With the Gameloft LIVE! app for Android, users will be able to connect with the over seven million Gameloft LIVE! users by making friends, sending & receiving game invites, sending messages and chatting in real-time within the app itself and without the need to fire up a Gameloft title. The app delivers a 3D interface and allows users to create their own customizable avatar which they can further customize with new items that can be unlocked from playing Gameloft titles. Users will also be able to gain direct access to Gameloft’s catalog of games, which of course I’m sure you would already guess would have been possible in this app.

The Gameloft LIVE! app should seem quite familiar with anyone who has used Xbox Live’s service as you can perform many of that service’s functions within this app. Although, one could easily debate that Microsoft stole the idea of avatars from Nintendo, but who hasn’t stolen the idea from another company in this crazy, mixed-up world? Either way, if you’re an Android gamer who has been looking for an Xbox Live-esque service, you can’t go wrong with Gameloft LIVE!

Gameloft LIVE! (FREE) – [Android Marketplace]

What makes this news even more impressive is the fact Jetpack Joyride has achieved this goal without even setting foot on the Android marketplace. To think, millions upon millions of Android gamers around the planet have yet to experience the joy and addictiveness of Jetpack Joyride on their smartphone or tablet of choice.

Not only did Halfbrick have that bit of news to share, but they also have announced they plan to release “the biggest content update for Jetpack Joyride to date.” I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping the lovable Fruit Ninja sensei decides to make an appearance in Jetpack Joyride. I’m sure he can teach Barry Steakfries a thing or two about barreling through the air on a variety of jetpacks.

Jetpack Joyride (FREE) – [iTunes Link]

Mass Effect Infiltrator isn’t another Mass Effect Galaxy which ended up not being a very successful mobile title for BioWare. It’s being developed by IronMonkey Studios, who have released a number of successful mobile games, one of which being Dead Space. If you’re familiar with their work, then you should already be excited for this game’s release next month.

My demo time was spent landing on a snowy planet in order to rescue prisoners from a hostile Cerberus base. Once my character’s feet touched the surface of the planet, I felt right at home with the traditional FPS gaming mechanics of moving my character with the left side of the screen while moving the camera with the right. As soon as I turned a corner, a wave of approximately 4 or 5 Geth started to attack me. Infiltrator guided me through the process of combat by taking cover behind some strategically placed boxes and pipes, and tapping on my enemies to initiate combat. Once I focused in on an enemy, I could move my shooting reticule around to tweak my aiming. Once I took down one Geth, Infiltrator gives you the opportunity to take down additional enemies in order to rack up combo points. The game urges you to act quick as the ability to combine your attacks is only for a limited time.

Infiltrator will provide the usual arsenal of weapons and powers that we all expect out of a Mass Effect game. I started off attacking the Geth hostiles with an Assault Rifle, but later on in the demo, I was able to switch to a Shotgun which was a lot more satisfying for those up-close and personal moments. When I was on the opposite side of a Geth, my character was able to use a melee attack that sent the Geth backwards and onto their back.

If you’re the kind of person who prefers to use biotics to take down their enemies, you’ll be happy to know that they’ll also be available in Infiltrator. A part of my demo time was spent using the Pull biotic in order to pull my enemies out of cover and within range of my attacks. I’m sure Pull won’t be the only biotic available, but EA did not disclose which biotics would be available in Infiltrator.

Maneuvering from cover to cover was a breeze as the developer places transparent arrows in front of your character to inform you of where you can move to take cover in a different location. A simple flick of the finger will send your solider running, flipping, or hurdling towards the next possible piece of cover.

Mass Effect Infiltrator already looked quite impressive during my demo time, even though EA has said the game was currently in its alpha phase of development. IronMonkey Studios definitely shows their ability to make a visually impressive game once again for the iOS platform. EA reps said Mass Effect Infiltrator will release at the same time as Mass Effect 3 and will serve as not only a stand-alone experience, but your actions in Infiltrator will directly influence Commander Shepard’s ultimate battle.

The new update allows players to “enhance their experience” by way of in-game point packs that can be purchased via in-app purchases in order for players to receive a bunch of in-game points. The in-game points can then be used in order to purchase weapons, ammo, build barricades, and much more. Of course, players can also do all of these things by earning in-game points through the fun and sometimes tedious job of murdering zombies.

The point pack system comes in six different tiers:

• Tier 1: Point Pack 1 (12k in-game points) – $.99
• Tier 2: Point Pack 2 (30k in-game points) – $1.99
• Tier 5: Point Pack 3 (100k in-game points) – $4.99
• Tier 10: Point Pack 4 (250k in-game points) – $9.99
• Tier 20: Point Pack 5 (600k in-game points) – $19.99
• Tier 50: Point Pack 6 (2m in-game points) – $49.99

The update also makes the fan-favorites Ray Gun and Monkey Bomb available as well as some other optimizations and fixes.

If you feel you’re way too short on time to actually play Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies and would like to take advantage of obtaining a ton of points for your hard earned dough, then go right ahead and take advantage of this new addition to the game. Call me crazy, but when I purchase a game, I usually enjoy the challenge of unlocking things through hard work and zombie murdering.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies ($6.99) – [iTunes Link]

If you recall the first Capcom Nintendo DS exclusive game to jump to the iOS platform was Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney back in 2010. Ironically, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was created by the same man: Shu Takumi. Instead of playing out courtroom drama from case to case, this mystery adventure game has players assuming the role of Sisel as he uses his Ghost Tricks powers to switch between the Land of the Living and the Ghost World.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for iOS features intuitive touch screen controls, enhanced graphics, and a much wider viewing area to help with solving puzzles. If you enjoyed Phoenix Wright’s writing, puzzles, and intriguing story, then you’ll want to experience Ghost Trick as it offers a very similar experience.

The game is currently free to download and its first two chapters are free. If you’d like to continue the Ghost Trick adventure, the next chapters are available for purchase in three different packs for $4.99 each, or you can go all in and unlock the full game for $9.99.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (FREE) – [iTunes Link]

The news comes by way of a Microsoft spokesperson who had the following to say regarding Microsoft’s decision to develop for other mobile platforms:

While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms.

Microsoft has given no release date window of when iOS & Android users can expect Xbox Live compatible apps to be made available, but iOS & Android gamers should be happy to hear they won’t have to shell out for a Windows Phone device in order to get all of the benefits of the Xbox Live platform.

I’m certainly curious to learn more about this and to see how far the Xbox Live integration will go for the iOS & Android apps. Will Xbox Live users be able to see what I’m playing if I’m online? Will I be able to unlock achievements for games on iOS & Android? Will the Xbox Live Marketplace be integrated into the Xbox Live app so I can purchase Xbox Live compatible apps and bypass the App Store? SO…MANY…QUESTIONS! I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what Microsoft has up its sleeve at this year’s E3.

[Via Forbes]

The latest update for RAGE HD brings a slew of enhancements such as iOS 5 support, the ability to melee your enemies, and two new episodes called Kraken and Aqueduct which can be purchased for only $.99 via in-app purchase. And just to clarify, that’s $.99 for both episodes.

Rage HD version 2.0 also supports HDMI-out, which could be used to easily trick your friends your playing the console version of your game through your iOS device. We all know what a little trickster you can be.

RAGE HD ($1.99) – [iTunes Link]

RAGE ($.99) – [iTunes Link]

Steam Mobile for iOS & Android allows Steam users to access the majority of the Steam service through their mobile devices. Users will be able to chat with friends, browse community groups, user profiles, view screenshots, and of course, keep up to date with all of Steam’s sales and purchase them straight from your iOS or Android device.

After playing around with the app for a bit this afternoon, I can tell you it acts very similarly to the Facebook app in terms of its overall usability. You can customize what section of the app greets you when you first start, and buying games on the service to be played on my PC or Mac is super easy. I did notice the chat function did have a bit of a lag compared to chatting on my computer, but I’m sure when users are out and about, they won’t even think twice about it.

The Steam Mobile app is currently in beta, which means you can certainly download the app right now, but you won’t be able to access the good stuff unless you receive a beta code from Valve. The app currently works very well, even though it’s in its beta phase, so I don’t see why Valve couldn’t release it to the public within a month.

Steam Mobile (FREE) – [iTunes Link] [Android Marketplace Link]

First off, version 1.3 of Grand Theft Auto III will now support the Asus Transformer Prime and Medion LifeTab if you happen to own either of those two devices. The other updates for Grand Theft Auto III can be found below:

• The addition of Integrated with Immersion Haptic Vibration Feedback
• The ability to tailor your visual experience with new video display settings
• The ability to install the game to an SD memory card
• Improved controls for Xperia Play and supported gamepads plus full support for the GameStop Wireless Game Controller
• Additional technical fixes

Having improved support for the Xperia Play‘s gamepad as well as other gamepads certainly make this a worthwhile update. I know many mobile gamers, no matter how hard they try, just can’t get the hang of touch-screen controls.

Of course, in order to pick up the updated version of Grand Theft Auto III, all you’ll need to do is make a quick visit to the Android Marketplace, update the app, and viola!

As for an update to the iOS version of Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar gives no information as to when it will be released, but assures its fans that the update is coming.

The letter from Nimblebit to Zynga congratulates the company for their release of Dream Heights, which they point out Zynga must be big fans of their Tiny Tower game. Nimblebit goes on to say they look forward to inspiring Zynga for their future titles and points out the huge differences between the size of the Nimblebit team, which is made of 3 people, to Zynga, which is 2,789 strong.

What makes this story even more interesting is the claim by NimbleBit’s co-founder Ian Marsh that Zynga attempted to acquire them. NimbleBit’s other co-founder, David Marsh, took to his twitter feed to vent his frustration by claiming NimbleBit has been “Zynga’d” and also saying “Even when you refuse to go work for Zynga, sometimes you end up doing work for Zynga anyway.”

I can’t blame Nimblebit to be upset with Zynga seeing as the company has made an absolute fortune on FarmVille and other clones of that game. A game like Tiny Tower was an absolute labor of love by the team and to see something they worked so hard on to then be stolen by a much larger and already profitable company, I’m just surprised the letter wasn’t full of expletives and threats to Zynga’s dog mascot.

[Via TechCrunch]

The Android version of Sonic 4: Episode I is nearly identical to the iOS version that was released in late 2010. It still takes place right after Sonic & Knuckles, four unique zones with four levels to play, seven additional stages, and two stages that are unique to mobile devices. You’ll use your phone’s accelerometer to move Sonic left and right by tilting your device and tapping on the screen to jump and initiate attacks.

For those of you who picked up Sonic CD and have been anxiously awaiting for Sonic 4: Episode II’s release, then this would be the perfect opportunity for you to pick up Episode I to prepare yourself for the next episode.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I ($3.99) – [Android Marketplace]