Simple, yet challenging and elegant. An oxymoron of sorts, but in this case a succinct way to describe a great puzzle game. CRASH! is a color matching puzzler, and although this is definitely not a novel concept in this day and age of the App Store, its simplistic approach, challenge, and elegant graphics put it in a class all its own.  Read More →

It’s hard to get too excited about a match-3 game in this day and age. Scurvy Scallywags, however, refines what makes games like these so addictive, by tweaking the gameplay formula, and adding pirates to the mix. The story is entertaining, the game is fun, and even the in-app purchases are unobtrusive. All of these things factor into a pretty flawless experience.  Read More →

♪ Ohhhh… Who has a city builder that’s on iOS?
SpongeBob SquarePants!
That’s boring and slow and fun as dead fish?
SpongeBob SquarePants! ♪

And so it goes.  Read More →

Brian Basco is a young physicist facing all the usual graduate student problems: a mysterious crucifix, murderous mob bosses, and a beautiful woman who’s desperate for his help. All of which means that Runaway: A Road Adventure is a great advertisement for STEM education.  Read More →

The iPad is a secret puzzle-solving machine. Forget graphics-intensive shooters, RPGs, and other core genres: enabling addiction to your puzzle of choice is where Apple’s beauty really shines. Today’s puzzle-drug is Color Zen, a graphically striking color-based puzzler from Large Animal Games. Have you enjoyed other visual puzzle games like Blendoku? Your mission is clear: set up your easy chair, make yourself your relaxing beverage of choice, and get yourself to the App Store to download this devious beauty.  Read More →

Ready for cubicle warfare? I certainly was when I sat down with Cubemen2. Instead, this is a cube-themed strategy game brimming with charm, depth, and customizable gameplay. Tower defense games are a dime a dozen in the App Store, so it takes a special one to turn heads in this genre. But Cubemen2 provides something that a lot of strategy games can’t seem to capture: fun.  Read More →

Imagine trying to describe the Grand Theft Auto series to someone who has never played it before, isn’t much of a gamer, and has probably never seen a gangster movie. You talk about the massive “open-world” settings, the ridiculous amount of destruction you can wage with an arsenal of weapons, the crime stories, the vehicular mayhem, the colorful characters, and the sordid missions you can undertake. You don’t give this person any specifics, but you try to convey a general sense of what the games are all about.  Read More →

Sparkle 2 is a blend of a match-3 marble shooter with some RPG elements mixed in. The premise of the game is to find five enchanted keys that are scattered across the game world, and discover the secret that the keys unlock. The story isn’t spectacular, but you don’t need to have played the original game to get your bearings in this one.  Read More →

Avengers Alliance is the latest title to make the transition from a Facebook game to iOS. You play as the newest agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., the world’s peacekeeping task force, and one of your duties is to accompany the Avengers on their missions. After a strange meteor shower leaves possibly dangerous items scattered throughout New York City, the heroes and villains are out in full force.  Read More →

On the surface I was leery of Bridgy Jones. First, the name sounds less like a game and more like a Bridget Jones’ Diary spinoff on The CW. Second, bridge constructing games don’t stir the greatest amount of excitement these days. Fortunately, what I found in Bridgy Jones was a competent, approachable and challenging puzzle game.  Read More →

Way back in 1958, before online multiplayer, there was Tennis for Two. The first two player videogame, it was the first of what would become countless tennis simulations for home consoles.  Read More →

From the very beginning, GOL:Legend is a mystery. The first question any player might have is the meaning of the title. GOL is certainly an acronym for something, but we never find out what. This only sets the tone for the rest of the game, in which you must try your best to figure out what to do. From there, the uncertainty and mystery grow to frustrating heights.  Read More →

It’s not easy being a tower-defense game. The genre is designed to be repetitious and almost passive in a way. There are only so many ways you can place your towers, hit the start button and watch things happen. Thankfully, last year brought us a genuine gem in the genre in the way of Kingdom Rush. It really did a lot to engage the player and did it with such style that it’s no surprise it quickly became one of the most loved tower-defense games for iOS.  Read More →

As you might guess from the title, World War Z is based on the movie of the same name. At this point, however, we’ve yet to see the movie for ourselves, so we can’t really tell you how well it captures the experience depicted on the silver screen. That said, the game is a sort-of-but-not-really first person shooter, as you’ll be seeing everything through the eyes of our protagonist, for better and for worse. If you get motion-sick easily, this game may not be for you.  Read More →

It is hard to deny how popular and profitable the Fast and the Furious franchise has remained over the years. Who doesn’t like Vin Diesel, smashing cars, and that blonde guy? The latest summer blockbuster iteration is Fast & Furious 6 (featuring The Rock for added fury) which brings us the iOS tie-in game available now in the App Store.  Read More →

Ah, poor fish– this one in particular. At first, the hero of Zombie Fish Tank gets to be with his love before she’s unceremoniously taken from him. Then he’s captured, experimented upon, and eventually brought back to life as a zombie. And after all that? He winds up in this game.  Read More →

Movies and television usually caricaturize lawyers as leeches, sharks, and the scum of the earth. But video games have at least one hero on the bench: Phoenix Wright, the ace defense lawyer who fought for all that’s right across three games on the Nintendo DS. Now those games are available in a single high-definition collection for iOS. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD is an upstanding citizen in some regards, but it still commits some sins that will make you want to condemn it to a last ride on Old Sparky.    Read More →

With such a vast selection of platformers available on the App Store comes raised expectations. A game can longer expect to be a success if it is merely average. It needs to be unique and creative, with inviting gameplay. Unfortunately, Incredible Jack lacks both, making it just another cookie cutter platformer.  Read More →

After Earth is an endless running game based on the M. Night Shyamalan movie of the same name. Traditionally, games based on movies are not very good, but I’m pleased to report that After Earth is not horrible. It tries its best to create something different in the endless runner genre, but unless you’re already a fan, you may not be interested in what it has to offer.  Read More →

It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since Bioware delivered their landmark epic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). Developed as the first Bioware RPG on the original Xbox, it was an original sprawling journey that was completely faithful to the Star Wars universe we all love. The idea of playing this game on an iPad seems impossible, but with the efforts of Aspyr Media, KOTOR is on iOS fully intact.  Read More →

Warhammer by Games Workshop is a gaming world that’s close to the hearts and minds of geeks the world over. Started in the early ’80s, Warhammer is a fantasy adventure table-top game that shares many of the same Tolkienesque tropes that Dungeons & Dragons does. But its potent mix of player interactivity and a world that’s darker and grittier than D&D’s have given Warhammer fans a violent, dangerous and enthralling experience that many still love today.  Read More →

Until recently, casual gaming giant Zynga was famous for their crop-based, microtransaction-financed Facebook clickfests. Their action RPG Battlestone is one of a number of recent mobile releases that seek to engage a new gaming audience while maintaining the same in-app purchase strategy. Is Battlestone the habit-forming game Zynga wants it to be, or is it as fun as shoveling a load of old cow dung?  Read More →

Fighting games have a problem on iOS devices: those darn virtual buttons. These games get a lot of their fun from the kinetic experience of slamming the controls around, and tapping a screen just doesn’t cut it. Fortunately, the developers of Combo Crew have a solution that is almost as satisfying as the arcade fighting experience.  Read More →

Fans of nerd culture, look no further. Whether you’re the champ who leaves the table with all the chips or the chump who leaves all the chips on the table, this is the gaming experience for you. Poker Night 2 plays like an all-star poker event. It’s a gathering of five video game, movie, and television celebrities, and you get to play poker with them. Even though this game does not feature multiplayer, you’ll feel like you’re playing with friends.   Read More →

It’s kind of tough to get excited about another game with zombies. It’s even tougher to get excited about another endless-runner. And it’s even more difficult to get excited about another endless-runner featuring zombies. Dead Ahead, the new game from Chillingo, does very little to overcome those hurdles, but it at least has a nice art style and an amusing sense of humor.  Read More →

I may have never been to summer camp, but I’ve visited vicariously through the movies. There is always a gruff counselor, a crazy lunch lady, and a monster lurking in the woods. In a nutshell, that describes the setting for Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery. And as clichéd as that may sound, it makes for a surprisingly high quality puzzle adventure.  Read More →

I used to be completely addicted to Tetris, but over the years it has faded into the background. It’s one of those games that you can get more out of in five minutes than you ever could in one hour. Many of the best puzzle games these days are much faster, shinier, and more dynamic, which are some of the reasons I enjoy Bejeweled Blitz. In Tetris Blitz, the classic puzzle game has been updated to follow the same formula of speed, explosions, and shiny things.  Read More →

Breakout is one of the all-time greats in gaming: It’s simple to get into, and it provides a nice mix of skill and chance, allowing virtually anyone to clear its boards, yet remain engaging and challenging. Hyper Breaker Turbo is a game that takes the basic foundation set by Breakout and attempts to evolve it, though whether this version works or not is up for debate.  Read More →

At first glance, Frozen Synapse may seem like an iOS version of the classic arcade game Robotron. The simplistic graphics and sparse battlefields call to mind a time when shapes and stick-figures were the best we could get from a game. But if you take a closer look at this PC port, you find a game brimming with a staggering depth of gameplay, hours of intriguing strategy, and one of the best soundtracks you’ll ever hear in an iOS title. And if you zoom in, those “simplistic” graphics are gorgeous.  Read More →

Rubber duck races are a staple of charity fundraisers, with big regattas like the Charleston Duck Race unleashing thousands of bath toys upon unsuspecting rivers every year. Dash & Bash isn’t nearly as grand as that, but this duck racing game has something the real events have never seen: Evil beavers.  Read More →