We've seen many of our favorite games updated in the last few weeks now that Apple's Game Center has gone live. Predators by Chillingo is next in line, and one of the more premium apps to receive a little extra achievement love to extend its lifespan. Thankfully, Chillingo and developer Angry Mob Games have taken this opportunity to renew interest in Predators with additional levels, weapons and other content, too.

Since the last we looked at Predators, where we were impressed by just how faithfully it captures that authentic Predator feel, it has been updated (in version 1.2) with Retina Display support for you lucky 4th gen owners. Of special note in the new 1.3 update are two new survival modes which thoughtfully address criticism in our review that the initial offering of just one survival level got a little too repetitive.

The developers have also added additional weapons, such as the useful long-range melee Razor Whip, and a host of new combos to go with it. Of course, Predators wouldn't be much without enemies to use said weapons on, and so 3 additional (and challenging!) enemy Predators have been added as bosses to make use of these new abilities; the final Super Black Predator said to be quite ferocious and a real test of your accumulated skills.

We're still playing through Predators again to unlock the new content ourselves, but we're pleased to see that there are now 31 achievements to work towards in Game Center, and all the high score tables have been ported over to Apple's new platform too. We're glad that Chillingo have stepped up and responded favorably to our feedback, and we're confident that all the new additions (and the temporary price drop) will entice fans back to the game for another play through and attract newcomers too, particularly if you're a 4th gen device owner and missed the Retina update.

Back in July we brought word that Gaijin Games had teamed up with Namco Bandai to develop an iOS adaptation of Gaigin's Wiiware rhythm action title BIT.TRIP BEAT. We're happy to report that the fruits of their labors have just made their App Store debut, with a version for both the iPhone / iPod touch [link] and the iPad [link].

One of a series of four�Bit.Trip titles by Gaigin (published through the Wii Shop by Aksys Games),�Bit.Trip Beat is something like a cross between�Pong and�Rez as an accelerometer-equipped Atari 2600 might play them. The game puts you in tilt or touch control of an on-screen paddle with the goal of bouncing waves of oncoming blocks whence they came. The impact timings of the aforementioned blocks are synched with the excellent chiptune audio track while abstract / futuristic animations float in the backdrop, both of which give the game its sort of�Rez dynamic. And, it's all done up in brilliant colors and oh-so-lovely jaggy, chunky pixels, with a chiptune soundtrack appropriately accompanying the on-screen action.

The further you progress through the game, successfully returning oncoming blocks, the more complex and evolved the visual presentation becomes. Miss too many blocks, and the visuals slowly regress to a simple, black and white state, in another apparent nod to�Rez.

Says Gaigan founder Alex Neuse,

"We're very excited for the BIT.TRIP series to join in the fight against digital boredom alongside the rank and file of legendary Namco franchises, such as PAC-MAN, Katamari Damacy and Mr. Driller. When considering a publishing partner for our series on mobile devices, Namco was among our top choices. After playing the final iPhone version, we positively freaked out. Namco has brought an absolutely pure BIT.TRIP experience to the mobile market and we look forward to continuing the series with them."

And I'd have to agree with Neuse as regards the "pure" nature of this game on the iOS platform, if "pure" speaks to a faithful, well-implemented conversion. I've spent significant time with the Wiiware original, and the game plays wonderfully on the iPhone and iPad. In fact, I find that the game offers more precise controls on the iOS devices than it does using the Wiimote � in touch-control mode in particular (though tilt is also an option). In my opinion, it's more enjoyable on the iPhone or iPad than on the Wii.

BIT.TRIP BEAT features local and online multiplayer (through Game Center), but at the moment it's only two-player head-to-head � four-player is coming in a future update. What's more, three additional levels (for now) are available as in-game, downloadable content. (One of the complaints about the original is the somewhat limited gameplay content.)

See the developer's short trailer featuring a bit of gameplay, or have a look at the Wii video we posted earlier, featuring nearly identical game content.

BIT.TRIP BEAT is one of those games that draws you in and sends you to a sort of 'zone' where much of the mundane meatspace world just kind of falls away. Anyone who enjoys rhythm gaming or retro-styling in general should have a really good time with this one.

BIT.TRIP BEAT for the iPhone and iPad are currently on a limited time, 50% off sale at the time of this writing.