SuperMegaWorm
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iCade-compatible games listed
Touch Arcade has a list of the games on the App Store currently compatible with ThinkGeek's iCade arcade stand for the iPad. It's certainly more than just the one official Atari app that it was compatible with at release, but the list is still pretty short, with only 16 titles included: No Gravity Warblade HD Sideways Racing Silverfish MAX Match Panic Mos Speedrun Velocispider Super Mega Worm Super Mega Worm Vs. Santa Compression HD IronStar Arena Emerald Mine Space Inversion Space Inversion 2 Space Inversion Puzzle Freeesh The good news is that with titles like Super Mega Worm and Velocispider in there, these are definitely some quality titles, not just filler-ware. The list is still pretty small when you think about the App Store in terms of total number of games. Hopefully spotlighting titles like these will encourage developers to step up and support the iCade, especially when a game like theirs makes sense for a real-life arcade stick and buttons. True, the audience of people that actually owns the device is smaller than the iPad audience in general, but the iCade is a pretty cool and unique setup, and it would be nice to see it supported a little more widely.
Games updated for Game Center (soon)
As you might have noticed if you've added a few friends in Apple's new Game Center service, the backbone social components are working great. But where, exactly, are all of the games? Developers have actually had access to Apple's service for quite a while now -- it was introduced to them under NDA way back at WWDC. But for some reason, Apple seems to be waiting on approving Game Center-enabled games. Fortunately, they're coming, probably as soon as Apple can approve them. Touch Arcade forum member Project-79 has been keeping track of which games have said that they'll be Game Center-enabled. As soon as updates roll out for games like Field Runners, Flight Control, Super Mega Worm and Angry Birds, you'll be able to jump in and earn achievements with them. Keep in mind that some of the best games on Game Center are still to come: Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter 2 was leaked via a Game Center screen, and of course we're all waiting to see what Epic Games' Project Sword looks like, ever since it was shown off with full GC functionality at last week's Apple event. There are games coming for Game Center, and they should be here soon. Update: Apparently Ms. PAC-MAN is the first game to get updated with Game Center support. You might want to wait, though -- we've heard it's not a very good version.
TUAW's Daily App: Super Mega Worm
Sometimes you roll along, having a pretty good day... and sometimes, you just want a giant worm to rise up out of the ground and destroy everything. Super Mega Worm is for that second type of day. (You'll have to find something else for the first -- Doodle Jump, perhaps?) It's a game where you control a gigantic worm on a 2D field. You use a slider (or the accelerometer) to direct it through the soil and up onto the surface of the Earth, where puny little humans await their inevitable destruction. The game is funny in a morbid way; you end up cheering for the little worm as it grows (and learns new abilities) over time, and eventually, you'll find yourself reveling in the destruction of the human race. Quality pixelated graphics and excellent sounds help immersion a lot, and the control scheme is surprisingly fitting for the kind of movement that the worm does. There's even a little mini-game in jumping off of various vehicles into the atmosphere and exploring the game field in both directions. Super Mega Worm isn't really a title for the faint of heart; even though the graphics are pretty retro, things get gory fast. But if you've ever found yourself laughing at or cheering for the monster in a horror movie, Super Mega Worm will probably dig its way into your free time. The game is US$2.99 on the App Store right now.
