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Okay folks, time to get ready. Start clearing off some space on that iOS device and set aside plenty of alone time because Hunters 2 is looming on the horizon. And not one of those "further away than it seems" horizons. I'm talking the kind of horizon that's really, really close.

The original game was something of a smashing success, but it wasn't exactly perfect. Many users took issue with the somewhat limited arsenal, the lack of much variation for the contracts, the repetitive environments, and so on. Well Rodeo Games has taken the criticism to heart. Hunters 2 will feature the same ridiculously awesome strategy gameplay, but also includes more. As in more of everything. More weapons, more environments, more gear, more environments, and even more features. Such as a full-blown campaign mode (*SQUEEE!!!*) It's also looking pretty spiffy with the new real-time lighting effects. And are those new enemy types I see in those screen shots? I think they are.

Regrettably there still aren't any real specifics about the launch, but Rodeo Games estimates that we can all look forward to seeing Hunters 2 on the App Store in just a couple of weeks. How much it'll cost is still up in the air, but honestly, does it really matter? I'm fairly certain there are a ton of iOS users that are anxious to jump on it as soon as it's available, no matter the price. Myself included.

Being a cute and cuddly critter must really suck. It seems like the more adorable something is, the more likely it'll be harassed by zombies or space aliens or something. In the case of Kung Fu Rabbit it's decidedly the latter. An entire village of fluffy bunny children has been abducted and it's up to the lone remaining Kung Fu master to bring them all home.

Players will jump, slide, wall-jump/slide and beat the tar out of baddies throughout 70 levels. With two different difficulty modes, no less. Carrots can be earned and spent on various accouterments, lending a bit of a personal touch to each individual's rabbit. Some will no doubt also like to know that Kung Fu Rabbit will support Airplay (720p), iCloud and the iCade.

Release details are still a bit lacking in specificity, but Kung Fu Rabbit should be making its way onto the App Store in early March. There's also no official word on a price, but it's going to be universal so at least we know

Holy crap. No, seriously, holy crap. Pixowl Inc, in collaboration with Bulkypix, are poised to unleash something major on the App Store. It might look like a simple toy at first, but make no mistake: The SandBox is packing some seriously intense concepts behind that cute facade.

When The SandBox first caught my attention, I thought it looked like a nifty little pixelated world-building game. In a way, it kind of is. However, I was thoroughly unprepared for just how many different aspects of this created world could be manipulated. Water will flow down hills, erode stone into sand, turn dirt into fertile soil, evaporate in extreme heat and freeze in extreme cold. Flowers and trees can grow. Weather will develop based largely on the environment. Players can even make rudimentary circuits to do anything from heating to creating light.

The SandBox is still very much in beta at the moment, but that's no reason not to get excited. What's already implemented is pretty amazing, actually. A lot of specifics are still up in the air, such as the final number of "story" levels (currently around 20), price and release date. It's kind of a shame because this is all so cool, but then again it's probably best not to rush things. Although the super-curious or anxious can try to get in to the beta. No guarantees, though. Regardless, be sure to keep an eye out for The SandBox whenever it does hit the App Store.

The darkness is coming. It won't give up. Ever. The only option is to run. Dodge obstacles, plan ahead and only resort to direct conflict when there's absolutely no other choice. But most importantly: Never. Stop. Running.

InterWave Studios, in collaboration with EVENT Interactive, is bringing one of the best indie runners this side of Canabalt to iOS. rComplex is a beautifully stylized runner with a story. One that will only fully reveal itself to those with the fortitude and reflexes to brave all seven of the world's environments. Players control a nameless "running man" as he jumps, ducks, dodges and sprints from his seemingly omniscient pursuer.

Aside from looking super-awesome (no, really, look at those screens!) it also offers up a bit more variety than a standard runner. Each level involves running of a sort, certainly, but some use close-quarters to up the tension while others utilize lane-changing motorcycle chases. Plus there's that story I mentioned that can be uncovered through a combination of progress and item/secret discovery.

There's no official price announcement yet, but rComplex is due out at the end of February. All things considered, I don't think I mind having to wait another month to get some hands-on time. I'm fairly certain it'll be worth it.

It's a series that may not be as insanely popular as other Capcom franchises, but it's certainly no less loved by its fans. The Ace Attorney series is about to get its fifth title - only in Japan thus far and no confirmed platform, no other details are available at present - but it seems like the developer is also interested in giving the series' roots some love. Andriasang has reported that they've also announced Ace Attorney 123HD, an HD remake of the first three Ace Attorney games (back when they were called Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) for iOS and other platforms.

The original has already been brought to iOS, but it was pretty much a straight port. Once this Turnabout HD is released (sorry, couldn't resist) anyone who owns this port can upgrade to the HD version. For everyone else, they can download the first two episodes/turnabouts for free then unlock more via in-app purchases. The prospect of digging into HD renditions of some of my favorite Nintendo DS games (all conveniently located in one place no less) has me very, very excited.

There's no confirmed release date yet, but Capcom says Ace Attorney 123HD should be available "shortly." Gotta love that intentionally obscure information.

[Via: Andriasang]

Remember how Spacetime Studios announced Dark Legends, and how we had zero information to go on except the title and some imagination? Well things are different now. Or rather, we know a bit more about it.

Dark Legends is set in a world ripe with conflict. The existence of vampires has only recently been acknowledged and the vast majority of humanity is rather... displeased upon hearing the news. This isn't one of those "trying to find a peaceful coexistence" kind of scenarios; the non-vampire population is aiming to wipe out the blood-sucking "menace." It's kind of like True Blood, only if the majority of the human population was as quick to judge as that weirdo church/cult.

Players take control of a newly raised child of the night as they attempt to survive in this hostile new world and unravel its mysteries. And when I say "unravel its mysteries," I mean exactly that. Dark Legends will be much more story-focused than Spacetime's previous offerings, allowing players a more personal look into the narrative along with some Quick-Time Events during some cutscenes. That's not to say that the combat hasn't been tweaked as well. Fighting is definitely action-oriented, giving players some new abilities such as draining enemies (a given) and charge attacks.

Dark Legends is still missing a concrete release date, but it's penned for the "first quarter of 2012." So soon. Soon-ish, anyway. It's also going to be available for Android, Google Chrome and (of course) iOS users right from the get-go.

The iOS Moffee experience seems to be a bit of a mixed bag, what with the somewhat lackluster response to their dice app and the fun-but-flawed nature of TheColossusAge. Well if early impressions are any indication, the bag is going to get decidedly full of more awesome once they release The Temple of Ogrosh.

In a nutshell, The Temple of Ogrash is meant to be a gamebook set in the Moffee universe. For those without any prior experience with the genre, try to think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure book with major RPG elements such as an inventory system and dice combat. At the moment there isn't a whole lot of info to go on but I can reiterate some of the tidbits from the press release. The game will include five chapters, each at about 130 pages apiece, for a total of 650 possible pages of gamebooking. There will indeed be an inventory, as well as experience, sleep and hunger systems. Combat will still involve dice rolling like most gamebooks, but will also feature element attacks (fire, ice, poison, etc...) and a ton of possible weapon combinations (1920, plus unique items). Add to all of that the inclusion of multiple enemies, difficulty levels, several heroes and actual animations (ANIMATIONS, guys!) and this is looking like one heck of an awesome thing.

The Temple of Ogrosh is still a ways out. No pricing or release info has been made available yet, but judging by the checklist in the press release it's roughly around the halfway mark. We'll do our best to keep everyone up-to-date on this glorious-looking adventure.

2D action RPGs are always a popular genre. People (myself included) love the simplicity of fighting, looting, leveling, upgrading and crafting. BeerDeer wants to offer players more than that, hence the creation of Nyrthos. It's still every bit all of those things I've mentioned, but it adds a new element to the mix: player influence. It's not something as pedestrian as choosing from a dialog bog and seeing a good or bad event unfold, however.

In Nyrthos, the exploration of the world and availability of new areas is driven by the player base. One example given is that there might be a broken bridge that can be fixed once enough wood is gathered. If enough players decide to commit to the cause, the bridge will be repaired and the area beyond accessible to everyone. Similarly, players can found and manage their own village. They have a great deal of influence on the game world, and thanks to that the possibilities are practically endless.

Nyrthos will be entering open beta in the very near future (Q1, 2012), and anyone interested in taking a look can sign up on the official website. Pricing and release info are still non-existent at this point, which is to be expected, but we'll do our best to keep everyone up-to-date.

Dungeon crawlers as a genre have certainly seen much success over the years, but that doesn't mean that everyone loves them. It takes a certain kind of mentality to find joy in gathering tons of loot through repetitious fighting in order to fight stronger things (repetitiously) for better loot. Now assuming there was something else added to the proceedings to keep things from feeling less monotonous, something like that could draw in a bit more of a crowd. That is to say, draw in even more of a crowd. And what usually sells like crazy regardless of medium or platform? Humor.

With that in mind (I think), Ayopa Games and Drowning Monkeys have decided to unleash Dungeon Crawlers on an unsuspecting App Store. The game itself is a combination of more typical dungeon crawlers with multi-floored dungeons, loot and experience grinding and turn-based strategy RPGs. Players will control a team of four adventurers (an alchemist, priest, barbarian, and dwarven warrior) over the course of five chapters, each with their own distinct environments. They'll also be going toe-to-toe with plenty of nasty monsters as they scrounge for stuff.

Dungeon Crawlers is slated for a January 26th release. A universal release, might I add. For a special "introductory price" of $1.99 no less.

With not one but two popular MMORPGs under their belt already, one would think that Spacetime Studios might be interested in taking a little break. Nope. DroidGamers have discovered that, rather than simply being content with resounding success they've decided it's time to make yet another one. It's planned for mobile devices, it's going to be "... a bit of a departure from the formula that Pocket Legends established," and its called Dark Legends.

I wish I had more info to share about it, but after checking the initial forum announcement, their official Facebook page and the completely unhelpful teaser site (I know, what else could I expect from a teaser site?) I've come up with zip. Well okay, that's not entirely true. It's fair to assume that it'll probably have a somewhat darker theme than either of the developer's previous titles. It's also looking like Spacetime will be refining their Massively Multiplayer craft even further, and given the leap in quality from Pocket Legends to Star Legends it's certainly something to be excited about.

148apps will no doubt be keeping an eye out for further developments. In the meantime, I'd advise being patient. Or possibly keeping busy with one (or both) of those other mobile MMOs while waiting. Patiently.

[Via DroidGamers]

Egg Ball and BulkyPix are about to release a new platformer on the App Store. Please hold all sarcastic golf claps until I've finished. It's not exactly an under-represented genre, but JAZZ: Trump's Journey certainly looks to be a stand-out title.

It's not just the traipsing through New Orleans circa the 1920's. It's also the awesomely stylized graphics, as well as the plot (inspired by the life of one Louis Armstrong no less) involving bringing jazz music to life for the first time in human history. Then there's the way the game's music will build, layer upon layer, as Trump begins recruiting musicians. There's so much about this game that sounds awesome.

Of course, we'll have to wait for it to come out before knowing if it lives up to expectations. It certainly looks like it will, though. Fortunately it won't be an incredibly long wait. JAZZ: Trump's Journey is scheduled for a universal January 19th release. No word yet on a price but I'm going to assume that whatever it is, it'll be worth it.

Rob like-a-the point-and-click adventure games. He's also rather fond of hyphens. Only one of those things is on SkyGoblin's agenda right now, but it's the more important of the two by far.

The Journey Down is (surprise, surprise) an adventure game that looks like it would fit right in with any of those classic Lucasarts titles. Seriously, Bwana there looks like he'd fit right in with the likes of Guybrush Threepwood and Manny Calavera. In fact, the use of African masks as artistic inspiration (coupled with the use of some reggae and jazz music) isn't all that different from Grim Fandango's incorporation of the Dia de los Muertos motif.

Episode one, which is slated for a Q1 2012 release, sees Bwana and his sidekick Kito getting torn from the drudgery of their down-and-out gas station and thrust into a web of intrigue and corruption. No word yet on pricing or a more solid date (or high resolution in-game footage), but The Journey Down definitely seems like a game worth looking out for.

I'm obviously excited about Legendary Heroes. It's got me all in a tizzy, so to speak. But why is it so noteworthy? Read on for a better explanation than "it's looking freaking awesome!"

First of all, it does indeed look awesome. It's another iOS strategy game, which tend to fit the platform quite well. It features some pretty impressive-looking graphics. It takes the typical 2D castle defense genre and adds a third dimension, so there will be multiple paths to take in order to reach the enemy's tower. Lots of power-ups can be used to bolster the team's stats. And then there are the heroes.

Eight different heroes, each with their own abilities. Smaller units are still around, but it's the direct control of the hero unit that really sets Legendary Heroes apart. Plus it sort of fits with the name. Anyway, it's looking like an iOS mash-up of castle defense strategies, the fodder-pounding available in games like Dynasty Warriors and the inclusion of unique player-controlled hero classes that has been all the rage lately thanks to League of Legends.

Really now, how could someone not get excited about that combination? Oh but don't just take my word for it. There's a cleverly placed trailer sitting down there that should close the deal. Legendary Heroes will be out sometime in early 2012 and will be free-to-play.

In a move that's not entirely unexpected, another popular Facebook title is being brought over to iOS devices. Bulkypix, in collaboration with Kobojo, are adapting PyramidVille for Apple devices. Dubbed PyramidVille Adventure this time around.

This is looking to be more than a mere straight port, however. While the developers have indeed carried the Ancient Egyptian city-building and citizen-gathering mechanics over, they've gone and added some new stuff as well. Players will be able to find special items that allow them to build special structures such as the Great Sphinx, as well as take part in a new collection of mini-games that can actually reduce the amount of real-time waiting required for various actions. And, of course, the entire interface has been redesigned for iOS with touch controls and the like.

Those looking to become the next Ramses (or Cleopatra!) will still have to wait a bit before they can experience the 6 million player strong Facebook phenomena on the go. PyramidVille Adventure isn't set to come out for another month or so, towards the tail end of January. It'll be free-to-play, and universal, so once it does come out there won't be much of a reason to avoid it. Aside from the obvious ones like "free time" and "loved ones" anyway.

Flight simulators have been extremely popular within certain circles, especially the PC crowd. Hundreds of thousands of logged flight time, tons of mods, even elaborate homemade rigs... It's one of those things that's just insanely popular among a specific set of people.

With that rabid fanbase in mind, TAS Games is preparing to release Flight Unlimited - a less expansive but no less impressive single-aircraft simulation. Players can freely explore the immense city and parts of the surrounding suburbs in their adorable little Cesna. Exploration is the key element here, as there don't seem to be any official tasks or missions to complete. It's just the player, the plane, and a city full of things to buzz, land on and crash into. And it sure looks pretty.

Flight Unlimited is available on the App Store now for $2.99. iPhone 3GS users and below need not apply. It's currently only planned for the iPad (1 and 2) and the iPhone 4 (and 4S).