With the App Store arrival of a certain highly acclaim UFO-centric strategy game, it's been a pretty big week for iOS gaming. Let's get stuck in, shall we?

 

Modern Combat 4 gets Meltdown update

The latest episode in Gameloft's premiere FPS franchise Modern Combat has just received its biggest update yet. Entitled the 'Meltdown Update', this downloadable expansion to Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour adds new maps, weapons, and multiplayer modes.

First off, you can now explore the Fracture, Extraction, and Backfire maps. These will see fighting for your life on the streets of Barcelona, and blasting your way across the ice of Antarctica. As for fresh firepower, you'll gain access to a Special Forces sniper rifle. Oh, and a grenade launcher pistol. That's right: you get a pistol which launches grenades. Merry Christmas.

The multiplayer options have been expanded, too, with the new Bomb Squad and Destruction modes adding some explosive variety to social scuffles. All of these tweaks can be unlocked right now via a simple update from App Store.

Chillingo releases Gloomy Hollow

Chillingo most recent App Store release is Gloomy Hollow. It's an isometric action RPG in the vein of Diablo. Instead of the classic fantasy setting, however, this ghoulish offering drops you into a kind of undead Western.

Playing as either a sherrif, a blacksmith, or a lady with a sharp fansave the town of Gloomy Hollow by trekking around the Underworld slicing up the local wildlife and searching for healing soul crystals.

We like the gothic soundtrack and sinister premise, but you'll have to wait for our review to see if the gameplay holds up.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown lands on the App Store

Of course, the big release this week is XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

If you've never stumbled across the console version, XCOMis a turn-based strategy game which places you in command of a military response unit. You job is to monitor, manage and repel UFO incursions.

Here's what you need to know:

Firstly, it'll be available on both iPad and iPhone.

Secondly, it's great.

Thirdly, as it's a port of a recent console release, gonna take up a fair chunk of your virtual storage - 3 Gig, in fact., meaning you might have to make some tough choices regarding your virtual games library.

Which brings us to the price: £13.99 / $19.99.

Now, while some may choke at the sight of that figure, it's worth noting that it is a good deal less than the $60 you'd pay at launch, or the $40 Amazon.com is currently asking for the Xbox 360 version.

If you ask us, it's a small price to pay for having one of the best console games of the last generation in your pocket at all times.

For and in-depth assessment of this prestigious port, check out our XCOM: Enemy Unknown video review.

Rovio launches Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage

With Angry Birds steward Rovio now taking smaller devs under its expansive wings, we're going to see some new iOS games with some seriously flashy trailers.

The first game to get the Rovio Stars big budget video treatment is Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage. It's a 3D physics puzzler that bears a passing resemblance to Rovio's own bird-flinging franchise.

However, instead of catapulting fowl towards pigs, you must swipe blocks of ice to free your viking buddies from their frosty tombs.

You won't just be liberating Nordic warriors, though. There are chests of treasure to grab, quests to complete, and bosses to fight along the way.

If you like what you see, you can download the game for iPhone (99c) and iPad ($2.99) right now. Alternatively, you can wait until next week for the official AppSpy verdict.