There’s a massive sense of reward in eking out every resource and collectible from a given region before turning to raze the next, and there's plenty of opportunity to do it. An unfortunate lack of freedom just makes that return on your time a diminishing one.

You could say worse things about the game than "I wish there were more of it," and that means the base game is pretty darn entertaining. But the fact remains I worry about how long the one mode will hold a player's interest.

So even though the game might be a little too easy at times with a score system that greatly favors your melee attacks over your weapon-based ones, Bloodstroke is still a bloody and beautiful good time.

Although it’s an amusing tale it’s not sharp or slick enough to work in that very one-dimensional way. The slightly high price-tag also prohibits us from recommending this as just a 2 hour throwaway experience. Why the main concept couldn’t be explored with some actual gameplay we don’t know, and you’re left with a title that simply never gets close to fulfilling its potential.

It can never just get out in front of the very things it's poking fun at, and just ends up getting mired in it. It's fun, but it's a limited kind of enjoyment. Once finished, you'll have no reason to ever go back.

Catch the Candy often fails to hit the mark even when it comes to the most basic elements of level design, and the game as a whole feels like a something of a rush job – a concept that was far too plain to begin with, shackled by a series of equally tepid stages that do nothing to paper over its already sizeable cracks.

I really did like Woody Woodpecker, which probably has a lot to do with how much I love Tiny Wings. I don't think this game surpasses or meets Wings, but it's a lot of fun on its own.

Playing Midway Arcade left me wishing that it supported either the iCade or the Atari Pro Duo controllers. No matter how well-implemented the control schemes are, these games were built with a joystick and buttons in mind. At the end of the day, that's the only true way to enjoy them for all they're worth. Still, Midway Arcade is a solid collection given the price.

Bookworm Heroes is a worthy extension of the Bookworm universe. It’s just a blasted shame that Popcap decided to make it free-to-play, since almost all of its failings can be traced back to the divisive gameplay model. Does Lex cry softly to himself when the game is turned off? He’s well within his rights to do so.

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.

The concept is good fun, and when it works, it’s great… but that’s when it works. Some might find it repetitive, and it is – but that’s not always a bad thing, so long as the controls are able to keep up with the player.

With its bright visuals, extremely catchy soundtrack, and simple one-touch controls, Tin Man Can proudly displays itself as an exciting arcade game.

Cubemen 2 doesn't really do anything all that exciting with the original concept, and the game ends up feeling quite underwhelming as a result.

The iOS version of Nuclear Outrun is loud, violent, and packed with nonstop action—all of which may actually be a turn-off if you’re a fan of the original game’s eerie minimalistic presentation. The steep price for in-app purchases certainly robs you of the sense of progress that’s granted in the original Nuclear Outrun, which is disappointing.

It’s fun and satisfying playing what is there, even if the players you go up against aren’t exactly that tough to contend with. But it immediately feels like a game that you’d be better off waiting for a few updates later to check out. Hopefully by then, the community will have matured and there’ll be additional maps and objective types to delve into. For now, it’s a little too half baked.

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

Need for Speed: No Limits is a faithful mobile rendition of the long-running franchise. There are a few issues that prevented me from fulling enjoying the title, especially with the controls. However, for those searching for a way to take racing on the go, this title might just be the one you’ve been looking for.

On the one hand, I was taken by the concept of leveling up cute-animal critters, the simple and mostly enjoyable mini-games, as well as an art style that is exceptionally cheerful. But there's something inherently wrong with the type of peddling that's found here.

I think the biggest problem this game faces is the appeal factor for folks who aren't already interested in the Serious Sam world. If you aren't already familiar with the franchise, the game doesn't do anything to tell you why you should be.

Raid Leader feels like it had the groundwork laid for a much better game laid until the developers got bored partway through the development process. It's not exactly bad, but it's just not really deep or exciting enough to recommend wholeheartedly. That said, based on the solid fundamentals, I'll be very interested in seeing what else Red Zebra Games puts out in the future.

Regardless, if you've found yourself infected the concept of taking over the entire world in a matter of days, then Pandemic 2.5 is the best way to pursue global destruction on the fly.

What's more, some players might find the game runs choppily on any iOS device that's not equipped with up-to-the-second hardware. It runs well on the iPhone 5, but there have been complaints of choppiness on the iPad 2, and it won't run at all on any iPhone that's older than a 4S. None of this is very surprising, as Karateka is one fine-looking game thanks to its smooth animations and gorgeous backgrounds.

Unfortunately, the new additions to Diner Dash Rush can’t save the game from being so overly redundant and sometimes boring.

Game of War: Fire Age takes some important steps toward something truly revolutionary, but it lacks the gameplay advances to make it all the way there. It's likely to appeal to the same players who enjoyed the games that preceded it, yet it feels like a missed opportunity for everyone else.

With a little more detective work and a little less store-bought justice, Another Case Solved would truly be the cat’s pajamas.

So well camouflaged, in fact, that the free game is a good way to spend an hour or two until F2P fatigue sets in, and by that stage you’ll know whether or not Blood Brothers 2 is a game you want to drop real money on.

Maybe it would’ve fared better as a park-builder or a dinosaur-themed fighting game instead of a mix of the two.

Sadly it still feels a little too slight at times, with the controls in the main race segments being so floaty they’re never particularly satisfying. This arguably helps the game’s chaotic nature – something not entirely unwelcome in a multiplayer title – but it also means it likely won’t keep you coming back for more helpings. So Dream Buffet is a game it’s hard to love – the fact Kirby feels copy and pasted in definitely doesn’t help matters – but it offers just enough presentational pizzaz to mean it’s not an entirely wasted cause.