games

Over at the Game Developers Conference, OnLive CEO Steve Perlman announced that the OnLive cloud-based gaming service (which does the rendering work in a cloud architecture, then streams it back to a lightweight client that will work on nearly any computer or TVs  with an adapter) will be released on June 17, 2010. At launch, the service will be available in the 48 contiguous states.

Per TechCrunch, the service will have a $14.95 per month base service fee, and then users will purchase games and rentals on an a la carte model on top of that. Users will be able to purchase multiple months at a time to get a discount on the service and the company is offering a special in which it will waive the service fee for three months for the first 25,000 users to pre-register here.

It's here and if you played way too much of it in the arcade or on your console, you're going to like this.

On Wednesday, Capcom released fighting classic Street Fighter IV [App Store, $9.99] for the iPhone and iPod touch handsets. Per touchArcade, the new version includes the eight classic fighters (Guile, Chun-Li, Ken, Ryu, Blanka, etc), each with a variety of fighting styles, attempting to win the Street Fighter tournament.

Unity Technologies today announced version 3.0 of its Unity engine, a development tool which allows for creation of games on the Mac, iPhone OS, web, Windows and assorted other platforms. Per The Loop, the engine is scheduled for final release this summer and has expanded to support platforms such as the iPad, Android and Playstation 3.

Other changes in version 3.0 include an overhaul to the game’s rendering ability, physics features and core system optimization as well as incorporation of Illuminate Lab’s Beast lighting and Umbra’s occlusion culling software which enable more complex lighting effects and better performance when using more sophisticated geometry and open spaces.

Per All Things D, Palm's new Plugin Development Kit (PDK) allows developers to concert iPhone games to Palm's webOS. Per a source close to the story, the kit's approach allows native code within the platform's web-based framework to be so direct that an iPhone game can be converted in a "matter of days." Few changes are necessary and the performance is purportedly as fast as on the iPhone.

While this has yet directly confirmed by Palm, sources have stated that ports of iPhone games like Need for Speed run smoothly on the Pre Plus. Also, developers have already posted nearly three dozen ports of games from webOS and have described the experience in positive terms. Gameloft Publising VP for the Americas Baudouin Corman has described the experience as "smooth and friendly" and notes that its own porting habits are reflective of its longer-term plans.

Although I'm not typically a huge fan of racing games, there are moments where your jaw drops and you think "they did something right". This may come in the form of Deliverace by Pixelbite Games. A top-down racing game, Deliverace puts you in control of what appears to be a classic General Lee-esque vehicle as you tear through the back road country racing circuit.

A picture's worth a thousand words so take a gander at the teaser trailer which was found on the mighty 148Apps...

Treyarch, makers of Call of Duty: World at War, are saying they're taking a close look at the possibility of expanding their selection of titles in that series for the iPhone. In an interview, their community manager, John Olin, said that more iPhone titles are "a definate possibility", mentioning that they were encouraged by Ideaworks's Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies [App Store, $9.99] release.

RPG fans rejoice! Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II will be coming to the App Store, and continues their tradition of releasing updated versions of these classic role playing games to just about every console imaginable. First released on the Nintendo Famicom nearly twenty years ago, these games have been re-vamped and polished up many times, first starting on Bandai's WonderSwan system and most recently on the Sony PSP. These games look to be enhanced ports of the PSP version, with all of the bonus dungeons and added touch control. No official release date has been announced, but Square Enix has posted a few pictures on their Facebook page.

The official website is up, with little to no information about the games. Pictures follow below!

Endloop has just released Bankshot [App Store, Free], a game that combines a stylish TRON look with the idea of making bank shots. The goal is simple; get your disc to the target by throwing bank shots. To be successful, you have to hit at least one wall, but if you bounce around too much, your disc will explode.

If you're an air hockey or billiards fan, Bankshot should be right up your alley. Plus it's free, so just get it! Video below!

Starfruit Games just released an adorable puzzle game called Tumbledrop [App Store, $1.99] and I love it! The goal of Tumbledrop is to get the happy pink star to the ground by eliminating the other stars and blocks below. But getting him to the ground successfully requires you to plan out your moves and try several times, especially if you want to earn medals. It's tons of fun and totally cute.

If you like physics-puzzles, Tumbledrop is a must buy. Video below!

With ninja-like stealth, Rockstar Games quietly released Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars in the U.S. [App Store, $9.99]. The game puts you in control of Huang Lee, the son of a Triad gang boss. After your father was murdered and driven off the side of a pier, it's your job to get back the family heirloom— an ancient sword— and deliver it to your uncle to ensure that control over the Triad gang stays within the family.