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Flower Garden [$1.99 / Lite] is one of those lean back experiences with a game-like structure. It’s like Harvest Moon, minus all the cows, the babies, the towns, and the magical fairies. And if you’ll excuse me for a second, Flower Garden has been blossoming over the last several updates into a more satisfying experience. For example, in the latest update, more Game Center achievements, leaderboards, and a new garden were added.

So, sure, it’s not a game-game, but it’s a thing that is evolving into a different thing and people are still digging it despite lacking cool stuff like gore, cursing, and guns.

Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads-up about the game in case you wanted to grab it today. Developer Snappy Touch has put it up for free starting today until this Valentine’s Day. So, even if you’re just a little interested in the title, this week would be as good, if not better, than most to give it a look or two.

Also, you can gift in-game bouquets to people that you picked and grew yourself via e-mail. Wait until Eli sees what I got coming to him. I’m hoping to win him over here. Think this'll make him be my valentine?

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Drop whatever you are doing and head over to the App Store right now. This is not a drill. There are some pretty crazy Valentine's Day sales going on right now, but this… this is beyond crazy. World of Goo HD [Link] for the iPad, the same World of Goo HD that we gave a glowing five star review to and chose as our 2010 iPad Game of the Year, is currently being sold for just under a dollar. We thought World of Goo HD was a bargain at its original price of $9.99, and a must buy when it dropped to $4.99 last month, but at 99¢ you should basically just shift into "click buy button" mode.

If you still need convincing, there is a forum thread full of positive impressions from our members. Honestly though, when a game that is the caliber of World of Goo HD can be purchased for money that is likely swimming around in your couch cushions, it should be a no-brainer. If you own an iPad and don't own World of Goo HD, buy it immediately. If you don't own an iPad buy it anyway, so that in the event that you do get an iPad sometime in the future you'll be prepared. Better hurry though, as the sale will only last for one day and the clock is already ticking. Now, go!

App Store Link: World of Goo HD, $0.99 (iPad Only)

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Add another developer to the Valentine's Day sale bandwagon, as Namco is now offering a huge selection of their iOS games at discounted rates. I honestly don't remember Valentine's Day being such a big deal before, but with EA, Capcom, Sega, and countless smaller developers using the holiday as an excuse to release special Valentine's themes or have sales, it looks like we can expect this sort of thing going forward. Have a look at what Namco is offering on discount, separated by price for your perusing pleasure (asterisks denote in-app purchase prices):

$4.99

• Puzzle Quest 2, (Universal)

$3.99

• TIME CRISIS 2ND STRIKE HD *, (iPad Only)
• The Stroke of Midnight *, (iPad Only)

$2.99

• i Love Katamari
• ACE COMBAT Xi Skies of Incursion
• PAC-MAN Championship Edition
• RIDGE RACER ACCELERATED
• TIME CRISIS 2ND STRIKE
• House of Glass *, (iPad Only)
• Lost in Time: The Clockwork Tower *, (iPad Only)

$1.99

• PAC-MAN
• PAC-MAN for iPad, (iPad Only)
• Ms. PAC-MAN
• Mishap
• Mishap for iPad, (iPad Only)
• More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima
• More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima HD, (iPad Only)

99¢

• Time Crisis Strike
• Galaga REMIX
• DigDug REMIX
• PAC-MAN REMIX
• NOBY NOBY BOY, (Universal)
• AVATWEE
• PAC-CHAIN Compact
• PAC-CHAIN, (iPad Only)
• PAC-ATTACK
• SPLATTERHOUSE
• PAC-MANIA
• Isaac Newton's Gravity
• Mr. Driller
• Pole Position: Remix
• Star Trigon
• Tamagotchi: 'Round the World

Whew! That's a big list. In other Namco-related news, the Valentine's Day skin for Pac-Man has gone live as a free update for that game, and his lady friend has appeared on the iPad as Ms. Pac-Man for iPad [$4.99], as we told you about earlier this week. The Namco Valentine's Day sale will run through the holiday on February 14th and well into the day on February 15th, so there should be ample time to decide which of these titles are deserving of your money.

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Back in the early and mid-90s, NBA Jam exploded in popularity in arcades and on home consoles everywhere with its over-the-top take on NBA basketball. Throwing down monster dunks, catching fire, and trash talking your opponent were all things that made NBA Jam such a blast back then, and that core entertainment was successfully transitioned into the franchise reboot that hit consoles in late 2010. Now an iOS version of NBA Jam [$4.99] based on the 2010 console version has hit the App Store, and despite a couple of omissions it overwhelmingly satisfies in every way if you were ever a fan of the original NBA Jam series.

The familiar NBA Jam gameplay returns here featuring a relatively rule-free game of 2-on-2 basketball with an emphasis on pulling off insane physics-defying dunks and ridiculous shooting sprees. Besides adhering to a 24 second shot clock and a no goaltending rule, pretty much anything goes in NBA Jam. Any player that makes 3 consecutive shots will then be “on fire” and during this time will make a higher percentage of shots, have unlimited turbo, and be immune to the goaltending rule. If you’ve played NBA Jam in the past, not a lot has changed here, but that’s most likely for the best.

Visually the game looks stunning on iOS. The original NBA Jam was the first sports game to use character sprites that were digitized versions of real life players. The new NBA Jam takes this a step further, using 3D polygonal models for player bodies but high resolution photographs of the actual players’ faces for the heads. The effect is hilarious, and a bit creepy, as the various NBA stars make an assortment of funny or intense faces during play. The player models are fluidly animated and the overall performance is fairly smooth, though there is the occasional stutter. The game is also optimized for Retina Displays, and looks especially crisp running on these devices.

The iOS version of NBA Jam uses a smart control system that works incredibly well. There’s a virtual stick for movement, a turbo button in the opposite corner, and based on if you’re on offense or defense a button for passing/stealing and another for shooting/blocking. Using your limited turbo meter not only increases your player’s speed but also enhances your other moves, like turning a simple steal attempt into a full-blown shove of an opponent. This is cleverly and elegantly handled by holding down turbo and then sliding to one of the other two buttons, which works great in practice. There’s a training camp mode which will run through all of these controls, as well as an alternate gesture-based control option, but the default controls were easy to pick up and are my preferred method.

The meat of NBA Jam is the Classic Campaign mode that has you choosing your favorite team and taking on the 29 other NBA teams as well as several additional hidden teams. You can choose 2 players from a pool of at least 3 current NBA players from every team, and some teams have 4 or 5 players to choose from initially. Every team also has at least one unlockable player, which typically includes classic players from the respective franchise and even some mascots. Besides the Campaign mode there is also a Play Now option that will throw you into a one-off game just for fun.

Sadly there is no sort of multiplayer component to NBA Jam on iOS. As fantastic as single player is, any multiplayer-centric game like NBA Jam is always best with human competition. An online multiplayer mode would be ideal, and even a local multiplayer option would suffice, but sadly it isn’t in the cards for this initial release. Also missing are any of the Remix modes or mini-games from the console releases, which is a shame as they would seem a perfect fit on this platform.

At the end of the day, NBA Jam on iOS is just what you would expect it to be – a wonderfully updated version of the classic arcade game. It’s missing some features, most notably a multiplayer component, but the single player offering is more than competent and a lot of fun. There are a ton of in-game achievements to earn which unlock loads of hidden players and special features like “Big Head” mode or alternate basketball styles. There’s also an option to purchase these hidden goodies via IAP if you’re unwilling to work for them through regular play. Players in our forums are loving this game as well, and if you were a fan of the original or just a fan of arcade-style sports games then NBA Jam is an easy recommendation.

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Super Soviet Missile Mastar [Free] isn’t the greatest game ever. That distinction goes to Super Mario Brothers 2 for the NES, obviously. But Super Soviet Missile Master is easily the second, fifth, or maybe even the 20th greatest game ever. Also, it’s free, universal, and is now available on the App Store.

Sure, I’m kidding here. I’m blowing what the game has to offer you wildly out of proportion. In truth, SSMM is just a basic “runner” type of game that instead of a person, has you guiding a Soviet-fired 8-bit-ish missile around various obstacles until said missile reaches a rough outline of the US. At this point, the game just sort of starts over while keeping your missile progress. It's inspired, sure, but rather flat — the AI on the obstacles isn't outstanding, the levels are short and get familiar fast, and there's no depth to speak of.

But — and this is one of those huge, editorial-turning usages — this is an honestly awesome joint. The look, the style, the tone, and the playfulness of the game make it a winner. I can’t think of a better game at the moment to spend zero dollars on, so consider this an endorsement.

I should note here that The Behemoth, the indie developer behind Xbox Live Arcade success Castle Crashers, made this game. Don’t miss it!

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Disney is on the verge of releasing the third installment to the Jelly Car trilogy. We just got the heads up from them along with a video showing some gameplay along with a brief interview of sorts with Jelly Car creator Tim "Walaber" FitzRandolph. If you're a fan of the series, it's worth a watch to see what the original versions of the first Jelly Car looked like. (Did you know it originally was going to be an Xbox Live Arcade game?)

Jelly Car [Free] is still one of my favorite games, and worth downloading for the soundtrack alone. Its sequel, Jelly Car 2 [99¢ / HD] continues the magic, and the improvements in the Jelly Car 3 has me really excited for it.

Disney is telling us that it's being released tomorrow, which usually would mean that it's going to pop up on the App Store sometime later tonight. However, the standard tricks of looking for the game on international App Stores don't seem to be working, so we're not entirely sure when it is that Jelly Car 3 will be appearing. Either way, we can't wait to give it a try.

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OK. So, SEGA is following suit with the other big publishers on the App Store and is now holding its own personal deal-a-thon. Now, until whenever, you can grab around 16 different SEGA games for 80 percent off the usual price or just 99 cents. And we’re not just talking about the pub’s stable of lackluster Genesis ports getting the cut here; those games are part of the deal, for sure, but there’s also a few native gems mixed in.

There are too many games to do a meaningful breakdown with, but here’s a list of what’s being offered and the prices of each:

Altered Beast — $.99
Chu Chu Rocket! – $.99
Ecco The Dolphin — $.99
Golden Axe — $.99
Gunstar Heroes — $.99
Phantasy Star II — $.99
SEGA Columns Deluxe — $.99
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master — $.99
Shining Force — $.99
Sonic The Hedgehog — $2.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 — $2.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 — $2.99
Sonic Spinball — $.99
Streets of Rage — $.99
Super Monkey Ball — $.99
Super Monkey Ball 2 — $.99
Space Harrier — $.99
Virtua Fighter 2 – $.99

Not bad, eh? At this point, I’m not sure if we should say that the entire App Store is up for grabs, but it’s getting close as all these publishers start racing to the bottom. Who knew that Valentine’s Day would be giving us so much this year, eh?

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Street Fighter news that doesn’t involve its appearance on the Nintendo 3DS is at a premium as Nintendo rushes its next handheld to market, so I’m pleased to report on this little story which involves something quite different: Street Fighter IV [$.99] for the iPod and iPhone is now being sold for under a dollar. That’s like nine bucks worth of savings for a competent fighting game on a touch screen device. Not bad, right?

But, wait, there’s more savings to go around. Capcom has also slashed the prices of several of its titles to the one-dollar mark. Here’s the full list:

Capcom notes in the new game descriptions that talk about the sales that these deals won’t “last forever,” suggesting the usual one-week kind of sale, but not really confirming the stretch the marketing folks plan to play the App Store charting game.

As is usual with these kinds of sales, I suggest grabbing what you want now. Street Fighter IV is a steal at this price, and Devil May Cry 4, which just hit the platform (review!), is a good buy considering what’s being asked for it at the moment.

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Not to be outdone by EA's I ♥ 99¢ Sale, Gameloft wants you to know that they love you too. And what better way is there for them to express this affection towards you than monetarily? From now until February 14th (hint: that's Valentine's Day), Gameloft is offering up 13 select titles for the low price of just 99¢. Take a gander at the discounted titles available:

• Spider-Man: Total Mayhem
• Shrek Kart
• Driver
• Fishing Kings
• Let’s Golf! 2
• Shadow Guardian
• Rayman 2: The Great Escape
• Real Golf 2011
• Hero of Sparta II
• Star Battalion
• Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
• Brothers In Arms 2: Global Front
• Zombie Infection

Wait, what's that you say? How silly of Gameloft to put only 13 titles on sale when it would have been oh so perfect to do 14 in honor of February 14th? Well they're way ahead of you, as there actually will be a 14th title available for 99¢. The trick here is that you'll need to go to the Gameloft Facebook page and vote for what title you'd like to see dropped to 99¢. Oh, and iPad owners, don't feel too left out as this promotion also includes the iPad versions of Shadow Guardian HD [Link] and Star Battalion HD [Link] as well.

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One game that we enjoyed quite that was released last month is Grim Joggers [99¢] from 10tons Ltd. It’s an endless running game that differentiates itself from the many, many other similar games out there by requiring you to take control of more than a dozen runners at the same time. This unique take on the formula is complemented with wonderful pixel art and music as well as a number of Game Center achievements and leaderboards to compete on.

As we noted in our review, there was a blank space in the level select screen that hinted at an additional level to come in the future in addition to the 3 that were initially included. Today that level has become available in a free update to Grim Joggers.

The new level takes place on a battlefield under a twilight sky as you jog along avoiding soldiers with bayonets, land mines, missiles, and other hazards of war. There are also downed friendly soldiers that you will randomly come across during your run that can be rescued for bonus points. Finally there are six additional Game Center achievements to unlock that pertain to this new level. Interestingly there is now another blank area on the level select screen that hints that another new level is in the works, so we’ll definitely keep our eye out for that.

Grim Joggers is an easy recommendation if you enjoy the endless running games and are looking for one with a bit of variety. If 10tons keeps adding new levels to the game then it only stands to get better. Players in our forums are really enjoying this one as well, and if you already own Grim Joggers then mash away recklessly at your update button and check out the new Battlefield Bodybuilding level.

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