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We'd like to extend our thanks to TouchArcade forum user Crex who worked tirelessly over the holidays to put together an epic thread. Originally asking everyone to list their top games of 2010, Crex went through and compiled the top ten games in to a poll which closed last night.

Epic Games' Infinity Blade [$5.99] put up a fight, but in the end, the unofficial TouchArcade Forums Game Of The Year award goes to Crescent Moons' ambitious and expansive open-world RPG Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD [$6.99] for the iPhone and iPad.

Aralon grabbed the award with 22.8 percent of our user votes in the unofficial message board poll. Infinity Blade came in second with 20.15 percent, while Real Racing 2 [$9.99] was third with 14.6 percent.

In our review, we noted that Aralon is unlike any other experience you'll have on the iOS so far. In brief, the game is wicked big and boasts tons of customization, quests, and areas of interest. Solid character movement, helpful quest logs, and the game's combat are just some of its other positive features that our forum readers have come to love.

Aralon is Galoobeth Games joint, but back in May, Crescent Moon stepped in and gave the RPG a well-document makeover, helping generate even more interest in our upcoming games thread, as it reached more views than any other thread in TA forums history. Now that it's out, the threads on Aralon continue to grow.

Crescent Moon is still working on Aralon, by the way, and our message board is undoubtedly proving vital. The studio is implementing forum suggestions and is obviously dedicated to listening to what you guys have to say. Keep it up! Also, congrats to Aralon and Crescent Moon!

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The App Store has continued to grow in leaps and bounds in 2010. The number of apps in the App Store soared past 300,000 with hundreds of new games being released every day.

We sat down trying to figure out the best iPhone games of 2010 and found the task of narrowing down the list to a select few to be near impossible. Instead, we've organized our year in review into categories with what we feel is an excellent cross section of games from 2010. If you just got an iPhone or iPod Touch for Christmas, this list is an excellent starting place to catch you up. Note that many of the games also have iPad versions which are also linked.

Casual

Cut the Rope, $0.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Proving that a cute main character, clever level designs, and simple touch screen controls are a formula for success, Cut the Rope has ridden the top of the charts practically since it was first released. The goal is to navigate a dangling bit of candy into the mouth of the adorable and hungry Om Nom by cutting the correct ropes to set it free. Just feeding the lil' guy isn't so hard, but getting 3 stars and a high score on each level can be, and is what has brought people back to Cut the Rope time and time again.

Fruit Ninja, $0.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – When Fruit Ninja was first released, it was novel for using a simple swiping mechanic to slice fruit out of the air. It was hard to explain the appeal, but it was an oddly satisfying experience and quickly shot up to the top of the charts. Since then it's gained new modes, unlockable items, and online multiplayer, and has become a mainstay on my device. Who would have though slicing fruit could be so much fun?

Robot Unicorn Attack, $0.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – The iOS port of this popular Flash game from Adult Swim meant you could have all the rainbows, fairies, unicorns, and as much Erasure's Always in your pocket with you at all times. This endless running game adds additional moves like double jumps and dashes to the formula, wrapping everything in a sugary sweet graphical package that is the epitome of “ironically cool” and also a ton of fun.

Tilt to Live, $2.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – In its intial release, the game was based around a simple but fun formula of frantically avoiding red dots and using various power-ups to dispatch them. Since then, several updates have been released adding great new power-ups, game modes, and more.

Solipskier, $0.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A universal game where you draw the slope for a skier to ski down. To make him speed up, you draw a downward slope, and to make him jump you simply draw a ramp. It works incredibly well both on the iPhone and iPad.

Platformer

Bounce On 2: Drallo’s Demise, $3.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Bounce On 2: Drallo's Demise succeeds in delivering highly enjoyable platform gameplay to the iPhone. The original was fun, but the sequel goes well beyond, feeling notably more "fleshed out," with a good deal more eye-candy. While there's certainly room for more quality platformers in the App Store, Bounce On 2 is among the best.

Fastar!, $1.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Fight angry squares in this action RPG. The name of the game is speed runs, and the goal of Fastar is to play the game faster and faster. There's a cool magic system, online leaderboards, and squares that explode coins when they die. What's not to love?

Dark Nebula – Episode Two, $1.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – We loved the first installment, and the second is even better. You control a disc-like object by tilting, but to call this game a simple ball roller hardly seems to do it justice. The level design is amazing, and there's even a new combat system to allow for boss fights.

Babylonian Twins Premium, $1.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Sixteen years in the making, Babylonian Twins delivers an amazingly challenging yet satisfying iPhone and iPad puzzle platformer. In many modern platformers, I've felt like I'm just mindlessly going through the motions to make it to the end of each level. Babylonian Twins, however, really keeps you enthralled throughout.

Hook Worlds, $0.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Developer Rocketcat Games practically perfected the “hooking game” genre with their previous two App Store releases, and Hook Worlds is a culmination of that expertise. Offering 3 (soon to be 4) endless running games injected with the hooking mechanic, Hook Worlds manages to make each one feel unique despite using the same core gameplay. This is topped off with tight controls, charming pixel art, and the humorous tidings that Rocketcat is known for.

Retro

Pix’n Love Rush, $0.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Like a platforming game with ADD, Pix'n Love Rush offers bite sized levels with constantly changing themes. The themes run the gamut of retro consoles, including the greyscale screen of the Game Boy and headache inducing red of the Virtual Boy. The jumping, shooting, and coin collecting is complemented with solid virtual controls, and every facet of the visuals just ooze style. On top of that Pix'n Love Rush is just a frantically fun good time.

The Incident, $1.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – This curious tilt-based game has you climbing a seemingly never-ending pile of junk all the way in to space. It's packed with some really great pixel art, and is even universal with some cool interaction between devices allowing you to do things like use an iPhone to control the iPad game via Bluetooth.

Vector Tanks EXTREME!, $1.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – We're not entirely sure it's possible to pack more retro charm in to this game. As the title may hint, you compete in battles against other tanks, and the whole game is drawn in glorious vector graphics. If you were around during the 80's to play Battlezone, you need this game.

FINAL FANTASY, $3.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A great port of the classic NES title that started it all. Final Fantasy II is also available, but this is the game you should start with. If you were around for the original release of the game, hearing the opening theme again will likely be worth the price of admission alone.

Secret of Mana, $8.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – One of the timeless role-playing games from the bygone SNES era, Secret of Mana is a huge fan favorite among RPG gamers and has finally arrived on iOS. Practically everything you remember about Secret of Mana is intact in this new version, both the good and the bad, and has been reworked effectively for virtual touch screen controls. If you loved this classic title nearly two decades ago, then it's practically essential to have in your iOS library.

Role Playing

Infinity Blade, $5.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – ChAIR's amazing gesture-based swordfighter which utilizes the Unreal Engine to provide the best graphics we've seen so far on the platform. Sadly, you'll need a 3rd generation iPod, iPhone 3GS, or later to enjoy them. If you've got a recent device, this is not a game to miss.

Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD, $6.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – There have been many RPGs released on the App Store, but none with the depth and scope of Aralon. The game is home to an epic game world complete with multiple races, classes, mounts to ride, crafting recipes to master, and quests to complete.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, $4.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A fantastic port of Years 1-4. It's universal, has Retina Display support, and just as much content and depth as the full console counterparts. Unfortunately, since it's a port it also retains the console-style save system which isn't as mobile friendly as we'd like it to be.

CHAOS RINGS, $5.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – One of the most ambitious RPG games we've seen so far for the iPhone. The graphics and gameplay are exactly what you'd expect out of a Square Enix RPG. Battle in parties of two in classic turn-based battles as you make your way through a story that's just as ridiculous as any other Japanese RPG.

Strategy / Sim

Sword & Poker, $2.99 – [Lite] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – At the core Sword & Poker is a card-based strategy/adventure game where battles take place by making poker hands on a 5×5 grid. The "Sword" portion of Sword & Poker comes from the roleplaying game layered on top of these poker battles. The strange blend of genres works quite well and is a game we really loved.

Warpgate, $4.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A space conquest game with an amazing sense of scope. Warpgate has cool graphics, an interesting faction system to get involved in, and a dynamic in-game economy that can keep you busy for as long as you remain interested in the game.

Plants vs. Zombies, $2.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Popcap's casual tower defense game hardly needs an introduction. Plants vs Zombies is a game that's easy enough to appeal to everyone, yet fun enough to warrant multiple play throughs without issue.

Game Dev Story, $2.99 – [Lite] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – At first glance this appears to be an abysmal port of a J2ME game… Then you play it. A few hours later you will be looking for your charger to keep playing. In the game you run your own game studio, managing staff, making games, and even releasing your own console. Once Game Dev Story sucks you in, it's impossible to put down.

Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge, $0.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Few games inspire more heartfelt nostalgia than the classic LucasArts adventure games of the late 80's and early 90's. The improved iOS control scheme in the sequel which works like many other iPhone adventures games where you just touch areas in the game world that you want to move to, or objects you want to interact with. Fans of the series are in for a treat with this installment.

Osmos, $0.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – In this award winning indie game, you control a tiny organism called a "mote". By tapping in a direction, you expel mass towards where you tapped, and your mote goes zooming off the other direction. With each tap you lose a little bit of your mass, so it doesn't take long before you're making extremely calculated taps to get exactly where you want to go with minimal loss of size. Your mote can absorb any mote that it smaller than it, but it also can be absorbed by any mote that is larger than it. The gameplay translates beautifully on both the iPad and iPhone and is a great great experience.

Action / Shooter

STREET FIGHTER IV, $6.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – We were incredibly skeptical of how Street Fighter would work with touch screen controls, but have been pleasantly surprised. Also, since the original release, Capcom has consistently updated the game with new characters to play as. Also, if you've got a friend nearby who also owns the game you can play against each other using Bluetooth.

Chopper 2, $4.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – The long-awaited sequel of one of the most popular action games of the original App Store launch. It also has all kinds of crazy control options utilizing its universal nature on both the iPhone and iPad, and it's everything a great sequel should be. It expands on everything that made the original great, with some new things thrown in to the mix.

Archetype, $0.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Five on five online deathmatch, capture the flag, and more. Archetype has Retina Display graphics, and the HD version looks great on the iPad. If online FPS games are your thing, this isn't one you should miss.

Dodonpachi Resurrection, $8.99 – [Lite] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – When it comes to bullet hell shooters, it doesn't get much better than Dodonpachi Resurrection. There is so much going on at once in this game that it can be entirely overwhelming at times (in a good way), but this also prevents it from running on devices older than the iPhone 3GS and 3rd generation iPod touch.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, $9.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is by far the best open world crime game available on the platform. The sheer amount of content, the amazing graphics, and gameplay that will keep you coming back for more whether you choose to follow the story or rampage through Liberty City on your own is absolutely fantastic.

Racing

Real Racing 2, $9.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A marvelous sequel to Firemint's original Real Racing, which improves upon the first in every way imaginable. A career mode, licensed cars, and 16 player online multiplayer are just a few of the new features. It also will run on any device, even the first generation iPod touch.

Cubed Rally Racer, $1.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A wonderful homage to isometric racing games, Cubed Rally Racer is completely randomized, so you'll never play the same track twice. Similarly, if a particular track is too difficult, you can simply generate a new one to play. The iPad version features split screen single-device multiplayer which is a ton of fun.

Reckless Racing, $0.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – An incredibly enjoyable top-down arcade racer with multiple cars, game modes, and even online multiplayer. Retina Display graphics and an excellent physics system heighten the experience, although we wish there were more tracks to race on as Deliverace is one of those games you never want to end.

Puzzle / Board

Carcassonne, $9.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – There are many board games that have made their way to the App Store, but Carcassonne is by far the finest. Online asynchronous multiplayer, Retina Display graphics, universal compatibility, and classic gameplay. It doesn't get much better than this.

Trainyard, $0.99 – [Lite] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A puzzle game based on laying train tracks to route multi-colored trains around the game board. Solutions can be shared online, and after you beat a level it's even more fun to see the zillion other ways that everyone else solved it.

Zen Bound® 2 Universal, $0.99 [Forum Thread] – Zen Bound 2 is filled with relaxing gameplay supplemented by one of the best (if not the best) soundtrack I've heard in an iPhone game, and the gameplay mechanic of rotating string around a 3D object to cover it in paint works phenomenally with the multi-touch controls of iOS devices– and even more so when you throw the gyroscope of the iPhone 4 in to the mix.

Helsing’s Fire, $0.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Helsing's Fire sends you on a quest to destroy Dracula, placing you in 90 randomly generated, dungeon-like levels across three different worlds. The challenge is to eliminate said beasties by moving your torch about the screen, which casts brilliant beams of light and dark shadows about the play area. It's one of the most unique games I've ever played and is a true App Store gem.

Sports

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, $0.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A surprisingly competent port of the classic skateboarding game. Everything is included from the original, and once you get used to the virtual controls, you'll be performing endless combos in no time in the many included skating locations.

MADDEN NFL 11 by EA SPORTS™, $0.99 – [iPad]- [Review] – [Forum Thread] – The Madden series hardly needs an introduction, as football player turned coach turned commentator John Madden has had his name on football games for the better part of 20 years now. EA introduced a new featured called GameFlow this year which will intelligently chooses plays for you. It is absolutely insane how much this changes both the feel and the pace of the game. Using GameFlow, endless submenus of plays are a thing of the past. Instead, you just play football.

X2 Soccer 10/11, $4.99 – [iPad]- [Review] – [Forum Thread] – X2 Soccer 2010 brings improvements to graphics, controls, computer AI, new game modes and more teams. X2 Soccer 2010 has over 150 club teams to choose from in 10 different leagues, plus international teams from all over the world. X2 Soccer 2010 is one of the top soccer game experiences right now on the App Store.

X2 Snowboarding, $4.99 – [Lite / iPad]- [Review] – [Forum Thread] – X2 Snowboarding from Exient is a highly enjoyable romp on the slopes that sets itself apart from the crowd in a number of ways. All of the aspects of X2 Snowboarding come together to deliver a highly enjoyable game with a surprising sense of speed and immersion.

Odds and Ends

Sketch Nation Shooter, $0.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – While it isn't that great of a game in itself, Sketch Nation Shooter is one of the most creative uses of the iPhone camera we've seen yet. You sketch a doodle on a piece of paper, take a photo of it, and then import it in to little mini games you create. Gameplay is a little limited, but does it really matter if you turn a drawing of your cat in to an end boss?

Godville, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Godville is a "zero-player game" in that it requires absolutely no interaction from the player at all. Your character in Godville plays himself, all by himself, and you take the role of an omnipotent god and can either encourage or punish your hero, or do nothing at all. It's surprisingly amusing to just be able to load up your Godville character and vicariously live through his randomized adventures without needing to actually do anything at all.

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After months (years?) of rumors, Apple finally released the iPad in 2010. iPad gaming hasn't quite taken off as quickly as on the iPhone/iPod, but here's a cross section of some of the best iPad games of 2010. If you just opened an iPad for Christmas, here are some games to look at.

World of Goo, $9.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – World of Goo is a game about creating towers and bridges with stretchy pieces of goo. It becomes much more than that though as you progress, which is one of the most fascinating and rewarding things about this natural-feeling, and beautifully directed puzzler. It's truly one of the best games ever released on the iPad.

Plants vs. Zombies HD, $6.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Developer PopCap Games manages to splice in whimsy on top of a satisfying mix of careful tower selection and defense. In Plants vs. Zombies HD, you are the lone protector of a backyard who must put up seed spitting plants and other abominations in order to beat back an advancing zombie hord. The towers are diverse, the amount of options are incredible, and the hours of entertainment provided are incalculable.

Osmos for iPad, $4.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Osmos for iPad is a beautiful and relaxing game in which you, essentially, take a big bubble and make it steadily grow bigger and bigger. A great soundtrack eases tension and the simple play lends itself to a good, calm time.

Corpse Craft, Free – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Corpse Craft is a fun and rewarding match-3 title with an interesting tower defense twist that has you using turning matched blocks into building materials for your reanimated soldiers. The game's greatest accomplishment though is its balance between character and mechanics. The brilliantly grim art direction and narrative doesn't detract from the gameplay, nor was development time seemingly sacrificed for the inclusion of the brilliant universe Corpse Craft is based in.

Monkey Island Tales 1 HD, $6.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – The Tales of Monkey Island series was fantastic on the PC and Mac and developer Telltale Games successfully ported over that experience to the iPad. Rich in humour, character, puzzles, and reverence to its forerunners, this is the ultimate adventure game for Monkey Island fans. It's also pretty good as a standalone point-and-click adventure game.

Puzzle Agent HD, $0.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Puzzle Agent HD is a non-traditional point-and-click adventure title featuring the grim art of Graham Annable. It has a few technical problems, but the puzzles and the narrative are deeply involving and worth your time.

The Tower®, $7.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A lazy bit of shorthand that we use to describe Yoot Tower is "SimCity in the sky." In the game, you construct a tower out of the living spaces like offices, condos, hotel rooms, and even restaurants. As you progress, you'll need to start paying attention to the stress levels of the people who have a financial stake in your tower, while also attempting to keep the tower growing to floor 100. It's fun, complex, and most all, pretty rewarding. Talk about a time sucker for the ages.

Cut the Rope HD, $1.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Cut the Rope HD is a straight port of its other iPhone brethren, but it just feels so right on the iPad, which boasts a larger screen area to cut the rope holding the precious candy so it can sail into the adorable Om Nom's mouth.

Across Age ™ HD, $4.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Across Age HD is the closest you'll get to a Zelda on the iPad. And, really, that's selling it short. On top of the traditional dungeon-based play, Across Age HD offers rewarding hack-and-slash combat, a neat time travel mechanic, and decent controls.

Fruit Ninja HD, $0.99 – [Lite- [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Fruit Ninja HD is essentially just a bigger version of its iPhone cousin wherein you chop up fruit for points. It's a simple game that requires simple gestures, but there's just something about it that has kept us playing for hours and hours.

CHAOS RINGS for iPad, $7.99 – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – Chaos Rings for iPad is a creative take on the traditional JRPG. Developer Square Enix forgoes the usual narrative in favor of a shorter, much more focused journey that has teams of gender-confused people taking on monsters and then each other in a contest to win immortality. A deep battle system, a great hi-def look, and fun, bite-sized adventures make this a must-have.

Cubed Rally Racer, $1.99 – [Lite / iPad] – [Review] – [Forum Thread] – A wonderful homage to isometric racing games, Cubed Rally Racer is completely randomized, so you'll never play the same track twice. Similarly, if a particular track is too difficult, you can simply generate a new one to play. The iPad version features split screen single-device multiplayer which is a ton of fun.

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If you're in the mood for some Tilt To Live [$2.99 / Lite, HD], now is a better time than most to boot up the title. Developer One Man Left Studios has pushed out a new update to the game, adding in a new mode and a new weapon via an in-game $.99 purchase.

The update, which is available on the game's main menu, has been lovingly dubbed "Viva la Turret," and as it implies, it gives you access to a mounted chaingun-like weapon. The weapon, "The Perforator," is exclusive to this new mode, which is also called "Viva la Turret."

The point of Viva la Turret is to grab points, of course, and the easiest way to do so is by collecting "The Perforator" power-ups that spawn on the map. Whenever you get access, you'll be assault by a stream of projectiles from all angles. The key here is to use it without getting smacked, and then to snag all the sweet blue leftovers from victims for crazy points multipliers. Here's a video of it in action:

Viva la Turret seems cool and should provide a nice change of pace opportunity. That's not to say Tilt To Live every really gets old, but hey, something new to do with a game you love, right? I'll note here that this update is currently only available for the iPhone and iPod Touch versions of the shooter. An HD version of the update is in the works, however.

Tilt to Live, if you didn't catch my drift earlier, is a fantastic game. I don't know if there's anyone out who doesn't own it already, but if you don't, you'll probably love it. Here's some literature if you're curious.

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Last year Action = Reaction Labs released Aves [Free], a (then) paid tech demo disguised as a archery game that featured both binaural 3D audio and an animation technology known as "BioReplicants". We explained what this all was in our review:

Aves uses GHOST binaural audio, which requires headphones, but creates an eerily realistic three dimensional effect to all the in-game music and sound. The animation technology in the game is called "BioReplicants," and has no preset animations for the birds flying around in the game. Instead, the physics model is built around a virtual muscular-skeleton system to create a bird rag doll that moves and flies identical to how a bird would fly in the real world.

At GDC this year, we met with the guys from Action = Reaction Labs, and while they weren't ready to show anything publicly, we saw what the next iteration of the BioReplicants technology looked like. Recently, they offered us a video of this all in action:

If you find yourself watching this video saying, "OK so why is a robot getting shot cool?" Well, here's the deal- iPhone games largely use completely canned animations for everything your character does from running, to jumping, to shooting. Quite a few iPhone games such as Stair Dismount [Free] use ragdoll animations which amounts to the game treating a model quite literally like a ragdoll and having it procedurally bounce off things with its limbs flailing to create more realistic death animations. Wikipedia does a great job of explaining how ragdoll physics works if you want to know more.

What BioReplicants does is sort of combine the two. With this technology, instead of how many games work, where you basically just shoot your opponents and the only feedback visual feedback you get is a little flourish around your crosshair until they finally just fall over dead, you'd see their standard shooting animation, modified in real time based on the forces your own bullets are exerting on them. If you look at the above video as "holy cow I can't even believe all the physics math going on behind the scenes" instead of "hey a robot getting shot," it can pretty easily blow your mind, especially considering that this physics engine apparently performs well enough to be feasible to use for iPhone games.

Like any tech demo, it all comes down to how the technology is eventually implemented in an actual game. Yes, the new BioReplicants stuff is cool, and I expect it to be downright amazing for people who have experience with working with 3D models and physics in video games, it's an uphill battle to make middleware like this interesting to your average gamer. Regardless, it's cool seeing what's technically possible, and I really look forward to seeing someone taking the BioReplicants engine and making something incredible.

For more demonstrations of BioReplicants in action, check out the Action = Reaction demo site.

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That's right, Hurdle Turtle [99¢]. TouchArcade cohort Eli Hodapp and I have been enjoying this silly game for the past couple of months since release, and felt it was high time for a full review. Sometimes its hard to explain exactly why someone likes a certain game, and Hurdle Turtle is no different. It's an endless running game that's certainly fun, but it doesn't do anything especially unique from the countless others out there. Still, whether its the hilarious front flips your turtle performs, the way it looks like he (or she) might be having a seizure while running, or the excellent retro chip tunes and blocky graphics, there's just something about Hurdle Turtle that makes it infinitely likable.

Hurdle Turtle has been around for a while now, as a Flash game and an Xbox Live Indie title. The goal is to run for as long as possible down a straight track while avoiding obstacles and keeping pace with an increasing speed. You can move in any direction while running, and bust wicked front flips with a jump button. You can even move around in the air during a jump, which adds a bit of strategy to how you deal with oncoming hazards. It's not groundbreaking for a running game, but it doesn't mess up the tried and true formula.

What really sets Hurdle Turtle apart is the awesome style of the game. Your turtle is cute, and has a lot of personality for a blocky sprite, and the retro chip tune music is catchy. A huge 2.0 update that hit last week added a ton of new content to the game, too. There is now a total of 11 different turtles to pick from, and three different environments to race in. The game keep track of your total distance run across all games, and each of these new items unlock at set different distance intervals, adding a nice sense of progression to the gameplay. High scores are tracked through a combination of OpenFeint and Game Center, with achievements to unlock as well.

This video shows the initial version of Hurdle Turtle on iPhone, back when it had only one character and theme, but you can check out the XBL version here which shows more of the stuff that is in version 2.0 on iOS:

Let's be honest, expectations run pretty high on the App Store, especially when you're talking about spending an entire dollar. I'm sure there are those who will wonder what exactly is so special about Hurdle Turtle, and complain that the graphics aren't as good as Infinity Blade [$5.99]. But at the end of the day video games are supposed to make you smile, and have fun during a quick break from real life, and I've been doing a ton of both with Hurdle Turtle. If you could use a bit of cute, retro fun and have some spare change lying around, give Hurdle Turtle a download.

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We've received word that InMotion Software, the creators of I Dig It and Dungeon Defense, has slashed the prices of a chunk of its iTunes portfolio. As of yesterday, several of their titles became cheaper than before:

I Dig It, Free – [iPad] – [Review] – In I Dig It, you play as Farmer Lewis, a man who is in a bit of a monetary pickle and needs to pay the mortgage on his farm. Naturally, when faced with financial difficulties, the first thing that comes to mind is retrofitting an old bulldozer into a digging machine to search for over 60 types of subterranean treasures beneath your homestead. The iPad version, I Dig It HD [$2.99] is also on sale, and sports many improvements mentioned when we first got our hands on it.

I Dig It Expeditions, $0.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – Continuing on his adventure, Farmer Lewis strikes it big from the original I Dig It (spoilers?) and decides to take his digger on the road. In Expeditions, you dig in many different locations, including a crazy underwater level. If you liked I Dig It, Expeditions is as close to a "must-have" as you can get.

Dungeon Defense, $0.99 – [iPad] – [Review] – An odd twist on tower defense that puts you in charge of a dungeon, and you need to place various minions to defend it. The iPhone version has been 99¢ for a while, but if you've got an iPad Dungeon Defenders HD [$1.99] is worth picking up while it's on the cheap.

Professor Wordington's Spellatorium [$2.99] is one of the few InMotion-developed joints that didn't receive a cut. The reason is probably tied to the fact that the game just released on the App Store on December 19 — a mere few days ago.

Prof Word seems pretty cool based on our limited time with it so far. It's a word in which you and an opponent take turns adding letters to a word fragment. The point is to not be the dude who ends up spelling a word, or, additionally, be the first dude to point out that a word cannot be spelled from the growing letter cluster. Basically, the game boils down to tricking someone and knowing the dictionary.

Also, there's a layer of RPG elements that spice up the adversarial play. Each word fight has multiple rounds since each opponent has a health bar. You earn and find items that magnify the amount of damage you can do in a round, as well as blunt the impact of screwing up. And if that wasn't enough, there's InMotion constructed a hip, limited environment to explore and find dudes to fight inside.

Prof Word is available for the iPad now and we've been told that a Universal app update has been submitted to Apple. Check it out if this all sounds hip to you, or, hey, grab I Dig It's bangin' follow-up on the cheap.

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Last month EA Mobile's newest entry to their Need For Speed franchise - Hot Pursuit - launched in the App Store. Hot Pursuit toned down most of the things that were aimed at hardcore gearheads and instead focused on a more casual but fast-paced arcade experience. The game is definitely a fun ride, if somewhat shallow, and we generally enjoyed it in our review.

One thing we didn't like so much, however, was the single-sided career mode in the game. Hot Pursuit is based on high-speed chases with law enforcement, but there was only ever the option to play as the police and not the perp getting chased. This was especially perplexing since EA unintentionally announced during a Japanese media event in October that Hot Pursuit would contain two career modes for a total of 48 events. When it shipped with just one career and 24 events, we were a little disappointed.

This is no longer an issue now as EA has apparently tracked down the missing half of the game and issued it in an update earlier today. There is now an additional career mode for the "racer" that contains 24 events over 4 different modes with an entirely new set of achievements to obtain. The racers share many of the same cars as the cops do, with some exclusive ones as well, and you can now change the color of your car when playing as the racer. You can also use the racer's different arsenal of weapons – overdrive, jamming, and oil slicks – when trying to ditch the boys in blue.

I must admit I'm not typically a big Need for Speed fan, although there have been entries in the series over the years that I've really enjoyed. But I've been having a great time with Hot Pursuit on iOS mostly because of its stripped-down nature and simple focus on driving. Maybe I was their target audience for this game. Still, it got kind of old always having to play Johnny Law when sometimes you just wanted to be the outlaw breaking the speed limit. Now that is finally possible thanks to this gigantic new update. Also, don't forget that if you have yet to pick up Need for Speed Hot Pursuit that both the iPhone/iPod touch version and the iPad version are currently going for just 99¢ for a limited time.

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