If you're looking to buy a game for your iPhone than make sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to iPhone Gaming which includes quick impressions of 20 or so of the games as well as screenshots, videos and details for most of the games currently available and a bunch yet to come.

Our most recent update to the guide includes impressions of Tetris, EA's Sudoku and Crash Bandicoot Nitro Racing. Personally, I've played around with 15 different iPhone games and my favorites so far include Super Monkey Ball, Bomberman Touch and Trism... oh Trism. Oh, I also really like Zen Pinball.

By: Brian Crecente, Michael McWhertor and Leigh Alexander

The iPhone Games are here. The iPhone Games are here. Things are going to start happening to me now!

As of this morning you can download iTunes 7.7 and add the App Store to your iPhone. Why would you do that? So you can check out the spiffy new games they have available. Yeah, I'm sure some of the games currently available will be shovelware, but that doesn't mean there won't be some gems.

Hit up our guide to what's to come on the jump. We'll also be updating this page throughout today and tomorrow with hands on impressions of the games as we play through some.

Feel free to make requests in comments.

AVAILABLE

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D

Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Developer: Polarbit
Details: The nefarious Nitrous Oxide has joined forces with evil genius Dr. Cortex and his demented side-kick Ripper Roo, in a plot to beat the Bandicoots into submission once and for all, and at long last clear the way for world domination. In order to lure Crash and his gang out in the open, they stage a Kart tournament. The winners will be crowned “Kings Of Kart Racing For All Eternity”, the losers will be banished from N. Sanity Island.
Impressions:The best racer on the iPhone to date, hands down. In the game you guide Crash, or a slew of other unlockable drivers, around a course by tilting the iPhone back and forth. You brake the vehicles by tapping under the kart and drift by tapping above and to the right or left as you turn. You can also collect power-ups which you use by tapping their icons. The two races I ran through on the game were seamless and even managed some fairly fun graphics. The one downside? You guessed it. No multiplayer.

Tetris

Price: $10
Developer: Electronic Arts
Description: Drag, flick and poke your way through 15 challenging levels. Push your touch screen to the limit in Marathon Mode and earn amazing powers in new Magic Mode. Give your fingers a workout by clearing rows to rack up points.
Impressions: I'd love to say that this is a great use of the iPhone's touchscreen or that Tetris on the iPhone was fun, but the fact is everytime I tried to play the game it crashed just as the menu loaded up. This is, so far, the only iPhone game I've ever had crash on me.

SEGA Columns Deluxe (with Puyo Pop)

Price: $4.99
Developer: Sega America
Description: Return to ancient Phoenicia and behold the jeweled Columns as you strategically align falling gems across, down or diagonally. Let the screen fill with gems and its game over. In Puyo Pop, race against the clock to match color groups of cute gelatinous Puyo’s and create chain reactions as they fall. Go for the highest score possible as the Puyo’s falling speed increases.

Impressions: The Columns half of this Sega puzzle collection is based on Columns III, but is strictly single-player only. It's far more playable than the Puyo Pop side, which borders on uncontrollable via the iPhone's touchscreen. Faithful ports that lack any semblance of fun due to painfully slow, unreliable controls. Carbuncle's cute, though!

Trism

Release Date: July 11
Price: $5
Developer: Demiforce
Details: The Bejeweled-esque title uses the iPhone's accelerometer for a hardware appropriate block matching twist on the genre.

Impressions: OK I've got a new addiction, and I can carry it around in my pocket. Trism's slight tweak on the Bejewled game play is so profound that it changes the way you have to think about puzzle gaming. The basic premise, as with most puzzle games, is really simple. You have rows and columns of mutli-colored triangles. You slide them around to line at least three up and clear a space. The twist? The iPhone can detect which way you are holding the phone and drops the triangles into recently filled holes from the proper direction. So now you have to think carefully about which way to hold the phone before making a move. The fun basic play is backed up by three game modes, 22 unlockable achievements and an online international ranking board (I'm currently number two.) They even included a colorblind mode. One of my favorite iPhone games so far.

Chess and Backgammon

Price: $10
Developer: Gameloft
Details: Chess and Backgammon on the iPhone.

Impressions:Chess Classics is fairly robust for a portable version. It includes single player chess, quiz, pass-the-iPhone two-player and even a way to read about classic games and then watch them unfold on a board. There are nine levels of difficulty (ranging from monkey to master) and four board themes. During play you can choose to move the camera around in a 3D view or play in 2D.
The Backgammon in the game is also a fun take on the game, with three board types, a bit of a tutorial and the chance to play against a friend. You can roll the dice by touching the dice cup or shaking your iPhone.

Super Monkey Ball

Price: $9.99
Developer: Other Ocean
Details: Play Super Monkey Ball with title controls.

Impressions: The iPhone's title controls are a perfect match to the monkey-in-a-ball gameplay. The game responds quickly with no noticeable slowdown. While you can pause the game in mid action with a touch to the screen, leaving to the iPhone's main menu shuts it down completely. The game includes five locations each 11 stages. You can also choose to control four different monkeys. Lots of pick-up and play fun.

Moto Racer

Price: $9.99
Developer: Freeverse
Details: Ah, the wind in your hair, the bugs in your teeth and the open road stretching out in front of you! Using the iPhone’s cool accelerometer, (you know, that doohickey that knows when your iPhone is sideways or not), you can steer your motorcycle to victory in this wild racing game. Awesome characters and a touch of humor, its a Freeverse game after all, will add to the fun.

Impressions: Freeverse's tilt racer tries to do a lot of different things. It has tilt controls, a single button you press on screen for gas and the ability to feed nearby motorcycle adversaries a knuckle sandwich. But the controls are a bit too responsive to handle the course at times, the lack of a brake is a total turn off and the ability to drive through some graphics makes the game not so much fun.

Cromag Rally

Price: $9.99
Developer: Pangea
Details: In Cro-Mag Rally you are a speed-hungry caveman named Brog who races through the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages in primitive vehicles such as the Geode Cruiser, Bone Buggy, Logmobile, Trojan Horse, and many others . Brog has at his disposal an arsenal of primitive weaponry ranging from Bone Bombs to Chinese Bottle Rockets and Heat Seeking Homing Pigeons. In addition to single-player racing where one player races against the computer, there are also several different multi-player modes (available only when running on OS 9) including Tag, Capture the Flag, and Survival. Two players can play on a single computer in split-screen mode, or up to 6 players can play over a network.

Impressions: It's no Mario Kart, but it can be a bit of fun to play. The tilt controls are well adjusted and you have the option to make them more or less sensitive. Gas and reverse are controlled by touching and holding an arrow pointing forward or back. Brakes can be applied by touching a wheel icon and you can throw the game's few weapons forward or backward by pressing on the top or bottom of a bone picture. Yes, that's a lot of touching, but the game is still very playable. I just wish they had better avatars and more than the male or female you get to choose from. There's a straight up racing mode and a collecting mode, which has you racing while trying to find arrow heads. No multiplayer, which makes me very, very sad.

Zen Pinball: Rollercoaster

Price: $4.99
Developer: ZEN Studios
Details: 3D touch-based pinball simulator.

Impressions: This single-table pinball sim is amazing. The amount of sound, action and graphics they managed to pack into Zen Pinball simply blows me away. This game stands right up there with some of my favorite console versions of pinball. Flippers are controlled by tapping either side of the screen and you can even move around the camera angle and then lock it back in place while paused. The only thing the game seems to be missing is the ability to bump the table, which is slightly annoying.

Bomberman Touch: The Legend Of Mystic Bomb

Price: $7.99
Developer: Hudson
Details: Lost in the jungle after a plane crash, Bomberman must rescue an ancient treasure from KA-BOOM Temple.
Impressions: Bomberman, a classic looking, classic feeling Bomberman, can only be a good thing, no matter what platform it shows up on. In this case, it's a great thing. The crisp graphics, the upbeat music, the hand-drawn looking cut-scenes, it all comes together nicely on the iPhone. You control Bomberman, once he whips off his Jungle Adventurer costume, by holding a finger on the screen, anywhere on the screen, and moving it around. You drop bombs by touching a bomb icon and use special abilities, like kicking a bomb or remotely detonating a bomb, with other action buttons. Quite a bit of fun on the go.

Texas Hold 'Em

Price: $5
Developer: Apple
Details: Offline and online Texas Hold 'Em.
Impressions: This version of Texas Hold 'Em is packed with options and a delight to both play and look at. If you hold your iPhone sideways you can play the game from a top down perspective, but twist the phone upright and you get a full motion video showing the current player considering their hand or the dealer if it's your turn. Not only can you play through the game's multiple rooms, and choose from four pages of personal avatars, but you can also play against up to seven players via WiFi. If you're into poker this is a must buy.

Motion X Poker

Price: $4.99
Developer: Fullpower Technologies
Details: Casino game where players shake the iPhone to roll dice.

Impressions: Motion X Poker is really just a poker dice game, but man, is it impressive. The ability to shake well-rendered 3D dice by shaking your phone, coupled with the rumble feature, is amazing. You can also choose to just roll a set of five dice. The game comes with 38 total different dice sets, though only eight are available at the start. The ability to roll dice and play whatever game you'd like is cool, though I wish they made it possible for you to select how many dice are on the screen. Also, wouldn't it be great if they added different types of dice, like a 20-sider, to it down the line?

Sudoku Vol. 1

Price: $5.99
Developer: Hudson
Details: Classic Sudoku gameplay oriented for the touch screen.
Impressions: Volume one of this fairly workable version of Sudoku includes 15 puzzles. The game is straight forward and includes both the ability to get hints in a puzzle (which is tracked) and the ability to use place marker numbers, a must for any serious puzzle solving. I like the presentation, but not the rather small number of puzzles, though even the first is fairly hard.

Critter Crunch

Price: $9.99
Developer: Capybara Games
Details: IGF Mobile 2008 winner and IGN Mobile Best Puzzle Game of 2007. Lets players control Biggs, a friendly forest-dweller with an unending hunger for tasty critters. Using his long tongue, Biggs must set the food chain in motion by launching smaller creatures into the mouths of larger ones, clearing the screen and filling his belly.

Impressions: It's pretty clear why this game's won so many awards. It's accessible, polished, easy to play and has a fantastically adorable art aesthetic, albeit a little twisted in the context of feeding cute little blob guys until they explode into jewels and money. The core concept is simple — organize the critters stacked in columns from one side of the screen to the other by grabbing them with a long tongue and then spitting them out where you'd like to place them. If a critter lands on one bigger than itself, it gets eaten, and you can create chains to clear the board. But different types of challenges, special items and cool strategic complications give it continually surprising depth and keep it interesting.

Enigmo

Price: $9.99
Developer: Pangea
Details: Physics based game that has you trying to move water droplets into a container.
Impressions: Enigmo is a fairly simple physics-based puzzler that has you moving objects around to try and divert falling drops of water into a container. The touch screen is used to place, move and rotate the objects. The game's basic graphics and fairly straight forward premise really didn't grab me.

Bubble Bash

Price: $7.99
Developer: Gameloft
Details: Toss multi-colored bubbles into the sky to pop three or more of the same color.

Impressions: This Hawaiian-themed Puzzle Bobble (aka Bust A Move) clone is one of the slickest iPhone games we've played. Aiming is simple and reliable courtesy of a touchscreen slider and an optional accelerometer control scheme. Fantastic presentation with plenty of variety and unlockables makes this one of the must-buys (if you must buy an iPhone Puzzle Bobble clone).

Aqua Forest

Price: $7.99
Developer: Hudson
Details: Particle physics-based puzzler.

Impressions: This physics based puzzle game goes for zen appeal, with a soundtrack that should appeal to the nightly Echoes listener and straightforward iPhone tilting gameplay. You'll draw and erase portions of the playfield with the touchscreen to guide water or a little will o' the wisp into the safe zone. For the price, we expected better than a chuggy framerate, sloppy English and a confusing interface. Aqua Forest has potential for fun, if you can get past the half-baked presentation.

Crosswords

Price: $9.99
Developer: Stand Alone
Details: Download and solve crossword puzzles from many newspapers.

Impressions: An expertly crafted Crosswords application that pulls in puzzles from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Sydney Morning Herald and The Onion AV Club, among others. The interface borders on perfect, with informative progress bars for each puzzle, multiple hint options, a familiar Edit feature for deleting old puzzles, and smart touchscreen interaction. Only quibble? No obvious way to turn off the click sound during typing. Excellent.

Etch a Sketch

Price: $4.99
Developer: Freeze Tag
Details: Classic Etch a Sketch drawing using the touch screen.
Impressions: Etch-A-Sketch is pretty much Etch-A-Sketch, sure you can TOTALLY CHEAT by using your finger to draw on the screen, but besides that it's just like the real thing. There are two knobs on the bottom of the red frame which you can use to sketch out images if you don't want to TOTALLY CHEAT. You can also add shapes and change the color of the image. There are options to save and send your pictures, which you probably created by TOTALLY CHEATING and you can even add background pictures to sketch over. The game also has a place holder for sketching by tilting, which it says is coming in the first free update. The best part? You erase your image by shaking the iPhone. Yes, I'm easily amused.

Reel Deal Texas Hold 'Em

Price: $9.99
Developer: Phantom EFX
Details: Texas Hold' Em poker with various character play styles and difficulty levels.

Jirbo Match

Price: Free
Developer: Jirbo Inc.
Details: Animal matching game.

Aki Mahjong

Price: $9.99
Developer: Ambrosia Software
Details: Combining the ancient Chinese game of mah jong with a journey across Japan, this is Mahjong solitaire for iPhone.

Frisbee Golf

Price: $2.99
Developer: Four Corners
Details: Curve your frisbee around trees, over water and past sand traps to land your disc in the basket.

Chimps Ahoy!

Price: $9.99
Developer: Foundation 9
Details: Toss coconuts back and forth between the chimps, picking up power-ups and taking out enemies on the way through 100 levels of fast arcade action.

Ms. Pac-Man

Price: $9.99
Developer: Namco Networks America
Description: It's Ms. Pac-Man. On an iPhone.

Impressions: A faithful rendition of an arcade classic, Ms. Pac-Man looks and sounds just like it did in 1983. Unfortunately, none of the three control scheme options work very well, making it difficult to play an honest game. The touch screen D-pad and accelerometer are both unreliable with the "Swipe" mode your best bet for dodging ghosts. The presentation is solid, but trying to make it to level 256 with an iPhone would require Sisyphusian effort.

COMING

Rolando

Release Date: August
Price: Not Yet Announced
Developer: Handcircus
Details: Looks to be a Locoroco-esque puzzle title using the touch screen for movement.

Raging Thunder

Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Developer: Polarbit
Details: Not a realistic racing simulator, Raging Thunder is a game based on tried and true arcade values. Speed, accessibility and fun, in other words, trump the limitations imposed by so called ‘real world physics’. In the world of Raging Thunder there are no such things as ‘too narrow turns’ or ‘impossible overtakes’ (and luckily, definitely no such things as ‘traffic control officers’).

Tap Tap Revenge

Release Date: July 11
Price: Not Yet Announced
Details: Tap Tap Revenge, originally created by the incredible Nate True, is super-awesome mega-fun for the whole family, and we know you’re gonna love it. We can’t divulge too many details, but suffice to say it involves tapping, tapping, and revenge!

Kroll

Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Details: An action adventure game that uses touch screen for movement and the accelerometer to jump.

Spore

Release Date: September
Price: Not Yet Announced

Developer: Electronic Arts

Details: Control your spore through tilt controls.

Flick Sports

Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Developer: Freeverse
Details: Bowling, baseball soccer and golf.

Pac-Man
Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Details: Pac-Man with a touch screen.

Galaga
Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Details: Galaga with a touch screen.

Bejewled
Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Details: Bejewled with a touch screen.

Zuma
Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Details: Zuma with a touch screen.

Peggle
Release Date: TBA
Price: Not Yet Announced
Details: Peggle with a touch screen.

The App Store will be part of the iPhone 2.0 firmware update that is free to iPhone users, but $10 for iTouch owners. That's right, Apple is charging for a firmware update.

Why should you care if you own an iPhone or iTouch? Spore, Trism, Galga, Pacman and maybe, just maybe Puzzle Quest. Also there are the games announced at the beginning of the conference.

Games can be downloaded by cell connection if they are less than 10 MB and via WiFi if greater than 10MB.

So far it looks like games will run for $10 a pop, though it will ultimately be up to the developers to set prices. Apple keeps 30 percent of the revenues. If the dev decides to give the game away there is no charge at all from Apple.

Stay tuned here for other gaming news coming out of WWDC today and if you're looking for a deeper, more in-depth look at the whole show make sure to catch Gizmodo's amazing live coverage of the conference.

The game was originally unveiled in March with four complete stages, but the finished game contains 110 stages across five worlds, featuring all four classic monkeys, said the spokesperson. The first world, Monkey Island, was unveiled at the game's debut in March, and the fifth world, Space Case, was unveiled today.

Users can accelerate, decelerate and turn using the iPhone's accelerometer and tilt control, and Einhorn demonstrated; our neighbors at Gizmodo snapped this pic.

"For Sega, the App Store represents an amazing opportunity, because we can now be in the same place where people are buying music and movies, and they can take that content with them wherever they go," said Einhorn.

"We can't wait to see what's possible with our other market characters."

[Image Credit: Gizmodo's Liveblog]

UPDATE - While LemonQuest seem adamant that games will run at around $25, Apple's own dev page clearly states that developers set their own prices, so long as 30% of the cut goes to Apple.

LemonQuest talks iPhone, ARM and industry consolidation [PocketGamer.biz]

Forbes points out that with a fairly powerful engine and the ability to do both motion and touchscreen, the iPhone could be a threat to Nintendo's lucrative handheld business. Of course the DS' staggering numbers will be the biggest opposition to Apple crushing Nintendo directly in some handheld-to-handheld combat, but even that could change over time. And keep in mind a slew of companies have announced games for the iPhone already, also Apple is giving away their SDK.

While I think that it's unlikely that the relatively inexpensive DS will be toppled by the expensive iPhone, I do think, hope actually, that it will shake some trees at Nintendo and perhaps get them to drop news of another, more advanced handheld in the coming year or so.

Make sure to stay tuned here on Monday for any iPhone game-related announcements that come out of Monday's WWDC.

Why Apple Could Kill The Nintendo DS [Forbes]

...the absolute x- and y-positions of [the] remote control can be used, for example, in video games to position a user's character or to otherwise track the movement of the remote control in a user's environment.

I think there's a potential risk on any platform where you're allowing...where you're running in what we call native mode, where you're writing straight to the metal, not a sandbox layer like XNA, and then that runs a script engine and you let people do that in that script engine.

Any platform that let's you do that, and doesn't have the right security measures in place - whether it's Sony, whether it's Nintendo, whether it's Apple, whether it's anyone - you're inviting trouble, because sooner or later someone will want to prove they can do it.

Eurogamer has a much longer interview with Satchell if you hit the link.

Microsoft's Chris Satchell [Eurogamer via DCEumu]

"That's a Nigerian 419 scam," my friend at work said. "They put these dream homes up and try to sucker you into placing a holding fee or deposit."

I was crushed. I could take the relentless fakery and heartbreak of trolling for online sex in the spam-soaked CL casual encounters. But housing? Was nothing sacred? And now there is this:

Know what I hate? When they want $100K but retail price is $99,999, like I don't know it's just a dollar's difference. Please. $50,000 or I walk.

Insider Documents Apple Nintendo Merger! - $99999 (cupertino) [craigslist, likely removed by the time you click it, but thanks to Eggy]

The latest recruits include Namco, PopCap and THQ with talk of Pac-Man, Galaga, Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle coming to the device.

"We're very excited about Apple's new SDK and reaching every iPhone user through the new App Store," said Scott Rubin, vice president, Sales and Marketing, Namco Networks. "We can't wait to show off great new versions of arcade classics like PAC-MAN and Galaga that use the revolutionary features of the iPhone and iPod touch."

...

"Apple's become an important mobile game platform with the iPhone SDK," said Jason Kapalka, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, PopCap. "The new SDK gives us the tools to innovate and reinvent games like Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle. With the new App Store we can reach every iPhone and iPod touch user on the planet."

...

"The iPhone is the mobile platform game developers have been dreaming of," said Scott Zerby, vice president, THQ Wireless. "We're looking at how we can use the iPhone's innovative user interface to create new game experiences for our big brand entertainment partners that consumers love."

All I gotta say is that they better be making use of some of the iPhone's neat capabilities and not just porting it straight over from a cell phone build. That and why the hell haven't we heard about Puzzle Quest? Don't make me email you Infinite Interactive!

iPhone SDK Downloads Top 100,000 [Apple]

Hell, you don't even need an iPhone (though it's recommended). All you need is an OSX based Mac and, you know, a bit of genius and a lot of work ethic. (Apparently you can actually develop right on the iPhone as well...but who knows how well that'll work.)

So you're thinking, "But I want to sell my product on their Apple Store. That'll cost me a ton and be impossible." Nope, it won't be either of those things.

$99 per year is all it costs for a developer to post an unlimited number of titles to iTunes on their own schedule. (Internal business programming runs up to $299 per year). If developers feel like setting a price for their content, Apple takes 30% of the sales. (Boy, that number sounds vaguely reminiscent of Microsoft's deal for XBLA developers before they were rumored to hike their cut).

While we're talking money, Apple has a $100,000,000 iFund. Think of it as grants that will go to seed software development products. Surely, at least a small chunk of that will entice up and coming game designers.

As for Apple's screening process, so far it only seems that extreme content (like porn) will be banned from the applications store. Obviously there are implications here—how violent/graphic can game developers make their content?

To that, we still have no answer.

But so far, we really like what we're hearing. Because today, Apple has made ever developer into a publisher for the most buzzed about products in the consumer electronics industry.

iPhone SDK Available Today for Free, $99 to Publish Your Apps [Gizmodo]

Today we announced SPORE for iPhone and have other games in early stages of development.

We are using the new iPhone SDK to develop games for the iPhone OS.
We're really excited about what this means for people to be able to play EA games on their iPhone or iPod touch and are thrilled to extend our relationship as a developer of games for various Apple products (Mac, iPod nano, video iPod and now iPhone & iPod touch).

From EA's CEO John Riccitiello, "The animation technology in the iPhone OS enables us to build awesome games. I think iPhone consumers are going to be blown away by the games we create for this platform."

This is not a cellphone game. This is a full console game. And we underestimated the power of the device. We had to fly in a developer to upscale the art for the iPhone.

Hot. Once again, no confirmation as to whether or not this game is actually going on sale.

UPDATE: It looks like this is planned for commercial distribution as well, given that Sega of America president Simon Jeffery explained, "The iPhone OS is a robust development platform that will allow Sega to deliver mobile gaming experiences that are truly compelling. Using the iPhone's accelerometer to power a tilt control feature adds a whole new dimension to Super Monkey Ball, and we can't wait for gamers to try it."

Gizmodo Liveblog [Gizmodo]

First up, Spore for the iPhone.

From Gizmodo: "The iPhone's demo of spore uses the accelerometer to control the motion, and it looks kind of choppy. But they built this in 2 weeks. Battery life? Bye Bye!"

Apparently it's the complete game, and most impressively, Apple claims that with their SDK for the iPhone, EA put this together in just 2 weeks. But alas, there's no word as to an actual release. We have reached out to EA on the matter and will let you know if we hear more. UPDATE: EA has confirmed that they have commercial intent for the platform.

Gizmodo Liveblog [Gizmodo]

"

Demiforce's Trism may be the first iPhone (and iPod Touch) game that we'll ever play. Willingly, that is, because its use of touchscreen and built-in accelerometer controls sound far more interesting than playing a quick and dirty port of Bejeweled or Solitaire. Simon Carless from GameSetWatch spoke with Steve D. of Demiforce to learn more about the game, which is planned for a commercial release as soon as that SDK is ready for primetime. In the meantime, however, anyone looking to play it would have to do so on a phone unlocked with Jailbreak. The video and interview are both worth some of your precious internet time.

Interview: The Next Big Puzzle Game Wave? iPhone + Accelerometer! [GameSetWatch]

But this mock-up? It's a miss. As much as we love the iPod's click wheel, a proper d-pad it is not. Oh, and where the hell are the analog sticks?

iPSP: If Apple had designed the Sony PSP [Spicu]

""We don't use half the buttons on the 360 controller," admitted Molyneux, "simply because the whole dream I've got is that someone will sit down to play Fable 2 who has never played a game before and they can play with someone who's played games the whole of their lives.

"You hand somebody a game controller and it's like you've handed them a live gun or a hand grenade with the pin taken out"

I believe Harrison is exaggerating, but then again I make it a point never to carry around live hand grenades on my person so who knows? They both make a very good point. Back when games consoles first started there was a joystick and a button, but since then controllers have evolved to the point where you can find a complicated looking map within the first two pages of most game manuals.

Harrison went on to praise two innovators in the realm of control...Nintendo for the Wiimote, which gives non-gamers something more familiar to work with, and Apple's iPhone, which he says appeals to the user's natural instincts.

"I saw this first hand a few weeks ago where a two year old was playing with an iPhone and he knows how to get the pictures up of mum and dad. The two year-old then intuitively thought that all electronic devices worked like that," said Harrison. "He's pressing the TV to change channels."

"He's right and the rest of us are wrong - that should be applied universally. Apple should be applauded for that innovation," he added.

Harrison: Non-gamers see controllers as live guns [GamesIndustry.biz]

With the enormous popularity of the iPhone and the phenomenal success of the iPod, anything handheld from Apple seems like a sure fire hit. But on the other hand you have Apple's inability to bring a lot of quality games to their platforms. If this gaming device does come to fruition, will it end up being the next DS or just another Gizmondo?

Apple Trademark Application [TARR via Trademork]

The snes4iphone project, currently in beta, is aiming to bring SNES emulating bliss to the iPhone. Right now there's not much you can do to participate other than read the forums—there doesn't appear to be any downloadable code to test/melt your phone at this time. However, the ZodTTD group would certainly accept any cash you have lying around to fund programming.

We liked the premise of the NES iPhone mod, but the SNES has always been our favorite (meaning that we're at about a fanboy code orange at the moment).Though, we must admit, watching the filmmaker get pwnd in F-Zero doesn't bolster our confidence regarding the touch control mapping.

Forums [via ubergizmo]

CALL OF DUTY® 4: MODERN WARFARE™ COMING TO MAC

AUSTIN, TX - January 15, 2008 - Aspyr Media, Inc. announced today they will publish Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™ for Mac, a gripping modern-day action-thriller that deploys players into heart-stopping battles across the world's most treacherous hotspots. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare delivers unprecedented high-definition graphics, piercing 5.1 surround sound and a dynamic community-oriented multiplayer experience. Developed by Infinity Ward and licensed by Activision, the game is expected to be available for Mac in May 2008.

Featuring a tense storyline, filled with plot twists, the title thrusts players into battle like never before. With amazing special effects, including rim-lighting, depth of field, texture streaming and character self-shadowing, players are enlisted into one of the most photo-realistic gaming experiences imaginable.

The community-oriented Call of Duty 4 multiplayer gameplay features a robust leveling system, variety of unlockable perks, hot-join and matchmaking, as well as create a class and party capabilities to ensure that players of all skill levels can join in the fun. Additionally over 100 challenges and a host of new game environments and modes deliver unlimited possibilities. Infinity Ward has also included Kill-Cam, a fan favorite feature that they created in Call of Duty 2 which allows for spectator instant replays.

Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™ will soon be available for preorder through Aspyr's website for only $49.99. For more information, fans can also visit the official Website, http://www.callofduty.com/.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Intense Violence, Strong Language and Blood and Gore.

[via Engadget]

It's [the waggle] an extension of the argument of straightforward and easy control we started with the DS, but putting it in the living room makes it different. As big screen televisions increase, what kind of game machine can you make? Targeting highly detailed graphics and epic stories are options, and in that situation, the gamer population doesn't increase. The answer was creating the sensation of really playing sports on the television screen, and it's a new type of physical interaction.

I've liked Apple products for many years... Common features between both companies are: "Wring the in-stock goods", "Produce simple products" and "Suggest a new and surprising lifestyle." I think Apple as an electronics company and Nintendo as a game company should pursue that...

Iwata Interview [Asahi.com via Itai News]

"MacSoft couldn't be happier to bring Unreal Tournament 3's insane fast-paced action and brutal weaponry to the Mac," said Peter Tamte, president of MacSoft parent company Destineer. "We have a long history of bringing the Unreal series to Mac gamers, and with its expanded campaign mode and killer vehicles, Unreal Tournament 3 is the biggest, best and bloodiest game in the series yet."

The Deadliest Tournament in the Universe Comes to the Mac.

Announcing "Unreal Tournament 3" For Macintosh

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - December 18, 2007 - MacSoft, a leading publisher of Macintosh games, is proud to announce the Macintosh version of Unreal Tournament 3. Licensed by Midway Home Entertainment and developed by Epic Games, one of the world's most acclaimed video game developers, Unreal Tournament 3 delivers the most frantic gameplay and stunning visuals yet in the award-winning Unreal series, as well as new vehicles, new weapons and the deepest single-player campaign in the series to date, all developed on the industry's leading engine, the Unreal Engine 3. Best of all, it is scheduled to be available in early 2008.

"MacSoft couldn't be happier to bring Unreal Tournament 3's insane fast-paced action and brutal weaponry to the Mac," said Peter Tamte, president of MacSoft parent company Destineer. "We have a long history of bringing the Unreal series to Mac gamers, and with its expanded campaign mode and killer vehicles, Unreal Tournament 3 is the biggest, best and bloodiest game in the series yet."

Created with the groundbreaking Unreal Engine 3, Unreal Tournament 3 brings unparalleled visual fidelity to the Macintosh, and new gameplay additions including an enhanced single-player mode with a branching mission structure and wickedly intelligent enemy AI make this the deepest, richest entry in the franchise. Also featuring new gameplay modes like Unreal Warfare, two distinct vehicle rosters including devastating machines like the Necris DarkWalker and all new gadgets like the hoverboard and grappling beam, Unreal Tournament 3 is poised to take the Mac gaming community by storm!

PC users will benefit too with the the GameTap player's updated, streamlined interface. I mean, you're not getting any new games or anything. But you've already had your fun while the rest of us were pouting in the corner, acting interested in our iPods.

He's equally excited about the Wii Ware platform, but says that the company doesn't currently have plans to publish Hudson games on the Virtual Console that were released on the Nintendo 64 or Super Nintendo. You can read more about the publisher's plans at the full interview.

EXCLUSIVE: Hudson CEO John Greiner [Nintendo Players]

Connect360 [via tuaw]

A two-inch color LCD display isn't very big, no matter how you slice it (though it's large enough for Nintendo to make a jeans pocket-sized game system around, its Game Boy Micro). The clarity of the 320-by-240 display is remarkable, and the brightness is also quite good. Still, I can't quite get past the size. It's too small to see a lot of detail in the games. I was already a bit put off by Ms. Pac-Man's tiny dimensions on the larger iPod's display; here it's almost to the point of being ridiculous... Because of the overall tiny dimensions of the new iPod nano, I found my hand cramping up during long gaming sessions — it was just a tad awkward to have the iPod nano perched in my hand with my thumb on the Click Wheel all the time.

Hopefully more publishers will see the low cost and potentially huge benefit in offering their soundtracks on iTunes. Because while Kotaku can't speak for you, we'd love to hear the surprisingly haunting melodies of Pony Friends with the click of a button.

LAIR Score Now On iTunes! [via gamelife]

We believe Nintendo's talent in creating new markets, evident from the launch of the DS and Wii, could bring it close to the level of Apple, whose high valuations are due in large part to its innovative business model.

Live: The Beat Goes On [gizmodo]

You may recall that the Financial Times issued a similar report on Sony's intention to shoulder its way into the digital video download space last December. Looks like Stringer and company are taking their sweet time with whatever digital distribution platform they have planned. Given that the company made a Big Deal at Games Convention over its Sky and PlayTV features for the PSP and PS3, a worldwide video download service seems closer to reality than ever.

Say, maybe some of that nearly $3 billion in cash resulting from an IPO on its insurance division will help fund such a venture.

Sony to Challenge Apple In TV, Movie Downloads [Wall Street Journal]

It's no secret that Apple has been trying desperately to get a handle on the games market that has so woefully ignored their computer systems up to this point and the introduction of the iPhone has given them a perfect platform on which to dispense casual games. But, would the iPhone ever be able to come up to the level of the DS of the PSP? Perhaps, but with a price tag that costs more than your average console, I seriously doubt it will be able to get a leg up on the DS which is not only significantly cheaper, but has already sold and amazing amount of units worldwide. Then again as we've seen with the iPod, never underestimate the power of Apple.

NINTENDO AND APPLE PLATFORMS ARE GAMING EACH OTHER [New York Post]

While the mini controller looks good on the iPhone's touchscreen, does anyone else notice that Mario keeps on running without cue once the forward button is pressed? Our 2-second verdict? For speed trials only. Read real, hands-on impressions over at Gizmodo.

[via gaygamer]

We're guessing that Apple's move to the Intel chipset has made Unreal-based software a lot easier to port into Apple's OSX. So Epic's confirmation here doesn't just speak for their two popular titles, but for every game based upon the Unreal Engine 3...which is basically every game. You poor Mac gamers have suffered long enough. Expect to see a lot more titles coming your way in the future. Epic Confirms Gears... [insidemacgames]

The Telekinesis software is actually pretty cool, sending periodic screengrabs from the Mac (that's actually running the game) to the iPhone via WiFi. Using the iPhone's slick user interface, users can zoom and pan these still images with ease. But problems happen when you actually want to play. While chatting sort of works, we doubt you'd want to "be that dwarf" in the group when raiding Karazhan, lest you be labeled both "AFK" and "ASS." I for one don't want to see the technology improved, as WoW in your pocket is the social equivalent to carrying a gun that randomly shoots you in the groin—and is just too dangerous for most of us. WoW on my iPhone [everythingdigital]