Many would argue that Battlefield 3, without a shred of a doubt, makes Modern Warfare 3 look like child’s play when it comes to graphics and perhaps even that sense of realism we all pine for when it comes to an FPS. And while both games are compelling in an epic battle, blood shed sort of sense, nothing compares to this supposedly fan made Battlefield 3 video.  We say “supposedly” because its production quality is just that top notch, nailing it all the way down to the in hand weapon cycling.  Anyway, why don’t you be the judge for yourself and hit the above video.

Battlefield 3 is probably one of the most hotly anticipated games of this year and we just got word (actually yesterday) that it will launch October 25th.  If you can’t wait until then, fear not, for EA will release a multiplayer demo sometime in September.  Unfortunately, they were mum on the actual demo release date, but we’d assume sooner than later in September since the game launches in the following month.

If you recall, EA and DICE have created an new version of the engine, Frostbite 2, so you should expect bigger explosions, better sound and more realistic graphics.  From what we understand they have a hands on demo setup at E3 this year, which officially kicked off today.  So if you head over there be sure to check it out and let us know what you think.

After putting the fans on a mission to recruit nearly a million ‘likes’ on FaceBook, EA DICE have released the eagerly awaited and hyped 12 minute game play trailer for Battlefield 3!

Dubbed ‘Fault Line,’ this trailer shows off the power of DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine, its impressive graphical capabilities as well as the true potential of their Destruction 3.0 system. The Striking Urban backdrop shown off at the beginning gives you a good idea about the realistic graphics and quickly changes into a chaotic warzone with everything from dust particles to shrapnel flying around. Buildings that once stood tall are reduced to a pile of rubble as you fight for your life against the insurgents in a clear ambush. One big thing to notice is that although we have our normal Middle East locale, it bears a striking difference to the cliche sands we’re used to seeing, with a full city complete with huge buildings towering into the sky and glittering in the sunlight.

Battlefield 3′s release date is yet unknown, but it is aimed for release this Fall. With the fan mission complete you can also take a look at another version of this trailer complete with Producer’s commentary here.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for iOS devices is now live in the app store.  EA says that it has been specifically designed to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen and the iPhone’s retina display.

But that’s not all it has to offer.  You can challenge friends to a round of golf over Bluetooth or a local WiFi connection.  There are a variety of play modes and new golfers including Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, Paul Casey, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Paula Creamer.

EA has launched a Facebook competition, the “Closest to the Pin”, that pits you against other players twice a week.  The goal, as you’ve probably surmised, is to see who can get closest to the pin – it’s a points based game with no cash prize.  There is also a new “Tiger Challenge” mode, which includes over 20 mini-game challenges to earn money that can be used to participate in the PGA TOUR events or upgrade a custom golfer’s attributes.

For those of you tightening the good old purse strings, you’ll be glad to hear that there is a free version of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12, though it will be seriously limited in terms of game play.

You can buy Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12 on the iPhone or iPad for $9.99.

Today, EA SPORTS Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12 went live in the App Store for iPad and iPhone! With breathtaking graphics, new exciting game modes, new golfers and courses – Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12 is no doubt the definitive golf experience on the App Store.

All the courses and golfers have been dramatically enhanced to take full advantage of the larger iPad screen, and the iPhone/iPod touch retina display. Players can challenge friends to a round of golf over Bluetooth or local wifi. With skins, match play and other modes, along with new golfers such as Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, Paul Casey, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Paula Creamer, playing golf anytime, no matter where you are on your iOS device is an enhanced experience. New courses include the fan-favorite Predator fantasy course and the Old White Course at Greenbrier, home of the Greenbrier Classic.

Twice a week, a new Par-3 hole will be chosen for the “Closest to the Pin” Facebook Challenge. Players can tee off and see how close they can get to the pin and where they rank amongst their Facebook friends on the leaderboards. A new “Tiger Challenge” mode includes of over 20 mini-game challenges to earn money that can be used to participate in the PGA TOUR events or upgrade a custom golfer’s attributes.

A free version of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR will be available for the iPhone and iPod touch. This version provides full functionality for the “Closest to the Pin” Facebook Challenge, and also let gives players three holes on the famous TPC Sawgrass course.

More information about Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 can be found at www.eamobile.com. Press assets can be found on http://info.ea.com.

Madden NFL Football will be the first sports title for the Nintendo 3DS and is already shipped to stores to coincide with the launch of the portable 3D gaming system.

While it’s hard to ascertain just how the 3D tech will enhance gameplay, EA says that every play, cut-scene, and replay camera has been “specially tuned to give stronger, more dramatic 3D views”.   Using the 3DS’ touchscreen, players will be able to draw their own plays, on-the-fly and directly on the screen.

In terms of gameplay, you can expect authentic 11-on-11 football, fast-paced 5-on-5 action and Season Mode.  There will be three types of play calling, which includes GameFlow, Classic, and Arcade.  ”GameFlow automatically selects the best play for the situation based on real NFL team gameplans; streamlining play calling and shortening overall game length for a more accessible experience. Classic play call allows users to experience the full depth of selecting formations and individual plays, while Arcade play call simplifies options through a more concentrated playbook.”

EA’S MADDEN NFL FOOTBALL HITS RETAILERS FOR NINTENDO 3DS LAUNCH

All-New 3D Optimized Version of EA SPORTS Celebrated Football Franchise Ships to Stores

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 23, 2011 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Madden NFL Football, the first EA SPORTS title available for the highly anticipated Nintendo 3DS™, has shipped to retail stores throughout North America and will be available on Sunday, March 27th to coincide with the launch of the Nintendo 3DS. Madden NFL Football delivers captivating gameplay in 3D, providing a robust and authentic NFL experience consistent with the renowned football video game franchise.

Madden NFL Football offers a comprehensive handheld experience with exciting modes, such as authentic 11-on-11 football, fast-paced 5-on-5 action and Season Mode. Additional features jump off the screen with 3D graphics, such as “Spotlight Moments” and “Call Your Shots”. Utilizing the remarkable power of the Nintendo 3DS Touch Screen, “Call Your Shots” allows users to draw their own plays, on-the-fly, directly on the screen.

With three types of play calling—GameFlow, Classic, and Arcade—Madden NFL Football provides an enjoyable experience for gamers of all skill levels. GameFlow automatically selects the best play for the situation based on real NFL team gameplans; streamlining play calling and shortening overall game length for a more accessible experience. Classic play call allows users to experience the full depth of selecting formations and individual plays, while Arcade play call simplifies options through a more concentrated playbook.

Madden NFL Football brings each of the 32 NFL teams and stadiums to life like never before with a presentation optimized for viewing in 3D. Making the most of the unique stereoscopic 3D presentation format, every gameplay, cut-scene, and replay camera has been specially tuned to give stronger, more dramatic 3D views. Harnessing the power of the Nintendo 3DS hardware, Madden NFL Football delivers a console-like experience to the Nintendo handheld, making it the perfect on-the-go game for every football fan.

Madden NFL Football has been rated “E” for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).

Madden NFL Football for Nintendo 3DS is developed in Raleigh, North Carolina by the EA North Carolina studio.

4 out of 5 stars

Boxing is a hell of a sport. MMA has become ridiculously popular recently, but there really isn’t anything like professional boxing. For videogames, boxing is simpler. Just using the arms to punch requires much less button pressing and control than kicking, grappling, etc. Boxing also is also romanticized in a way. It’s a gentleman’s sport; two men get in a ring, wear gloves and fight with only their hands. As intense as it may be, it’s no brawl.

And that’s why Fight Night is on the iPhone.

Fight Night Champion, recently released across all major consoles, hit the iPhone last week with a left hook and an awful pun. Not only is Fight Night on the iPhone a complete boxing game with a single-player campaign and an instant-fight mode, it also includes local multiplayer (via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) with all of the 22 characters across six different famous venues, from South Africa to Staples Center.

Right off the bat I wanted to see the fighters. The greats are there: Mohammad Ali, George Forman, Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis and more. 22 fighters for an iPhone game is impressive, each with his own fighting style, strengths, weaknesses, and signature moves and personalities. What’s most impressive is the level of detail on these fighters. Their faces are easily recognizable, and they don’t all look like lumpy figures. They are cut, athletic, and properly represented down to the tattoos with high precision.

The precision in graphics is incredible with the tattoos…but poor with blood splatter

Visually, these characters are stunning for an iPhone game. The venues are well built, each with a simple signature to call its own. Punches are fluid and solid, as are reactions to punches, both blocks, hits and stumbles. Occasionally the ragdoll physics will make a knocked down character hang on the ropes or not fall down completely, but that’s all. The only slight to this stunning imagery is the detail of cuts. In-game, they’re small but noticeable enough to take advantage of. On closer inspection, through replays, these patches of blood are just that, patches. They only match in color.

Considering the touchscreen-only controls, there’s a good reason we haven’t seen many fighting games on the iOS platform yet. Fighting games require lots of buttons and even more commands. Boxing is even more difficult because each arm has three punch types: jab/cross, hook and uppercut. There are also holds and blocks, and each of these must work for both arms and for head and body shots, as well as the strength of the punches thrown. Finally, there are illegal hits and signature moves, the best punch a fighter has.

The fine team at EA Sports has done a tremendous job at making all of these commands work on the handheld without being overwhelming. As you can see on the diagram above, the screen has four quadrants: left-head, left-body, right-head and right-body. Tapping any of these quadrants gives a jab/cross, swiping towards the screen from either side gives a hook, and sliding up or down on either side gives an uppercut. Blocks are done by holding down with two fingers on the screen, grabs by swiping from the top corners to the bottom center, and signature moves is a slide from the top left-bottom center-top right.

Sound’s complicated, I know, but because the actual movement– to some extent – mimic real punches, it only takes about one 3-round fight to get used to. Each fight begins with a loading screen and a simple list of all the moves, just in case. And the control scheme works excellently. Throw whatever type of punch you like in any combination, and so long as the other guy doesn’t knock you off course, that’s exactly what your fighter will do. Jab-cross-hook, jab-jab-uppercut, you name it.

What is a sad bit is that haymakers are all slow commands, literally requiring a charge to throw. Hold down until two rings glow under your thumb and the haymaker is ready. A more appropriate method would make sure haymakers could be done in conjunction with combinations. There is never an opportunity to get a few good shots in a row and finish it off with a good knock to the teeth.

The in-game recovery gives players a choice of how to spend their well-earned points

That, of course, is part of the “videogame” problem. As a game, both players have health and endurance bars, signifying how much damage has been taken (or how close they are to getting knocked down) and how strength they have left. An unshown damage bar is also in Fight Night, only visible between rounds when spending earned points to heal up any of the three bars. Damage of course shows on the face as cuts, so even during the fight you can see it. But unfortunately it all revolves around health and damage. Too much health taken and the fighter can get knocked down, and after enough times won’t get back up. Too much damage and the referee will end the fight and call it a TKO. There’s no wailing on a guy or getting a lucky hit to turn out the lights.

If there were however, gameplay would be very different. Most players will just trade blow for blow, move their characters back and forth by turning their iPhones or iPods (movement is controlled through the accelerometer), the more experienced fighters will block and counter occasionally and use combinations. I imagine a great deal of fun could be had with the chance to get a seven-hit combination, ending with a haymaker, that puts all but the hardest opponents down, but if the same could happen to you, it wouldn’t be as fun.

We can’t forget EA’s excessive attention to ring girls, and their very bouncy ways

The Legacy mode, Fight Night’s version of a boxing campaign, is smart but lacks fundamental growth. Players can build their own or select a real boxer and earn skills through fighting to the top, but “training” is nothing more than selecting what traits you’d like to improve and saying whether to do basic training, harder or aggressive training. The harder it is, the riskier it is and the higher the chance players will lose skill points instead of gaining them. Training is entirely disappointing. If there were an actual training ground, on a punching bag or completing some task in the gym to earn those points, that would be fine. But randomly handing out points is frustrating. My character lost more points in training than he’s earned. At a certain point, fights become too one-sided, no matter how good you are.

There’s a lot to be impressed with in Fight Night Champion. I am disappointed about the character classes. Only two light heavyweights and three middleweights, compared to seven welterweights and ten heavyweights. That should be more spread out, even if players enjoy fighting with the bigger guys. However, for 10-20 minutes at a time and perhaps longer, Fight Night Champion is one of the most intense and enjoyable game experiences to be had on the iPhone. Anyone serious about gaming should get it.

The iPad 2 officially goes on sale tomorrow.  To celebrate this momentous occasion EA is having a weekend long sale with up to 70% off select games.  The list includes Madden NFL 11 and Mirror’s Edge, plus FIFA 11, ROCK BAND Reloaded, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, TETRIS, RISK, MONOPOLY, SCRABBLE, and Pictureka.  They’ll also be selling Dead Space (checkout our Dead Space review) for 30% off.

In celebration of the highly anticipated iPad 2 launch, EA just released a weekend-long sale of every EA game optimized for iPad, including Dead Space, Madden NFL 11 and Mirror’s Edge, plus FIFA 11, ROCK BAND Reloaded, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, TETRIS®, RISK, MONOPOLY, SCRABBLE, and Pictureka!.

EA’s high quality games will take full advantage of the iPad 2’s increased processing and graphics capabilities, improving the overall game presentation. Gamers will experience the ultimate in iOS gameplay.

Since the launch of the iPad, EA has been a leading publisher of games for Apple’s game-changing device. In the last quarter of 2011, EA and its independent-developer publishing arm Chillingo introduced 20 new iPad games alone.

The iPad 2’s lighter, thinner feel will make it even better for gaming and a faster processor will create even more dynamic game experiences, especially for action titles such as the critically acclaimed Dead Space, which was featured as the “iPad Game of the Week” on the Apps store.

In celebration of the highly anticipated iPad 2 launch, EA just released a weekend-long sale of every EA game optimized for iPad, including Dead Space, Madden NFL 11 and Mirror’s Edge, plus FIFA 11, ROCK BAND Reloaded, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, TETRIS®, RISK, MONOPOLY, SCRABBLE, and Pictureka!. EA’s high quality games will take full advantage of the iPad 2’s increased processing and graphics capabilities, improving the overall game presentation. Gamers will experience the ultimate in iOS gameplay. Since the launch of the iPad, EA has been a leading publisher of games for Apple’s game-changing device. In the last quarter of 2011, EA and its independent-developer publishing arm Chillingo introduced 20 new iPad games alone. The iPad 2’s lighter, thinner feel will make it even better for gaming and a faster processor will create even more dynamic game experiences, especially for action titles such as the critically acclaimed Dead Space, which was featured as the “iPad Game of the Week” on the Apps store.

Update: Checkout our Fight Night Champion review.

Put up your dukes because EA’s boxing game, Fight Night Champion, has made its way to iOS devices.

This ain’t just another boxing arcade game.  You’ll have the opportunity to train your boxer and hone your skills in something called Legacy mode.  You’ll start in local tournaments and develop your skills with training and amateur bouts.  As you proceed you’ll work your way through the ranks and witness your boxer pique and then grow old, where upon you’ll have to retire.  No joke.

We’re not sure if the Legacy Mode incorporates real world heavy weights, but you’ll be able to face off against up to 20 champions, such as David Haye, as well as heavyweight legends like Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, Manny Pacquiao, Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins and “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya.

But the fun don’t stop there.  Utilizing WiFi or Bluetooth you can face off against friends, provided of course you’re both sporting 3GS or later iPhones.  While we haven’t had a chance to get a complete hands on (review coming soon), we’re told that the game uses fluid touch controls and gestures that keep your boxer ducking, weaving, jabbing, and moving around the ring.  There is even full audio commentary from Joe Tessitore, boxer damage graphics and dynamic lighting effects.

Fight Night Champion is available in the iTunes store now for $4.99.

Read

Hot out the oven is EA’s first game play footage for Battlefield 3.  And we gotta say, it’s looking super tawdry.  This is just one of two teasers EA plans on releasing this month, with the second one arriving on March 16th.  No word yet on an actual release date, but we know it will arrive this fall and we’re still waiting for some deets on multiplayer along with footage.

EA’s Battfield 3 will release sometime this fall and EA is teasing us with a tid bit of game footage released today.

For those of you willing to pre-order now you’ll receive the Back to Karkand expansion pack for free, which reimagines four legendary maps from Battlefield 2 boldly using the Frostbite 2 physics engine.

For those of you not in the know, Frostbite 2 engine is DICE’s next installment of their “cutting-edge” game engine.  DICE says that it  ”takes animation, destruction, lighting, scale and audio to new heights.”  We’re just hoping you can destroy more objects and explosions, sounds and all the stuff we came to love in BFBC2 is just more compelling.

Checkout the footage below.

We’ve got our winners for the Dead Space iPhone Game contest!  Click to find out who won…

It’s…drumroll…

1. suelee1998
2. CM
3. James Martinez
4. Arahal888
5. Jason

Thank you to everyone else who is following us on our Facebook fan page and entered to win.

Unfortunately, we still haven’t been able to announce the winner of the 2nd Amazon Kindle giveaway, but I swear it will happen.

And if you didn’t know, you can subscribe to our Contest Feed and get all the latests contests, and contests only, directly in your reader.

Again, thanks for entering and look out for our next contest!

5 out of 5 stars

There’s something about unrealistic racing games. Not the ones that are so far removed from reality, but the ones that weigh right on the line of fantasy and reality. They charm us, lull us into a comfortable unease, give us that pleasant itch that demands scratching. Therein lies the most enjoyable racer of last year, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

Hot Pursuit, a reimagining of the 1998 original and 2002 sequel, levies hardcore street racing with policing the streets and enforcing the law. Developer Criterion Games took a tremendous step away from prior NFS titles to introduce a uniquely new concept, without making a cartoon or Death Race videogame of the series. Recreating roads based on actual California highways – most of which I’ve actually driven, albeit at sub-relativistic speeds (purportedly) – only furthers the seriousness of their creation, making it even more enjoyable. For as they say, great fiction is always based on reality. The same applies games.

Thus, we are given a choice: the racing elite with money burning holes in their pockets and a desire for unsafe velocities normally reserved for cartoon roadrunners and coyotes; or the police, the Seacrest County Police Department, which attains high-performance machines through unruly high taxes and the absurd number of wealthy residents therein. Whose side players wish to race for is a come-as-you-please affair. As I’ve found, some days just feel like a speed freak, while others demand more damage dealing and hand cuffing.

And that’s a good thing, because to really enjoy Hot Pursuit is to play it for weeks and months, not days. For reviews, we game critics tend to do the latter, because our readers want to know before the game releases and time is of the essence. In this case, I took my time, and am glad I did. Hot Pursuit is a title worth playing long after its release, even if they announced the following Need For Speed immediately after.

Long-term enjoyment comes courtesy of two well-developed themes: a huge variety of race types, and a large number of races overall. Professional racers could complete the game’s campaign in 10 hours, though my playtime was about 13 hours with plenty of resets and races played repeatedly. All races are scored by medals (gold, silver and bronze) based on the points earned, time achieved or placement in the race. Points are then totaled and added to the player’s overall points, known as bounty. As more bounty is earned, more cars are unlocked and players level up, thereby opening higher-class cars for racing.

This system works surprisingly well, except when it doesn’t. As I played the single player campaign, I switched between playing as a racer and cop, but ultimately settled on completing the game as a racer first. In doing so, I finished every race at a level 14. As a cop, I finished at level 11, and for the last ten or so races had no choice on the race itself. I simply had to do this one, then that, until it was completed and the next opened up. This indicates a point system with a contingency for better drivers, though I was only better because I’d raced so much on the other half of the campaign.

In fact, the racer campaign is overall more enjoyable than playing as a cop. As the police, players must shut down races, which is tremendously fun, but cops don’t have as much pressure. They only need to worry about the racing vehicles. Compared to the same Hot Pursuit races (as they are called) for racers, the cops have it easy. Racers must avoid the cops and competing drivers, avoiding traps and attacks from up to a total of 13-15 other vehicles, helicopters included. As a cop, there is the game mode to catch an individual racer, who does whatever it takes to shake players and escape, but the AI is rarely intelligent enough to outrun or outpace any human. Finally, the police races are just not as good.

As a racer, there are some amazingly fun courses to drive and compete in. The final map is a 43.5 mile stretch that takes anywhere from 13-15 minutes, as insane as that sounds. Careening down a highway in a Bugatti Veyron at 256 MPH is, quite frankly, fun as hell. Doing so when competing with seven other vehicles, all capable of equally daring speeds, is challenging, perhaps more daunting than anything else. The scope of that individual race is boggling, especially when compared to the earlier 6-miel races.

Though the class of cars requires for the longer races were not the most enjoyable. I found that the super car section, featuring vehicles like the Ford GT, Nissan GTR, and my personal favorite, the Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake. These cars topped out at 217MPH, amazingly fast but humble compared to the Hyper Class (which breaks the 250MPH barrier), yet they mean something to those of us who actually drive. They’re exotic, but not so much that we’ll never see one in real life. Admittingly, I’m spoiled in this regard, knowing where to find garages with a Ford GT, a brand new white Nissan GTR, a number of Ferarri’s (a notably missing company for the game), along with every Porsche one can imagine. Still, we see them on the roads…no one ever bears witness to a Zonda on the street.

The 100 miles of road in Seacrest County is spectacular. Varying weather conditions and times for races are superb and add a degree of change that can make you choose one car over another. In several races, I found it far too difficult to succeed with my car of choice, and used a different model because it had better handling, or rear-wheel drive instead of all-wheel, or it simply drifted better. As the game progresses and players become more and more accustomed to the different vehicles, your style of driving will be suited in a quiet selection of cars, but one easy to stick with, and also easy to extend with trying different models.

One aspect in which Hot Pursuit really falls short is the music. Epic race sequences cut the soundtrack’s “popular” modern hits with an orchestral rhythm, a fine tune, but everywhere else the music which today’s kids apparently like just doesn’t work. At every turn the score attached to Hot Pursuit fails to mesh with the game, fails to connect players to the race. It isn’t so far removed that I felt forced to turn it off for my own personal soundtrack or none whatsoever, but I have yet to hear a song that worked with the high intensity of fast-paced, fun driving.

And ultimately, that’s what Hot Pursuit is: a super-fast racer which is far from a simulator like the prior Need for Speed (Shift), instead promoting fun driving and reckless abandon on the speedway. It is clearly superior to any other racer released in 2010, and I have a feeling it will be better than any driving game in 2011 as well. And described in this review was only the single player…multiplayer online is even more exciting and treacherous. Because as enjoyable as racing against the AI is, it’s still dumb. The single player campaign will keep people playing for weeks. The multiplayer will keep you playing for months.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Can horror be brought to the iPhone? Perhaps so as Dead Space publisher EA sought to secretly release Dead Space on the iPhone, a separate yet unique game to the franchise, simultaneously with their full-fledged console Dead Space 2. While Chris reviewed the home version, I got to play the handheld one, playing as unknown protagonist Vandal in what turned out to be a phenomenal iPhone game. But is it scary?

Read on to find out how to win a copy of Dead Space on the iPhone!Dead Space is a futuristic sci-fi 3rd person shooter that would fall in the horror category, but hasn’t been all that frightening. That is to say, it doesn’t scare you in the way horror movies do, with cheap tricks and shocking scenes. Dead Space is a psychological thriller, and the iPhone game follows suit, though the smaller screen does make it much more difficult to take seriously.

Gruesome scenes like this are commonplace. Though a miniature meat farm isn’t as disgusting
on an iPhone for some reason…

This of course is standard with all mobile games. Really getting into them requires a lot of focus, or some amazing game development. Dead Space looks great on the iPhone and runs very well (my iPod Touch, the device I tested the game on, crashed the game twice. Once in the gameplay video and once when I had some 30 applications open). It’s smooth, it’s fast, and the imagery is as gruesome and grim as one could ask for the handheld. But the game didn’t grip me, for two reasons.

First, it’s Dead Space on a much smaller scale. Anyone who played the original will instantly feel at home with how the game functions. Tight corridors, handfuls of undead nightmarish creatures stalking you during a frantic mess of searching for more ammunition and aiming properly so the shots do damage. That gameplay is great…on a console, in the comfort of your living room and couch in the dark of night. On an iPhone? Let’s just say the pangs of mobile gaming run deep. And those who have played the original, or even the new Dead Space 2, may find that the iPhone game feels like a dumbed down version.

Second, the hardware limitation becomes bluntly clear when only so many enemies attack at once, or when defeating certain enemies becomes a matter of time rather than a matter of skill. The famed “strategic dismemberment” returns and works surprisingly well. In fact, there is no iPhone game which utilizes environmental items better than Dead Space, except for id Software’s Rage HD: Mutant Bash TV. Then again, Rage’s in-game items were just there to press. in Dead Space, players can manipulate them using kinesis.

Zero G gameplay is minimal, but still very cool

But back on point, the lack of physical button controls and the limited iPhone hardware puts a real damper on how sophisticated, and thus how frantic and intense gameplay can be without sacrificing graphics. And for a horror game in 2011, graphics is a must, especially if half-eaten and bisected bodies are to be found in every fifth room of the game. The combined effort makes Dead Space a difficult game to get lost in.

That said, it’s still one of the best games on the iPhone. The stop and go pace is like that quote on war. Frantic scenes are common, and if you wear headphones (which the game recommends), there are a handful of scenes that may cause you to jump out of your seat. Headphones, or at least a good pair of speakers and quiet settings, are absolutely necessary to fully enjoy the game. Playing in a cafe with earphones and obnoxiously loud people nearby just doesn’t cut it. Neither does a family car ride.

Because Dead Space is so demanding, my iPod Touch ran out of battery twice (albeit over the course of two days and running other light applications), once during gameplay. One scene, which I won’t spoil, tricks players into thinking their battery is dead. The irony is ten minutes before the scene, my iPod showed the 20% warning, and I’d gotten up to go plug it in before I realized it was all in-game. Well played EA.

Like in Dead Space, Vandal starts seeing things. They say the first thing to go is the mind…

A generally bland plot of mistakes, redemption, trickery and a demonic plague are nothing new to the franchise, but this time Isaac Clarke is not on the scene. A voice-morphed Vandal is instead, and with many of the same Dead Space weapons like the Plasma Cutter and Line Gun, players must redeem themselves, or die trying. Oh, and you will die.

Dead Space on the iPhone is a great game. It’s limited only by the hardware, which in turn stunts gameplay significantly, but not enough to take away from the experience. It just keeps it from being immersive. At $7 and with four hours of gameplay and three difficulty settings (plus the option to replay any completed difficulty with all previously attained items), Dead Space is a keeper. And, as if that weren’t enough, registering the game gives you two free bonus items in Dead Space 2. Whether you’re in a zero-G room or ripping off the limbs of some poor, heartless sub-human creature, Dead Space is a bucket of fun. Boy, do I like buckets.

Did somebody say contest? Why yes, we do have a contest! You can check it out by clicking this link!

UPDATE.  GadgetReview is giving away a free copy (review codes) of “Dead Space” for the iPhone (works on the iPod Touch as well) to 5 lucky winners!

Update: Be sure to checkout our Dead Space iPhone Review.

Dead Space iOS launched yesterday and looks kick ass.  In fact, by this time tomorrow we should have a Dead Space iOS review live and awaiting your drooling eyes.  This version delves deep into ALL-NEW DEAD SPACE STORY that sets the stage for the action-horror storyline of Dead Space 2.  Sweet, so you can grab this, play it for a few hours, win it and then load up the console version.

We’re giving away 5 of these. To enter:

1. LIKE our Facebook Fan Page
2. Then tell us what video game devices you own in the comments below.  You must register (don’t put your email directly in the comment unless you want the world to see) your comment with an email address so we can contact you. Comments are moderated so please be patient and enter only one.

Will pick one winner at random from the comments, but in order to WIN you’ll have to Like Us on Facebook. If you’d like a double entry, follow us on Twitter and tweet “follow @gadgetreview for free stuff and cool #reviews like #deadspace #ea”.

This contest ends 2/1/2011 at 11:59 PST

It’s open to US residents in the continental US of A only.

Dead Space 2 isn’t the only game that released today (read our review here). Dead Space on the iPhone and iPod Touch also released, and we’ve been playing it all day (since yesterday, in fact…thanks European iTunes!). Here’s a quick video on gameplay and how basic moves work, plus a quick look at the graphics and speed (and even a crash) on Dead Space iOS. Stay tuned for a review coming soon.

We just got finished publishing our review of Dead Space 2 for the console when we discovered that EA Mobile announced a version of the game for all iOS devices. EA says that this version of the game “features a distinctive storyline” that can only be played on an iOS device.  Which means console players can download this version and still have a unique experience while away from their home theater setup.

Included in this version are two all-new weapons – the Plasma Saw and Core Extractor – plus three more weapons from the Dead Space universe. New weapons, upgrading power nodes, and suit packs are also available for purchase in-game from the contextual Store or Weapon Upgrade Bench.  Lastly, there are up to six varied environments where you’ll battle Necromorphs with simple swipe and tap controls.

You can buy Dead Space right now from the App store for $6.99.

About Dead Space for iOS devices
Dead Space for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch features a distinctive storyline that can only be played on an iOS device. Dead Space features a fully voice-acted stereo soundtrack and orchestrated score and sound effects bring the game’s tension to life. Cutting-edge visuals that are rich in effects and atmospheric lighting help recreate the cinematic horror of the console experience and set a new benchmark for graphical fidelity on the iOS platform. Additional features include two all-new weapons – the Plasma Saw and Core Extractor – plus three more weapons from the Dead Space universe to assist players with the business of strategic dismemberment. In addition to the true physics based Kinesis and Stasis Modules, weapon upgrading power nodes, weapons, and suit packs are also available for purchase in-game from the contextual Store or Weapon Upgrade Bench. Specially designed controls have also been added to keep players focused on the action and the on-screen HUD is seamlessly integrated into the game environment. Players can navigate six varied environments and battle Necromorphs with simple swipe and tap controls that offer accessibility without sacrificing depth.

3 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Easy to pick up and play
• Local WiFi multiplayer mode
• Reward system

Cons:

• Redundant game play
• Not as epic as the board game
• Online play limited to WiFi

What’s life without a little risk. If you don’t take risks, chances are you won’t get any where. The same applies to the game “Risk”, a board game from the 80s. Now thanks to the minds at EA, you can play the same game on the iPad in HD resolution and full color.

I remember Risk as a game that took days if not weeks to play. Seinfeld, the TV show, reemphasized this in one episode when Kramer and Newman literally carried the game board any where they travelled for fear that the other would cheat during the all out battle. This, however, is not your childhood Risk. It can be played in a matter of minutes, which for some will prove satisfying, while others will be left yearning for more.

For the sake of those unfamiliar with the game, and its constructs, there is an in game tutorial that will provide pop ups providing instructions on how to proceed with battling your nemesis as well as redistributing troops. However, the tutorial will only guide you so far and won’t assist in strategy of the game; more the operation.

You can play over WiFi against up to 4 friends, or battle it out against the computer, or a mix of the two. Alternatively, you can play a “pass mode” which requires you to physically hand the iPad to your friend. There are up to three difficulty settings. The harder the setting the less soldiers issued and the more aggressive the computer.

When the game begins, you are presented with a preset amount of soldiers that you can distribute throughout the world. Alternatively you can have the computer populate the earth with your forces, which is a nice option if you’re looking for an expedited game.

The goal of Risk is to conquer the world by attacking and eliminating your enemy. It’s a turned based game that includes three different operations.

1. Distribute new soldiers
2. Fortify troops
3. Attack opposing forces

As you eliminate enemy soldiers in each country you’ll earn points and cards which when paired together and traded in, can result in significantly increased troop reserves. This is the key to winning the game as vast number of troops is necessary to winning or conquering the world.

Much like the original game, which uses a set of dice, the iPad version includes a virtual version during attack. The die are used to determine who wins each battle. If you roll a 6 and your opponent rolls a 5 you win that battle. Each die represents a solider, so as you’ve probably already assumed losing results in the elimination of a solider. However, if you both roll the same number, by default, and I don’t know why, your opponent will win and one of your troops will be eliminated.

While each battle can have an inordinate amount of soldiers, three dice, or soldiers is the maximum that can face off at any single time, though less dice will appear in the event that your reserves in that location drops below three. If you face off against a lesser force, with say only 2 soldiers, your odds of winning will be increased, that is assuming you choose to roll all three dice at the same time. If you so choose, you can skip the dice rolling experience all together and opt for the computer to determine the outcome, which expedites the process significantly. Once all enemy soldiers are eliminated in a country, which can range widely in numbers depending how entrenched your enemy is, you’ll will own it, which is represented by your team’s color.

As you conquer countries and continents you’ll be awarded cards. These cards can be traded in, assuming you’ve got three that can be matched together – I still don’t know how this works and nor is it explained – to receive new troops. During my play I received a wide variety of cards that featured tanks, soliders or planes on the face. You can opt to have the computer match the cards and optimize your experience, or you can manually manage the process. After a certain number of cards are collected you’ll be forced to trade them in. The cards are paramount to winning the game as it provides you with troop reserves and reflects your ability to efficiently conquer countries and continents. On the converse if you don’t effectively attack your enemy you won’t be rewarded the same cards and the chances of losing the game will be vastly increased.

Unlike the game of your child hood, this version includes sound effects and some graphics. During troop fortification and battling you’ll experience gun fire and the sound of troops marching to their location. While these add another level of depth to the game, it can become a bit redundant since the variation in sound effects and graphical elements is rather limited. But keep in mind this is a product of the game itself, which lacks very little variation in actual game play.

In terms of replay value, the game is almost endless. Though, for some the game play, since short lived, will prove significantly redundant. But hey, that’s the nature of the beast, right?  Unfortunately for me I didn’t play enough of the game to achieve any of the above rewards, which for those of you that like having your ego stroked could be the single biggest influencing factor to get you to return to the game again and again.

Risk, as a board game, was known for its strategy based play. This isn’t your childhood game and nor should it be confused for it. It’s been adapted for the “need it now, get it now, always on” society, and far as I’m concerned fits that bill perfectly.

You can buy Risk HD for the iPad from the iTunes store for $6.99.

3 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• The original Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, in all it’s glory
• 5-button control scheme is brilliantly done, but…

Cons:

• …controls are still ridiculous for a fighting game on a touchscreen
• Load screens come up too often and take too long
• Rewards occur randomly

Fighting games and touchpads don’t work so well, and for good reason: they require buttons. Sure, it was cool to say “hey, check out Street Fighter 4…on my iPhone!” but put the game in a person’s hands and after 20 seconds they’ll hand it back and say “eh”. Who could do such a thing? “You need a fightstick,” I’d bark. Think back to the arcades of years prior, to joysticks and yelling in dark rooms and never enough quarters and that musty stink of satisfied defeat.

That isn’t Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 on the iPhone.

For those who don’t remember 1995, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was ridiculously hard. I remember because I had the irrational belief that if I could beat all my friends at UMK3, I could probably get pretty far in the arcade game myself. Set a high score, plug in my three letters, the whole shebang. That was a sorry mistake. Whoever conceived UMK3 must have thought Mortal Kombat 1 & 2 were too easy (I actually beat the original, on a Game Gear), and decided that no one should ever beat UMK3. A commendable plot, to make a fighting game that if played by our machine overlords in years to come could theoretically drive them to insanity and explode their circuits, thereby saving humanity.

Until that day arrives, we’ll just have to settle by being infuriated by it ourselves. And EA, who took it upon themselves to remake the game on iOS, decided to leave everything just the way it was. Wonderful. It took me an hour and a half to beat the game once, with my favorite character Scorpion, on the easiest difficulty.

Shao Kahn and Motaro, the two bosses, are both ridiculous, though Motaro, the Centaur who has a mirror ability which makes the screen switch sides in hopes of causing an epileptic seizure, is prone to the stupidest defeats. With Lui Kang, I accidentally won by just punching non-stop. But Shao Kahn is a nightmare. His attacks almost always take a quarter of your health or set you up for another attack, which can’t be blocked. One knocks players down, and can be repeated indefinitely (which happens with disturbing frequency). This one attack alone ruins the fight, because it’s so far reaching that it’s nearly impossible to avoid. Then he’ll pull a hammer straight out of his ass and whack you with it. Funny? Yes. But not for players.

You’ll see this screen more than any other…except for the loading screen

Nine starting characters and presumably double that counts the cast of UMK3, but once again, good luck getting them all. It’s not the difficulty alone that makes doing so next to impossible, but the touch controls. Two control schemes, an updated 5-button configuration made just for this version, and the original 6-button layout, are available to players. The good news is the 5-button layout can be customized so the buttons can be placed anywhere on the bottom right corner of the screen. The bad news is that it won’t help. The five buttons include punch, kick, block, special and run, basically eliminating the need to press two buttons with one thumb simultaneously. The new controls make it possible to actually perform special moves, but because it’s so difficult to aim the virtual joystick with any precision, the game more often turns into a cheesing match than Mortal Kombat.

My larger concern with the game is that every time I beat it or achieved something, I didn’t always see a reward. I beat the game with Sub-Zero, but didn’t even get to see his ending story. I beat the game with him and Scorpion but unlocked no new characters. The loading screens, which appear before and after every match which seems absolutely absurd, kept assuring me that I’d be rewarded, and offered codes for multiplayer games…but with each new character walking away a champion, the only prize I’d earn was the chance to say “I did it. I actually did it!” If only the game didn’t promise other rewards.

UMK3 also includes two other single-player modes, Survival and Shao Karnage. The former loops players into a never-ending string of matches until they run out of health, while the latter is 99 seconds of no-holds-barred fighting Shao Kahn, without health bars. A multiplayer mode is also available, for any friends who also have the game, which has all of the special kodes from the original to enjoy. And the graphics are splendid, all things considered. It’s an old game with few upgrades, but it looks good enough to play and enjoy. I mean, cutting up a body with fatalities and seeing blood and limbs splatter everywhere doesn’t need high-res imagery.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fine game, as it was 15 years ago, but getting adjusted to the touch controls will prove too difficult for many gamers. It only took me four days to finally get the hang of it. Those who push on will likely enjoy the game thoroughly, but it really is one meant to be played with friends. For just $.99, even if it isn’t a great game on iOS, you can spare a copy for yourself and a few of your buddies. I mean, come on…animalities!

4 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Mega-Cheap
• Quality gameplay and visuals
• Fun!

Cons:

• Doesn’t bring destruction 2.0 or multiplayer classes
• Multiplayer connectivity
• Iffy replay value

I still can’t believe I can play an online First Person Shooter on my iPhone 4.  My how mobile gaming has changed.  EA’s response to Gameloft’s Modern Combat series is a valiant one.  While perhaps not quite as polished as the aforementioned game, Bad Company 2 for the iPhone is a quality title, especially now during EA’s holiday sale where each game is only 99 cents.  Make no bones about it, this review will inevitably be a direct comparison to Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus as I have played both games.

Graphics and Presentation:

EA did a great job bringing a taut first person world to the iPhone 4.  The retina display is positively a spectacle to behold.  Draw distances, while generally pretty short, look beyond crisp and clear.  The guns all look realistic in comparison to their console counterparts and enemy soldiers and vehicles also look great up close and from afar.  Backgrounds look decent given the scope, and all the colors pop on the retina display.  Gunfire is also quite competent looking with stray bullets hitting the environment and making their presence known.

The explosion and soldier animations sort of look like they’re running at half speed  but I’m willing to make the concession due to the technical achievement of games like these. The detail of the level design isn’t quite as cultivated as MC2BP, but it still deserves an honorable mention nonetheless.  Some of the major specifics found in the console versions of Bad Company are not present in the mobile game such as destruction 2.0 and classes in multiplayer, but that is pretty much to be expected given the platform.  Also to be noted is that the environments are mostly recycled throughout the game as you progress from woodlands to snowy woodlands to desert locales.  However, it must be said that the game tries to change it up as much as possible and there are other areas such as night levels as well as other indoor scenarios.

The menus and presentation are spot-on and use some of the same images found in the console versions.  Not much can be said negatively about menu performance and you can tell that EA didn’t want the consumer to see the as a game cheap knock off of the Modern Combat series.

Sound:

The sound in BFBC2  is nothing like it’s console brethren, but it hold’s its own on the iPhone’s tiny little speaker.  The same voice actors portray the characters known on consoles and it’s cool that EA went for that level of synchronicity making BFBC2 not a cut and dry name recognition cash grab.  If you’ve played any of the last two Bad Companies you’ll easily recognize Marlowe, Preston, and the gang as they engage in a run of the mill type of military scenarios.  The guns don’t sound all that different from each other and explosions lack the thunderous applause coming from the iPhone’s tiny speaker.  Using headphones will be to your great advantage as all sounds are heightened as long as you don’t mind the protruding plug.  I’ve read some negative remarks in other reviews bagging on the crap sound in this game, but I must say that I found them to be decent across the board.  After all, this game is only a dollar peoples!

Gameplay:

Anybody that’s played a touch screen FPS knows that mobility and run-and-gun style gameplay takes some proficiency.  While a true analog playability is still a ways off for touchscreen controls, BFBC2 plays pretty well.  You’ll find your left thumb slipping around while trying to navigate the terrain leaving you a bit vulnerable at times, but the game doesn’t punish you for it.  Regenerative health keeps you in the game longer than it would on consoles due to the lack of mobility.  The game is linear for the most part and doesn’t really reward for finding empty rooms.  There is a constant arrow at the top of the screen, which lets you know where you need to be going so deviating from the path is rather fruitless.  Gunplay is decent with a nifty auto-aim to help you shift your reticle towards your target.  Toggling the iron sights is helpful as well, but moving it around is painfully slow.  Controlling vehicles is also a bit rudimentary, but it wouldn’t be a Battlefield game without them.

Multiplayer and Replay Value:

Multiplayer is actually pretty fun, when I could stay connected.  Only deathmatch and team deathmatch are offered with just 4 players allowed to occupy games but still, like I said before, I’d never imagine playing games like this on my phone.  The maps are large enough, but the gameplay isn’t like on consoles as there’s not a lot of running for cover once you get shot at and you usually die.  It’s still a good time and when the connection is solid, so is the gunplay and lack of lag.  I did have a problem staying in games over Wi-Fi and 3G, so I hope the performance will improve over time.

The story is nothing to call home about with your crew of rag tag military homies going from here to there trying to blow up stuff and following HVT’s.  Again, you don’t really mind because everything else about the game is top notch.   Helping the replay value is a fair amount of achievements and medals to keep you coming back for more, if you care about that sort of thing of course.

Final Endings:

After the campaign is over, I can’t see myself going back for more, but the whole game only costs a measly 99 cents.  Think about what you spend a dollar on, and you simply can’t beat this value.  While not as awesome as Modern Combat 2, right now it’s at a fraction of the price.  I really enjoyed all this game had to offer.  Who cares about the story and character development when you can fire automatic weapons in lush 3D environments.  As my buddy Shuggies says, “get after it”.