My only gripe regarding Ring Run Circus lies in its complexity, but that’s just me whining about my lack of intellectual dexterity. Finding the right circles to run in, as well as when to collect stars and slap elephants, really isn’t my forte. For some, life is just a circus, and for others, it solely exists as a dream. This app offers a bit of both, so choose your circle wisely.

By implementing a strategical base and a distinct environment as its backdrop, Word Puttz is a worthy addition to the puzzle genre. It’s not the most visually ambitious app to enter the iOS universe, but sometimes words, and a little prodding from a bespectacled octopus, are all that matters.

Dropchord may not be the perfect rhythm game, but it has enough style and substance to keep you busy for a good while.

It’s such a gratifying experience to come across a title that is more than the sum of its parts.

The actual game play and visuals, though simple, don’t disappoint. The first rate music, which is worth the $0.99 download just by itself, will keep you dreaming for the stars.

Helldivers is at its greatest when playing with friends in short bursts. If played alone, or over long periods of time, weaknesses like the small number of abilities to choose from, repetitive battles and weapons, and overly-similar missions start to show.

The only other negatives i can point out are that you might grow bored of it after playing for too long, so keep in mind that Ridge Racer Slipstream, like the use of nitrous, is best enjoyed in short bursts.

Feeding a pot-bellied feline even more cookies may be a no-no in the real world, but it’s a guilty pleasure if you’re living in an iOS universe with Dr. Meow.

The greatest aspect of Monster Adventures lies in the epic breadth of its game play. This is not a simple build your creature and watch him fight journey, as its RPG element guarantees hours of fun on your respective device.

With over 30 in-game achievements, a catchy score, and the ability to even change the color modes of your totems, Light in the Dark is a solid puzzler that should keep you entertained for hours on end.

Stealth Inc.’s tiny graphics aren’t for the faint-of-eyes, and its playfully punishing gameplay isn’t for the impatient. But if you don’t mind taking your time and working your way through problems as they’re presented to you, what you’ll find is a charming, but devilishly clever, stealth title more than worthy of your time.

Gamers who crave for a difficult epic should definitely check out Stellar Wars.

It’s easy to play for a few minutes and be wowed by the quick, rewarding rush of zooming through busy city streets, but put in much time and you may be driven away by the aggressive pricing, annoying ads, and numerous other free-to-play trappings which put sugar in the gas tank of this otherwise great game.

Kingturn RPG Plus is a worthy turn-based strategy game, if that is your thing. If you aren’t familiar with the genre, then you’d best look for a more accessible introduction.

Where’s My Water? 2 is a solid addition to an ever expanding franchise, and although I can still do without its in-app pay scheme, it’s a game that’s worth checking out.

While System Link presents an interesting new take on visual puzzlers, and comes to us from the mind of Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, most fans of puzzle games will probably find themselves turned off by the lack of complexity and the free-to-play annoyances. With a little more depth and a little less greed, this could have been a title worthy of its creator’s name, but as it stands it’s simply decent.

There’s a lot of junk out there that isn’t worth the time of day, but Fightback delivers a few more punches than expected.

Whether its channeling your Khaleesi or rescuing Princess Peach from danger, Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition keeps the adventure fresh and exciting, and even if I'm easily resurrected from death a thousand times over, I'm more than happy to spend a little more time in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Sky Tourist’s unique gameplay and controls put it a notch above other iOS platformers.

I really do love Bravoman: Binja Bash, and if it wasn’t for the control issues, it would easily stand as one of my favorite apps of 2013. But it’s just one minor flaw in an otherwise first rate experience.

If you’re looking for a sporting fix to add to your iPhone, you can’t do much better than International Boxing Champions. It is simple, fun, and if I may snatch the same word again from the introduction, a knockout.

If it seems like the type of game you’d like to play over and over again with your buds, or even as an ice-breaking tool to use on strangers at a cafe, Don’t Fall in the Hole could be right up your alley.

Fix the Leaks is a cute, fun puzzle game. It’s inexpensive and respects the players enough not to bombard us with additional in-app purchases and ads. If you like Cut the Rope, you’re sure to like Emotion Rays Entertainment’s adorable new puzzler.

Overall, Chicken Boy is a good time that is marred by its repetitive nature. It features some clever gameplay wrapped up in an adorable chicken costume and that is something we can all come to appreciate.

It’s not the game you turn to when you’re looking for a challenge or in-depth narrative, but there’s something so comforting about the routine of it all.

A solid little game that will remind you of the days you spent in the arcade pumping quarters into the Missile Command machine. It is proof that some of the oldest gameplay styles still holds up today and that is always a good time.

The secret to its success is that it looks deceptively simple, so each time you fail, it makes you furrow your brow and want to solve it just to prove something to yourself. That’s the kind of hook that gets players coming back for more.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice has some bumps along the road, but there's a twisting and thrilling story worth the occasional struggle.

Butterfly Sky is much more difficult than it looks, and summoning most of your concentration and gameplay acumen is mandatory. It’s not easy living up in the clouds, and catching flying insects is improbable even if you’re stuck on the ground. But stay vigilant, find your rainbow, and see if heaven is only a few butterflies away.

As a story, Republique excels; its spirited techno-thriller story has plenty of meat for thematically-minded gamers to sink their teeth into. As a game, Replublique's meat could have used a little more spice.

If you’re a fan of games like Diablo and Torchlight, you will likely enjoy the casual, simplified version that Gloomy Hollow offers you to play on the go.

With its multitude of tasks and upgrades, Band Stars should keep you busy and interested for at least a couple of hours.

If you’re looking for an ass-beating, ’80s-infused good time that’s playable on your iOS device, however, look no further.

But without those minor gripes, RoboCop is a pretty fun game to play.

Abzu is still an experience we were glad to witness, but its substance is all too minor to make it more than a fleeting encounter with awe.

Priced at only five bucks, Gilbert’s latest effort is undoubtedly a gem. But much like something valuable you’d unearth while digging around in an actual cave, it’s got some schmutz on it that needs to be polished off.

Nakama may appear as just another pixelated action app, but it’s an experience filled with nuance and inspiration.

Those Xbox owners starved of realistic baseball action will find plenty to like about Super Mega Baseball, and that's doubly true of even more casual baseball fans just looking for a fun new game to try out.

It’s a spellbinding, colorful and beautiful world that is hard to shake, even if it occasionally shoots in the wrong direction.

The episode serves as a nice introduction to Max’s world and powers, but it also feels very introductory.

The match variety and creation suites are awesome and the 2K Showcase mode is a great trip down memory lane, but the overall "WWE Universe" experience that the game touts doesn't quite translate yet. WWE 2K16 is a solid competitor, but it's not a main event talent.

Cling Thing won’t blow you away with originality. But it’s hard to dispute that this is a solid, well made little title that pays homage to a lot of other titles, and makes something of its own out of it all. Anyone who’s a fan of this kind of game will definitely get a lot of value out of Cling Thing.

Its slow pace, lack of complexity and lack of micro control options may not appeal to everyone, but if you’re looking for something that makes decent use of your brain while moving things gently along, Oil Rush: 3D Naval Strategy may be the thing for you.

It’s worth the download even if it gets repetitive after a spell. There’s nothing wrong with a pick up and play puzzler, especially if you love ordering combo platters.

Building on the base game’s careers is a time-honored Sims expansion tradition, and "Get to Work" is a worthwhile addition. It does make the doctor and detective career paths more fun, and managing a retail store is a much-needed challenge. It’s only when you try to do it all at the same time that "Get to Work" suffers.

Is Optical Inquisitor a great game? I’d be hard pressed to label it as such. But it’s certainly memorable. And for only a dollar, I would say it is definitely worth a look. If for no other reason than to see the crazy mishmash of inappropriate hilarity that is collected here.

Although many of Pyramus’ charms are subtle, don’t let the lack of flash fool you. It’s a solid RTS that should gradually win you over once you master the controls.

It’s not just retro, pixely platformers that deserve the port treatment. Colin McRae Rally was and still is a good racing game. The speed and handling remain just as tight as ever, and the game is sure to keep your hands sweaty as you try and keep your ride ahead of the competition.

With a very apparent lack of any flair or no fighting animations, Yomi remains a methodical, thought-provoking card game at its core — it’s just that there isn’t anything else to really keep you coming back for more.

Samurai Shodown II is basically a straight port of a classic game to the iOS. It doesn’t do much to optimize the new hardware of current mobile devices and that’s where the title falls down a bit. It is nice to see an old cult classic still breathing and, in spite of those damn controls, Samurai Shodown II for the iOS is still a lot of nostalgic fun.

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 shines in all the same ways as Pac-Man Championship Edition, just with a light that's a little duller. Levels are still fun, they're just not as fun. The action still has a funky, flow-y groove, just not as funky or flow-y.

WWE 2K17 should be marking a new era for WWE video games, but unfortunately it dredges up old problems from the past just as much as it improves with new content. The massive roster, excellent control scheme save for reversals, and extensive creation suite all impressed me, but the little technical nuances just kept annoying me to no end.

Grandpa and the Zombies was a nice surprise. I was expecting a generic, half-assed puzzle game, but I had quite a bit of fun playing it.

Drawing lines on a chalkboard may sound like a mind numbing bore, but thanks to this casual game’s intriguing play on one’s memory and use of finger skills, The Impossible Line rises to the occasion.

Diner Dash Rush is easy to pick up and put down. There’s absolutely nothing complicated about its game play, but for some reason, in the middle of all this customer madness, one’s adrenaline is bound to spike.

Ultimately, what prevents Block Block Block from achieving puzzling glory is not in its gameplay, but everything else.

Although htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary is cursed with a flawed control scheme, the total package did enough to keep me intrigued throughout.

If episode one of Isolani had a bit more variety to its gameplay, this title would continue to pull me in.

Record Run provides the necessary upbeat entertainment to keep you mildly amused on your phone for a small amount of time. Unfortunately there isn’t enough replay value to keep this app on your iPhone or iPad for an elongated amount of time.

Star Wars Pinball 2 is an engaging journey that should please fans of the sci-fi epic as well as tablet gamers looking to throw a few balls around.

Alphaman might be billed as an app that will help children build their vocabulary, but it’s a game that will appeal to all ages. It’s a pleasurable trip I don’t mind taking a few more times down the road, and maybe this time the words, or my preconceived notions, won’t get in the way.

I love tilting and tapping my iOS devices just like any other gamer, but occasionally I’d rather let the action do most of the work. Loot Hero doesn’t offer a lot of chills and spills, and maybe I’ll grow tired of this title in the coming weeks. But for now, I prefer life on easy street, and as long as I have enough loot and a sharp enough sword, those dragons won’t be touching my kingdom anytime soon.

The necessary cash grab for Modern Command is understandable, but I wish the advertising pop-ups and the need for in-app bundles would have hit me at a later stage in the game. It’s an annoying flaw that saddles many a free to play experience, but since I really enjoyed what Modern Command had to offer, I’ll definitely rejoin this military campaign, even if it costs me a couple of stars along the way.

World War Z could dramatically improve its controls, but that irritating flaw doesn’t ruin the entire experience. There is a visceral thrill to mowing down as many zombies as possible, but thankfully the developers bring much more depth to the overall proceedings.

Bill Killem isn’t the most memorable app on the block, but if you dig endless runners that come with a twist, it’s definitely worth a look. Maybe aliens will eventually win the war on Hollywood, but at least Bill has a few tricks up his sleeve to keep us entertained.

For fans of the franchise, Worms 3 delivers what you’d expect. There’s nothing here that succeeds or fails by leaps and bounds. Rather, this latest release is another solid, incremental inching forward of one of gaming’s longest-running franchises.

Although there’s a lack of Game Center achievements and a horrendous misstep with the manual running feature, Stickman Tennis won me over with its straightforward game play.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk could have been more than a simple re-issuing of the same Warriors formula that Omega Force has perfected over the years, but instead this is merely a re-telling of the Berserk story with a lot of emphasis on the Square and Triangle buttons.

Far Cry Primal is an incredibly interesting game that really nails the feeling of danger and survival at times. The game’s nearly non-existent, thin plot and tedious crafting system however hold it back from being great.

If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced action puzzle game from the creator of Tetris, look no further.

Dying Light’s core gameplay is solid and offers a uniquely thrilling sort of fun, but for every moment you spend having a good time, you’ll spend just as many frustrated by its shortcomings.

A completely immersive game that will continue to hold my attention well past the film’s sell date.

If you've never played Devil May Cry 4, or miss the glory days of the series where Dante was fun, combat was deep and challenging, and things weren't so stupid edgy and serious, this low-priced special edition offers fun aplenty.

The new modes feel designed to give cooperative and competitive-minded players new challenges to tackle, which is great if you’re a dedicated player who has already logged dozens of hours playing the core game. On the other hand, casual players will feel left out with the continued lack of matchmaking, and those hoping for a more robust chapter in Destiny’s story aren’t going to feel fully satisfied fighting through Skolas’ rebellion.

A major downside to Mini Warriors being a F2P title is that you are limited in the number of fights you can have per day, and Warriors’ main currency (t-crystals), were a rarity, encouraging you to spend real-life money in order to get more t-crystals (which you use to unlock more daily fights).

If you can get past that you’ll find an approachable, yet complex, role-playing game that offers a lot do, but never manages to quite break away from the shallowness of the freemium genre.

Even if my current city is days away from adding a premium commercial site, I’ll continue to plug away and stay the course. I’m more than fine with incremental improvements with Tiny City, and if you understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day, this app isn’t such bad company.

Hand of Fate mixes deck-building with hack ‘n slash dungeon crawling in a way that’s fluid enough for casual fans to enjoy, but lacks the complexity for veterans of either genre to really sink their teeth into.

At the end of it all, The Charnel House Trilogy does a lot of things right. I enjoyed my overall journey through it as the suspenseful, yet easily accessible adventure it was. That said, there was a definite lack of challenge that made it feel more like a visual novel than an actual game at times.

Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign isn’t completed at the moment but is still fun to try out for the time being. There will be a lot more levels and things to do as the game is continually updated in the coming weeks, but for now the it’s good enough to give a try.

This app may have its drawbacks, but it scores enough points to keep me kicking in the right direction.

While LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga might be a pretty beefy game packed with content, the biggest downside is that you’ll have to spend $14.99 to unlock all of it. As it stands, you only get Episode 1: A Phantom Menace with this 800 MB download. If you decide to get each episode, then you’ll have to shell out $2.99 per episode.

Rescue Quest is a solid enough puzzler that could keep you intrigued.

Even with the freemium distraction, Beetle Breaker succeeds is a solid puzzler whose entertainment value amplifies if you dig the game’s slingshot mechanic.

What you see is what you get with Iron Force. Even the controls, which has a virtual joystick for movement and a big red button on the right to fire, are simple and self explanatory.

From an RTS perspective, there are too many small details and nuances to keep track of for AntiSquad to be enjoyable for gamers.

Ancient Battle: Rome isn’t going to set the world on fire anytime soon, but it checks all the boxes as a solid turn-based experience.

In-game purchases aside, Drift Mania: Street Outlaws is a solid racing title with one big problem: the gyroscopic controls will probably make you dizzy. Still, if you’re good at resisting vertigo and the like, and you want a drifting-oriented racer with tons of car upgrade and cosmetic options, you could do much worse than this.

We feel the same way about Generations as we did about Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate last year: it's a fun game that requires far too much grinding. We only wish there were more new things to talk about instead of just the same old hunter's song and dance.

Dungeons & Dragons: Arena of War can get repetitive after a few fights, and its freemium model kicks in once you use up your quest energy. But these are minor annoyances in an otherwise solid title.

Muscle Run is a steak and potatoes game which gives you a ton of meat on the bone.

Perfect Kick’s seamless and uncomplicated online mode should immediately get you hooked. Thankfully, it doesn’t exploit its free to play model and ask for your bucks right off the bat. Kicking and protecting a ball isn’t rocket science, but who needs to think when you’re having so much fun?

Frozen Synapse requires a bit of time to adequately pull off a mission, since learning all of the squad’s commands and finding a strategy that works just doesn’t happen within minutes.

If only its action gameplay didn’t always result in being mowed down by one-hit kills, with the addition of some type of alert countdown a la Metal Gear, The Merc Files could have been amazing.

If you’re in the mood for a casual experience that doesn’t use too much of your brain power but is cute as can be, Bombcats: Special Edition is a worthy enough download.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2: Foodimal Frenzy is fun to play through but a little too easy for my taste.

While it adds some great extra controls, the game lacks in the customization found in most iOS titles.

Even with its online flaws, Mr. Ludo is an engaging, free to play app which caters to board game lovers.