On this week's episode of The TouchArcade Show, I brave a tropical storm, Jared survives a day without hits toilet, and Eli fights through the dulcet tones of a weed whacker. Amazingly, we came together and managed to talk about games while doing all of this. Topics include Halfbrick's latest game, a premium listing in the App Store, Steve Jobs retirement, and other fascinating things.

As usual you can download or stream the podcast just below. You could also throw us a bone and subscribe to us on iTunes or the Zune Marketplace where you'll get all our episodes the very second they hit our server for the awesome price of $0. What a deal!

�

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-014.mp3, 38MB

Music notes are included at the back end of the podcast, but for your reading pleasure, here is what we talked about this week:

GAMES

• Peggle HD [$2.99]
• Jetpack Joyride
• Enviro-Bear 2010 [$.99]

THE KITTY KORNER

• Cat Games [$1.99]

FRONT PAGE

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

I'll cut right to the chase here, as there is no reason to beat around the bush when it comes to a game this awesome: Jetpack Joyride is one of the best iOS game I've played in a very long time. It's typical Halfbrick from top to bottom. If you're not familiar with their previous titles, I'll quickly outline what makes them so good, as all of this applies to describing Jetpack Joyride.

Halfbrick seems to have a nearly supernatural ability to take a genre on the App Store that's totally flooded, tired, and jam packed with stale iteration from way too many developers attempting to get in on that particular craze and make it incredible. They do this by nailing the core gameplay in every way it could possibly be nailed, applying their flawless pixel-art, deploying Barry Steakfries, and adding all kinds of hooks to keep you playing.

In the case of Jetpack Joyride, Halfbrick has taken the cave flyer formula which has been done to death and via their seemingly trademarked Australian majicks created a game that I simply cannot put down. In fact, just writing this article is proving to be difficult because every time I go back to the game to add something to my notes, I find 15 minutes has flown by as I've endlessly sent Mr. Steakfries to his doom via lasers, missiles, and zappers.

The controls are rock solid, and work via the standard tried and true single button approach where you touch the screen to power up the thrusters of Barry's jetpack, and release to send him falling back down. Powerups are plentiful via vehicles that you can ride in that all behave very differently. These vehicles serve as a temporary shield of sorts, and will allow you to, for instance, take a missile to the face without ending your flight.

Jetpack Joyride has a fabulous atmosphere to it, and really reminds me a lot of Shadow Complex, Chair Entertainment's incredible Meroidvania Xbox Live Arcade Game released before Infinity Blade. You fly through a mysterious underground lair, and pass through various sectors that all have a distinctly different feel to them. You'll pass by Indiana Jones-like warehouses filled with mysterious crates, underwater tunnels, Scrooge McDuck-esque gold bins, laboratories, and more. The amount of variety is incredible.

Speaking of laboratories, Halfbrick seems to be on the forefront of scientific advancement when it comes to injecting replay value into their games. Jetpack Joyride has all the replay value of your typical randomized endless runner/flier along with three separate systems that have succeeded in making me play for hours.

First off, for whatever reason, this underground lair you're flying through is loaded to the brim with coins. You collect these coins to spend on a plethora of unlockables ranging from single-user power ups to cosmetic add ons like new jetpacks or clothing. There's no shortage of stuff to work towards either.

Secondly, the mission system gives a otherwise random game with no real objective aside from "see how far you can go" a purpose. You'll always have three missions to accomplish, and there is similarly tons of variety to them. Early on, many of these goals will be fairly simple and ask you to do things like travel 1000 meters, which is tallied across multiple runs. Later on though, as you rank up in the game, they get ridiculously challenging and attempting to beat a particularly brutal mission gives a whole new purpose to the game.

Last, but not least by any stretch of the imagination, is the spin token system. Also flying through the game are tokens which you can fly into to collect that are used after you finally die. Each token allows you to spin an in-game slot machine which has minor effects such as rewarding some coins to blasting you forward a little bit. If you're really lucky, you'll hit three hearts on the slots which will bring you back to life right where you left off. My favorite though, are the boosts to your next game where you can potentially get a 750 meter head start and/or get double coins. And really, if you just scored double coins on your next run, there's basically no way that you're going to put the game down without one more go.

I could gush about this game for hours, but, I've got to save something for our review which I can safely sum up for you right now: Jetpack Joyride is amazing, it's a dollar, it's universal, and as soon as it's available it should be on whatever iOS device(s) you own.

In other news, check out the latest developer diary where Halfbrick goes over some of the things I've already mentioned here, but you can see them in action:

Jetpack Joyride will be available this coming Thursday, September 1st� And really, if you've got a time machine, you need to fire that bad boy up and fast forward to then because you simply need to play this game.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

Both Vlambeer and Halfbot have been teasing up a storm on Twitter about their upcoming iOS title, leaving those of us who are both Vlambeer and Halfbot fans anxiously awaiting what could be coming. Well, the curtain has been pulled away today to reveal Super Crate Box, a totally free Mac and PC game coming to the App Store. It'll even support the iCade.

Check out the trailer:

If this is the first time you've heard of Super Crate Box, seriously, give it a download for your computer. The game itself has won tons of awards, and basically swept the free game category last year along with getting nominated for Excellence in Design in the Independent Games Festival. If all goes as planned, Super Crate Box will be available sometime next month.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

Com2Us is certainly no stranger when it comes to minigame compilations. We recently covered Puzzle Family [$0.99 / Lite], a collection of minigames all focused around the puzzle genre. While we definitely enjoyed the adventure, we did have some reservations about the amount of playtime needed in order to unlock all the games (without resorting to IAP).

MiniGame Paradise [$0.99], Com2Us's latest minigame compilation to hit the App Store, looks to continue the tradition of wacky fun-filled Korean minigames. While it certainly succeeds at creating a collection of games that are just as much fun if not more so than its previous title, the dreaded star currency makes a return. Make no mistake, the star currency is a bit more forgiving this time around, but that still means that you may not have as much fun with MiniGame Paradise out the gate as you would like.

Unlike Puzzle Family, the games in MiniGame Paradise are all action/arcade oriented, meaning the focus is less on thought stimulation and more on twitch controls and fast reflexes. Come2Us has done a good job of simplifying the controls for each game down to a single tap, which definitely make all the games extremely accessible to all sorts of gamers. However, don't let the simple controls fool you, there's enough variety and challenge to keep you occupied. The entire game is wrapped around the colorful ultra-cute motif that was present in Puzzle Family, so if that sort of art style turns you off, you may have to look elsewhere for your minigame fix.

In addition to the games, MiniGame Paradise also has a robust selection of ridiculously cute characters that you can collect and use to play the games. Interestingly enough, each character has different stats which affect how well they play certain games. Also, players can augment the stats for individual characters by either equipping items on them or by purchasing 'equipment' that the characters can use during the day, which slowly increases their stats. In some ways, this portion of MiniGame Paradise definitely has a Tamogatchi vibe going for it, and it certainly increases the overall replayability. It's nice to see an overarching system tie in the games and characters. It just feels more like you're playing in an actual world rather than a simple collection of minigames. MiniGame Paradise also utilizes Com2Us's social gaming network which has full leaderboard support across all games.

MiniGame Paradise features a total of ten games ranging from simple endless path runners to a sidescrolling beat'em up complete with bosses, an experience/leveling system and various upgradeable weapons (no joke). Needless to say some of the minigames are deceptively comprehensive and could almost be considered full games on their own with a few tweaks. At the onset, you only have two of the simplest games unlocked with enough stars to unlock at third one. �Once you get some stars, I'd recommend that you unlock both 'Smack a Whack' (Beat'em up) and 'Spatter Scatter' (Vertical scrolling shooter) as those were by far the most enjoyable of the games (and their star-earning capabilities weren't bad either). Thankfully, Com2Us offers several ways (join their social gaming network and like them on Facebook) to earn nearly enough stars to unlock three more without even playing a single game. Still, the last few games are going to take some time to fully unlock (unless you spring for the IAP, of course).

Star currency aside, MiniGame Paradise is simply a well done collection of action based minigames. The wearable items and character development features make this more than a simple collection, and the games are just fun. Even though you're still going to have to work in order to unlock all the games, Com2Us has done a better job giving gamers the opportunity play most of the games at the onset. If you're looking for some simple twitch gameplay, and you're not turned off by super cute characters and art style, I suggest you check out MiniGame Paradise.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

Velocispider [$.99 / Lite] is one of a handful of games that absolutely nails tilt controls. It reacts well to minor movements and feels pretty precise, which is a requirement for any game starring a four-legged raptor and features horizontal, bullet-hell-y action. I use that genre categorization rather loosely, by the way. In this game, it's more about your bullets than the spew of ever-marching conga line of opponents, but still, this is inarguably a game, about bullets, the avoidance thereof, and your ability to throw your own into the mix.

You and I can both recite the billions and billions of games this is a derivative of and wax fondly over the arcade cabinets these predecessors sat in. Instead of that, I'd like to shoot straight for the heart of this article: I played Velocispider on an iCade and it felt good and I liked it. Wow. That felt good, too.

The iCade support is straight-forward, which by itself is pleasing. You move our awkward hero with the stick and shoot with a button of your choice, just as if it were a real arcade joint. The game also has on-board pause functionality, as well as a helpful bit of UI to clue you in on the fact that the iCade is connected.

As stupid as this sounds, it's really nice to have that bit of information. Apple is being incredibly silly about this device, so support is crawling in and hardly ever officially documented for fear that the game will be removed from the App Store for violation of terms. Since the fear is there, you never really know if what you're doing with the iCade controls in any game, so it's cool to have some feedback.

Anyway, with an iCade, I'll argue that Velocispider feels much better than its capable touch and tilt interface, just by sheer virtue of having a controller. There's just so much more precision involved in the entire affair, plus you'll never risk putting your finger into the middle of the action. I've also been putting up higher scores when using an iCade, which leads me to believe, scientifically, that it's easier to play with an arcade setup.

One thing that always strikes me as weird about iOS games is that the vast majority of their core ideas draw from legacy mechanics. Specifically with this, it's a horizontal shooter, which is a style of game that, to my knowledge, has always had some sort of controller to back up its action, interfaces, and systems. Velocispider feels at home with the iCade by sheer virtue of it being a game derived from these arcade-y roots � and that's not taking anything away from how it feels with touch; a great job was done all around.

Velocispider is an example of a great game made better and deeper with iCade support. As I continue on this beat, I've learned that this isn't an exception to the rule; the iCade can add a new dimension when used appropriately, and that's awesome.

Previous games we've covered in this series:�Mos Speedrun /�HungryMaster / MatchPanic. Check out our list of iCade titles�here.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

The name Bullet has been thrown around for a while now as one of Gameloft's upcoming games by loose-lipped beta testers, and we've really had no idea what to expect given it's basically impossible for them to come up with a game title (Or, codename, I suppose) than that. Today's details come care of apparent YouTube watchdog Rafael Forse who caught Gameloft in the process of uploading two trailers, apparently forgetting to hit the ever-important "private video" checkbox in the process. This is easier than it sounds, and has caused some drama for us too in the past� Oddly enough, with a Gameloft game.

Knowing what we know about Gameloft, and how much they re-purpose their various game types, it seems reasonable to think that Bullet is either a third person adventure game sort of like BackStab [$6.99] or even a Grand Theft Auto style game like Gangstar: Miami Vindication [$6.99]. Either way, it seems clear that it's western themed.

Personally, I'm betting on it being closer to a Grand Theft Auto-esque game similar to Red Dead Redemption since that seems to make the most sense with the horse screenshot. Although, I could just be seeing that because I really enjoyed Red Dead and would love to see something similar on the App Store.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

Even without its new juggernaut publisher, PopCap Games has managed to inject a zillion-dy different platforms with Peggle [$2.99 / HD]. To its credit, each iteration of has its own unique feel and appropriate mechanical tweaks, as the designers at the Seattle-based studio apparently don't take ports as lightly as most other development houses. The not-so-recent iPhone version, for example, rocked. The newly-released HD version does, too.

In the year 2011, I feel like we're at a point where we all know what Peggle is and I can just cut to the chase. Peggle HD is a smart and solid offering that takes advantage of the iPad hardware and its advanced screen real estate. The controls aren't as precise as other versions of the game, and it doesn't really own the platform, but the game part feels right and just as entertaining as it is on anything else out there.

The one thing that really pops in this particular version are the visuals. I've never been a big fan of the art direction of Peggle overall, but I feel like this one sports harder lines, starker contrasts, and a much more enticing sheen than others. It's more appealing to me for these reasons, and while that doesn't count for a lot, it's something.

The game part operates well enough. You'll notice some UI tweaks if you're used to the other iOS version of the game, but they appear to be all made in service of the much larger screen area that the game takes advantage of. In a way, Peggle HD is a much more focused, and slower affair because of the space � you set up your shot, and then remove your hand from your action. Then, after a slight delay as move, you hit fire and watch the ball bounce up and down the board. It feels weird at first, but I'm finding my more… turn-based approach to Peggle pretty satisfying.

Just as a general note here: I haven't noticed any physics tweaks, new mechanics, new levels, or new systems, so don't go into this expecting a new look or a fresh experience. This is Peggle, simply on a larger screen with more robust art and a much bigger play area. For what it's worth, though, I've been unable to pull myself away. Lord, I wish I knew why after all these years, but somehow�Peggle can still grab me.

As for those technical issues I mentioned, it'd be best to scope our bustling forum thread about the game, as new, presumably rare stuff, gets noticed all the time. The majority of the complaints I've seen thus far hover around the sound. Apparently, the music toggle is messed up and, sometimes on the iPad 2, it only plays out of one channel.

Wrapping this up, I can't really think of what else I could want out of this version. I mean, new levels would be great and all, but other than the hope for fresh content, there's really nothing on my wish list. And if you do want something new-ish, there's a hook-up for Peggle Nights via IAP. At the moment, though, it's broken.

Anyway, I recommend the heck out of this, especially if you somehow missed out on Peggle.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

There is no shortage of fantastic retro-RPGs in the App Store at the moment, but Muteki Corporation's Dragon Fantasy [$2.99] hopes to set itself apart from the rest with tongue-in-cheek dialogue and an authentic 8-bit look and feel.

The game sticks to its roots in more than just its look, the world is populated with things you've seen before like trees, mountains, plenty of grassland and monsters. But where most retro-RPGs are content to ape not only their context, but also their story and heroic mannerisms, Dragon Fantasy sidesteps the hero-journey slightly by offering a different take on the hero and his enemies.

You take on the roll of Ogden, an ageing bald man with a beard who ends up resigning his post as the captain of the royal guard. Does that sound familiar? Well, before you do that, you first get transported to an old man's house after an evil knight comes and makes the queen sick. Once there, you wake up in a confused state and need to make your way back to the queen as quickly as possible.

A few quests here and there and you get back to her, get her healed up and decide to take on the task of becoming a true hero by finding the hero's armor spread out across the land. Eventually, after six or seven hours, you get to use that armor against the dark knight.

The majority of your time with Dragon Fantasy is going to be spent grinding against a variety of silly enemies. The core of its humor lies in its usage of goofy language to describe fights, and while you'll run into equally outrageous dialogue in each of the towns, you'll find the enemies are where the real charm is. There's a good variety in them as well and it helps make each of the random, turn-based battles less tedious than other RPGs of this ilk.

Of course, if you've played an 8-bit RPG you'll know mostly what to expect, for better or worse. As mentioned above, battles are random and turn-based, and the look and sound is dedicated to keeping within the limits of the 8-bit era. The premise here is to keep things as streamlined and simple as possible at all times. For the most part, the screen is bare, showing you just the world and your character, with a disappearing movement stick and menu screen that only appear when you need them.

The streamlining is welcome here, but it comes with a few serious faults. Equipment, for instance, have no visible stats, so you don't really know how much better a weapon or piece of armor is. You can certainly assume that based on the price, one sword is better than another, but its difficult to decide if you should spend your time grinding to get enough money to buy it or not. Instead, you'll just get a little one-line joke description of the item.

Money is an issue too, but it's mostly due to a very simple and very odd concession Muteki seems to have made in bringing this game to a modern audience. When you die, you get kicked back to the last save spot, but you lose half your money and keep the items and XP you've earned. That alone isn't a big deal, but the fact you can't choose whether you'd like to do that, or just revert back to the last save state makes saving up gold a tedious process. You can force quit and reload, but there is no simple way to do it in-game.

The rest of the game does a fantastic job of retaining its roots and keeping things goofy and interesting. It's not going to send you rolling on the floor in fits of laughter, but it'll make you chuckle now and again, which is more than most RPGs could ever even hope to do. It's always nice to see a story that doesn't take itself too seriously and in that way, Dragon Fantasy gets a lot of things right. It even features a few witty winks and nods to other games and inspirations. If you pay close enough attention, you'll catch some solid jokes strewn about.

The simplicity isn't a bad thing, but the over-simplified death and reload is incredibly aggravating. And while the joke-descriptions on all the items are fun, they don't really help you understand what they do or how well they do it. Despite these shortcomings, and the fact that retro RPGs have been done to death,�Dragon Fantasy offers a lighthearted and enjoyable take on the genre that practically everyone can enjoy.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

It was just last week that we were getting excited for Descend, a classic first-person grid-based RPG that is coming to iOS soon. Now, this week, we've come across another upcoming RPG of the same style. It's called Legend of Grimrock and it's from a new development studio called Almost Human Ltd. Also, it looks simply stunning. Check the following gameplay video which, while from the PC version of the game, should give you an idea of what the game will look like in action on iOS.

While development of Legend of Grimrock seems to stem from the same sort of passion as Descend, like both claiming to be heavily influenced by the classic Dungeon Master, there will be a couple of key differences between the two. Legend of Grimrock will feature real-time combat as opposed to the turn-based combat of Descend. Also, it will feature an auto-mapping ability to keep track of where you've been, whereas there are no plans for any sort of mapping in Descend at this time.

Here are a few screens of the iPad version of the game (click to enlarge):

Personally, I'm excited to see two completely brand new takes on a classic genre, and am happy that there will be things to differentiate them from each other. I really can't wait for Legend of Grimrock or Descend, to be honest. The developers of Legend of Grimrock are shooting to release the game before the end of 2011, but being that they are a team of just 4 individuals, this could of course change. We'll remain hopeful they hit that release window though, and we will bring you any more news as we get it. Until then you can check out the discussion thread in our forums where anticipation for Legend of Grimrock is brewing.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

Back in July of 2009, mine, yours, and everybody else's lives were changed forever when a little game known as Enviro-Bear 2010 [99�] recklessly drove its way into the App Store. More than just a video game, though, Enviro-Bear 2010 may quite possibly be the most important artistic work of our time. It's also hands down the most accurate and fully featured bear-driving-a-car simulator available anywhere. In short, I am who I am today because of Enviro-Bear 2010 and its influences on my life, and I know I'm not alone in saying that.

We let the world know about Enviro-Bear 2010 in our review, and the game went on to see a crazy amount of popularity following shortly after, including being featured on G4 TV's Attack of the Show and landing a spot on our Best of 2009 Buyer's Guide. In all seriousness, it's easy to get wrapped up in the so-bad-it's-good nature of Enviro-Bear 2010, what with the complete absurdity of the premise and its lovingly crafted MS Paint quality graphics. But, there's actually quite a bit of depth to the gameplay with the purposely awkward controls and the level of interactivity with the various objects in the game. Doing well in Enviro-Bear 2010 actually takes a decent level of skill and tons of practice.

Enviro-Bear 2010 hasn't seen a ton of updates in the past 2 years, I mean, it was pretty near to perfection when it first launched. Still, there have been some interesting new features added into the game like a magical mushroom which transforms the cartoonish world into something more shockingly realistic, or the elusive golden fish which has only been discovered by a select few dedicated gamers. Today, Enviro-Bear creator Justin Smith has dropped another unexpected update to the game, adding universal iPad support, tons of different language translations, and no doubt some other hidden goodies.

Playing Enviro-Bear 2010 on the large screen of the iPad is a glorious experience, to say the least. With my iPad comfortably propped up in my lap, both hands are free to man the controls of the car as well as deal with the many hazards that drop into the car's interior, including that mischievous badger who seems dead set on harshing my mellow. I hate you with all my being, badger. Also, grabbing items using Enviro-Bear's single huge paw has been made easier, which is extremely welcome when there is a ton of crap piled up in the interior and you need to accurately grab something under pressure with Winter bearing down on you.

If you're somewhat new on the iOS scene and this is the first you're hearing of Enviro-Bear 2010, then just a cursory glance at any of these screenshots should tell you if it's the sort of game for you. It's extremely difficult, mostly due to the purposely terrible controls, and it has a visual style that only a Mother Bear could love. But, for those that can appreciate these sorts of things, there is no finer bear-driving-a-car simulator available, and now you can enjoy Enviro-Bear 2010 from the comfort of your iPad as well.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->

Hardly even needing an introduction, PopCap's Bejeweled 2 [Free] is the grandaddy of all the match-3 puzzle games that have ever graced the App Store. The Bejeweled franchise itself is more than 10 years old, and it's hard to come across somebody who HASN'T played a version of this game at some point. Many titles have innovated on the match-3 formula since Bejeweled 2's release shortly following the opening of the App Store, but somehow it still remains one of the most compelling and fun entries in the genre.

Now, for reasons unknown, PopCap has dropped the price of the iOS version of Bejeweled 2 to free. This marks the first time the game has ever been free on the App Store, and as part of the first run of iOS games back in mid-2008 Bejeweled 2 used to be a $9.99 title. It's been living the 99� dream for about the past year though, but the fact that it's now free is still pretty significant. If don't yet have Bejeweled 2 on your iOS device, now would be a great time to snatch it up, because I really don't know how long it will remain free.

<!-- PHP 5.x -->