Mobigame rebranded the game in the United States and United Kingdom markets specifically to neutralize any claim Tim Langdell's Edge Games - notorious for challenging any use of the word "Edge" by video game developers - might make against the game. A news release from Mobigame stressed that no agreement or settlement had been reached with Langdell.

The game was originally available as EDGE on the App Store in the U.S. and U.K. from March to about May. Its takedown was largely attributed to Langdell, although he says Mobigame itself asked Apple to remove the application in light of the legal dispute.

"We renamed to 'Edge by Mobigame' for the U.S and the U.K market only to have the approval from Apple (and we have it now)," Mobigame's David Papazian told Kotaku. "On the legal side, he cannot claim anything against "Edge by Mobigame" and Apple knows that, so we hope everything will be alright now."

Papazian expressed confidence that Electronic Arts will prevail in its recent appeal for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel five Edge-related trademarks held by Langdell, on grounds they both have been abandoned and were fraudulently obtained. EA's suit arises from a dispute over its 2008 title "Mirror's Edge." Langdell vehemently disputes EA's claims.

Langdell, at the center of many controversies over the years regarding trademark rights to the word "Edge", has been involved in a similar dispute with Electronic Arts since 2007 concerning its title "Mirror's Edge." On Sept. 11, EA filed a petition with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to wipe out five trademarks involved in the case, saying they have been threatened by Langdell for a year over the distribution of Mirror's Edge.

"EA has filed a complaint to put an end to legal threats over a trademark issue related to our game, Mirror's Edge," company spokesman Jeff Brown said Tuesday. "While this seems like a small issue for EA, we think that filing the complaint is the right thing to do for the developer community."

Langdell, in a statement to Kotaku, called Electronic Arts' petition "a desperate attempt by EA to see if they can win the right to use Mirror's Edge by forcibly removing Edge's legitimate rights to Edge." Langdell pointed to a USPTO ruling in his favor, from August 2008, which found EA's registration of the trademark "Mirror's Edge" had been granted in error, and the company's subsequent abandonment of the mark - made official Sept. 8 - "stands as an acceptance of Edge's rights."

The USPTO database does list the trademark "Mirror's Edge" as "abandoned" as of Sept. 8, 2009. When asked about the timing of EA's filing, Brown, the spokesman, said only that the company had been unsuccessful in its yearlong attempt to resolve the dispute, and "we feel it is important to establish the rights of developers in this situation. So we filed the petition to cancel those marks."

Brown also declined to comment when asked if the petition was at all related to any upcoming product announcements using the word "Edge." Nor would he specify how negotiations with Langdell broke down.

Over the years, Langdell has been accused of heavy-handed behavior against developers who wittingly or unwittingly use the word "Edge", which he trademarked years ago for use in video games, and a slew of other associated products since then. In addition to the disagreement with EA, Langdell has been involved in a bitter dispute with Mobigame, whose iPhone game EDGE has appeared on the iTunes App Store and was later removed when he challenged Mobigame's usage of the title.

The notoriety surrounding this action in large part led to a campaign to have Langdell removed from the board of directors of the International Game Developers Association. Langdell voluntarily quit the board last month rather than face a removal vote.

"A lot of small developers who are faced with this situation settle claims because they don't know how, or can't afford to fight for their rights," said Brown, the EA spokesman. "We hope that as a result of this action, other developers will be less intimidated by unwarranted legal threats."

But Langdell counters that EA is trying to poison sentiment against his company, and that its accusations "sound like comments intended to sway indie game news reporters' opinion and deflect you away from the obvious fact that it is EA [that] indie developers need to be protected from."

In the filing, Electronic Arts alleges that Langdell has effectively abandoned these trademarks through disuse. While Langdell vigorously states his company is actively involved in the development of games, both Mobygames and this analysis say the last game published by Edge Games was in 1990.

Edge Games' Web site says it is developing four multiplatform titles, one of which "Racers," was released on Sept. 9. "Clearly, Edge has not abandoned its trademark and that allegation is obviously destined to fail," Langdell told Kotaku. Langdell's statement says Edge's games "are on general sale at this time as they have been at all times over the past many years."

Significantly, EA also alleges that Langdell fraudulently obtained the trademark registrations, filing out-of-date and even falsified specimens to obtain them. EA alleges two registrations, dated 1996 and 2006, used box covers from games published in 1989 and 1990 and were not examples of a mark used in commerce, especially as the 1990 game was developed for the since-discontinued Commodore Amiga. Another 2009 registration submitted an Edge mark used on the 1986 game Bobby Bearing, saying that game had been in use "continuously over the past five years," on mobile phones. EA claims that is false.

EA says two other registrations, in 2004 and 2005, were obtained by submitting a nonexistent magazine cover in one case, and a Hulk comic book published in the 1990s in another. (Langdell claims to have licensed trademarks to the two publications.)

Langdell flatly denied that Edge ever committed fraud in applying for its U.S. trademarks.

Langdell has also said that Mobigame told him, in an email published here, that it and Electronic Arts had formed some sort of partnership, to what end he did not say. In a lengthy public statement published last August, Langdeel seems to imply that EA and Mobigame might be working together "to seek to undermine our rights in EDGE," to get out of an agreement Langdell says Edge and EA had reached earlier.

Brown, the EA spokesman, said that to his knowledge EA has no formal relationship with Mobigame. A request for comment left with Mobigame was not answered as of publication time. Mobigame replied to Kotaku that, in May, it had been working on a video game project unrelated to EDGE, or any game involved in this dispute, licensed by a British company that was in negotiations with Electronic Arts to publish it. Those negotiations have since ended, Mobigame's David Papazian said.

According to a notice sent by the USPTO, Langdell has until Oct. 27 to respond to EA's petition. Should the matter proceed to trial, that will begin in the summer of 2010.

Electronic Arts' filing may be downloaded here, in .pdf form.

Langdell, for his part, accuses EA of playing the bully in this matter.

"The key dispute for the past two to three years ... has always been between the multinational conglomerate EA and Edge fighting for its rights as a relatively small indie developer up against the giant corporate bully, EA," Langdell wrote. "It is a great pity that another fellow indie developer, Mobigame, got caught in the crossfire, but at least EA are now out in the open with their fight, now openly trying to stifle the legitimate rights of indie developers."

The IGDA announced Langdell's resignation in a brief statement this morning. In an email to Kotaku, IGDA Executive Director Joshua Caulfield said Langdell resigned voluntarily and was not asked to. Langdell provided a lengthy statement explaining his decision, the entirety of which is at the end of this story.

In his statement, Langdell says he left the board because opposition to his board membership comes from "a contingent ... who in their fanaticism will cause substantial negative press for the IGDA over the next month and place intolerable demands on the board and IGDA staff."

Late last week, the IGDA announced that a special meeting of the membership - essentially an online vote - would be held Oct. 3, the sole purpose of which was to vote on whether Langdell should be removed. Langdell had served on the board since March 1.

In his statement Langdell expressed confidence that he would survive such a vote but "my fear is that a quorum will not be attained and that consequently this vocal minority will not accept the outcome of the October 3rd meeting as bringing closure to this issue."

Langdell, who founded EDGE Games in 1979, is widely known for the aggressive defense of his long held trademark to the word "Edge" in video gaming. His latest dispute is with Mobigame, which released the iPhone/iPod Touch game EDGE in April. Their public fight has provoked heated commentary and accusations of bad faith dealings on both sides. Langdell himself has become more vocal of late, publishing a lengthy defense of his company and engaging in debates with members on the IGDA forums. The effort to remove him from the IGDA's board was begun back in July.

At the heart of Langdell's controversial public persona is the perception that his and EDGE's primary activity is litigation rather than actual development. Langdell claims EDGE has published more than 700 games, but an analysis, quoted by Eurogamer pegged the figure at 70, the most recent in 1990. EDGE's site does say it is working on four multiplatform titles at the moment.

Langdell said he would remain a full regular member of the IGDA. Caulfield, the executive director, told Kotaku that "it is my sincere hope that this issue is resolved. There are a lot of great people in the IGDA, and I hope we can get on with providing them with value for their membership."

Statement of Tim Langdell, CEO of EDGE Games, Aug. 31 2009

With the process barely started leading up to the Special Meeting announced last Friday and set to take place on October 3, it is already clear to me that despite my being confident that thinking members of the IGDA will vote for me to remain on the board for the balance of my term, there is a contingent who were involved in sending the defamatory email to all members by exploiting the IGDA email system a few weeks ago who in their fanaticism will cause substantial negative press for the IGDA over the next month and place intolerable demands on the board and IGDA staff. And while I am confident that were the needed quorum of at least 50% of the voting membership to be achieved at the Special Meeting that the vote would go in favor of my remaining on the board, my fear is that a quorum will not be attained and that consequently this vocal minority will not accept the outcome of the October 3rd meeting as bringing closure to this issue.

My great fear, then, is that this vocal minority — most of whom are not IGDA members — will continue their negative attacks on the IGDA beyond October 3, refusing to accept the outcome of my remaining on the board. It seems nearly certain they will continue to generate even more negative press for the IGDA for weeks or even months to come and persist in causing substantial drain on IGDA board volunteer and staff resources and time, which is not in the interests of either the IGDA or its membership. Especially not at this time when all key IGDA resources should be focused on the Leadership Forum, not on dealing with this issue.

Thus with the best interests of the IGDA at heart, and mindful of the unfair demand on the time of my fellow board members and our truly excellent IGDA staff, including the remarkable Joda Sapp and our incomparable new ED Joshua Caulfield, I therefore announce my decision to resign as a member of the board of the IGDA, effective immediately. I make this decision not because I have done anything wrong — on the contrary I am confident that all accusations against me were unfounded and purely intended to defame, and am confident that I have at all times acted in the best interest of the IGDA and its membership — but because I must make this decision between concluding a process that will show I did no wrong, and having that process irreparably damage the IGDA. I cannot permit the latter to happen, and this has to drive my decision today, taking priority over defending myself against these accusations to a conclusion. There are some who will take my stepping down as an admission of wrongdoing, but they are the same people who if the October 3 Special Meeting had gone ahead resulting in my remaining on the board would have refused to accept that outcome.

Last, I wish to say that the board is full of some incredible people, and you, the membership of the IGDA, are in excellent hands. For my part, I believe I made a solid contribution to the Association in my time on the board, taking on a somewhat disastrous web project which, as head of web tech these past months, I was able to bring round so that the new website should now be able to go live very shortly. I am sorry that I will not personally be overseeing the launch of the new website, but I know that this process is in the excellent hands of a colleague on the board.

I will remain an active member of the IGDA, still supporting it in any way I can as a regular member, and still serving on some fifteen SIGs; indeed my departure from the board will give me more time to devote to supporting the SIGs.

Dr. Tim Langdell, Pasadena, CA.

We've written four stories on Langdell, and sought comment without luck multiple times. The man is entitled to his say, and here it is. It's a 13-point document, making the following assertions:

• Edge never demanded money from Mobigame
• Mobigame proposed Edge give it money to use the mark "Edge"
• Edge has never acted as "trademark trolls"
• Edge acted well in the "EDGY" matter [this was the proposal to rename EDGE as EDGY]
• Mobigame has only pretended to want to change the name of its game
• Mobigame has persistently demanded Edge give up its rights to the mark "Edge"
• Mobigame has lied so as to defame Edge and its CEO Tim Langdell
• Mobigame deliberately selected EDGE as the name of its game in 2008
• How many games we have produced in the past 5 years
• Insight into the "Mirrors (by) Edge" matter
• Details of our game credits system
• "Edge of Twilight" [the matter concerning Langdell's filing of that mark this year, the name of a game under development by Fuzzyeyes since 2007].
• False accusations against Edge

One thing, as Kotaku is mentioned in the "Edge of Twilight" portion of this statement. Fuzzyeyes' CEO did in fact release a statement on July 23 (nearly two weeks after the story ran) saying any potential disputes between them had been amicably resolved. I have updated the July 11 story to reflect the statement of Fuzzyeyes' CEO.

Public Statement Regarding Mobigame [The EDGE Studios]

LittleBigPlanet is an innovation award machine, so it stands to reason that it would be on the list. We knew that before we even looked at it. Sure enough, there it was, nestled comfortably among other surefire innovators like Flower and Noby Noby Boy, though I suspect the latter only made it mainly for the confusion factor and the tiny frogs. The only unfamiliar game on the list is MaBoShi: The Three Shape Arcade, a WiiWare title from Mindware that I don't recall ever seeing in action.

Rounding out the list are two bigger titles, Far Cry 2 and Left 4 Dead. I'm not exactly sure where the innovation is in Far Cry 2, other than perhaps the map editing tools. Left 4 Dead, on the other severed zombie hand, pretty much created its own sub-genre, so I can definitely see where Edge is coming from.

Where are they going? Find out next week when the winner is announced at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival over in England somewhere.

Yesterday's email, listed in the reply-to as from the spoofed "Concerned_Members_of_the_IGDA@IGDA.org" address, and was signed "Concerned Members of the IGDA." It documented Langdell's history of suing and harassing game developers - his latest target is Mobigames - who use the word "Edge" anywhere in their products, a word he trademarked some two decades ago. The email also criticized Langdell for making "gross misrepresentations" of both the IGDA's influence and his position on its board.

It concluded by asking recipients to vote in a petition held at a non-IGDA site. The link was a petition brought up last July on the same subject. Some in the IGDA are trying to find a way to get the organization at large to officially consider Langdell's removal from the board.

This morning, the IGDA emailed its members to distance itself from the e-mail and the movement behind it.

Dear Members,

Recently an email went out that appeared to have originated from IGDA. The return address of this email appeared as: "Concerned_Members_of_the_IGDA@IGDA.org."

That email address was spoofed and the communication was not an official IGDA communication. We are currently reviewing the methods by which it was sent to see if this was sent out by people ignorant of proper use of the IGDA website or if there was malicious actions involved. We are also reviewing the method by which your email addresses were obtained and if that was done ethically or not. It is my hope that this was done by someone simply overzealous about their cause and not for destructive reasons.

Please be aware IGDA was not responsible for this email and does not have anything to do with the content or the links provided. You should read and use such links at your own risk.

We will investigate this issue and provide you with information on our findings as they are confirmed.

Thank you,

Joshua Caulfield
Executive Director
IGDA

I emailed the petition's creator, IGDA member Michael Lubker, to ask if the mailing was his doing. Lubker said he was not involved. Asked if this dented the anti-Langdell movement's credibility within the IGDA, Lubker said:

I am not worried that credibility or ability has been affected, if anything there have been more posts about it since the IGDA's response. However, I do feel that the IGDA is discrediting its members right to communicate freely with each other about the status of the organization.

According to the IGDA's bylaws, 10 percent of the membership can force an association-wide vote on such a question. Of course, that would presumably need to be done through some official means. And the chances of it recognizing the legitimacy of a third-party petition site definitely went down after today.

We've asked for comment from both Langdell and the IGDA. If they wish to make any, we'll update it here. Meantime, for an excellent read on Langdell's history, see this piece by Eurogamer (thanks, Morris).

Update: Tim Langdell has released a statement comprehensively defending himself in the Mobigame matter, and against other accusations leveled at him in the gaming press.

In a survey sent out to customers who've signed up for the company newsletter (like myself,) GameStop is shopping around a new free customer rewards program that would see visitors earring points for every dollar spent or game traded, which can then be redeemed for various prizes and special benefits, including "An all-access entry pass into E3 or Comic-Con."

Of course that particular reward is listed in the top tier of benefits, requiring a customer rack up 501+ points. According to the survey information, 10 points will be rewarded for every game, system, or accessory traded in, along with one point for every dollar spent. Points are accumulated throughout the year, depleted once traded in for benefits ranging from coupons and trade discounts to "A life-sized video game character like a Master Chief Statue" or "A free trip (air, hotel, plus the all-access entry pass) to E3 or Comic-Con."

I am guessing there will be some steep stipulations for that trip, and these details could very well change. I can blow through $500 at GameStop in a good month, and that's not even figuring in trades.

Check out the full listing, directly from the survey, below. Note that a 12-month Game Informer subscription is one of the Reward Level 3 benefits, which might lend itself to the new Elite Program included in the survey, which you can see following the first listing.

GET IN THE REWARD GAME WITH GAMESTOP REWARDS

Now you can earn points toward great rewards, just for buying or trading at GameStop. – a little "thanks," from us to you.

It's FREE to join. It's GameStop Rewards. All you have to do is sign up with your email address at your local GameStop and you'll get a membership card so you can immediately start earning points. As a member, you will also get sneak peek previews of new titles delivered to your inbox or mobile device, a 3-day free trial on previously owned games and early access to trailers and other new insider game content.

HOW TO EARN POINTS: Flash your card whenever you make a purchase or trade and you'll earn 10 points for each game or system you trade in and one point per dollar spent on new and previously owned games. Accumulate and spend your points all year long. Choose from a variety of rewards from the GameStop Rewards catalog. Cool, new and exclusive stuff is added every few months!

There will also be bonus and double point earning opportunities throughout the year, which means you reach higher levels - faster.

HOW TO GET REWARDS: Here are examples of point levels and the kind of rewards you can earn. Go online any time to check out the GameStop Rewards catalog, or we'll let you know at least once every few months that GameStop has added new rewards – like exclusive collector's items or rare game-related rewards and experiences that you would expect from GameStop.

REWARD LEVEL 1: 1-100 POINTS

* A coupon for 20% off a strategy guide
* A free beta version of a new game
* A one-time power trade offer – 15% bonus trade-in credit

REWARD LEVEL 2: 101-250 POINTS

* A one-time power trade offer – 20% bonus trade-in credit
* Various opportunities to customize content like a team logo, stadium or Xbox lobby background
* Discount off a collector's edition of a game
* A one-time-use certificate good for a $5 shipping fee with the purchase of any new game

REWARD LEVEL 3: 251-500 POINTS

* A12-month subscription to Game Informer
* A one-time power trade offer – 25% bonus trade-in credit
* Exclusive in-game accessories like a weapon, player or instrument
* An exclusive mini-game
* Access to chat and provide feedback/ideas directly to game developers
* One free previously owned game

REWARD LEVEL 4: 501+ POINTS

* An all-access entry pass into E3 or Comic-Con
* A life-sized video game character like a Master Chief Statue
* One free new game
* A $50 GameStop Gift Card
* A free trip (air, hotel, plus the all-access entry pass) to E3 or Comic-Con

Get more out of gaming at GameStop, because only GameStop brings power to the players.

Along with the free rewards program, GameStop is also looking at redoing its current Edge program as GameStop Elite, giving the normal %10 discount and trade bonus on used titles for a reduced price of $10, without the attached Game Informer subscription.

PRESENTING GAMESTOP ELITE

Now in addition to GameStop Rewards, you can get an extra edge on valuable bonuses and savings when you add a GameStop Elite membership. Just flash your card at the register. It's that easy.

ADD AN ELITE MEMBERSHIP & GET ALL ITS BENEFITS:

* An additional 10% price discount on all your previously owned games and accessories, and strategy guide purchases
* An additional 10% trade-in bonus on all your game and accessory trade-ins

Your Elite membership gives you a full year of savings for only $10. It can more than pay for itself in no time!

Get more out of gaming at GameStop, because only GameStop brings power to the players.

Interesting ideas, but I really wouldn't get your hopes up about that E3 trip. It's never that easy.

Long-time Edge readers may remember his work in previous issues, most notably the retro specials. Everyone else, you've probably seen his pixellated masterpieces somewhere.

The piece in question (which was sent to subscribers as a big, proper poster alongside issue #203) consists of a video game city, comprised entirely of classic video game characters, vehicles and locations. Sort of like Goon City, only a little slicker.

Click below for an embiggened version.

Edge's Subscriber Poster [Edge]

You may recall EDGE, Mobigames' outstanding and award-winning title for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It has been removed from the U.S. and U.K. Apple Store because of a trademark claim made by Tim Langdell, who created value-bin studio EDGE Games about a hundred years ago and claims to have made 180 games, but is better known for bullying actual game makers who use the word "edge" in any form.

Says Mobigame's David Papazian (to Fingergaming): "If you already asked why Soul Edge (the Namco game) was called Soul Blade and later Soulcalibur in the US, you have your answer."

Papazian says he is in "negotiations" with Langdell, who claims to own the worldwide trademark to all things EDGE. Sure it may be a cheap shot to denigrate EDGE Games "best known" efforts - "Garfield: Big Fat Hairy Deal" and "Snoopy: The Case of the Missing Blanket." But when the company's most recent game was in 1994, its claim to be a games developer is fast losing credibility, if it's not gone already.

It beggars the imagination that a judge would find brand confusion here, in the title of a mobile game produced in 2009 versus the name of a company that hasn't done shit in 15 years except squat on a very common word. You want to see brand confusion? You want trademark infringement? How about this, from EDGE Games' web site itself:

If I had the email address of Electronic Arts' legal division I'd send them that. Update: The more I think about it, Langdell probably pulled this trademark claim nonsense with Electronic Arts, who laughed at him, and/or he put up that flash video to thumb his nose at them in hopes they would sue him, so he could get the claim in front of a judge that way, rather than as the plaintiff. That's probably also why the Edge logo rips off Edge Magazine. This is all pure speculation on my part.

Another thing that some might find interesting: He's a GDC speaker! Actually, he participated in roundtables, which usually involve groups of three, not a single speaker and are quite a different thing from lectures. But at GDC he's held forth on topics such as: "Who Controls a Game's IP and Who Reaps the Financial Benefit?" Tim Langdell does! Especially if it's your game. He also claims to have cofounded the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. At least that's according to an edit his wife made to the AIAS' Wikipedia entry about a year ago. Citation, uh, needed.

He is, however, a member of the board of directors of the International Game Developers Association. I wonder what the IGDA and the AIAS have to say about their association with someone who no longer, in fact, creates any games - except for ripping off the name of a well known release - and engages in such disgusting harassment of those who do.

Tim Langdell: The EDGE of Insanity? [The Independent Gaming Source]

According to GoNintendo, the mag ends with the typically cryptic Edge teaser, one that's leading to speculation of an impending Pikmin-related announcement. While the full-page "Next Month" hint may look simply like a carefully manicured lawn, it appears to also contain a teeny-tiny secret: a wee Pikmin-shaped purple blob.

Nintendo has been forthcoming with its intentions to create a new Pikmin game. At last year's E3 expo, Shigeru Miyamoto told select press that the developer was making an all-new Pikmin game.

"We're making Pikmin," Miyamoto said. Yeah. They're making Pikmin.

Whether that new Pikmin is a proper sequel for the Wii or for the Nintendo DS remains to be seen. Since the mag's new issue date is June 4th, a few days into this year's E3 expo, we'd expect an announcement to happen then.

RUMOR - Current EDGE issue features teaser that may be related to Pikmin 3? [GoNintendo]

Eidos Montreal hasn't been very good at keeping secrets. having revealed last year that their next "AAA" title after Deus Ex 3 was a game from an established franchise that began with the letter "T". Now an advertisement in the latest issue of Edge Magazine teases the studio's next project being announced on May 11th, listing accolades such as Gamespy's "Hall of Fame" and Gamespot's "Greatest Games of All Time" and "Ten Best Heroes in Gaming." Inquisitive Gamespot forum goers did some searching, and determined that only one series fit all three bills - Thief.

There really is only one game they could be announcing, but we're going to leave this as a rumor until we receive any sort of official collaboration. We've contacted Eidos Montreal for comment, only to receive a not-unexpected no comment response.

Thanks for your interest, but unfortunately for now you will have to wait on the 11th of May.

Stay tuned next week for the official announcement. You might want to start practicing your surprised look in the mirror.

Eidos Montreal heading for May 11 announcement [VG247]

According to a post from Campbell at his new venture GameBizBlog.com, the departure of Edge Online's senior team, which includes news reporter Kris Graft and editor Rob Crossley, follows a shift in control. Campbell says that publisher Future UK decided late last year to relocate the online presence from San Francisco to West England, a decision he says was an attempt to "integrate" the print and online versions of Edge.

"Edge-Online's new bosses claim they want to 'integrate' the online and print facets of the magazine. I believe this to be an error," Campbell wrote. "Although the Edge voice ought to be maintained throughout all its activities, any attempt to reshape a dynamic daily website in the image of a monthly print magazine is conceptually and practically highly problematic."

Future rebranded the web site, formerly known as Next-Gen.biz, as Edge Online last year. The new Edge web site is now being helmed by print deputy editor Alex Wiltshire.

Campbell clearly disagrees with the planned integration, writing "The story of the game industry is now being told via lightning fast websites and blogs of phenomenal competence and editorial quality. The days when giant print brands dominated the mediascape are over."

Why Edge-Online's Whole Team Quit [GameBizBlog via Develop

Loved
Controls: In Edge, you control a block that moves about its gridded environment by "rolling" on its edges in the four cardinal directions. Picking up multicolored prisms increases your rolling pace. You can hang on the edges of your environment by rolling partly up and then holding your position, rocking back and fourth. The time you spend "on the edge" is subtracted from your level time. You accomplish this by means of three controls - with a finger-drag motion that's a little difficult to pick up at first, by tilting the iPhone, or by touching an onscreen directional pad. Touch-dragging is the default mode, and you'll probably want a protective screen (mine developed a split and a bubble before Edge arrived, and so I removed it). With oily fingers and a smudgy screen, the touch-drag-hold control can be slow to respond. The accelerometer would be the most difficult option. It does have a calibration and sensitivity feature, but as is the problem with most iPhone games, you're still moving the screen. But for those who want to see every level through to the end, regardless of the time or score they earn (some can take 10 minutes) the touch pad is there. And with 40 levels, it is a long lasting experience regardless of how you approach it.

Cubism: Those who loved Crystal Castles and Marble Madness will adore Edge's high-contrast geometric plane of existence. It's one of the best imagined games for this new platform, and would still be outstanding in a straight port to a larger console. The levels you play are so deep and enriching you forget they are formed of, literally, building blocks. One early stage, "Metro" really got my attention for how well it interpreted a subway stop at night.

Soundtrack: So excellent it deserves its own specific mention. This is the best soundtrack of any iPhone game, period. The electronica mix is pensive, soothing, energetic, mysterious - in short, perfectly matched to the tone of your current soundings. The chiptones for the level "8-Bit", in particular, will bring a smile to your face. I even found myself, before going to bed, just starting up Edge and listening to its opening-screen music. You can download the entire 19 track score for free from Mobigame (donation suggested), but it really should be experienced inside the game.

My only disappointment is that, for gamers less skilled with the accelerometer or touch modes, the onscreen D-pad can feel like a cop-out. This is unfortunate but necessary because on some later levels (I played all 40) I simply couldn't see how they can be completed using touch or tilt. Granted, I was reviewing the game to its completion, and not taking my with it the way many casual gamers would.

Despite all that, Edge is a must have game, moreso than any racer or puzzler out there. So much of the iPhone's desirability is wrapped up in its design, and the simplicity and elegance of its interface. Likewise, Edge is a game with a very simple purpose, elegantly rendered, and altogether desirable.

Edge, for the iPhone and iPod Touch, was developed and published by Mobigame. Currently available from iTunes store for $4.99. Completed all 40 standard levels on iPhone (three more are unlockable) testing all methods of control.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

This isn't a "These Are The Best Games Of All-Time" list, nor a rattling off of the 100 most influential. It's Edge's attempt to pin down what it considers "a snapshot of the titles that define modern videogaming as it stands in March‭ ‬2009." That means some of your favorite 8-bit titles might be missing in action.

But it also makes for a very agreeable list of modern day classics and 16-bit titles that stand the test of time.

We'll spoil it for you: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time sits at #1. In fact, Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda and Mario series make multiple appearances, as do oft-overlooked games like Jet Set Radio Future, Frequency, Viewtiful Joe and R-Type Final. (Never did finish that last one on the list, sadly.)

Sure, you may find some oversights (Diablo II? Still eminently playable, Edge dudes.) and some curiosities (Ninja Gaiden.... II?) but you may also find some holes in your gaming experience collection that need filling in.

The 100 Best Games To Play Today [Edge]

You may hate them for their snooty tone and tough review standards, that's cool. Just as many people enjoy and respect those things, which is probably why around 30,000 people around the world still read the mag every month.

Well, that and the magazine's art style, which has long helped it stand out from the pack on a news stand, and which is being put to the ultimate test (along with your tolerance for nutty marketing gimmicks) when the magazine celebrates its 200th issue with...200 covers.

Yes, there'll be 200 covers to choose from when the 200th issue goes on sale next week. Well, 199. The 200th has been designed by LittleBigPlanet developers Media Molecule, and will be the cover shipped to subscribers. You can see a selection of the covers above, or click below for a shot of all 200.

While the majority of reviewers judging Killzone 2 have enjoyed it enough to hand out five stars, ten out of ten, or whatever maximum score allowed under their review systems, Edge wasn't so kind. It strayed from the reviewer pack with a damning 7 out of 10. Brace yourselves.

Obviously, in modern day review terms, in which the scale typically runs from 6 to 10, with 6 being nigh unplayable and 10 being "perfect," we have a problem on our hands. Or do we?

No. We don't.

One of the neat things about Edge is, it has a hard-on for innovation. Even neater, it uses the entire range of the scale, not just just comfortable 6 to 10 zone. Clearly, when reading the written critique of Killzone 2, the issues it takes with the game's characters, story (or lack thereof), and gameplay clichés, the numerical score provided to it — seemingly the most contentious aspect of the review — begins to make more sense.

It just doesn't quite fit in with the Metacritic average, thanks to a broad range of review outlets all being essentially held to the same review process. And, hey, it's better than the average "User Review" score, currently a mix of emotionally invested fanboy rating which we're going to assume are a blend of heated 1s and 10s.

We can't quite say how good Killzone 2 is just yet. We haven't played enough of the game's multiplayer to officially review it — though Brian Crecente has completed the single-player portion of it and is rumored to have really liked it. Personally, I've only played pre-beta builds, giving me almost no indication of the final quality of the game.

But I'm looking forward to it. And looking forward to going in fresh, unfettered by reviews and scores and nonsense. After all, everyone else has praised the game for its "unparalleled graphics, incredibly well-paced single-player campaign," its "extremely deep multiplayer" and a "keen attention to style and detail." And, hey, that sounds pretty good!

Killzone 2: The Edge Verdict [Edge Online]

Two iPhone titles lead the pack of nominations, with tower defense game Fieldrunners and cubic puzzler Edge up for three awards. Of the 14 titles competing in the IGF Mobile finalists, 11 are iPhone and iPod Touch games. On the Nintendo DS side, And-or's Wardive also scored triple the award noms, competing for Best Game, Innovation in Mobile Game Design and Technical Achievement.

The winners will be announced at the Game Developers Conference Mobile conference on March 24th, then be "additionally honored" during the main Independent Games Festival Awards on March 25th. For the full list of potential winners, read on.

IGF Mobile Best Game
Cubic Republic (IKS Mobile) – Flash Lite
Smiles (Sykhronics Entertainment) – iPhone/iPod touch
Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) – iPhone/iPod touch
Edge (Mobigame) – iPhone/iPod touch
Wardive (And-or) – Nintendo DS

Innovation In Mobile Game Design
Wardive (And-or) – Nintendo DS
Galcon (Hassey Enterprises) – iPhone/iPod touch
Eliss (Steph Thirion) – iPhone/iPod touch

Achievement In Art
Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) – iPhone/iPod touch
Dizzy Bee (Igloo Games) – iPhone/iPod touch
Ruben & Lullaby (Song New Creative) – iPhone/iPod touch

Technical Achievement
Football Tycoon (Dynamo Games) – Java
Real Racing (Firemint) – iPhone/iPod touch
Wardive (And-or) – Nintendo DS

Audio Achievement
Radio Flare (Studio Radiolaris) – iPhone/iPod touch
Zen Bound (Secret Exit) – iPhone/iPod touch
Edge (Mobigame) – iPhone/iPod touch

Best iPhone Game – Presented by ngmoco
Edge (Mobigame) – iPhone/iPod touch
Dizzy Bee (Igloo Games) – iPhone/iPod touch
Fieldrunners (Subatomic Studios) – iPhone/iPod touch
Zen Bound (Secret Exit) – iPhone/iPod touch
Frenzic (The Iconfactory) – iPhone/iPod touch

Fallout 3's award for Most Unsatisfactory Whoring is but one of myriad awards handed out by Edge this year, including Most Special Special Editions (EA), Best Flop (Boom Blox), and Wettest Hats (Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway), but Fallout's gets me the most, simply because I was going to mention the boring whoring in my review but thought better of it.

We tried this simply out of academic interest,‭ ‬of course,‭ ‬but we hoped our solicitations might have a better payoff.‭ ‬It’s not that we need a Hot Coffee-style QTE,‭ ‬but lying fully clothed on a bed before the screen blanks and awakening,‭ ‬often with the object of your investment still wandering about the room,‭ ‬does little for us.‭ ‬At least Fable II gives a chance of contracting an STD.

I have contacted Bethesda's Pete Hines to see if we can get an explanation, and to inquire as to the possibility of a whoring patch included in future DLC.

The Alternative Edge Awards 2008 [Edge]

The rest of Edge's "Games of the Year" ventures bravely beyond the United Kingdom, giving Braid, Gears of War 2 and No More Heroes top ten kudos, but some of the exclusions and placement will likely cause fanboy rashes and tummy upset. I mean, that game I liked as the twenty-seventh best game of the year? Surely you jest, Edge! And why has game this ranked higher than game that?!

And don't even get me started on that overrated piece of trash that I didn't happen to care for!

If this sounds like an activity in which you'd like to partake, ready your angry reply and see what Edge thought were 2008's best and brightest.

Edge's Top 30 of 2008 [Edge Online]

It's LittleBigPlanet. Everywhere. Between the game and its developers, Media Molecule, it won four of the eight awards on offer. Half of them! We know you're British, Edge, and staunchly so, but four awards is getting a little carried away.

Best game:

1. LittleBigPlanet
2. GTA IV
3. Fable II

Best Innovation:

1. LittleBigPlanet
2. NXE
3. Left 4 Dead

Best Visual Design

1. LittleBigPlanet
2. Street Fighter IV
3. Far Cry 2

Best Audio Design:

1. Dead Space
2. GTA IV
3. No More Heroes

Best hardware:

1. Xbox 360
2. PS3
3. Wii

Best Publisher:

1. Microsoft Game Studios
2. Electronic Arts
3. Sony Computer Entertainment

Best Online Experience:

1. Left 4 Dead
2. LittleBigPlanet
3. Gears of War 2

Best Developer:

1. Media Molecule
2. Criterion Games
3. Rockstar North

[via VG247]