Stories By Tim Rattray

The RPG crowd might spend hours with a new game to uncover its depths, but Gamevil tried to target the casual audience with Vanquish: The Oath of Brothers instead. This time, they ended up with a simplistic hack ’n slash game that isn’t as good as their other titles.

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Glu first showed us that simple concepts could evolve into compelling titles with their Glyder series. 1000: Find ‘Em All! is Glu’s latest attempt to capitalize on a simple concept, and after going on many scavenger hunts, we found ourselves captivated through to the end.

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Breakout clones are plentiful in the App Store, but occasionally one comes along that freshens up the experience. 3D Brick Breaker Revolution 2 does this to enough of an extent that we can recommend fans of the genre give it a shot.

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From the title alone, you might think Thor would be nonstop Nordic thunder god action on your iPhone. Get ready for disappointment. In this game Thor is no mighty thunder god, but a bumbling adolescent boy.

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When we first opened Zwirn, what we saw was a rope and two white dots. Our first instinct was to pull the multicolored twine across the aged wooden surface, so that one end touched both dots. Impressively, Zwirn teaches you what to do without a single menu or instruction.

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Most zombie survival games are centered around ruthlessly killing undead abominations in action-packed settings. However, Zogma is made for the tactical strategy crowd, who has lately been left out. For the most part, it gets the job done well.

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Known for their second-person narratives and dice battling, gamebooks like Warlock of Firetop Mountain were some of the most exhilarating "choose your own adventure"-style books ever written. It was always a thrill to discover your fate when you turned to the instructed page. Thirty years later, the digital port of this book still holds up well on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

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Updated, optimized ports of games from other handheld consoles are in no way a new concept for the iPhone. Assassin’s Creed 2 Discovery follows the first game in that it was originally on the DS, but brought over with some iPhone-specific features. We enjoyed the time we spent with this console tie-in, but it does fall a bit short of our top score.

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Games that combine multiple types of gameplay into a single integrated experience tend to leave us impressed. Cogs had that effect on us. This ingenious combination of sliding puzzles, spinning gears, and connecting pipes make it one of the most enjoyable, innovative puzzlers on the platform.

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In the latest update to their sequencer-based music game, Glu has added the feature we most wanted: user-created levels. Now players can upload beats made in free play for others to download, listen to, and try to recreate.

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The great thing about dual-stick shooters is that there is a wide variety to suit all types of gamers. For example, Isotope and Meteor Blitz are great for hardcore types, while Minigore will keep casual players occupied. Those who want something that is a bit of both should probably give Guerrilla Bob a look. It is by no means perfect, but it ends up being a fun experience nonetheless.

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Crosslogic Ultimate is the PathPix Pro of Picross: lots of levels of an addictive puzzle game that will keep you busy for hours. While there are plenty of Picross-style apps on the App Store, Crosslogic stands out due to its superior controls.

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Project 72 is one of the more impressive App Store feats: a quality title that was conceptualized and developed across three sleepless days. While most studios would spend a month on such a game, this four-man team was able to produce a playable and enjoyable product in a mere fraction of that time.

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If you cringe at the thought of blowing up bunnies with RPGs and miniguns, then this game is definitely not for you. Seek out something a little more cuddly instead. But if you've got the steely nerve of a hunter, Kim Rhode’s Outdoor Shooting is a game with massive artillery that packs quite a punch as far as entertainment value goes.

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Despite being the most crowded genre on the App Store, developers keep cranking out Match-3 games. However, only the most creative among them can add an original twist to stand out. Little White Bear Studios did this with Compression, but came up short on overall content.

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Many games have been overshadowed by the release of a little game called Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Here are five that may have passed you by while you were selling drugs on a street corner. Also, look for Assassin’s Creed 2 on the App Store February 1st at $9.99. Our review will be out on day one.

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Two of the most popular themes on the App Store are doodle graphics and physics puzzlers. Combine the two, and you get Doodle Bomb. Experienced players will likely find it too simple for their tastes, but otherwise it sets a new standard for future physics puzzle games.

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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has proven to be among the very best titles on all three handheld platforms: DS, PSP, and now the iPhone. Even though we've played it in previous forms, Chinatown Wars still has the same “wow” factor it did the first time we played it. In fact, it's been enhanced due to extras only possible on the iPhone. Despite being a port, we can say that it's one of the very best games available on the App Store, and sets the bar extremely high for other major developers.

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Freeverse’s Skee-Ball has made a major impact on the App Store, topping the charts consistently since its release. Due to its widespread success, it was inevitable that the publisher would follow up with a similar arcade game. However, NBA Hotshot is underwhelming despite the familiar license.

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The slow month of January has continued to plod along, leaving us little more in terms of major games than a premature leak of Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery. However, various indie developers have taken this window of opportunity for easy visibility and a speedy App Store review process. Here are ten of their games that caught our eye.

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