While I'm not the retro overlord our own Blake Patterson is, I've always thought it would be super cool to have a cocktail arcade machine. Even though the iPad doesn't have the 30 years worth of pizza grease on it like your typical Pac-Man cocktail table would have, the iPad is a surprisingly good substitute when it comes to face to face single device multiplayer. Where am I going with all this? Well, Super Cosmic Word Snake [$2.99] combines so many things I like in an iPad game it's almost like 3V Games built their game off some design document of mine that I haven't even created yet. It's dripping with retro charm, has simple (but incredibly fun) two player single device multiplayer, and even has Game Center.

To start playing, you need to situate the iPad between you and a friend and flip a coin (or somehow determine) who is going to play which side first. As the first player, you're responsible for growing the super cosmic word snake as much as possible. Adding body segments on to the end of said snake is as simple as hitting the 7 letter buttons at the bottom of the screen to make a word. The first letter of the word you form must start with the last letter of the worm itself. The snake then, well, snakes around the screen towards the opposite side.

Player 2 plays on the opposite side of the screen, and using a slider and a button you're able to fire at the word snake. Initially you'll need to shoot asteroids out of the way to get a clear shot, but after that you're home free to unload everything you've got on to the snake. Segments of the snake come in two types, and can be killed in one shot if those segments were added by a three (or less) letter word. Segments added from a four (or more) letter word take two shots to kill.

The game is over when the worm has either been destroyed, or it has made it all the way to the other side. After that, it starts over, and it's up to you whether or not you switch places. There's also a single player mode included as well, although it's substantially less fun than playing with another person. In fact, if you don't have someone to play with, I'd go as far as just suggesting sticking with more typical single player oriented word games.

I really like how retro-ized the whole game is, and how the graphics and interface are designed to look just like a cocktail table arcade machine. It's also neat how the two players play the game so differently, with one player playing what amounts to a retro-style shooter while the other plays a word game. It would be cool to have some additional game modes, or power-ups of sorts that could keep things a little more even if one player was particularly good at their goal, but overall Super Cosmic Word Snake is a surprisingly fun two player iPad game.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

Heads up, Potter fans: LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1 � 4 [$2.99] for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch is now just $2.99 on the App Store, coming down from a high of $4.99. Movie tie-in games, in general, stink, so it's nice to be able to point you in the direction of this fantastic joint, which has a touch of LEGO game whimsy, some serious HP love, and competent bolts and bits of hardcore design. You can read our full review here, but the gist is this: even if you're not crawling into bed with a Rowling novel every night, there's still a lot fun to be had with this third-person action / exploration / adventure game.

Video by AppBank

Also, on the update front, you'll notice that version 2.2 has been pushed out � this is a patch that addresses that nasty red brick glitch that prevented people from accessing their crimson unlockables. Of course, this version of the game also supports Retina display, is universal, and features the same content as its console counterpart which sells for many times more. Pretty sharp package for a low price.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

We've been shoveling heaps of praise on Death Rally [$2.99] lately between our glowing review and the announcement of the recent update. Well, the update is out now and along with it comes a price drop to $2.99. I've still got my fingers (and toes) crossed for some kind of online multiplayer eventually, but a new car, new weapons, and the new game mode included in this update is a great start.

Death Rally is a remake of the classic topdown racer with the same title. Made by Remedy, the creators of Max Payne and Alan Wake, on top of being universal Death Rally is also one of the few games out there right now that is fully optimized for the iPad 2. With a steady stream of updates on the way, one already dropped, and a recent sale, there's really no reason to not grab this game.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

Ever since the introduction of the Unreal Engine on iOS, the graphical capabilities of games have exceeded anything I would have previously thought possible on the platform, as most notoriously evidenced by Epic and Chair Entertainment's Infinity Blade [$5.99]. A new video for the upcoming game Dream:scape has similarly grabbed my attention with its gorgeous visuals and promise of expansive game world.

Not much is really known about Dream:scape, other than it's built using the Unreal Engine and is said to contain more than 30 acres of in-game explorable landscape and building interiors. It's described as an "interactive storytelling experience", and it looks to be more along the lines of an adventure game rendered in 3D rather than a more traditional role-playing game. The developer offers a bit more information in a comment on his YouTube channel:

The player takes on the persona of a coma patient unlocking his past by exploring the dreamscape of his memories. As the player explores the huge open world, memories are unlocked. These are represented by cut-scenes, featuring audible dialog, and diary entries, which the player reads in-game via a 3-D representation of a leather-bound book. The player must determine which areas to explore so as to find and? unlock the story.

Dream:scape is currently in review with Apple, and barring any sort of complications should be released soon. In regards to whether it will run on older devices or not, the developer notes that it's built on the same Unreal Mobile engine as Infinity Blade, so how that game performs on your particular device may be an indication of how well Dream:scape will run, though no official device support has been finalized. There's currently a discussion thread for Dream:scape in our forums, and we'll hopefully have more from this intriguing title in the coming weeks.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

As I'm sure many of you have gathered already by the lovely border currently adorning our site, CAVE is running a sale on all 3 of their iOS games for a limited time. Due to the fact that CAVE has never had sales on their games aside from when they are released, and given the sheer quality of each of these titles, it's definitely worth highlighting this sale some more. This comes as a celebration for the 1 year anniversary of CAVE World, the division of CAVE responsible for iOS development. Take a look at the description and videos for each of these titles and see what strikes your fancy. Also, each game features full Game Center integration with leaderboards and achievements and there's lite versions to try for all of them.

---

Espgaluda II, $8.99�?�$4.99 � CAVE's very first iOS offering was a port of their 2005 arcade and Xbox 360 game Espgaluda II. It featured all of the same screen filling bullet hell action of those versions but also included a special iPhone mode that was designed with mobile play in mind. The scoring in iPhone mode is tweaked slightly to be less confusing, and their is also a special Awakening Pulse attack exclusive to the iOS version.

CAVE did a wonderful job including options for different screen sizes, control schemes, and difficulty levels in an effort to cater to as wide an audience as possible. In many ways, Espgaluda II actually feels best with touch screen controls as opposed to traditional control sticks or d-pads. We really liked Espgaluda II in our review, and even 1 year later it stands as one of the best shooters available on the App Store, and there's a whole thread of people in our forums with similar sentiments.

App Store Links:

• Espgaluda II, $4.99
• Espgaluda II Lite, Free

---

Dodonpachi Resurrection, $8.99 ? $4.99 � The follow-up to Espgaluda II was a port of CAVE's 2008 arcade game Dodonpachi DaiFukkatsu (renamed Dodonpachi Resurrection for iOS). This release was significant in that the iOS platform received this port before any other platform, signifying CAVE's strong support of App Store gaming. On top of that, it's just an excellent game, and featured both an arcade mode and new iPhone mode similar to that of Espgaluda II.

This time, however, the iPhone-specific enhancements went even further. A brilliant brand new dual-meter scoring system complimented the new Hyper Cannon weapon which utilized the touch screen in a unique way. These points are covered in more detail in our review of the game from last August, and earlier this year we learned about the alternate routes you could take through the game to unlock a hidden playable boss ship. As far as shooters go, they don't get much better than Dodonpachi Resurrection, as evidenced by the many positive comments in our forums.

App Store Links:

• Dodonpachi Resurrection, $4.99
• Dodonpachi Resurrection Lite, Free

---

Mushihimesama Bug Panic, $4.99 ? 99� � Not long after the release of Dodonpachi Resurrection, CAVE announced that they were working on an original title for iOS using characters from their Mushihimesama series. Titled Mushihimesama Bug Panic, it was a departure from CAVE's typical scrolling shooters and was instead a dual-stick style shooter featuring elements of bullet hell gameplay.�Much in the same way Dodonpachi Resurrection and Espgaluda II represented high water marks for the shooter genre on iOS, Mushihimesama Bug Panic offered one of the best dual-stick experiences available on the App Store.

Besides the single player campaign with many levels to play through � each with hidden areas, collectibles, dozens of enemies and huge boss characters � Mushihimesama Bug Panic was also recently updated with full online multiplayer through Game Center. We really loved Mushihimesama Bug Panic in our review, and once again players have really been enjoying this latest CAVE title in our forums. As an added bonus all proceeds from the Mushihimesama Bug Panic sale will be donated to Red Cross relief efforts in Japan.

App Store Links:

• Mushihimesama Bug Panic, $0.99
• Mushihimesama Bug Panic Lite, Free

---

The sale on all of CAVE's titles started this past Saturday and will run until next Sunday, April 17th. There are lite versions of every game available to try out before you buy, but keep in mind that all games require at least a 3rd generation iPhone/iPod touch or an iPad due to the massive amount of sprites that they push at any given time. Also, just in case you can't get enough of CAVE on your device, you can grab their free kitchen timer app Mushihimesama Bug Timer [Free] which I have found an invaluable tool for manic egg boiling.

All of CAVE's titles are worth checking out and grabbing during this rare sale, and with their recently announced Deathsmiles port on the horizon we can all �look forward to more CAVE goodness on the App Store soon.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->