Return to Mysterious Island was a hit on the PC, phones running Windows and Symbian operating systems and now it is coming to the iPhone to take over user’s hearts on that platform. Return to Mysterious Island is available now from the Apple App Store, but be warned it is a huge download and only available in the UK. It could be the biggest game available for the iPhone coming in a 300MB. That is a huge game.

The game follows Mina as she sails around the world. Mina becomes ship wrecked on an island that seems to be uninhabited. Exploring the island, Mina finds all kinds of items left by the people before her, including artifacts, living spaces and technologies. Players can take any path they want on their way to completing the game. There is no linear adventure that players have to follow. The game takes advantage of the multi-touch aspects of the iPhone and may incorporate the 3G features of the iPhone for network play in future updates.

Return to Mysterious Island sounds like an open ended adventure game. There are multiple ways to get to the end of the game. Players get to explore on their own time in their own way, which makes a good fit for the iPhone. Players can game when they want to and have a little spare time.

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Popcap’s Peggle has invaded the gaming industry and most gamers have probably played or heard the name “Peggle.” Over the last two years we’ve had the opportunity to see the launch of Peggle on the PC, Macintosh and even a release on Valve’s Steam service. Later, we’d see Peggle Nights storm the industry with yet more Peggle style action.

They’re back, but now they’ve arrived on the Nintendo DS with a value packed game release called Peggle: Dual Shot. If, somehow you’ve missed the boat on Peggle now is the time to change.

Dual Shot offers both Peggle and Peggle Nights in one single tiny package. You’ll receive all the great levels and unlockables in both titles along with additional game unlocks from Q Entertainment (creator of Lumines), the folks that ported Peggle to the DS. Peggle: Dual Shot retails for USD $29.99, a great deal considering you’re getting two games with 10 additional stages, unlockables and features.

This isn’t a simple port to the DS as Peggle: Dual Shot does bring a few new features to the table. One, feature, the magnifying glass assists allows the player to make more accurate pin-point shots on the peg by holding the stylus in one position for a few seconds to bring up magnification of the pegs on the top-screen. This feature is obviously designed to assist the smaller-screened DS overcome the viewing challenges for tight shots. While this is technically a “feature” it’s only needed because of the small game screen.

Underground mode is a new feature designed for Peggle: Dual Shot that could in-fact have made the original titles a bit bitter (if that is possible!). In the classic Peggle titles, you’ll gain bonus points for bouncing your ball off bonus purple pegs to gain additional scores. In Dual Shot, you will be granted access to an underground gem collection mini-game if you hit five purple pegs in a stage. These gems will increase your high scores and potentially get you spare balls to fire. This is a fine advancement in the Peggle gameplay as it doesn’t off-balance the game mechanics. In addition, gathering enough pegs can unlock new stages outside of the adventure mode.

Peggle: Dual Shot suffers a little in the graphics department, due to the little hand-held DS trying to keep up with technology. Popcap’s titles are typically crisp, flashy and well polished but the DS leave a little to be desired in this area. It was very clear after playing Dual Shot that they’ve done all they could to keep to the traditional graphic updates but fall short due to the old hardware. Levels take a few seconds to draw and the ball and pegs are a bit more pixelated than we’re used to seeing.

The DS isn’t all about graphics, so most gamers won’t realize the Popcap graphic experience is a bit muted. The game play value and length of this title far exceeds any graphic shortcomings. You can read a full review of classic Peggle if you’ve never played the title before, we won’t re-iterate the game play as it’s the same in Dual Shot. This title is well worth the money if you’re new to the Peggle experience and for anyone that hasn’t purchased Peggle Nights but was considering it.

The local-multiplayer is more turn-based; you must turn over your DS to the next player and then they’ll give it back when they are finished their move. You can also blast the demo stage to other DS’s so others can try the game for themselves, this is more of a marketing technique than a feature.

While some review sites, like Gamespot, said the Dual Shot isn’t worth the $30.00, we’re thinking they’ve got the wrong perspective. If you’re looking for a game with a lot of great puzzle stages that will require plenty of time to unlock all the challenges this game is worth every penny. Casual Gamers will enjoy the DS title if they’ve not burned themselves out with the prior PC and Macintosh games but the new features alone won’t sell this title, they just make it better.

The Game Developer Conference was going on last week, so it is no surprise that there has been a few different game development kits announced. There are a few different companies attempting to make life easier for a developer. Development kits make the entry level for a developer a bit lower, too. Blue Mars is a new developer kit aimed at developers, digital entrepreneurs, artists and educators. Blue Mars allows all those people to create the next generation of virtual world.

The Blue Mars kit is aiming to bring the cost of developing a 3D online game down to the cost of dveloping a 2D Flash game. The development kit is offered to approved developers at no cost. The kit gives developers access to samples, assets, test levels and a Sandbox editor.

“Blue Mars brings the costs of 3D online casual game development down to the level of 2D Flash development through our easy to use Causal Games API, LUA script support, and straightforward content creation pipeline that allows developers to bring their assets into the world directly from DCC tools like 3DSMax and Maya,” said Kazuyuki Hashimoto, president of Avatar Reality. “We’ve worked hard to create a platform where independent developers can thrive regardless of their budget. We’re excited to work with developers of all sizes to create amazing content and games for audiences around the world.”

Nice to see all these development kits coming out to aid casual game developers. The casual games market is exploding and the easier it is for developers to develop casual game the better for the casual game fans. There is more of a chance that casual games are new and innovative instead of just the same old type of game done again and again.

Thanks Gamers Daily News

Pendulum Quest is a match three game mixed with a bit of a marble popper type game. The goal of the game is to clear all of the balls from the screen, but the stack of balls moves as you are trying to clear them. If one of the balls gets to the marked line, game over. Actually, you just lose a live, but if you lose three lives then the game is over.

Players clear the balls by maching three or more of the same color ball. The trick is that the matched balls fall down ruining other matches when they do. Players have to be strategic in clearing balls, but it is not that easy because the balls are getitng closer and closer to the line. Keep your cool and you will be able to clear the level. Start getting nervous and shooting balls everywhere and you will have some issues.

The twist in the game is the pendulum levels. Every four levels there is a pendulum level. Players still have to match three or more of the same color balls, but this time the ball to be matched is on a pendulum swinging back and forth. The pendulum makes it that much harder to make the matches. Players need to predict and fire a bit early to make the ball drop in the correct spot. It becomes real easy to get nervous and start shooting the ball randomly. The balls are still moving towards the line as you are matching them. It can get nerve wracking, but the patient gamer beats the level.

Pendulum Quest has two game modes, adventure and survival. Adventure mode consists 117 different levels to complete. Survival mode is just as it sounds, players have to survive through twelve different levels. If they can. The adventure mode is done in an arcade style. The user has three lives and if they can’t complete a level one of those lives are losed. If the player loses all three lives, the game is over. The good part is the player picks up after the last pendulum level completed. In other words, you do not start back from the very beginning of the game.

The graphics in Pendulum Quest are nicely done. The game follows an Egyptian theme and the graphics look like egyptian pyramids. The music playing in the background matches the theme. Players will get a feeling of being in Egypt.

Pendulum Quest is a fun and challenging game. The match three game type with a bit of the marble popper game type makes for a great match. The moving balls add to the challenge and nerves of the game. It can be challenging to keep your cool and not randomly shoot balls. Pendulum Quest is a great game and players can’t go wrong with this match three game, especially for $4.99.

Now is your chance to be a king in the strategy game, appropriately named, Be a King. Players have to build up their empires and figure out how to run villages, towns, right on up to big cities. Everything starts from scratch and you have to manage the entire empire from it’s infancy.

Players need to treat their people well by upgrading the buildings their people live in and introducing new technology. New technology brings with it an easier life, sometimes. Technology can make the people’s jobs easier and they will stay happier. Not only do you, as King, have to keep your people happy, but you have to fight off hordes of monsters that want to bring down your empire.

See if you have what it takes to become King in Be a King.