The Game Developers Conference is in full effect in San Francisco this week, and updates on iOS games are anything but scarce. With the news flying out of the convention center as fast as the Wi-Fi and cell signals will carry it, it's hard to keep up with it all. Here are some of the most important headlines to take to the water cooler for all of your friends.
The quirky Australians over at Halfbrick are bringing a big update from down under. Its never-ending runner Jetpack Joyride has over 16 million users, all of which will be taking to the hallways of the "Legitimate Research" laboratory with some new gadgets in the forthcoming version 1.3 update. Once gamers grab the update, they'll be able to equip the lovable, five o'clock shadowed Barry Steakfries with his own "Air Barry" super-jump sneakers, take on easier-to-avoid missiles with Ezy-Dodge Missiles, or crash through the wall on a vehicle right off the bat with Free Ride. The update, like the game itself, is free.
Impressive-looking iOS games aren't new, but Pixel Hero Games is looking to take it to the next level with Spiral, an action RPG running on the Unreal Engine. The game will release episodically, with the first entry coming out in the fourth quarter of this year. Spiral will feature native touch screen controls with context sensitive actions; fighting up close defaults to melee weapons, while fighting an enemy in the distance will conjure up a ranged attack. Development is still ongoing, and a trailer is expected in the near future.
NimbleBit has announced (via Touch Arcade) that its next original iOS title, Pocket Planes, which will have you soaring above those Tiny Towers the studio had you building previously. Pocket Planes is a departure from the straightforward casual approach that NimbleBit has been known for in the past. It's a game of micro- and macro-management, which will have the player customizing and upgrading planes, trying to land ports in new cities, and sending passengers and cargo to various destinations. Heavy on strategy, the game will have players attempt to carve out a niche in air travel with the goal of dominating the skies. Pocket Planes will be out sometime this summer.
