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

If you’ve been tempted by CAVE’s bullet-hell shooter Espgaluda II, but have always been put off by the high $8.99/£5.49 price tag, then you need to vote in OpenFeint’s upcoming fire sale event. Starting on the 8th April, provided Espgaluda II has received a minimum of 1000 votes, the price will be lowered to $4.99/£2.99, one which everyone should find acceptable and a bargain for this excellent game. The voting process requires you to download OpenFeint’s Game Channel app.  It’s free and in addition to being able to vote in this next fire sale, you’ll see all the other OpenFeint supported app offers – such as their free game of the day – too. If you need convincing of Espgaluda II’s worthiness, then check out the free Lite version or take a look at CAVE’s gameplay footage below. Read More

Fans of CAVE’s manic shooters get ready for some exciting news. The developer has just announced over their Twitter that their next iOS game will be none other than the oft-requested Deathsmiles. Deathsmiles is a departure from their traditionally vertical scrolling shooters, like Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite] and Dodonpachi Resurrection [$8.99/Lite], and scrolls horizontally. However, the intense bullet hell, humongous bosses, and general over-the-top nature of their games is present. We literally have zero information on what the iOS version will contain, but check out this trailer for the Xbox 360 Deluxe Edition that was just released in Europe to get an idea of what Deathsmiles is all about: Keep your eye on this space as we expect CAVE to send out an official press release detailing their upcoming launch of Deathsmiles, but we were so excited for the news that we just had to get the announcement out there. CAVE is 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

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

Developers seem to love scheduling their release dates for Thursday, causing their games to slowly leak out over the world over the course of the day on Wednesday and we're in for another onslaught of releases tonight. These games should all appear for download in the US App Store at 11:00 PM EST unless you download your games from the various European or Asian App Stores, in which case they will be available much earlier (possibly even as you're reading this). R-Type, $1.99 - We've covered R-Type a number of times in the past, including getting a sneak peek at it at the recent EA pre-holiday event. R-Type is a sidescrolling shooter that hardly need an introduction filled with huge bosses, tons of power-ups, and everything else that makes a shooter awesome. For more information, and impressions as the game trickles out over the world, check out the thread in our Read More

Earlier this month we brought you a preview of Dodonpachi Resurrection, the newest bullet hell shooter for the iPhone from developer Cave, who have previously brought Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite] to the App Store. Dodonpachi Resurrection is a reimagined version of the arcade game Dodonpachi DaiFukkatsu, the fifth game in the Dodonpachi series. Resurrection will feature a mode faithful to the arcade game as well as an entire mode unique to the iPhone version. Due to all of the action that can take place onscreen at any given time, the game is restricted to owners of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3Gs, 32 and 64 gig 3rd gen iPod touches, and the iPad. Cave has sent word via press release and their official Twitter that the release date for Dodonpachi Resurrection is August 26th and that it will be launching for a special introductory price of $4.99. This introductory price will last for Read More

Last month we reported the announcement that DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu is coming to the iPhone this summer from legendary shmup developer Cave, who have already released one of their classic arcade shooters to the App Store, the excellent Espgaluda II [$8.99/Lite]. Fans of bullet hell shooters were frothing at the mouth over the news, but unfortunately the trailer that came along with the announcement served as only a tease, and didn't expose much in the way of gameplay or information. Now a few weeks later, Cave has released a brand new gameplay trailer for the game, now called Dodonpachi Resurrection, along with some screenshots and info about the enhancements to this iPhone port. Much like Espgaluda II, Dodonpachi Resurrection will feature a mode that is practically identical to its arcade counterpart as well as an iPhone specific mode. This new iPhone mode features a new scoring system and is tailored to gaming Read More

...the free version of the aforementioned game, for those who want to try it out: http://bit.ly/c6j0DM (iTunes link)... Read More

May 25th, 2010 Jared Brewer This game can be called many things; addicting, spectacular, beautiful, even retro or classic. But this game is certainly demanding if nothing else. This requires an iPhone 3GS or greater, but does it really need to? Read on to see. Presentation This game comes off in the App Store as… something that is not a 2D vertical shooter. It reminded me with the icon of an RPG. Which is confusing for a mostly typical, if not trippy, shooter. This game is very much a shooter in play however. What this game really excels at is the particle animations though. Every explosion, every shot is shown with gross animation and response. While it isn’t key to this game, it certainly does change how you view this game. Controls The controls here are simple and tried. You swipe and drag to control your ship. It is that simple, Read More

There's been a host of high profile vertical shooters released on the App Store, from the hardcore Espgaluda II [$8.99 / Free] to the whimsical Doodle Flight [99¢, but one game that's quietly flown under the radar is Gamelab's Roswell Fighter [99¢ / Free / $1.99 (HD)]. Released last October, it offered solid shooting action, exceptional graphics, and a charming theme thick with 1950's UFO paranoia that managed to win over a modest group of fans despite not getting much exposure. With a recent update adding two brand new levels and a native iPad version released last week, now is a great time to give Roswell Fighter a look. The action in Roswell Fighter is above average, although nothing groundbreaking. Using either touch or tilt controls, you'll pilot your plane across 11 different levels, doing your best to blast down an onslaught of aliens who are invading Earth. Your main cannon Read More

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge Published: Thursday, April 29, 2010 Category: iPod, iPhone, and iPad Gems: Apps, Games + More Welcome to this week’s gaming edition of iPhone and iPad Gems! Due to the continued flood of new app releases we’ve been sifting through, today’s roundup is again a rapid-fire look at eight different titles—each with less detail than we’d normally prefer to include in a full review. Our goal is to let you know about three noteworthy recent iPhone/iPod touch games, and bring you up to speed on a handful of new iPad titles, as well, including several that were previously released as iPhone apps. Our top pick of the week is Gameprom’s Pinball HD, but a number of other titles received our general recommendation. Read on for all the details. Dwindle Currently available only in iPhone and iPod touch form, Dwindle ($2) by Unwind is a cute puzzle game that came out Read More

For those of you who had issues installing Espgaluda II onto your 3rd Gen iPod Touches, the new update now fixes that. Along with a few other bugs being fixed: - Fixed install error for 3rd generation iPod touch - Fixed issue where sound does not play when receiving a call - Fixed issue where save data is not saved under certain conditions - Fixed issue where some achievements do not unlock due to data not being saved. The game is a bullet hell-style shooter by Cave Co. that we reviewed earlier this month and really loved. However, due to the number of projectiles in the game, Espgaluda II requires a 3rd generation device. This includes the iPhone 3GS, 3rd Generation iPod Touch and even the iPad (works great even in pixel doubled mode). In addition to releasing an update to the full version, a free Lite version is now available Read More