Despite the interface annoyances and rather tacky monetization, Lawless still makes for a shockingly good time – especially for arcade shooter fans. It can get a tad repetitive at times, but it’s easy enough to switch to playing something else for a little while.

Lords of Waterdeep remains a stellar translation of beginners’ board game mechanics with hardcore appeal.

Heroes of Dragon Age is a decent collectable card game, though its poor stamina system and passive battles make it difficult to recommend to hardcore Dragon Age fans who enjoy the series for its action and exploration.

Numerity is a fantastic game. The only negative thing that can be said about it is that fifty levels just aren't enough.

That said, Burn the Rope 3D might be too similar to Burn the Rope to satisfy burninators looking forward to a "true" sequel from Big Blue Bubble. It's been a long time since we've seen level updates to Burn the Rope, though, so maybe think of Burn the Rope 3D as a level pack.

Though fairly fun when it comes to Survival mode, Clash of Puppets probably won't sate gamers looking for a deep experience. The lack of microtransactions is definitely a high point, and it's a wonderful introduction to the world of 3D platform titles for kids. But when it comes down to questions about why exactly everyone is a puppet and why objectives are so repetitive and limited, it's hard to justify picking this one up.

Warlords RTS makes some compromises to accommodate the restrictions of its interface and display but for the most part they work well, and despite my misgivings about the large number of relatively expensive in-app purchases, I came away impressed.

If you’re the type of person who has enjoyed previous resource management plus multiplayer conquest mobile games, Galaxy on Fire – Alliances has you in its sights, possibly with just enough small tweaks that it could feel mildly fresh. Otherwise, there really isn’t much here that you haven’t seen before, albeit packaged very nicely and shot into space.

Whatever shortcomings Gun Dogs has in terms of mechanics and literary style, it has a bouncy, thrilling feel to it that keeps you turning pages and rolling dice. Rather than wading through pages of exposition, the action is punchy and immediate; and while it may not win any scholarly awards, it’s still a ton of fun.

Anchorman 2: Scotchy Scotch Toss is a game that doesn’t quite reach for the stars, and fittingly enough, doesn’t really grab them.

Doctor Who: Legacy was a pleasant surprise. It implements characters, locales, and plot points into a competent puzzle match game that should please Whovians and casual gamers alike.

It’s astonishing fun: I actually find myself wishing it had upped the ante on the Salon tool set so I could give it a perfect score with a clear conscience.

Clumsy Ninja is a solid simulator that really shows off some impressive character personality and animation.

It's a simple game with a simple goal in mind, and because it's so adorable it's going to attract some attention. Be patient and try not to shout at the IAP section, and you'll be rewarded with a very pleasant casual puzzle game.

This is not only one of the more charming games in recent memory; it’s one of the most impressive examples of gaming period, regardless of genre.

MULE Returns is also riddled with bugs – one of which, an inability to re-enter the store to upgrade MULEs later in the game, is a complete showstopper that ruins the game when it crops up.

Icycle: On Thin Ice is well worth a pop, with varied, exciting, clever gameplay the dish of the day. If the sound of dressing a naked guy up in just a monocle and riding him through icy backdrops on a penny farthing is your idea of a good time, you need to grab this - and let's be honest, who would turn that down?

Touchgrind Skate 2 is going to be a seriously awesome, in-depth skater for some players, and a troublesome, niggly experience for others. What's for certain is that the App Store very much needs these kinds of unique and innovative offerings in spades, and we're excited to see what comes out of Illusion Labs next.

So after firing off what must have been thousands of arrows and electrocuting every armor-wearing skeleton this side of the crypts, I can easily say that Skull Legends is one of the most refreshing takes on a mobile tower defense game that I’ve played in quite a while.

Team Monster has lots of potential. It looks great, and it balances the line-drawing and monster collection quite well, but the energy mechanic and monetization drain almost all of the fun out of it. With a lot of patience it can still be quite a bit of fun, but there are plenty of other more gratifying games to play out there.

But in the end, I found myself not really being too bothered by the excessive wait times or the accompanying difficulty spikes, as Tank Nation is just an incredibly fun game to play, and the amount of blood, sweat, and artillery shells that went into the making of this title can be felt around every bend in the destructible terrain.

With only a handful of traits and reactions to uncover, this current iteration feels less like a complete package and more like a jumping-off point, albeit an extremely beautiful, heart-wrenchingly adorable one.

If you're a CCG fan looking for something with a little extra meat on the bone, this is definitely a game worth checking out.

Although the first step in Oceanhorn is steeped in Zelda nostalgia, every step after leads farther into a world that stands on its own two feet.

All said, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse for mobile was a very pleasant surprise. It’s not perfect, but it comes close enough, and may even be a little better than its console brethren in some regards.

If you can shrug off those ads, which would take shoulders of steel, Flick Kick Football Legends has a lot to offer. But I’m probably not alone in thinking I would have gladly paid a few bucks to play this game and saved myself some misery in the process.

Practice is important, because the controls in Skee-Ball Arcade take a little getting used to. You can manipulate the direction of your shot by tiling your device to the side, but it takes a while to get the hang of, especially since there's no calibration option.

The Shivah: Kosher Edition doesn't have all the answers, but it does supply a top-notch adventure experience. Nosh a little.

Epic Empire is a blast when you're allowed to go out and wreck enemies, but most of your time is spent staring at the screen and waiting for your coins and / or energy to pile back up.

Tic Tactics is a simple thing, but it's really quite good, too: fast, free, easy to play, and deceptively challenging. It's a smart twist on an old classic, and it works.

If you’re strongly attached to another racing game, switching to GT Racing 2: The Real Car Experience will be a hard sell, despite its lack of price tag.

Drive on Moscow is a triumph, a game as sweeping as the campaign it seeks to simulate. Shenandoah continue to single-handedly redefine the strategy genre on iOS, and you should get on board: the entry price looks steep but it’s worth every penny.

Space Chicks is the rare kind of mobile game that gets everything right.

Battle Command! isn’t bad by any means, but it’s also nothing new – no matter how shiny the chassis on those mech suits might be.

So while Dragon Season is certainly a beautiful endless flier with a refreshing seasonal angle and slick allocation of in-game missions, the lack of different obstacles and slow-pacing of adding upgrades to your arsenal can leave the overall experience feeling a little heavy in the wings before long.

It starts off superbly, with the promise of a dark, mature fantasy tale wrapped up in an utterly stunning multimedia package, but once you get into the meat of the story it becomes little more than a succession of dull, often-annoying combat sequences.

Monopoly Bingo is slick, fast, and definitely represents the brand, it just doesn’t feel like it’s likely to keep anyone engaged long term who wasn’t specifically looking for a new bingo game to play.

MoviePop is fun for a little while, but the repetitiveness and simplicity won't keep you bound to your seat for very long. If nothing else, it's a decent showcase of memorable movie moments.

Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous is just as much fun as its predecessor, and that’s all you need to know. If you’re looking for tilty, frantic, arcade fun – just like the first game – this is a must buy.

One of the nicest things about QuizUp is that the game is laid out in front of you from the minute you hit start. There are no coins to collect, no "premium" categories to earn.

As 3D runners go, Agent P DoofenDASH comes so close to feeling like it could be a lot of fun, particularly for those who love the adventures of Agent P and Dr. Doofenshmirtz, but it just comes up short overall.

Don’t Shoot Yourself! is an interesting take on the bullet hell genre, but as a part of that genre, may not be for everyone. In this case, though, it feels like a cross between those games and the classic Snake number-eating game, so it may yet appeal to some outside of that core audience.

Stellar Wars looks and plays like a greatly improved version of Legendary Wars, the development team's previous release, with a lot of new units and upgrades to toy around with.

I should really just repeat that word over and over again to make sure my conclusion is clear: Groove Vortex is an entirely pointless purchase, because it's a massively cut-down, excitement-ridden, barebones version of Super Hexagon.

If the number one goal of gaming is to have a good time, then this is a great way to do just that.

Hunter Island isn't a Pokémon substitute, but it doesn't try to be. It's just a very decent RPG that provides hours of battling fun. It is, quite simply, its own monster.

If you have people to play with, it's well worth the price of admission.

Simply put, there are better options out there, and Neon Shadow is little more than a boring distraction wrapped in an OK-looking package.

Juice Cubes is a decent little game that ultimately fails to plant much of a stake in the already over-populated match-three territory. It's cute, buoyant, and aside from being stingy with its power-ups, doesn't do anything particularly wrong; the thing is, its repetitive, too-easy gameplay simply fails to give us any reason to leave our first Crush.

Big Action Mega Fight! is one of those games that's not going to appeal to a huge audience. Beat ‘em ups are hardly the center of the gaming world. However, players who love the classics owe it to themselves to try this out. The obvious arcade influence is a nice way to put a smile on your face and get the adrenaline pumping.

Tiny Games is not really a game. It’s an enabler of play. And I mean play in the loosest sense: whoever you are, wherever you are, whoever you’re with, there will probably be something here that entertains and delights you, and probably several things that will irritate and embarrass you, too.

Tank Battles is a reasonably fun arcade game and an interesting re-imagining of a classic. It’s also a virtually hassle-free multiplayer affair. It’s just too bad that the emphasis on premium currency makes it hard to stay invested. At least without actually investing.

While it may not do anything radical for the endless running genre, AdvenChewers quietly creates a lovely gaming atmosphere that's worth its weight in bubblegum ten times over. Great for quick runs and extended playing sessions alike!

In the sea of endless runners, and in the pool of Everplay games, Miner Problem sinks.

Overall, Garfield Kart is good fun.

In the end, Rayman Fiesta Run is a platforming game that’s all about food, and not only is that food incredibly delicious and 5-star restaurant superb, but we’re all going to be gorging ourselves on it for quite some time until we’re no slimmer than our old pal Globox.

Otherwise, Star Wars: Tiny Death Star is a must-play if you're a Star Wars fan who enjoyed the original Tiny Tower (and if you haven't played Tiny Tower yet, say good-bye to your loved ones). Despite its familiarity, Tiny Death Star glows a strong, warm Force.

Toca Mini might proffer an unexpectedly steep learning curve, but it’s still easier to pick up and play than a lot of other kids’ apps. And as we’ve come to expect from the developer, it’s streets ahead in terms of flexibility and fun too.

If you played the first part of Steve Jackson's Sorcery! then you already know what's in store, and if you haven't, you should! Then play this one, too – and don't forget to post those kudos when you're done.

If you’re a fan of the Pocket God franchise or Doodle Jump-style games, you’re going to have a good time here. If you’re burned out on either, though, Ooga Jump isn’t going to do a lot to change your mind.

It’s got the looks to be the game that Thor deserves; it just still doesn’t nail the feel.

It’s hard to really express through words or through visuals what Papa Sangre II does with the manipulation of sound, but believe me when I say that it is unbelievably unique, and just all sorts of incredible.

Some games make up in execution for what they lack in high concept, and Echo Prime falls into that category pretty comfortably.

There's a very simple way to decide whether Everyday Spelunker is for you: if you're looking to pick it up for the sake of nostalgia, or simply to fill a blank in your video game knowledge, then this is a great port, and well worth your time. If you're planning to pick up Spelunker for proper entertainment purposes, and/or you find that old-school games don't usually gel with you, I really wouldn't bother.

Stack Rabbit presents a new take on the match-three genre, and it's nearly as addictive as Candy Crush Saga.

When it comes to combat sims, you'll be hard-pressed to do better than Backyard Monsters: Unleashed. It's got all the right parts in the right order, and it doesn't force microtransactions on you at any point.

All in all, Strike Wing: Raptor Rising isn’t a bad game, but it kind of drags a bit, and isn’t helped by its predisposition towards nudging you to get your wallet out. There is something with the potential to be really good here, but it needs more refinement to truly make it shine.

But in the end, that just isn’t enough to save NinJump Rooftops from what could have been a great little game a handful of years ago. While the game is technically a big step up from its predecessor NinJump, it becomes painfully obvious after only a few minutes of playing that this particular mobile formula has become incredibly dated.

Heroes & Havoc deserves credit for trying to be something other than yet another mobile CCG. It’s a perfectly competent game that’s good for wasting a few minutes here and there. It’s just not as compelling as it could have been.

Combining the best elements of match-three, RPGs, and TCGs, Spirit Stones presents a hybrid pastime that does what so few social games do—plays like a game instead of a free-to-play business model.

Mega Dead Pixel is a formidable endless whatsit, and given its invisible entry fee, it's well worth giving a download. Just don't blame me when you start seeing falling pixels all over the place in your day-to-day life.

Overall, Fright Heights has some creaky floors and broken windows, but it offers a chilling good time, nonetheless. Grab it and play it in between handing out fistfuls of candy to the rugrats this Halloween season.

Though Duck Dynasty: Battle of the Beards is somewhat limited and basically an interactive ad for A&E's television show, it's well made, challenging, and far more fun than it has any right to be.

Dead Trigger 2 provides enough options to suit just about any playing style, and the sheer level of content is jaw-dropping.

D&D fans deserve better.

Hardcore gamers will certainly be able to sink their teeth into Indigo Lake and enjoy an edge-of-your-seat experience, but anyone who is, perhaps, a more casual player will have trouble staying patient or tenacious enough to reach the real meat of the game.

Simply put, Batman: Arkham Origins is the definitive example of a console tie-in game done right, with a shining presentation, rewarding touchscreen controls and combat, a refreshing amount of variety, and a free-to-play model that accentuates the overall experience, rather than takes away from it.

Rabbids Big Bang is fun in small doses. Seemingly designed for micro-game sessions, it offers extremely short (a minute or less) activities for gamers with either very little leisure time or extremely short attention spans.

If you’ve been looking for a merciless rhythm/puzzle game that spares the long tutorials and cutesy mascots, Neurokult is an ideal mate.

Again, Device 6’s unorthodox presentation may be off-putting at first, but stick with it, especially if you’re a fan of Year Walk. It’s a perfect accompaniment to the current Halloween atmosphere, though like any good mystery, it keeps well at any time of the year.

Similar to the movie that inspired it, Real Steel: World Robot Boxing isn't a runaway success, but it's a solid effort at keeping an idea alive that's too awesome to let go. Until we get boxing robots in real life – and hopefully someone is working on that – this will have to do.

It's cute, lively, and the match-three movement gives it a strategic puzzle element not usually found in RPGs. For gamers new to role-playing, it's the perfect way to learn the RPG basics. Role-playing veterans, though, could easily grow impatient with the over-simplification of their beloved genre's complicated game mechanics.

Maybe the first game with its shiny new cars satisfied your drag racing fix, and that’s okay. But classic is cool, and CSR Classics doesa pretty nice job getting that point across. Rev it up and let’s race, daddy-o!

Fist of Awesome’s campaign does come awfully close to wearing out its welcome, but everything from the pixely graphics to the challenging Arena mode is wonderfully humorous and created with care. It’s an achievement made even more impressive when you realize that the bulk of the game was created by just one person.

Both Elemental Kingdoms and its “inspiration” are very solid and entertaining CCGs. The energy mechanic is a bit of a buzz kill and the need to grind in order to unlock all of the options is made all the more irritating because of it, but it’s still a pretty fun game all things considered. It’s just not original in any conceivable sense of the word. If that’s not an issue, then by all means give it a play.

As a basic sidescrolling platformer game, Mimpi especially shines in its creative and colorful design, full of massive level landscapes that seamlessly blend into one another and constantly create a sense that you’re venturing farther and farther from home. However, it’s during the moments when the game tries to incorporate its interactive world and puzzle elements into the actual platforming that things start to go haywire.

Samurai Siege has a lot of competition, and its creativity in terms of setting and unit/building design definitely gives it a bit of an edge. The technical flaws cut that edge down in size, however, impairing your ability to sit down and become absorbed by the game. It's not unplayable by any means, but some errors are just too frustrating to overlook.

Moreover, gamers with the patience to get through harmony's many same-feeling levels will be rewarded with some truly brain-teasing arrangements. Unfortunately, many gamers might not have the time – or the tenacity.

With a beautiful cartoony presentation, and a huge amount of variety in both the puzzle designs and the gameplay mechanics that get introduced the further you progress in the game, Catch the Berry ends up losing its footing a couple times along the way. But in the moments when the game finds itself completely on point, this one can be even sweeter than the biggest red berry at the top of the tallest tree.

Though Steampunk Tower may seem watered-down or over-simplified compared to other TD titles, it is a deceptively complex experience brimming with lots of content and more strategy than meets the eye.

But despite these minor annoyances, Type:Rider is still as elegant as anything in mobile gaming today, and the constantly changing canvas is always brimming with inspiration and captivating ways to think about words, and the letters that help to craft them in particular.

Notably, KAMI isn't exactly mind-blowing, or even exciting. It's more of a calming, zen-like experience that never really does anything that will wow you, but is still rather pleasant.

Seemingly exploitive level design and hair-pulling hazard placement aside, this title contains many of the basic elements that draw us to gaming in the first place, and puts them all in a package that is both wonderfully retro and satisfyingly modern. Good luck putting this one down – especially you old-school fanatics.

In the end, Headless is ultimately good, but nothing quite spectacular.

Duet is a fantastic, brain-melting ditty of an iOS game. It's a hypnotic, "try, try again" love song that you just won't be able to bring yourself to feel hatred towards, despite the numerous splattered deaths that will tear at your heart. This is essential mobile gaming.

This is the kind of game that reminds you that good design and fun mechanics can make even relatively simple concepts shine, and it certainly falls into the “easy to learn, hard to master” category that was the developer’s intended goal.

Despite these problems, Monster Adventures is a lovely adventure title with some big ideas. If monster collecting and roguelike adventures are your bag, this is one to tame. Just take it slow and easy at first.

With more control over the characters, Ring Run Circus could claim the title of ringmaster; for now, it’s just a really good show.