iPhone Games

Fantasy Defense HD is a classic Tower Defense game with RPG like elements and an anime art style. You must use a combination of loyal fighters and skilled mages to defend your kingdom from various waves of enemies. What separates this game from most Tower Defense games is the ability to buy items and upgrade your towers between levels. There are also various items like gems and treasure chests that you can bust open for bonuses during gameplay.

I gave the game a quick whirl and the first few levels are terribly easy, however, there is a lot to learn. Perhaps the game is structured that way to give you time to figure out how to use the many abilities and upgrades before it gets harder. Fantasy Defense HD has 5 different environments with 10 levels each, adding up to 50 different boards to play. There are also different game modes like "Infinity Mode" adding even more playability. The Record Board keeps track of your high scores, but doesn't offer any achievements.

This week's iPhone App of the Week is the Numberlys -- an adventure story game by Moonbot Studios. Moonbot describes their app as a "celebration of the early fantasy epics King Kong, Metropolis and Flash Gordon." The homage to Fritz Lang is part children's story and part narrative game. The story follows the Numberlys, a group of cute characters who set out to invent the alphabet. Users must help the Numberlys create the letters A to Z in a series of interactive puzzles.

Moonbot founders come from a background in animation and filmmaking. They're more known for releasing book-apps like The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, not iOS games. Recent reviews of the Numberlys make it sound like a stunning visual experience that is interrupted by a pointless child's game. The iTunes App Store customer reviews also seem to be split on this topic. I haven't played it so I can't comment on its playability.

U.K. designer Fabio Basile has come up with an awesome concept for iOS gamers and Nintendo fans. The iOS NES game controller comes in two parts, one which connects to the 30-pin dock of your iPhone and the other which fits into the headphone jack.

While the concept is great and will probably sell well, Basile has some hurdles to leap before he can make his controller a reality. He is having trouble starting a Kickstarter campaign because he is from the U.K., and he needs help with hardware design and iOS frameworks. Basile has asked anyone who can help to follow him on Twitter."

At last year's CES Ion Audio launched the retro iPad gaming cabinet known as the iCade. Although the product started life as an April fool's joke at ThinkGeek, the maker of the iCade is now adding even more fun gaming accessories for iOS device owners.

iPhone and iPod touch owners are no longer left out of the loop thanks to the iCade Mobile, a portable game control pad that connects directly to the iOS device. The mobile version will connect via Bluetooth, adding a D-pad and buttons to the iPhone for $80.

Zynga’s latest multiplayer, Scramble With Friends, is the official iPhone Game of the Week. The latest "With Friends" app is another word game that tests your vocabulary by displaying random letters in a four-by-four grid. Players must form as many words as possible before the countdown clock expires. The words are easily spelled out by sliding your fingers over the letters that are displayed.

Scramble With Friends is basically the same as Zynga’s original Scramble game, with the added bonus of playing with your friends. You can also play random opponents. The person who scores the most points in three rounds wins. The game is compatible with all three iPhones, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generations) and the iPad. It requires iOS 4.0 or later.