Lately, it's become quite popular amongst App Store developers to do ports of web-based flash games for the iPhone, and Chrome Wars Arena [App Store], playable here on Kongregate, is a continuation of that trend. Chrome Wars, which is described by developers Jaludo Group B.V. as a turn-based fighting game, has deep roots in the RPG genre. Its biggest appeal lies in its upgrade/level up system that allows players to improve and customize their bots as they battle their way through the 50 challengers in the "Chrome Wars Tournament."

After creating a custom bot, players will be begin a path that will take them through six arenas to battle their way (one enemy at a time) to the top. Each victory will earn your robot money and five skill points to spend on increasing total health, attack power, speed, etc. Losing a fight will provide a player with a bit of cash as well, so if players get stuck in a rut, they can always use that spare cash to buy any number of upgraded parts from the well-stocked in-game shop to tilt the odds in their favor.

One word of warning that I should probably give to those interested in the game is that you'll definitely need a comprehensive strategy when distributing those skill points. I spent many of the initial 20 points that come with new robots on upgrading my speed stat, and that really came back to bite me in the butt later when I had barely upgraded my health (called "grit" in the upgrade menu) or power. My robot's attacks were lightning fast but packed about as much punch as my grandma's left hook, so I wasn't very successful in most fights.

When not working their way through the 50 baddies in the arena mode of Chrome Wars, players can take the fight online against random opponents. It's best to fully complete the game's arena mode first (thereby getting all the upgrades you can) if you'd like to have any chance of success online, but it's also possible to play against people you know, if that tickles your fancy.

Fights in Chrome Wars Arena work pretty much exactly like they do in the flash version (albeit with some UI modifications so the game fits the device better), so if you'd like to check out the game for yourself, try it on Kongregate.com first. Slower-paced RPGs like Chrome Wars Arena aren't for everyone, but plenty of people (myself included) can appreciate some good old fashioned turn-based battles, so you don't have anything to lose by at least giving the game a shot and trying out that free flash version.

App Store Link: Chrome Wars Arena, $1.99

When I first heard about WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010's [App Store] release on the app store, I was admittedly unexcited. Other wrestling games on the platform have underwhelmed, to put things nicely, so I was justifiably skeptical. After spending extended amounts of time with the game, learning the ins-and-outs of the mechanics and exploring all of the various modes, however, I can say this: SvR 2010 may not be the first game to attempt to bring wrestling to the iPhone/iPod Touch, but it is without a doubt the best.

There are several ways to play SvR 2010. Exhibition allows you to select your preferred wrestler, opponent, arena, and difficulty setting, before entering a match, while Quick Match is a faster option that throws players right into the fray. There is a tutorial mode available from the Play menu at any time, and it features three tutorials that separately cover the basics of wrestling and more advanced techniques like picking up a chair and applying it to your strategy to aid in beating the snot out of a big ugly guys. This tutorial is also an optional feature when players first begin a file save in Career mode, the heart of SvR 2010's package.

Career mode starts out by letting players create their own personalized wrestler, and then sets them along the path to WWE stardom. The career mode's story is utterly ridiculous and implausible, but fans of the WWE are likely to have no problem with this sort of thing, as poor writing and over-the-top bravado have become the standard in the wrestling world. In a nutshell, the story involves your created wrestler being betrayed by a friend. Naturally, the only way to achieve vengeance is to beat up a series of goofy characters in a battle for the WWE championship.

You'll unlock more shirts, pants, tattoos, and signature moves for your character as you progress through Career mode, and nearly everything about your character is customizable. I really embraced the ridiculous nature of the story, naming my superstar "ULTIMAHULK" and giving him green skin, so that he might draw energy from the sun to help strike down his enemies with the power of poorly staged piledrivers (that's not in the game, that's just part of my imagined fiction for my character).

When not making progress through Career mode, there are six arenas (including arenas from Summerslam, the Survivor series, and Wrestlemania) and 11 stars from Raw, SmackDown, and ECW to fool around with via Exhibition mode. These 11 wrestlers (Batista, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, Triple H, Undertaker, Big Show, Edge, Vladimir Kozlov, and Matt Hardy) can duke it out in 7 different modes of play: Regular, No Disqualification, WWE Extreme Rules, Iron Man, Submission, Ultimate Submission, and Last Man Standing.

What really makes SvR 2010 a great game in my eyes are the controls, which are well thought out for the device. Movement is controlled by swipes, and nearly every other action in the game is relegated to a situationally sensitive "smart button" located near the middle of the screen. After completing the three in-game tutorials and playing only a couple matches, I felt that I had a complete understanding of the controls, and was winning matches with consistency. It would be far too difficult to accurately detail the intricacies of the one-button controls, but I think that anyone who enjoys the console games or any sort of arcade fighting game will enjoy the simple genius of the control scheme.

Otherwise, I was pretty disappointed at the lack of any multiplayer features (not even local play is included), and the game's audio is pretty low-budget. No one, not even the ring announcer, has a voice-actor, so it's a stroll down "text-only" lane for this game. There also seems to be only one song in the game, a generic rock track that gets very old very fast. After seeing the clear signs of the extra effort that went into the intuitive controls and above-par visuals in the game, I'm just not happy with the game's audio.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 is enjoyable, and I say that as a person who isn't blindy in love with such games. In fact, it's been a pretty long time since I've really enjoyed a wrestling video game, so downloading this one was a refreshing experience and a great decision. I feel that SvR2010 could get traction amongst fans of the genre, so it's worth a try if the thought of being able to smash Triple H in the face on the go appeals to you.

App Store Link: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010, $4.99

What started as a curious animated TV show 20 years ago has since turned in to a cartoon dynasty spanning nearly 500 episodes, nine comic book series, several video games, a theme park ride and even a movie along with the accompanied merchandising blitz of books, board games, t-shirts, and other swag. The Simpsons Arcade [App Store] for the iPhone is the latest entry in The Simpsons empire, and while it's not the most amazing game on the platform, it's one of the better Simpsons games– A bar set hilariously low by previous video games that take place in The Simpsons universe.

Before you get too excited, no, this isn't The Simpsons Arcade from the early 90's. Instead, it's a significant upgrade to the J2ME game. All of the graphics and animations seem to be substantially spruced up, although the same irritatingly repetitive music remains.

In The Simpsons Arcade, you play as Homer, who is on a quest to chase down a mysterious doughnut which also happens to be host to a USB flash drive that holds some kind of secret information that nearly the entire population of Springfield seems to be in on. Using an on-screen joystick and two buttons Homer can perform a variety of simple moves and combos on the seemingly never-ending supply of henchmen that are dead-set on keeping you away from the doughnut in question.

On the way you can pick up a few different weapons that can be used for a little while, along with a few power-ups which allow you to team up with another Simpson for a brief period of time. Bart climbs on your shoulders and shoots with a sling shot, Lisa appears and damages all the enemies on screen, and Marge sends homer in to some kind of tilt-controlled murderous rampage.

In the following gameplay video you can see these power-ups and weapons in action, along with the first two bosses in game: Chief Wiggum and Mayor Quimby.

The gameplay in The Simpsons Arcade isn't anything to write home about. There are much better arcade-style beat-em-ups on the platform with better animations and more depth such as the recently released OMG Pirates! and other similar games. However, if you're a fan of the series, The Simpsons Arcade comes with enough Simpsons references between familiar locales and popular characters as bosses that you'll likely enjoy playing it.

App Store Link: The Simpsons Arcade, $4.99

Before you get too excited from the title, no, this is not The Simpsons Arcade you're probably thinking of. Instead, it's a upgraded port of a J2ME game which still manages to be quite a bit of fun, especially for fans of the show. The premise of the game involves some secret plans stored on a USB flash drive which Springfield's illuminati (consequently practically consisting of all the rest of the show's cast) decided to hide in a doughnut and entrust to Waylon Smithers.

Smithers naturally loses the doughnut and Homer gives chase, since it must be a pretty good doughnut for everyone to want it this badly. Using a mixture of a virtual D-Pad and two on-screen buttons you engage in fisticuffs with the various henchmen who are, um, protecting the doughnut. There isn't much to the plot, but given the arcade beat-em-up style of the game there doesn't really need to be.

Characters from the show make up the game's bosses, and scattered between every few levels is a mini-game of sorts where homer either chases or runs from something. The only real variety in the game is from the power ups you pick up along the way, which consist of weapons for you to use as well as other members of the Simpson family coming to briefly help you out.

Here is the first few levels, including a boss fight with Chief Wiggum and Mayor Quimby:

The Simpsons Arcade is a title in EA's holiday lineup and is coming soon.

MikaMobile, the makers of the popular Zombieville USA, a game that stood out for its exceptional cell-shaded artwork, have released their second title in the same fashion and OMG Pirates! [App Store] does not disappoint– bettering the Zombieville formula in every conceivable way.

OMG Pirates! is a game that takes one thing very seriously– non-stop action. From the get go, you are introduced to a simple plot– your ninja town is in ruins from a pirate invasion, and your silent hero tasks it upon himself to take out every last pirate he can find. The action never lets up, and is only briefly interrupted by the hilarious modes of transportation between one area and the next and the quirky pirate dialogue from the various bosses you encounter, before you proceed to dispatch them in true ninja flair.

Each action your ninja takes is an impressively animated feat, be it a combo attack that launches your enemy into the air, or a chain of flip attacks to get out of trouble, you'll be pulling off some terrific looking moves. Your ninja is controlled with a shuriken-styled analogue stick that offers 360 degrees of movement and there are only three other buttons available to control your ninja; a green jump button; a red attack button; and a gauge/button in the top-left corner that fills as you attack your enemies. This button can be used to unleash a devastating super attack that is both unblockable and affords you invincibility for the length of the attack.

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Mika Mobile's followup title to Zombieville has finally arrived in the App Store. OMG Pirates! is described as a "silly, bloody, cartoony homage to the classic 2D games of yesterday" and wrapped with great art style and animation.

The game uses a simple two button attack system with different moves unlocked as you gain experience during the game. Campaign mode delivers discrete levels which introduce new enemies and boss battles.

We haven't made through the campaign mode quite yet, but the game is well put together with really wonderful art and animation. The additional unlockable combo moves also seem to add depth to the action, though it does seem to take a little practice. The normal campaign starts out (refreshingly) difficult, and I've had some genuine trouble making it through some of the levels. We heard that a "Hard" mode is unlocked once you do make it through, adding to the gameplay time.

More impressions are filtering in in the discussion thread. We'll post more thoughts after we are able to power through the game.

App Store Link: OMG Pirates!, $1.99

MiniSquadron [AppStore] brings to the platform a re-imagination of classic PC games such as Subspace Continuum and Soldat, but does so more in the fashion of the more recently released Altitude. Essentially, MiniSquadron is a 2D side-scrolling, physics-based aerial dog-fighting game. If you think that was a mouthful, MiniSquadron boasts 8 different levels, each with 12 increasingly challenging rounds and a whopping 56 different planes to unlock over the course of the game.

The game begins with you manning a simple, somewhat slow fixed wing aircraft, capable of firing only a single machine gun. Round to round you are presented with additional and varied enemy types to take down, each with their own attacking style, agility and armor. Through use of a virtual analog stick you control only the pitch of your plan, able to send it into loop-the-loops and other complex maneuvers as you wrestle for the most advantageous position in which to fire. You unleash your bullets by tapping on the right-hand side of the screen.

These straight-forward controls complement the frantic nature of the game; a fact that ramps up in no time as you find yourself facing an overwhelming number of enemy combatants, particularly in the latter rounds of each level. In order to master MiniSquadron, you have to become intimately familiar with your plane’s speed, turning circle and weapon of choice, as you’ll find yourself dodging a hail of fire from tens of other planes almost simultaneously while trying to whittle them down one-by-one. The combat really is MiniSquadron’s high water mark; an all-out romp that action fans should warm to  immediately.

MiniSquadron rewards your progress and feats with plane unlocks; each plane different to the next, with its own speed, armor and turning attributes. Additionally, planes that you unlock will possess one of several weapons, which start off as just additional guns, but later take the form of the cluster bomb for example, requiring a completely new approach to your aerial acrobatics to get the most out of. A range of in-game power-ups also bolster your arsenal, with quick burst omnipotent weaponry such as the Big Laser providing some of the more memorable experiences, in a throwback to the over-the-top Street Fighter super attacks.

The game is presented in its own charming, cartoony fashion, with smoke trails, weapons and plane damage effects looking particularly terrific. The variety (and eccentricity) of planes to unlock is impressive; with panda-faced planes to UFOs being awarded for completing certain requirements each level.

The 8 worlds to tackle are each accompanied by well-recognised classical compositions. Unfortunately, the current version does not support use of your own music; so if you do have something against classical music you’re out of luck until the developer pushes through an update- something that is being looked into according to posts on our discussion forum.

MiniSquadron also offers local WiFi play, which whilst a nice addition, seems a little out of place for a game that shines far more when heavily populated by combatants. If you can manage to get a few friends together though, there’s no doubt that there is a heap of competitive fun to be had here. MiniSquadron does seem far more suited to online play however, and its absence is notable seeing as how that was the hallmark of games on which it is based.

All in all however, MiniSquadron can be thoroughly recommended both to those who wish to take a trip down memory lane and to those who are new to the 2D dog-fighting genre. It is a well-rounded package that can be breezed through in a couple of hours, but offers you replayability as you unlock and learn to master the many different planes composing your sizable squadron. The game is also seeing overwhelmingly positive impressions in from our discussion forums.

AppStore Link: MiniSquadron, $2.99

Tap Fu offers a fun casual fighting game that can be played in short spurts or in more prolonged sessions when you’re looking for a little more action. While it isn’t a particularly deep game, Tap Fu provides an enjoyable enough gameplay experience that makes it worth considering.

The game has 4 modes: Story, Survival, 100 Rounds and Training. In Story mode, you play the role of a Tap Fu Trainee out on a mission to recover candy that the Sweet Tooth Clan has stolen from your village. Under the tutelage of the Elder Tap Fu Master, you gradually learn new skills. The story is told through cut scenes, dialogue boxes and muffled dialog. One of the things to keep in mind is that Tap Fu’s Story mode is a work in progress that currently only includes Chapter 1: Ninjas (7 levels). While additional chapters are planned in later updates, the content that is there right now offers just a glimpse into future installments.

Meanwhile, Survival mode offers high-scoring opportunities by battling a continual onslaught of enemies. A variation can be found in the other mode 100 Rounds where you must defeat the entire wave of enemies to move to the next round. Both modes provide the option of playing in two different locations: Mount Fuji and Sakaki Forest. Whether in the village or on the mountaintop, the colorful backgrounds look terrific even though they are limited in variety.

The big selling point for Tap Fu comes in your Tap Fu Trainee’s fighting abilities. These abilities—blocking, quick attack, jumping, spin kick, back kick, roll, and fireball—visually look great and the entire combat system is intuitive and well implemented.

Using either the virtual d-pad or specific finger gestures, these various moves can be performed. The easier of the two control options is the d-pad with specific action buttons that appear when available. The gesture-based controls require a bit of practice, but are also well implemented. Jumping for example can be accomplished by swiping upwards, while swiping downwards will result in a roll. In general, the quick punch/kick attack is activated by tapping the screen and will be your primary method of attack against ninjas.

Tap Fu includes a local and online scoring system which awards points for combo moves and style. The game also incorporates an achievement system for points scored, battle combos, damage inflicted, and length of survival.

In both Story and Survival modes, Ninjas do become more difficult to slay as you progress, as well as gain the ability to cloak their appearance and teleport from one place to another. While the gameplay can get intense, it is also becomes rather repetitious as there is a limited variety in the enemies. We also found the difficulty ramp up in survival modes to be very slow, making an average session drag out into more of a grinding experience than we wanted.

While the game's art and core fighting mechanics are wonderfully executed, the current version of the game noticeably suffers from the inclusion of only an abbreviated story mode. Tap Fu can still be fun a game for those looking for a casual fighting experience, but we expect that it will quickly grow old those hoping for a deeper game.

App Store Link: Tap Fu, $3.99

iPhone developers Neptune Interactive and Smells Like Donkey have teamed up to create a casual fighting game inspired by classics like Street Fighter and Karateka.

Readers may remember Neptune Interactive as the creator of 7 Cities [$2.99] while Smells Like Donkey is most famously known for iJiggles [99¢].

Tap Fu is a fighting game that features story and survival game modes along with training and free play. The default control scheme utilizes gestures and taps to move your character around and fight the onslaught of evil ninjas that are attacking you. A virtual D-Pad control scheme is also included.

Meanwhile, the combat in Tap Fu is spiced up by adding a combo system as well as style points that have been seen before in other games, notably the Devil May Cry series. Tap Fu will initially come loaded with the "Ninjas of the SweetTooth Clan" chapter and the developers have plans to implement more content over time. The game also comes with online leaderboards and achievements.

The video shows a very nice look at the combat hands-on:

Tap Fu was recently submitted to the App Store, so assuming no approval delays, it should be available for download inside of two weeks.

Zenonia fans will be excited to hear that Gamevil's latest game Hybrid: Eternal Whisper [$5.99] has arrived in the App Store.

Hybrid is a hybrid of action, adventure and RPG genres. It is an action fighting game at its core but with an extensive skills upgrade system, RPG elements and is tied together with an in depth story line. You play the role of Grey a young kid with a mysterious history who is looking to defend his land and avenge his brother. The story walks you through your training which teaches you how to fight. The D-Pad offers movement and an action button for attacks. Grey also has two different sword grips: standard and reverse. The two grips are more effective for different scenarios and can be combined together to form longer attacks.

Additional special attacks and skills are introduced over time and there appear to be a massive number of possibilities. The game is a series of fights strung together with a story. Surviving the fight is, of course, the ultimate goal, but you also get graded on your style and performance with each fight. As you level up and pick up items from enemies, you can upgrade your personal stats and equip stronger weapons and defensive items.

The game features 70 battles, 10 hidden stages, and an endless mode. Some of the skills and attacks are demoed in this video:

We do plan on offering a full review of the game, but, in the meanwhile, the early forum impressions are being collected in this thread.

App Store Link: Hybrid: Eternal Whisper, $5.99