Bullet hell experts Cave have today announced their next forthcoming iOS shooter Dodonpachi Blissful Death. Known as Dodonpachi Dai Ou Jou in Japan, it's the fourth game in the Donpachi series and was followed up with Dodonpachi Dai Fukkatsu several years later, which we know as [$7.99/Lite] here on the US App Store. There aren't any details just yet for Dodonpachi Blissful Death, but based on Cave's previous iOS releases I think it's pretty safe to assume a few things. It will likely include an arcade mode that stays faithful to the original release as well as a special Smartphone mode that has been retooled for touch screens and given some additional features. While most of Cave's iOS releases follow this formula, they bucked that trend with their last release [$4.99/Lite], which was more or less just a direct port of the arcade version. This wasn't exactly a bad thing, as Read More

Here's some unfortunate news. Eurogamer reports that Japanese developer CAVE is switching up its strategy following some disappointing earnings from the first half of their fiscal year, which for them starts on the first of June. As a result, they've downgraded their forecasts for the rest of the year, which runs until the end of May, and have reportedly put some of their current titles on hold to allocate more resources into "social games", according to the company's recently released earnings report summarized in English by Andriasang. Now, us iOS gamers associate CAVE with their awesome App Store shooters like [$4.99/Lite], [$7.99/Lite], and [$11.99/Lite]. I don't really like thinking about the developer of some of the most hardcore games around suddenly switching gears to the surging social/casual games space. However, CAVE has a separate division focused on their mobile titles and I would imagine they are reasonably pleased with the performance Read More

Developer CAVE is looking to make it a bullet hell holiday for its fans by getting in on the year end sale bandwagon. CAVE just recently dropped Bug Princess [$4.99/Lite] into the App Store, a game which we liked a whole bunchwhen it released, and thought was quite reasonably priced to boot. Now, you can pick up all of their previous major iOS titles at a discounted rate from now until January 10th. (iPad 2 Only) If you aren't sure about a purchase, each and every one of these games has a lite version you can check out, and there are even versions of Espgaluda II that are split into separate "Arcade" and "iPhone" standalone apps that are available for a cheaper price. Also, make sure you're equipped with at least 3rd generation hardware or above, and in the case of Espgaluda II HD, you'll need an iPad 2 specifically to Read More

For more than a year now, CAVE has had a reputation of releasing high quality shooters on the App Store that featured hefty amounts of action, depth, and replay value. Their bullet hell shooters Espgaluda II [$11.99/Lite] and Dodonpachi Resurrection [$11.99/Lite] are two of the finest shooters around, and they proved they could translate their particular brand of manic gameplay to a more traditional action game with Mushihimesama Bug Panic [$6.99/Lite]. CAVE’s latest title, Deathsmiles [$11.99/Lite], furthers their reputation of offering top quality shmups and us yet another excellent shooter to add to our collection. Like the aforementioned CAVE shooters, Deathsmiles consists of a mode that mimics the arcade version of the game as well as an iPhone-specific mode with exclusive features. The arcade mode features 4 different playable characters and 8 total stages to play. The underlying gameplay mechanics are fairly straightforward. Your character automatically fires, and a button in Read More

Just a couple of weeks ago, CAVE released a new trailer for their upcoming iOS version of manic horizontal shooter Deathsmiles, along with an apology for the game missing its intended Spring release window. It turns out that they didn’t miss it by much though, as CAVE has officially announced that Deathsmiles will be releasing next Thursday July 7th. In addition, just as they’ve done with their previous iOS releases Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite], Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite], and Mushihimesama Bug Panic [$4.99/Lite], Deathsmiles will launch at a discounted price of $4.99 for the first 4 days before jumping up to its regular $8.99 price tag. Also like those games, the iOS version of Deathsmiles will feature an exclusive iPhone mode in addition to the regular arcade mode that features new gameplay elements and a brand new playable character. If having to wait until July 7th to see Deathsmiles being played on an Read More

Back in February we learned that CAVE was readying a port of Deathsmiles for the App Store, and just a couple of days later they released a teaser trailer for the game. The trailer pegged a Deathsmiles release for Spring 2011, but with Spring all but gone and no sign of the game on the App Store it’s pretty obvious that things are taking a bit longer than expected. CAVE announced on their Twitter that they will have more information regarding a release date soon, and have offered up a brand new trailer of Deathsmiles as a peace offering for the release running late. Like CAVE’s other iOS shmups, Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite] and Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite], Deathsmiles will come with an iPhone mode in addition to the original arcade mode. The iPhone mode will come with a brand new exclusive playable character named Princess Tiara, and will have its own new Read More

We recently hinted that you should vote for CAVE’s Espgaluda II to be included in OpenFeint’s fire sale, and we’ve received word that the game has reached the minimum threshold; so it’s being reduced in price this weekend. It’s not only Espgaluda either, as CAVE will celebrate their one-year anniversary this coming week and therefore will be dropping the price of Dodonpachi Resurrection and Mushihimesama Bug Panic too. Espgaluda II will be priced at $4.99/£2.99, Dodonpachi at $4.99/£2.99 and Mushihimesama at just $0.99/£0.59.  That’s a good saving on these traditionally expensive apps, and even if you don’t want the more expensive pair, pick up Mushihimesama Bug Panic as CAVE will be donating all earnings from this app to the Red Cross to aid Japan’s recovery from the recent earthquake. You’ll have nine days to pick up these three, as the sale will be on between the 9th April and the 17th Read More

Last month, CAVE released Mushihimesama Bug Panic [$4.99/Lite] to the App Store. Like their previous offerings Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite] and Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite], Bug Panic offered frantic bullet-hell style gameplay, intense explosions, and attractive pixel graphics. But instead of their trademark vertically scrolling shooter, Bug Panic was a dual-stick affair. We really enjoyed the game in our review, noting that it was a satisfying and unique take on the typical dual-stick shooter formula. However, Bug Panic contained a high level of difficulty, and many players felt frustrated as they got stuck at the harder levels later in the game. CAVE has addressed this pretty effectively with the latest 1.0.1 update for Bug Panic that hit a few days ago. They have tweaked the difficulty across the board to make things more balanced, and added an auto-bomb mechanic to help prevent cheap deaths. If you have at least one explosion seed saved Read More

In unregelmäßigen Abständen halte ich an dieser Stelle meine ersten beiden Homescreen-Seiten vom iPhone fest. Zuletzt erfolgte dies im August 2010, Januar 2010 sowie September 2009. Für mich von Spannung ist dabei welche Apps sich immer noch auf meinem Geräte befinden, welche komplett verschwanden oder sich eventuell (nur) verschoben haben. Dabei greife ich die (für mich) wesentlichen Änderungen heraus. Ansonsten überraschend wenig Veränderungen: BeejiveIM flog dank Push-Benachrichtigungen in einen Ordner auf der zweiten Seite. Außerdem verstecken sich innerhalb der Ordner folgende Apps*: Amazon.de (kostenlos; App Store-Link), Convertbot (1.59 €; App Store-Link), AnalyticsPro (5.49 €; App Store-Link), Delivery Status touch (3.99 €; universal; App Store-Link), Dropbox (kostenlos; universal; App Store-Link), iCabMobile (1.59 €; universal; App Store-Link), Skype (kostenlos; App Store-Link), WeatherPro (2.99 €; App Store-Link), Pastebot (2.99 €; App Store-Link), LogMeIn (23.99 €; universal; App Store-Link), OffMaps (1.59 €; universal; App Store-Link), Kik (kostenlos; App Store-Link), PayPal (kostenlos; App Store-Link), Linkie (0.79 Read More

Back in September, developer CAVE announced they were creating an original iPhone game based on their Mushihimesama series titled Mushihimesama Bug Panic. The next month they released a video showing gameplay in Bug Panic, and we've been anxious to get our hands on the game ever since. Tonight, Mushihimesama Bug Panic [$3.99] went live in the US App Store. With CAVE's previous releases Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite] and Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite] setting the bar rather high for iOS games, I was curious to see how Bug Panic would stack up considering it was out of their typical comfort zone of bullet hell shmups. I'm happy to report that Bug Panic meets the high expectations of a CAVE title, offering a fun and unique adventure that's perfectly suited to the platform. Mushihimesama Bug Panic would be considered a dual-stick shooter, but not exactly like the ones we've previously seen flood the App Store. Read More

A couple of weeks back we posted a new video for CAVE's newest iOS game called Mushihimesama Bug Panic. A departure from CAVE's typical offerings like the scrolling shooters Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite] and Epgaluda II [$8.99/Lite], Mushihimesama Bug Panic looks to be more of a dual-stick shooter but still contains the hectic onscreen action that the developer is known for. CAVE has just sent word that the release date for Mushihimesama Bug Panic will be Thursday November 18th. The game will launch at a discounted price of $3.99 for the first four days of release before returning to the regular price of $4.99. As with other CAVE releases, a lite version will be available sometime following the full version. Here is the latest trailer for the game, and I'm not going to lie, I love the Bug Panic theme song: Also in line with CAVE's other iOS titles, Mushihimesama Bug Panic Read More

A couple weeks ago Cave's second bullet hell shooter joined Espgaluda II [$8.99 / Free] on the App Store. Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99 / Free] is a very different beast, as we mentioned in our review, so it's really hard to say which is the better game. Both are definitely worth trying if you're even remotely curious in the bullet hell genre, as Cave did an absolutely fantastic job porting both games to the iPhone. Much like Espgaluda II, Dodonpachi Resurrection only runs on 3rd generation hardware and newer. First and second generation iPod touch owners, as well as iPhone 3G and older iPhones won't be capable of running either the free or pair versions of the game. If you do own a compatible device, you should really give Dodonpachi Resurrection Lite a try. The controls work great, the scoring system (explained in our review) is incredible, and playing either of Cave's Read More

With the recent release of Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite], developer Cave has set the gold standard for bullet hell shooters on iOS devices. One problem with that game, however, is that it just pushes too many pixels to be able to run well on older devices, leaving gamers with anything below a 3rd generation device out of the loop. For those people, developer Firi Games, who previously brought Flare Elite [99¢] to the App Store, have something in store for you. Their upcoming top-down shooter Phoenix features quite a bit of onscreen action of its own, and runs smoothly even on the original iPhone. Phoenix looks to do a couple things differently than your typical shmup as well. Instead of progressing through a series of predesigned levels, the entire game is one randomly generated level that scales the difficulty based on how well you are doing in the game. Tijmen Roberti of Firi Read More

By Chad Garrett, Tuesday, Aug 31, 2010 | Do you like old-school shooters? If so, Dodonpachi Resurrection is the game for you! Cave has brought out another awesome shooter on the iPhone (the first being Espgaluda II). There are two game modes in DoDonPachi. The first is iPhone mode which is a great way to jump in and play. It uses a hit variable to determine the strength of your weapons (the slider is indicated in the top right) and has an interactive hypermode to unleash the ultimate destruction on your enemies. The other mode is Arcade. This mode has you pick the fighter style you want and requires a bit more strategy while playing since you don’t have the freedom you have in iPhone mode. You can also configure how much screen is displayed while playing (I am partial to large so I see as much of the screen as Read More

Browsing the App Store this weekend?  Here are ten new or updated apps for the iPhone and iPad worth taking a closer look at if you are: A bullet-avoiding vertical scrolling game from cult Japanese studio Cave.  You’re going to need a 3GS or an iPhone 4 to run this one, as it eats memory!  The app has a special iPhone version of the game as well as a port of the original arcade game.  The price will rise to $8.99/£5.49 after this weekend, so now is the time to download this one.  $4.99/£2.99. The classic Sega role-playing game has been faithfully ported over to the iPhone, with both planets, nine towns and nineteen dungeons to explore.  $2.99/£1.79. Sync or stream your music, photo and video collection to your iPhone, then share them with friends too.  If you have an iPhone 4, newly shot HD video can be synced between all Read More

Company: Cave Price: $9/$5 Compatible: iPhone 3GS/4, iPod touch 3G, iPad* Editor-in-Chief, iLounge Published: Thursday, August 26, 2010 Category: Games - iPad, iPhone + iPod Despite their genre similarities -- and some others that are buried under the surface -- the differences between Cave's just-released arcade port Dodonpachi Resurrection ($9/$5) and Electronic Arts' similarly fresh iPhone/iPod touch port of the 1987 Irem shooter R-Type could hardly be sharper. R-Type is effectively the fountainhead of strategic "dodge and charge" side-scrolling shooters, a truly classic title with gameplay that merited our high recommendation despite graphics that looked every bit their age. The two-year-old overhead shooter Dodonpachi is the equivalent of being splashed continuously in the face by the same fountain, an assault on the eyes that brutally changes almost every pixel of the playfield multiple times a second as bullets, enemies, multiple layers of background artwork and your ship overlap one another. If Read More

Famed video game developer CAVE isn’t a stranger to the iPhone gaming market. Their previous title, Espgaluda II is undoubtedly one of the best shoot-em-ups currently available on the App Store. Not only are the graphics top notch, but the game offers an amount of difficulty not seen in most games of a similar genre. Now CAVE has delivered another shmup to the App Store called Dodonpachi Resurrection. Dodonpachi Resurrection is a sequel to “Dodonpachi Daioujou” and has earned critical acclaim from fans for not only staying true to the original title’s scoring system, but also offering new features such as “hyper counters”, which negate enemy attacks and “counter lasers”, which shield your ship from enemy laser attacks. The game offers two full featured modes. iPhone Mode is an exclusive adaptation of the game that was made with the iPhone in mind while Arcade Mode offers a direct port of the Read More

Dodonpachi Resurrection leistet seit der gestrigen Nacht Espgaluda II – als kompromissloses ‘Bullet-Hell’-Shoot’em-up der japanischen Entwicklerschmiede Cave – im App Store Gesellschaft. Apropos kompromisslos: Der Kugelhagel glänzt nur auf iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad sowie dem iPod touch der dritten Generation. Die Gefahr, dass den älteren iOS-Geräten der Speicher ausläuft und damit die feurigen Flugstunden abrupt beendet werden, wollte man nicht in Kauf nehmen. Was für das ungeschulte Auge nach gelebter Chaos-Theorie zwischen tödlichen Feuerwerks-Salven aussieht, entpuppt sich durch ein komplexes Scoring-System, Multiplikator-Effekte und nicht zuletzt unterschiedliche Spielmodi als ‘bombiger’ Gameplay-Spaß. DoDonPachi geht in seiner Originalversion auf das Jahr 1997 zurück, als dieser Titel erstmals in Spielhallen auftauchte. Die darauffolgenden PlayStation- und Saturn-Adaptionen sind noch heute von Sammlern nachgefragte Titel auf Auktionsplattformen wie Ebay und Co. oder im Videospiel-Mekka Tokyo mit seinem Akihabara-Electric-Town-Strip. Doch warum in die Ferne schweifen, wenn die guten 300 Megabyte so nah liegen? Sowohl Fans als auch absolute Read More