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The incredible hype surrounding Pixelbite's upcoming Reckless Racing (formerly Deliverace) has been growing fervidly since we previewed the game back in March. But disappointingly, the game's release keeps getting pushed back, and when we'll actually be able to have the complete game in our hands remains uncertain.  This delay has allowed a competitor to steal much of that thunder, and for gamers who are looking for something similar that's available right now, LilRacerz [99¢] is a new top-down racing game from developer Blast One.

While not quite as ambitious as Reckless Racing, LilRacerz is a fun arcade-like experience with excellent graphics, a ton of tracks, and plenty of upgradeable vehicles to unlock. If you were ever a fan of Super Sprint or Micro Machines games on systems past, then this is as close as you can currently get to those classics on your iPhone. There are a couple of minor issues with the game, but any negatives are quickly forgotten as the core racing gameplay is so incredibly enjoyable.

There are 17 different tracks in Lilracerz, spread across 9 cups in 3 difficulty leagues. You'll race on desert, ice, dirt, and tarmac courses, and each surface handles as you would expect. The purposely floaty physics and handling of the vehicles can cause some miscues while racing, but is also what makes it such a blast to play. Some races you'll beat your very first try, blowing away the AI racers, and some races will take multiple retries before completing. One wrong move can spell the end for a race, but this inconsistent difficulty doesn't really diminish the overall enjoyment of the game. The nicely detailed 2.5D graphics give a firm nod to the 16-bit and arcade eras while still being impressive in a modern sense. An awesome chiptune soundtrack accompanies the action, adding to the retro-feeling vibe.

The weakest aspect of the game is the somewhat flimsy upgrade system for your vehicles. You'll collect money spread across the track as well as by completing races which can be used to purchase upgrades in grip, acceleration, speed, or steering. I seemed to be able to play a huge portion of the game with the very first stock vehicle, thus collecting an enormous sum of money and fully upgrading my later unlocked vehicles in one shot, rendering the whole thing kind of pointless. It's not really a huge issue, and could easily be tweaked in a future update.

Speaking of updates, the dev has been actively discussing ideas in our forums such as a hard mode, reversed tracks, night time racing, and new vehicles. There's even talk of some kind of multiplayer functionality, which would indeed be a very exciting addition to this fun single player game.  One nice addition already included is Crystal implementation, with many achievements to unlock and a leaderboard for every track.  Once you've beaten the single player campaign, going back to compete for times online is a great way to extend your play time.  If you're looking for some fast-paced arcade style racing, you can give LilRacerz a test drive for it's current sale price of 99¢.

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There have been tons of great top-down racers inspired by games like Super Offroad or Micro Machines for the iPhone, but so far the genre is fairly barren on the iPad. Racing Mania [99¢ / $3.99 HD] changes all that, bringing a real top-down racer with car upgrades, local multiplayer, 15 different tracks, and 10 cars to both devices.

On the iPhone, Racing Mania isn't much to write home about. There are other games (such as the recently released LilRacerz [99¢]) that offer more variety and a better racing feel. However, on the iPad, the claustrophobic viewpoint of Racing Mania (and other similar games) is pulled far back allowing you to see an amazing amount of the track at once which really changes the whole feel of the game.

iPhone left, iPad right.

On the iPhone, once you purchase a few top speed upgrades for your car, successfully navigating around the tracks seems to require more memorization than anything else as you will be going too fast to really be able to prepare for upcoming turns without bouncing off of them otherwise. On the iPad, you have enough screen real estate to plan out really precise racing lines and burn around the track with ease.

Racing Mania is a little hard to recommend for the iPhone, but is really worth checking out just for a taste of how well games like this work on the iPad. The upgrade system is a little basic, and the controls aren't ideal, but you don't have to play Racing Mania HD for long as all to realize the potential the genre has on the device.

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Nearly two years ago now , Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D by developer Polarbit was amongst the first batch of games released onto Apple's fledgling App Store. At the time, it was an impressive example of what could be achieved on a mobile phone, and glimpsed at a bright future for iPhone gaming. Looking back on it today, however, the decidedly lackluster graphics, stuttering framerate, and deplorably short draw distance mar the otherwise very enjoyable gameplay. It's still a good game, but in the time since its release a number of competing kart racers like Shrek Kart and Cocoto Kart have raised the bar considerably in terms of graphics and notable features like online multiplayer. Now, Polarbit has reentered the fray with a sequel that – for the most part – addresses the downfalls of the original, delivering a largely familiar but wholly expanded upon experience with Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2.

The most immediately noticeable improvement in Crash 2 is the visuals. The scenery is detailed and brightly colored, and thankfully the dreadful draw distance of the first game is nonexistent. The levels are cleverly designed with multiple pathways, varying track elevations, and many different shortcuts waiting to be discovered. The character and kart models are notably better this time around, consisting of a higher polygon count and much more detail and personality. The framerate can still get choppy when there is a lot of action onscreen at once, but it's hardly ever bothersome and is significantly better than the original's. The load times are a bit long, and the audio can stutter while loading on occasion. Some users are reporting the game crashing, although this was infrequent in our time with the game. Also of note is the excellent music and sound effects throughout that bring the game to life without ever feeling overbearing.

Gameplay-wise Crash 2 features the familiar drift-heavy, combat-intensive racing found in it's previous iteration, as well as most every other kart racing game since the inception of Super Mario Kart. It's a proven formula that's executed quite well here, but can be highly unforgiving. One wrong turn or attack from an opponent can cost you an entire race, but this can work to your benefit too, allowing you to come from behind and still win. It can end up being frustrating to race near perfectly only to lose at the very last stretch of track because someone launched a missile into your backside. This is par for the course in games like this, however, and the frenetic fun outweighs the frustration. Touch or tilt controls are available, and while the tilt felt a little more comfortable I found the touch option allowed for more finesse while turning. The controls are really responsive, and either option should be suitable for most people.

The number of different game modes in Crash 2 is quite impressive. The standards are here, such as Arcade, Time Attack, Cup races and more, but some others that offer more non-traditional racing. For example, Mission Mode presents one specific objective for each of the 12 courses. You may need to accumulate a certain amount of points by drifting, or collect a number of different items, all while still placing 3^rd or better in the race. These different modes offer a fun way to play through the game's content while staying fresh and engaging, although sometimes the requirements to complete them can be brutally difficult. There's a total of 10 characters, 12 courses, and 8 modes in Crash 2, the majority of which are unlocked as you progress through the game.

One standout feature is the ability to race online against players from all over the world. It works incredibly easily, as you just type in a username and connect to a lobby showing available rooms to join. You can create your own room as well, and as host can pick which mode and track to play. The types of online games are standard races, knockout-style Eliminator mode, and Collection where the goal is to be the racer who collects the most crystals by the end of the race. Our experience racing online worked well and was relatively lag-free, and adds a tremendous amount of replayability to the title.

In the end, Crash 2 is just what you would expect out of a sequel. They've taken all of the great elements of the first game, refined them, and added a ton more content on top. If you were a fan of the original game, then you should no doubt enjoy this one even more. If you have yet to pick up one of the many kart racers on the App Store, then Crash 2 is likely your best option. It feels as close as you can get to something like Mario Kart DS on this platform. The overly difficult challenges and somewhat cheap combat mechanics will likely frustrate some more than others, but overall the game is a lot of fun. With a ton of content, beautiful graphics and presentation, excellent online play, and the pedigree of one of the App Store's first classics, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 is definitely recommended.

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A couple days ago we first posted about NoCanWin.com's Cubed Rally Racer [$1.99] and the few screenshots along with the trailer saw a huge response both in comments and on our forums. Two days later, and the game is here. The original teaser line the developer emailed us of "RC Pro-Am meets Canabalt [$2.99]" couldn't be a more apt comparison, as Cubed Rally Racer does a great job of combining both the retro feel of isometric NES-era racing games with complete randomization to never play the same track twice.

The goal of Cubed Rally Racer is simple, make it to the end of the track without running out of fuel. You control your car with a set of buttons to turn right or left along with a gas pedal button to accelerate. The controls do take a few races to get used to, as they work exactly like the retro racing games Cubed Rally Racer is based on, and it seems like you have much more control over your car if you tap a direction instead of holding it.

Your car can be refueled by picking up gas cans scattered around the track, as well as golden gas cans with provide a turbo boost for a short period of time. Depending on how cruel the random track generator is, there can be obstacles and jumps all over the place, and there is nothing quite like having the finish line in sight, only to crash in to a cow and need to start over. (Yes, you really can crash in to cows.)

At the end of the race you have three options: You can generate a brand new track to race on, re-play the same track and race against your ghost for more points and a better time, or send an OpenFeint challenge to a friend which includes your track and ghost for them to race against. Something I'd love to see in the future is the ability to save a track, as I've come across some that are beyond ridiculous filled with jumps, gophers, and, draw bridges complete with a ship sailing back and forth that were simply impossible, or far above my ability, to beat. Another thing that has been suggested in our forums is an endless mode, which I also imagine would be absolutely awesome.

While I love in-depth games like Chaos Rings [$12.99], Baseball Superstars 2010 [$4.99 / Free], and the many other games on the App Store that you can sink an immense amount of time in to progressing through the game, the games I always come back to are the ones you can pick up and play for a minute at a time. Doodle Jump [99¢] is highly praised around here because of how perfectly Lima Sky nailed the ability to just load up a game, play for as long as you have time, and do it all over again the next time you're bored. Cubed Rally Racer really seems to have a similar appeal to it in that the tracks are short enough to play a few while you're standing in line somewhere, and like Doodle Jump, the randomization factor always keeps things feeling fresh.

The controls may be a tad too finicky for players who weren't around for racing games before the advent of analog controls, but if you loved RC Pro-Am, Rock n' Roll Racing, and the many other similar games of the era, Cubed Rally Racer will become your de facto "I have two minutes what should I play?" game. Personally, I expect Cubed Rally Racer to live a long life on my iPhone comfortably nestled between the Doodle Jump and Canabalt icons.

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2XL Games have become synonymous around here with fast paced action-packed games with great graphics since the release of 2XL Supercross [$4.99 / Free] in April of last year. We just caught wind of their next game, TrophyLite Rally, a rally racing game a a greatly improved graphics engine as explained in the following gameplay trailer:

TrophyLite Rally is going to have 15 different races which cover circuits, rallies, and stages that all take place in the deserts of the Southwest. There is a career mode that's being described as "massive", with achievements and 31 additional trucks to unlock as you play through the game. 5 control schemes are included, which will likely cover the entire array of controls you would expect in racing games just like 2XL's other titles.

According to the video, TrophyLite Rally will be available on the App Store in "a week or so," and we can't wait to play it.

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Jared Bailey of NoCanWin.com just sent us some details on his next iPhone game. Following Duck N Cover [99¢] and Waste Paper Basketball Diaries [$1.99] comes Cubed Rally Racer, a game that was pitched to us as RC Pro-Am meets Canabalt [$2.99]. (Which really was all we needed to hear.)

The awesome thing about Cubed Rally Racer is that each level is randomly generated. There are tons different pieces that randomly go together to always make a new track for you to race on. You can then challenge your friends to beat your time via OpenFeint's challenge system or race your own ghost car.

To see how this all goes together, check out the recently released trailer:

Cubed Rally Racer has already been submitted, and is just waiting on Apple for approval. These kind of isometric racers have been a lot of fun to play on the iPhone, and I can't get enough of randomly generated games like these with nearly infinite replay value.

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Following on the heels of the recent rerelease of Edge [$2.99] comes Mobigame's next title, Truckers Delight: Episode 1 [$2.99], an episodic retro styled arcade racer. Based on an incredibly not work safe video filled with pixel art, cartoon nudity, and many other potentially offensive things by director Jérémie Périn, Truckers Delight: Episode 1 seems to be based on just the first segment of the video in all of its 8-bit glory. Presumably, the other portions of the video will be coming as their own episodes in the future.

In Episode 1, you play as a truck driver chasing a girl in a sports car down the highway. The iTunes description mentions similarities to the classic Sega arcade game OutRun, which couldn't possibly serve as a better comparison. Tilting the phone controls your truck, and all you do is chase the girl, ramming her car whenever possible for points. A countdown timer is constantly ticking away which is refreshed by passing checkpoints, and during your pursuit you will need to fend off angry police, bikers, and avoid a constant onslaught of traffic that will slow you down.

Several power ups can be picked up during your adventure. So far I've come across three: A set of horns that allow you to ram other cars off the road easily, a rocket booster that sends you flying towards the next checkpoint, and a tongue attack point multiplier. You can also honk the horn of your truck, this doesn't seem to do anything, but I can't seem to help myself from doing it almost constantly.

Truckers Delight: Episode 1 includes an odd amount of cartoon nudity for a game on the App Store. Not only does it include the first portion of the original video, but when you pick up the power up to let your tongue fly, it quite literally results in an on-screen explosion of naked women.

I've actually had a surprising amount of fun with Truckers Delight. Mobigame did a great job of nailing the feel of endless retro racing games, and the difficulty ramps up nicely requiring quite a bit of concentration as you dart between oncoming cars in your 18 wheeler. Truckers Delight features online leaderboards which are already loaded with scores that are about twice as high as my best score, and it's hard to not get in to the catchy soundtrack included with the game.

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Per Ubisoft's web site, Prince of Persia Retro is on its way to the App Store. We don't know many specifics yet other than this appears to be a port of the classic Prince of Persia from 1989. Originally released on the Apple II, Prince of Persia went on to find a home on nearly every device capable of playing the game over the years along with spawning an entire video game series with its own high-budget action movie due to be released on the 28th of this month.

The basic premise of Prince of Persia is similar to that of most classic platformers in that you're racing against a timer overcoming various obstacles all to save a princess. In this case, the game is set in ancient Persia and you're facing off against the sultan's evil vizier, Jaffar. The original version of the game needed to be completed in an hour, and from the sound of it, the iPhone port will be no different.

Aside from that, all we really know is that it will obviously have some kind of touch screen controls, and the Ubisoft site mentions the iPad amongst the list of supported devices. It's unclear if this only means the iPhone version will also run on the iPad, or if Ubisoft is planning on either releasing a HD version of Prince of Persia or simply developing the game as a universal app.

Curiously enough, Ubisoft mentions 4/29/2010 as the release date of Prince of Persia Retro. The game doesn't seem to have been released yet, but since it has been almost a month since their original planned release date we might be playing Prince of Persia sooner than we think.

We're definitely adding Prince of Persia Retro to our App Store watch lists, and we also have a thread on our forums if you're looking to join in on the speculation of how soon the game will be released.

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Initiated to pop-culture by the mid-90s Tamagotchi device, pet-sims have really taken off on the App Store, but there are surprisingly few that stand out. Fortunately, developers Tasty Poison Games have given us something to talk about with the release of their full 3D dragon-based pet game, Dragooo [App Store].

Dragooo differs in presentation to other pet-sims in that the game world is rendered in fully navigable 3D. Your focus point is always your dragon pet, who starts out as a fledgling and grows over 3 stages to a teen-sized dragon (think more Spyro and less Smaug), with wings large enough to finally fly.

Flying is ultimately the end-goal to your dragon's growth in Dragooo, and getting there requires the usual tasks of feeding, nurturing and exercising your pet. This is quite easy done with a little exploration of the great-looking subterranean lair that is your dragon's home.

Negotiating your dragon around his lair feels natural. The camera is controlled by simply swiping on the screen, and your dragon can be moved around by tapping at the desired location. An on-screen button lets you switch between interaction and navigation mode, the former of which lets you pat your dragon and begin to teach him to fly by dragging upwards with your finger. By moving towards other objects in the lair, such as the pond or to the fireflies or fruit-bats, interaction mode is activated automatically. This enables you to feed your dragon by dragging a critter to his mouth or motioning him to drink.

After nurturing your dragon for a while (30 minutes or so) he'll have grown into a dragon able to finally lift-off. This unlocks the racing option, where your dragon enters a mini-game where he careens through one of three maps to collect as many gems as possible. In this mode, he will also need to use several abilities (such as fire breathing) to get through the track. Gems collected can then be spent on items to customize your dragon and improve his attributes and skills.

Though this sounds comprehensive on paper, in practice all the above is a very straightforward and simple affair, able to be reached in an hour or two at most. And thus we arrive at our major criticism of Dragooo– it is far too light on content at present. Flying is all there is to do once you have raised your dragon (other than continuing to nurture him) and though it looks terrific, it's not executed particularly well; the overly sensitive tilt controls being the only real challenge to each race.

There are also no social features to be found, despite all your races being timed and seemingly ripe for a high score table. That's not to say the developers have skimped on the game entirely, as the 3D engine does look amazing (and even though it was purportedly optimized only for the 3rd gen devices, some readers have had luck installing it on their 2G devices). We just think that in its current state, it is more a foundation for future content. If this content arrives and adds to the gameplay, Dragooo could well be terrific. As it stands though, Dragooo is an entertaining but very brief distraction.

App Store Link: Dragooo, $2.99.

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Disney Interactive's arcade racing collaboration with Black Rock Studios, Split/Second [$6.99], hit the App Store tonight and so far seems remarkably similar to the version we previewed last week:

Developed in house utilizing scaled down versions of the assets from the XBOX 360 and PS3 version of the game, Split/Second for the iPhone is a fun racing game with a great sense of speed and a cool gameplay mechanic that involves blowing up portions of the track to change the layout of the course and sabotage opponents.

In Split/Second, you compete in a fictional reality television show where you compete for fame and fortune. Included are three gameplay modes: Season mode where you play through the TV show, quick race where you can play any unlocked track, and multiplayer mode which not only can be played locally via bluetooth and WiFi but also online.

The main gimmick of Split/Second is the powerplay system. Racing through the game, a gauge near the back of your car slowly fills up in three segments. Doing things like drifting, drafting opponents, and just generally racing as aggressive as possible increases your powerplay meter. You can then spend this powerplay energy to initiate various explosions throughout the track to take out enemy racers as well as significantly altering the track itself. This can result in debris and track damage that you must dodge and avoid in subsequent laps. The game offers 3 types of modes throughout: Detonator, Elimination, and Race. Detonator pits you against the track itself in which all possible explosions occur during your run. You just need to finish in the time allotted. Elimination is an aggressive quick-elimination mode where the trailing car is eliminated at regular intervals. Finally, Race is self explanatory. Controls are limited to auto-acceleration, tilt control and manual braking with multiple button layout options.

As some commenters mentioned in the preview post, the powerplay gauge increased very slowly in the preview build. This seems to have been tweaked to be more in line with the console version of the game and it seems rare that I'm ever really starved for powerplays.

Unfortunately, the other issues mentioned in the preview still remain. While the game itself is a fast arcade racer with a neat gimmick, it almost seems like too much was sacrificed when compressing the game down from the XBOX 360 or PS3 to the iPhone. So many of the visual effects are missing, and even the biggest explosions aren't nearly as exciting.

In comparison, when playing the full console version of the game, you're constantly dodging explosions and other environmental obstacles launching themselves in the middle of the raceway. On the iPhone, this explosion mechanic isn't anywhere near as prevalent as it should be in a game that tries to be based around adrenaline-pumping explosions around every turn.

Split/Second for iPhone does come with online multiplayer, but since it just launched this evening, it's too early to say whether or not this will become popular enough to sustain itself.

While Split/Second for iPhone can be a fun arcade racer, App Store racing staples like Real Racing [$4.99 / Free] and Need for Speed Shift [$6.99] are just flat out better technical racers. As such, Split/Second isn't a must have but may appeal to those looking for a different and far more arcade-y racing experience.

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