Before I get into the titles I selected for this week, I want to say that I’m really excited to see that all of my choices are Universal apps!

Kicking things off this week is the largest (and most expensive of the featured new releases at $6.99), Sonic The Hedgehog 4™ Episode II. It is the sequel to SEGA’s hit revival of the Sonic franchise which originally launched In October 2010 and December of last year on the iPhone and iPad (respectively). The game picks up where Episode I left off and features an all-new engine with updated physics and Retina Display graphics. Players will also have the opportunity to team up with a friend (as Sonic and Knuckles) in a co-op mode via Bluetooth. Couple that with iCloud saves and the fact that it’s a Universal app, and it means you can pickup and play Sonic wherever you go, on whichever device you’d like.

Now that you’ve spent $6.99, why don’t we look at some of the freebies coming your way tonight…

If you are into deck building strategy games, then the free-to-play Master of Maya might fit the bill. Perhaps high-scorers are more your thing? Well then check out the “get the furthest” endless climber action of Circus Atari™ where you must help your human-cannonball clown reach new heights. Finally, if you are looking for a new match-three experience, then Boomlings could be the answer, offering some creative-looking power-ups and no price tag.

Next up is a brilliant looking rendition of the classic 30 year-old board game, Scotland Yard. I distinctly remember my older brother getting this game for Christmas and however I don’t recall the specifics of the gameplay other than you had the choice of playing as an agent or the spy, Mister X, that the agents were chasing. I know we had a lot of fun playing it and with Retina graphics and both local and online multiplayer play, I’ll likely be picking this one up (and trying to convince my brothers to do the same) for a little family competition.

Rounding out the new releases are four 99¢ titles, all of which feature some cute animal protagonists and appear to offer some entertainment value w/o breaking the bank.

Missile Monkey is a level-based “shooter” where you are a monkey using his war plane to bomb all of the evil viking gorilla’s “frightful orange balloons of terror” and restore tranquility to your homeland. Skippy the Squirrel and the birds from Bird Zapper! are back in Namco’s follow up defense game which reverses the roles. Now you must help Skippy using electric arcs, toxic gas and ginormous flyswatters to fend off the endless barrage of buggy retribution sent forth by the angry upset birds.

The final two titles prove that the bird really is the word. Chillingo comes out flapping with their cute looking new physics puzzle game Non Flying Soldiers. You must place various tools on the battlefield to help every member of your squad of flightless fowl make it home safely. Last but not least is adult swim’s own avian adventure, Extinction Squad. You must catch all manner of nearly extinct animals from Dodos to pandas, gorillas to lions using your “official Extinction Squad trampoline and bounce them to safety”. Featuring friendly graphics and adult swim’s unique brand of sick humor, this looks like some irreverent fun.

Master of Maya Kaasa solution GmbH Free	Circus Atari Atari Free	Boomlings Robert Topala Free	Missile Monkey Munsey Clan Games LLC 99¢
Bug Assault Namco Networks America Inc. Games 99¢	Non Flying Soldiers Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Extinction Squad [adult swim] 99¢	Scotland Yard Ravensburger Digital GmbH $4.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 4™ Episode II SEGA $6.99

In CreaVures, your sole task is to return light to the once bright and beautiful, now darkened world that the CreaVures inhabit. You play as Bitey, and later four other creatures, which each have their own special ability that will help you proceed through the level and solve the many puzzles scattered throughout the environment.

This game caught my eye right away because of the graphics, which didn’t let me down. They’re gorgeous and continue to astound me despite my iPhone’s tiny screen. As you move through each level, your CreaVures collect these little sparkles which help restore the environment to vibrant, bright color, which makes the game even more beautiful.

However, the gameplay leaves something to be desired. While the puzzles themselves are fun to figure out and keep you interested in the game, actually going about executing what you need to do to solve each puzzle is made increasingly more challenging by poorly designed controls. The game’s d-pad feels like it should work like a joystick, but it doesn’t, and the jump button is often just plain unresponsive.

Because the controls weren’t always easy to work with, the fact that the game requires players to control two CreaVures at one time in order to proceed turned from an interesting game mechanic to a frustrating one. I could get one CreaVure where he needed to be, but not another. Rolly would often need to grab onto Bitey’s tail to climb onto high ledges, and I can’t tell you how many times I fell, jumped when I didn’t mean to jump, or didn’t move when I meant to jump while trying to execute this.

In Conclusion

CreaVures presents a unique concept for a puzzle platformer, but beyond the graphics it just didn’t keep me compelled. I wanted to solve this game’s puzzles, and I was able to figure them out quickly. However, actually executing what I needed to do to proceed was clumsy and frustrating, and kept me from fully enjoying the potentially great experience this game had to offer.

Kicking things off this week is N.O.V.A. 3, arguably the biggest new title, it is the third installment in Gameloft’s popular HALO-like FPS series, and bound to be a popular seller. Speaking of sequels, Frontier Developments brings us LostWinds2: Winter of the Melodias, the beautiful looking the sequel to their award-winning platform adventure game LostWinds which came out last December.

Looking for something a little different, then you may want to check out Jake Escapes HD from the Italian development studio, Just Funny Games. It is a comedic adventure game that tasks players with completing various jobs, collecting items to aid Jake and Doc in their quest to uncover the mysterious power of an Alien artifact. Offering a unique asthetic complete with comic book-style cut-scenes, this one looks like it’s brimming with character.

The Chillingo published 3D maze game This Could Hurt from Orange Agenda is one I’ve had my eye on for a few weeks now. On your pursuit to becoming a full-fledged Oakguard, you must carefully navigate your way through the Path of Pain, avoiding spinning blades, pitfalls and even giant mallets. With some really nice looking visuals, this one is a definite pickup for me.

Penny Time is a entertaining retroish looking side-scrolling action game from the Australian plastic skateboard manufacturer of the same name. The game offers a number of skater/board customization options, loads of unlockables, and plenty of planned FREE DLC (the first of which will be dropping on May 24th) adding a new playable character, 2 wearable accessories and ‘Competition Play’. Once this DLC hits there will be a real-world competition where you have a chance to win one of 15 original plastic Penny skateboards. So grab the game now or the free lite version and start practicing.

A number of other popular developers return to the app store this week with some frenetic fare. Everplay, the guys behind the popular title Spellsword, follow up this recently released hit with Pinch Peeps. It is a game in which players must pinch and drag together two similar ‘peeps’ to score and progress through the endless and timed modes. MadCoaster and Dimo Eggs creator CGMatic add to their expanding portfolio with ChickenBreak, a new swipe and tap-fest where you must help a chicken escape prison by deflecting incoming heat-seeking rockets and avoid obstacles like spike pits and swinging axes. Both titles appear to offer some nice leaderboard fodder.

By this point you are probably out of money, so you can always grab Electronic Arts’ new free version of BATTLESHIP for the iPhone, which is a tie-in with the new film from Universal Pictures. It offers both single and multiplayer battles via WiFi, Bluetooth, or Pass ‘N Play.

BATTLESHIP FREE Electronic Arts Free	Penny Time Penny Skateboards Australia 99¢	Pinch Peeps Everplay 99¢	ChickenBreak CGMatic Co., Ltd. 99¢
This Could Hurt Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Jake Escapes HD Just Funny Games S.r.l. $1.99	LostWinds2: Winter of the Melodias Frontier Developments Ltd $3.99	N.O.V.A. 3 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance Gameloft $6.99

Working my way up the list in order of price, I’ll kick things off with the free to play RPG title, Juggernaut: Revenge of Sovering. Players can select one of five warriors and do battle with over 100 “horrifying beasts and complete perilous quests on their way to an epic final battle against the formidable demon”. Featuring Retina iPad graphics, 12 classes of armor, a large selection of items and weapons, including 12 fighting spells and 30 levels of progression for your hero, not to mention the FREE price tag, Juggernaut seems like a safe pickup for any RPG fans.

Another freebie is Namco Networks’s accelerometer -based casual top-down 3D platformer, Rocket Fox. Simply tilt your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to guide Guy (Fox) as he rides fireworks from flowerocket to flowerocket trying to reach the target.

My Little Hero is an interesting looking 3D adventure/puzzle game published by NCsoft. When a boy’s best friend Pinky, gets kidnapped by the evil Boogeyman, he dons his cardboard box helmet, grabs his sword and heads off through the doors of his bedroom closet, on a quest to save his buddy. At a launch sale price of 99¢ this may be one to pick up sooner than later.

Origin8 returns to the App Store with a departure from their popular Sentinel series. Tractor Trails is a cute take on a classic casual puzzle game, which has you trying to figure out the best path to lead a friendly tractor around the farm to plant as many trees as possible. This universal app has 130 levels, iCloud support for progress syncing, Game Center achievements and leaderboards, unlockable upgrades and some adorable graphics. I’ve already been playing a bit of this and at just 99¢ Tractor Trails offers up a good deal of family friendly entertainment.

As for some of the most prolific publishers on the App Store…

Chillingo’s sole new release this week is Robbery Bob™, which appears to be a stealth game along the same lines as SPY Mouse, except that you aren’t drawing paths, but rather using a virtual d-pad instead. Triniti Interactive’s latest is an endless vertical tilt-controled coin collector appropriately called, MiniFlyer. It has a variety of game modes, avatars, and Game Center leaderboards and achievements to keep things interesting.

Got kids? There are a number of new titles coming that might interest your little ones.

Animal Trackers is a cute game where you have to track down a variety of animals (go figure) by following the foot-prints, paw-prints, or hoof-prints, before the trail goes cold. There is an easy mode for young kids and a number of obstacles and more to keep the game’s 50 levels interesting for older players as well. PikPok is back with an adventure game for kids, based on DreamWork’s How To Train a Dragon property. In DreamWorks Dragons: TapDragonDrop you play as Toothless and Hiccup as you explore the Dragon world, rescuing sheep, using all manor of Viking tools.

Warner Bros. returns with their second LEGO Harry Potter title, this time covering years 5-7. Continuing the fun Lego-filled gameplay of the first game, this sequel let’s you experience Harry’s final years at Hogwarts and the big final showdown with (he who shall not be named). There is also a Dueling Club expansion available (I believe as an extra IAP) that let’s you master your skills against powerful wizards like Professor Snape, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Lord Voldemort and more.

Finally, we round out the new releases with the top-down path/strategy game Brainsss. Instead of trying to stop a zombie invasion, you are actually controlling a heard of zombies, trying to infect and recruit as many poor souls as you can. As a fan of most things zombie-related, this looks like it could be a good deal of fun.

SNK PLAYMORE launches a new version of their button mashing 2D on on one brawler, THE KING OF FIGHTERS i 2012. Offering up an astounding 32 playable characters as well as six single-player game modes and an online VS mode (via WiFi), THE KING OF FIGHTERS i 2012 looks like a strong competitor for STREET FIGHTER IV VOLT and MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2, especially now that MvC2 is up to $6.99.

Juggernaut: Revenge of Sovering. Mail.Ru Free	Rocket Fox Namco Networks America Inc. Games Free	My Little Hero NCsoft 99¢	Tractor Trails Origin8 99¢
Robbery Bob™ Chillingo Ltd 99¢	MiniFlyer Triniti Interactive Limited 99¢	Animal Trackers Dave Alder $1.99	DreamWorks Dragons: TapDragonDrop PikPok $1.99
Brainsss Lonely Few LLC $2.99	LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 Warner Bros. $4.99	THE KING OF FIGHTERS i 2012 SNK PLAYMORE $6.99

First from Chillingo we have two titles, Lock ‘n’ Load and Fleece Lightning.

Lock ‘n’ Load is dual-stick shooter with not only some impressive looking visuals, but loads of content, boasting “16 massive levels in the main campaign, 9 huge additional levels in the unlockable Call of Minions campaign, plus 6 tough challenge maps”. Fleece Lightning features the loveable Shaun The Sheep from Aardman Animations. It is a top-down racer for the iPhone in which players must help Shaun race the pigs “through over 80 farmyard courses, jam packed with jumps, tricky obstacles and awesome power-ups!”. There is even a level editor to make your own courses.

Speaking of sheep, Bulkypix is back with the sequel to their fantastic 2010 physics puzzler, Saving Private Sheep. The sequel, appropriately titled Saving Private Sheep 2 is a universal app this time around, complete with iPad Retina graphics, all the game play you loved from the original game, plus some new surprises including a level editor!

While we are on an animal theme, I should also mention Miniclip’s pig-filled (and cutely named) physics-puzzler Hambo. You are the Rambo-esque, bandana and bandolier wearing pig know as Hambo and it’s up to you to save your best friend Bacon in a rescue mission spread across over 200 “reactive physics puzzles”. This looks like it’s got some really cute cartoony graphics and unlockable costumes for Hambo. Unfortunately this one is not a universal app, and is instead being offered in separate iPhone and iPad releases (boo to Miniclip).

In the new game Burger Cat, from Ravenous Games (yeah those same folks that brought you the awesome League of Evil series) you must solve puzzles using various tools like a magic wand, pickaxe, dynamite, decoys and more to help the cheezeburger-loving feline get to his savory meal. Featuring iCloud game saves and Retina graphics for both the iPhone and iPad, this looks like a deliciously entertaining value menu item at just 99¢. The last of the animal-themed games comes from Gameloft. Shark Dash is (you guessed it) a physics puzzler in which players help Sharkee, a friendly tub toy, rescue his girlfriend Sally from a band of cheaply-made rubber duckies. It too features unlockable upgradeable looks for the main character and the graphics look adorable. This one should be very appealing to casual gamers of all ages.

Okay, so I guess technically I lied, because we have one more animal-related app…well it’s a werewolf, does that count? Ayopa Games’ MacGuffin’s Curse is billed as a “stunning werewolf comedy puzzle-adventure” and had already won awards for its brilliant writing. The backstory is that “when desperate thief Lucas MacGuffin bungles a museum robbery, he finds himself bound to a mysterious ancient amulet. Using its powers to transform between man and wolf, he must sneak and smash his way through a mind-bending series of puzzles, bring down a terrifying criminal mastermind, and hardest of all, convince his daughter it isn’t funny to fill the fridge with dog food.” The game sounds right up my alley and like it’s brimming with character (and logic puzzles) and at a launch sale price of $1.99 (60% off), I think I’ll definitely be picking this one up.

Finally rounding out the notable new releases are ILLUSIA 2, the second title in GAMEVIL’s casual platform action RPG series. It is free-to-play with an in-game currency system. BBC Worldwide launches Ka-Bloom, “a colourful, psychedelic physics-based puzzle game about eating, growing and blooming.” You must touch gems and draw chains with your finger to “feed the ever-hungry Floret, an infinitely cute flower-like creature that brings warmth and life to the cosmos.”

FDG Entertainment’s iPad-only single and multiplayer strategy game, Tentacle Wars HD uses tom rich visuals to catapult players “into a microscopic world of cells, neurons and DNA tentacles”. You must draw lines between green antibody and red enemy cells, to save an entire alien species from extinction. The game sports a single player campaign mode as well as online multiplayer matches via Game Center.

Last but not least is another strategy game, this time from SEGA and the makers of the award-winning Total War series. Designed specifically for touch-screen devices, Total War Battles is a sweeping real-time strategy game set in Medieval Japan. It features a nearly 10-hour story-driven campaign which takes place in the world of Total War: SHOGUN 2. And there is also a 1 vs. 1 local multiplayer mode. It too is a universal app.

Personally I am VERY happy to see so much love for universal apps this week, cheers to the developers for this!

As for which of these I’ll be picking up, I’d say MacGuffin’s Curse, Saving Private Sheep 2 (because I loved the first one) and Burger Cat are strong bets, and then maybe another of the 99¢ titles as well.

How about you?

ILLUSIA 2 GAMEVIL Inc. Free	Hambo Miniclip.com 99¢	Ka-Bloom BBC Worldwide 99¢	Burger Cat Ravenous Games 99¢
Saving Private Sheep 2 Bulkypix 99¢	Fleece Lightning Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Lock ‘n’ Load Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Shark Dash Gameloft 99¢
MacGuffin’s Curse Ayopa Games LLC $1.99	Tentacle Wars HD FDG Entertainment $2.99	Hambo HD Miniclip.com $2.99	Total War Battles SEGA $6.99

Let’s kick things off this week with a few free-to-play titles that wont cost you a penny to try out. From GAMEVIL comes Fighter City, a massive, online, location-based territory claiming game, where players fight for turf by training and leveling up their fighters “in a diverse range of martial arts”. Chillingois back with Aero Vacation, a social time-management game where players attempt to build “the ultimate airship” and attend to all their passengers needs. Judging solely from the screenshots, it looks like it could be pretty similar to IUGO Mobile’s Sunshine Cruise Lines. The final free game is StickWars 3, which as you can probably guess, is the third title in PulsePlay’s popular Castle Defense series of games.

Next up is David Miller’s cute looking physic-based, puzzle game, Got Cow?. Cows are being abducted by aliens and you must launch rockets at the invaders’ ships to try and stop them, while taking into consideration how the Black Holes, Asteroids & Wormholes in you way will effect your trajectory.

Like fantasy? Prolific publishers Triniti Interactive launch a rather nice looking questing game called DevilDark: The Fallen Kingdom, with “tons of brutal weapons, hordes of enemies and a deep skill system”. Ankama also makes its return with iPhone and iPad releases of DOFUS : Battles 2, the sequel to its popular Tower Defense game, DOFUS : Battles. However, this time around, players reverse roles and the sequel is actually a Tower Attack game.

The next two titles come from the console world. First is Rockstar Games’ Max Payne Mobile. Similar to last year’s excellent port of Grand Theft Auto III, developer War Drum Studios brings the 2001 console classic which pioneered the concept of Bullet Time® in videogames to the iOS platforms. I must shamefully admit that I never player the original, but I will most certainly be picking this one up.

EA brings their XBLA/PSN title Burnout™ CRASH!, to iOS. The game is based on the Burnout Paradise series, or more specifically one of the most fun aspects of the game where players are positioned at an intersection where they attempt to keep their wrecked car in constant motion as long as possible by smashing it to as many cars, buses and other objects as they can manage. Burnout™ CRASH! follows much of the same principle, but takes more of a top-down approach and in the iOS incarnation, players “use swipe-and-tap controls to steer vehicles, trigger explosions and rack-up scores across 3 game modes, 18 traffic junctions, 54 events, and 6 themed locations”. This looks like a blast (no pun intended), now the only question is, do I wait for the inevitable EA sale price.

Last, but certainly not least is Crow, the debut title from newcomers Sunside. This story-driven, action-adventure game has been receiving a phenomenal amount of pre-release buzz for its amazing visuals and 3D world built via Sunside’s own Radiance platform. Being a huge adventure game fan, I think this is probably my top pick for the week, I cannot wait to see what all the buzz is about.

Now it’s your turn, which (if any) of these titles will YOU be picking up this week?

Fighter City GAMEVIL Inc. Free	StickWars 3 PulsePlay Free	Aero Vacation Chillingo Ltd Free	Got Cow? David Miller 99¢
DevilDark: The Fallen Kingdom Triniti Interactive Limited 99¢	Max Payne Mobile Rockstar Games $2.99	DOFUS : Battles 2 Ankama $3.99	DOFUS : Battles 2 HD Ankama $3.99
Burnout™ CRASH! Electronic Arts $4.99	Crow Sunside Inc. $4.99

So let’s get down to it…

First up this week is Toca Kitchen Monsters, Toca Boca’s completely FREE, monster-themed version of their popular Toca Kitchen title. If you have young kids definitely grab a copy of this ‘Toca-Sitter’ and if they are anything like my girls, they’ll be captivated for hours.

Don’t Step On The Cracks looks like it may have one of those unexpected sleeper hits on its hands with On The Wind. You are the wind, and via simple one touch controls, you must try to guide the leaves to flourish in the Summer and survive the Winter. Ugg now I have that Patrick Swayze song stuck in my head.

Another title that I suspect will garner a following is Joystick Lab’s Saturday Morning RPG. It is an episodic role-playing game set in a world inspired by 1980s Saturday morning cartoons. Its 80′s theme could have enough appeal to get people who generally don’t play RPGs (like myself) to give it a go. It is free to download, but unlocking the entire game will cost you $1.99.

Aside from having an awesome studio name, Gotta Pea is releasing, Peakour™ in separate iPhone and iPad versions. It is physics puzzle game where players position oddly-shaped bits of junk around the screen to manipulate the adorable lead character (PeaG) to perform cool feats of parkour to collect bottle caps.

From Chillingo we get CreaVures a puzzle/platformer where players must combine the unique skills of the of the game’s five CreaVures to make them work together to solve the puzzles and claim victory in the “terrifying boss battles” at the end of each chapter. Also from Chillingo is Beeing, an obstacle avoidance game , where you attempt to guide a bee through a hazardous obstacle course by sliding your finger up and down the screen. There are a few power-ups along the way to keep things interesting.

UNCADE’s Blast Ball looks like a really cool retro title with a vector art style. “Score goals as fast as you can while blowing up your enemies! Avoid the ever increasing volley of bad guys as you score with soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, and Blast Balls. Complete missions to unlock new ball types such as the disco ball, mega ducky, and the cube.” Sounds like a winner to me.

Not particularly my cup of tea, but if you are one of those people that really loves those “catapult yourself the furthest” genre of games, then Propel Man may be right up your alley. It’s got 30 levels (each with increasing distances and a variety of obstacles), a shop for purchasing the usual upgrades and a total of 16 unique catapults.

If you like time management games where you build and maintain virtual towns, then you may want to take a look at G5 Entertainment’s Virtual City 2: Paradise Resort or the more kid-appealing Ice Age Village from Gameloft.

Finally, Ubisoft’s Rabbids are back in the form of a interactive torture-toy in the app Rabbids Go HD. CAVE CO returns with another of their shooters, Bug Princess 2. Last but not least, Big Fish Games, Inc is back with another of their super popular, free-to-try hidden object games, Dark Dimensions: City of Fog. As usual, it is available in separate iPhone and iPad releases.

Which of these titles will you be picking up?

Toca Kitchen Monsters Toca Boca Free	Peakour™ for iPhone/iPod Gotta Pea, LLC 99¢	Peakour™ HD for iPad Gotta Pea, LLC 99¢	Bug Princess 2 CAVE CO.,LTD. $4.99
Blast Ball UNCADE $2.99	Propel Man Spiel Studios 99¢	Saturday Morning RPG Joystick Labs, LLC Free (unlock full game for $1.99)	On The Wind Don’t Step On The Cracks $1.99
Rabbids Go HD Ubisoft $1.99	Ice Age Village Gameloft Free	Beeing Chillingo Ltd 99¢	CreaVures Chillingo Ltd 99¢
Virtual City 2: Paradise Resort G5 Entertainment Free	Virtual City 2: Paradise Resort HD G5 Entertainment Free	Dark Dimensions: City of Fog Collector’s Edition Big Fish Games, Inc Free	Dark Dimensions: City of Fog Collector’s Edition HD Big Fish Games, Inc Free

That’s a savings of $2 per title, for these fun top-down action-packed mixes of tower defense and strategy.

If you are looking for a new game to play, why not grab one of these while they are on sale, you won’t be disappointed.

iBomber Cobra Mobile Limited $2.99 -> 99¢

iBomber 2 Cobra Mobile Limited $2.99 -> 99¢

iBomber Defense Chillingo Ltd $2.99 -> 99¢

iBomber Defense Pacific Chillingo Ltd $2.99 -> 99¢

However, that didn’t deter a few of the usual suspects, namely Chillingo and Bulkypix from returning with three new titles amongst them. So let’s start with Gnu Revenge, a space-themed cute looking puzzle game. Hmm…wasn’t one of those already released last week? Players must help rescue the gnus from the clutches of some evil crocodiles. “Play with gravity using planets, nebulae, meteorites, wormholes and other elements of the universe to overthrow crocodiles tyranny”.

Next up is the iPad release of Chillingo’s retro arcade bike-racer, Streetbike: Full Blast which they released in January of this year. Also from Chillingo tonight is Rinth Island which was developed by Buzz Monkey. One of the most appealing looking new releases (at least to me), it is a 60-level 3D, circular puzzle platformer in which you must travel around the 3D island to find the right path to the goal in each level. With four different ways to play each level as well as a level editor which allows you to share levels with friends, it looks like there is a good deal of content here for the low 99¢ launch price.

Like your games with a bit more neon? Then you may want to check out Sad Cat Software’s glowing, techno-infused particle blaster Violet Storm. Featuring “insanely fast-paced, action-packed, over-the-top combat” with 25 different enemies and 10 weapon system types, Violet Storm looks like a fun and frenetic shooter. Perhaps SGN’s high-speed sci-fi tunnel racer, Ion Racer will get that adrenaline pumping. “Experience the mounting challenge of mission-based progressive competition – how long can you stay in the race?”

That brings us to the last two notable new releases, the first of which comes from Digital Goldfish, the folks behind all of those popular Bloons titles. In The World’s Strongest Man, players train their character, attempting to transform him into the strongest man on the planet. Using a series of “intuitive” touch controls you participate in traditional World’s Strongest Man competition events leveling up your character to compete and become the champion.

Last but certainly not least, is the other big title that I am personally excited for, Cubemen, from developer 3 Sprockets. Made exclusively for the iPad 2 and the third generation iPad, Cubemen is a single/multiplayer hybrid of 3D Tower Defense and Real Time Strategy. Players must strategically use their own little Cubemen to defend their base from the other little Cubemen that are trying to run it over. “Play a purely Defense game in various modes on a sweet selection of levels, or go into Skirmish mode and play a new type of TD game against either the computer or another human opponent”. It really looks like it could be a good deal of chaotic fun, especially in a two player real-time match up. “There are no static towers, just little men! Spawn your little Cubemen with orders to get to a certain location to attack or defend. You can move your Cubemen around the board at any time or click on an enemy to target them.” The game is already currently available on Steam for the Mac and PC, and iOS players will actually be able to compete, cross platform with Steam players as well!

Which of these titles will you be picking up tonight?

Ion Racer SGN 99¢	Streetbike: Full Blast HD Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Rinth Island Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Violet Storm Sad Cat Software 99¢
Gnu Revenge Bulkypix 99¢	The World’s Strongest Man Digital Goldfish Ltd $2.99	Cubemen 3 Sprockets $3.99

Billed as “the next evolution of the #1 smash hit that launched a genre – Flight Control” this is the highly anticipated sequel with all new gameplay elements, retro Sci-Fi graphics and even MULTIPLE LIVES! This will be a 99¢ universal app!, but will contain some IAPs and I’m certain this will be an instant-buy title sight unseen for many of you.

Chillingo is publishing a couple of solid looking titles, Harry The Fairy and Picnic Wars™. In the universal app, Harry The Fairy, players must guide Harry, a little green sprite who is trying to rescue his fairy friends. Make your way “through 28 levels of winding caverns, avoiding drills, falling barrels, spinning spikes and more, being careful not to pop your protective bubble.” Picnic Wars™ is a cute and fun looking castle-defense style game with armaments loaded to bear with all manner of explosive fruits and vegetables. It is available in separate iPhone and iPad releases.

For those of you that like platformers and puzzle games, there are loads of them this week, from physics-based to word-based and everything in between.

Ivanovich Games is releasing a new title in their Letris word game series called Letris Power: Word puzzle game. It will be FREE for a limited time at launch and expands on the game play that made Letris 2 so popular, with the addition of three new strategic power-ups to shake things up. GAMEVIL’s Cheese Please is a tile-based puzzle game where players of all ages attempt to guide a mouse through a series of devious traps to collect the cheese.

Kidnapping seems to be the crime du jour. Moon Active’s Bitter Sam is a tilt-based platformer that casts players as Sam, a kidnapped man, and literally hanging by a rope, forced to explore the mysterious land below his kidnapper’s lab. Swing him back and forth, dodging sharp obstacles and keeping his rope from getting cut. Bulkypix is back with Kung Fu Rabbit, a game in which a bunch of rabbit students have been (you guessed it) kidnapped by “Universal Evil” and you, their teacher at the temple of rabbits must save them. “Jump from roof to roof, slide gracefully along walls, sneak up on your enemies and rip them to shreds!” With an adorable looking art style, this one looks like loads of fun…heck, who doesn’t want to play a game with a sombrero wearing rabbit?!

If you’ve played RedLynx’s 1000 Heroz (a game which I played on a daily basis for a good 2-3 months), then you’ve probably seen the car at the end of each level as well as the ads for a WiiWare game called MotoHeroz. Well, RedLynx’s, the creators of DrawRace 2 and Trials HD have decided to bring this side-scrolling, platform racing game to iOS as well with the help of publisher Ubisoft. “Players race, chase, and rally their way through a brightly colored world, competing against their friends for the fastest times, entering daily races, and hunting for secrets and coins.” This looks like it could easily become my new daily addiction and a title I’ll most certainly be picking up myself for either the iPhone or iPad, just need to decide which one.

Rounding out the new releases are Retro64′s fun and addictive looking casual adventure game Rune Raiders which they claim “takes SECONDS TO LEARN, but provides hours of fun for the whole family”. Then there is Shane Brouwer’s charming looking retro platformer, Super Lemonade Factory, about “labor relations, gender roles, moral dilemmas for industry in wartime… and crates”. A unique combination of themes indeed, but it looks like it might just work!

Elevate Entertainment is back with Mosquito Madness, a bug vs redneck smash-them-all style game with amusing power-ups like bug bombs, bee mitts, and defibrillators. Finally, we have the most expensive of the new releases DoDonPachi Resurrection HD the universal release of the retro vertical scrolling shooter Dodonpachi Resurrection previously released on iPhone in August 2010, and the sequel to CAVE CO’s original DoDonPachi Blissful Death which came out for the iPhone last month.

Let us know which of these games you’ll be picking up in the comments below.

Letris Power: Word puzzle game Ivanovich Games Free	Mosquito Madness Elevate Entertainment 99¢	Kung Fu Rabbit Bulkypix 99¢	Bitter Sam Moon Active 99¢
Rune Raiders Retro64 $1.99	Harry the Fairy Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Picnic Wars™ Chillingo Ltd 99¢	Picnic Wars™ HD Chillingo Ltd $1.99
MotoHeroz Ubisoft 99¢	MotoHeroz HD Ubisoft $2.99	Super Lemonade Factory Shane Brouwer 99¢	Cheese Please GAMEVIL Inc. 99¢
Flight Control Rocket Electronic Arts 99¢	DoDonPachi Resurrection HD CAVE CO.,LTD. $10.99