Apparently taking a hint from Rovio with two versions of their game, Angry Birds [99¢ / HD] and Angry Birds Seasons [99¢ / HD], Doodle Jump [99¢ creators Lima Sky just released Doodle Jump Christmas Special [99¢]. The game is basically little more than Doodle Jump with a Christmas theme, which is a-ok by me.

If you already own Doodle Jump, I'm not sure how much sense there is to re-buy the Christmas Special, but if you're the kind of person who likes endless jumping games who also happens to like Christmas, I can think of worse ways to spend 99¢. Doodle Jump Christmas Special is home to both Game Center and some fantastically detailed Retina Display graphics, and all the new Christmas enemies couldn't be cuter.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for consoles and PC is a great, isometric action-adventure that successfully combines the exploration, the high-octane action sequences, and the puzzle elements of a solid Tomb Raider title with the combat of a good dual-stick shooter. It's not a perfect game. I think the setup to larger tasks is often are boring (go here; grab this; repeat) and the crowd control options are lacking, but overall it's a fun game with a satisfying level of depth -- especially in its item and equipment systems which allow you to boost Lara's skills by doing optional tasks or finding items scattered throughout the world.

Surprisingly, Guardian of Light will soon be available on the iOS in North America, and it appears to be a faithful port in regards to mechanics and game world, which is why I've mentioned all this. But during my playthrough of this version, I've discovered that the things that don't come across so well are the visuals, sound, frame rate, and control. I know -- bummer!

A lot of textures in the game look terrible, while some needed sound effects simply aren't duplicated. Take, for example, the tumbling bridge section right outside the Spider Temple. No crumbling sounds are emitted in the preceding cut-scene that betrays the  bridges' stability. And while that's bothersome, the fact that Lara can clip through the final bridge's geometry and fall to her doom after said cut-scene is even worse.

This scene, despite all of its action and stupid missteps, manages to hold up well in regards to frame rate, which makes it all the more mystifying whenever frames start dropping during low-octane portions of the game.

You can deal with these things; I can deal with these things. But, I think the real deal-breaker is Guardian of Light's on-screen controls, which make shooting, jumping, rolling, and basic item navigation a nightmare. The game is playable, sure, but it's obvious that the enemy balance wasn't tweaked -- nor were its scripted action sections -- for on-screen UI. Guardian of Light feels like a game built for users with a controller, which is a problem since, well, you aren't using a controller to play it.

Guardian of Light "proper" has a fantastic online co-op component that has one player playing as Lara while the other handles a warrior named Totec. What makes this such a compelling addition is that the game changes in meaningful ways with two people; puzzles that demand interdependence and unique scenarios are made available in this mode.

Sadly, this iOS version of the co-op appears to be shoddy. Between Master Eli and I, our game's crashed a total of five times while starting up a match, and our invites to each other didn't work in the first place. We had to, hilariously, use random matchmaking to even find each other. I shouldn't say this component is broken exactly, but it's obvious someone needs to take a look at this component's implementation.

What kills me here is that there's a great game buried in Guardian of Light iOS -- a game that has satisfying combat, great loot systems and upgrade paths, a fun story, a good co-op component, and some good head-scratchers. But... these silly problems are killers. The good news is that most of the problems are fixable, particularly the ticky-tacky geometric, sound, and network stuff. The question is, is someone going to address these issues? I hope so. Guardian of Light is fantastic and I wish I could enjoy this version just as much as the others. It kinda goes without saying, but we'll hold our official in-depth review until we see a patch since it's really hard to recommend this game as it is on launch day.

UPDATE: We've been informed that the multiplayer is not cross platform, which excuses why Eli and I weren't able to connect the first three or four times (I was on an iPad, while he was on an iPhone 4). This doesn't explain why the game even let us attempt to connect to each other, but it totally makes sense why we couldn't. However, we still experienced the same connection and crashing problems while using two iPads. As you might have assumed, that one positive match we had before the game crashed was with two iPads.

App Store Links - Note: This game is currently available internationally, but won't be available in the US App Store until 11:00 PM Eastern.

• Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light, $6.99
• Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light HD, $9.99

We just got word from John Carmack himself on what's in store for us with the upcoming 1.1 update of RAGE [99¢ / HD], and wow, we're in for a treat. Full Game Center support is coming, specifically, 58 achievements and 13 different online leaderboards. Gyroscope controls have been added for devices that are equipped with gyroscopes, and directional damage indication has been implemented so you can see what side you're being attacked on. There's also a whole host of bug fixes and tweaks such as changing the location of the pause button to prevent hitting it accidentally.

It gets better though. Two new game modes have been implemented. A mirror mode, which flips the levels for a slight variation in gameplay and a "museum mode" has been added which strips all objects and creatures while allowing the player to look through each level, pausing when they see fit to look around.

But wait, there's more- RAGE is also going to support secondary display output at 480p via the Apple component cable and 720p via the Apple VGA cable. We've seen this before with some games, but none that are as graphically advanced as RAGE. I can't wait to give this a try.

It's hard to say when this update will be approved. Apple obviously has a massive backlog of approvals from developers trying to get their game on the App Store before the pre-holiday iTunes Connect freeze... So RAGE 1.1 will either be available randomly sometime before the 23rd, or sometime after the 28th. For more information on RAGE, check out our review.

Big news for all the Trenches [$.99 / Lite] and Stenches [$.99] fans out there: game creator Thunder Game Works is submitting an update to Apple that will bring competitive as well as co-op components to both games via Game Center. Thunder tells us that online is one of the most asked for features, so it's pleased to indulge the fans.

For Trenches, the update will add online man-versus-man competition to the Battle or King of the Trench modes. It will also add cooperative play to Skirmish, Zombie Horde Mode, and King of the Trenches. For Stenches, Thunder is taking a Left 4 Dead approach, allowing fans to team up as the zombie horde versus human-controlled British forces. Both games will also receive voice chat. Neat, right?

Thunder thinks this patch might make it out before Christmas, but these updates' eventual releases are up to Apple. The dude in Cupertino who hits the "certified" button likely has a mountain of various apps in front of him, so don't be surprised if you can't get your hands on this until after the App Store thaws out on the 28th.

Well this came totally out of left field, but there are few surprises that I appreciate more than "Oh hey, by the way, there's a new Monkey Island game." Monkey Island Tales 1 HD [$6.99] is the first part of a five episode series of adventure games that was originally released for the PC and Mac, as well as making appearances on both WiiWare and PSN. The game takes place in a 3D environment where (much like other Monkey Island games) you guide Guybrush Threepwood through a series of misadventures. These puzzles are very similar to other adventure games and involve clever use of the environment, items, and dialog choices.

We haven't gotten official word yet on when the rest of the series will be making their way to the App Store, but the original episodes were released on the PC about a month apart, so I've got my fingers crossed for episode 2 sometime in January. We plan on taking a closer look at the game, but with the onslaught of releases today we've got quite a huge pile of games to go through. In the meantime, swing by the thread in our forums.

In a world collapsing in on itself under the weight of its machine-churned puzzle games, World of Goo was a breath of fresh air when it was released in 2008. It was smart, varied, deep, gorgeous, and, above all, entertaining. The iOS version of the game will be hitting the US App Store tonight, and to no-one's surprise, it's still just as good.

The truly surprising thing is that this iPad version is easily the definitive version of the game oft-praised puzzler. You get a real sense of connection with the game's world as you dip your finger or fingers into it, and the technical mastery displayed in this port is near unparalleled. Everything just feels perfect. It's as if this was the version of the game we all should have played first.

At first, World of Goo is about manufacturing bridges and towers with the stretched tissue of little balls of goo. The point is to provide a path that other goo balls can follow into a metal pipe, the end point. Physics play a key role in this process: you'll need to build sound structures, which sounds easier than it is. Goo isn't concrete.

Each level requires a set number of goo balls to reach the pipe, and each goo ball you use for a structure counts against the total provided. This constant negotiation of goo resources is pleasing because it forces you to think around the obvious solution, which is often one of brute building.

The game doesn't rest on this basic formula. It has a bevy of twists and spins on this concept and mechanic in each level, providing a stream of different looks at what is possible to do in the game. A lot of levels even introduce new goo balls with very different, game-altering properties. There's a change of pace opportunity around every corner, be it from the introduction of helium-filled goo balls, vicious gusts of wind, and so on.

Diversity can become a bugbear in because explanation and experimentation are often required in large amounts. Developer 2D Boy mitigates this by walking the fine line between handholding and intuitive design. Levels are presented in such a way that it's clear what needs to be done, while signpost text written by the game's clever Sign Painter provides subtle hints and teases if a structure is too strange.

The Sign Painter is a perfect example of the game's character and tone. This writer of signs is bizarre and cheery, much like the game's unusual art. And if you doubted the power of a hand-drawn approach in this day and age, just take a look at this game. The art is detailed and beautiful and full of character-defining quirk.

On a related note, the sound design is stupendous in that it helps to add even another layer of character to the goo balls by allowing you to identify them simply by ear. Very cool stuff.

There's little wrong with World of Goo. I tend to think the physics on the larger balls introduced later in the gamer are a bit too wonky; there's a degree of luck almost in dealing with them as they tend to bounce wherever they like. I'm also not a fan of the fact that you can't pinch and zoom to get an overview of a level. 2D Boy keeps the camera tight and forces you to scroll sideways to see other parts of a map.

To be clear, this is a port. I've yet to see a level or a mechanic that wasn't present in other builds of the game. But it's a fantastic recreation, so much so that I've become convinced that this is the best version available. The touch controls are responsive, simple, and precise. Your finger, it turns out, is just as good as a mouse or a Wii Remote pointer. The intangible here is what it feels like to directly interact with the game's world. It just feels right. Picking up and applying goo is natural, as if your finger was intended to be used with this game in the first place. It's wild, man.

Puzzle games are a dime a dozen on the App Store, but World of Goo is easily one of the best ones available. It's charm, level of polish, and stream of new mechanics and ideas will keep you invested, while its other qualities will probably make you wish that every game from this point forward could be as imaginative and intuitive. Check it out.

App Store Link: World of Goo for iPad, $9.99 (Available in the US at 11:00 PM Eastern)

Here's a neat one. The creative nucleus of Infinity Blade [$5.99] was originally concieved as a Kinect title instead of an iOS game. Game creator Chair Entertainment's co-founder Donald Mustard explains in another delicious Joystiq interview post.

"We always have some cool ideas on deck, and kind of the inception of Infinity Blade began as a discussion around: 'If we were going to make a Kinect title, what would we make? What would a Chair Kinect game look like?'," he said.

"That discussion happened, you know, a year and a half ago. We had this really cool design, and it's not that dissimilar from the game you're playing today; it's just been refined and adapted to the iOS screen, which honestly I think is where the design works the best. "

Mustard neglected to get specific about what ideas were being thrown around in these conceptual stages of Infinity Blade, but theoretically, a Kinect version of the action RPG would have you acting out the sword swings and parries and near-miss dodges with your body and arms instead of your fingers. It's a neat idea, and what's wild is, it could totally work. Kinect fairs best with broad, sweeping motions such as a pretend sword slash. But that's not to say Infinity Blade sucks on the iOS. It's, as we've said before, a fantastic Chair joint.

The kicker here is that even though plans changed for Infinity Blade, a Kinect version could still happen. "Yeah," other Chair co-founder Geremy Mustard told Joystiq, "if the Kinect really takes off over the holiday season, who knows?"

Who knows, indeed. Maybe I'll actually turn on my Kinect again if Chair decides to bless it with the gift of Infinity Blade.

[via Joystiq]

Riven: The Sequel to Myst [$5.99] might have just been ported for the last time. (Eh, who are we kidding.) Developed in 1997 for the PC, Riven has seen releases on the Mac OS, Pocket PC, the original PlayStation, and even the Sega Saturn. This morning, Riven was released for the iOS a little more than a decade after its original creation.

As its name outright says, Riven is a continuation of the Myst series. It's a point-and-click adventure locked in a first-person perspective, much like its forerunner. And it features a similar approach to puzzle design and basic world navigation. Essentially, you're a walking monkey wrench that can fuss with levers and various other mechanical devices in addition to being able to decipher codes and symbols.

If you've played Myst proper or Myst [$4.99] iOS, in other words, you'll probably feel right at home with Riven.

Our forum members have been pretty excited for this port and seem happy with it thus far, which is to be expected. Cyan Worlds, the original developer of Riven and Myst, are the dudes making Riven iOS possible. They kind of know what they're doing at this point, you know?

Chair Entertainment's Donald Mustard has shared some spectacular news with the folks over at Joystiq. The first update to Infinity Blade [$5.99] is due out at some point next week and it'll add a total of five new weapons, five fresh shields, five helmets, a brand new set of armor, and a new foe called the "Marrow Fiend" to the action RPG.

Mustard calls this a "booster pack." It's the first of two planned, the second of which will see a release at some point in January.

Chair hasn't been shy in the past about its plans to support Infinity Blade post release. Online competitive support has been promised, in addition to new items, areas, and monsters. As for when we'll see those new areas and multiplayer? Well, these might take a bit to create considering that the Infinity Blade team is only 12-men strong and quality is a serious priority.

But that doesn't mean Mustard didn't have anything to share on that front. Speaking about new areas, Mustard said "There will be new areas to go to, the story will be evolving a little more as you see what the God King is really up to, and we're going to let people down into the dungeons." He added that these new foes in the dungeon will "make the [current] enemies look like nothing."

Ah, so exciting. Anyone else tap out their current character and itching for some new content? Surely I'm not the only freak out there.

[via Joystiq]

The relentless onslaught of Gameloft iOS releases continues, as they have announced that their Uncharted-like action-adventure game Shadow Guardian will be launching December 16th. For those of you familiar with the intricacies of preset App Store release dates and the mysteries of global time zone differences, that means that Shadow Guardian will be hitting the New Zealand App Store in the next few minutes and should appear in the US App Store at 11pm EST tonight. Gameloft has also provided a brand new trailer for Shadow Guardian in anticipation of its release:

If you've played the Uncharted games on Playstation 3 before, then you will likely be able to point out the many similarities in this trailer for Shadow Guardian. But, as always, it's pretty unlikely that we'd ever get to see an official version of Uncharted on iOS, so I will gladly take this close approximation. There's a discussion currently underway for the game in our forums, and assuming we don't die of exhaustion from the avalanche of other games set to release tonight, we'll take a closer look at Shadow Guardian after it becomes available in the US App Store.

Remember way back in July when we came across some poorly translated information that hinted at Yoot Saito's Yoot Tower/The Tower II coming to the iPad? And remember the following month when that game, which was now known as The Tower, was released in the Japanese App Store only, much to the disappointment of gamers in other countries? And finally, do you remember just last week when we posted that The Tower would be renamed Yoot Tower for its US release but most likely would not make it out before the end of the year? All of these wonderful memories have brought us to the point we are at right now: the English version of Yoot Tower for iPad has finally made its way into the US App Store.

If you're still feeling kind of lost, Yoot Saito is an innovative Japanese game designer who created SimTower back in 1994, a simulation game similar to SimCity in that you had to manage different resources and expansion, but instead of building a sprawling metropolis you built a structure vertically into the sky. The sequel to SimTower that arrived a few years later, called Yoot Tower, is what the iPad version is based off of. A brief description from our post last week:

Yoot Tower is a simulation joint that plays like a vertical take on Sim City. In the game, you'll play as a building manager with a mission to build a massive tower. This tower, however, won't just be filled with bricks, iron, and cement. No, it'll also house people — residents and workers and the like — who all have individual stress levels and needs. Negotiating these needs, while continuing to build your tower and placing desire facilities, composes the core of a game. So, like a good sim, Yoot Tower appears to have quite the interesting juggling act between you and outside forces.

And here is a brief gameplay demo from July of the Japanese version of The Tower running on the iPad:

So it seems that we were wrong in assuming that there would be no way Yoot Tower would be approved in time for the holidays, despite its submission date and the impending App Store lockdown next week. I think it goes without saying, though, that we are overjoyed to have been incorrect about that. Head on over to the Yoot Tower forum thread for some discussion on the game, and we'll be bringing you a full review just as soon as we've put it through its paces.

The graphically impressive and strategic dual-stick shooter Revolt [Free] has dropped its price to nothing for today only. We originally went hands-on with Revolt back in March, and were impressed not just by the stunning visuals in the game but also by the additional gameplay mechanics that required a bit more skill than your typical "gun everything down" dual-stick shooter. At the end of October, Revolt was finally released to the App Store.

This video from Appbank gives you a pretty good idea of what the gameplay is like in Revolt:

Despite some performance problems (especially on older devices), Revolt was generally well received by players in our forums. An update hit a couple weeks following release that addressed some of these technical issues as well as added a cool new Lights Out mode and a wealth of gameplay balancing and tweaks. The developers have more updates planned too, including online multiplayer and what they're calling Swarm Mode, which we aren't too sure what that consists of but it sounds pretty cool. Plus, it's a universal app with Game Center integration for leaderboards and achievements.

It may have gotten off to a rocky start, but Revolt is one of the more solid dual-stick shooters in the App Store, and is well worth taking the time to download during this free promotion.

Let's rewind time back to 1993. You're sitting at your brand new (or Frankstein monster of upgraded components) DOS-based PC staring at this newfangled CD-ROM drive that you paid an insane premium for, wondering what in the world to do with it aside from listen to your DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince CD on repeat while marveling at just how cool your acid washed jeans were. One thing lead to another and eventually you found yourself staring at the shelf of CD-ROM PC games at the local Egghead Software trying to rationalize the $79.95 price tag. You haven't played a CD-ROM-based game before, and decide to give it a try.

After jumping through all the hoops that installing the game required, you find yourself knee-deep in one of the most impressive things you've ever seen your computer do: Display full motion video and offer a shockingly immersive atmosphere that your previous disk-based games couldn't even begin to touch. You then proceed to spend the rest of the day glued to your computer, endlessly attempting to figure out the puzzles the game contained within.

If you have similar memories of playing these classic CD-ROM based games of the early 90's, this is likely where you can stop reading this review. The 7th Guest [$2.99 / HD] offers the same awesome blast from the past as Myst [$4.99 / Free], and even hearing the music of the opening sequence will be more than worth the three bucks to you. If The 7th Guest was before your time, or you're not the kind of person to mash the download button for the sake of nostalgia, read on...

The 7th Guest is set in a mysterious mansion owned and operated by Henry Stauf, a drifter turned toy-maker, then puzzle maker, then creepy mansion builder thanks to a series of visions he experienced and acted on. I'm reluctant to get too involved in discussing the story of the game, because the way it is revealed through sets of ghostly cut scenes and puzzles is a huge part of the experience. You play as Ego, an amnesiac who finds himself at the mansion, traveling from room to room, solving various puzzles. These puzzles range from incredibly difficult word games, chess-based games, and other logic games.

What you will get out of The 7th Guest largely depends on just how much you rely on outside resources for solving the puzzles. Back in the glory days of CD-ROM gaming, you weren't instantly able to find the solution to any puzzle like you can now thanks to the wonders of Google. You were forced to utilize the in-game hint system, which amounted to a cryptic book found in the library that offers vague hints on how to complete puzzles. If you cheat to find (or remember) the solutions to these puzzles, you'll likely be able to complete the entire game before you know it. However, if you have the gumption to sit down and figure out the puzzles on your own, you'll be in for hours and hours of fun (or frustration).

The game is controlled via a curious conglomeration of the classic mouse pointer the game was originally designed for and the touch interface of iOS devices. When you touch the screen, the pointer appears near your finger. Dragging around and hovering the cursor over things reveals where you can go, where puzzles are, and where paranormal events you can trigger in the house are. "Clicking" is accomplished by lifting your finger off the screen. Whatever you had the pointer hovering over gets "clicked" which triggers everything from movement to selecting puzzle pieces inside of the puzzles.

The control scheme works, but feels far from ideal. The game was originally designed for the precision of a mouse pointer, so changing everything over to being touch sensitive without this workaround would likely require a complete redo of most of the game. In my play through, I didn't come across anything that was impossible to do with this control scheme, but many of the puzzles (especially the more intricate ones) can be downright irritating to complete. On the iPad, these controls work a little bit better thanks to the increased screen real estate, but they still aren't great. The good news is, even though the controls are annoying at times, the game runs substantially faster on the iPhone than it ever did on any other platform I've played it on.

One of the first puzzles you come across is a puzzle where you must divide up a cake evenly. I clearly remember that puzzle on my ancient computer taking forever to complete, because each clip came with its associated sound clip and animation that stuttered across the screen of my PC. On the iPhone, all of these animations are fast and silky smooth. Moving about the mansion is the same way, allowing you to practically run from one side to the other. If it wasn't for the crazy control scheme, this would be the best version of The 7th Guest yet.

As you play the game more, other issues rear their ugly heads. Like many retro ports that have made their way to the App Store, the best part about The 7th Guest is that it's such a faithful port. Consequently, this is also its biggest flaw as gaming has moved forward quite a bit since then, and the lack of any kind of modern gameplay conventions might turn off new players. For instance, the game lacks any kind of undo function in puzzles, forcing you to commit to every move you make, or reloading from your last save if you made a mistake.

Also, the menu system persists from the PC game, forcing you to navigate it with the odd cursor system, even forcing you to type out the names of your game saves with the virtual mouse pointer instead of the native iOS keyboard. The game also seems to have issues with looping music too, leaving you to complete puzzles in silence (aside from voices) once the track that is playing completes.

None of these things stopped me from having fun playing through The 7th Guest, but I would exercise caution if you have no history with and/or no nostalgia for the game. The 7th Guest is a classic early 90's CD-ROM game that still plays exactly like an early 90's CD-ROM game. While I totally appreciate that this port exists, I just wish a little more care was put in to making it into a good iOS game that would appeal to a broader audience to get more people interested in series, instead of merely a good game that runs on the iOS platform that seems catered specifically to lovers of the original.

App Store Links:

• The 7th Guest, $2.99
• The 7th Guest for iPad, $5.99

First, a few sweeping generalizations about this modern era of gaming. Game designers are implementing better, more intuitive user interfaces and controls. Failure is not so much about punishment as it is disappointment. And complex systems and mechanics are much more streamlined, allowing us to just sit back and play, while still enjoying the various complexities of a given game without the mess and fuss.

Games are just… easier now than what they were before. I think no other genre has benefitted more from modern design than the simulation. Your ten-year-old, for example, can probably enjoy Firaxis' Civilization V just as much as you do, despite the fact that you undoubtedly have a better grasp of it intricacies. It's more playable now, which is quite the change from previous iterations.

But when I look at SimCity Deluxe for iOS [$2.99 / HD], I don't see that new level of polish and refinement, streamlining, and kneading that a lot of modern games showcase. It's just SimCity, except on a touch-based platform. You start with nothing, as usual, and then build a huge, hopefully thriving city with roads, bustling industrial and residential districts, parks, and other constructs ripped from life.

There's no denying that it has a certain magic to it -- creating something out of nothing is still as compelling as ever and SimCity is one of the best, most complex series' to do this in. But Deluxe isn't accessible. At all.

I feel like we all know what this franchise is about, so I'll keep this specifics discussion brief: in Deluxe, you need to build roads, water pipes, power lines, dumps, and then manage all of these various bits of infrastructure before you can even start running your city's simulation. And then when you do get to the point of simulating, you'll have to start negotiating these bits and pieces, weighing them against each other while carefully watching a resource meter drain or rise as your city -- and it's interesting parts like industry -- grow. Later, you'll be able to add money-sucking civic buildings, monuments, and parks, provided you've the infrastructure in place.

And you're always just a few missteps from failure, provided you don't hit the self-destruct button on your own civilization first via alien attack (a real mechanic).

What I'm getting at here is a long-winded way to say that Deluxe is a very traditional SimCity game. It has a few modern bells and whistles, sure. The UI is rather clean and the distinctions between components are crystal clear. Also, it doesn't burden you with ticky-tacky stuff like building houses or non-important buildings. But in most other regards, this is an old-school simulation that requires a lot of time, patience, and Chess-level think-ahead logic for city planning, zoning, and taxing.

The iPhone version of Deluxe launched earlier this summer and received a decent bit of acclaim, though it had a fatal flaw: the screen was too tiny for the abundance of UI elements and the thousands of tiny little grids in which you can build were hard to access as a result. Deluxe, however, is available on the iPad starting today.

Just as you'd expect, it's better for it -- it's easier to click within the game and the UI has a lot of breathing room. I still find myself struggling to connect roads and keep things in an orderly fashion, though, I'm thinking this is more a result of the isometric camera than anything else. Working at a slight angle isn't easy for a city planner in the early stages of the game.

Aside from that, we're looking at a picture perfect port with a platform-specific flaw: it tends to chug. The iPhone version of Deluxe is pretty snappy, but the iPad version, for whatever reason, suffers frame drops or otherwise general slowness.

I think I can sum up my impressions of Deluxe with this: the game never entices me to stay in it too long, and I wish I could play it with a mouse and keyboard. The precision isn't there despite the spacing and there aren't enough carrots leading me through.

If you're a card-carrying member of the SimCity Elite Club who has spent many a sleepless night in torturous anticipation of a SimCity for the iPad, you're in a position to enjoy Deluxe. You'll be able to put up with the archaic design, in other words. For those of you out there who aren't familiar with the series and Deluxe would be your first plunge, this isn't the title to start with. For Deluxe, you need a good sense of how SimCity works and what the game demands, or else you'll risk getting lost and frustrated.

Just a couple of mode notes: Deluxe boasts a tutorial that does an OK job of walking you through the basics, but fails to really dive into what it takes to create an uber-successful, bustling city. Starter cities are available, too, for those who can't quite break through the rags-to-riches play or handle Deluxe's much-too-steep learning curve. Additionally, several scenarios are available for the advanced player who wants to hit an end game goal or needs a challenge.

By this point in time, after two and a half years of the App Store, I find it hard to get excited about a new Papi Jump/Doodle Jump/Mega Jump/(insert word here)Jump game. There's been some great ones to be sure, but it's also one of the most overdone genres in the entire App Store.

But given the pedigree of developer Team Phobic, who have given us popular titles like GravBot [$1.99/Lite/HD] and Bounce On 2 [$3.99/Lite], I was definitely curious to see their take on this particular game type. Pleasantly, Bounce On Up [Free] is actually one of the best examples of an endless high jumping game, with some strategic twists on the formula and the lovable Bounce character from the Bounce On series.

Bounce On Up starts out familiar enough, with a Santa hat adorned Bounce tasked with jumping skywards up a series of multicolored platforms. Tapping the screen makes him jump, and each platform can only be bounced on twice before disappearing. Bounce can also collect various powerups, such as a limited use jetpack or a ninja bandana that gives him a limited number of super jumps.

One of the clever aspects of Bounce On Up is using the different colored platforms to build up a score multiplier. Jumping on 3 of the same color in a row creates a 3X multiplier, and each additional same-colored platform jumped on after that keeps on increasing it. This adds a great risk versus reward element to the game, as sometimes you will go for a more dangerous maneuver in an effort to keep your combo going with the potential of falling into the abyss and ending it all in an instant.

With cool powerups, a strategic multiplier element, and charming graphics, Bounce On Up is worth taking a look at even if you've previously had your fill of this type of game. It's a universal app that's ad-supported and free to download, and for 99¢ you can disable the ads through IAP. Also, there's Game Center integration for achievement and high score tracking. Players in our forums are really enjoying the game as well, and for free there's no reason not to give Bounce On Up a download.