The wheels of Gameloft's marketing machine were set in motion again today, as the company has released a teaser trailer for a new upcoming game. Called 9mm, it looks to be another 3D action game centered around crime, not totally unlike the Gangstar series. So far, 9mm looks a lot better than either of the Gangstar games though. The graphics look greatly improved and there seems to be a more serious, grittier tone to the style of the game. You can even catch a quick glimpse of a stripper dancing and a couple F-bombs getting dropped in the trailer's soundtrack. Whoa, settle down Gameloft!

Another interesting twist in 9mm is that it appears you'll be playing the role of a police officer in the game, rather than a street thug. The main character that's portrayed in the trailer seems to place someone under arrest, and a subtle hint on Gameloft's German Twitter account that translates to "Only the bravest cops can keep peace and order in the toughest areas" �which also leads us to believe you'll be playing as a man of the law. One that plays fast and loose with morals, apparently, but a law man nonetheless. Could this finally be my oft-dreamt about video game version of the movie Training Day? One can only hope.

Also worth mentioning is the use of a bullet-time slow down effect during one of the action sequences in the trailer, which was pioneered by the Max Payne series of games. It may be that this plays a part in the actual gameplay, or it could just be a neat effect used for the trailer itself. At this point, anything is just rampant speculation on my part.

Speaking of rampant speculation, there is plenty of that going on in the upcoming thread�for 9mm in our forums. If previous Gameloft releases are any indication, there should be a solid gameplay trailer to follow up this teaser in the next few weeks or so, and I would guess that an actual release isn't more than a month or two away. We'll let you known when we hear anything more on Gameloft's 9mm.

Let's get this out of the way, Square Enix's�Chaos Rings O [$11.99 / HD] is identical to the original�Chaos Rings in more ways than one. In fact, its differences are so few, it's hard to differentiate the two and considering�Chaos Rings O follows the original by a full year, that's going to be a bit disappointing to fans of the first game looking for something new.

By the nature of the narrative in the first game, there is little in the way of expanding the�Battle Royale style storyline, which pits you in a fight to the death against a random collection of couples abducted to an arena for the sake of proving their battle-worthiness. Even though this is billed as a prequel, it's still not the "first" time this the tournament has gone down and it's clearly not the last.

Where the first game told the story from several different viewpoints,�Chaos Rings O decides instead to tell the main story of Vieg (who you'll recognize from the first game, perhaps a bit younger looking). This might be a bit jarring to fans of the multiple viewpoints of the first game, but it does allow�Chaos Rings O to tell a slightly more cohesive story.

The setting is the exact same and that goes for the dungeons as well. They're varied in layout, but considering the first games dungeon designs were essentially randomly put together screens, that's not really saying much. Since there are different characters, the narrative is tweaked slightly, including a ridiculous mother/child plot involving a not-at-all-pregnant-looking woman who happens to be your wife. Dialogue is on par with the first as well, which is to say, it reads like it's something closer to fan fiction. Because of that, there are plenty of inadvertent jokes � for instance, during a cut scene where your wife is giving birth, an ill-timed achievement called "Pelvic Pummeler" will pop up in relation to a boss fight you just completed.

But if you liked the style and story of the first game, you'll enjoy this one too. Without spoiling things, you'll seen connections between the two games and get a few explanations of how the Ark Arena works and where certain situations and characters from the first game came from.

Combat, movement, the menus; everything else is the same as the first. That includes the ability to turn off random enemy encounters or alternately, to force one into happening. The puzzles are back this time too, but you can skip them if you fail three times. Combat works on the same two-person tactic as the first, which offers entry level RPG fans a clear and simple system to go with and it's mixed with enough complexity that you can take it to some extremes to deal hefty damage, but the game doesn't really challenge you to do so as often as it could. There is also a ludicrously over-done tutorial system at the beginning of the game, which features a tutorial for how to use the "options" menu for no apparent reason.

The same goes for the graphics, which are, to be frank, identical to the first, oftentimes seemingly taking assets directly from the original and changing their color. While�Chaos Rings had a bit of a shock-and-awe factor going for it,�Chaos Rings O doesn't. The weirdly pixelated static backgrounds and poorly textured character designs look significantly dated now. It shouldn't really matter, but as a whole, it looks like they weren't trying too hard.

There are a flurry of post-release updates planned, including increased level caps and bosses (which only makes sense after you finish the game), but based on their descriptions alone, they don't really seem that interesting unless you're an absolute die-hard fan. If nothing else, it's nice to see Square Enix is coming around to the App Store update model, at least a little bit.

By the end of it all,�Chaos Rings O is solely for diehard fans of�Chaos Rings and with the first game currently on sale, you'll be better of starting there if you're just a curious passerby. It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't even pretend to offer anything different or new. More is more � so if that's all you're asking for, you'll be happy with the way the story fills in the gaps of the first, but if you didn't like the first or wanted new battle systems or combat, you'll be disappointed.

Game Center isn't that great. That was the first among throngs of intelligent thoughts that followed after my first few forays into Infinity Blade's [$2.99] new "Arena" mode, which hit the App Store this afternoon as a free update to the core � and now reduced priced � game.

The second thought had something to do with the grim satisfaction I take from hitting people in the face with virtual maces. I've heard Infinity Blade likened to Punch-Out on several occasions. It's a solid comparison, but I've never get the kind of cheap, visceral thrills from that joint like I do from Infinity Blade. Being able to hit people in face while dressed as trolls like I can now makes it all the more … er, fun.

In a nugget, Arena pits you against another dude in a series of battles to the death. The victor is the person who wins the most matches. The twist is that you don't always play as the human � you'll also be forced to play as at least one of the game's monsters.

It's a cool setup, and for the most part, it works. You'll feel like you're playing against opponents who are much smarter and way more cunning. The trade-off is that nothing you do in this mode translates to the campaign. Carrying on with the things you've earned is central to the experience, so this decision does stick out for better or worse.

My third thought had something to do with Arena's self-containment. Infinity Blade allows people to sink real money into the game in exchange for gold, so I trudged into Arena with a belly full of trepidation.

Alas, no worries; everything you earn in Arena is locked into the current match. You'll also start with no items earned from the campaign, so every game is a fresh one � which is what makes the decision to have progression a puzzling one.

After each match, you'll earn gold that you can then spend on shield, armor, weapons, or new body types if you're a monster… but you'll keep none of it after the match. Ideally, this self-contained faux-perk system creates an arms race against opponents, but it lacks the depth needed to make that friction meaningful. The customization options are lacking and everything seems way too easy to get.

My fourth thought had something to do with how much I like trolls. I want to be the jerk troll clubbing pitiful humans in the face and I totally got to do that in Arena. Oh, and for what it's worth, I'm having a blast doing it.

Beasts control much like the human with the added benefit of a slider bar that controls swing speed. There's also a "Fury" bar that allows for increased recovery times. I think it might be a too technical for its own good, but you'll get the hang of it in minutes.

Being a troll also offers a cool chance to look behind the curtain of enemy design. I feel like game creator Chair just ripped out its AI's spine and sticks your hand up the monster. You get a distinct feel for how the enemies are designed to attack as the puppeteer.

To access Arena, update your game and head straight into the menu option from the game. Be prepared to fiddle with Game Center; I've received countless errors and weird hang-ups thus far, but when you do connect, the multiplayer works really well.

Like I wrote in a previous post, this Arena update also gives you a ton of new weapons and gives you access to a boss attack mode called "Survivor." It's definitely worth the price of $0 and the game itself is definitely worth the $2.99 Chair is selling it for at the moment. Check it!