Angry Birds Friends brings the Facebook favorite to iOS, but while the new angle is interesting, the competitive balance seems muddled.

World War Z is an entertaining film-inspired game, even if its combat system could use some polish.

Despite some freemium hassles, Monster Legacy is as charming as many of the monsters you’ll meet. Its various aspects all work together to create an inviting adventure you’ll want to keep playing.

Level 22 needs some crucial fixes if it hopes to be a competent Metal Gear tribute.

With finicky controls and frustrating stages, it's almost like Worm Run wants you to get eaten.

Though the charming Buddy & Me is clearly designed with kids in mind, it can be fun for adults too, especially those who like a slower-paced affair that feels more relaxed and casual.

Want to play Contra the way it's meant to be played? Get an original Nintendo.

If you can deal with the business model, or are happy to waste a few hours before abandoning the game entirely, Trials Frontier is pretty, fairly playable, and reasonably fun. But stick around and the veneer is soon stripped away to reveal endless, soulless grinding to appease cartoon simpletons.

The Lost Reels is a pale shadow of the original, but it does a decent job with what little it's been given.

While perhaps enough to satisfy the most dedicated of Marvel fans, Avengers Alliance's high points are marred by some pretty notable flaws.

CSR Classics holds all the appeal of its predecessor with a nice hot rod restoration element, but progression proves extremely slow and repetitive.

Dungeon Hearts is a match-three puzzler with an interesting concept that just never pans out.

Dungeon Hunter 4's slick look and fun scope get trampled out quickly by absurdly aggravating and omnipresent IAP grabs.

Despite solid controls, cool and playful presentation, and decent depth, Flick Kick Football Legends shoots itself in the foot with invasive advertisements and a too-short stamina meter.

R.B.I. Baseball 14 is fundamentally fair, but the too-streamlined approach and lack of common modes make for a foul lasting impression.

It's not the 1993 original, but dodging traps and cutting down monsters as the re-imagined Prince is still a fun way to dive back into its universe.

Batman: Arkham Origins features almost none of the complexity Batman games are now known for on other platforms, but it's moderately fun for a while — at least until the game starts trying to milk your wallet.

At its best, Knock-Knock is creepy, surreal, and gripping. However, that grip is loosened by frustrating repetition and a set of muddled systems that obscure more often than they engage.

Flashout 2 is fast and slick, but its combat and upgrade systems stand out more than its racing elements. There are more substantial sci-fi racers on the App Store, but Flashout 2 is a fun, lightweight diversion.

Inane and unvaried gameplay, paired with some terrible boss stage design, yields another sad Shaq action affair; a real Diesel disappointment, to say the least.

Despite the cute aesthetic, Globlins is not one of Cartoon Network’s finer efforts.

Trolls vs Vikings proves incredibly derivative of Plants vs. Zombies 2, which may hit enough of a sweet spot for die-hards — but the few elements Megapop changed or added tend to throw off the balance in unexpected ways.

Gangstar Vegas may not be "Grand," but it’s sure to satisfy your hunger for a good open-world game on your iPhone or iPad.

In Fear I Trust is a well-made thriller with some clever puzzles, but its tendency towards tired horror clichés makes it feel generic and aimless.

Oversimplified card combat and a weak interface sap the fun in this Star Wars fan-fest.

Kavinsky isn't particularly fun to play, but this stylish freebie may still steal away a few minutes of your time.

Angry Birds Go! may be the most glaring example to date of a stellar game concept thoroughly corrupted by an awful litany of freemium tactics.

Man of Steel offers decent Infinity Blade-style fighting, but not even Superman can save its shallow depth, pathetic plot, lazy repetition, and unoriginal gameplay from certain destruction.

It may be a brief thrill, but high speed and explosions make After Burner Climax a lot of fun while it lasts.

AVP: Evolution might turn into a worthwhile iOS brawler with some notable tweaks, but for now it's a rather mundane exercise in patience.

Ultima Forever’s stripped-down approach to dungeon-delving might alienate more hardcore fans, but the satisfyingly simple battles and the amount of content on offer make it worth a trip to Britannia.

Heroes of Dragon Age is a generally entertaining romp through Thedan lore, but a lack of battle interaction and an overly limiting stamina bar blight the whole.

NBA 2K14 shapes up well for some LeBron-fueled magic, but it fumbles the pass and struggles to meet expectations after a promising 2012-13 season.

There’s a quirky kind of fun in dunking on UFOs, dribbling around explosions, and jumping into outer space for extra coins — but theme aside, NBA Rush brings little new to the saturated endless runner genre, and it’s too shallow to hold much long-term interest.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is rife with mechanical problems, bloated with aggressive in-app purchase hooks, and forces a constant sense of mission deja vu. Don’t get caught in this web.

Iron Man 3 is a fun free game and a very solid diversion, but slow progress saps its long-term appeal.

Where’s My Water? 2 provides more physics-based puzzles without rocking the boat, but a barrage of freemium roadblocks – thanks in part to the baffling inclusion of an energy mechanic – drains fun from the latest adventure.

Samurai Shodown II could have been a fantastic arcade port, but it's held back by crummy controls and performance problems. It's still entertaining, but iOS 7's gamepad support can't come soon enough.

The Other Brothers' control issues are bad enough to sink this platformer.

Fightback’s base combat is entertaining enough, but its reliance on a pay-to-win model dramatically overshadows its gameplay.

While stunning to look at, Fast & Furious 6: The Game loses its luster after a short time.

Danger Boat enters an overcrowded genre with a few novel ideas, but some speed bumps prevent it from racing past the competition.

Go Dance is a simple and enjoyable iOS dance game, though its lack of robust features and very thin soundtrack limit its fun.

While certainly enjoyable at times, The Drowning's free-to-play implementation hampers the game to an inexcusable degree.

Solidly enjoyable (albeit super streamlined) brawling action makes The Winter Solidier an intriguing comic affair, but serious repetition and underwhelming side elements wear out its welcome.

Marvel Run Jump Smash! contains everything promised in its title, but leaves out the fun and excitement.

While the “endless shooter” mechanics are nicely executed, Die Hard's increasingly boring gameplay and irritating checkpoints aren't worth the effort. "Yippee ki-lame," sadly.

The relationship between player decisions and race results can be hard to determine in NASCAR: Redline, while vestigial in-app purchases put the brakes on what could have been a solid lightweight sim.

Good looks and a blockbuster movie tie-in don't save Thor: The Dark World from its sloppy battles and lame freemium model.

No amount of fan service or witty writing can save Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff from mediocrity born of leaden pacing and shameless freemium money-grubbing.

Some of The Yoda Chronicles may work as an extremely gentle initiation into the strategy genre, but the adorable cut-scenes don’t override the problems present in a short, awkwardly paced, and frequently dull adventure.

Dungeon Keeper’s pared-down reboot is fun on its own right, even if it's not quite the same creature as the excellent classic games it’s based on.

The Croods isn’t the kind of game you’d expect from a Rovio and DreamWorks partnership, and it fails to leverage the strengths of either while beckoning for your wallet.

They say an elephant never forgets. We doubt we’ll forget our experience with 9 Elefants, although not for the right reasons.

Madden NFL 25's excessive, overlapping freemium limitations actively discourage playing and investing time in it.

Tales of Phantasia's crass cash-in on nostalgia — via brutal gameplay tweaks and a heavy focus on in-app purchases — comes at the cost of its own magic and value. Keep your beloved memories intact and dodge this damaged port.

Rather than offering fun fan service, All the Bravest is little more than an insidious attempt to prey on nostalgia — and waste your time doing it.

Bit Dungeon treads charted ground, but it absolutely owns its retro roots, and making stat numbers larger is a joy as old as gaming itself. If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, then consider golden-era gaming red in the face.

Lode Runner Classic is just as hectic and demanding as the beloved original, but control problems hamstring the experience.

Marvel's back catalog is a fantastic resource, but the clunky reader interface and current offline restrictions make the mobile experience less than heroic.

Beautifully crafted and unflinchingly unique, Capsized+ is a marvelously quirky shooter adventure worth getting lost in.

Petting Zoo is one of those rare apps that brings out the kid in all of us.

Funny, fast, and free, Lie Swatter makes facts and fibs alike seem totally amusing.

Vendetta Online's MMO space exploration and combat is deep, complex, and satisfying – once you get past the learning curve and get a feel for its quirks.

Bam Fu’s hectic same-device multiplayer is finger-bashing fun, but the shallow gameplay ultimately taps itself out of contention for anything other than a short bout.

Madagascar Math Ops takes the gameplay of Angry Birds and throws in educational content. It might not make your kid a math whiz, but it’s better than flash cards.

Even with some flaws, Toca Builders is a colorful and imaginative game that proves plenty of fun while encouraging problem-solving skills in younger players.

If you don’t already own a Zumba game or simply want the experience with you at all times, Zumba Dance will definitely make you sweat — and that’s a good thing.

Unless you’re a huge fan of The Muppets, you’re better off with one of the many other sim games that execute this format with a bit more subtlety.

Though it has its irritating moments, the addictive pursuit of constantly upping your rolling arsenal makes Lionel Battle Train an amusing freebie.

Dream House Days is a cute concept that’s almost ruined by free-to-play shenanigans.

Yu-Gi-Oh! BAM Pocket offers a decent trading card game rooted in the world of the long-running franchise, but its good points lose out against a weak story, a lack of variety, and a clear departure from the source material.

Disney Infinity: Toy Box really does bring the core creation concept to iPad, though it takes some getting used to after such a wonderful experience on the consoles. Thankfully, the fun isn't lost in the occasionally awkward transition.

With a different economy or more restrained enemies, Romans from Mars might have been able to use its mechanics more meaningfully. As it stands, though, this game is too frenetic and unsubtle to use the tried-and-true designs it sets out to use.

It may take a few minutes to grasp the magic of Me vs. You, but it’s an elegantly presented single-screen multiplayer game with all the right vibes for continuing and exacerbating rivalries between friends.

Skateboard Slam tears up the course with charm and skills aplenty, but then hits the wall hard when it comes time to level up.