Fleet Combat HD - Battleship meets Tower Defense

This game flew in under the radar past the normal Thursday lineup. Its called "Fleet Combat HD" by Triad Gene (both in iPhone and iPad versions). A very fun little game that has you guarding your base with a fleet of ships equipped with surface to surface weapons. Its pretty much a tower defense, only you are able to move your towers. Game play is great as are the graphics. Quite well done. Also something very very gratifying about the explosion sound when a missile hits an enemy ship... mmmmm....

$2.99 on the AppStore [LINK]

Door Kickers - A new game from Killhouse Games

A new game just blipped the radar, its called "Door Kickers". Not sure if the title will stick but the game looks awesome. It feels a lot like the old SWAT 2 game. A top-down (correction) RTS "breach and clear" style. More info as it becomes available. More at their website and Facebook

Fishlabs Announces 'Galaxy on Fire - Alliances'

The events of Alliances take place in a remote and hitherto unexplored part of the universe, where valuable resources and ancient artifacts are expected to be found. In order to gain access of these riches, the most powerful factions of the galaxy, namely the Terrans, Vossk and Nivelians, order their best commanders to build an outpost on that out-of-the-way star cluster and claim dominion to that yet-to-be-acquired sphere. In order to succeed against a multitude of ruthless opponents and add more and more planets to their territories, the players will have to display strong tactical and diplomatic skills on the one hand and an extraordinary talent for resource management on the other. Furthermore, they will have establish a flourishing economy and do a lot of research in order to get access to stronger technologies. And last but not least they will also have to forge alliances with other players in order to make new friends and comrades and be able to stand up to seemingly superior enemies in epic space battles.

'Real Racing 3' Video

'Unstoppable Gorg' Launching Jan 19th

A 40's and 50's era sci-fi tower defense game from the creators of Shattered Horizon.  DANGER! Earth is under attack from a vast armada of flying saucers. Only you can stop the invasion of these relentless alien monsters - don't let a single one through!

Get ready for a revolution in tower defense that will send you spinning. Defend the solar system by sending satellites into orbit around planets, moons and space stations. Create the perfect defense by rotating orbits to move your satellites into the best positions. Do you have what it takes to defeat the Gorg and save the solar system? Find out in more than 40 levels of thrilling tower defense action inspired by classic sci-fi films from the 1950s.

Update: Video below

Free Games for 1-18-2012

iPhone:

Jet Alex! ($0.99 -> Free, 6.4 MB): This endless jumping game requires you to bounce Alex, a fiery little hedgehog-like creature, off of a trampoline in order to climb as high as possible while collecting chilies. You’re able to control the trampoline by dragging your finger across the bottom of the screen. Grab power-ups to help Alex dispose of enemies and collect even more chilies. The game includes Game Center integration as well.

Catch It!! ($0.99 -> Free, 14.5 MB): Become an intergalactic bounty hunter in this line-drawing arcade game. Each level requires you to abduct a specific amount of criminals — known as Mogs — by attaching UFOs to their heads and flying them up to the ship gates. You’re able to direct Mogs to your ship by drawing a line on the screen, just keep in mind that only one Mog can enter the ship through each gate. The game includes three modes, 10 upgrades, a variety of Mogs, and Game Center integration.

Universal:

Justin Smith’s Realistic Summer Sports Simulator ($0.99 -> Free, 7.4 MB): Another quirky game from Blinkbat Games, the creators of Enviro-Bear 2010 and So Long, Oregon! In this arcade title you’ll try to go for gold in five different Olympic-style events, all of which utilize the same challenging flinging mechanic. Each of the five events can be played separately in practice mode to get the hang of what needs to be accomplished, and then you can apply your skills to the main event. An additional 10 events are available via in-app purchase. The game also includes Game Center integration.

Word Boom ($0.99 -> Free, 15.6 MB): This word game has you filling empty letter blocks to form words as quickly as possible. Each row of blocks must be filled with the exact amount of letters — no less and no more — to move on to the next. You don’t have to fill every last block, however, just make sure the letter counter hits zero before time expires. The game includes power-ups, online multiplayer, and Game Center integration.

Fantasy Defense HD ($0.99 -> Free, 72.6 MB): A classic set-path tower defense game infused with RPG and anime elements. Place your units on the battlefield by tapping and dragging them from the right side of the screen and watch as they mow down the enemy forces. You’re able to summon hero units with the mana earned during the game, and you can use your gold to upgrade any and all of your units. The game includes five environments, 50 stages, 24 special items, three modes, and Game Center integration.

Crazy Escape ($0.99 -> Free, 18.8 MB): Play as two crazy penguins and try to rescue every last sheep from the clutches of the hungry wolves in this arcade game. You’re able to drive your 4×4 all around the screen by simply dragging your finger across it to collect sheep and head to the exit. You’ll need to watch out for wolves and trees, and try to avoid moving too fast because it’ll cause you to lose control of your vehicle. The game includes 90 levels, the ability to upgrade your vehicle, and Game Center integration.

iPad:

CrazyCaps HD (for iPad) ($2.99 -> Free, 22.2 MB): Based on the classic match-3 game, Mad Caps, Crazy Caps requires you to swap adjacent bottle caps in order to create matches of three or more. Caps can only be swapped if there is a match to be made. Once you run out of moves, the game is over. The game includes three modes, six bonus caps, hints, and Game Center integration.

'Adventure Bar Story' Coming To iPhone In February

Adventure Bar Story, a Recettear-like RPG that originally released in Japan as Adventure Bar of Wonderland Portable on PSP, is being localized and fitted for iPhone and iPod Touch. Zigza Game, the studio behind this new effort, revealed its intentions to do this over on our message board, and even dropped a few new screenshots to stimulate the community. We're including a much less, er, eye-melting PSP selection below.

Knock out the "item" part of Recettear's title and insert "bar" if you want a decent idea of what you'll be getting into with Adventure Bar Story. The goal is to have the best bar in the kingdom; To accomplish this, you'll need to dungeon crawl and harvest the component parts of a variety of monsters to win cooking and drink contests. You know, just like in real life.

As of right now, the title is not slated to incorporate iPad support. That'll be a thing the studio evaluates based on sales. Pricing, by the way, has yet to be confirmed.