The Rumour Mine: Valkyria Chronicles 3 and Mortal Kombat on iPhone, Sam & Max iPad canned

Summer isn't even over yet - the 2010 fall equinox on September 22nd marks the official end - and talk of what's around the corner for 2011 is already picking up.

Two series that have long graced consoles could very well end up on iPhone and iPod touch, thanks to their explosive popularity. Mortal Kombat, under new direction at Warner Bros., and tactical role-playing franchise Valkyria Chronicles are ripe for touchscreen play.

New game announcements dominate the touch gaming headlines, which makes word of a cancellation an aberration. Unfortunately, it appears that Telltale is canning Sam & Max episodes to make room for other games.

Given that you can play the adventure game on other platforms, it's not a catastrophic revelation.

Sam & Max season three episodes cancelled, no longer coming to iPad

Lower than expected sales and middling reviews have conspired against the third season adventure series Sam & Max. Telltale Games apparently has canned iPad ports of the current season's episodes, leaving Episode 1, The Penal Zone the sole instalment to appear on the App Store.

Five months have passed since the rocky release of that introductory episode without any discussion of additional instalments. This puts iPad releases for new episodes in serious doubt given that they've already been made available for download on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Furthermore, Telltale has yet to update Episode 1 to address glaring technical flaws - another indication that the developer is abandoning the iPad version of the series.

While game cancellations are always disappointing, it may ultimately be for the best. Instead of spending resources on porting Sam & Max episodes, Telltale can invest energy in newer games at a higher level of quality and better chance of selling among the iPad community such as Back to the Future and Jurassic Park...

Warner Bros. prepping Mortal Kombat for iPhone and iPod touch

Publisher Midway has been finished, but gory fighting franchise Mortal Kombat isn't out for the count. Warner Bros. has picked up the brand and is gearing up for a new instalment next year, which purportedly will appear on iPhone and iPod touch alongside consoles.

Fighting isn't the first genre that springs to mind when thinking of great iPhone games, but the surprise success of Capcom's Street Fighter IV bodes well for Warner Bros.'s reinterpretation of the popular series. Blood and guts made Mortal Kombat a household name, and a good iPhone and iPod touch version could make it a handheld name.

Little has been revealed about the brawler, which is slated for release some time in 2011, although expect classic characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero to make an appearance in concert with a couple new personalities.

Hopefully the game packs in a larger roster than Street Fighter IV. We'll know if the game does end up materialising next year.

Sega to announce new instalment of Valkyria Chronicles for iPhone

Despite praise for its unique mix of real-time and turn-based tactical gameplay, Valkyria Chronicles hasn't been lighting up the sales charts. Perhaps a new iPhone and iPod touch instalment could fare better than the previous PlayStation 3 and PSP versions.

A teaser website for a new game in the young series has popped up, hinting at an announcement from publisher Sega later this month. Come September 16th during Tokyo Game Show, it's likely that the new instalment will be revealed as an iPhone and iPod touch exclusive. Set during the events of the first game, this new title touches upon a heretofore untold sidestory.

It's unclear whether the hybrid real-time and turn-based gameplay will be unmodified for iPhone or if the game will purely focus on contemplative turn-based tactics as a way of catering to the touchscreen.

Regardless, the prospect of Valkyria Chronicles coming to Apple devices only fuels what is shaping up to be a contentious battle for the attention of tactical role-playing gamers.