This week at 148Apps.com, Kevin Stout examined the question more than a few of us are asking: Why won’t Nintendo release any games for iOS? Stout writes, “Nintendo recently reported its first annual loss, showing that perhaps 3DS isn’t enough of a success. Nintendo hasn’t even released its legacy games on mobile platforms where others like Sega have (Sonic the Hedgehog). While current CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, is in charge, it’s unlikely that Nintendo will acknowledge its mistake. When asked about releasing Nintendo games for smartphones, Iwata replied, “This is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo….”’

Read Stout’s full commentary and analysis at 148Apps.

$2.99

Sonic The Hedgehog

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-05-21 :: Category: Games

Meanwhile, Amy Solomon at GiggleApps took a look at a new Marvel Avengers app for kids: Avengers Origins: Assemble! is a very enjoyable universal interactive storybook that tells the tale of how The Avengers became a cohesive group after meeting Captain America. I really enjoy how these characters are introduced, making this a great primer for children new to Marvel comics. Interactive moments are included throughout that children will also enjoy such as dragging the tools used by each Avenger to their rightful owner.”

Read Amy’s full review at GiggleApps.

$2.99

Avengers Origins: Assemble!

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-04-12 :: Category: Books

Last, but certainly not least, 148Apps.biz writer Carter Dotson reported on results from a recent MocoSpace study: “MocoSpace has announced the results of their new “Y U Play?” study that tries to answer the question of just why people play mobile games, anyway? The answer for the majority of people appears to be just pure entertainment. 34% of people like to play mobile games because “the games are fun,” and 32% do it because they are bored, or want to kill time.”

Read more about the fascinating study at 148Apps.biz.

That’s the week that was. Keep up with all of the latest news, reviews, trends and contests by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook. Have a great weekend – and we’ll see you in seven days!

The latest episode in the Sonic revival series finally has a release date. Sonic 4: Episode 2 will release on May 15th. Letting players control both Sonic and his trusty ally Tails with a revamped physics system, and new partner abilities for the two characters. As well, the classic special stages from Sonic 2 will return in this game, possibly the final episode in the Sonic 4 series.

The other big piece of news from this announcement is that for those who bought Sonic 4 Episode 1 and buy Episode 2, a special Episode Metal will be made available. These levels will let players play as Metal Sonic in special repurposed levels from Sonic 1, and will help set up the story in Episode 2, where Metal Sonic will serve as a key antagonist.

Want to know more about the game before it finally releases? Check out my impressions of the Android version of the game from GDC here.

We all show our love in different ways. Sega’s way is to put games on sale, and there are 5 titles on sale from February 11th to the 14th (that’s Valentine’s Day) in order to show their love for iOS gamers everywhere.

First up is Sonic CD, a meticulously-crafted remake of the Sega CD original, and what could be called a love letter to Sonic fans. It is on sale for $2.99 from its regular price of $4.99.

$2.99

Sonic CD

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2011-12-15 :: Category: Games

Next up is Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, a game that recalls the undying passion that fans of the original franchise have for the game. It is on sale for iPhone/iPod touch for $1.99 (was $3.99) and iPad for $2.99 (was $4.99).

$1.99

Sonic The Hedgehog 4™ Episode I

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

$3.99

Sonic The Hedgehog 4™ Episode I HD

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-12-21 :: Category: Games

Then there’s Super Monkey Ball 2 and the Sakura Edition, which iPad owners will be head over heels for because it’s a universal app, and it’s on sale for $0.99!

$0.99

Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-04-01 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Super Monkey Ball 2

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-12-01 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Super Monkey Ball

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2008-07-11 :: Category: Games

Finally, those who can’t get enough of classic Genesis games will be heartwarmed by these titles on sale for $0.99.

$0.99

Altered Beast

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-12-16 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Golden Axe 2

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-04-21 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Golden Axe 3

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-05-12 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Gunstar Heroes

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-11-22 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Streets of Rage 2

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-04-14 :: Category: Games

$0.99

Streets of Rage 3

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-04-28 :: Category: Games

$1.99

Virtua Fighter 2

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-01-20 :: Category: Games

Hold onto your sneakers, ladies and gentlemen, for the super speedy blue hedgehog is back in action, with Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 coming your way in 2012. He’ll be speeding through expanded levels, new worlds, and into your hearts this coming year on the App Store as well as Android (for Tegra-powered devices), Xbox Live, and the Playstation Network.

SEGA is so excited about this, that they’ve even released a trailer, seen below.

Hey, did you notice the yellow twin-tailed dude? Yep, looks like Tails is gonna be included in this new Episode. Exciting, right?

“After twenty years in action, it’s clear that Sonic hasn’t slowed down one bit,” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “The first entry in the Sonic 4 saga was a major success. We’ve listened to the fans and been hard at work making sure we recapture that same spirit of fun in Episode II. We hope the fans will enjoy it.”

We’ll keep you informed as we know more – like, exactly when in 2012 this highly anticipated game is gonna run.

Sega has spent the past year celebrating Sonic’s 20th Anniversary, releasing new Sonic titles that pay homage to the original games and re-releasing many of the original Sonic titles. Now, Sega has released an app to help iOS users get in on the extended celebration.

The star of the Sonic 20th Anniversary app is the brand new game, Sonic the Sketchhog. This is an endless runner game, where players control Sonic trying to collect rings and hop on top of Dr. Robotnik’s assorted minions. When players don’t hit an enemy, they lose their rings, and if they’re hit without any rings, then it’s game over, just like traditional Sonic games. As can be inferred from the title, all the graphics in the game are rough sketches rather than anything hyper-detailed, though Game Center support for high scores is present. Don’t be surprised if this lays the groundwork for a future full-featured Sonic endless runner game, if only because the idea makes so much sense.

The other big part of the app is a Lite version of Sonic 4: Episode 1, though this puts the “light” in “Lite” as players can play the first level of the game for sixty seconds. That’s it. As well, the app comes with some wallpapers, including some that are only available for a limited amount of time. Currently, there’s a Sonic Unleashed wallpaper available through September 9th, for those that just happened to actually love that game. As well, there’s links to other Sonic and Sega games on the App Store, news about upcoming titles both the consoles and iOS (including the upcoming version of Sonic CD which will not be actually available on compact disc), and links to see the latest Sonic-related tweets.

Not a bad way to celebrate a 20th anniversary, especially with a new free game. Of course, the real fun will come when Sonic’s 21st Annversary arrives. Just remember, don’t drink and spin dash.

FREE!

Sonic 20th Anniversary

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-09-05 :: Category: Games

Thanks to the invention of services like the PlayStation Minis, porting games from iOS to consoles has become a fairly common practice.  This process has primarily been a one way street until recently, when SEGA announced that they had plans to move their console title Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing to the iOS.  Everyone’s favorite hedgehog and his buddies should be invading your iOS device of choice very soon, but that didn’t stop us from taking it out for a spin at E3 2011.

The first thing that stands out about the title is that you won’t be stuck buying separate copies for your iPad and iPod touch.  That’s right folks, it is a universal app!  All of that said, you don’t need to worry about a lackluster overblown version of the smaller devices on the iPad, because the visuals seem to pop on both.  While yes, the visuals are definitely more refined on the iPad, the amount of detail is scaled down to run on all of your other devices admirably well. In fact, SEGA’s representatives were quick to point out that the game will run on any devices that are iOS 4.0 compatible.

Once the green light flashed, we were off to the races using a select number of different characters that are included in the console iterations.  The tracks are also a sampling of what is found on the full game, but rest assured that there will likely be DLC expansions to the game that will add more content.  Whether these are free or paid for are still up in the air, but regardless, if what I played was any indication, players will want everything you can snag.  Oh, and did I mention multiplayer?  There will be both local and online multiplayer available at launch that will accommodate for matches between folks on both iPad and iPhone.

Look for Sonic and his high speed com padres to come racing onto the iOS very soon.



Other than major console mascots like Master Chief and Mario, there are few animated characters that hold quite as much weight and blindly ravenous fan support as Sonic the Hedgehog.  Though we are long past the days of Sega Genesis and Dreamcast, the blue tinted blur still maintains the love and affection of the masses in the industry, so it is big news when they announce that not only is Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing coming to the iOS, but they are partnering with OpenFeint to make it all possible.

But why would Sega shun the world of GameCenter, when it is the most readily available among the iOS consumer base, you ask?  The answer is simple: Cross Platform Connectivity.

“Cross platform mobile social gaming is a major goal of SEGA and we believe Sonic will continue to entertain and inspire consumers while on the go.  OpenFeint offers a great platform to launch games on, whether it be through access to their enormous player community or the use of great cross-promotional features like developer announcements.” — Haruki Satomi, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA.

What this means is that not only will the multiplayer of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing be a parallel of its console counterparts, but it will also allow you to play against audiences on competing platforms, like possibly Android.  While we have no official confirmation of that, the comment above would certainly lead one to believe it to be true.

From a developer’s perspective however, this would be a godsend, because not only would cross-platform play increase the player base immensely, but it will also allow changes to be made at the server level for portions of the multiplayer, without forcing the users to download an update to the actual client game.  This will be a big step forward that could lead to a greatly improved user experience.

Stay tuned, because we will have more hands-on impressions of the game while we troll the show floor at E3, next week.

Sega today announced Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app is scheduled to release in the iTunes App Store this spring.

The game puts you on the race track and in control of some of Sega’s most popular characters. Sega has not announced how many characters will be in iOS version, but we do know that some choices include Sonic, AiAi and Dr. Eggman. What’s more, each character features his or her own vehicle.

Sega said that there will be numerous different single-player modes, as well as local multiplayer race and battle modes via Bluetooh and Wi-Fi.

The console versions of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing released last week to good reviews. The Wii version, for instance, has a score of 78 on Metacritic. Assuming the iOS version is similar to the console versions – which, based on screenshots, seems to be the case – Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is best compared to Nintendo’s Mario Kart series.

Look for the iPhone version on the App Store this spring.

Have you had your eye on a copy of Chu Chu Rocket but couldn’t justify the $4.99 price tag? If so then we’ve got good news, as Sega has announced they’re dropping the price of several of the company’s most popular games. This isn’t just a temporary reprieve either, as all price cuts are permanent. Here’s the full list:

ChuChu Rocket: $4.99 $2.99
ChuChu Rocket HD: $6.99 $4.99
Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99 $0.99
Golden Axe: $2.99 $0.99
Gunstar Heroes: $4.99 $2.99
Phantasy Star II: $4.99 $2.99
Shining Force: $2.99 $0.99
Super Monkey Ball 2: $5.99 $2.99
Super Monkey Ball 2 Sakura Edition: $7.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 1: $5.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 2: $5.99 $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1: $9.99 $6.99
Streets of Rage: $2.99 $0.99

A quick note here, most of the price cuts apply to the iPhone/iPod Touch version of the games, so keep that in mind. The only native iPad apps listed in the reduction are Chu Chu Rocket HD and Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition.

Hooray for cheap games! It’s also nice to see that most of the price cuts are rather substantive, and that Sega isn’t just taking 50 cents off the price and asking us to get excited. Sure, Sonic 1 and 2 are only discounted by $1, but most of the other titles are at least half off. Furthermore, since these are permanent price cuts you can space out your purchases and grab most if not all of the games rather than being rushed and forced to only pick one or two to get in before the sale ends.

Of course, the flip side to all this excitement is the fact that the price reductions really just bring the games in line with what users expect to pay for apps and the cost of entry is really no lower than what one would find on a lot of other quality titles. So while we applaud Sega for bringing the prices down to a more reasonable level, maybe they should have started here in the first place.

[via Sega]

Cut the Rope
Cut the Rope is a melding of ninja slicing skills, a bit of puzzler fun, and physics game-based game play. Chillingo is adding yet another wildly addicting game to their repertoire of games. This time, players will need to feed a hungry monster, appropriately named Om Nom, a piece of delicious candy that is precariously bound in some ropes. Intuitive game play, stunning visuals, and addicting entertainment will be the drugs that keep players tied to this game all weekend.

$0.99

Cut the Rope

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-04 :: Category: Games

$3.99

Cut the Rope HD

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

FREE!

Cut the Rope HD Free

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
Sega has brought the blue racer back to life, but this time in the classic form that so many gamers know and love. This rendition features four zones with four acts each, seven special stages, revamped Dr. Eggman (or Robotnik, as us old timers remember him) battles, and the Sonic Spin Dash ability. So many fans have been clamoring for this proper sequel. Sonic in all his original glory, what more needs be said?

$1.99

Sonic The Hedgehog 4™ Episode I

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus
Gameloft is looking to take players back to the field of battle with Black Pegasus. Refined controls, which include a gyro control scheme for you iPhone 4 owners and gyro-based QTEs, are just the starting point to this new FPS. Choose from one of three playable characters, 15 weapons, and 12 battlefields compose the single player fun. The multiplayer adds to the package with 10-player fights, four modes, 72 ranks, and XP progression. Can this really still be called a phone game with all this content?

$6.99

Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-10-07 :: Category: Games

Corel Paint It! Show
The default photo app is lacking a bit when it comes to enjoyable ways to view picture slide shows. Corel has taken up the torch and developed an app to remedy this issue. Paint It! Show allows photos to be pulled in from the iPad photo library or right off Facebook. From there, watch as those photos are hand painted in beautiful and artistic fashions worthy of sitting down and enjoying.

FREE!

Corel Paint it! Show

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-10-05 :: Category: Entertainment

TeacherPal
ITWorx has taken the iPad to the classroom and given teachers a new tool. TeacherPal allows educators to organize classes and students. A simple interface means teachers can track attendance, grades, and even the bad behavior of unruly kids. Guess those thumbtack antics are going to be easily remembered now, darn it.

FREE!

TeacherKit

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2010-10-05 :: Category: Education

Today was SEGA’s Editor’s Day at their office in San Francisco, CA. We were lucky enough to have been invited, and spent a few hours with some other great bloggers and journalists in the conference room at the SEGA HQ. We got to see the latest build of Sonic 4 for iPhone, the new port of Chu Chu Rocket for the iOS platform, two ports from the Genesis days (Altered Beast and Gunstar Heroes) and a fascinating RTS MMO Freemium game called Kingdom Conquest.

The demos started with Sonic 4 for the iPhone, which, according to the other folks in the room, has improved vastly from the preview shown at E3. Sonic 4 for the iPhone will have all the content similar to the console versions of the game, but will also include two different exclusive iPhone levels, built to take advantage of the special features of the iPhone platform, like the accelerometer. It’s fast and 2D and thoroughly Sonic, through and through. The project manager said that the story, while episodic in nature, was a fully formed storyline – with beginning middle and end – with a finite length and breadth. No milking the franchise, here, but a return to the series’ roots and a focus on what fans have asked for across the many years. The story takes place right after Sonic and Knuckles, representing a mid- franchise continuity that hasn’t been explored yet.

Next up was Chu Chu Rocket, a fan favorite from the SEGA Dreamcast, originally released in 1999. This is a puzzler game, with single puzzle and multiplayer versus battle modes, wherein players must guide the Chu Chus (mice) to the escape rockets, avoiding traps and Kapu Kapus (cats) along the way. The single player has 150 puzzle levels, 25 challenge levels (special task-oriented levels) and 25 battle levels, which can be played with up to four players over WiFi, bluetooth and 3G.

The hands on time with this game saw this editor lose furiously to Andrew P (from Slide To Play) over bluetooth, all due to some poorly placed arrows and those darn cats! The game overall seems fun, retro, and includes cute graphics and voice overs. The graphics have been spruced up from the dreamcast days, and the screen layout has changed to reflect the new device platform. This will be SEGA’s first Game Center game, and there will be an iPad version with 4 player on the same screen gameplay.

The two Genesis ports, Altered Beast and Gunstar Heroes, were what we expected — solid ports of games from SEGA’s extensive back catalog. Using the same emulator system s many of their other recent ports, playing these during the hands on time was both nostalgic and frustrating. These games are really tough! Punishing in difficulty, in fact. Altered Beast has players taking the role of a recently revived hero from antiquity, brought back to fight the hordes of the undead at Zeus’ command. All the original sounds and graphics are here; if you played this game in the arcade, you’ll definitely enjoy this version. Gunstar Heroes reminds me of similar games (MegaMan, anyone?) — all shooty and frantic, enemies on multiple levels of the screen, firing and focused on your annihilation. Players with good twitch reflexes definitely need apply.

Kingdom Conquest, a real time strategy, MMO hybrid game currently in beta testing in Asia, peaked my interest right away. This is SEGA’s first attempt at a freemium model game, with a free to play entry price point and micro-transaction DLC to come. The game seems to have two or three different modes of gameplay, all coming together in a fascinating whole. First off, RTS gamers will recognize the build a city, harvest resources gameplay. This takes place within a World Map that is populated by other real players across the internet. Alliances and collaboration will be required to advance in the game. Think Sim City meets Civilization over the internet.

Raise an army of monsters by conquering towers in the world map, which throws players into a third person dungeon crawler mode, with three different character players to choose from — barbarian, sword master, and cleric. Upon conquering the five level tower dungeons, players earn monsters to fight for them in larger world map battles.

It’s all rather deep and complex, and this editor, at least, is looking forward to Kingdom Conquest in a big way. It’s due out this fall, according to the team, and will be free to play, with various items and resources being available via micro-transaction.

Overall, the games look good. SEGA has a solid bunch of iPhone gaming apps for players of all stripe, across classic and new characters and IP. Stay tuned right here for details as they emerge.

SEGA. The name is synonymous with all things both awesome and retro. As one of the original innovators in the home video game console space, the company has a gigantic back library of amazing titles. Now that they are out of the console business, they have focused on publishing games that harken back to their franchises of old, while bringing new innovations to the gaming space. Something else they have started doing recently is going back through their extensive archives and picking select titles for re-release on iOS devices.

Read the full announcement on The Portable Gamer.

Today was the start of the 2010 E3 and unlike last year, there are tons of great iPhone and iPad games being show.

Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem – Why save the best for last, let’s just start off with the best thing I’ve seen so far, Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem. This new game from Gameloft is based on the Spider-Man comics, not the movies. And the game shows it’s comic roots. While the game is still pretty early, it’s showing really great promise. No release date yet, but expect it fairly soon. Take a look at the trailer released today by Gameloft.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 – Next up, that speedy blue hedgehog turns up again in Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 for the iPhone. This, unlike the previous Sonic for the iPhone is an all new game with new graphics designed for the iPhone, not an emulated classic. The game overall looked well defined, bright, and very speedy.

Dungeon Hunter II – Another Gameloft title caught my eye today as well, this sequel dungeon game looked amazing on a demo 3GS with great lighting effects and 3D graphics. Dungeon Hunter II should be hitting the app store soon. While I only had a little time with it I was really impressed with the lighting effects and the smooth gameplay.

Zombie Wonderland – Next up, zombies and more zombies. Chillingo had a few game developers to show off. Among them two vastly different, but good, zombie games. Zombie Wonderland is a sort of time management defense game. Your job is to guard the building you are in from the approaching zombies. You do this by tapping the zombies to shoot them, boarding up windows, and placing automatic machine guns. If the zombies get inside, you have to clean up their left behind goo before time runs out — see, time management! Zombie Wonderland is available now for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and coming soon for the iPad.

Oddly, two of the largest iPhone game producing companies, EA and Activision, were not showing any new iPhone or iPad games. Very odd considering the size of the two companies.

Sonic, he can really move/Sonic, he’s got an attitude/Sonic, he’s… on my iPhone?

Not entirely out of left field, but entirely unpublicized, comes Sonic the Hedgehog to the iPhone. From the description of the game in the app store, the new app lets you “Relive your favorite memories of the Genesis era as you rocket Sonic through hair-raising loop-de-loops and dizzying dives as you gather up Rings and stop Dr. Eggman’s schemes for world domination!”

Even though I have probably seen (and played) everything this game has to offer, I still want it… really, really badly. If all goes well with my espresso machine, I should have a review up by morning. Wish me luck!

Update: No more espresso!!! Nooooooo! We may have to wait till mid-afternoon.

$2.99

Sonic The Hedgehog

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-05-21 :: Category: Games