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The Rumour Mine: Gangstar: Sin City, Jet Car Stunts sequel, and Madden NFL online

Sin in the fast lane and 50-yard line

The Rumour Mine: Gangstar: Sin City, Jet Car Stunts sequel, and Madden NFL online
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iOS

We're approaching two years since the App Store launched and the games are getting better and better with each passing day.

Thinking back on those early days of low expectations, almost every game wowed. Now, we're looking at epic open-world action, high speed racers, and online-enabled sports games.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, folks. iPad is getting a lot of attention from developers eager to take advantage of high definition display, and the advent of iPhone HD later this year is only going to fuel the portable gaming lust that so many game makers have right now. Nintendo 3DShut yo mouth!

Madden NFL 11 getting online multiplayer on iPhone

Bluetooth is great and all, but where was online multiplayer in Madden NFL 10? With Apple pushing network connectivity later this year with Game Center, EA plans on expanding online features in all of its games including Madden. Expect full online multiplayer - wi-fi, not 3G - when it arrives at the start of the season.

I asked about FIFA 11, but couldn't get an answer. Since it comes out later than Madden NFL 11, I can only imagine it will have wi-fi online multiplayer (read: 'it should have online multiplayer'). The fact that 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is overlooking online play later this month is a disappointment.

Still, Madden NFL 11 will fill in the online gap, and that's definitely something to look forward to. Gameloft, your move with NFL 2011.

Gangstar: Sin City gambling on iPad release

N.O.V.A. 2 isn't the only big Gameloft franchise getting pretty for its big date with iPad later this year. Open-world gang-banging action series Gangstar is coming back big with a stint in Las Vegas.

Under the title Gangstar: Sin City, this new instalment has you working the infamous strip. Gambling, drugs, sex - the city of sin is yours for the taking. Like cancelled console game This is Vegas pictured above, you're given free rein of the town.

New missions have you building a casino racket while eliminating rival gangs vying for control of the city. Mexican drug cartels offering goods to visiting partiers have to be dealt with as you grow your criminal empire. It's going to be bigger, better looking, and more varied that its iPhone predecessor.

One of the ways in which Gameloft plans on achieving that is by bringing much needed dimension to the open-world design. Hidden items can be scouted out in alleyways and in casinos, side missions encourage you to roam around the city, and customisation will allow you to change outfits and ink your character with personalised tattoos.

Mini-games are a large part of this effort, too. Gambling lets you win extra cash by playing classic casino games and date night lets you take a lady friend out for some drinks and dancing.

It's coming to iPad as well as iPhone and iPod touch late this year as part of a big push from Gameloft to seize the lead as the leading games publisher for Apple devices. If Gangstar: Sin City is half as cool as it sounds, then Gameloft is on its way toward that goal.

Jet Car Stunts fuelling up for a second lap

Jet Car Stunts 2One of the staff's favourite games of 2009 is getting a sequel in 2010: Jet Car Stunts 2. There's just no way you can play the original and not get into it, which is precisely why an iPad-optimised version will be released alongside the core iPhone and iPod touch version.

Enhanced graphics and new stages are definitely planned, but the big addition comes in the form of a level editor that allows you to create small tracks for sharing online. Trackmania DS had a robust editor, but we've not seen anything similar on iPhone. You'll also be able to upload YouTube replays of runs made on your and other players' custom tracks.

Incidentally, there's talk of Trackmania coming to iPhone and iPod touch some time this year too, though it isn't clear if it would be a new game or just a port of the DS version. Who will be first to the finish line?