I am what you would call a horror genre fangirl. I wait with baited breath for new installments of Silent Hill (or used to anyway, when Team Silent was at the helm), sucked up every survival horror title that didn't look totally terrible (and a few that did, just for kicks), and and pretty much lived and died by how perfect I could get a photograph score in Fatal Frame. There's something about decaying hospitals and shambling, unidentifiable demons that just appeals to me, I guess. I think what this says about me is that I have a taste for the weird, I may or may not collect strange objet d'art, and that I possibly may have a bonafide future as a crazy cat lady. I hope I'm wrong about the latter.

At any rate, the very first screens of The Dark Meadow [$5.99]�had me foaming at the mouth, and rightfully so � it was a first person perspective exploration game with pieced-together baddies, a super atmospheric setting, and best of all, powered by the rather esteemed Unreal Engine, which is still winning awards to this day. It had all the makings of a truly standout game on the iOS platform, and I wont deny that my hopes were very high for it.

Speaking of atmosphere, when it comes to making the setting appropriately spooky and weird, The Dark Meadow has it down to a fine art. The game itself looks terrific, and the music is dark without being overpowering or ridiculous. You will navigate your way around with simple touch controls and by moving from spot to spot, which foregoes the need for a directional pad. And I truly appreciated how little clutter there was on the screen � Phosphor Games wanted this to be a clean, immersive experience for the player, and the attention to detail is evident.It's easy to get lost in this world.

As you explore darkened hallways, you'll come across baddies that you'll need to clear out in order to progress. My first few go-rounds with them, I was pretty pleased with the way combat worked. They always appear at a distance, so when you first see them you'll be armed with a crossbow (and later down the line, other weapons will be available.) You'll use your finger to aim and you'll let go when you want to fire, which feels smooth and makes the experience pleasant overall, at least initially.

Once your enemy is really close, you'll switch to melee. The fights are designed so that you can slash with a finger swipe and dodge by tapping an arrow to the right or left. The game is good about telling you when to act, so if you pay attention, you can really get the rhythm of fights down. For instance, after a dodge, if the game prompts you to "attack now!", it's time to get your slashes in, but if not, there's another attack coming, so wait for it. It works a little like a toned down version of Infinity Blade [$5.99], although missing most of the finesse and feeling fairly basic comparatively.

Keep up your fights, and you'll keep gaining experience, and the game makes sure you know it. After each fight the game grinds to a halt, at which point the game tallies your experience while you wait, which not only feels really unnecessary, but also hurts the pacing of the game. When you hit a level, you'll be able to assign experience points how you please. Enough of these and you'll gain new weapons as well, so know that your efforts will be rewarded.

You aren't completely alone on this journey, either. There's an old man you'll meet in the beginning who will communicate with you via radio and give you advice on how to survive in this dark world. His advice can be quite handy (and in addition, it's pretty decently voice-acted, too). In fact, if you die a few times, he will tell you different things, and some of it is pretty hilarious � -bravo for the writer or sticking in bits of tongue-in-cheek humor! You can also find scraps of paper and notes that will shed some light on the world you're in and divulge its backstory. It adds some nice detail, some of which will factor in as you get further into the game.

If The Dark Meadow has any weakness, it's that the fights eventually begin to feel a bit rote, and I found myself wishing creatures would stop popping up so I could just explore my surroundings and progress through the story without hinderances. On the other hand, I'm sure I'd feel the same way if the situation were real, but hey, there's some pains in the ass in every dark and twisted universe, and this is one of them. As long as you don't mind the grindy feel to the combat, then you really shouldn't be bothered by this much.

Overall, The Dark Meadow is a standout in almost every way. From look to setting to the touch-centric gameplay, it shines, and you can tell this title was crafted with much love from its developers. Any horror fan will be thrilled by it, especially if your traditional iPhone fare is stuff like that wretched Silent Hill game [99�] (even this fangirl couldn't swallow that.) It's quite a bit more expensive than the usual iOS title, and it's worth every bit of the money you'll spend. It doesn't quite hit the note of perfection largely becomes of the combat mechanic, but it edges damn close � and even at that distance, it's well worth your time and money.

News is coming out of Apple that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has passed away:

I'm kind of at a loss for words as to what to post here. Steve Jobs is directly responsible for this site even existing, as well as all of the close friends I've met through the iOS industry, and so much more� Too much to even attempt to list.

Apple is asking that if you'd like to share thoughts, memories, or condolences, email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

Whoa, it's Wednesday. If you were here last Wednesday, you know what that means: A new episode of Dance Moms! Oh, also, there's a heap of new iOS games coming out tonight, which you can either play while you watch Dance Moms or while you wait for Dance Moms to air. Either or. Anyway, this works like it does every week where these games are released in New Zealand first, then slowly trickle out across the rest of the world throughout the day. Everything in this post should be available for download in the US App Store at 11:00 PM Eastern.

Here's what's coming:

Anthill: Tactical Trail Defense, $1.99 � Forum Thread � This game actually looks really neat. The line drawing mechanic seems to translate perfectly to directing your line of ants around, and the concept of there being boss battles utilizing your army of ants sounds like it could be pretty rad.

Dark Meadow, $5.99 � Forum Thread � This Unreal Engine powered "dark fairytale" boasts one of the creepiest atmospheres I think I've ever seen in an iOS game. Taking place in a derelict hospital, players eventually uncover the mysteries of the strange witch that wanders through its halls. We'll have a full review of this up very soon.

HighFlyer DeathDefyer, $4.99 / HD � Forum Thread � This seems to be what you get when you really like the parachuting levels from Pilot Wings and decide to craft an entire awesome looking game around it. Unfortunately, it'll only run on modern hardware, so make sure you check compatibility before downloading.

Rocket Claw, 99� � Forum Thread � Answering the eternal question of what'd happen when you put a claw machine in space comes Rocket Claw. By tapping the screen, you send your claw flying out to rescue astronauts, collect crystals, fight bosses, and more.

Roll In The Hole, 99� / Universal HD � Forum Thread � Would it be a Wednesday without a physics-puzzler from Chillingo? Here's the latest! This one centralized around rolling across 72 levels to complete the quest of rescuing your icy treats, which I suppose is as good of a goal as any.

RunDaLine, 99� � Forum Thread � This game seems to mix Solipskier and Bumpy Road, along with a skunk, for interesting results. 50 levels are included across five different worlds.

Super Cyclone, 99� � Forum Thread � Miniclip's latest game is a dual stick shooter which actually looks pretty cool, per the trailer. I'm digging the little radar/heads up display in the middle for tracking bogies.

In this week's bonus edition of The TouchArcade Show, we Eli and I chat with Luke Schneider of Radiangames about his upcoming arcade-inspired title Super Crossfire. We also discuss a lot of other fun stuff, including his next project, what inspired him to leave Volition and do his own thing as an indie developer, and how his experience informs his current work. This week's opening is, probably, the craziest we've ever done, but I assure you that the chat is all business �- for the most part.

So, hey, you'd like to listen to this and don't know what to do. I got your back, bro. Just click a link below and start streaming or downloading. And, hey, if you want to grab all of our episodes the second they're available on the Internet, feel free to subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune. All the cool kids do it.

�

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-Bonus-019.mp3, 18MB

We'll be back with you later this week for another regularly scheduled episode of the show. I strongly urge all of you to toss us e-mails in the meanwhile: podcast@toucharcade.com

Anomaly Warzone Earth [$1.99] just became an even crazier-good proposition for iPad 2 owners: 11 Bit Studios has just released an update for both versions of the already fantastic-looking game, adding in an extra layer or two of graphical awesome specifically for the platform. New blur and glow effects, as well as enhanced shadowing, contrast, saturation, and much more dynamic environmental touches have been added in addition to bug fixes and Universal support.

Outside of the new iPad 2 eye candy � and to be clear, the game still looks great post-update � 11 Bit has added that new Squad Assault Rearmed map and also fixed that pesky Commander Trials issue that has plagued the game since release. Oh! And Facebook posting is now better.

As if that wasn't enough Anomaly news for your eyeholes, we've got some sale details to spill: the game is currently available at $1.99 for a limited time. We can't be friends anymore if you don't buy it at this price (since it's so good and all).

After the madness that was trying to attend both GDC in San Francisco and E3 in Los Angeles back to back, I swore to myself that I'd never attend two conventions in a row every again. Well, that personal pact seems to have lasted all of about four months as this weekend I'll be at IndieCade in Studio City, CA before immediately hopping on a plane and heading on over to GDC Online in Austin, TX. If you're attending either event, or are local to either city and want to meet up, let's do it. I'm just now figuring out my schedule for both events, so let's set something up. Also, if you're hosting a party or dinner at either event, I'd love to be invited.

The best way to get in contact with me is either via email or Google Talk. You can either shoot me an email or add me to your contact lists via this email address that I'm hiding behind a captcha to avoid spam! Google chat is probably the better way to go because we can set everything up instantly, but if you want to email please either include "GDC Online" or "IndieCade" in your email subject for the sake of my email filters.

I look forward to seeing everyone, and hopefully, will be posting a heck of a lot of cool stuff from both events for our readers.

Chair Entertainment's Infinity Blade 2 will be a lot more than a facelift. From our side of the aisle, it appears as though the team is attempting to widen the scope and breadth of the original experience, all the while giving players something they didn't have a lot of in the first game: choice. In a must-read interview with IGN UK, Chair co-founder and technical dude Geremy Mustard revealed that the game will launch with over 100 new weapons and items, boast a significantly larger world with more intricately constructed environments, feature way more enemies and optional side-paths, and it'll roll out with fun battle additions like, say, dual- and two-handed fighting styles and weapons.

"The player will explore many different environments in this game," Mustard told IGN. "You'll see some stuff that looks familiar, but the castle in this game is very different. We'll also be exploring environments in a more Asian-themed landscape."

"With each environment, we wanted to create these water cooler moments � these areas where players can look back and converse about that battle that took place in front of that huge tower or by that really cool clock," he continued. "There's always something in the environment that will keep your focus and lead you through the level."

We got our first look at Infinity Blade 2's December-bound feature set at Apple's press event the other afternoon and came away ridiculously impressed with the technical majesty. Can this game come any faster, please? Pretty please with sugar on top?

[Via IGN]

There was room for more games than Infinity Blade 2 at Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" press event the other afternoon. Hogrocket's terrific puzzle title Tiny Invaders [Free], for example, got some free looks as Forstall used the title to demonstrate the new notification functionality of iOS 5. Riding the wave it undoubtedly believes might come, Hogrocket has killed the price of its title. For a limited time, Tiny Invaders is free.

Hogrocket tells us that more is coming on the Tiny Invaders front, by the way. An HD version for the iPad and iPad 2 are totally coming, as well as additional levels "in the next few weeks." Neat!

We spoke with Hogrocket a couple of weeks ago on our fair podcast and if you take anything from that, it's that these dudes are plain passionate about what they're doing. We can't wait to see the HD version and the level updates to Tiny Invaders, as well as the studio's next project.

2K Games' NBA 2K12 [$4.99 /�HD] doesn't have quite the thrill or the touch of its brethren, but it's a competent basketball title that stresses simulation over finesse and AI over finer points of control. Super fans might want to stay on the bench, though: 2K has reigned in and streamlined the overall NBA 2K experience to such an extent that it's hardly a recognizable game in the long-running series. It's a shell of the experience available on consoles, and it's not much of a looker, either.

What 2K did with 2K12 is similar to how it handled Civilization Revolution [$6.99 / HD]. Civ Rev, which was already a dumbed down version of Civilization proper, is even more dumbed down on touch devices, offering up simpler menus and actions that keep the pace ramped up without throwing away what made the core game good in the first place. 2K12 is an exceedingly simplistic game in the same vein. You can't pick plays, some control options have been removed, you won't be going online, franchise mode is missing some parts, and some of the special Michael Jordan touches � the retro teams in particular � have been stripped. What's left is a fairly linear basketball simulation experience that you never really have direct control of, but can still participate within.

Playing this is like playing a Mario game in which Mario automatically runs on a pre-defined path and the only thing you can do is choose his jumps and activate his special powers. On the surface this sounds pretty terrible, but NBA 2K has always been a strong simulation game with cultured AI and a ton of dice rolls that already pre-determined success. The lack of control and player-born dynamism in this particular one isn't that big of a turn-off � the simulation remains sharp and, frankly, it didn't need a user to feel even better. If anything, we've been breaking the elegy 2K has been constructing over the years

The feel I've been describing applies to both of the game's control modes: one-finger and a more direct option dubbed classic. In one-finger, you'll flick and swipe the screen to pass and defend the ball, while also holding onto players to shoot and attempt steals. In classic, you'll be allowed to actually move around players of your choice on the court and activate more awe-inspiring moves with a jiggle of the virtual stick it brings into the equation.

On-court turnouts remain about the same using the either. Quite simply, you're not meant to be the be all and end all in 2K12. So, while your impact varies, the game part remains a hardboiled sim experience throughout.

2K12 does suffer for this approach. When the AI gets finicky or makes a bonehead play choice, you can do nothing but helplessly watch. You'll also rarely be the hero or driver, regardless of how you choose to play. But the thing that really gets under my skin is the lack of spark � there's no sizzle, exhilaration, or emotion to be had. This is almost as cold as it gets in the basketball simulation world.

The absence of titillation is lightly mitigated by the stupendous presentation effort, which makes its way to this version pretty well in-tact. Accurate courts, awesome play-by-play, and great animations are all a part of this package. And while the players look OK, you'll still be treated to a trip straight down into uncanny valley � some dudes look downright horrifying, if not in need of immediate medical attention.

2K12 needs a bit more to hold my attention over significant stretches of time � I'd love to see some sizzle from anywhere and especially from the action on the court. That said, I'm not sure the point here was to give me thrills; this is a simulation to the bone and all of its struts and constituent parts support its sharp, through pretty strict "action." If anything, this is a good start for a series that'll, hopefully, find some better legs down the road.

A pre-existing game might be one of the best to show off your soon-to-be brand new iPhone 4S' power, if Firemint's Real Racing 2 is in your collection. Real Racing 2 [$4.99] and Real Racing 2 HD [$6.99] are set to receive a free and new update that'll add an extra layer of graphical goodness on top of their pre-existing sizzle, all in the service of harnessing the A5 chip. New dynamic shadows and lighting, increased polygon counts, reflections, and exposure effects are all being added in the game's latest update, which should hit pretty soon.

And that's not all � iOS 5 is coming and so are a handful of features to Real Racing 2 that revolve around Airplay support. With the update, you'll be able to wirelessly stream the game's content to your TV. Also, if you've got friends with the game and an iPhone 4S or an iPad 2, you'll be able to play with them in split-screen. "Party Play" mode will allow up to 4 players to compete on the same screen, provided the host has Apple's new hotnesses.

Firemint isn't known for missing a hardware launch, so we didn't expect any less. Still, this seems like an absolutely spectacular deal for current and new owners of the game. Real Racing 2 was great to begin with, and now it'll look even sharper than ever.

Arcade Jumper [$1.99] by Black Hive Media is a retro side-scrolling platform game which feels like the old classic Mario. There's enemies to either shoot or jump on their heads, and the main character wears a red cap with red and blue clothes. Yup, that certainly sounds very Mario-esque, but fortunately there's plenty of innovation in this game too.

It's the 1980's and Eddy's brother Jimmy has been sucked into an arcade machine by 'Ghosty', the naughty child-abducting spirit with a friendly-sounding name. To save Jimmy, you need to complete 10 zones, each with three stages (30 stages in total).

Stages are completed by finding warp-tokens, then returning to the start of the stage to insert the token into the glowing arcade cabinet and warping to the next stage. There's a timer which counts down, so you need to keep moving. At the end of each zone (3 stages) you're confronted by the floating kidnapper, Ghostly, who must be chased down and then shot or jumped on before time runs out to complete the zone.

Along the way you collect fruit, like apples, bananas, oranges and cherries, coins (just like Mario) and invincibility stars. You'll also find tickets, which are used to buy game items or unlock playable characters. Sometimes these items are hidden inside crates which are revealed by head-butting into them, which is another mechanism borrowed from Mario.

If your health bar hits zero due to colliding with enemies, or you fall from the platforms, you immediately die and it's game over. Unfortunately, you're only given one life. And if you've finally managed to progress through a few zones, it doesn't matter � when you die, you'll still re-start from the very beginning, which despite the fun, can be frustrating after numerous restarts.

Each time you obtain 25,000 points you receive a "Continue" (maximum of 3), which is like a "life". This will help you progress further, but once they're used up, you still return to the very beginning in your next game. The worst part about dying is that there's six screens to pass through before restarting, followed by a slow "materializing" animation, which gets annoying, especially if you died within the first few seconds. An immediate restart should be available to avoid the frequent delays.

There's four characters to play, each with different weapon and jumping strengths. Initially only Eddie is unlocked, but once you unlock Destructoid (the robot) things become far more entertaining, as he can double jump which speeds up the whole experience. The best character, Mitch can double-jump and double-shoot.

Each time a stage starts, it's a surprise what the level will look like as Arcade Jumper cleverly displays different graphical themes (skins) for the backgrounds, levels and enemies. You might find yourself in a Mario-type level jumping on shelled creatures, in a space setting shooting at space invaders, in an urban environment capping thugs and dodging helicopters, or even facing shaggy pink 4-legged creatures wearing sunglasses and over-sized jewelry. Regardless of the level's appearance, the gameplay is the same in each theme, but it's quite nice to have this variety.

There's buttons for left, right, jump and shoot, which are responsive, although the player occasionally slides a little for no apparent reason. You can optionally unlock an alternate slider control using your tickets, which is an interesting idea, although after unlocking this I preferred the original controls. I also downloaded JoyPad [Free] to turn my iPod into a controller while playing on the iPad, which worked really well.

In addition to the main game mode, there's three mini-games you can play from the main menu to earn tickets. In 'Skeet Ball' you swipe a ball at targets. 'Pongchinko' involves dropping three balls down rows of pegs, hoping it lands in high scoring container at the bottom. While 'Space Frantic' appears to be a whack-a-mole variant, although there's no instructions. After each mini-game, tickets are dispensed based on your performance.

The tickets can be used to unlock "player assists" such as a flipper to rebound you back onto the platform if you fall or a helpful "cool space guy" who flys around you shooting enemies and is prepared to take a bullet for you, plus unlocking the three other characters.� If you can't be bothered collecting tickets from the platform levels and mini-games, you can optionally purchase tickets as an in-app purchase, although this really isn't necessary.

This game is universal, as it can be installed on any iOS devices. However, be warned: when it runs on the iPad, the game dimensions are about same size as the ipod, with the extra space being used to draw an arcade cabinet around the outside, like a large border.� The iPad version uses a fraction of the screen for actual gameplay.

Also, this game works on the iCade cabinet, which is becoming a selling point, however because the iPad version displays a cabinet on the screen you end up with:� The game surrounded by a picture of a cabinet, which is inside the actual iCade cabinet. Something about a cabinet within a cabinet just isn't ideal. This has been brought to the developer's attention.

Arcade Jumper is a fun game, especially once you've unlocked the double-jump. However, the restart delays are excessive and the constant returning to the beginning is wearing thin and may stop some players from seeing the� zones full of sloping and tilting platforms, asteroids and fireballs ….and probably other stuff I haven't seen yet, because of constantly returning to the beginning. Arcade Jumper has plenty of potential as some small tweaks could improve the player's experience dramatically, but as is it's still an interesting take on a Mario-like platformer that's worth having a look at.