Pros: Star Defense Mission 2 is, yup, yet another tower defense game. If you're already sick of this genre, then stop reading right now and go...

Cons: The biggest knock I have on Star Defense Mission 2 is that it just wasn't very creative. I think about other Tower Defense games I've...

Pros: Star Defense Mission 2 is, yup, yet another tower defense game. If you're already sick of this genre, then stop reading right now and go download SpellTower or something, because SDM2 is definitely not going to blow your mindhole.

As TD games go, Star Defense Mission 2 is actually not bad. The graphics are decent, and the devs even bothered to put in a story! Bravo! Gameplay was smooth, and controls were solid. The game was put together well and has no glaring issues, but overall SDM2 really just comes up as an "eh, it's all right" type of game. The game will definitely satisfy your craving for TD, but it's really not all that different from your average TD game in the App Store.

Cons: The biggest knock I have on Star Defense Mission 2 is that it just wasn't very creative. I think about other Tower Defense games I've played, like Kingdom Rush, and SDM2 just doesn't even compare. There's no added excitement or anything special in SDM2 -- it's just your standard plop down some towers and wait to upgrade.

There's not that much variation in SDM2, either. You've got 3 types of towers that don't really upgrade that significantly. Your upgrades are actually quite unnoticeable, at least visually. And the maps... they all pretty much look and feel the same. Where's the excitement in that?

Pros: Grem Legends is a fun, arcade-style shooter reminiscent of the 1980's classic Atari game, Missile Command. Instead of blowing up missiles...

Cons: I wish there had been more story development to the game -- or any story development, really. I think putting in some context would have...

Pros: Grem Legends is a fun, arcade-style shooter reminiscent of the 1980's classic Atari game, Missile Command. Instead of blowing up missiles from your anti-missile stations, you're defending your city from hungry gremlins by deploying an archer heroine and powerful wizard. Overall, I thought the game was fun and well designed, with great art & animation and playful soundtrack.

Let's first talk about gameplay. While you can tell the game borrowed heavily from Missile Command, it's kind of good that it did. Why? Well, Missile Command was a great game. So if you had fun playing that, then you'll likely enjoy Grem Legends. The concept is the same -- but with a fun fantasy/medieval twist. Your archer fires arrows, and your wizard fires balls of pure magic that explode in mid-air. It's your basic test of trajectory/velocity anticipation -- do this well and you'll be hearing the sweet sounds of gremlins dying in agony. Muahaha. Do this wrong and you'll be hearing your town get crunched and munched to death -- not good.

The art style of the game was a good fit for the game's content. Something about the fantasy aspect of it really just clicked. I also enjoyed the little touches in animation, like when one of your heroes isn't up to bat and is just sitting on the sidelines. (Just watch the archer chillin' with her yo-yo.)

I also liked the characters themselves, even though there wasn't any character development. The archer reminds me a lot of Pixar's upcoming animated movie Brave, or if you've recently watched Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen. It just feels good to rock the bow and arrow! The wizard was all right, too.

Grem Legends' music and sound effects were also a great fit. Again, just another example of good pairings in this game.

Overall, I had fun with Grem Legends and hope to see more from the devs behind it.

Cons: I wish there had been more story development to the game -- or any story development, really. I think putting in some context would have just boosted the overall enjoyment of Grem Legends. It's kind of a shame since the characters looked pretty cool -- why not put a story behind them?

I also didn't like how you kind of just jump into the game and aren't really sure what the power-ups do or how to switch between heroes -- there's just no instruction unless you go to the help section of the menu. The game needs a way to quickly and easily introduce new players to the controls. Tons of games out there do this, and Grem Legends could certainly benefit from a quick in-game beginner tutorial.

There was also some lag to the game. When there were a bunch of enemies on screen, I felt my iPad chugging. Now this might be due to the fact that I'm playing on a 1st gen iPad, but still... it's not like there was 3D rendering or anything going on.

My final con isn't really a con... but more like a request. I wish there was an HD iPad version to the game! Would have been awesome, particularly for this style of game.

Pros: Spellsword is a great game, no questions about that. It's simple, but strangely addicting. Some combination of the throw-back retro...

Cons: There were a few minor bugs in the game (some text was off screen, enemies got stuck in certain places), but nothing that affects your game...

Pros: Spellsword is a great game, no questions about that. It's simple, but strangely addicting. Some combination of the throw-back retro graphics, chiptunes, and leveling up system just sucks you in and won't let you go! I really enjoyed playing this game, and I pretty much blew through it in a few, very enjoyable sittings.

First let's talk about the gameplay. There isn't a whole lot going on, as each world is confined to a simple screen with a few platforms. It's your typical platform jumping hack and slash. But! There are spell cards. Oooo. Haha, okay, maybe it's not that amazing, but something about the special abilities hidden behind each spell card, and the ability to upgrade these abilities really just plays on some core game mechanic string inside my gamer body. Do you remember designing games on pencil and paper when you were a little kid? Half the time I was drawing out awesome spells and upgrades (à la Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts). Why is it so fun to imagine fire and ice attacks that level up? I have no idea, but I can tell you that Spellsword has all of this and more, and it hooked me in immediately.

Controls were smooth, and I had no major issues there. The buttons were a tad too close to the center on my iPad, but the rest of the game more than makes up for that. I loved the double-jump spin move, and it made for really fun gameplay as you jump from one edge of the screen to the next to try and collect spell cards.

The variety in the game is right on. I could see the potential of getting bored, since you're playing the same level about 20 times, but with different challenges for each level and some cool items to unlock, you never really get tired of Spellsword. I also loved the humor that the developers inserted into the game -- that always keeps things fresh and shows that these guys had serious fun building the game.

Finally, content and value-wise, I was really pleased with Spellsword. With 3 levels and a 4th "coming soon", Spellsword has got it going on, all for just $0.99. You can't beat that.

Cons: There were a few minor bugs in the game (some text was off screen, enemies got stuck in certain places), but nothing that affects your game experience too much. Hopefully the developers can polish the game up in the next release.

I also felt that in the 2nd and 3rd worlds, items were unlocked way too quickly. I liked the pace of item unlocking in the 1st world. It provided just enough incentive to keep me hungry for more. But by the 2nd and 3rd worlds, it seemed like at every level I was unlocking some ring or amulet. It almost made these items seem a bit trivial.

Pros: I wanted to like ORDiNARiUM, I really did. The game has a lot going for it and seemed like it'd be right up my alley. Right as you fire up...

Cons: While the presentation of ORDiNARiUM was killer, the gameplay itself wasn't my favorite. The basic concept is that you're trying to feed...

Pros: I wanted to like ORDiNARiUM, I really did. The game has a lot going for it and seemed like it'd be right up my alley.

Right as you fire up the game (ignore the ad, ugh), you get that creepy, mysterious vibe going, as ORDiNARiUM's dark music and scenery really set the tone. Just check out the crazy font -- if that ain't creepy, I don't know what is. Add on the ominous descriptions before each level that hint at what's coming but still keep you guessing, and the game just sucks you in. It reminded me a bit of World of Goo, where you're not really sure what's going on, but you're eager to learn more and uncover the mystery.

ORDiNARiUM (man that's hard to type) also has some amazing artwork. A bit like the style of art in Sir Benfro's Brilliant Balloon, the art in the game catches your eye and is a departure from most mobile games out there. It's beautiful, and it complements the eery nature of the game perfectly.

Now, with all this said, you'd think this game would be pretty sick! But unfortunately, I just didn't fall in love with the gameplay or controls...

Cons: While the presentation of ORDiNARiUM was killer, the gameplay itself wasn't my favorite. The basic concept is that you're trying to feed your octopus-monster creature, while at the same time avoiding getting eaten yourself. You spin your monster around the screen to grab some food and avoid eating the bad stuff or getting munched on. While this was entertaining initially, I got bored of it. I was hoping for more of a puzzle game, similar to World of Goo. What I got was more of a casual game, and I felt like ORDiNARiUM really deserved more, particularly with its awesome artwork and mysterious presentation.

The controls were also troublesome. I'm not sure if it was my iPad (first gen), but everything seemed really choppy. Spinning your creature around wasn't smooth, and I felt like the creature jumped from one spot to the next, when I expected him to move continuously. This was tough to look past, as much of playing the game successfully is based on precision movement! Bummer.

Pros: Temple Run is one of those uber-popular games that you know you've just got to try. First of all, a bazillion people have downloaded it....

Cons: I didn't expect too much from a free, casual game, but I wish Temple Run had more variety -- in scenery, items, and achievements. As the...

Pros: Temple Run is one of those uber-popular games that you know you've just got to try. First of all, a bazillion people have downloaded it. Second, it's free. So why not give it a go?

Don't get me wrong. Temple Run isn't going to blow your mind. It's a casual running game. It's simple. There's not too much going on here. You're basically just jumping, sliding, and turning to avoid obstacles and go as far as you can. But... it's fun. You're not going to be sitting down and playing this for hours on end, but it's a good way to pass the time while you're on the train. And for this type of game, with decent graphics and smooth controls, it's pretty well made.

It's the little things. Like being connected to Game Center and showing your friends' furthest point in-game, providing a small nudge for competitive motivation. Or giving you a 3 second countdown after you un-pause in the middle of the game, so you're not thrown into the game abruptly. All of these little touches add up, and in the end you're left with an addicting, casual game you'll keep going back to when you're bored.

Cons: I didn't expect too much from a free, casual game, but I wish Temple Run had more variety -- in scenery, items, and achievements. As the game stands now, you can't play it for more than 5-10 minutes at a time. Your brain will go numb, seriously.

Temple Run would do well to mimic a Jetpack Joyride style of game mechanics and variety. It would make Temple Run infinitely better.

Pros: Unstoppable Jake was definitely cool in that it brought me back to those retro platforming days. With a nod to Commander Keen (remember...

Cons: Overall the game is just way too easy and short. With just 8 quick levels, I finished the game in about 15 minutes. Yeah, I get it, the...

Pros: Unstoppable Jake was definitely cool in that it brought me back to those retro platforming days. With a nod to Commander Keen (remember that kid??), Unstoppable Jake just seems like one of those games you'd find yourself firing up in MS-DOS back in the early 90s.

The game's got a story -- wow, a rarity these days! I really enjoyed the intro scene and how it sets the tone of the game and gets you excited for some retro gameplay. Controls are decent -- I particularly liked having the option to switch the size of the controls -- and movement is fluid. Content of the game is legit, with neat throwbacks like fake walls that lead you to more coins. Graphics and music are spot on, and overall the game does a superb job of transporting you to a simpler time, when games like this ate up your summer breaks.

Cons: Overall the game is just way too easy and short. With just 8 quick levels, I finished the game in about 15 minutes. Yeah, I get it, the developer wants you to buy more levels... but still, I expected a much more.

On its own, Unstoppable Jake is okay. Relative to other platformers, however, it flounders. I'd advise you to look elsewhere. There's just not enough challenge or content in this game to keep the player interested! Check out another platformer, namely, Gunman Clive, and you'll see what I mean.