Practically everybody is familiar with Super Mario Bros., the classic NES title that you could argue single-handedly dragged the video game industry out of the muck and into the living rooms of gamers everywhere during the mid-80s. What isn’t always so widely recognized, however, is the original title that preempted that release – Mario Bros. Originally an arcade game, Mario Bros. took Jumpman, the protagonist from the popular Donkey Kong series, and named him Mario, teaming him up with his brother Luigi to rid the sewers of New York from nasty varmints.

Mario Bros. is pretty different from its older brother Super Mario Bros. mostly because it’s not the traditional side-scrolling platformer that we've all come to know and love, and is instead a single-screen game with arcade-style platforming elements. In the mid-90s, a clone of Mario Bros. was released for the Mac called Bonkheads. Recently, developer Around the Clock Games brought that game to the App Store as Bonkheads HD [$2.99], and if you’re looking for that Mario Bros. type of gameplay on your iOS device, or you were a fan of the original Bonkheads, this new version fits the bill nicely.

The gameplay in Bonkheads HD consists of ridding creatures that enter from the sides of the screen by jumping and bopping the platform they are standing on from below. Once you’ve knocked them silly from under the platform, you must then get to where there at and touch their paralyzed body to rid it from the screen. Take to long to do this and they’ll eventually wake up and start coming after you some more. As the game progresses over its 144 levels, more and faster enemies will appear with various types of attacks and patterns. Bonkheads HD also introduces some new elements, like special powerups and boss battles, which add some variety to the familiar formula.

The original Mario Bros. was at its best with a second person playing simultaneously with you, and Bonkheads HD on iOS remembers that and includes a neat local multiplayer mode. It’s a split-screen same device multiplayer, which gives each player their own view of the action on their own side of the device’s screen. This mode works really well and is a lot of fun with a second player. Many iPad games include a same device multiplayer mode like this, but interestingly, Bonkheads HD also supports this mode for the iPhone and iPod touch. Things are pretty tiny on the smaller screen of those devices, but it’s doable, and I appreciate that they give you that option even if you aren’t an iPad owner.

The above developer video gives you a look at the game in action, as well as the default swipe-based control scheme. I really like these controls, as you don't have to worry about keeping an eye on where you fingers are placed while playing, but a standard virtual button scheme is available as well for those that don't end up digging the swiping.

I can’t really think of any better options if you’re looking for a Mario Bros. type of game on the App Store. Bonkheads HD has nice high resolution graphics, good controls, tons of levels, and OpenFeint achievements and leaderboards, though sadly no Game Center currently. It’s also a universal app, and the same device multiplayer is a cool addition no matter which device you’re playing on. Players in our forums seem to really like the game too, and since we’re not likely to see the original Mario Bros. on the App Store any time soon, Bonkheads HD is the best option available to scratch that particular itch.

Limbic Software’s Zombie Gunship [$.99] is a fascinating change-of-pace game. In it, you pilot an AC-130 and drop hot metal on the undead, similar to how you butcher regular infantry in its iconic aircraft sections in the Modern Warfare games. From an overview level, this is a cool, compact twist on zombie genre which has struggled of late for a creative spark.

When we first praised the game, it was only available for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Now, it is a Universal game courtesy of a new (and free!) update. I went hands-on with the iPad version this morning and came away pretty impressed. The game looks stellar on the bigger screen, and it plays just fine, too.

Provided no-one makes a Zombies Vs. Dinosaurs game in the near-to-mid future, I think we’ll continue to struggle to find new experiences in this genre. I’m glad that Zombie Gunship exists, first of all, but I’m stoked that it’s actually fun, too. Check out the iPad version already!

Last September Namco released Time Crisis 2nd Strike [$6.99/HD], a game that offered a technically competent experience akin to their classic arcade light gun game series, but also one that lost most of what made it fun in the transition to the touch screen. Light gun games just aren’t as good without the, well, light gun. Time Crisis, along with most every other gallery shooter on a touch screen, isn't quite as satisfying when all you have to do is tap directly on a target to shoot it.

A few weeks back though, Namco released the iGunCon [Free], an interesting app that tries to replicate the experience of using a physical controller in Time Crisis 2nd Strike using a second iOS device. At a time when peripherals like the Joypad Game Controller [Free], the iCade, and the iControlpad are offering cool new ways to play iOS games, the idea of a clever option for a light gun really interests me. In practice, the iGunCon certainly works, just not well enough to offer the type of solid experience that you would want. But, it’s still a neat novelty to play around with, and if the tech improves it could turn into a real alternative for Wii-like motion controls in iOS games sometime in the future.

First off, the iGunCon can only work with devices equipped with a gyroscope and a digital compass. So basically, just an iPhone 4 or iPad 2, for now. It uses these parts of the hardware to track the movement of an onscreen cursor when aiming by pointing and moving your device. The setup is extremely easy, just involving selecting the iGunCon from the options screen when both devices are on the same local WiFi network or connecting over Bluetooth. The iGunCon can be used to play Time Crisis 2nd Strike on an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or in the Mac App Store version of the game.

While the setup is really simple, actually using the iGunCon to play the game isn't quite as successful. You can recalibrate the aiming reticule at any time right from the same screen you use to play, which is great, but the cursor movement is pretty choppy and doesn’t always feel totally accurate. It’s easy to adapt to with a few minutes of practice, but don’t expect the same precision you would have with a real light gun or even the default tap-to-shoot option. But, if you can accept that things aren’t totally perfect, it can actually be pretty fun to use the iGunCon.

Besides being used as a light gun controller, the iGunCon app itself can also be used as a toy gun, similar to something like the iGun [99¢] and its many derivatives, and makes the different firing sound effects that are used for the weapons in the game. There are also options to use different graphics based on the various GunCon peripherals from the arcade and console versions of Time Crisis games over the years, which is actually a pretty cool nostalgic touch.

While it doesn’t work completely perfectly, the iGunCon app is a neat peripheral that gives you a different way to experience Time Crisis 2nd Strike, and it’s actually pretty fun, too. Best of all it’s free, so there’s no reason to not at least give it a try to see what it’s all about. With some refinement, the tech could lead to some interesting gameplay experiences in the future. For now it remains mostly just a novelty, but definitely one that's worth checking out.

I distinctly remember the feeling of unwrapping and loading up Square Enix's Final Fantasy Tactics on my Playstation as a kid, unsure of exactly what it was, but I knew it had something to do with the Final Fantasy series and it was enough for me. I was, to say the least, confused and disappointed for the first couple hours of the game. But I got used to it and ended up purchasing it again on PSP and yet again on iOS as Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions [$15.99]. I had the same feeling loading up the iOS version as I did the first time on PS1 -- puzzled and unsure of exactly what to think about it.

First, a quick primer for those who haven't been following along at home since 1998: Final Fantasy Tactics was originally released for Playstation and created by most of the team behind the Super Nintendo classic, Ogre Battle. It was the first of what would end up being a billion Final Fantasy offshoot titles and subsequently, for a confused sixteen-year-old consumer, a strange, turn-based strategy version of Final Fantasy. It has since spawned a Gameboy Advance version, a DS sequel and finally, a PSP remake of the original, with the added War of the Lions subtitle. The PSP version is the one ported over to the iOS. It is often cited as one of the best turn-based strategy games in existence for its complex RPG elements, intelligent AI and its labyrinth of tactical options.

Gameplay wise, you'll be taking over a squad of characters and battling on grid-based maps in a turn-based system. As you play through, you'll be able to level up your characters, equip weapons and effects and change jobs. Since the iOS port is based on the PSP version, you'll also get an updated story, a better translation than the PS1 version and a few fancy cutscenes.

For those who haven't played it, that's really all you need to know walking in as there are plenty of reviews that go in-depth into the game's systems out there. If you're already a fan, you're probably playing it right now, possibly still cursing under your breathe about the price point and the wide range of issues. Those issues can make or break the experience depending on how dedicated you are to getting something out of it.

Your enjoyment is going to come based partially on which generation of device you own. On a 3GS, performance is incredibly sluggish and the tiny text can be difficult to read at times. It looks and plays better on an iPhone 4, but lacks dedicated retina support, so the text is still blurry and hard to read. You'll likely still experience some slowdown during more complicated bits. Double-sized on an iPad is probably the smoothest experience, but if you're going to do that you might as well hold off for the HD release this fall. Still, both the PS1 and PSP versions suffered from the exact same slowdown, so for those who played every iteration, it should come as no surprise Square Enix still hasn't cleaned it up.

As far as the touch implementation is concerned, it's a mixed bag. The game features a rather horrendous user interface, accented by the fact everything is so small. It really could have benefited from redone or resized menu screens. The same goes with the newly added camera movement, which, although you can pinch and zoom and slide to move, it doesn't feel like a lot of thought was put into it. Movement works about as well as you'd expect on the small screen, meaning you'll occasionally be tapping the wrong square or hitting the wrong box.

You're also losing the multiplayer of the PSP version, which is only going to matter to a small group of people, but it's a notable loss for anyone who wasted away hours in the ad-hoc wireless battles.

That's par for the course for nearly every aspect of the game. It's a quick and dirty port of the four-year-old PSP version of the game, which itself was based on a thirteen-year-old Playstation game. For fans of the original, you'll get pretty much the exact game you expect, albeit with some performance issues on some devices. If you haven't played either of the previous versions, you'll run into a steep learning curve, but you'll be rewarded with a massive, complex game that happens to be in a crappy wrapper. It would have been nice to get a truly iOS-optimized port, with redone menu screens and text, but no matter how you cut it, if Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions on your phone is all you want, you'll be able to deal with all the issues.

After being an Android exclusive for half a year, Pachinko Frenzy [Free], the latest from ngmoco, has arrived on iOS hoping to whet the appetite of Pachinko addicts everywhere. While that itch is certainly scratched with this game, Pachinko Frenzy’s freemium underpinnings unfortunately detract from the overall gameplay to the point where only the most hardcore of Pachinko fans will continue to play the game for longer than a few sessions.

For those unfamiliar with the early 20th century Japanese gaming device, we gave a good explanation of it in our review of the 2009 Pachinko [$0.99] iOS game. Essentially, small metal spheres are launched into the Pachinko machine with the goal of hitting as many stationary pins as possible, racking up points and generating more balls. Pachinko Frenzy takes this further by incorporating mini-games that can be earned when every pin on the board is lit up.

Mini-games range from trying to keep a single ball live for as long as possible, to trying to hit as many consecutive pins on one ball, and more. Do well in these mini-games and prizes can be earned, including collective trophies that can unlock new boards when enough of them are collected. Overall, Pachinko Frenzy does a good job emulating a standard Pachinko board, assuming you aren’t put off by the excessive anime motif. Just make sure that you have the latest generation of iOS devices, as Pachinko Frenzy isn’t compatible with anything earlier (and does occasionally slow down on the iPhone 4, no less).

Where the game starts to falter, unfortunately, is in its freemium implementation. The game starts out with only one board unlocked, and you can only unlock additional boards by “selling” 1000 balls or by collecting all the trophies associated with a locked board. Acquiring 1000 balls appears to be an exercise in futility, as you start out with 50, and it’s extremely slow going trying to earn more than that (unless you’re some kind of Pachinko Savant). The developers predicted this, and included the option to purchase additional balls as IAP, but as of this writing, IAP hasn’t been implemented yet. This leads to trophy collection as the only other alternative to unlocking the additional boards, which is definitely possible but would take an extremely long time. Odds are most players would probably lose interest in the one board before any additional ones could be unlocked.

One of the goals of Pachinko is to feed the addiction of possible reward by playing a game based mostly on random chance. If you’re looking for a time-waster that accomplishes that, or you’re a fan of Pachinko, you can’t go wrong with Pachinko Frenzy. However, don’t think you’re going to be unlocking new boards any time soon, unless you put in a good deal of time or money (once IAP goes live).

Just so we’re clear, VOLV’s Dawn of War [$.99] has nothing to do with Relic Entertainment’s RTS series of the same name. While I’d imagine this will cause some legal woes down the road, it does present a cool contrast at the moment. This Dawn of War is a 2D side-scrolling strategy game grounded in the technology of modern warfare. Its backdrops and armies are also based firmly in our actual world. Relic’s Dawn of War, on the other hand, is filled with thickly plated space imperialists and mutants tainted by a ruthless intergalactic nether realm.

Most strategy games we see are firmly entrenched in sci-fi or fantasy like Relic’s game, so its neat play one that doesn’t try to stretch the limits of the imagination. But, a slice of realism does not a good game make: Dawn of War is troubled, as it sports some woeful balance issues and some pretty rudimentary play that isn’t back by meaningful depth. It’s not a great game, but it’s not a terrible one, either. It just sort of sits in the middle.

Speaking on a strictly mechanical level, most of what you’ll do in Dawn of War is purchase tons of troops and hope that your ally waves can beat the AI’s waves. The goal is, simply, the other side of an invisible wall on the 2D plain.

Dawn of War features soldiers with rifles and bazookas, and boasts vehicles like tanks, HMVs, artillery, and planes. Where it departs (aside from its grounded approach) is in its aerial deployments. Provided you have the cash, you can order in specific drops of troops, tanks, and even bombs. In fantasy games in this specific genre like Sword and Soldiers, this would be the rough equivalent of magic, as these attacks have serious range and areas of effect.

There is no finesse or overarching strategy to the moment-to-moment action, which is a fairly significant flaw working against Dawn of War. You can win any map by simple troop spamming and most of lower difficulty tiers are winnable with just infantry.

While we’re talking about flaws, the lack of a camera is maddening. Dawn of War is so macro-focused that it neglects any ability to follow the action on a soldier or wave level. This is a bigger problem when you factor in area of effect attacks, as you’ll need to slide to the wave you want to hit with them, which takes a lot of precious time.

And seconds are a big deal; Most levels end within one-to-two minutes with you as the victor or the fallen. Dawn of War sort of salvages its weak mission time with a cool ‘perk’ mechanic that allows for persistent upgrades based on cash earned in levels. If it hooks you like it did me, you’ll find yourself grinding through the same locations over and over again.

Strangely, the game encourages this behavior outside of upgrades. Levels, including extra armies outside of the US and Britain are purchasable with in-game cash. Alternatively, you can buy a heap of in-game cash through IAP for 99 cents.

The extra levels, for what its worth, are really necessary to the experience. I should also add that they all boast a really cool water-color kind of look that mixes in well with the silhouetted art style of the vehicles and soldiers.

I don’t want to get into value proposition territory here, so I’ll just say that I had an okay time with the game. Its super simple and inarguably flawed, but its persistent upgrade system is a great carrot-on-the-stick and its modern war trappings do set Dawn of War apart. I hate this line, but if ‘you’re a fan of side-scrolling strategy games,’ I can’t imagine you’ll come away wholly unimpressed with this effort.

Puzzle games don’t have to be needlessly complicated. Usually, all it takes is a simple, approachable premise to make a game memorable. Glass Tower [$0.99] managed to create such a foundation and ride its way to success as an online flash game, success that was somewhat duplicated when brought over to the App Store in the first two iterations of puzzle series. However, despite this accomplishment, excessive IAP, non-retina graphics, and the lack of online leaderboard support seemed to hold it back both titles. Glass Tower 3 [$0.99] looks to address all those issues while keeping its simple gameplay the center of attention.  After spending some time with this puzzler, notwithstanding a few issues, Glass Tower 3 is the definitive version of the series and should be checked out.

In Glass Tower 3, you are tasked with manipulating a tower full of multi-colored glass blocks sitting on a platform. Towers are comprised mostly of red and blue glass pieces, and your goal is to break all of the blue glass blocks without causing any of the red glass to fall off the platform. Increasingly difficult arrangements of glass pieces, as well as the game’s physics system, are the primary obstacles in successfully saving all the red blocks. In addition, power-ups ranging from extra lives (you lose a life every time red glass falls off the platform) to a temporary suspension of physics, help the player in solving each level.

I love the fact that there are a variety of ways to solve each level in Glass Tower 3. A patient player can methodically eliminate each blue piece while predicting the physics of the rest of the tower, while other players (myself included) can also solve levels by quickly taking out piece after piece trying to quickly balance a mass amount of falling blocks while relying on power-ups to (hopefully) bail you out. Regardless of play style, I just found the game soothing to play, especially with its ambient soundtrack.

While I do enjoy the variety that the physics system brings to each level, some players may be frustrated by the occasional erratic movements of glass pieces. Also, some of the power-ups that appear during the game just aren’t balanced correctly – an entire level can easily be won or lost based on the power-up picked up. Still, I’d rather have the power-ups exist than not, as they certainly add an additional element to the gameplay.

For those of you that have played the previous games in the Glass Tower series, this third title offers several significant improvements. Most notably, retina graphics were finally integrated in the series, which was a long overdue request. Similarly, Glass Tower 3 also includes Game Center support, as well as an overhaul of the scoring system to make it easier to track scores for each level. For players that may have felt put off by Glass Tower 2’s [Free] IAP centered approach to delivering content, Glass Tower 3 has 150 levels which are all available without any additional purchases. Each of the additions above have significantly improved the overall quality of Glass Tower 3 and it’s good to know that the developer has been listening to player suggestions. My only real complaint is that Glass Tower 3 is missing the level editor that was available (as IAP) in Glass Tower 2. Considering the enhancements to the overall graphics system, it would have been interesting to design some levels utilizing these improvements.

Whether you’ve played a Glass Tower game before or are new to the series and looking for a new puzzler, Glass Tower 3 should be a title worth looking into.  It’s taken the success from earlier games, incorporated a ton of requested features, and then fleshed it out with enough new levels to keep you busy for quite some time. Physics-based puzzles aren’t for everyone, and this game certainly won’t change your mind if you’re not a fan. However, if you’re looking for something new, Glass Tower 3 looks to be a clear choice to check out.

Scryptic [$1.99] from LKS GameWorks looks like a traditional Scrabble game. It has a board and letter tiles sitting on a rack, but trust me, the gameplay is VERY different. Two players start in different positions on the board and use words to combat each other. Each player can either build up words defensively around their starting point ("city"), or spread out towards the opposition, in an offensive attack. Sometimes there's additional city squares to be claimed, which can spark a word-race across the board to get there first, as cities offer extra protection.

There's not a 'double word score' or 'triple letter score' in sight. Instead, the squares on the board each represent terrain, like mountains, forests and water. And the rules around each type of terrain make this game really interesting. I'll give you two examples to demonstrate.  If you want to place your word on a blue water square, you must  form a bridge, by ensuring the first and last letter of your word are not in the water.  Whereas ice squares will crack and turn to water if you place any "heavy" letters worth 2+ points on them, drowning your entire word. The game mechanics may seem a little complicated initially, but the game walks you gently through the rules with tutorial levels and help screens, so you learn it pretty quickly. Although I took some notes, which proved helpful.

How does the combat work? Well, you simply deploy a word on top of, or adjacent to, the opponents word(s) to attack them. This isn't like scrabble where your letters need to fit in with the opponents words. You just link your own words together until your word-network reaches the enemy, then drop your word right over theirs to battle. The highest scoring word will be victorious, causing the defeated word to disappear. You can even cut off the opponents supply chain, by destroying connecting words to leave other words isolated and defenseless. It's like playing two different games of scrabble on one board, against each other.

The terrain also has an impact on combat. If your word crosses a mountain square, you have a higher-ground advantage so your word is strengthened. But if your word crosses water, it's weakened. And if you're fortunate enough to find a power token in the game, you can create "elemental forces" such as volcanoes, firestorms, droughts and floods, to strategically modify the terrain. I haven't discovered any of these yet, but I'm itching to flood my opponents words.

Your choice of words makes a difference, as the game is programmed to detect words associated with four topics:  Attacking, defense, sneaking or deforesting. So if you place a word like "kill"  or "sword" it automatically gains extra attacking power, whereas words like "fortify" or "shield" add defensive power. If you discover a word associated with one of these four headings is not rewarded, don't despair - you can add words via the options screen, or advise the developers via their word feedback form and they'll add it in.

The game ends when you capture your opponents city square(s) and you're rewarded by some obnoxiously loud trumpet blasts. Seriously, the occasional sound effects are not great. The game also ends if the letter tiles are all used or when both players pass twice in a row, in which case the player with the most points wins. Phew! That's enough about the rules. Although they are quite fascinating. It's quite unusual for the rules of a game to be a highlight!

Scryptic manages to successfully turn Scrabble into a strategic combat situation. You can play against a friend using pass-and-play or battle the AI opposition on 21 unlockable terrain boards, of different sizes. But be warned, this is a game of skill and strategy, and once you've completed the easy levels, the AI definitely steps up his game. The larger boards can take ages to complete, so there's many hours of game-play, plus 12 achievements and rankings via Game Center.

This game is perfect for Scrabble lovers, who enjoy competition and want to add combat to the mix. While playing the game for a few hours, I did experience one crash and a bug, but fortunately neither caused my game or progress to be lost. The developer advises he's currently working on his first patch upgrade. With Wooords and Scryptic both being released recently, plus a new update for Wurdle, it's a good time for word games!

QuakeCon 2011 doesn’t have a whole lot in store for id Software’s mobile fans. The studio's focus is squarely sitting on the promotion of RAGE, which is hitting this fall. Even in past years the show has been more about the ‘big’ titles as opposed to the ‘small’ mobiles ones, but we thought you should check out the opening keynote from designer John Carmack anyway, which has been graciously uploaded to YouTube.

Carmack speaks with a totally unique voice. Not only is the dude brilliant and articulate, he’s a visionary in the games design and technology field. What he says matters and what he does has mattered to mobile audiences in the past; we wouldn’t have, say, RAGE HD [$1.99] or DOOM Classic [$1.99], if there wasn’t a John Carmack. We also wouldn’t even know what DOOM was if not for him and his team of pioneers. Anyway, here's the video:

The keynote is over a hour-long and we’re still working through it. Dude hooked me within the first 15 seconds, though, so I’ll be sticking around until the end.

Do you like Minecraft, but find that all of the tedious mining, building, and exploration mechanics get in the way of your enjoyment? Are you a fan of crafting objects, but feel like a 3x3 grid isn’t nearly hardcore enough? Yes? Then my friends, have I got a 6x8 upgrade for you.

At first glance, TerraCraft [Free] could be easily be confused with your standard match-3 affair. The twist here is that the game requires you to configure blocks into patterns for crafting items such as the planks, boxes, pickaxes, swords, and shields you’ve all come to know and love. This Minecraft-ian conceit takes the standard and kicks the variety up a… notch.

You begin the game with a small list of blueprints for items you can construct. Once the timer begins on each level, you drag and drop the designated materials (wood, rock, bronze, silver, gold) into the right pattern on the grid to “craft” an item and clear those materials from the board. Each item crafted is worth a set number of points, and the goal is to reach a target score before the timer expires.

As you advance through the levels, the point threshold for victory becomes progressively higher.  The number of material types grow, while the number of each individual material tends to shrink. These challenges are more than offset by the fact that the time limit also grows and that you unlock newer and more complex blueprints that are worth more points.

And that’s a concern. The difficulty curve in this game is non-existent. In fact, the game gets progressively easier as time goes on. While there are many blueprints to consider, there are also a number of high-value yet easy to craft items that you can spam for maximum points. Once you identify them, you’ll end up cruising. After the first few levels, I was never in danger of hitting the time limit, and after the last blueprints were unlocked I found the mystique wearing off all too quickly.

TerraCraft has some things going for it. For a ham-handed iOS gamer like me, the touch controls were much more responsive than I expected. I rarely had to redo moves. The game also sports OpenFeint integration, which gives some leaderboard support. While there’s only one main theme to listen to, the music was catchy and appropriately conducive to getting my pickaxe zen trance on.

The game is ad-supported through the first few levels, but an in-app purchase of $1.99 is required to unlock the full game and get rid of the ads. For myself, I don’t mind the use of ad-supported demos in general, but they should never directly impede the gameplay. There’s no issue on the main menu here, but once you get to craftin’, the ads partially obscure the bottom row of the grid. It’s possible to work around them but hardly a welcome means of promoting your IAP.

TerraCraft succeeds in its stated goal of providing a Minecraft spin on the puzzle genre, but the game really could have used an additional layer of complexity to create a difficulty curve and provide some longevity to the title. Why not flood part of the grid with water or lava tiles from time to time to change the shape of the playing field and force you out of relying on certain patterns? Maybe introduce an enemy tile that eats points until you craft the appropriate item (sword, shield, etc.) to destroy them?

While I was definitely left wanting, it certainly can’t hurt to give the free portion of this game a try for yourself. The Minecraft oriented theme, gracious lack of user-generated phallic sculptures, and chilled-out crafting action may be right up your alley. Personally, I’d rather punch a tree.

I’m struggling to think of a modern game that cuts to the chase quicker than Match Panic [$.99], a matching game from the mind of Chaotic Box. In the game you’re presented with three columns on three distinct plains. Two of them will present you with adorable lo-fi art that you need to match-up with the rotating art in the center column. Matching faster will net you rewards, while failure to line up objects with their cutesy look-a-likes will result in failure.

As hilariously simple as it sounds, it’s a compact enough experience to earn our praise. And now it’s coming to iPad via a Universal update slated for this Tuesday, August 9th. iCade and iControlPad support are coming on the same date, too, via a general update.

The iCade support in particular sounds like a great way to play the game. The increased precision and screen real estate that it allows should make for some tighter and generally more controlled action, though I don’t think I’ll ever reach the level of zen that dude in the above video matches with. I'm forced to live with my mediocrity.

On this week’s episode of The TouchArcade show, we discuss how to pronounce games names, studio names, and regular name-names. We also find the time to discuss some hard-hitting topics like tacos, fan fervor, cat games, a prolific forum spammer, and this incredibly creepy octopus video. If you’re not into any of that, rest assured that we also chat about some of the coolest new releases and some of the hottest front page news from the week, just as we usually do.

If you’re looking to listen, feel free to click on one of the BILLIONS of like below. You can stream and directly download, of course, but we highly encourage your support via iTunes and the Zune Marketplace. Subscriptions are great!

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
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Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-011.mp3, 44MB

Your show notes are just below. Remember, if you’d like to get in touch with us, our e-mail address is podcast@toucharcade.com. Any e-mails we didn’t get to this week, we’ll do our best to answer next week. Time got away from us in this episode.

GAMES

Flick Rocket [$.99]
Taco Master HD [$1.99]
Final Fantasy Tactics [$15.99]
Cut The Rope: Experiments [$.99 / HD]
Kickin' Momma [$.99 / UHD]

JARED'S KITTY KORNER

Kitten Jump [$.99]

FRONT PAGE

Thanks for joining us! We'll be around next week and this Monday with another bonus episode!

Our ratings for games we reviewed July are now in place, and we now present to you the ones that are on the top of the heap. Each game reviewed receives a 1-5 star rating relative to the other games from that month. Generally, a 3 or higher is considered a "good" rating.

Our final scores are not the product of any traditionally objective measures such as graphics or sound, but simply reflect the games we would most recommend to others.

5 Stars

Gesundheit!, $1.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - This stealth-centric sneeze-powered puzzle game comes with fantastic controls, some of the best hand-drawn art we've seen in action on the App Store, and details like shadows moving relative to your iOS device's gyroscope readings. We prefer the iPad version, but only because you'll want as much screen real estate as possible to enjoy this game's incredible art.

Groove Coaster, $2.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - There have been a ton of rhythm games released on the App Store, but none have the amazing presentation of Groove Coaster that almost makes it less of a game and more of an experience-- And this is one experience you really can't miss especially if you enjoyed its creator's other game, Space Invaders Infinity Gene.

Wooords, $1.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - Games where you search for words within a pre-defined set of letters have some serious roots, heck, this kind of puzzle was published in newspapers before video games even existed, and there's a zillion variations on the App Store. Words totally impressed us with its slick presentation that feels less like playing a word game and more like moving magnetic letters around on a refrigerator.

THE KING OF FIGHTERS-i-, $2.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - Back in the day of the arcade fighter arms wars, it was Street Fighter versus The King of Fighters with as fierce of a rivalry among gamers as arguing Nintendo vs. Sega. KoF has arrived on the App Store, and it's every bit as good as its Street Fighter, although it remains to be seen if they'll match the online play found in Volt.

4.5 Stars

Squirmee REDUX, $1.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - This game takes the tried and true single-screen puzzle action game formula that's been such a hit on the App Store and applies a healthy coating of difficulty to it. In our review, we describe it as "Super Meat Boy flipped on its head, and that description fits incredibly well as the game focuses on controlling the environment instead of your character. A level skip button comes in handy as some of the levels included are hard.

Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint, Free - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - This game combines vague elements of billiards and match three in a crazy way that is incredibly fun. The initial download is free, and comes with enough content to keep you busy for quite a while. After that, a number of great IAP options exist to unlock additional game modes and levels. By the time you're even hit with unlocking anything with real cash, you'll know for sure that you love the game.

Sid Meier's Pirates! for iPad, $4.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - This pirate sim is a game with a ton of history behind it, and 2K Games did a marvelous job of porting it to the iPad. It has depth on top of depth, and will keep you busy for quite some time if it manages to suck you in. We've got our fingers crossed for more ports like this of incredible games that work phenomenally on the iPad.

DEATHSMILES, $11.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - CAVE does it again with the fast-paced shooter formula that they're known so well for. Like all their games, it follows a fairly standard shmup format with many elements you can comfortably ignore-- However, if you embrace the scoring system and the things required for scoring big, you'll be rewarded with a flat our exhilarating experience.

Pocket RPG, $4.99 - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - Crescent Moon Games' latest is this awesome iPad-exclusive spin on entirely randomized Roguelike gameplay mixed with the action-packed style of a dual stick shooter. It's a combination that works incredibly well, and being entirely randomized, is infinitely replayable. …Now, if only there was a version that was truly pocket sized for my iPhone.

Special Mention

Marathon 1, Free - [Review] - [Forum Thread] - iOS devices are quickly turning into the most amazing retro gaming platform imaginable. This month, Marathon joined the ranks of other classic first person shooters already available, and is free to download, unless you want to spring for an entirely optional high-res graphics pack. If you're a Halo fan and have never played Marathon, you really should. It's crazy seeing how many nods there are to what would become Bungie's blockbuster FPS franchise.

Deadlock: Online, $0.99 - [Release Announcement] - [Forum Thread] - It's a little difficult to review free to play online-centric games like this because so much of what makes them great is long-term support from the developer as well as how healthy the player community is. Regardless, we've been having a ton of fun with Deadlock and think that the online multiplayer based dual stick shooter formula with a host of upgrades that you can either buy or slowly unlock is a winner.

The rest of the game ratings can be seen in their respective rating categories (also found in the sidebar navigation): 5 Stars, 4.5 Stars, 4 Stars, 3.5 Stars, 3 Stars, and 2 Stars.

As always, we expect there will be some debate about relative scores, but keep in mind that everyone's personal ratings may vary based on individual tastes.

Today I learned something about the California Gold Rush. Apparently, it wasn't all panning for gold and shooting people over claims and cussin', like Deadwood taught me. Nope. If Com2us has it right, the biggest challenge of the gold rush was getting that gold to jump itself right out of the mines, and Gold Jumper makes that seem like quite the fun prospect.

Historical accuracy aside, Gold Jumper [$0.99] is a casual, arcade-style take on the vertical jumper formula. You're tasked with delivering gold to the surface from deep in the mines of California over the course of 32 levels and an Endless mode. To get your riches out safely, you've got to bounce gold sacks up through a bizarre array of mine carts, springs, sheets and other props. In each level, you're up against a timer and you've got a set number of lives, so you'll need to watch where you're flinging your sacks.

When the game's controls are cooperative, this is a lot of fun -- and surprisingly challenging. Gold Jumper offers a reprieve from the constant motion required in most vertical jumping games, but it makes up for this slower pace with sections that require careful timing. Sometimes you'll need to fling a sack of gold from one moving cart to another, while both are on wobbling tracks of different lengths. In other sections, your reaction speed is tested with series of launching platforms that drop away as you touch them. For the most part, the one-touch controls are up to the task, being snappy and responsive, but I found myself frustrated in any long section with cloth platforms. Whether by design or not, it's hard to precisely control how far those platforms will launch your sack, and that gets to be a bit of a pain in some levels.

What I've just described is what you'll see in about 80 percent of Gold Jumper's levels, and one of the two Endless modes. That part's largely quite well done, casual as it may be. The rest of the game is, well, really odd.

After completing the first four levels of a mine, you need to drive to the next one. These in-between levels are tilt-controlled sequences where you race down a ravine on a motorcycle dodging teepees, cacti and angry stereotypes of indigenous people. There are essentially three lanes, and you just have to make sure you're occupying the one that doesn't contain any of the aforementioned obstacles until you reach the next mine. It's all hilariously weird and out of place, and more than a little tone deaf, but why ask why, I guess? If you're really curious, these sections aren't particularly good. The levels are mostly very easy, and the difficulty curve in the Endless version is messed up -- super easy for way too long, and then nearly instantly hard.

Otherwise, I've enjoyed my time with Gold Jumper. Endless mode provides a fun alternative to your standard tilt-based vertical jumper, and the competition on the Game Center leaderboards should be good. I'd turn the music offer sooner than later, and give Bike Express Endless a pass, but that still leaves us with quite a bit of mine-climbing entertainment to enjoy.

It’s a big week on the App Store for Square Enix. Following the release of what looks to be a fairly hobbled port of Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lion [$15.99], the publisher has cut the cost of a tremendous amount of its existing library on the digital storefront. For a limited time, you can grab some pretty hot games for up to 50 percent off from its fairly “up there” price points.

• Chaos Rings - $12.99 → $6.99
• Chaos Rings for iPad - $15.99 → $7.99
• Chaos Rings Omega - $11.99 → $8.99
• Chaos Rings Omega for iPad - $14.99 → $10.99
• Crystal Defenders - $7.99 → $3.99
• Crystal Defenders for iPad - $7.99 → $3.99
• Final Fantasy I - $8.99 → $4.99
• Final Fantasy II - $8.99 → $4.99
• Secret of Mana - $8.99 → $6.99

Sadly, my personal favorite Square Enix App Store title, Final Fantasy III, isn’t one of games targeted in this deal. If I had to pick a runner-up that was included in this listing, I’d grab the original Fantasy Fantasy at its lowered price point, though only because of the nostalgia factor. It’s a great game and all, but it’s also pretty long in the tooth.

Anyway, happy shopping and I hope you’re able to afford any of this after giving away your first born and shoveling over close to twenty bones for Tactics.

[Via Slide To Play]