This week on TAS, we discuss more games than news due to the startling lull in App Store controversies, craziness, or compelling offerings. Pocket Academy takes the first spot, as we go deep on what makes it so good. Then, we follow with a light Puzzle Agent 2 discussion, followed by Street Fighter 4: Volt, 8-Bit Rally, and Amazing Breaker.

Somehow, we get off the rails hard enough to have a legitimate discussion about the Xbox LIVE beta program and classic online PC gaming. Also, Jared's puffy and beautiful beard gets a notable mention among other tangential riffs.

As always, you can check us out via the download link just below or on the iTunes music store for music and other things, as well as the Zune Marketplace. If you'd be so kind, we would really like to read more of your questions or comments on air, so throw us e-mails at our inbox: podcast@toucharcade.com. You can also hit us up on Facebook and the Twitter, though your longer-form thoughts are always appreciated.

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iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-006.mp3, 36MB

Now, for the show notes!

GAMES

• Pocket Academy [$3.99 / Lite]
• Puzzle Agent 2 [$4.99 / HD]
• Amazing Breaker [$.99]
• Street Fighter IV: Volt [$.99]
• 8-Bit Rally [$1.99]

FRONT PAGE

Thanks for listening, guys, and have a (safe) and fun long weekend. We'll be back on Monday with another BONUS episode and Friday, of course, with another regularly scheduled show. Don't forget to e-mail us!

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As we mentioned in January, we're bringing back our monthly "Best of" roundups. Much like the February and March, the end of May and the beginning of June hit right smack dab in the middle for preparing for and attending both E3 and WWDC� Two incredibly busy events that also landed on the exact same week, something I hope never ever happens again. So, just like before, we're doing an extra large double month double feature.

Our ratings for games we reviewed in both May and June are now in place, and we now present to you the ones that are on the top of the heap. Each game reviewed receives a 1-5 star rating relative to the other games from that month. Generally, a 3 or higher is considered a "good" rating.

Our final scores are not the product of any traditionally objective measures such as graphics or sound, but simply reflect the games we would most recommend to others.

5 Stars

Bumpy Road, $2.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � It's not often that a game comes along in the App Store that makes you think, "Wow, why didn't someone think of this sooner?". Bumpy Road is just that kind of game. The control system to control the game world rather than the car is remarkably clever, and since its initial release it's even seen some update love from the developers.

Great Little War Game, $2.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � As mentioned in our review, this game is anything but little. Great Little War Game is a turn-based strategy game that we consider a must have for anyone even vaguely interested in the genre. The developers are remarkably active in our community, and thus far GLWG's updates have been fantastic, both in implementing new features as well as forum feedback.

Tiny Tower, Free - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � NimbleBit set some sky high expectations with Pocket Frogs [Free], their previous (and first) foray into the free to play world. I'd go as far as to say that Tiny Tower is even better, as it has completely taken over my household.

Pocket Academy, $3.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � It seems like ever since Game Dev Story [$1.99 we just can't get enough of Kairosoft simulations. This one in particular puts you in charge of a school, and while many of the mechanics might not be immediately apparent, once the game grabs you, it doesn't let go.

Casey's Contraptions HD, $2.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � There are tons of contraption-building games on the App Store, but few are as good as Casey's Contraptions. The theme of the game is gloriously whimsical, and you can spend hours delving through the clever and convoluted solutions your friends post via Game Center.

4.5 Stars

STREET FIGHTER IV Volt, $1.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Capcom is following their time honored tradition of relentlessly re-releasing Street Fighter with Street Fighter IV Volt. This time around there are three new characters as well as online multiplayer. We'd easily have given Volt 5 stars, but in its current state the online play is very hit or miss and more often than not is mostly unplayable. However, if you do get a match with no lag, it's awesome.

1-bit Ninja, $1.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � This seemingly 2D game is built around a clever gimmick of being able to shift the camera to a 3D perspective to see platforms that are obscured by looking at it from straight on. It's really cool, and if you like platformers, this is one you need.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, $4.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � If you've had a taste for Mario Kart, Sega has you covered. All-Stars Racing is loaded with familiar characters, has online multiplayer, and is even universal.

Juice Belts, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Line drawing is such a great mechanic on iOS devices, and it works out especially good in this game as you're drawing conveyor belts to deliver fruit to a juicer. Difficulty ramps up well, and the game feels fresh from start to finish.

Velocispider, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � This fantastic tilt-controlled shooter has sucked up entirely too much of our time. With nods to retro shooters like Space Invaders, awesome pixel art, and universal compatibility Velocispider is simply fantastic.

House of Mice, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � We're still baffled by the mechanics of this game, and why the cat doesn't just eat the mice instead of getting blown up by them, but whatever. This is a great physics puzzle game.

Candy Train, Free - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � This is a shockingly fun and free game from PopCap (Well, 4th and Battery to be specific.) that's also universal. What else do you need to know?!

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The rest of the game ratings can be seen in their respective rating categories (also found in the sidebar navigation): 5 Stars, 4.5 Stars, 4 Stars, 3.5 Stars, 3 Stars, and 2 Stars.

As always, we expect there will be some debate about relative scores, but keep in mind that everyone's personal ratings may vary based on individual tastes.

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In case you didn't know, TouchArcade is part of one big happy internet family with MacRumors which is the place to go for Apple news and rumors as well as AppShopper which catalogs the App Store and actually provides quite a bit of the glue behind the scenes that makes a lot of things on TouchArcade work. If you're already familiar with AppShopper, you might be aware of most what I'm going to go over in this post, so consider this a PSA for those who aren't in the know.

The AppShopper site itself is incredibly useful because it makes browsing through the App Store quite a bit easier (and often times quite a bit faster) than just using iTunes. For instance, part of what I do every morning to find games to cover on TouchArcade involves going through the listing of all the new games that have appeared on the App Store. Similarly, you can see all games that have had a recent price drop and all paid games that recently got switched to free. That second link is particularly useful, as since it's generated as close to real time as possible you often can scoop up awesome free games hours (or even days) before they appear on the various free app promotional sites.

If you're only interested in iPad or universal games, there's toggles for that. Also, if viewing everything the App Store has to offer is overwhelming (which it totally is at times) you can mash the "Popular" switch to only show things that the 1,000 monkeys on the 1,000 typewriters powering AppShopper have deemed as such. Where things get really useful in all this is that every view of AppShopper has its own custom RSS feed, so if you're an RSS kind of person, you can add specific views such as popular universal games that dropped to free right in line with whatever else you've got in your RSS reader of choice.

The reason for this particular plug of AppShopper is due to a recent update to the AppShopper App [Free]. This app does everything the AppShopper site does, and more, packed into a slick native application. It's got a bunch of cool features, but what people will find the most useful around here is the wish list functionality with push alerts. If you read TouchArcade on a daily basis, you'll totally be inundated with cool games you'd like to check out. You also likely have more games than you even know what to do with already on your device which can make buying everything the instant it comes out at full price a little silly (and potentially expensive).

If this describes you, you should really give using the AppShopper wish list as a way to "bookmark" games a try. Here's how it works� You see a game you thing looks cool, but don't necessarily need right away. You add it, then when it drops in price you'll get a handy alert telling you so… Both reminding you that a game you thought was cool still exists, and that it's now on sale.

If you're already a faithful user of the AppShopper app, here's some great news: It's been recently updated to be even better. The app now includes links to TouchArcade reviews as well as reviews from our friends over at 148apps. Also, you can customize when push alerts get sent, so you won't be woken up at 3:00 AM anymore to be alerted that a game you've been keeping your eye on went free. (Unless of course, you want to be awoken for something like that, of course.) In addition to app ratings being implemented, there's all kinds of new filters for searching within the app.

The AppShopper app is totally free and is ad-supported. If you're the kind of person who hates ads, a single 99� in-app purchase will get rid of them forever.

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EA doesn't kid around when it comes to App Store sales. During Christmas 2010, the publisher offered up much of its catalogue for 99 cents. It's doing the same right now in celebration of the US' Independence Day, and I'm guessing it'll net similar results: total App Store chart domination.

Around 90 of EA's titles have hit the 99 cent floor with this sale. Just below, we've listed the ones whose prices were slashed in honor of this holiest of holidays. The blurb in front of each game isn't specific on the dates the sell will run, so buy now if you're into anything the publisher has. And there's a lot to like here � Dead Space, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and older (but still quality) titles like Mirror's Edge are all being featured.

• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 � $2.99 ?�$.99
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 HD � $9.99 ?�$.99
• Battleship HD � $2.99?�$.99
• CLUE: Secrets & Spies � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Coconut Dodge HD � $1.99 ?�$.99
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert HD � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Dead Space � $6.99 ? $.99
• Dead Space HD � $9.99 ? $.99
• Draw Jump HD � $2.99 ? $.99
• Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp � $2.99 ? $.99
• FIFA 11 � $2.99 ? $.99
• FIFA 11 HD � $9.99 ?�$.99
• Fight Night Champion � $4.99 ? $.99
• The Game of Life HD � $6.99 ? $.99
• Madden NFL 11 � $2.99 ? $.99
• Madden NFL 11 HD � $6.99 ? $.99
• Max And the Magic Marker HD � $2.99 ? $.99
• Mirror's Edge HD � $9.99 ? $.99
• Monopoly HD � $9.99 ? $.99
• NBA JAM HD � $4.99 ? $.99
• NCAA Football � $2.99 ? $.99
• Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit HD � $9.99 ?�$.99
• Need For Speed Shift � $2.99 ?�$.99
• Need For Speed Shift HD � $9.99 ?�$.99
• Need for Speed Undercover � $2.99 ?�$.99
• PICTUREKA! HD � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Reckless Racing HD � $4.99 ?�$.99
• RISK -$2.99 ?�$.99
• RISK HD -$6.99 ?�$.99
• Scrabble -$2.99 ?�$.99
• Scrabble HD � $9.99 ?�$.99
• SimCity Deluxe HD � $6.99 ?�$.99
• Snood HD � $4.99 ?�$.99
• TETRIS � $2.99 ?�$.99
• TETRIS HD � $7.99 ?�$.99
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 HD � $6.99 ?�$.99
• The Sims 3 -$6.99 ?�$.99
• The Sims 3: Ambitions � $4.99 ?�$.99
• The Sims 3: World Adventures � $2.99 ?�$.99
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon � $2.99 ?�$.99
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon HD � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 HD � $4.99 ? $.99

Other studios are running sales, too. Gameloft, Com2Us, and Adult Swim have cut the cost of a lot of their libraries and even smaller developers are getting into the mood. Stick with us today and we'll definitely bring you that information.

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Yuji Naka, the former head of Sonic Team and now co-owner of PROPE, has dropped a new Unreal Engine 3 thing on the App Store. Note the hesitance.

It's called PD � proper discoverer [$2.99], and it's remarkable because it doesn't jive with what PROPE has released in the past. It's not a Let's TAP mini-game title, in other words.

It's experiential. Like Epic's showpiece of the engine's power, Epic Citadel [Free], PD has you walking around a castle and its grounds in first-person. The goal is to see everything PROPE has rendered. In order to do that, you have to collect hidden cards scattered in the environments.

PD strikes me as little more than a tech demo. And for better or worse, it's a demo that PROPE is monetizing as it learns the ropes of Unreal Engine 3 and what it can offer in terms of lighting, shading, and all that technical jazz.

In the past, we've seen many other studios�experimenting�with Unreal Engine 3 take and twist Epic Citadel in a similar manner. Just a couple of months ago, actually, I played a poker game with an Epic Citadel-y vibe and structure. Yeah. It was weird.

It's interesting to see a Japanese developer experimenting with Unreal, no less Unreal for tablet and smart device games, but will PROPE continue using the engine? I've blasted over a note to the studio in hopes to learn of its long-term plans, or at least its goals. I'll let you know when or if I hear back.

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We've all been hearing a lot about gamification, lately. As the theory goes, if you take a mundane task and wrap game design elements around it, everyone will want to do it. You can gameify health, education, employment, you name it. Now ASYNC Corp. [$0.99] is here to show us what that gamified future will look like.

As a member of the ASYNC Corp. team, your job is to create and send packets. Packets are made up of units, which are laid out on two grids. You can tap a unit on one grid to move it over to the other grid, but only if the change will create a packet�a square or rectangle made up of at least a 2 x 2 group of color-matched units. To send a packet, you can tap on its happy, smiling face.

A stimulated employee is a happy employee, so ASYNC Corp. has kindly provided several ways to complete your task. The first is Quota mode. In Quota mode, you simply do as instructed: create packets and send them. Your shift ends when the Quota meter fills up. In ASYNC mode, you must create full ASYNCs in every available color. This is a packet that fills an entire grid. This mode is more relaxing � it requires thought, not speed. Zoning mode requires the most speed of all, as you level up and increase your score by filling the Zoning meter. Finally, there is Freeplay mode, which isn't scored and only ends when you decide to punch out.

As you create and send units, your productivity will be ranked. At major milestones you will receive a promotion, and a reward to go with it: a new color theme. ASYNC Corp is also dedicated to your well-being: the company often sends tips and inspiration to your (in-game) inbox to keep you happy and productive.

Sadly, that's all the reward you'll see. There are no leaderboards or achievements to work toward here, though the game does keep track of your high scores. There's also no multitasking, which is brutal in a long-form puzzle game like this. Normally I'd expect an update to fix those omissions, but that may not happen here: apparently the development team was laid off as soon as the game was submitted. I'd like to think that if it does well enough, Powerhead Games will find some way to get those missing features in, but there's no guarantee.

It's really a shame, because this is easily one of the most compelling puzzle games I've played on iOS. The whole package is fantastic, with cheery art and music, and creative color-matching gameplay. The memos from ASYNC Corp. are odd, and have me curious about this company I find myself working for. I can't put the game down, but I also can't help wishing it had been given a little more development time. It could have been flawless.

Our forum users are enjoying it, but are torn over whether it's worth a purchase in its current state. I'm certain it is. If you absolutely must have multitasking or achievements, obviously this isn't the game for you. But if you're willing to overlook a few missing features, you'll soon find that the biggest challenge is leaving your job at ASYNC Corp. to get back to the real world.

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Developer Cowboy Rodeo was kind enough to port the classic Amiga pinball game Pinball Dreams [$4.99/Lite] to the iPhone all the way back in February of 2009. The port was very good, with physics that accurately represented those of the original and ever so slightly enhanced graphics. In fact, Pinball Dreaming was almost better on the iPhone thanks to its elongated screen that didn't need to scroll as much as the original did to show the entire table. Pinball Dreams was followed up shortly after by its sequel Pinball Fantasies [$5.99], which was given the same wonderful treatment in the transfer over to iOS as the first game.

Somewhat surprisingly, and nearly two and a half years later, Cowboy Rodeo is set to release a brand new remake of Pinball Dreams called simply Pinball Dreams HD. What differentiates this version from the original is that each of the game's 4 pinball tables have been recreated using entirely 3D graphics. Fans of the original may cry foul at this notion, but the developer has clarified that the game logic is identical to the original game and should play exactly the same, and the new graphics are a cosmetic change only.

In the above images you can see the Steel Wheel table in the original iPhone version on the left next to a screen from the iPad version of the new Pinball Dreams HD on the right. Down below are 3 additional screens that show the new versions of the other tables in Pinball Dreams HD. Click any image to enlarge.

What prompted Cowboy Rodeo to remake Pinball Dreams after all this time? I really have no idea, but as a huge fan of both Pinball Dreams and Fantasies, I'm really interested to check out Pinball Dreams HD. Cowboy Rodeo has stated in our forums that Pinball Dreams HD is already submitted to Apple, so hopefully it won't be too long before it's released. If the new version turns out to be a success, I'd love to see the same treatment given to Pinball Fantasies down the line too. And hey, Cowboy Rodeo, can you please finally bring Pinball Illusions to the App Store while you're at it?

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I'm late to the party on this one, but if you have any room in your heart for bullet hell shooters you should take a look at Danmaku Unlimited [$1.99 / Lite] You might know that already, but there's a good chance you don't. Maybe you've been living under a rock. Maybe you don't venture beyond Cave's fantastic stable of shmups. Or maybe you'd like to play these games but you're intimidated by the difficulty. Whatever your excuse, you should really give this one a shot.

If you're a bullet hell newbie (like me, I have to admit), here's how it works. You control a ship flying over a scrolling 2D backdrop. Enemy ships fly at you and shoot waves of bullets in your direction. Bosses are especially efficient at filling the screen with projectiles, often leaving you to work out patterns in their fire to slip though. That's the "hell" part of the genre, and it's the part that usually drives away casual players. Luckily, Danmaku Unlimited offers up a kindness to those of us who can't memorize patterns and react instantly: a generously simple Easy mode. It's not dead simple, but it's far less hellish.

Normal and Hard pose plenty of challenge for hardcore players, however. Later bosses are intense enough that the game can get laggy on third generation devices (it isn't compatible with earlier generations). And to play your best, you need to be willing to take some risks. The hit box of your ship, the part that will cause you to lose a life if you get hit, is tiny � a glowing gem in its heart. Get hit anywhere else and you earn grazing bonuses, which increase your multiplier and eventually trigger a Danmaku Trance. While trancing, you can easily destroy everything in your path.

Beyond that feature, you'll find a fairly traditional bullet hell shooter. But Danmaku Unlimited stands out not just on mechanics, but on looks. This game is gorgeous. The bullets themselves are crisp and colorful, and even the ships and backgrounds look great. The enemies and bosses get a little repetitive, but they look fantastic no matter how many times you run into them. The controls also work quite well. You slide your finger around the screen to move your ship. The small hit-box makes the game a little more forgiving than other entries in the genre, and the touch-sensitivity is adjustable.

As with other bullet hell games, making it through the game's 5 stages is only the beginning. The real goal of Danmaku Unlimited is to earn higher and higher scores, and to do that you need to play as perfectly as possible. Your ship is supplied with bombs that will automatically trigger when you're hit. It'll save you a life, but it also resets your multiplier. Worse, if you run out of bombs and get hit again, your ship will be destroyed. This not only resets your multiplier, it also resets the tokens you earn. Die enough times to need a continue, and your score will get reset too. If you just want to limp past the finish line, this is a fine way to play, but if you want to compete on the Game Center leaderboards, you're going to need to conserve your bombs and lives, and avoid needing to continue.

The tokens I mentioned can be used to upgrade your ship, increasing your firepower and adding extra bombs, lives and continues. You can also choose from three different firing spreads for your ship each time you start a game. Once you complete Arcade mode, you unlock that difficulty level's Boss Rush and Free Play mode, adding a little longevity to an already substantial game.

Danmaku Unlimited is a gorgeous 2D shooter that offers up challenging stages and lots of competition. I can't wait to see what comes next from the developer, who's hinted at an upcoming shmup project in our forums.

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If you have a fairly good memory, then you may recall when Square Enix announced way back at E3 2010 that Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions would be hitting the App Store with an expected release before the end of the year. Then in December, they officially delayed the release and gave it a new target date of Spring 2011. Back in May Square Enix once again slid the release date back, stating that Final Fantasy Tactics likely wouldn't make it in time for Spring but should be ready for late June or mid-July.

However, on their Facebook page yesterday, Square Enix pushed the release date back yet again. Apparently they are going to need just a tiny bit of extra development time, and rather than mid-July, Final Fantasy Tactics producer Shiina expects the game to finally be available July twenty… something, or perhaps the very last couple of days in July.

To ease the pain a bit for this additional delay, Shiina offers up some info on the upcoming game. He states that the performance of the game is fast and it's very comfortable to play on the touch screen, and there should be a new video demonstrating this soon. He also says that it will not be a universal game, and that a native iPad version should be launching about a month after the iPhone version. Additionally, the game will require at least a 3rd generation device to play.

Shiina then explains how the game will save your exact state when exiting or being interrupted by a call or text, and that this function was tricky to implement and has added to the extended development time considerably. Finally, Shiina notes that there won't be any kind of multiplayer in the game, and at this time there are no plans to release add-ons after the game comes out, which seems a bit odd.

I love Final Fantasy Tactics just as much as the next guy, but I'm definitely ready for the game to stop being delayed and just release already. Hopefully this new late July timeframe will hold strong and we'll all be playing the game in about a month.

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