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Few App Store ports have more history than the original Puzzle Quest [$4.99 / Lite]. It started its life back in 2007 on the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, then slowly made its way to other platforms over the years before finally winding up on the iPhone. The original release of the game sold for $9.99, and was host to a number of game breaking bugs ranging from incredibly blurry graphics to players just flat out randomly losing their progress. 1.1 was released shortly thereafter, and as a bit of a consolation prize to early adopters, an entire additional episode of content was later bundled in as a free update. After that, a third episode was eventually offered as a DLC pack, but still, Puzzle Quest was never a very good port.

So because of all the lackluster developments with the original Puzzle Quest on the iPhone, I admittedly was not expecting much at all from the iPad version… But how very wrong I was. Puzzle Quest HD [$4.99] is without a doubt the definitive version of the game. To make things even sweeter, it even comes bundled with all three episodes of content for five measly dollars. This not only makes Puzzle Quest HD the best version of the game, but also the cheapest.

Blurry graphics and weird performance issues have been replaced by crisp iPad-resolution interface elements, text, and puzzle pieces. Really, the only negative I can even find is that the game seems to prefer you to tap pieces to swap them around instead of swiping like most match threes, but this only took a few moments to get used to before I was in complete Puzzle Quest bliss.

Puzzle Quest HD is a natural fit for the iPad. It looks great, it plays great, and is going to keep me busy for quite some time. I'm not really sure if the HD version is worth rebuying, especially if you've already played through it on another platform, but for me Puzzle Quest is just one of those games I can play again and again.

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If you're lucky enough to live in New Zealand, these games are already all available. Otherwise, as the world turns and it slowly becomes Thursday in your neck of the woods, all of these games should appear for download on the App Store. For those of us who get our games from the US App Store, this means 11:00 PM EST tonight, or earlier if you're east of us.

Reckless Racing, $2.99 [Forum Thread] – We've had our hands all over Reckless Racing when it was previously known as Deliverace. The project got picked up by EA Mobile, and has seen several substantial improvements including multiple gameplay modes and even online multiplayer. Reckless Racing HD [$4.99] is also coming to the iPad, if you prefer your racin' on the big screen.

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Angry Birds Halloween, 99¢ [Forum Thread] – Rovio Mobile is apparently abandoning Chillingo with this self-published Halloween themed version of Angry Birds. 45 levels are included along with a new story of the golden egg of terror, and there's plenty of pumpkins to smash. Much like the original Angry Birds an iPad version is available in a separate download as Angry Birds Halloween HD [$1.99].

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Samurai II: Vengeance, $2.99 [Forum Thread] – This universal ultra-gory hack and slash is also being released tonight, and with how great the original looked, I really can't wait to see this game in action on the iPad. They're even promising 60 FPS frame rates at Retina Display resolutions on newer devices.

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Other games being released tonight include Gameloft's Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus HD [$9.99] and a sequel to Namco's Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima [$4.99 / Lite] cleverly titled More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima [$4.99]. Keep an eye out for more coverage and reviews on these games later this evening.

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This isn't the first time that the soundtracks from iPhone games have been sold on iTunes, but this is the first compilation of indie iPhone music that I've seen that has been sold as an album. Atomicon's 1337 Mobile Game Music! Volume 1, aside from having some seriously awesome album art, also has some pretty great tracks:

1. Rocket Ride from Spazzle II
2. Battle Against the World from StarDunk
3. Galcon Theme from Galcon
4. iBlast Moki Theme 1 from iBlast Moki
5. Abduction from Marblenauts
6. Compression Theme from Compression
7. GeoSpark Theme from GeoSpark
8. iBlast Moki Theme 2 from iBlast Moki
9. Lift Me Up from Super 7
10. Pork Pie In The Sky from Spazzle II
11. Training from StarDunk

All too often it seems that we just take the background music of these games for granted (or just flat out play with it off), and it's cool to see the musicians of these indie iPhone games getting a little extra recognition. The whole album is available on iTunes for $9.99 or as individual tracks for 99¢.

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As someone who was completely engrossed in the console wars of the 16 bit era, I took great pride in boasting about all the things Sega did that Nintendon't. (Of course as soon as I discovered RPG's on the SNES I flip flopped, but I digress.) The original Sonic the Hedgehog was an amazing game, and the rest of the series on the Genesis was just as good, if not better as they introduced both Tails and Knuckles. Unfortunately, with the advent of 3D gaming came 3D Sonic, and since then Sonic games haven't really been the same. Sure, there have been some fantastic 2D Sonic games for handhelds (the Gameboy Advance ones were particularly good), but the flagship Sonic games have been bad for years. That is, until today.

Sonic 4 [$9.99] has likely been in development for quite some time now, but was only first announced in late 2009 as the cryptic "Project Needlemouse" which was later revealed to be a return to classic 2D Sonic gameplay. Since then, the Sega hype machine has been in full force releasing various mysterious updates to the Sonic 4 web site, teaser trailers, screenshots, and development delays. In other words, Sonic 4 has a lot to live up to.

Sonic 4 is being released in episodes, with today's release as the first installment. Episode 1 comes packed with four zones: Splash Hill Zone, Lost Labyrinth Zone, Casino Street Zone, and Mad Gear Zone. Each of these zones are flavored with themes from classic levels of Sonic's past, with Splash Hill and Casino Street by far being the most memorable. Each zone is host to three acts and a boss fight. After beating the zone's boss, you unlock Time Attack mode which switches the game in to what Sonic games are best at: Going as fast as possible. Also worth mentioning are the two levels that are exclusive to the iPhone, but until the other versions of the game come out it remains to be seen how much different these exclusive portions are.

Controls are surprisingly decent for a game series originally designed with a physical controller in mind. By default you use a virtual joystick of sorts and a single button which handles everything else. Alternatively, a tilt control mode is included, but I found touch controls to feel far more natural. Like previous Sonic games, you can spin dash, and Sonic 4 implements a new lock on system of sorts which targets enemies and obstacles you can jump on to. When the game targets something, tapping jump sends Sonic shooting that direction, allowing you to precisely bounce off multiple enemies with ease.

Since Sonic games are all about speed, performance is arguably just as important as gameplay. Because of this, I busted out my entire library of iOS devices to see just how good of a job Sega did at optimizing Sonic 4 for the iPhone. After syncing the device to everything from the original iPhone to the iPad and iPhone 4, I'm more than a little surprised by the results. Performance obviously suffers with older devices, but Sonic 4 is completely playable even on the original iPhone. Oddly enough, the 3rd generation iPod touch seems to boast the highest frame rate, followed by the iPad pixel doubled, then the iPhone 4.

The level design is classic Sonic, with tons of loops, corkscrews, rings, recognizable power ups, and bonus stages. While Sega seems to have succeeded in bringing back the classic Sonic feel, the content included in the first episode seems like a tease after so much waiting. Sonic 4 is a ton of fun, but it's over before you know it, and without online leaderboards of any kind, I'm not sure how much appeal there will be in replaying levels for higher scores or lower times.

While the performance is certainly good enough to be fun, it's nowhere near the solid 60 FPS I had hoped for– even on newer devices and to make things worse, Retina Display support is nowhere to be found. The first episode of Sonic 4 will also be available on the Wii via WiiWare, the Xbox 360 via XBOX Live Arcade, and the PS3 via PSN in the next couple days. So, if you own any of those systems, you can consider waiting to see how those versions of the game are reviewed, especially considering the fact that Sonic 4 will be in 1080p on both the PS3 and 360. Otherwise, if you're looking for a very fun taste of what a Sonic game should be like on the iPhone, we recommend Sonic 4… Just be fully aware that it will likely leave you unsatisfied with an intense longing for the release of the next episode, and I'm not entirely sure if that's a good thing or not.

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It's been a while since we've posted a whole mess of HD games for our iPad readers to sink their teeth in to. We've taken a look at the iPhone counterpart of all of these games before, and while most of them only have a few features with mentioning that are exclusive to the iPad (aside from high-resolution graphics), the wait is over if you've been holding out for a HD release.

Ninjatown: Trees Of Doom! HD!, $2.99 We had a great time with the iPhone version of this game when we reviewed it, and the iPad game comes with the same great ninja jumping gameplay that any fan of see how far you can climb games like Doodle Jump will love. One thing that made Ninjatown awesome on the iPhone was its crisp cartoony graphics which turn in to a blurry mess when run at 2x mode on the iPad, a problem that has since been solved by this HD release.

Cubed Rally Racer HD, $1.99 I still play Cubed Rally Racer a ton after our overwhelmingly positive review of the game, and since the tracks in the game are completely randomized, it really never gets old. Cubed Rally Racer HD is the same game with one major difference: Split screen multiplayer. The non-HD version looks OK running at 2x mode, but if you’ve found yourself enjoying single device multiplayer as much as I have on the iPad, you’ll have a ton of fun playing split screen.

Skee-Ball HD, $1.99 Apply the incredibly recognizable brand name of Skee-Ball to Gravek’s 10 Balls 7 Cups, and you’ve got a game that has spent nearly as much time on the best selling lists as Doodle Jump, Pocket God, and other classics. The HD release comes with the same ball rolling gameplay along with four optional DLC packs to customize the lanes and balls.

Zentomino HD, Free Little White Bear Studios’ released the iPhone version of Zentomino early last year, and the HD version plays identical with one major difference- It’s totally free with optional level packs available via in-app purchase if you find yourself wanting more after playing through the included levels. Definitely grab this one, especially if you share your iPad with kids, since the game is simple enough for everyone to enjoy.

Land Air Sea Warfare HD, $9.99 It’s extremely rare to find a realtime strategy game on the iPhone that’s fun to play due to just how much is going on in your typical RTS which doesn’t really lend itself to the limitations of a small touchscreen to control the battle. Land Air Sea Warfare blew us away in our review, providing an excellent pocketable RTS experience. The HD version is even better, and it works so well that playing it will really make you crave ports of RTS classics like StarCraft or the Warcraft series on the iPad more than ever.

Highborn HD, $2.99 There’s quite a few good turn-based strategy games on the App Store, but Highborne is one of the great ones. We really liked the gameplay, graphics, and everything else in our initial review of the iPhone version. Much like Land Air Sea Warfare, Highborne HD is a little bit easier to control on the large screen of the iPad and looks great in high resolution.

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We're not sure what has possessed the publishers of dozens of amazing iPhone games to decide that tonight was the night to hold a massive sale — but it's happened. And you can benefit from it.

A huge number of high profile games have dropped in price to all time lows. The number of high quality games you can pick up for $0.99 right now is amazing. We hand picked a few to highlight here, but below we've listed dozens more. Every game on this list is worth the sale price, so now's your chance.

A few notable games dropping to $0.99 include:

Osmos, $0.99 Osmos was originally released in late August of 2009 for the PC, and went on to win numerous awards. The multi-touch controls work wonderfully on the platform and it’s a natural fit for the iPhone. We highly recommend picking this one up. Review

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, $0.99 We choose Tiger Style Games’ Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor for our 2009 Game of the Year. Spider is an original concept built specifically for the iPhone by a small self funded team. Review

2K Sports NHL 2K11, $0.99 It wouldn’t be hard for NHL 2K11 to claim the title of best ice hockey game on the iPhone, since the competition is sorely lacking. But it surprisingly goes above and beyond and offers a truly full-fledged NHL experience on a mobile platform. Review

Archetype, $0.99 Archetype delivers one of the most robust, beautiful, and most importantly fun first person shooter (FPS) experiences that can be had on the iPhone. Review

Here's the rest of the list, grouped by price. Unfortunately, this appears to be an iPhone / iPod Touch phenomenon mostly. Only two games (marked below) are iPad native.

$0.99

• Civilization Revolution ($6.99 -> $0.99)
• Soccer Superstars ($2.99 -> $0.99)
• 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011 ($4.99 -> $0.99)
• Baseball Superstars 2010 ($2.99 -> $0.99)
• Need for Speed Shift ($6.99 -> $0.99)
• Bookworm ($2.99 -> $0.99)
• Geometry Wars: Touch ($4.99 -> $0.99) Universal
• Puzzle Agent ($4.99 -> $0.99)
• Monkey Island 2 Special Edition ($2.99 -> $0.99)
• The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition ($2.99 -> $0.99)
• Doom II RPG ($3.99 -> $0.99)
• Assassin's Creed II ($5.99 -> $0.99)
• Zombie Infection ($2.99 -> $0.99)
• Peggle ($2.99 -> $0.99)

$1.99

• Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• Risk: The official Game ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• Hybrid 2: Saga of Nostalgia ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• Zenonia 2 ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• Mirror's Edge ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• ACE Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• Myst ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• Doom Resurrection ($6.99 -> $1.99)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ($5.99 -> $1.99)
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• NCAA Football by EA Sports ($4.99 -> $1.99)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert ($4.99 -> $1.99)

$2.99+

• NFL 2011 ($4.99 -> $2.99)
• Real Racing ($4.99 -> $2.99)
• Call of Duty Zombies ($9.99 -> $4.99)
• Call of Duty Zomies HD ($9.99 -> $4.99) iPad Only
• FIFA 10 by EA Sports ($6.99 -> $4.99)

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A little more than a month ago, iPhone giant Gameloft first announced a sequel to Gangstar: West Coast Hustle [$4.99 / Free / HD], an open-world crime game which we liked quite a bit in our review despite a few disappointments. Gangstar: Miami Vindication [$6.99] was released this evening, and while several of our annoyances from the first have been tweaked or massaged to be less problematic, there's still a few things keeping Miami Vindication from being our favorite thug simulator.

Much like the original, Gangstar: Miami Vindication features a full city to explore, a wide variety of vehicles to steal, weapons ranging from baseball bats to flame throwers, and a heap of missions to complete. (75 to be exact.) The game plays exactly how you'd expect it to play if you've ever played a Grand Theft Auto or similar type of open world crime game. You can play through the series of missions which vary wildly from something as simple to going to a particular point in the city to stealing a specific car or even racing. Alternatively, you can just disregard the missions entirely and instead just drive around the city, stealing cars, running from the police, or really doing whatever you feel like doing.

While there isn't a whole lot of innovation to be found in Miami Vindication, it has been improved in some ways over the original. For instance, the game is fully voiced over and the voice acting actually seems to be a little better than your typical Gameloft game– at least for major characters. Gameloft also has been boasting the fact that the game was written in part by one of the writers from the TV show The Wire. This story consists of dabbling in the various sectors of the Miami criminal underground on the hunt for your missing brother. I don't see it winning any awards, but by and large the dialog in Miami Hustle is substantially less cringeworthy than West Coast Hustle.

Controls seem to be a lot tighter than the original, offering three different options: Tilt, a virtual steering wheel, and a slider which I've found myself preferring. When on a motorcycle, tilting your device back and forth executes wheelies and stoppies although riding a wheelie for any length of time usually seems to result in a spectacular crash. Lighting is improved as well, resulting in some fairly spectacular views during sunset and sunrise as the entire city is bathed in warm sunlight.

Unfortunately, even though the lighting is better, Miami Vindication is home to some heinously low polygon models. Cars look decent, but character models look absolutely dreadful. Animations are extremely limited, faces lack depth, there are no fingers to be found anywhere, and no lips move when anyone speaks. Instead, they just flail their arms about and bop their heads back and forth. With how much of the game is spent watching two characters talk to each other, this soon becomes incredibly distracting.

The draw distance is decent, but pop-in is considerable. You can see buildings and terrain from far away, but trees and other small details all appear incredibly close to your character. Much like the original Gangstar, the city of Miami in Miami Vindication is terribly barren. Only a few cars will ever appear on screen at once, and pedestrians are rare as can be. Everything feels entirely too clean and empty. Gameloft did implement some varied areas to the city instead of being totally metropolitan, but all the subareas all feel equally lonely and empty.

If you can get past the relatively sparse graphical environment, there really isn't anything else like Miami Vindication on the App Store. Riding around on motorcycles and boats is a lot of fun, and if you can find a helicopter, flying around the city is really pretty cool. I still prefer Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars [$9.99 / Free / HD], but if you don't like the top-down view and want a full 3D experience, Gangstar: Miami Vindication is worth exploring.

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Open world crime games have been incredibly popular for years now, so it wasn't much of a surprise to see Gameloft release Gangstar: West Coast Hustle [$4.99 / Free / HD] which we liked quite a bit in our review. Following the success of Gangstar, Rockstar threw its hat in to the ring with Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars [$9.99 / Free / HD] which really upped the ante with a real Grand Theft Auto experience with all the depth and complexity that players have come to expect of the series. It's going to be interesting to see what Gameloft includes in the Gangstar sequel to one-up Rockstar, but the good news is we won't have to wait much longer as Miami Vindication is set to be released on the 23rd.

If you're like us and are looking forward to stealing virtual cars on the streets of Gameloft's version of Miami, check out this new trailer:

Something that immediately pops out is how low polygon count everything is, but it remains to be seen how noticeable this is when you're actually playing the game. Thankfully, we don't have much longer to wait, and we should have a review available as soon as Gangstar: Miami Vindication hits the App Store late tomorrow night.

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Capcom's Street Fighter IV [$9.99] not only is proving to be a fantastic fighter for the iPhone, but also one of the best supported games we've seen from big-name developers who historically haven't had that great of a track record when it comes to free content updates. We loved the game when it was first released, as evident in our review. Since then, both Cammy and Zangief have been added, and this most recent update includes E.Honda and C.Viper. Each come with two costumes, their own associated set of moves, and combos to master. Also included are some new costumes for Ryu and Chun-Li available via in-app purchase.

If you haven't picked up Street Fighter IV yet, now is a fantastic time to get on board. Capcom did an amazing job adapting the controls to the touchscreen of the iPhone, the graphics look great, and you really can't argue about four additional characters being added since release for free. Hopefully Capcom keeps the update train rolling.

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