NFL Rivals certainly adds new social gaming features as well as a fresh coat of paint in the NFL license and an upgraded graphics system. However, in the end, the gameplay is nearly identical to Backbreaker Football and may not be worth your while.

Calling To-Fu 2 a sequel seems a little off. While it's not just about the game's artistic direction, To-Fu 2 doesn't offer enough new stuff to really make it feel like anything but an expansion pack to the original. It's a good thing the first game was good and the core formula is certainly worth repeating, but don't expect anything new or special here.

It's a pleasant gaming experience in every way (including the price!), so if you dig great presentation and consistent, engaging gameplay, I think you'll get a lot of fun out of this one.

jAggy Race is a fun casual game, but it's also an exciting and challenging game for competitive gamers who want to familiarize themselves with each track for better results.

I have long counted Jeff Minter's Minotaur Rescue and Minotron: 2011 as two of the very best games in the App Store, and I can tell you that GoatUp solidly lives up to the greatness of those titles. It's quite a different sort of game, but the pieces come together just as nicely.

I like how simple Gum Drop! is.

I've had a good time with Plushed Gold Fever, but on the whole it falls flat.

Fruity Jelly is a solid puzzle-platformer that utilizes its mechanic to great effect creating a challenging game that's easy to pick up. It could have stood to have slightly tighter controls, but its easy to ignore for a bulk of the game.

Getting through Another World is not a cakewalk; it's a difficult and challenging game.

The look and feel of it screams cheap Flash game, but something about it makes it difficult to walk away from it.

There's also an ongoing hunt for the secret of the Rainbow Dragon, the one missing breed. I haven't found one yet. Will you?

Running around without a head and with bombs for hands is far more fun than you'd think, and even if the game doesn't ramp up the challenge as much as most of its ilk, the total quirk and oddness of it all should make for an enjoyable experience for most.

A casual, but clever game, because it gives you conflicting goals.

There's not a lot of variety in the levels in terms of game-play, but it's a relaxing way to pass a few brainless minutes.

If you're a fan of dual-stick shooters and you're looking for something new to play, Cowboy Guns is certainly worth a try. However, newcomers to the genre or folks that can't stand cheesy Western stories may not get as much satisfaction out of it.

It's simply an entertaining game that manages to test both your reflexes and strategy IQ and offers enough diversity to distinguish itself from the pack.

As an inexpensive way to entertain yourself while chatting with a friend, Word Chat will more than do the job.

My Horse is a wonderful game for horse-lovers and is worth a free download just to check out the realistic horse. But if you're planning on playing this game for a long time, be prepared to spend some real money on gems, or accept that you probably won't be able to buy the best looking equipment, no matter how many coins you earn.

Orbit1 is a cleverly designed ice-breaker, a minimalistic but social time killer. It pulls you into the fun with such conviction that you'll be hard pressed to find people who can resist.

I've had a ton of fun playing through Where's My Water, and I really hope Disney keeps the updates flowing.

If you're up for the challenge of unlocking all the modes with their high-score barriers, then I'd say hop in.

This isn't a game for the easily defeated, but if you're willing to persevere then Stardash will leave you well rewarded.

Movie tie-in's can sometimes be terrible games, rushed out to promote a movie, but this near-future robotic boxing game is reasonable– Mostly because robots fighting makes for a decent game.

Overall, if you're a fan of mini-game collections and you're looking for a new fix, Flick Champions does a solid job of satisfying that need.

Machinarium, as a whole, is remarkably tidy.

Worlds fulfills at least one promise of any sequel: it's more of the same great game. And while we'd love to have seen more progression, this is still a fantastic product that should keep you busy in bursts or even in couch sessions. I recommend it.

Tiny Farm doesn't do a thing to break the mold here, but what it does do, it executes expertly.

A challenging title, and it's one that requires players to commit to an unusual control scheme.

Escape the Ape has been interesting to play over the past couple of days, and the game trailer (above) is quite amusing, so I've definitely got my 99 cents worth of entertainment, but the novelty of swiping trampolines every couple of seconds is wearing off, especially given the large gaps between upgrades.

An average tower defense game with small twists on the gameplay that don't particularly propel it above mediocrity.

Fling a Thing is a sharply put together a package, assembled with a care to simple refinement that we often see in the indie space.

If Madfinger can fix the crashing and save-game deletion issues with a patch, they're still left with a repetitive, but lovely looking shooter. There are hints of true quality in the boss fights and some minor sections of the campaign, but the majority relies on a simple, corridor design that's hard to find engaging for very long.

It's a tiny, handheld version of a game that's already a bit scaled big from its originals. Still, it's one of the first truly different experiences of the Sims in a while and although it's a more directed experience, it offers enough new to keep casual players happy.

Glider is just a great little game with a lot of personality.

Excluding the wonky jumping mechanic, I like all of the ideas in Pixel Ranger. Its look and style, its enemies, its attrition-based vertical shooting, and its power-ups are strong parts of a whole that, unfortunately, doesn't feel cohesive.

iOS games can be made with love and joy, they can be funny and charming. Those are things the Katamari series has had in spades, and it's a shame they're missing here.

Panda Picnic is pretty cute, and I admit I did enjoy the gameplay. Ultimately, however, I would wander away from it because it took so long for people to make moves.

A good game for hardcore platform gamers. It's fast-moving and challenging, with simplistic retro graphics and some heavier than usual background music.

But it's still surprising how well Jelly Defense runs. It's as smooth as butter, even when the action gets intense.

Pixel Ghost has five worlds, with five levels in each, making 25 levels in total. I've finished exactly three levels, which is probably embarrassingly poor performance, but I'd like to see how World 2 is different, which probably means reduced sleep tonight. If you pride yourself on collecting the weird things the App Store has to offer, don't miss Pixel Ghost.

I wouldn't write Pollen Count off as nothing more than a clone. It makes great use of an established mechanic, and I'd have a hard time holding that against it.

If you're looking for a simple, weapons-based racer with multiplayer and don't care about customizability or excessive replayability, then Mad Wheels may be a title worthy of your attention. If you're looking for a game with more substance and depth, then Death Rally still remains the perennial favorite and recommended title.

While the experience lasts it's well worth the price of admission.

Roboto has all the makings of a classic platforming game. It's one of the most visually impressive games I've seen in some time, and the gameplay itself is well designed and a lot of fun. If the controls and performance issues can be ironed out sufficiently, then Roboto will fall into the "must have" category of iOS platformers.

There are far better titles than this one, some even published by Gameloft itself.

Even through the moments of frustration, fans of early RPGs will find a lot to love in Guardian Saga. It's a solid homage to everything that made the NES and DOS eras influential and interesting.

It's nice to see Om Nom finally freed from the boxes, and the professor has the potential to add a bit more storyline to the series. But if you're looking for something that changes up the formula, significantly expands on the original or otherwise feels brand new, you won't find it here.

Vermes on Mars constantly switches from "calmly patrolling the area" to being attacked, which provides a great feeling of tension and release, as you're constantly anticipating the worms– Things become even more exciting when multiple worms or larger worms attack simultaneously which makes for a surprisingly fun gameplay experience.

The Minecraft oriented theme, gracious lack of user-generated phallic sculptures, and chilled-out crafting action may be right up your alley. Personally, I'd rather punch a tree.

This game is perfect for Scrabble lovers, who enjoy competition and want to add combat to the mix.

Whether you've played a Glass Tower game before or are new to the series and looking for a new puzzler, Glass Tower 3 should be a title worth looking into. It's taken the success from earlier games, incorporated a ton of requested features, and then fleshed it out with enough new levels to keep you busy for quite some time.

Its super simple and inarguably flawed, but its persistent upgrade system is a great carrot-on-the-stick and its modern war trappings do set Dawn of War apart.

One of the goals of Pachinko is to feed the addiction of possible reward by playing a game based mostly on random chance. If you're looking for a time-waster that accomplishes that, or you're a fan of Pachinko, you can't go wrong with Pachinko Frenzy. However, don't think you're going to be unlocking new boards any time soon, unless you put in a good deal of time or money (once IAP goes live).

It's a quick and dirty port of the four-year-old PSP version of the game, which itself was based on a thirteen-year-old Playstation game. For fans of the original, you'll get pretty much the exact game you expect, albeit with some performance issues on some devices.

I can't really think of any better options if you're looking for a Mario Bros. type of game on the App Store. Bonkheads HD has nice high resolution graphics, good controls, tons of levels, and OpenFeint achievements and leaderboards, though sadly no Game Center currently.

Bizango strikes me as a game that needed more time in the oven. When it works, it's satisfying and scratches a new itch that I never knew I had, but the times when everything clicks are rare.

But as a ridiculously cute time waster with a stupidly catchy soundtrack, Baby Monkey knows what it's doing. Dynamically generated levels and a challenging difficulty curve will keep you entertained while you drive your friends insane playing the song on loop.

An enjoyable experience, and one that does the adventure strategy genre proud.

All you really need to do is pay attention. In return, you'll find a satisfying puzzle experience that leaves you tantalized for one more shot at building the perfect city.

Really, I think all the problems of Fractal Combat can be boiled down to two words: safe and uninspired.

This is a bland, boring racing game compared not only to previous iOS Need For Speed titles, but also other racers already on the App Store.

In the end, what matters most is whether that feeling of tension and enjoyment exists when you're playing against another person. I'd have to say that yes, Battle Planes does just hit that horizon.

The happy music and precious hand drawn look of the game make it a pleasure to play, and excellent level design really rounds it all out.

It's a should-buy for fans of the original, and a must-buy for iCade owners looking to add a strong title to a small library.

All of its pieces fit snug and everything you do contributes to a whole package. It's also one of its most wide-reaching games, combining social and sim aspects from all over the place.

It's unfortunate the puzzles in Touch Detective aren't better, because the presentation of the game alone makes it worth checking out.

It's ridiculous how much Anomaly has to offer and how natural it feels on touch devices. I don't think it's out of line to call it one of the best games on the market at the moment, as its easily one the visually sharpest, most well-produced, and executed out there.

At first blush, Tero seems entirely unremarkable in a sea of iOS platformers, a first impression bolstered by the sketchy controls. But, under the right circumstances, Tero synthesizes the visuals of Super Mario World, the physics of Yoshi's Island, and the death-cult gameplay of games like Mega Man and Super Meat Boy into a game that strikes the nice balance between tension and release, between frustration and delight.

If you were a Rampart fan back in the day and have wanted a portable version on the go, nothing else in the App Store even approaches Zen Wars.

Sticky creates a mixed impression. On one hand, the levels, creatures and power-ups's are varied and creative, the artwork is hand-drawn and the controls are interesting and work really well.

But, if you love match-3 puzzles then this cute and colorful cross-genre platform / puzzle game may tickle your fancy.

Pickpawcket succeeds where it counts, with challenging gameplay that rarely dips into frustration.

An incredibly frustrating game to play. I still enjoy the core gameplay, and I absolutely love the custom characters and huge variety of things to buy for my character. However, the freemium mechanics and poor framerate just keep interrupting the experience that I know it can provide.

For the price, this is one hell of an adventure, and the gameplay experience is just about as refined as can be.

Pigs in Trees only has one mode, based on a simple concept, but this drawing arcade game is so well delivered, that it deserves to be successful. We're already looking forward to the Spring levels.

It's well worth the price tag and you'll find yourself so empathetic for the rocket's goals that you'll push yourself to finish it no matter how hard it gets.

As far as how it actually plays, Exitium: Saviors of Vardonia doesn't offer a whole lot of new ideas, but it does offer an interweaving story that begs for the game to be played four times and enough quests to keep you busy for a long time.

SnakeRace is a game between you and the environment. There are no enemies, weapons, or any sort of action-oriented gameplay. As such, not everyone will be interested in taking it for a spin. However, if you're looking for a simple, fast-paced game that doesn't pretend to be more than what it is, I'd recommend checking out SnakeRace.

Although it has its flaws, it still offers a huge world to explore and plenty of solid (if not terribly innovative) gameplay.

Another solid – though not groundbreaking – entry.

A remarkably successful combination of logic puzzle and explosive violence.

It should be clear this is a game with a concentration is on the multiplayer dynamic. Where other games might add it in, or worry about it in updates, S.U.B. is preoccupied with the idea that a submarine game can be fun for multiple people at once.

While I did enjoy Say What?!, it's a game of limited appeal and limited content.

Beyond the occasional muddled input, Tiny Invaders is an excellent debut from the folks at Hogrocket. Its puzzles are infused with such urgency that you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat, mashing reset to take one more shot at beating the timer.

It's unusual to see such hand-holding near the end of a game. Still, Spacelings kept my interest, right to the final levels, with it's tractor-beaming action.

In the interests of masochistic science, I attempted to hit the IAP to unlock the three remaining schools only to get an error every time.

With over 100 puzzles to work through, Spellsquares offers the word-puzzle fan a lengthy and entertaining experience. It won't last forever, but its well-crafted puzzles are a joy to work through once.

Pocket Warriors has some lovely atmospherics which make the game pleasing to play. Some backdrops include the plains, wilderness, forest, and a lost temple, each with quality sound effects, such as birds, sheep and frog noises in the background.

While there aren't a ton of bells and whistles in Brain in Jar, what it does do it does extremely well, almost better than any of my other favorite running games.

The difficulty levels are amateur and professional, although let's get serious, there's no professionals; surely no-one is getting paid to chain surf out there! (…Are they?) Although, next time you see a chain fence, I bet some of you will be tempted.

Despite the relatively light amount of content, I still think FlyBoy does a pretty good job creating a well-rounded 'quickie' game. There's enough strategy within each of the levels in order to keep you coming back, as well as all the usual competitive features to make sure that you aren't simply playing against yourself.

DooWaru is very simple, but what it does, it does very well.

Remarkable in its ability to match its core conceit to both its mechanics and interface, and then to mix, match, recontextualize, and refine as needed. It's finely crafted, well presented, and precisely executed.

If you're looking to try out a platform runner, there are far better alternatives out in the App Store. In fact, the only folks that I think would bother checking out Darkness Escape Deluxe are the genre obsessives that would probably enjoy any playable platform runner.

Roping Rob is a simple game, with basic yet strangely appealing graphics. There's a fair amount of entertainment provided, with replay value if you choose to better your own level completion times.

Cryptic Keep is good, but not great. For adventure fans looking for a fix, it may provide some entertainment, but there's something about it that feels a bit generic.

Cave Mice does most other things very well. I adore the art - even the menu is great, and Theseus's animations as he peers around the cave are charming. And the physics of the gondola feel quite natural, swinging as you tilt just as you'd expect – until, of course, you brush against a platform and it goes flying off like a bomb exploded.

Deo is a game of skillful jumping, timing, and sometimes, patience. If you enjoy creative, artistic games which evoke a real atmosphere and mood, then check this out. There's no scores, timers, leaderboards or achievements, there's just a gloomy decaying universe, which might stick in your mind as a memorable iOS experience, and I'll happily pay a dollar for that.