Players in our forums have been liking it as well, so for some fun arcade-style gameplay give iQuarterback 2 a look.