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Mobigame's Edge [$2.99] is a game that really shouldn't need an introduction if you follow the App Store gaming scene at all. In a nutshell, it's an incredibly fun minimalistic 3D platformer that seems to be almost universally loved by anyone who tries it. Mobigame was the target of a completely ridiculous trademark battle that went on for entirely too long which resulted in the game being pulled from the App Store. Recently it returned, and mere moments ago it was updated to version 1.5 which among other tweaks adds Retina Display graphics and universal compatibility for the iPad.

Check out the trailer, if you haven't seen it yet:

Now is as good of a time as ever to download Edge, or if it's just been sitting in your iTunes library (It has been out for quite a while, after all.) make sure you update it and re-sync it to your Retina Display device or iPad to check out the new high resolution graphics.

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The Lego games have been insanely popular on the PC and home consoles, which in turn has spawned an entire bookshelf full of Lego games from a ton of different intellectual properties. Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and even Batman have all been the recipients of Lego games in the past. As silly as it sounds, the Lego gimmick is actually a lot of fun as every game involves some kind of building, smashing, and lots of 3D action.

We just got word from Warner Brothers that they're bringing LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 to the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad in the not too distant future. The game already exists for pretty much every platform capable of running a 3D game, and it only makes sense for it to wind up on the App Store as well, especially with the impending release of the next installment of the Harry Potter movie series. Other versions of the game have been well received by the gaming media, so if the port to iOS devices is good, we should be in for a really fun time.

No word yet on a specific release date, but since the movie is coming out on the 19th, I'd guess LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 will be available somewhere around or before then. I've got my fingers crossed that the game does well, especially if it means they'd bring the rest of the Lego action adventure games over to the App Store. The console game supports split screen multiplayer, and while Warner Brothers hasn't mentioned any multiplayer plans for iOS devices, the thought of Game Center-powered online coop Lego games has me really excited, regardless of how unlikely its inclusion may be.

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It seems like everyone is building freemium games for the iOS platform these days, and Capcom is no exception. Their recently released Lil' Pirates [Free], Capcom Arcade [Free], and now Smurf's Village [Free] all are utilizing the free to play model. The premise of Smurf's Village is fairly simple, Gargamel (the bad guy from the series if Smurfs if before your time) found the Smurf's home, sending them scattering. Papa Smurf rounded up all the smurfs and broke ground on a new smurf village, which just so happens to be what you're in charge of building.

First off, as far as retro charm and overwhelming nostalgia is concerned, Smurf's Village couldn't be more spot-on. If you watched Smurfs as a kid, you're going to be blown away by just how good everything looks, especially on the Retina Display. The increased pixel density makes all the sprites and animations that make up the game look incredible, and almost make you forget that you're playing a typical freemium farming game… At least for a little bit.

The problem with Smurf's Village is that for all its retro appeal, at the end of the day, it's just another farming game complete with a horrid withering mechanic to keep you coming back to the game or else your crops will die. Also, like most of these free to play game, it encourages you to build a massive network of friends building their own Smurfville, but it depends on Facebook to do so. This is a major pet peeve of mine since I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, and don't want to invite random Smurf's Village players in to my personal social networks just so we can play an iPhone game together. I was really hoping the advent of Game Center would push developers away from Facebook dependency.

Also, smurfberries, the freemium currency used to speed things up and buy premium items in game seem to be a little too close to a required resource if you really want to enjoy Smurf's Village. They're also incredibly expensive, with smurfberries coming in packs starting at $4.99 and incrementing all the way up to $59.99. You can gain smurfberries in game, but they're incredibly rare, and if you want to complete your smurf town you're going to basically be required to spend at least $12 to get the required amount to buy additional buildings.

Truly the most confusing thing about Smurf's Village is why Capcom chose to save all of your data locally. If you delete your game, your smurf village is gone, including any in-app purchases you made of smurfberries. Also, even though the game is universal, no cloud save storage means no cross-device syncing, so you're always stuck playing the game on the device you start on.

Basically, it comes down to this: If you grew up on the Smurfs, you need to download Smurf's Village just to check out how well Capcom nailed the look and feel of the game. Playing through the tutorial introduces some other smurfs, shows you the mini-games, and really just makes you wish they used that talent to build anything that wasn't a cookie cutter freemium farming game with withering. Otherwise, steer clear of this game. There are other freemium games like Pocket Frogs [Free] or Gun Bros [Free] that not only don't require Facebook but also offer much better gameplay that actually feel like you're playing a game instead of a blatant attempt to push you in to buying massive amounts of in-app currency.

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Bored of zombies yet? Hey, AMC's TV series "The Walking Dead" got me back into the undead, too. You know, reader, you and I share a lot in common. I feel like we should get closer, perhaps share a few drinks later tonight. What do you say?

Oh, right, tired of zombies? Hey, you're not! Great. Glad we established that because another zombie game is loose on the App Store. It's called Stenches: A Zombie Tale of Trenches [$1.99] and, if the name didn't tip you off already, it's being created by Thunder Game Works, the dudes responsible for 2009's lovely surprise, Trenches [$1.99, Lite].

Trenches, much like Stenches, is a horizontal tower defense game that has you beating back hordes of baddies while plowing forward and using trenches as cover. A deep-enough weapons upgrade system and the inclusion of enemies with odd weaknesses to said upgrades fleshed out the game, which quickly became a favorite of mine.

Players of Trenches will be right at home with Stenches, as the only substantial difference between Stenches and Trenches appears to be in the usage of zombies: Stenches features nothing but these oft-used monstrosities as your enemy, apparently, whereas Trenches featured just a single, endless Nazi zombie-filled mode.

Stenches boasts over 200 levels and features some boss fights across four different levels. Trenches' infinite mode also makes a return in Stenches, allowing you to kill until you drop (and then rise again; zombies, get it?). Stenches also supports Game Center currently and will be updated by Thunder Game Works with new features and whatnot, including co-op and competitive modes, as well as new boss monsters. Also, it has cowbell. No joke (I think).

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We loved Beyond Ynth [$3.99 / HD] in our review, but went as far as to mention the fact that the game can be frustrating in the review title. Don't get me wrong, I love a good puzzle game that can leave me stumped at times, but needing to redo entire levels due to minor errors in execution caused my shiny new iPhone 4 to nearly become an airborne projectile more times than I'd care to admit. Before I get ahead of myself, here is a brief overview of the gameplay poached from our review:

Kribl (the bug you play as) will start at one side of a level and use a series of boxes to get to the exit on the other side. Boxes come in various shapes and sizes, and once you crawl inside of one you can tilt the box over by pushing on one of the inner walls. You'll “roll” these boxes by tilting them over and over to progress through the level. The puzzle element in Beyond Ynth comes from being able to align the openings of the boxes together so you can make your way from one to the other without accidentally getting yourself stuck. You must also think ahead in order to properly deal with the environmental hazards and other various objects present in each of the levels.

The gameplay mechanics work well, but later levels are incredibly brutal, and to say they test your patience is an understatement. FDG Entertainment thankfully came to the realization that the game could still be fun and difficult without being frustrating by introducing a new rewind system. When the upcoming 1.1 update lands, players will be able to rewind back up to a minute of play. Fall in some lava? No big deal, just hit rewind. They even have an awesome VHS-style effect when you do it:

The only catch? Your score gets reset to 0 as soon as you tap the rewind button. Otherwise, you can rewind whenever you want, as much as you want, with the only limit being that you can only go back up to a minute. I think this is a great compromise, because hardcore types shooting for high scores can still do that, and people like me, who just want to have fun playing through the game don't need to shout a series of expletives when I fall in lava inches from the level goal. In addition, 1.1 will come with Game Center support and onboard videos that show the solutions to the levels if you find yourself really stumped.

1.1 has already been submitted, and according to FDG, its release is "imminent".

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One Man Left says that 500,000 people have downloaded Tilt To Live [$.99, Lite], the studio's tilt-controlled top-down, dual-stick-ish shooter. This means there's still more room for the game to be adopted by others, and in an attempt to grab even more fans for the mega popular game, One Man Left has released a Lite version on the App Store that you can check out now.

It's hard for me to tell what exactly has been removed from this Lite version since I suck at Tilt to Live proper and am not faring much better in this version. But on the info page for the free version, One Man notes that owners should "Be sure to try our full version for even more insane weapons and unique gametypes." Some further investigation shows that this lite version is very similar to the default demo version of Tilt to Live HD [free] before you unlock the rest of the game via in-app purchase. You can play the standard game mode with a basic load-out of weapons and that's about it. The additional unlockable weaponry and extra game modes (all of which are a ton of fun) are only available in the full version of the game.

Tilt To Live, if you don't get the indication from the sales number mentioned above, is good. Here at TouchArcade, we lauded its mechanics and points of thoughtful design, particularly when it comes to the strategy of mixing and matching of weapons to get something done. But, hey, you don't need a review now, right? Give it a spin yourself and decide if it's radical or not.

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Big Bucket Software's The Incident [$1.99, Lite] is a pixel-art powered junk climbing game that we enjoyed quite a bit in our review. And while Big Bucket could just ride out the wave of sales and positive response and then start full-on developing a sequel, it appears to be doing quite the opposite: putting more into The Incident. In fact, the team is readying a crazy update for the game that will make it possible to play via a TV. No, for real.

A recent post on Big Bucket's blog teases this cross-compatibility, which requires an iPad and an iPhone. According to the post, this update (which will be 1.3 if you're keeping score at home) will allow you to plug your iPad running The Incident into a TV as if it were an input device. Then, with a game-connected iPhone, you'll be able to control the action in the game as if the phone were an Xbox 360 controller.

The best part about all of this? Big Bucket has fiddled with the game's visuals to make sure they'll accommodate widescreen on our huge and ridiculous HDTVs. It's the future, guys. The future.

As the blog post notes, you'll have to own an iPad Dock Connector to VGA to make this work, or if testing goes well, an Apple component AV Cable. Also, note that this setup doesn't require you to touch your iPad beyond plugging it into your TV — this is all controller, babe. Like I said, the future. Keep it up, Big Bucket!

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Announced just a few days ago, Hooga is an upcoming action-platformer developed by iQuilibrium Studios and published by Chillingo. Being a huge fan of the Turbografx-16 and its flagship Bonk series, I couldn't help but think of Bonk when I watched the trailer for Hooga. The game will take place 4 across different environments that include grasslands, jungle, glaciers, and desert. More than 40 different enemy types and 16 bosses will try to impede your progress during play.

Check out the trailer and screens for Hooga below (click images to enlarge):

Perhaps what I was most impressed with from the video is the seemingly large array of moves and weaponry at your disposal in Hooga. Knives, axes, stones, boomerangs, and torches will all be part of your arsenal. Crystal will be integrated for leaderboard and achievement purposes as well. We don't have any more details for Hooga and a release date isn't set yet, but you can join the discussion of the game in our forums and we'll be keeping our eye out for Hooga hopefully in the near future.

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New from the developer who brought us Canabalt [$2.99] and Gravity Hook HD [$2.99] comes SteamBirds [99¢/HD], an iOS port of the Flash game of the same name. Like Semi Secret's other games, SteamBirds takes an incredibly simple game mechanic and marries it with high quality presentation. At its core, SteamBirds is a turn-based strategy game featuring dogfighting aircraft from a top-down perspective. In an alternate history where a scientist accidentally discovers cold fusion in the mid-19th century, this new technology is used to create high-velocity steam-powered weapons on airplanes. These planes are then deployed into combat to complete the 21 missions in SteamBirds.

Controlling your fleet of planes in SteamBirds is simple, and a nice tutorial during the first few levels explains all of the ins and outs. A small line sticks out from the front of your aircraft which represents the distance that each plane can travel per turn. Touching and dragging the arrow at the end of this line changes the direction of your plane's flight path. The enemy aircraft will travel around each level, and the strategy lies in deciding the best course for each of the planes in your fleet in order to intercept and destroy the enemy while taking as little damage as possible. In addition to the regular flight path, you can choose to use one with a longer distance or defensive properties as special moves with limited use in between turns.

The gameplay in SteamBirds works really well, and although it looks and sounds overly simplistic there is actually a ton of strategy needed to complete each level. The game starts of fairly easy, but quickly ramps up to dogfights with many planes to manage onscreen at once. There is also a star rating system for every level based on how much damage you take during battle, and it will take some serious skill to get 4 stars for every level. Also, since it is available on both iPhone and iPad there is the ability to transfer your progress from one device to the next if you ever feel the need to do so.

I've been having a ton of fun with SteamBirds so far, and the impressions in our forums have been really positive as well. At the very least I would suggest trying out the free Flash version of SteamBirds, as it's nearly identical to the iOS version gameplay-wise and gives you a great idea of what to expect.

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Free is a good thing. If I didn't dig around in Salvation Army dumpsters, for example, I wouldn't be wearing these hip and slightly soiled boxer shorts right now. The App Store is kinda like a better version of my SA dumpster. The smell is superior, no doubt, and more to the point, the App Store offers better and more useable free things. And since it's been awhile since we've last gave you a rundown of what's out and free, I'd go ahead and write something up today. Maybe you'll find something that tickles you as much as these boxers tickle me.

Lil' Pirates from Capcom Mobile

Lil' Pirates [free] is an isometric loot-snagging game. You play as a boat's captain, and it's your job to assemble a crew, take charge during pirate ship attacks, and upgrade your boat and crew. I can't think of a direct point of comparison for this game, but within minutes of play, I think I can see the freemium catch: you need gold to do anything and if you haven't plundered lately (it cost gold to even travel), well, you'll be needing to raid ye' old Capcom store for more.

Touch Pets Cats from ngmoco

If you've played Touch Pets Dogs [free], you'll be right at home with this one. In Touch Pets Cats [free], you're a proud owner of one of five adoptable breeds of cat. And as this owner, you'll be responsible for petting, feeding, and cleaning up poop, as well as decorating your own house. Touch Pets Cats has an in-game economy like most freemium titles, and for a price, you'll be able to increase the amounts of coins you receive by purchasing catnip.

Trade Nations from Amplified Games

Trade Nations [free] is your basic simulation / town romp, with the added bonus of a cool art style. In the game, you're responsible for a village that will eventually grow to a town via your purchasing and decision-making prowess. You can buy buildings and decorations, make villagers perform jobs that make your economy roll, and you can even specialize and sell off your resources at a premium to other nations.

Gun Bros from Glu Games

Gun Bros [free] isn't new, but I thought you'd like to know that a new update is available. Version 1.1.0 adds Game Center leaderboards, supports retina display, and addresses several bugs that plagued the original release. If you ran in to any issues that made you fed up with Gun Bros, it might be worth a second chance.

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