Sidewords turns the traditional conventions of word games on their heads in a way that is truly unique and fun.

Blast-A-Way has plenty of outright brilliant moments, and it's sublime when a puzzle comes together just perfectly. Illusion Labs has a great feel for how iOS games should work, and it's in effect here with Blast-a-Way.

I'd recommend it purely to support such a great game, if nothing else, but such features are quite handy.

Even with the somewhat questionably walled-off content, Star Warfare: Alien Invasion is still an excellent and rewarding game. Seriously, I'm kind of geeking out about it. It took me longer than intended to finish writing this because I got caught up in a "research" match. Yeah.

Briquid is a solid puzzler that really challenges the brain cells. The levels are quite challenging and the retro appeal works well. It’s definitely at the top of my recommendation list for the year. Those who like to try before they buy can check out Briquid Free.

Duckers is unique fun, even in the crowded endless genre on iOS. It's cute fun for all ages, and despite the clever naming and presence of Mother Duckers, it's worth playing beyond that novelty.

Adding further variation to already successful gameplay is TwoDots' recipe for success.

Who knew that zombies existed in every historic era? Don't miss out on this journey of epic proportions!

Rayman Jungle Run is a breath of a fresh air.

Blackjack by Yazino allows players to connect with their friends and play at the same table, which adds a bit more fun to the game. There is also in-app chatting, which can be useful for saying great job or heckling the amateurs. For card enthusiasts looking for an easy way to play blackjack by themselves or socially, this app will do the trick.

Roar Rampage is loud, full of things to smash, and a giant dinosaur wearing boxing gloves. With controls that improve on the Flash original and the ability to smash the Eiffel Tower, what’s not to love about Roar Rampage?

Wrassling is a simple and super-fun take on professional wrestling.

Star Legends is as much a feat of technical impressiveness as it also successful as a casual MMORPG experience. This is a genre that is teeming with potential, but thanks in part to games just wanting to directly copy World of Warcraft, has become stale, and overly demanding of players.

It will give you countless hours of gameplay and hits that perfect sweet spot between individual level play time and strategy.

For fans of the side-scrolling shoot-em-up, Apocalypse Max delivers quite a lot in a fairly compact package. Requiring a fair amount of concentration, but never overly harsh, it wants you to be a survivor and will equip you with the appropriate weapon to do so.

The only thing missing is any sort of social gaming network integration. This is a game that screams for achievements and leaderboards, and I hope to see some in an update soon.

Hank Hazard is a fantastic physics puzzler. Amongst an App Store heaving with the genre, Hank Hazard stands tall, making it an unbeatable example.

The game is artistically wonderful, the gameplay is creative yet not repetitive, and there's replay value for those who want it. I can't praise this fantastic indie platformer enough.

This story within a story includes a traditional Squamish tale. A truly memorable experience.

Modern Combat 3 looks great, no question, but it's the smaller details like animations and the occasional slow-motion kill shot that really draw the eye.

It's not my favorite app, but it's definitely one of the most polished in my library, and absolutely takes advantage of the fantastic iDevice hardware.

Infinite Fall’s celebrated narrative adventure finally finds its way to mobile, and it’s a nearly perfect experience that has aged tremendously well.

Sprinkle makes fighting fire with physics (and water, of course) a heck of a lot of fun.

The iOS conversion is pretty good, even despite the screen restrictions, and it's all forgiven when you're wrapped up in the storyline so much. It's an expensive purchase but one that will offer you dozens of hours of memorable gameplay.

Fiz lets players live out a career as a craft brewer in this clever and charming management game.

An epic top-down space cowboy affair.

I was disappointed that there was no multiplayer included in the game, but there's always room for new game modes in future updates. Even with no multiplayer, it is still one of the best all around boxing games in the App Store.

There is certainly enough gameplay variety, as well as sheer amounts of levels, to keep you entertained for quite a long time.