Nightmerica's garish coloring, 8-bit violence, and retro aesthetic go a long way to escalate it from simple wave-based gameplay to a much more interesting-looking exercise in gaming exotica, and for 99 cents it's worth checking out the soundtrack if nothing else.

Purple Cape features a fun premise and some good ideas with some lovely cartoon-styled graphics; it's just a shame they weren't attached to a better game overall. It has promise, but definitely isn't ready for prime time.

It's a good game that hasn't quite crossed the line to great, and you'll want to be sure you're familiar with its quirks before you drop money in it.

This might have been perfect as a room in Big Fish Casino, but as a standalone iOS app, it’s probably going to appeal to enthusiasts only. In other words Grandma, if you got that iPhone I sent you, this one’s for you.

Towelfight 2: The Monocle of Destiny is really, really good. Even if you don't dig the humor (and I'm sure it won't resonate with everyone, although I love it), the intense shooter action on which it's built should be enough to satisfy even the twitchiest of thumbs. And if you enjoy a good laugh with your bizarre cartoon violence, then this is one game you really cannot miss.

It's free-to-play so there's no reason not to give it a spin if you're new to the genre and interested in checking it out, but if you've already tried Rage of Bahamut (or Deity Wars, or Pantheon the Legends, or the licensed Transformers and Marvel games) and found them wanting - or are still playing them - then there's really not much point in bothering with it.

1001 Attempts a steal at its launch price, and is an easy game to jump right into.

The Major impresses where it counts: gameplay and innovation.

As far as a Wheel of Fortune clone goes, however, there’s little wrong with how What’s The Phrase actually plays. The question is whether you’ll want to, or if you’ll just opt for the real deal by Sony, which is also on the App Store.

It’s super easy to get started, almost as easy to learn, rather elegant in its simplicity, and a bit more cerebral than a typical trivia game.

Downloading Buddy Blitz gives you 20 hearts and a few thousand coins to carry around, which is just enough to give you a taste of the game before the IAP trap sets in. The gameplay is good in short bursts, but there's little depth or room for strategy; it's just 60 second rounds of mad gem dropping.

Hidden Land brings some nice ideas to the free-to-play hidden object genre, like dual timelines and city-building components. And best of all, it actually gives you the freedom to experience them!

Despite these weaker areas, Partia is a superb representation of the genre on iOS and likely one that will only continue to get better.

Perhaps my expectations for Yet Another Zombie Defense were off-base. I was looking forward to a sharp mix of light tower defense strategy and arcade action, but what I got was a competent but unremarkable dual-stick shooter with sentry turrets and blocks- reasonably fun, but quickly forgettable.

Raft Pirates is a clever game that offers lots to do. Go on and whip the waters into a bloody froth, robo-matey.

Even though Toy Story: Smash It might look a little familiar to Boom Blox fans, it’s still a solid, addictive puzzle game. Experienced players should play alongside youngsters in order to show them the ropes, however. Think of it as mentoring the next generation of Space Rangers.

Real Racing 3’s good handily outweighs its bad. There’s plenty of variety in race types, more vehicles than you can shake a stick at, and even if it’s not ideal, old school racing fans can still have plenty of fun with the assists on.

Alien vs. Predator: Evolution’s heart is in the right place.

Penumbear is a great example of how platforming controls can be done right on iOS - and it's a lovely little puzzler to boot.

This is a sequel that improves upon its predecessor in multiple ways, and it's hard to ask for or expect more than that. With its strangely compelling mix of skill, luck and strategy, King Cashing 2 is a second trip worth taking. Dare we hope it becomes a trilogy?

It’s just a shame (to a rather significant degree) that so much of what’s meant to keep players playing is implemented so poorly.

The poor performance of the controls as a whole ties a neat bow around this muddled mess of a game.

Survivor Z has some cleverness to it, enough to warrant a look in what is a very crowded genre. It’s not the kind of game that will eat up all of your waking hours, but if you’re a zombie enthusiast – especially one who travels enough to get the most out of the location-based mechanic – you may find it creeping its way into your daily routine.

A simple, clever, and fun game which is basically hindered somewhat by its quirks and intricacies. It's all fun and games until the lights go out.

The Gods: Rebellion is no God of War killer. It’s quite linear, its controls need some touching-up, and the suggestions for in-app purchases (which are doled out whenever you die) are sure to cheese some players off. That said, the game looks fantastic and it still manages to offer a button-mashing good time—at least until all that button-mashing misfires and you start executing the wrong attacks.

Even with this laundry list of problems, Shadow Escaper is still worth a download. It’s free, so you won’t be out anything, and it’s one of a very few games I’m willing to describe as lovably insane. It's possible you'll hate it, but it's just as possible you'll fall in love with its particular brand of weirdness.

Grudger is a decent title that could have been even better. It’s fun, challenging, and has a nice bit of replay ability due to the aluminum scavenger hunt and survival mode. And with 30 levels spread across two worlds (with the promise of more to come), there’s enough content to justify a purchase.

Spunk and Moxie may be a little bit too demanding and imbalanced for some, but that’s not to say it’s not a pretty sound experience overall. The cartoon visuals look great, and there’s some nice replay value to be had in all of the bonus challenges, depending on your skill.