Yet another reason to be envious of iPhone owners

iPad (I think), iPhone and iPod Touch owners the world over gained access to what seems to be a great new app yesterday: Hudson's PC Engine Game Box (aka TurboGrafx Game Box in the States).



This free app, which comes with a copy of World Sports Competition, serves as a portal for PC Engine games, a number of which--Bonk's Adventure, Bomberman '94, Dungeon Explorer, Military Madness and Ninja Spirit among them--could/should be considered classics.

Each title costs $2.99, although a daily "featured game" can be sampled, free of charge, for three minutes.

(Via 1up.com and andriasang.com)

Trism 1.51 (aka Trism HD): Coming soon to an iPad/iPhone 4 near you

How many hairs been pulled from the heads of gamers since Steve Demeter's iPhone/iPod Touch puzzler, Trism, hit the App Store three years ago? I have no idea, but if I had to guess I'd say it's in the millions if not trillions.

That number is sure to increase once Trism 1.51 (aka Trism HD) is released. After all, the update will allow iPad and iPhone 4 users to get in on the Trism action.

No word on when Trism 1.51--or the announced-some-time-ago Trism 2--will hit the App Store, though Demeter assures both are on their way in his latest blog post.

What do you think the chances are that I'll get an iPad, iPod Touch or an iPhone before that happens? Yeah, I don't think they're very good either.

See also: 'The man behind the Americanization of Mother 3's Magypsies' and 'The Advocate: Apple's Gay Poster Boy'

Remember when I said Square Enix was planning to port Final Fantasy to the iPhone?

Well, the port has hit the U.S. App Store--at the rather attractive price of $8.99. (Attractive compared to the $19.99 price tag attached to the nearly identical PSP version of the game, at least.)

Anyway, here's a video of someone playing said port:



An iPhone port of Final Fantasy II--aka "the Final Fantasy even the biggest Final Fantasy fanboys should ignore"--is available, too, and also costs $8.99.

I'd probably pick up part one if I had an iPhone or an iPod touch. As it is, I'll probably pick it up for the PSP--if I can find it somewhere for $9.99 or less.

See also: 'You don't say: Square Enix is going to release Final Fantasy I and II *again*'

iPhone game Valet Hustle is more than just 'Tetris meets Diner Dash'

How so? Well, for starters, both of the title's main characters, Akira and Ren, are gay.

According to GameSetWatch, Akira and Ren "were expelled from boarding school after they were caught kissing another student of the same sex. Upon hearing the news, their respective fathers order them to take over the family's parking valet company."

There's more: As players progress through the game's six levels (three of which take place in New York City and three of which take place in Tokyo), they learn more about the protagonists' personal lives.

Sorry, this is the only gay-ish screenshot I could find of this game.

Andrew Littlefield, CEO of Valet Hustle's publisher, Factory Games, recently told mobile-ent.biz that the title's gay content was intended from the start to be more than just a source of titillation.

"We set out to not only create a game that is an absolute blast to play with incredible visuals and top notch audio," he said, "but we also wanted to make a social statement that gays and lesbians should have the same marital rights as heterosexuals."

Watch: Valet Hustle "sizzle reel"

I'd totally buy this game (Tumbledrop) if I owned a cell phone

Yep, you read that right: I don't own a cell phone.

Obviously, I'm no Luddite--so what's the deal? Well, it all comes down to the fact that I need a landline in order to bring home the bacon. (Actually, it's probably more accurate to say I bring home the Bac-O-Bits, as I'm hardly rakin' in the dough as a freelance writer.) Oh, and I'm too cheap to own both--so for the time being I'm a landline-only kinda guy.

Anyway, if I had a cell phone, it'd probably be an iPhone. And if I had an iPhone, I'd definitely buy Tumbledop, a cute-as-all-get-out puzzle game that hit the App Store late last week.

Here's a video of the title, which was made by Hayden Scott-Baron, and here's a screenshot of it:

Thankfully, Tumbledrop is playable on a PC, too. (Check it out here if you're cell-less like me.) That said, I'd still rather play it on an iPhone (or iPod touch).

I must have missed the 'Noby Noby Boy is coming to the iPhone' announcement

Another thing I missed: It'll be a completely different beast than its PS3 counterpart. At least, I think that's the case after watching the following WTF-ish teaser trailer.



Two additional videos that show off unique aspects of the iPhone/iPod touch title can be found here and here. I'd describe them to you but, honestly, I have no idea what's happening in any of them.

See also: 'Next up: Saturn!'

(Via tinycartridge.com)

Trism 2: Coming soon to an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad near you

Steve Demeter, the gay game developer who made headlines around the world following the release (and runaway success) of his first iPhone offering, Trism, recently announced that a sequel will soon be made available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Unfortunately, that was the extent of his announcement--well, other than the following teaser trailer:



Keep an eye on the Demiforce site and/or Demeter's blog for more information on this much-anticipated title.

See also: 'Steve Demeter: The man behind the Americanization of Mother 3's Magypsies' and 'The Advocate: Apple's Gay Poster Boy'