If you've been getting stomped in Star Command [$2.99] and stopped playing as a result, consider giving it another shot. Creator War Balloon just pushed out an update that added a bunch of rookie-friendly features, including tutorials, a beginner difficulty level, and tips for the weapon-firing mini-games. Also, three additional tokens are now being dished out at the start of every new game, bringing the total to a hefty 15. Show the space zombies who's boss! Or not!

This update also sees a bunch of other tweaks and improvements. The list is sorta crazy huge, actually. Here are some notable additions: room ammo and assign buttons have been disabled if a room can't hold anymore, max crew has been increased, and you can unlock "larger ships and heavy difficulty," provided you're a Bad Enough Space Dude to handle them.

You can check out the patch notes for yourself over at our sister site AppShopper. Also, if you're still having troubles after updating, consider swinging by our guide for Star Command, which is full of hot tips from us and our community.

Two TA Plays for a single video game? What's up? Here's the deal: we want to give you a better look at Star Command's combat and what happens when fights start going sideways. In our first look, that was kinda hard to do since we were really early in the game and also had to spend a good chunk of time explaining systems and mechanics. This newer and nastier look shows off two more fights, both of which we limp out of with a shell of a ship. Fire! It's sort of a big deal!

You'll also get to see how the story is threaded, though we've gotta warn you: this has a few plot spoilers. There's nothing in here that we believe is going to hurt your time with the game, but if you're sensitive to this kind of stuff don't watch.

Anyway, have another look at Star Command and our crisis management skills:

We're into playing whatever you guys think is cool, so we decided to give Towelfight 2 [$0.99] a shot after an awesome commenter (and Eli) suggested we do it. And you know what? It's an awesome game. It's sorta like an ultra light rogue-like mixed with a dual-stick shooter. In the game, you play as monocled-man swept up in a battle between gods. He's warped to a strange world with rabid animals and is tasked with getting out. Unfortunately, this world looks a lot like an old-school 2D dungeon and there's a lot of different ways to go and to approach things.

We're calling it "ultra light" because Towelfight isn't all that punishing. If you die, you go back to a warp spot, which is basically a checkpoint that makes your dude throw up. (Don't ask.) BUT, the rest of the game has some rogue-like sensibilities like, say, a huge grid-based map to explore and a pretty deep weapon system.

It's a little pricey as far as App Store games go, so if you'd like to give it a good long look (and watch us fail over and over again) check out the below:

Here's some awesome news: Simogo's Next Big Thing, Year Walk, is hitting the App Store on February 21, the studio announced this morning. Also, a companion guide is slated to hit alongside it. Year Walk Companion, as the guide is called, acts as a reference book that delves into the folk lore, beliefs, and superstitions that the proper game revolves around. We've been flipping through the pages, and it's pretty cool.

Year Walk, if you're not in the loop is a first-person adventure game. Simogo breaks it down best without spoiling stuff:

Experience the ancient Swedish phenomena of year walking through a different kind of first person adventure that blurs the line between two and three dimensions as well as reality and the supernatural.

Venture out into the dark woods where strange creatures roam, on a vision quest set in 19th century Sweden. Solve cryptic puzzles, touch and listen in your search to foresee the future and finally discover if your loved one will love you back.

We'll be bringing you some first-hand impressions of the game before release, and we'll follow that up with a review on the 21st. We're pretty stoked, as we imagine a lot of you are. Simogo is kinda known for knocking it out of the park.

Kairosoft is back with a new game on the App Store, and it appears as though the studio is testing the free-to-play model with it. Beastie Bay [Free], as the new game is called, is a cartoony RPG that plays pretty similarly to Pokemon. Its twist is that it's also a city simulation game that tasks you with building structures to support your pocket monster fighting and collecting habit.

To our knowledge, this is the first time Kairosoft has launched a free game on the App Store. At this price, it appears you get access to the entire game. The drawback being you've got to look at ads. With a $4.99 IAP, however, you can remove the ads -- and enable landscape mode.

This is an interesting approach, as Beastie Bay will presumably get in a lot more hands than any other Kairosoft title ever has before. And the model appears to be for users, as there's no commitment upfront if you discover that the simulation isn't exactly clicking with you.

We'll be all over this one in the coming days, so stay tuned for a review.

Earlier this morning, Eli and I gave Pudding Monsters [Free / Free (HD)] a spin. It's the new puzzle game from ZeptoLabs, the dudes behind Cut the Rope. In Pudding Monsters, you're tasked with sliding gelatinous blobs into each other in order to form one single mega blob. Paying attention to each level's obstacles, in addition to blobs, is key as blobs will slide off the map unless they crash into a piece of the environment or another blob.

You've probably seen this puzzle mechanic before in a billion other games or mini-games through the years, but Zepto manages to add a spark with its bright characterizations, in addition to devilish puzzle design. This game is way harder than it looks, especially if you're the type of person who must get three stars before moving on.

Anyway, check out our video if you're on the fence. We dig Pudding Monsters, at least, so maybe it'll click with you, too:

When Grand Theft Auto 3 hit the video game scene over a decade ago, it caused a pretty big splash with its shift to 3D action as well as the elaborate (for its time) narrative being weaved in Liberty City. However, I think Rockstar really started to hit its stride when it released Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Similarly, when GTA3 [$4.99] debuted on iOS last year, we thought it was a pretty good port of the PS2 title with the exception of its touch controls. However, with the release of GTA: Vice City [$4.99], Rockstar has delivered a refined port with improved controls, nuanced improvements to the visuals and gameplay, all with the great story and totally awesome soundtrack that made it popular ten years ago. Other than some lingering control issues, Vice City is well worth checking out for a blast to the past.

If you're one of the few people that have never been exposed to a Grand Theft Auto game, I'd advise you to check out our review of GTA3 for a quick recap in regards to general gameplay rules and overarching story architecture. In regards to Vice City, the same open-world freedom to do whatever you want still exists and translates well to iOS. New features such as an improved auto-save function, the ability to instantly replay a mission if you fail, and iCloud save compatibility make this version a bit more friendly to play in this day and age (and even has a few tricks that GTA3 iOS didn't have when it first came out).

Just as was the case with GTA3, folks playing Vice City will experience a deluge of on-screen virtual buttons. Some buttons are contextual and only appear when they need to (such as the carjacking button), while others (such as the virtual joystick for movement) are always present. While the button schemes look intimidating for the initiative, Rockstar has put a lot of work into trying to make the situation bearable. While some folks averse to virtual buttons will still be turned off, for others it mostly succeeds.

For starters, every button and on-screen element (including the mini-map, tutorial messages, and health bars) can be moved around the screen in any way you wish. In addition, buttons can be resized to various levels, allowing you to make actions that are important to you stand out more. Additional options like left-handed options, auto-aim tap-to-shoot (which will remove one button from your screen) and tap-to-aim round out the control options. Tap-to-aim in particular is an interesting addition, as it replaces the previous toggle aim found in the console version and works well with the innate auto-aim to make taking out bad guys easier.

While the above options will alleviate some of the issues with touch-based controls, the simple truth is that it can't fix everything. Just as is the case with previous ports, there's a certain amount of precise movement and reaction lost with the lack of tactile input. This issue becomes a problem particularly during the heavy action sequences, such as when you have to take on multiple enemies head-on or when you're in a chase mission having to damage or destroy another car. Also, the heavy reliance on auto-aim also shows that the developers recognize that it's simply harder to play these types of games on iOS devices.

Otherwise, Vice City plays like you'd expect for an iOS port. Visuals are improved but not in a drastic manner (there's only so much that can be done with graphics originally conceived a decade ago). In addition, the phenomenal soundtrack remains my most favorite port of the game, with a stellar selection of themed radio stations full of 80s hits everyone should know. As with the console version, you'll get a lot of enjoyment simply driving around Vice City listening to every radio station. It's also important to remember that this is the full version of Vice City in all its glory, with tons of content, hidden items, side missions, and a whole city to explore.

A lot of the appeal from playing ports on iOS is the simple fact that you get to play whatever the game is on your phone regardless of any pratfalls that emerge from the translation process. With GTA: Vice City it also helps that the developers have put a lot of time and effort into attempting to address the issues that have occurred during the porting process. Sure, the controls are still not ideal for an iOS game, but they work and allow you to experience the awesomeness of the game. There's also the simple fact that Vice City is an amazing game in most regards. In this regard, the high points far outweigh the control issues, making Vice City for iOS a no brainer for most gamers.

One of the most high-profile and popular games on the entire App Store is Epic and Chair Entertainment's Infinity Blade II [$6.99], the sequel to 2010's gorgeous gesture-based sword fighting RPG. Unsurprisingly, Infinity Blade II was even more gorgeous than the original, and fleshed-out most of the mechanics from the first game to make for an even bigger and better experience.

However, since the iPhone 5 launch last month, and subsequently the new iPod touch devices shipping several weeks later, Infinity Blade II has been one of the games that I've been dying to see updated for the 4-inch screen of those new devices. After all, such a beautiful game deserves to occupy the entire screen.

Today we finally get our wish, as Infinity Blade II is now widescreen compatible. As we've been doing previously, below are some screens comparing the older 3.5-inch screens with the new 4-inch wide screens.

As expected the widescreen view of the actual combat gives you a slightly larger view of the action, but interestingly the cutscene portions that used to run letterboxed on the 3.5-inch screen (probably to let you know that hey, this is a cutscene) now run in full 16:9 on the new devices.

It makes sense, but I've sort of grown used to seeing those black bars drop down, letting me know to just kick back and watch for a moment. Keep in mind I'm not complaining at all about this, as I think it's a more cohesive design decision, but it is kind of interesting that the non-letterboxed cutscenes in the updated version of Infinity Blade II actually show less than on the previous screen size.

Either way it's a welcome update for new device owners, and if you haven't yet jumped in on the Infinity Blade II fun just yet be sure to check out our review as well as the forum thread for everything you'll ever need to know about the game.

We've been diligently keeping tabs on which of our favorite games have been getting updated for the new 4-inch screens on the iPhone 5 and 5th generation iPod touch, and today we have another batch of games that have received just that. However, there have been so many games getting the widescreen treatment it hasn't really been possible to cover them all, and as such you might not have noticed if one of your own favorites has been updated.

Thankfully, our forum members are just as diligent as we are, or in this case even more so. Check out the Widescreen Gaming Thread in the general discussion section of our forums where our eagle-eyed members have been keeping track of practically every game that's received an update for the iPhone 5 or 5th generation iPod touch, and our member "switch-it" has been faithfully keeping the first post updated. Be sure to bookmark that if you fancy yourself as a widescreen iOS gaming aficionado.

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Most everybody should be familiar with Tiny Wings [$0.99], developer Andreas Illiger's simple and beautiful endless runner that stole our hearts in February of last year and then went on to steal plenty of other hearts as it topped the iTunes charts for a long time afterwards. Over a year later, Andreas began to tease a new upcoming game which everyone was pretty certain would be a Tiny Wings sequel, but much to everyone's surprise and elation it was actually a massive 2.0 update to the original game which added significant new content and the long-awaited support for Retina Displays.

Retina Display support was actually a significant addition, as so much of Tiny Wings appeal is about the whimsical sounds and visuals of the game, and today that gets taken a step further with a widescreen Retina Display support update that makes sure our little bird families fit nicely on the 4-inch screens of the new iPhone and 5th generation iPod touch.

Be sure to grab this latest Tiny Wings update if you're toting a new widescreen device, and also as noted in the update description you can now officially "Like" Tiny Wings in a Facebook-like capacity by visiting the official Tiny Wings Facebook page, which will offer lots of neat bonuses like wallpapers, ringtones, and more.

We've been steadily trying to keep up with any significant iPhone 5 updates, and with the new 5th generation iPod touches starting to hit the market there's even more of those beautiful 4-inch Retina Display screens out in the wild.

So far, most games that have been updated with the 4-inch support have merely shown more with the additional screen space, and while it's nice to have an expanded view it doesn't really affect the actual gameplay a whole lot. Some games have just zoomed things in a bit too to make up the additional screen space.

However, a couple of games have actually been enhanced through the widescreen support, with the extra screen real estate offering some sort of strategic advantage or the ability to have a larger gameplay area.

There are a couple of games in today's batch of widescreen-ized updates feel like they have markedly different gameplay due to the larger screen space, rather than just a cosmetic upgrade. Read on for our thoughts about these recently updated titles.

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